Pharmacy Business & Career Network Podcast

Technological advances, rising costs, and increasing patient expectations are set to transform the healthcare landscape. As such, community pharmacy has the ability to deliver a holistic health hub that provides excellent patient experiences.

Patients value cost and convenience the most when choosing a pharmacy and, although this sounds like cutting prices and longer opening hours, the reality is that many patients are looking for a community health hub; easily accessible health services that complement pharmacies’ core medicine roles and an enhanced in-store experience of a ‘one-stop-shop’.

Shelley Thomson, Founder of Experience 360, a consultancy that focuses on helping healthcare providers to deliver exceptional patient experiences, joins us to talk about why we should be striving for excellent customer experience, the opportunity for pharmacies, and what will happen if we don’t embrace the change.

The Guild’s CP2025 Framework for Change publication, which Shelley mentioned, outlines nine growth pathways to help inform future business strategies and to enhance the patient experience by developing innovative, service and care-oriented business models. If you would like more information about the Framework and the nine growth pathways, visit www.guild.org.au/cp2025

Whether you are at the start of your career, or a seasoned pharmacist or pharmacy owner, mentoring can play a significant role in both your career and business development and success.
On this episode, we speak to Guy Lambert, Head of Growth at Mentorloop, a company helping organisations to create a mentoring culture for their people, leading to better employee retention, diversity and talent development outcomes. Guy talks to us about mentoring programs and why it makes good personal and also business sense.

We also hear from early career pharmacists Elise Apolloni and Tash Jovanoska. Elise is the owner of four Capital Chemists while Tash Jovanoska recently became an owner of her first pharmacy in Braidwood rural NSW. Elise and Tash will provide us with some insights into their mentoring journeys.

The Guild believes that mentoring is important for the future of community pharmacy and as such has established a mentoring platform to help facilitate mentoring relationships.

The platform provides an opportunity to engage across the workforce, build stronger networks, promote the benefit of a career in community pharmacy and so much more.

The system is designed to build a mentor network at all levels and will not only assist young pharmacist but also future owners, current members, potential Guild officials and those looking for development as they progress with CP2025 initiatives. The platform will also link professionals from outside the pharmacy industry, from areas such as finance, legal, marketing, IT and governance.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor or a mentee you can find more information about the Guild Mentor Platform here.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ross Tsuyuki, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, at the University of Alberta. Dr. Tsuyuki’s main interest is improving public health through engaging community pharmacists as primary care providers.

Dr. Tsuyuki discusses the history and current situation of full scope of practice in Canada and discusses the benefits and challenges for the Australian sector.

As we know the community pharmacy landscape is changing and professional services have become mainstream, but to truly provide a holistic health experience for patients, including injections, prescribing and laboratory testing, it’s important to explore the ability to provide full scope of practice

The Guild recognises the important role community pharmacies play in patient healthcare. The CP2025 Framework for change document outlines much of what we have discussed here today. The ability for community pharmacies to provide health services and community health hubs is paramount to the health of Australians.

Dr Tsuyuki will be presenting at the Pharmacy Connect conference in September. This is a great opportunity for us to delve into the issues further and have some robust discussions on the way forward for recognition of full scope of practice. Visit http://pharmacy-connect.com.au/ today to register to attend and join the conversation.

In recent years, digital engagement has become a critical ingredient for small to medium business success. Digital tools can help improve operational processes and assist the development and implementation of a business strategy and are strongly correlated with revenue growth, innovation, and expanded market reach. In the community pharmacy setting, integration of digital technologies and increased engagement with patients can help to improve medicine adherence, remote monitoring, clinical efficiencies, and collaboration with the wider health system.

By embracing digital health, community pharmacy can integrate with the wider health system, increasing the ability to move beyond medicine supply and offer personalised health solutions working with other health providers. If community pharmacies do not have a competitive online presence, the risk of online retailers providing direct-to-home prescriptions and targeting front-of-shop products is increased.

In this episode, we have two guests. The first is Aaron D’Souza, Pharmacist and General Manager of Guild Digital and Pharmacy Click and Collect, who explains the benefits of integrating digital health into community pharmacies. We also speak with Kate Knynenburg, pharmacist owner of a recently independent pharmacy in The Gap, Brisbane, about her experiences and why she is embracing digital change.

There are several resources available to help community pharmacies navigate the pathway to digital enablement. The Guild’s CP2025 Framework for Change publication outlines nine growth pathways to help inform future business strategies, one of which is Digital Enablement. If you would like more information about the Framework and the nine growth pathways, visit www.guild.org.au/cp2025

Guild members can also access digital engagement blogs and videos written for Australian community pharmacies and the “Australian Pharmacy Digital Engagement Guide” via the Guild Digital website at www.guilddigital.com.au

In order to enhance service delivery, empower patients, break down health siloes, and enable partnership-based approaches that span primary care, allied health, community care, and aged care, community pharmacies are being encouraged to integrate digital health into their practices and businesses.

Integrating digital health into pharmacy practice enhances patient safety, enables more personalised care, creates clinical efficiencies, and drives collaboration. One way community pharmacies can start to see the benefits of the My Health Record System is to understand its clinical applications to patient care and when to utilise this additional source of patient health information.

My Health Record has the potential to provide a platform to support healthcare coordination in the goal of providing optimum health outcomes for patients especially those with chronic and complex conditions.

In this episode we take a deep dive into the My Health Record system in the community pharmacy context with Andrew Robinson, a community pharmacy owner and Pharmacist Digital Health Leader at the Australian Digital Health Agency and Vandana Chandnani, who is a pharmacist by trade and educator at the Agency.

Further information and support is available at the Digital Health Agency's My Health Record website and Digital Health for Guild members, including CPD training modules via the GuildEd platform.

Further information regarding digital enablement can be found within the CP2025 Framework for change.

Additionally, The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business recently announced that the Pharmacy Guild has been selected as one of 15 Australian Industry Associations to receive $50,000 each year for two years to establish a trusted digital advisory service, under the Small Business Digital Champions project, today's podcast is an initiative of the Small Business Digital Champions project. Further information can be found at www.employment.gov.au/empowering-industry-associations.

A major financial investment with minimal immediate return is the price that is often necessary to pay to help future proof community pharmacy today.

This was the view taken by Hardings 24-hour Pharmacy Annerley in Brisbane when it made the decision to undergo a major revamp and open 24/7. This investment is clearly already helping Harding’s to make their mark as one of the leading community pharmacies in Australia.

Today we hear from Chetna Patel, pharmacist and co-manager of Hardings 24-hour Pharmacy and this year’s Guild Pharmacy of the Year category winner of Excellence in Professional Innovation (proudly sponsored by principal sponsor Care Pharmaceuticals and sponsor QCPP). We discuss the journey that Hardings Pharmacy has taken to future proof the business and strengthen the pharmacy’s commitment to providing innovative professional services to the community.

The Guild also recognises the need for community pharmacies to embrace innovation to ensure viability and long-term sustainability. The Guild’s CP2025 Framework for Change publication, outlines and nine growth pathways help inform future business strategies, one of which is Community Health Hubs.

If you are interested in applying for the 2020 Guild Pharmacy of the Year award (proudly sponsored by principal sponsor Care Pharmaceuticals and sponsor QCPP) entries are NOW OPEN. APPLY NOW for the 2020 Guild Pharmacy of the Year.

Zamil Solanki is co-proprietor of TerryWhite Chemmart Mount Gravatt, finalist in the 2019 Guild Pharmacy of the Year awards which were proudly sponsored by principal sponsor, Care Pharmaceuticals, and sponsor, QCPP. The pharmacy is located in a highly competitive area, with 12 other pharmacies within a 3 km radius.

Zamil and his team have transformed the pharmacy to incorporate a true forward dispensing model; integrating robotics, two clinic rooms and additional allied health services including a larger medical centre and pathology, to ensure the pharmacy stands out from the crowd.

Zamil is extremely passionate and enthusiastic about the future of community pharmacy, which is evident in how he approaches the management of his business but also his involvement in the wider healthcare network.

Sarah Hazell is co-owner of Flannery’s Pharmacy in Forbes, the 2019 Guild Pharmacy of the Year winner. Sarah provided a heartfelt and inspiring acceptance speech at the award ceremony in March at APP, where she spoke of the pharmacy's vision, saying, “Our vision is to offer the highest level of pharmacy capable people in our community. This complements our mission which is to develop a knowledgeable, capable and caring team of experts, to work with other healthcare professionals and community groups to provide improved health outcomes for our community,”

“Our motto is putting the community back into community pharmacy which reflects our focus on professional services and community involvement.”

Hear from Sarah about the pharmacy, the part it plays in the community, and what’s next for the team at Flannery’s.

To a varying degree, community pharmacies already contract other health professionals such as maternal nurses and diabetes educators on a sessional basis. With physical retailing under pressure, and an increased focus on multidisciplinary care, pharmacy infrastructure can be utilised for broader health services without necessarily entering those markets directly or employing full-time staff. Other health professionals, working on a sessional basis, can complement pharmacists’ medicines role, enabling a holistic, health solutions-based approach.

Pharmacy 777 Glengarry has certainly embraced collaborating and partnering with other allied health professionals and has established themselves as a health hub for the community of Duncraig and the region.

As a testament to the pharmacy’s commitment to the community, both within and outside the pharmacy walls, the pharmacy was recently recognised as winner of the Community Engagement – Collaboration and Partnerships category of the Guild Pharmacy of the Year award (proudly sponsored by principal sponsor Care Pharmaceuticals and sponsor QCPP)

Today we speak with owner Tina Paysar on how the pharmacy has transformed into a health destination, dedicated to improving the health of their patients through building strong professional relationships and engaging with the wider community.

Located on the north-west tip of Tasmania, Wilkinson’s Pharmacy Burnie have proactively transformed their health services to meet the needs of their patients and expanded the scope and role of the community pharmacy in the region.

The increased provision of specific health-related services at Wilkinson’s pharmacy demonstrates that the pharmacy is a health destination which enhances patient convenience and health outcomes.

Wilkinson’s Pharmacy Burnie was recognised in the category of Community Engagement – Health Services of the Guild Pharmacy of the Year awards 2019 (proudly sponsored by principal sponsor Care Pharmaceuticals and sponsor QCPP). Wilkinson’s demonstrated a commitment to developing and adopting an increased number of health services to meet the needs of their community. They have displayed a strong commitment to community engagement and a dedication to improving the delivery of professional services and medicines to their patients.

Today we chat with Jack Muir Wilson about the Wilkinson’s Pharmacy journey and what the future holds.

Emerald is a small town in the central highlands region of Queensland, approx. 870km from Brisbane. It is a service town for a large number of industries including extensive coal mining operations and cotton farming. Emerald is also home to an outstanding community pharmacy, Emerald Plaza Pharmacy, and owner Jessica Burrey has a vision to create a health hub to service the community and collaborate with the wider health sector.

Jessica’s leadership, and her amazing team’s work so far, led to Emerald Pharmacy being awarded finalist status in the 2019 Guild Pharmacy of the Year award.

Jess and her team understand the challenges facing the industry and embrace the need to adapt and change to address the needs of their patients and community. Their willingness to adapt and change has resulted in a dynamic, viable, and sustainable business.

Today we speak with Jess about her journey to ownership, how she and her team have transformed the pharmacy, and what they have planned for the future.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s Pharmacy of the Year awards are the undisputed benchmark for recognising excellence in the community pharmacy industry.

The awards, celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, aim to seek out highly motivated, innovative and adaptable pharmacy businesses that continuously strive to provide greater healthcare solutions in creative ways. The awards are supported by the primary sponsor, Care Pharmaceuticals as well the Quality Care Pharmacy Program.

The category winners, as well as the overall Pharmacy of the Year, were announced at the APP 2019 conference. 

At the conference, we captured the introduction of each category winner, as well as the audio from their story video, which takes us inside their pharmacy and tells us more about their work, and then finally, we recorded their answers to some short questions on stage.

As such, in this episode we hear just a little bit about what makes these winners so successful. However, in the coming episodes, we’ll catch up with each of them in detail and learn much more about their journey and success.

Company culture is not just about providing perks like ping pong tables and team happy hours.

Many businesses focus on their numbers, systems, processes and KPIs to achieve success, however, focusing attention on the culture, relationships and behaviours of your team will have a direct and positive impact on the results of your business.

When company cultures are particularly high-performing, they can impact all corners of your business. Increased engagement, productivity, and retention are all outcomes of a high-performance work culture.

Today we speak with Daniel Healy, Partner at Leading Teams about what makes a good leader, why culture is important to a business and how leaders can create and influence good culture.

Every business has to change, update and innovate in order to survive and thrive. Your pharmacy is no exception.

Instituting change is difficult, especially when you get set in a routine. Whether it’s too expensive, you don’t have the time, or you like the way things have always been done, it’s not hard to find excuses to keep doing what you’re doing.

In order for your business to grow, you have to continue to change and develop. Implementing innovative ideas benefits everyone, including your patients, employees and your business.

In this episode we hear from Rod Hattch, CEO of Wisdom Learning about just what innovation is, the drivers and barriers to implementation and how to set the culture within your business to foster innovation.

To help you on your journey the Guild’s CP2025 Framework for Change document, provides strategic thinking and direction to help community pharmacies understand and be in a position to respond to the trends impacting their businesses in a way that makes the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.

The framework highlights the nine growth pathways and practical actions you can take to enable your pharmacy to achieve longer term success. It is an important tool to complement your business plan and strategy and is a useful resource to assist innovative thinking.

You can access the document at www.guild.org.au/about-us/community-pharmacy-2025/framework

The pace of change in health care is rapid, but perhaps no sector is experiencing evolution as quickly as the field of community pharmacy.

Community pharmacists are integral members of a patient’s healthcare team, focused on ensuring individualised health outcomes for patients through a combination of medicines supply, management, safety, support and advice, working in collaboration with other health professionals.

Early career pharmacists play and integral role in the future direction of community pharmacy and today we speak to two young leaders of the industry about their experiences and aspirations for the future

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is dedicated to supporting new and emerging pharmacy owners and developing new leaders in community pharmacy. The Guild aims to equip early career pharmacists with the pathways, skills, tools and professional networks needed to be leaders in the primary health care system and owners of community pharmacies.

The Guild Early Career Pharmacists Resource Hub on the Guild website provides valuable information and resources relevant to you and your stage of career such as; the Guild Mentor Platform platform, Guild ITP, the National Student Business Plan Competition, podcasts, GuildEd and news and events. For more information go to www.guild.org.au/ecp

The intern journey can be a daunting prospect but with the right attitude, preceptor, and program, the intern year can be rewarding for the intern, preceptor, and pharmacy business. In this episode, we hear from Tim Stewart 2017 MIMS/Guild Intern of the Year, and his preceptor, Mark Leighton, on their experiences through the intern journey. Tim provides some great insights and reflections on his time as an intern and how it helped him transition from a student

If you are looking for a career in community pharmacy or you would like to take on an intern pharmacist in your business, let the Guild Intern Training Program help you take a step in the right direction. For more information go to www.internpharmacist.org.au

ALSO if you would like to nominate someone (or yourself) for the 2018 MIMS/Guild Intern of the Year go to www.internpharmacist.org.au/mims-guild-2018/