Supporting local and offsite dispensing

ProScript Connect: supporting local and offsite dispensing

Introducing Optum

Key statistics

At Optum, our mission is clear: helping people live healthier lives and helping make the health and care system work better for everyone. Bringing together advanced data and technology capabilities, deep clinical and industry expertise, along with our cross-industry relationships, we’re helping our customers tackle healthcare’s biggest challenges. We enable clinicians to operate at the highest level of their expertise by reducing administrative burdens, streamlining workflows and providing intelligent decision support. We’re supporting the delivery of care through great technology, enabling neighbourhood working and the shift to prevention, optimising medicines and driving equitable and ethical clinical research.

20+ years supporting community pharmacies providing you with stability and reliability

1.5+ million items processed per day by pharmacy teams using ProScript Connect®

90% of pharmacies use PharmOutcomes ® in England

#1 independent patient services app with over 18 million registered users of Patient Access® in the UK

2

3

“

The future of dispensing Dispensing is at the heart of community pharmacy, but growing demand is making traditional workflows harder to sustain. These pressures are prompting a shift toward smarter, more sustainable ways of working. New legislation now allows independent pharmacies in England and Wales to participate in hub and spoke dispensing, where one pharmacy (the hub) prepares medicines for another (the spoke). This creates new opportunities to streamline dispensing, boost efficiency and enhance patient care. By moving beyond manual processes and adopting scalable models that suit your setup, pharmacy teams can free up time and support sustainable business growth — all while continuing to deliver high-quality, patient-focused care. ProScript Connect® supports both local assembly and off-site dispensing, helping your pharmacy team to work more efficiently, no matter which delivery model you choose.

Community pharmacy is at a crucial turning point. Rising prescription volumes, more complex medication regimes and increasing clinical demands are stretching teams thin. To remain both financially viable and clinically relevant, pharmacies must move away from manual dispensing processes and embrace smarter, more scalable models. Modernising dispensing is not just about efficiency — it’s about giving pharmacists the time to do what they do best: deliver safe, high-quality, patient-centred care. This is our opportunity to lead transformation and secure the future of pharmacy.”

Sima Jassal, Clinical Director, Optum

4

5

Exploring dispensing models

Supporting three core dispensing models

Dispensing isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ process. Your pharmacy can use a variety of dispensing models based on the needs, scale and workflow priorities of your business. Each model comes with its own benefits and considerations, giving you the flexibility to choose an approach that best fits your pharmacy. ProScript Connect is designed with this flexibility in mind. Offering a configurable set-up and intelligent workflow modules to support both in-house and offsite dispensing, you can be rest assured that whichever approach you choose, you’ll be able to manage your prescriptions seamlessly.

Hub and spoke

Pick to patient

In-house dispensing

A central ‘hub’ pharmacy prepares and supplies medications in bulk to local ‘spoke’ pharmacies, which then dispense them to patients.

Orders are grouped by patient when sent to the wholesaler. The wholesaler then picks the stock for each patient individually and delivers it directly to the pharmacy.

The pharmacy prepares, labels and dispenses medications directly to patients on-site, without relying on external hubs or offsite facilities.

6

7

In-house dispensing

Dispensing stage

Hub and spoke

Pick to patient

Clinical check

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

Translation

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

Picking

At hub

At wholesaler

In pharmacy

Labelling

At hub

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

Accuracy check

At hub

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

Bagging

At hub

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

Handing out

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

In pharmacy

8

9

Hub and spoke The hub and spoke model offers an effective solution for pharmacies looking to reduce time spent on routine dispensing tasks. By moving most of the dispensing workload to the hub, pharmacies spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time supporting patients. Since 1 October 2025, independent pharmacies in England and Wales have been permitted to participate in hub and spoke dispensing, even if they belong to different legal entities or owners. What this means If you’re a small independent pharmacy, you will now have access to efficiencies previously limited to large chains, helping your team reduce manual tasks and streamline workflows.

How ProScript Connect supports hub and spoke ProScript Connect makes hub and spoke dispensing practical and scalable for independent pharmacies and groups alike. By connecting your pharmacy with trusted partners and central hubs, ProScript Connect enables prescriptions to be sent securely, processed and returned to your pharmacy with minimal manual steps.

Best suited to pharmacies that: • Work with a large number of prescriptions and are looking to offload time consuming dispensing tasks. • Are focused on patient care and looking to free up time away from the dispensing bench. • Belong to a pharmacy group or network who can share a central hub.

Flexible dispensing ProScript Connect’s Hub Queue Manager lets you choose which prescriptions are sent to the hub. For example, repeat prescriptions can be processed centrally, while acute or urgent items are prepared locally.

Ready for the future Our system is designed to scale with future hub and spoke models, automation and reporting requirements, keeping your pharmacy prepared and supported for future advancements.

10

11

Pick to patient In contrast to hub and spoke, the pick to patient model focuses on patient-specific dispensing — ensuring each prescription is tailored to individual needs. With this approach, pharmacies order directly from wholesalers, who pick and pack stock for each patient individually, then consolidate deliveries back to the pharmacy. By combining automation with a patient focused workflow, pick to patient offers an accessible, efficient and reliable solution. This makes it an attractive option for pharmacies looking to improve safety and operational performance.

Best suited to pharmacies that: • Manage multiple

How ProScript Connect supports pick to patient We partner with leading organisations to deliver a flexible digital workflow that streamlines pharmacy operations. Our system supports batch picking at external sites, automatically allocating medicines to the correct patient’s prescriptions. Once the medications are returned to your pharmacy, ProScript Connect updates the patient records in real-time, reducing manual handling and providing a full audit for compliance.

medications for chronic or complex conditions.

• Want to focus on

personalised care while maintaining accurate stock control. • Are looking to improve

workflow efficiency and reduce dispensing errors.

12

13

Enhanced in-house dispensing

How ProScript Connect supports in-house dispensing ProScript Connect is designed to make in-house dispensing smoother, safer and more efficient. By simplifying routine tasks, it helps pharmacists spend more time where it matters most - delivering high quality, patient-centred care.

For pharmacies who want to remain hands-on while working more efficiently, in-house dispensing remains a practical solution. It allows prescriptions to be prepared entirely on-site — helping teams stay in full control of their workflows without relying on off site services.

Best suited to pharmacies that: • Are small independents with lower dispensing volumes. • Prefer to oversee every step of the dispensing process — from clinical checks to hand out. • Operate in rural areas with limited access to hub services.

Improved efficiency Bring labelling, dispensing and endorsing together in one intuitive system, and streamline key processes like prescription tracking, ordering and reporting.

Clinical safety Confidently dispense medication and deliver high quality pharmacy services with built-in safety features, real-time alerts and intelligent workflows.

Effective patient record management Easily and securely manage comprehensive patient records with our intuitive software.

14

15

Essential tools for in-house dispensing Our ProScript Connect solution includes over 50 built-in features tailored for in house dispensing. Helping your teams reduce workload, streamline workflows and drive efficiency. Script Check Our ScriptCheck® module within ProScript Connect is designed to simplify the dispensing process for both repeat and acute prescriptions. By automating clinical check validation, ScriptCheck ensures prescriptions are only flagged for review if there’s been a change in medication or patient details within the past 12 months. With integrated barcode scanning, ScriptCheck ensures the correct pack reaches the right patient, reducing the risk of dispensing errors. It supports both single patient and multi-patient workflows, allowing your team to tailor the process to their preferred working style.

Medicines Manager Medicines Manager enables you to electronically add repeat medication requests directly into the EMIS Web® GP system workflow via ProScript Connect, reducing time-consuming manual processes for the GP and offering a full electronic audit trail for your pharmacy. Prescription Tracking Manager Prescription Tracking Manager is integrated within ProScript Connect enabling you to search and check the assigned location or status of a prescription, as well as allowing you to quickly reprint a tracking label for the prescription. Real Time Exemption Checking (RTEC) RTEC enables pharmacy teams to check if a patient is exempt from paying for a prescription. ProScript Connect will perform the check as part of your dispensing process, saving you time, improving accuracy and enhancing the patient experience.

Learn more

16

17

Why it matters now With new legislation comes exciting opportunities for growth. By exploring scalable dispensing models, pharmacies can not only build greater resilience but also protect valuable clinical time. These models open the door to smarter, more sustainable ways of working that benefit both staff and patients. ProScript Connect has been designed to evolve alongside the changing healthcare landscape. As dispensing models develop and new pressures emerge, our system continues to adapt — helping to futureproof your pharmacy, support efficiency and ensure that high-quality, patient-focused care remains at the centre of your service.

18

19

Get in touch

If you’d like to find out more about how our products can support you, speak with your local account director today, or get in touch at:

uk.communitypharmacy@optum.com

optum.co.uk/tech-enabled-services

Egton Medical Information Systems Ltd (t/a Optum) is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 02117205. Registered office: Fulford Grange, Micklefield Lane, Rawdon, Leeds, LS19 6BA. © 2026 Optum. All rights reserved.