The development of a large-scale dispensing hub in Leeds for independent pharmacies has been boosted by seven-figure funding from HSBC.

The 3,000 square metre facility at Logic Leeds business park which was acquired last year by HubRx, whose founder Daniel Lee set up Pharmacy2U in 1999, is set to be the scene for what he claimed will be "the first centralised automated hub of its kind for independent pharmacists".

The hub is expected to enable hub and spoke dispensing for up to 200 independents across England with the capacity to handle 1.25 million items a month.

This month, the government launched a 12-week consultation on proposals to enable hub and spoke dispensing among separate pharmacy businesses in the UK.

If passed, the model, which has only been available to individual businesses and is largely used by pharmacy chains, would be open to independents and allow them to come together to split the cost of setting up a hub.

Two hub and spoke models are under consideration: one where a patient’s prescription is assembled by the hub and sent to the spoke which supplies the medicine and another in which the hub supplies the prescription directly to the patient. 

“The role of independent community pharmacy is rapidly changing from being focused on dispensing prescriptions to instead offering more clinical services,” Mr Lee said.

“To achieve this, pharmacies need to free up more dispensing time which is where HubRx will be able to help. We’re grateful to HSBC UK for supporting us to acquire cutting-edge automation technology and equipment so we can create the first centralised automated hub of its kind for independent pharmacists.”

Mike France, the relationship director for equipment finance at HSBC UK, said: “We’re pleased to support the HubRx team led by CEO Daniel Lee and chairman Sean Riddell, both of whom have significant expertise in healthcare technology and a genuine passion for improving community pharmacies in the Yorkshire region and across the UK.

“The business puts innovation and local community wellbeing at the heart of their business, and we look forward to seeing them grow.”