Member

I have a few questions for the Minister on these regulations. First, what specific and quantifiable measures have the Government put in place, beyond mere guidance, to actively support independent and small community pharmacies to invest in and adapt to the hub-and-spoke model, thereby preventing market consolidation and ensuring equitable patient access to the diverse range of local pharmacy services, especially in areas where alternative provision is scarce? Secondly, beyond theoretical assurances, what new rigorous and independent audit and real-world data collection mechanisms will the Government implement to continuously monitor the impact of hub-and-spoke dispensing on medication error rates and, crucially, on the quality and frequency of patient counselling at the point of collection, ensuring that the clinical role of the community pharmacy is tangibly preserved and enhanced, rather than being inadvertently diminished by these regulations?