The 2022 Guild Pharmacy of the Year competition has returned to its usual format with the judges announcing the three category winners at APP today.
The three category winners this year are:
- Excellence in Community Engagement – TerryWhite Chemmart Rosny Park TAS
- Excellence in Professional Innovation– Cooleman Court Pharmacy ACT
- Excellence in Business Management – Amcal Life Clinic Pharmacy Donnybrook WA
The Guild Pharmacy of the Year Awards, conducted annually by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, recognise pharmacies that are leading the way in providing innovative and optimal healthcare for members of their community.
For the first time, nominations were open to the public, resulting in more than 2,000 nominations being received – a significant increase over previous years.
The three pharmacies announced as category winners were featured at the award presentations at the Australian Pharmacy Professional (APP) conference on the Gold Coast today.
Spokesperson for the judging group Nick Panayiaris, Pharmacy Guild of Australia Senior Vice-President and President of the South Australian Branch of the Guild, said the return to the normal format for the competition was welcomed after last year when all Australia's community pharmacies were honoured as Pharmacy of the Year, brought some challenges.
"We returned to the normal assessment process but due to the border closures and COVID-19 restrictions had to innovate with our judging format by conducting a live and virtual visit of each pharmacy." Mr Panayiaris said.
"The virtual visits were thoroughly welcomed and appreciated by all the pharmacies and were found to be no less effective and only strengthened the judges' resolve to interrogate the best of the best among Australia's community pharmacies.
"Once again the standard has been exceptional and has highlighted just how progressive and innovative pharmacies are in ensuring their practices and businesses models are meeting the needs of the communities they serve."
The awards are sponsored by Care Pharmaceuticals whose General Manager Jonathan Biddle said the return to the usual format showcased the amazing achievements of individual pharmacies.
"Last year every pharmacy was quite rightly named Pharmacy of the Year," Mr Biddle said.
"This year we are able to spotlight how individual pharmacies have developed and grown and present these pharmacies as examples for the sector to learn from."
