Welcome to this weeks edition of i2P (Information to Pharmacists) E-Magazine dated 15 June, 2015.
Well, if it has not become obvious pharmacy is set to be pulled apart and deliberately damaged by a multi-faceted group of pharmacy critics aided by government.
The 5CPA management is about to become the focus of a parliamentary investigation which will impair the uptake of 6CPA.
Thus, any monies for clinical services will be frozen until all investigations have been completed.
I don’t know what they expect to find – pharmacy has been subjected to more reviews than any other industry I know.
Pharmacists are part of an extended family, and while they can criticise each other (and do so in a vigorous manner) they will unite against external threats of an unnecessary nature and simply fight.
The PGA does have issues internally within the family of pharmacy, so they are requested to heal these issues to benefit fully from a whole-of-pharmacy support.
Under 6CPA new pharmacy clinical services have to be reviewed by an oversight committee, which as far as I can see, is a committee top-heavy with doctors with no pharmacist representation at all.
Will this committee be comprised of doctors with the mentality of the AMA or will they be genuinely assisting in the promotion of collaborative opportunities?
Additional delays seem inevitable.
In the interim pharmacy must start generating service income.
Private funding for these services needs to be the starting point, and quite frankly, once established, should be kept well clear of government funding, lest they be sucked into the quagmire that PBS has become.
Mark Coleman has come up with a solution to this problem based on a Walgreen model.
Read: The Start-Point for Community Pharmacy Clinical Services – The Walgreen Model
Pharmacies and Supermarkets have had an uneasy and strongly competitive relationship for many decades. They influence retail traffic flows and as a result, can have an influence on pharmacy customer patterns.
A close proximity creates a positive flow for pharmacies, but pharmacy is forever fighting their aspirations to totally own pharmacies in their own right.
Of all the supermarket models, i2P has always recommended that the Aldi model provides the best value for consumers and is a good model for pharmacy to emulate.
An analysis of Aldi marketing metrics is given in the article Supermarket Comparisons – are they individually different?
A better pharmacy market plan has to be developed to plug gaps created by government policies involving the PBS.
This market has finished its product life cycle and has to be replaced with an alternative dispensing system and a system of paid clinical services to rebuild core business and profitability.
As this change takes hold it will be found that individual pharmacies will be able to take control of professional marketing and will be able to fund it out of market group fees currently paid.
Current fees approximate the wages of a good part-time pharmacist, so here is one way of adding to professional staff and providing management for the marketing of profesional services.
Read how it’s done in Organise online to succeed offline – the connected world.
Harvey Mackay is back with an article titled Step out of your comfort zone.
It is a strategy for creating achievement by not becoming complacent within your management.
Integrative pharmacist Gerald Quigley is back with a small article on clinical nutrition titled Zinc and kidney stones.
Illustrated is a cause of why kidney stones occur and a simple inexpensive treatment.
Clinical nutrition is a valid discipline within medicine and pharmacists are well trained to provide such a service, despite the detractors (who themselves appear to have little training or knowledge in this field).
We also publish a vaccine article written by Freda Birrell of the SaneVax organisation.
She writes on the damage that HPV vaccine is wreaking on young females in Ireland.
I2P has taken the stance that it is neither anti-vax or pro-vax…but is entirely safe-vax.
Unless you understand the harm issues you are unable to give appropriate advice to patients.
If you run a vaccination clinic from your pharmacy you are advised to seek informed consent before giving this particular vaccination.
But first inform yourself as to what the real evidence is (if it exists) for any vaccine.
Judy Wileyman has submitted an urgent news item that all pharmacists need to think about.
I never thought that I would ever see an Australian government be so undemocratic, be illegal in terms of International treaties and agreements, and be prepared to inflict damage on the values of Australians.
“On Sunday 21st June there will be nationwide protests in all the major cities to protest the legislation that is being proposed to remove welfare benefits from people who choose not to use all the recommended vaccines. The right to informed consent to vaccination has also been removed in this legislation and this bill will pass – without public discussion – if the public does not take action. I have attached the flyer we are using to promote our event in Perth and here is the link to the times of rallies in all of the major cities http://nojabnopaynoway.weebly.com/
Here is a link to my newsletters discussing changes to the welfare policies and the breaches of international human rights codes http://vaccinationdecisions.net/newsletters-2015/
This legislation has not been passed and it can be stopped if enough people take a stand to protect our right to informed consent in vaccination policies and our right to non-discriminatory social welfare policies. Please help to publicise this action and attend the gathering in your nearest capital city on Sunday 21st June.”
Also find the latest media releases from PSA, PGA and NPS.
Enjoy your read.
Neil Johnston, Editor, June 15 2015