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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 6 NEWS IN FOCUS Andrew Topp GROUP BUSINESS MANAGER, CAPITAL CHEMIST This pharmacist at heart tells Retail Pharmacy that the Capital Chemist network’s success is down to its health focus, non-territorial approach and the collective wisdom of its managing partners’ pharmacy knowledge, developed over decades. Andrew, please tell us a little about yourself, your experience in pharmacy and the Capital Chemist Group. I registered as a pharmacist in Sydney in 1991. My registration year was a unique experience in a pharmacy attached to a very large medical centre in north-western Sydney. It was a truly collaborative and supportive environment where doctors, nurses and pharmacists worked hand in hand to find solutions for patients. I joined Capital Chemist at Batehaven Pharmacy (NSW) 20 years ago (1 April 2001 to be exact). As our children reached high school, \[my wife\] Donna and I began looking to relocate to Canberra and I grew into the role of Group Business Manager, working a couple of days in pharmacies and a few days in head office. While there was job share in the manager’s role for a couple of years, I’ve been full time in this role for around three years. Emphatically, I still identify as a pharmacist, even though I spend most of my time at a desk. “The importance of clear communications and visible actions was my lodestar during the fires, and has continued to be my guiding principle during Covid.“ Members of Capital Chemist Group have performed amazingly during some of our recent natural disasters. You must be proud of those teams. Words can’t express how amazed I was at the performance of our pharmacies in 2019/20. We had 12 pharmacies looking out their doors to smoke and flames, a situation I could never have envisaged: thousands of evacuees or stranded people ... power out for days at a time ... deliveries blocked. No communications was the worst part. I used to live in Batemans Bay, one of the most profoundly affected towns, and literally hundreds of staff, friends and family were at risk. We’d get intermittent texts or WhatsApp messages, but it was impossible to see the whole picture and it took several weeks for us to determine how much damage had been done. In the end we had five staff who lost houses and dozens of staff with property damage to a lesser degree. And it’s impossible for staff to live in a community that has been decimated, without feeling the effects – even if their house was still standing. I get quite emotional talking about this experience and it would be remiss of me not to mention the massive outpouring of support from the industry: cash donations from Symbion and Arrotex, product donations from Mylan and myriad others. These were offered generously and instantly, and there aren’t enough words to express our thanks to our friends and colleagues in the industry. Who knew that the fires would still be burning when the next challenge started with Covid? The entire industry has had to adjust quickly, often multiple times, in different directions, often in the space of one week. The importance of clear communications and visible actions was my lodestar during the fires, and has continued to be my guiding principle during Covid. The group’s members keep winning major business awards. I’m sure this is no accident. What’s the secret of your success? In the last few years, we’ve had two national Guild Pharmacy of the Year winners, another two finalists, multiple local and national small business awards, services pharmacy of the year, interns of the year and more. I’d love to take credit for the group’s success, but it’s down to our amazing bunch of owners and the staff that support them. We’re incredibly lucky to have attracted, retained and nurtured such a phenomenal cohort of managing partners. It’s the group of partners, supported by our staff, that identifies opportunities, problems and challenges, and then bunkers down to find solutions, using the collective wisdom of 70-plus partners with centuries of pharmacy experience. If I had to identify one feature of our group that is unique and that is cherished by all members, it’s the combined knowledge that has been developed over decades and is willingly shared among partners. So, the group is equally willing to help Tim at Raymond Terrace versus Marcus at Bathurst, Tom in Temora or Susan at Curtin (ACT), with health outcomes as the focus and no territoriality getting in the way. Hopefully, we’ll soon be in the middle of pharmacist administered Covid vaccines. What is your hope for this program? We’ve been planning for months and at the time of writing there are many unanswered questions. This program will see pharmacists’ standing in the healthcare fraternity increase and will clearly demonstrate the contribution we can make to community wellness and government health priorities. And we need to do all this while continuing with our basic healthcare functions. It will be a challenge, but I’m very comfortable that we’ll get it done. What are your group’s priorities in 2021? I’ve said many times that 2021 isn’t the year for reinvention or finding the ‘next big thing’. Covid vaccination and the pandemic will do that for us! We’re consciously taking the opportunity to refocus on the basics: health services, staff wellness, merchandising, management efficiency, retail execution and patient outcomes. These elements don’t necessarily make us the biggest pharmacy group, but they definitely help make us the best. RETAIL PHARMACY • JUN 2021