Health Destination Pharmacy Trial – Case studies Health Destination Pharmacy Trial – Case studies | Page 4

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CASE STUDY 1

CHARACTERISTICS: Banner-aligned suburban,
neighbourhood strip pharmacy on 284m2. Staffed
by 9.75 FTE, including 2.5 FTE pharmacists,
dispensing 2,200 prescriptions/week.
OBJECTIVES: To improve relationships with
local health professionals; to better target health
promotion activities; and to increase income from
professional services and health-related sales,
without increased costs.
CHANGES: Working with the PSA coach,
this pharmacy made changes to the roles and
responsibilities of team members to improve
workflow and efficiency. Through the local area
analysis, they identified areas of focus for health
promotion activities, joining Self Care for support
and resources. Professional programs such as
MedsCheck and Clinical Interventions were
implemented and given extra focus, with the
team setting goals and KPIs, and employing an
additional pharmacist to assist in delivery.
RESULTS: At the end of the Trial, this pharmacy
had improved its process efficiency for dispensing,
freeing up the pharmacist for increased consumer
engagement. This was reflected in increased
health-related sales, above industry-average
growth in prescription and customer numbers, and
total gross profit. In professional programs, they
were delivering large numbers of MedsChecks
and Diabetes MedsChecks on a regular basis, and
receiving increased referrals for HMRs.

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EMBRACING THE HEALTH
DESTINATION CONCEPT
RESULTS IN BUSINESS SUCCESS
A commitment to change was evident from the start
with this pharmacy. Even before the Trial, renovations to
the 284m2 pharmacy had been undertaken to include a
consulting room, counselling areas and a front-of-store
update. The owners felt that the refit had encouraged
new clientele, and wanted to capitalise on this by making
the pharmacist more available in the front-of-store, and
offering more professional services.
This pharmacy, a long standing business in the
community, serves a population of approximately 5,200,
moderately advantaged compared to others according
to the area’s SEIFA scores (6th decile and 60th percentile),
with an above-average number of 20-29 year-olds.
With existing strong GP relationships and a good
awareness of their competitors, who at the time were
moving in the direction of discounting, the pharmacy
was keen to increase income from professional services.
An enthusiastic and skilled staff member was assigned as
the “champion” and was provided with support from the
owner. Working with the PSA coach, they agreed on the
following broad objectives to pursue during the Trial:

»» repositioning staff to improve workflow and efficiencies,
and increase health-related sales

»» improving the targeting of health promotion activities
»» implementing 5CPA PPI and medication management
programs

»» improving relationships with local health professionals.

Health Destination Pharmacy Trial – Case studies I © Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Ltd.