By Suzanne Greenwood, Executive Director
The announcement this week of the finalists in the Guild’s Pharmacy of the Year awards is a fitting highlight of a year when, yet again, community pharmacies have risen to overcome extraordinary challenges to continue providing services and medicines to patients across Australia.
I congratulate the six finalists for their achievements and also for being ambassadors for the whole community pharmacy profession.
The Pharmacy of the Year judges have pointed out that selecting finalists this year was more difficult than ever, not only because of the excellence of the applicants, but because of how they have continued to provide and build on service provision while meeting the increasing demands presented by the pandemic.
The finalists have excelled in specific areas, but community pharmacies across the country have excelled as well in continuing to build and grow on what they can deliver to their communities.
This is a hallmark of the sector and to be able to continue achieving this during the pandemic, and indeed to develop and offer new services to help patients cope with COVID-19, is something I have a very deep admiration for.
Above all, the patient has been front and centre of community pharmacy activities.
There are more than 5,900 community pharmacies spread across the country in a manner that provides easy access for the vast majority of the population. And throughout the pandemic this year and last year they have remained open to provide services and medicines to patients. Other health professionals may have been unavailable, but the trusted community pharmacy was there and was open.
Community pharmacists have always had a very high trust ranking with Australians. Consistently they are in the top three of the most trusted professionals and I believe the way they have responded during the pandemic can only reinforce this status.
What we have seen is people from all parts of the country increasingly turn to their pharmacies during the past year for help and support for all health matters, but particularly for COVID-19 issues.
This reflects their trust in their pharmacists and the knowledge they will get the right advice, the right medicines and the right services for their needs.
During the past year we have also seen these community pharmacies adapt and evolve to meet the changing environment the pandemic has produced. Community pharmacies in some cases are offering home deliveries, often to areas many kilometres from their pharmacy, so that sick, vulnerable or isolating patients can continue to access their medicines.
We have seen pharmacies offer financial schemes and help to pay for medicine, pharmacies delivering food to people, pharmacies offering counselling.
And of course, pharmacies joining the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and helping it get the country back on track. When the vaccine rollout seemed to have stalled, the onboarding of eligible pharmacies to administer vaccines kickstarted the campaign and helped to bring vaccination rates to the level which has seen the country ‘open up’ again as restrictions have been eased or been removed.
These pharmacies not only are offering the vaccination service but often opening different hours so patients can get their shots on the way to or from work or other engagements.
To say that community pharmacists are a remarkable group of people is an understatement.
As the year draws to a close it is a good time to think back on and appreciate all they have delivered during the year – and all they will continue to deliver.
For many of us the Christmas period is a time for relaxing and recharging the batteries but traditionally it’s the busiest time for community pharmacies and with travel restrictions lifted I have no doubt this year will be busier than ever for them as people enjoy the ability to move about the country.
And as we well know, they will rise to the challenge.
