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PHARMACY PROFILE 23 “Whooping cough vaccination is also a focus moving forward, and is growing each month. “A key strategy has been \[facilitating\] availability. We encouraged all our pharmacists to become vaccinators, meaning patients have the freedom of getting a vaccination whenever they’d like. A clear and concise process that’s strictly followed every time means that the experience is always quick and professional regardless of the team on duty.” Keeping it under control Covid-19 changed Mr Edmunds’ two pharmacies, he says, with the TerryWhite Chemmart Health App bringing major growth. “One of our stores is now dispensing up to 20 per cent of script volume via app orders,” he said. “Patients are now also increasingly adding OTC lines to prescription orders, which is helping to grow basket size. “I look back and view that moment as a pivotal point in the journey towards pharmacists being taken seriously in this new era of health.” “Getting your team behind a medication management app, is an absolute no-brainer. There are significant gains in both store workflow and connectivity with your patients. It’s a win- win for everyone.” Mr Edmunds notes, however, that “inventory management and efficiencies” have been the main contributors in making his team stand out from the crowd during the pandemic. “Key team members were assigned to stock control, meaning we were often ahead of the game when it came to dispensary out-of-stocks and front-of-shop Covid supplies,” he said. “We’d recently installed a BD Rowa dispense robot at our Harvest Lakes store, only three months prior to the first Australian \[Covid\] case. “The introduction of automation meant that our speed and accuracy was taken to the next level. This meant we could fulfil more orders in less time, allowing us to focus on the important parts of our offering during the crisis, such as patient wellbeing and support.” An automated future TWC Harvest Lakes and TWC Armadale are taking advantage of the improved technology that is available to them, to lift the stores to new heights, Mr Edmunds says, adding that he believes mobile and online services will continue to be a focus for the remainder of 2021. “Simple things such as implementing QR codes to allow easier access to online booking for services such as flu vaccinations have already proved popular,” he said. “There’s already an expectation from patients that delivery and online purchasing are the norm. So, the streamlining of these functions is essential. Although price is undoubtedly a factor in today’s world, I feel that speed and convenience will play an even bigger role going forward.” Encouraging further automation is a strategy that Mr Edmunds shows excitement about when asked what’s ahead for his stores. “Seeing the potential and growth that automation brought to our Harvest Lakes store, we’re rolling out the installation of a new BD Rowa Vmax at our Armadale store as well,” he said. “Automation of packing is also something we’re looking into, to further streamline our processes. “We’re really focusing in on the speed and convenience aspects of both businesses to set us apart from our competition.” RETAIL PHARMACY • JUN 2021