Page 29 - Retail Pharmacy March 2021

customer and patient safety. “For example, it’s ideal to have oxygen and defibrillators in stores, so we’re working through how we get those into the pharmacies with the consumables that are going to be required. We’re also already working on our own training solutions.” One of the first out of the blocks with an announcement about Covid-19 vaccinations was the Priceline pharmacy group. Priceline General Manager Andrew Vidler says Covid has had an impact on the health of all Australians, more broadly than just affecting those who were infected with the virus. “Therefore, we’re very pleased with the \[Pharmacy\] Guild and the government’s efforts to engage community pharmacy in the vaccine rollout,” he said. “There are times when we don’t agree on things, but in this instance we’re 100 per cent supportive, and will do whatever it takes to be an important part of delivering on that effort to immunise Australians. “Fortunately, we have a large network of stores around Australia, and we already have plenty of experience in deploying vaccinations to our customers. Priceline stores are already established with consulting rooms and the necessary professional space to do vaccinations, with staff also trained in doing vaccinations. “At this time, the Covid vaccination protocols aren’t yet fully established, so there’ll be some updated training required from our pharmacists. I understand this will be delivered online. “We’re currently improving our booking system capability to handle what will inevitably be a very large number of people, particularly in ‘wave 2A’ \[according to the government’s vaccine rollout roadmap\] who want access to the convenience of getting immunised in a pharmacy. “The interesting thing is we did 350,000 flu shots last year, all in a very short space of time. Basically, the flu inventory started to run out at that time, as people, because of their fears around Covid, came in early to get flu vaccinations. “At the moment we’re being told patients must wait two weeks after a flu shot before they can also have a Covid shot. What we’re very optimistic about is the PHARMACY GROUPS 27 opportunity to encourage customers this year to get their flu shots a bit early – so, basically, getting flu shots in March and April so our businesses can be freed up to deploy Covid vaccinations across May, June and potentially July and beyond.” Together we can With patients seeking safety in vaccination, it’s good to see the pharmacy groups showing how being part of a bigger team enables rapid, effective change to be implemented. It certainly explains why TWC has signed 32 pharmacies to its network in the first half of this financial year: almost double the number for the previous corresponding period. Other pharmacy brand groups are also attracting strong growth. By proactively addressing the multiple challenges that arose in 2020, and already being on top of Covid vaccine planning, the groups have demonstrated the value of having strength in numbers. Like those birds, bees and bottlenosed dolphins, brands are here to stay and currently leading the way where urgency demands excellence, teamwork and innovation. andico.com.au/products/liebherr-biomedical Vaccine & Pharmacy Refrigerators Superior Performance – Vaccines and refrigerated medicines can be securely stored between +2oC and +8oC. Quality – Quality Care Pharmacy Program compliant and purpose-built to meet the stringent standards needed by your pharmacy. Reliability – Factory tested to IEC 60068-3-5 for optimal temperature stability and consistency. Safety – Integrated data memory logs min/max temperature, audible/visual alarms alert users of temperature breaches and locks to protect against unauthorised access. Energy Efficient – Energy consumption is low which means you enjoy significant running cost savings. Quality, Design and Innovation RETAIL PHARMACY • MAR 2021