Local community pharmacy owners, Kristina Fox and Julie Sorrentino will see their vison to provide their community with comprehensive pharmacist-led healthcare solutions in a contemporary clinical setting come to life with the official opening of their new Complete Care Pharmacy located in Rosny Park.
“With all the challenges and changes to the delivery of community pharmacy services over the past few years we thought hard about how we could do things differently to ensure the best outcome for our patients”, Ms Fox said.
“It is really about ensuring that we are able to triage a patient to maximise their time with us.
“We have automated many of the transactional functions, implemented ways to allow our highly trained pharmacy assistants to better utilise their skills in supporting our pharmacists, and introduced new services through a collaborative approach with other healthcare providers including a nurse practitioner and lactation consultant.” Ms Fox added.
The new pharmacy features five consulting rooms, where patients can be counselled on their medication or healthcare needs in private.
“Having dedicated consulting rooms means patients can freely discuss their health concerns with us”, Ms Sorrentino said.
“It allows the patient to feel comfortable in providing more detail and that allows us to provide better care.
“For example, we run the popular ‘Men’s Health Downunder’ program which is delivered by a dedicated male pharmacist. The feedback we get from our male patients is extraordinary, given the reluctance of many to seek help in the first place. They tell us their quality of life is significantly improved which is very satisfying for us as healthcare providers.”
The pharmacy will also provide a full range of professional services including NDIS, diabetes, wound care and a wide range of vaccination services.
The Tasmanian Government has recently announced an increased role for pharmacists, based on the recent release of the independent review into pharmacists’ scope of practice. The expanded role will see pharmacists, working in collaboration with GPs, prescribing for people in rural and residential aged care facilities which will ensure that people receive timely face to face care with all clinicians involved.
Citing the recent announcement that Greenpoint Medical Centre in Bridgewater is slated for closure in December leaving approximately 8000 people without access to timely GP services Ms Fox said “it’s not only rural and remote areas where people are impacted by the lack of timely access to GPs. We hope that in time these initiatives can be extended across the board so community pharmacies in suburbs across Tasmania can play a greater role in providing timely healthcare.”
Ms Sorrentino said that the Government’s changes mean that pharmacists will also be able to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections and offer a greater range of vaccinations provided under the National Immunisation Program.
“Changes to pharmacists’ scope is happening across Australia and is being supported by necessary education and guidelines to ensure that services are delivered safely.”
Ms Fox and Ms Sorrentino (who formerly owned TerryWhite Chemmart Rosny Park) have explained the changes to their existing customers and most importantly their team. “It’s important to communicate change, and without our team being on board and having a shared understanding of our ethos, we wouldn’t be able to provide the service and care we want to see for our patients.”
They are also hoping that their pharmacy model can be a showcase for pharmacy students, with the National Association of Pharmacy Students Australia (NAPSA) national congress due to be held in Hobart in January 2024.
Complete Care Pharmacy Rosny officially opens at 9am, Friday 22nd September.
