The Pharmacy Show has been the national gathering for pharmacy professionals for over a decade.
As the UK’s largest dedicated trade show and education conference for community and primary care pharmacy, The Pharmacy Show isn’t just an event – it’s the essential destination for pharmacy professionals who want to move forward, together.
Nowhere else can so many pharmacy professionals come together for two days of education, networking opportunities and of course, fun!
200+
Expert Speakers
150+
Educational Sessions
300+
Suppliers to Meet
2025 EXHIBITORS
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OUR LATEST ARTICLES
National Pharmacy Association and The Pharmacy Show 2025 unite to empower community pharmacies
The Pharmacy Show and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) are delighted to announce a partnership for The Pharmacy Show 2025, the UK’s largest event for the pharmacy sector, taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 12–13 October 2025.
Championing independent pharmacies
This collaboration will shine a spotlight on the vital role of independent community pharmacies within the UK’s evolving healthcare landscape. As the voice of over 6,000 independent pharmacies, the NPA will play an important role in shaping the event's content – advocating for key priorities such as pharmacy-first services, digital transformation, and the future of pharmacy within the NHS.
Connect with the NPA at The Pharmacy Show 2025
Join the NPA team at the show for thought leadership sessions on the future of pharmacy and networking opportunities with NPA experts and peers. Whether you're looking to grow your services, reach new patients, or influence national policy, the NPA’s presence at the show offers essential tools and insights for your journey.
Click here to register your interest and stay up to date with all the latest news from the UK’s leading event for pharmacy professionals.
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About the National Pharmacy Association (NPA):
Established in 1921, the NPA is the trade association for independent community pharmacy professionals in the UK. As a not-for-profit organisation, it supports members in delivering high-quality patient care and represents their interests to government and regulatory bodies.
Find out more information about the NPA at: https://www.npa.co.uk/
About The Pharmacy Show:
The Pharmacy Show is the UK’s leading trade event and education conference dedicated to the community and primary care pharmacy sector. Free to attend for UK-registered healthcare professionals, the show attracts thousands of pharmacy professionals for two days of dynamic learning, networking, and discovery.
With more than 300 exhibitors and hundreds of hours of high-quality educational content delivered by renowned sector experts, the event equips attendees with the latest insights, innovations, and technologies shaping the future of pharmacy practice.
For more information, please contact:
Exhibitor and speaker enquiries: thepharmacyshow@closerstillmedia.com
Marketing enquiries: a.chung@closerstillmedia.com
About CloserStill Media:
The organiser, CloserStill Media, specialises in high-value, content-driven events and the nurturing of B2B or professional communities. The company operates events across a wide range of sub-vertical sectors within Business Technologies, Healthcare and Future Transport and Infrastructure across the U.S., Europe and Asia, with operations and 800 staff in the U.K., USA, Germany, Spain and Singapore.
Find our more information about CloserStill Media: https://www.closerstillmedia.com/
The Pharmacy Owners' Forum
We're excited to introduce a brand-new feature at this year's event: The Pharmacy Owners' Forum
A dedicated theatre designed to spotlight thought leadership, spark strategic conversations, and showcase innovative solutions shaping the future of pharmacy.
The Pharmacy Owners’ Forum is the destination for those looking to operate their business with confidence, build resilient revenue streams, and grow with purpose. Designed for current and aspiring pharmacy owners, the brand-new theatre delivers practical business advice for navigating the day-to-day realities of pharmacy ownership.
Attendees will gain clear guidance on everything from advertising regulation to business expansion plans. Whether managing a single site, expanding a small group, or stepping into ownership for the first time, owners will find real-world insights to help strengthen and grow their business.
Sessions are led by experienced pharmacy owners and trusted experts such as lawyers and business consultants, offering actionable strategies that can be applied immediately. The programme is designed to help owners address operational and financial pressures, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing sector.
Whether you're an exhibitor or delegate, this is your opportunity to take your experience at The Pharmacy Show to the next level.
Situated in a high-traffic zone, The Pharmacy Owners' Forum will attract pharmacy owners, senior decision-makers, and professionals who are attending with a clear purpose to discover, invest, and grow. Featuring in the theatre puts you at the heart of the action, right where it matters most.
As our visitor, you will experience:
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Expert-led sessions that educate and inspire
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Actionable business guidance tailored to real-world pharmacy challenges
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Strategic advice for driving business expansion
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Unmissable networking opportunities with peers and suppliers
If you haven't already, register your interest now to be informed when our registration goes live in June! You will also receive new updates on the theatre with more information. The Pharmacy Show is free to attend for UK registered healthcare professionals.
If you've already booked a stand or looking to exhibit, you will experience:
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Direct engagement with pharmacy professionals actively exploring new products and partnerships
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Greater brand recognition among ambitious business owners
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A stronger reputation as a leader in pharmacy innovation
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High-value connections with an audience ready to invest in growth
Looking for more exposure? You can become a speaker or sponsor to this theatre. Get in touch with our sales team now to find out how.
Hub-and-spoke dispensing start date and next steps announced
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) announced on the 30 April that the government has laid new amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMR), allowing pharmacies not owned by the same legal entity to start hub-and-spoke dispensing by the end of October.
As previously discussed, these changes have been a long time coming.
What’s changing?
Currently, hub-and-spoke dispensing is only permitted between pharmacies within the same legal entity. The new legislation will allow for smaller independent pharmacies, who have previously been excluded, to benefit from the same model, as pharmacies belonging to different legal entities will be able to use hubs operated by other companies.
Moreover, in their statement CPE shared that they are ‘discussing with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) associated amendments to the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations (PLPS regulations) to permit the NHS spoke pharmacy to subcontract part of the NHS Essential Dispensing Service to the hub.’
‘These amendments are likely to include a requirement that NHS spoke pharmacies must notify their Integrated Care Board (ICB) 28 days in advance of commencing hub and spoke dispensing (for NHS prescriptions).’
CPE has said that the actual start date is likely to be 29 October 2025 ‘at the earliest’, to take account of spoke pharmacies notifying their integrated care board.
How does it work?
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) initially consulted on two new hub-and-spoke dispensing models — one where the assembled medicine would be sent back from the hub to the spoke for the patient to collect and one where the patient would receive their prescription from the hub. However, in March 2025, Minister Stephen Kinnock confirmed that DHSC will be “going with” Model One.
DHSC describes the model as follows:
‘The patient presents a prescription to the spoke. The spoke then sends the relevant information on to the hub so that they can carry out their agreed dispensing actions. The hub then sends these dispensed medicines back to the spoke, which may have further responsibilities to perform such as providing advice on the medicine to the patient, before supplying them to the patient.’
CPE have clarified the key points of the HMR amendments are:
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The spoke pharmacy must have entered into written arrangements with the hub pharmacy; these must include a comprehensive agreement of the responsibilities each has for the shared dispensing process.
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The spoke must sell, supply, or dispense the medicine to the patient, the hub having assembled or part assembled it – under the arrangements.
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The dispensed medicine must be labelled with the spoke’s name and address, and the date on which the hub assembled or part assembled the medicine (as well as the usual information required on a dispensing label).
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The sharing of patient data between the hub and spoke (without the explicit consent of a patient) is permitted through an information gateway which includes a requirement for the spoke to display an appropriate notice to patients and staff at the spoke and hub to maintain the confidentiality of the patient data.
What are the benefits?
The idea is that this will create a level playing field between smaller pharmacies and larger chains, and that these changes will allow pharmacists to dispense medicines more efficiently, providing them with more time to engage with patients and deliver clinical services.
When the legislation allowing for universal hub-and-spoke dispensing was first announced, Andrea Leadsom, the then Pharmacy Minister, said: “These proposals will level the playing field and enable our hard-working community pharmacies to benefit from centralised dispensing.”
“It will also free up highly skilled pharmacists from back-office duties to deliver patient-facing services, including Pharmacy First and contraception consultations, supply medicines and provide advice.”
Commenting on the legislative changes, Gareth Jones, Director of corporate affairs at the National Pharmacy Association, said: ‘Some independent pharmacies may find hub-and-spoke to be a useful mechanism for releasing time for patient care. However, this is certainly no silver bullet as far as pharmacy finances are concerned.’
‘The medium-to-long-term business case only stacks up for local pharmacies if there is an ongoing pipeline of NHS investment in clinical services, to make productive use of the staff time released.’
‘We’ll keep an eye out for unintended consequences because this is a substantial change in pharmacy practice that needs to operate safely and efficiently for patients and on a level playing field for contractors.’
What Next?
Following the announcement, CPE is currently saying that it will provide a full briefing on the amendments and hub and spoke dispensing "in the coming weeks".
At The Pharmacy Show 2024, Gareth Jones delivered an insightful presentation examining the implications of the upcoming changes to the law. You can watch to the full recording from last year’s Pharmacy Show here.
From 12-13 October this year, just weeks before the legislation comes into effect, you can hear first-hand from leading sector voices insights into how to optimise hub-and-spoke dispensing, with multiple talks offering an extensive deep-dive into making hub-and-spoke a reality.
Don’t miss the chance to learn more about this and all the other key updates you need to know to stay ahead.
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You've got everything in one place - pharma companies, products, suppliers, legal experts, solicitors and accountants.
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"Love coming here because we got a lot of challenges in the sector, but we've got a lot of opportunities. It's a good way to find out what's going on across the country. It's a key must-do in the pharmacy calendar. A problem in my part of the world could be a solution somewhere else and vice versa. That's how I get refreshed and I keep motivated.
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The main benefit of attending The Pharmacy Show for me is broadening my knowledge. It ticks all the boxes for me: the session topics, distributors and quality of people.There is a huge variety and lots of learning, there are so many products available.
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I come every year. The Pharmacy Show is a great place to get up-to-speed with what’s new, what’s already happening and what’s about to happen. There’s a good mix of people, a nice mix and match of distributors with different types of products and services. You really get a feel for the entire pharmacy sector and its diversity.
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I really enjoyed the face to face interaction with potential customers and the high exposure of my product.
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I've enjoyed it. I think the show will give me some advantage going forward – I come here to speak to pharmacy suppliers. I really enjoy being able to speak to the exhibitors.
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The Pharmacy Show provides a fantastic opportunity to see how the boundaries of innovation are being pushed in community pharmacy.
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