Capital Chemist Southlands stands out for its comprehensive approach to healthcare and pharmacy services. The team, led by Stacey Fuller and Louise McLean, has built a pharmacy that not only serves the community but also leads the way in professional innovation and effective business management.

Louise says being named as one of six pharmacies to be finalists in the 2024 Guild Pharmacy of the Year Awards is “quite awesome”.

“I love that we were nominated by a customer, I think that’s really beautiful.”

The pharmacy’s commitment to community engagement is evident through their support of various local events and causes, such as the Special Children’s Christmas Party and Ronald McDonald House.

This engagement extends beyond events, with active support for educational initiatives for students and intern pharmacists. Regular lectures on vaccination and Opioid Maintenance Therapy (OMT) provided to University of Canberra students showcase their dedication to nurturing future healthcare professionals.

When it comes to professional innovation, Capital Chemist Southlands offers a selective yet well-executed range of services. They have a special focus on medicinal cannabis dispensing that they pioneered in the ACT, noticing an opportunity in the local market.

The pharmacy’s efforts in educating both professionals and patients around the benefits of medicinal cannabis, including setting up a dedicated Facebook group for pharmacist support, highlight their commitment to continuous learning and community engagement.

Louise says the pharmacy is also supportive of medicinal cannabis as a means to help patients.

“There was definite need from our patients for the service and they would come to us.

She has since learnt a lot more about medicinal cannabis because there’s new information about the treatment being published consistently.

“I said, ‘Let me learn’ and that was really hard (because) where do I go to learn….so that we can adequately support the patients and not make any dispensing errors.

Louise is now so knowledgeable on the topic she is working with other health professionals such as psychologists in helping treat patients properly.

Stacey and Louise have developed their business model thoughtfully and strategically. After completing significant renovations to enhance service delivery, including the installation of additional consulting rooms and a ROWA dispensing robot, services have been expanded to include National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccinations and private consultations for health services.

“One hundred per cent our focus is service,” said Louise.

“The big thing is at any one time we have a lot of pharmacists working.”

She says on busy days there can be as many ten pharmacists on duty, up from the usual eight.

“There’s very much that white coat presentation, and every customer who walks through the door will be served by one of us at some point.”

The team’s proactive approach to adapting to market changes, like partnering with online services for prescription orders, demonstrates their agility and foresight in business operations.

“We don’t want to do everything because then you don’t do anything well, so we focus on what we can do well and that’s kind of the motto we stick with,” Lousie said.

Overall, Capital Chemist Southlands exemplifies a pharmacy that tailors its business strategy to a deep understanding of its community, demonstrating leadership in professional healthcare services, and excelling in business management.

At the heart of the Emerton community, 50km west of Sydney’s CBD, lies a pharmacy with a vision for more than just medications. Emerton Amcal Pharmacy, under the passionate leadership of Margaret Rahnau, Curtis Rahnau, and Matthew Quick, has become a cornerstone of community health and innovation.

Their philosophy, according to Curtis is "never see a need without trying to do something about it," and has transformed the pharmacy into a hub of health services and community engagement.

“The Blacktown local government area is a very culturally diverse community and reflective of that, our staff are very culturally diverse,” said Curtis Rahnau.

“We have pharmacists from Fijian Indian background, Afghanistan, Syria, another one from Iraq, another one from Lebanon and our non-pharmacist staff are just as diverse including Australian First Nations.”

Their journey began with volunteering at Marrin Weejali Health Outreach, and since then, their community involvement has grown exponentially. They have been integral in health programs at Marrin Weejali, a local Aboriginal controlled Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) service and have actively participated in events like International Overdose Awareness Day and Mental Health Day.

“They really don’t care who you are they will help you no matter who you are.

“I walk taller every time I walk out of there just because of the energy and the vibe,” Curtis said.

Their collaborative efforts with Western Sydney Local Health District on Quit Smoking programs, and their role as local coordinators for the ‘Too Deadly’ for Diabetes program, highlight their commitment to public health initiatives.

Curtis said the program is making a real difference by getting real results.

“It’s actually reversing diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“We have an Aboriginal exercise physiologist who is actually dealing with some of our most challenged and most disadvantaged groups in the country and he’s actually doing something that I was pretty sure couldn’t be done.”

Innovation at Emerton Amcal Pharmacy is evident through their development of a Webster-Pak booklet. Designed to simplify medication management for patients, this booklet has since been adopted by Webstercare for wider use. Their expertise in pharmacy services is acknowledged by local doctors, who frequently recommend their reliable and accurate Webster-Pak service.

The pharmacy's design reflects their inclusive approach, with features like a moving wall for group sessions and integrated spaces for Opioid Replacement Therapy and Needle and Syringe Return programs, aiming to reduce stigma and maintain efficient workflow.

Their business management strategy focuses on filling community health needs, and they continuously seek to raise the status of the pharmacy profession. The team's commitment to professional development is evident in their participation in various health programs and cultural competency courses, ensuring they can effectively serve their diverse community.

The ethos of Emerton Amcal Pharmacy is encapsulated in Margaret's words, "we meet people where they are." This reflects their dedication to serving the community not just within the pharmacy but also outside, always aiming to leave the world a better place.

Or as Curtis sums it up, “No matter how people say welcome or how they identify we want them to know they’re welcome by all of us in our pharmacy.”

The owner of Narrabri Pharmacy says being a finalist for the 2024 Guild Pharmacy of the Year Awards is “humbling.”

Karen Carter says it’s a boost for her and her staff to know that their efforts at the pharmacy are being recognised by the community.

“I guess it gives our staff a benchmark to say, ‘well we are actually doing really well so we really appreciate it,” she said.

Narrabri Pharmacy has exemplified the adage of turning a crisis into an opportunity. Three years ago, Karen Carter and her team experienced difficulty in attracting pharmacists to the area.  To adapt, they looked at ways to maximise efficiencies to free up existing staff to focus on their patients.

“Being able to pivot and move quickly to put a service in is something that makes Narrabri Pharmacy quite special,” said Karen.

The pharmacy’s staff explored opportunities to promote sales and customer growth and adapt to the changing pharmacy landscape including scope of practice.

Automation was implemented and they introduced initiatives to address falling vaccination rates.  These included measures like pharmacy staff going to worksites such as mines and farms from 6am to offer vaccination to workers, especially some men who may not go out of their way to be vaccinated.

Community engagement is a recurring theme at Narrabri Pharmacy.  Staff team up with their community for charity and special events such as R U OK Day, The Biggest Morning Tea, breast cancer awareness and Footy Colours Day.

The pharmacy’s staff engage with First Nation’s people through the Indigenous DAA service to improve health outcomes including special promotions such as blood pressure checks during NAIDOC week.

The pharmacy is also relied on by older Australians in Narrabri through the medicine delivery service and Webster-Paks for residential aged care facilities.

Staff have also undergone additional training to be able to treat and care for wounds with the pharmacy housing consult room for this care to be carried out in private.

The pharmacy has also taken advantage of modern technology by using dispensing robots and Scrypt messaging to streamline the dispensing of prescribed medicine.

“We recognised we needed more time for our pharmacists and so we have a dispensing robot to allow our dispense staff to work quite well in the dispensary and have that accuracy…to allow us to spend more time with our patients.”

The team review their business goals every month which has helped the pharmacy grow its patient base and sales over past years.

Narrabri Pharmacy and its staff are deserved finalists of the 2024 Guild Pharmacy of the Year Awards.