Pharmacy trust key – NAB
August 19, 2015
Pharmacy’s “position of
trust within the community” will
continue to hold the sector in good
stead despite the changes brought
by the evolving health landscape
in Australia, according to Paul
Littleton, manager of the Pharmacy
division of NAB Health.
NAB Health has produced a
“Health Insights” paper with a
particular focus on the impact of
the Sixth Community Pharmacy
Agreement on the pharmaceutical
industry.
Littleton said pharmacy has a
unique place in the community and
in the provision of primary care.
“But pharmacists need to
transition their business models
from heavy dependence on
government support to a model
that can still be reliant on
government but equally able to
take on more services,” he said.
While the $1.26 billion in
professional services funding
provided via the 6CPA has
been widely seen as a win for
the pharmacy sector, “in 2015
governments don’t double
handouts without wanting
something in return,” Littleton said,
pointing out that the money is
expected to drive change.
NAB Health has partnered with
the Pharmaceutical Society of
Australia in the development of
its Health Destination Pharmacy
initiative (PD 03 Aug) which aims
to help pharmacists focus more
strongly on self-care and chronic
conditions.
However Littleton warned that
“it’s no magic bullet” and is likely
to prove a steep learning curve for
some pharmacists, changing the
culture of businesses from being
behind the counter dispensing
scripts to interacting with patients
out in the front of the store.
He highlighted data as a key factor
in changing business behaviour,
urging pharmacies to measure
customer numbers, average sale
dollars and dollars per script - view
the paper at business.nab.com.au.
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