Page 40 - Retail Pharmacy November/Decemeber 2020

38 ANNUAL REPORT University, Saudi Arabia. While 2020 offered many challenges, it also offered many opportunities, which the College leveraged to allow it Wholesale model and industry a whole lot stronger Brett Barons, CEO, Symbion We know just how challenging this year has been for pharmacists on the frontline. The pandemic placed enormous pressure on our customers, and our focus was always on ensuring we continued to deliver the products and services you rely on. In terms of the key challenges this year for Symbion, they really came on two fronts. Consumer panic buying placed immense pressure on community pharmacy and the supply chain as a whole. Second to this was the disruption to global logistics networks that our manufacturer partners faced. We had to work extremely closely with them to ensure we maximised our stock levels throughout 2020. The reality is that we’ve never faced anything like this year before, and the impacts have been significant and far reaching – not just for healthcare: every industry was hit hard by Covid-19. To underline this, during the peak of the pandemic, Symbion at times saw order Investment, strategy, fast action and hard work pay off Richard Vincent, CEO and Managing Director, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries As vital health services, our pharmacy distribution division and Priceline Pharmacy stores remained operational throughout the year. The new year bushfires, floods and the outbreak of Covid-19 put the community and the medicine supply chain under intense pressure. I’m pleased to say that years of investment by pharmaceutical wholesalers such as API, strategic to continue to offer the highest quality education while keeping membership costs low. 2021 represents even more chances for the College to meet it aims, volumes up 70 per cent year on year. We take great confidence in the fact that our national distribution network infrastructure and capabilities withstood these significant tests. Since 2014, Symbion has spent around $200 million on developing highly efficient, state-of-the-art distribution centres to service our customers across the country. This network has withstood the tests of the past year, which is really a testament to our approach and our continued commitment to investing in our operations. Additionally, we introduced a range of new protocols at Symbion, in line with government health advice, to protect our people and, with every one of our team members doing their bit, both while at work and at home, we were able to keep operating throughout the year while supporting our customers as best we could. In our distribution centres, we adjusted operating hours and added extra shifts to meet the increased demand, and our staff worked around the clock to continue to service our customers. We know it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but the commitment of our teams to serve our customers has been unwavering. I’ve never been prouder of our people. Our purpose is to connect communities to care, and I’d like to think thinking, rapid execution and a lot of hard work paid off. As bushfire flames and smoke left communities isolated in NSW and Victoria, our emergency plans for medicine supply came into force. Our teams worked around the clock with defence force personnel, government authorities and pharmacists to overcome any barriers to delivery. Our employees met military helicopters and naval barges with medicine deliveries to reach some of the worst affected towns, including Eden, Mallacoota and Merimbula, and our drivers mapped out diversions of up to 500km to reach cut-off communities. At the pharmacy distribution level, we continued to win new business and including an ongoing webinar program and cooperation with the Pharmacy Guild on conferences and other exciting developments for the profession. we’ve achieved that purpose this year. I witnessed first-hand during March the lengths our teams went to ensuring vital medicines and healthcare products were getting where they were needed, when they were needed. We’re also extremely proud to be associated in some small way with the dedication and commitment shown throughout the pandemic by all the pharmacists that we work with across our community and hospital partner settings. It’s been a year where I think we can all be proud to work in healthcare. The collaboration shown across the wholesale industry when faced with medicines shortages and the ongoing dialogue with the Pharmacy Guild, PSA, MA, GBMA and government around how we together navigated the challenges is like nothing I’ve witnessed in my 18 years in the industry. Overall, I think this has strengthened not only the wholesale model but the industry as a whole. At Symbion, we’d like to thank all our customers for their ongoing support this year. We wish you all the very best for the season, we hope you get some time off to recharge with family and friends, and we look forward to 2021 when we hope to play a big role in supporting the industry in delivering the Covid-19 vaccine to the community. increase market share during 2020, including the largest pharmacy group in Western Australia, the 777 Group, which has more than 60 pharmacies. As part of the 7CPA, we negotiated an extension to the Community Service Obligation that secured funding over the period of the agreement to continue to ensure that Australians have access to the vital medicines they need, when they need them. This agreement gives API and the other full-line wholesalers the confidence to invest for the future. So, for example, we’ve committed $50 million to build a new, highly automated Sydney distribution centre, which will open in 2023 and enable us to more speedily delivery of orders to independent pharmacists. RETAIL PHARMACY • NOV/DEC 2020