Winning pharmacies thank staff and customers

The Gold Coast was the scene of many celebrations following the announcement of the 2018 Guild Pharmacy of the Year winners at APP2018.

But the celebrations didn’t end at APP, with the festivities hitting the streets and pharmacy floors across the country.

The 2018 winners have been eager to share their win with their local communities and thank their many patients and staff for their ongoing support.

Southcity Pharmacy Wagga Wagga in NSW celebrated its new status as the 2018 Guild Pharmacy of the Year with the local community.

The celebration at the beginning of the month saw the Southcity pharmacy team come together and proudly advertise the award to the community, while also providing the pharmacy with an opportunity to thank the community for supporting it through its transformation to a health services pharmacy.

Many members of the local community participated in the celebrations which provided the Southcity team with an opportunity to open new conversations, highlighting the wealth of services on offer at the pharmacy and inviting the community to participate in those services.

Pharmacy owner Luke van der Rijt said “the celebration was an amazing opportunity for the pharmacy to continue to grow relationships with their community, have a conversation and continue to identify new business opportunities to support their community’s health needs”.

The Southcity team is also busy preparing for its upcoming COPD screening promotion in a few months and plans to highlight its allied health network and recent patient successes at its events.

Professional Services category winner Gerald Burns Pharmacy firstly took the time to acknowledge the effort the whole team has invested into the pharmacy by celebrating with a dinner for the 16 staff and providing them with a share of the prize money.

The celebrations will continue throughout the year at Gerald Burns, with a cocktail party planned for its top 100 customers and a lecture to be held within the pharmacy on gut health. The pharmacy has also scheduled a dementia-themed information night with Alzheimer’s WA and Professor Ralph Martins AO.

With more than 90 customers coming in to show their support, Business Management winner Friendlies Pharmacy in Busselton, WA, was quick to acknowledge its achievement with a morning tea last week.

The pharmacy booked an additional station in the shopping centre to accommodate the extra foot traffic for the event. Now the pharmacy is turning its attention towards ensuring its customers are My Health Record ready as part of the pharmacy’s work with WA Primary Health Alliance.

Guild Pharmacy of the Year competition is a great opportunity to take stock of your pharmacy’s success, as 2017 winner Lucy Walker said at the APP conference this year when introducing the award:

“The application process isn’t hard and the experience your pharmacy team will gain from it will be extremely worthwhile. It’s a great way to reflect on all you are doing and helps reinforce all the positive aspects of your pharmacy, with your team.”

“I can honestly say that the whole process was great and you will see measurable benefits not only for yourself and your staff, but also for your customers and business.”

And entries are now open for the 2019 Pharmacy of the Year competition. The 2019 Guild Pharmacy of the Year competition marks the 20th year the Guild has been celebrating excellence in pharmacy practice. If your pharmacy has what it takes to be our next champion, enter online at pharmacyoftheyear.com.au.