The Guild Dispensary

With the economic impacts we’ve seen across 2020, it’s more important than ever that pharmacy owners have a keen understanding of business management, technology implementation, and accounting and tax frameworks that contribute to a successful, healthy business.

There’s been a huge increase in support and advice for small business owners in light of the pandemic, but it can be hard to understand the frameworks and opportunities that are now in place.

Our guest today breaks down the current business landscape, highlights how important it is to keep on top of business management, and provides some key strategies for pharmacy owners to steer their business through the next 12 months.  

Peter Saccasan is a partner at RSM Australia and a Director in the Business Advisory division in Sydney. As National Director, Pharmacy Services, Peter is also responsible for managing nationally the pharmacy services of the firm, leading a team of pharmacy specialists who understand the retail pharmacy industry.

With a background in the SME market and with over 20 years of pharmacy experience, Peter seeks to provide a complete business service for pharmacy owners, with a focus on sustainability. 

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Are leaders born or are they made? Is there the capacity in all of us to lead?

Leadership can be a difficult concept for some people to embrace, even those who already act as leaders at work or in their everyday life. Embracing the fact that anyone can lead, and that leadership is an extension of effective communication, can help pharmacists uncover their leadership potential.

Julia van Graas and Steph Clarke, from Spiique, are here to talk about how communication and leadership are two sides of the same coin, and both are needed to deliver optimal patient outcomes.

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The National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association (NAPSA) represents students from eighteen universities nationwide studying either an undergraduate or postgraduate program. 

NAPSA is committed to advocating for Australian pharmacy students to ensure their future is prosperous and their status, rights, and privileges are protected. NAPSA facilitates relationships between student members and prominent industry organisations, ensuring students are well connected with their profession and are up-to-date with key issues and trends. 

The continued operation of successful organisations like NAPSA rely on a committed and talented student leadership and we chat with both the outgoing and incoming NAPSA Presidents to discuss the challenges over the last 12 months and what’s in store for the future. Erin Cooper, from Charles Sturt University, is the outgoing president and Ethan Kreutzer, from Monash University, is the incoming president for the 2020/2021 term. 

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With the events transpiring throughout 2020, community pharmacies have certainly had their focus squarely fixed on maintaining exceptional patient care and community support. In light of this, it can be easy to forget about some of the vital components that underpin an effective retail business. A strong lease agreement can have an enormous impact on your business performance and it’s vital that pharmacy owners understand how to negotiate on, manage, and build a healthy lease portfolio.

Today, we are joined by Phil Chapman, a retail leasing expert, and a returning guest to the podcast, to discuss the importance of your lease contract, how to negotiate a better agreement with your landlord, the impacts of the pandemic on the leasing market, and some of the trends community pharmacy needs to be aware of moving forward.

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What does the retail store of the future look like? Are we returning to the norm anytime soon or is the new way here to stay?

2020 is certainly helping us to reconsider how we interact with our physical environment and, for community pharmacy, this represents a big challenge going forward.

However, it is also a great time to identify innovative opportunities to enhance the physical store area and improve patient experiences and outcomes. Getting on the front foot now will ensure community pharmacies remain accessible and valuable destinations for patients when we settle into the new norm.
 
In this episode,Gary McCartney, owner and creative director of McCartney Design, discusses how physical store environments can go a long way in shaping positive patient outcomes. Gary, has over twenty years of experience in retail design across a variety of industries, including community pharmacy.

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Wizard Pharmacy Kalgoorlie Central has been on a journey of transformation in recent years. As well as a major store refit, Elise Wheadon and the team have keenly adopted emerging technologies and jumped at professional opportunities to ensure the pharmacy has thrived in an increasingly competitive and digitised environment. 

Wizard Pharmacy Kalgoorlie Central have been working tirelessly through the pandemic months and are even continuing their dedication to patient care through increased tele-health engagement, ensuring customers are supported throughout these difficult times. It is this commitment to innovation that has seen Wizard Pharmacy Kalgoorlie Central take out the Guild Pharmacy of the Year 2020 Professional Innovation category win.

In this episode, we chat with Elise Wheadon, from Wizard Pharmacy Kalgoorlie Central, about her pharmacy’s journey toward Guild Pharmacy of the Year 2020, some of the challenges facing the industry, and what lies ahead for the future.

The Guild Pharmacy of the Year 2020 awards are proudly sponsored by Care Pharmaceuticals and the Quality Care Pharmacy Program.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has announced plans for the Guild Pharmacy of the Year Awards for 2021! For more information, visit guild.org.au and search “Pharmacy of the Year”.

I’ve been your host, Daniel Oyston, and you’ve been listening to episode 50, of the PBCN podcast.

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Electronic prescribing has been on the horizon for some time now, but what exactly is it and how will it impact the community pharmacy industry?

Electronic prescribing is essentially an initiative that provides an option for prescribers and their patients to use an electronic, as opposed to paper, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription.

Electronic prescriptions form part of the broader digital health and medicines safety framework and the benefits will include a greater choice for patients, improved efficiency in prescribing, and reduced errors in dispensing.

To take us through exactly what’s going on in the world of ePrescribing, we’re joined by Jason Bratuskins, Product Manager at FRED IT Group, and a pharmacy owner, who is supporting the rollout of this new and exciting technology.  

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Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman champion. Retired from competition, Guy is now a community health advocate, helping Australia gain an awareness of the risk and prevalence of sudden cardiac arrest. In helping Australia become 'Heart Smart', Guy’s mission is to ensure Australian businesses and communities have access to life-saving defibrillators.

In this episode, Guy discusses his own experiences which led him to establish Heart180 – a group on a mission to give all Australians access to a lifesaving defibrillator within 180 seconds of an emergency occurring.

Through Heart180, Guy is driving awareness of just how common an emergency can be and helping businesses become equipped to deal with these life-changing events.

As professionals on the front-line of patient care, pharmacists and pharmacy staff stand to benefit greatly from the lessons and resources available in this episode.

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Community Pharmacy is an engaging and rewarding industry to be a part of. On the other hand, however, it can at times be challenging and overwhelming. Workplace stress is a common experience for pharmacists and pharmacy staff, and it can present in many ways and over different periods of time.

The industry has harboured a long-held notion that working long and stressful hours, under high prescription numbers, and constant patient queries are par for the course, and this can often lead to cultures of stress and burnout within the profession.

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 certainly hasn't made any improvements in this environment and many pharmacies are now coping with the stressors of customer abuse, business continuity plans, and keeping up with ever-changing guidelines. It is a timely opportunity to get the conversation rolling on workplace wellbeing and mental health in Community Pharmacy.

In this episode, we speak with Kay Dunkley, a registered pharmacist and current Executive Officer of Pharmacists Support Services. Kay has a wealth of experience in working to provide support services to the pharmacy profession, and, has worked on a number of medicines and therapeutic advisory committees.

We also chat with Helen Lowy, registered pharmacist and counsellor. Helen helps individuals and businesses understand the impacts associated with healthcare culture and move from "surviving to thriving". We discuss some of her areas of clinical interest including psychological safety, resilience, and connection through meaning and purpose.

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Capital Chemist Chisholm is a fantastic example of the qualities and attributes that will shape the development of community pharmacy moving into the future. Rebecca Young (pharmacy owner) and the team have driven their success through strong business management, capitalising on emerging technologies, and engaging the wider health community.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Capital Chemist Chisolm has displayed an unwavering commitment to community engagement and has continued to provide professional service and advice to patients and the public.

Capital Chemist Chisholm’s dedication to patient care and community service saw them win the Business Management category and then be named Overall Pharmacy of the year for 2020.

The GPY 2020 award are proudly sponsored by principal sponsor Care Pharmaceuticals and sponsor QCPP.

Today we talk with Rebecca Young about the pharmacy’s journey to GPY 2020, the challenges currently facing community pharmacy, and what is in store for the future.

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