Workplace Relations

Taking over a small, old pharmacy in a town of just 1,000 people might seem like a challenge, but it’s a challenge that Alexander and Nicholas, at Ouyen Pharmacy, decided to take on.

Together, these two early career pharmacists managed to completely turn the pharmacy around, turning it from a business focused on giftware to a flourishing healthcare hub greatly benefiting the community.

As a finalist for ‘Pharmacy of the Year’, Ouyen Pharmacy took home a special award for the significant work they had done to reinvigorate their pharmacy within only two years of ownership.

Community Pharmacy faces significant workforce challenges, with no quick fix in sight.

How can Community Pharmacy adapt to deal with these challenges?

For this PBCN podcast episode, we’re bringing you a session that was held at the Australian Pharmacy Professionals’ conference at the Gold Coast from the 23rd to the 26th of March, 2023.

In this session, Helen O’Byrne, Pharmacy Guild National Councillor,  looked at some of the key issues that are likely to shape the future workforce of pharmacy.

Key influences in the future workforce include our university sector and the structure of the pharmacy degree, remuneration levels for pharmacists, pharmacy viability via Community Pharmacy Agreement remuneration, the capacity that pharmacists practice at full scope and its associated remuneration, and the degree to which enablers – like IT service provides, for example - assist pharmacy operations.

Going from being a pharmacy struggling to stay afloat and at risk of shutting down, to turning everything around and becoming a pharmacy recognised for its excellence, Pharmacy 777, in Shoalwater, took home the title of Pharmacy of the Year at this year’s APP conference.

Pharmacy 777 also became the category winner for ‘Excellence in Community Engagement’. From Christmas parties, naming competitions, easter egg hunts, casual chats, and even birthday visits - the team at Pharmacy 777 has consistently shown that community comes first.

Hear firsthand from Sam Afsar, one of the proprietors of Pharmacy 777. Sam talks about the strategies and practices that helped turn the tide, create meaningful relationships with their patients and fellow healthcare practitioners, and become an integral part of the community it serves.

This episode comes to you from the Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference, which was held on the Gold Coast from the 23rd to the 26th of March 2023. APP is the largest pharmacy conference in the southern hemisphere with – well normally - up to 6000 delegates attending. But this year a new record was set, with 7471 registered attendees!

Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Honourable Mark Butler, and Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator the Honourable Anne Ruston, our representatives in Parliament, attended APP to speak with the pharmacy workforce.

We took the opportunity for our National President, Professor Trent Twomey, to sit down with them and find out more about what they think needs to happen as we move into the 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement. And, of course, we are so glad to have made the time to get to know them a bit better.

When you hear the word ‘dietitian’, the first thing you might think about is weight loss management. What dietitians actually do, however, and the role they play in the healthcare sector, might surprise you!

This week is Dietitians Week, a week where we spread awareness about what it is dietitians do and how they improve our lives.

In this episode, Tara Diversi, President of Dieticians Australia, explains the work of dieticians. From supporting mental health, minimising side effects from medications, and managing disease, dietitians play an important role in Australian healthcare.

After this episode, you might see dietitians through a new lens.