Last night (27 July), Blooms the Chemist hosted the first in a series of webinars that looks at the future of community pharmacy.
The webinar’s predominant focus being the vision for 2030, and the steps that need to be taken to ensure the sector remains relevant and ensure a sustainable future.
More than 140 participants registered to hear respected industry leaders discuss the vision for Pharmacy 2030.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health, Shadow Minister for Carers and Federal Member for Dobell, Emma McBride MP said, “We are using our skills, training, and expertise, working together with GPs, nurses and other allied health professionals to improve patient care and lift health outcomes.
“If we are to genuinely see a transformation in health outcomes in Australia, we need every person working within health fields, working to the top of their scope so we can see a real lift in health outcomes across Australia.”
GP & Pharmacist relationship
Past President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Dr Kerryn Phelps AM said, “GPs highly value the role of community pharmacists. They are very valued professionals in the healthcare team in the multidisciplinary team, and all Australians should have a regular pharmacist.
“I also think it’s very important that general practice and pharmacy are a collaboration with complementary skill sets. It’s very important that there is careful delineation of scope of practice, so that GP exam patients understand what it is that the pharmacist can provide.”
The UK Clinical Standards Director and Superintendent Pharmacist at Lloyds Community Pharmacy, Steve Howard explained: “During the pandemic, the pharmacy model has truly been tested and through this, its value has been demonstrated, and not just in healthcare, but as an integral part of the social fabric of our communities.
“The profession needs to focus its efforts on patient outcomes on shared care planning, and to ensure that its input is integral to and not peripheral to mainstream health provision.”
International trends
Mr Howard explained that online is not to be a threat, and will work well with physical pharmacies, “and in the UK some 20% of new patients who chose to order their prescription online still came into pharmacies to collect it, despite the fact they would get it delivered for free.
“We definitely see digital as part of the future and it as an essential building block of our overall patient experience rather than just e-commerce.”
Chief Marketing Officer at Blooms the Chemist Pamela Bishop added, “One of the massive shifts we are seeing, and it’s a trend into the future, is that the vast majority of consumers now agree that a business must play a role in societal issues.
“It is our responsibility to be considerate of both the health of our people and our planet to be sustainable in all we do, and to make a commitment to things that are really important to our customers like ethical supply chains, diversity and inclusion and environmental and societal impact.”
