Article | Rethinking traditional dispensing

Community pharmacy is at a crucial turning point. The traditional dispensing model — shaped by manual tasks, inefficient workflows and pharmacists spending far too much time in the dispensing process — is becoming harder to sustain. In this article, Brian Duggan, Business Development Director at Optum and a practising pharmacist, explores why it's time to modernise dispensing and how doing so could help unlock the full clinical potential of community pharmacy.

Prescription volumes are rising. Chronic conditions are becoming more common. Medication regimes are more complex. And all of this is underpinned by an ageing population. It’s no wonder pharmacies are feeling the pressure.

At the same time, pharmacists are being asked to do more, supporting NHS Pharmacy First, running private clinics for weight loss and travel and delivering a growing range of vaccination programmes.

But these growing demands are being met with shrinking capacity. Staff shortages and pharmacy closures mean teams are expected to do more with less. Compounding the issue is flat funding, with real-term investment failing to keep pace with inflation, leaving many pharmacies unable to grow their teams or invest in the systems they need to keep up.

Reframing the role of dispensing

Dispensing will always be central to pharmacy. But to remain financially viable and clinically relevant, community pharmacies must move away from manual processes and embrace smarter, more scalable models.

It’s not just about efficiency. It’s about giving pharmacists the time to do what they do best — deliver safe, high-quality, patient-centred care.

A step in the right direction

Modernising dispensing doesn’t mean losing control of workflows, it means creating the conditions for pharmacists to thrive. Whether through technology, revised processes or collaboration with off-site services, the goal is the same: a dispensing model that supports — not limits — the clinical role of pharmacy.

With the landscape changing around us, from NHS ambitions to patient expectations, modernising dispensing is more than a necessity. It’s our opportunity to lead the transformation and secure the future of pharmacy.

This article was prepared by Brian Duggan in a personal capacity. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by the author of this piece belong to the author and do not purport to represent the views, thoughts and opinions of Optum.

This article is part of our ‘Reimagining the future of dispensing’ series. To explore other articles in the series, click the link below.