Designing simple solutions for a seamless delivery in pharmacy

WINNER

SONYA SCRIMSHAW

In her first year at Life Pharmacy North City in Porirua, pharmacy technician Sonya Scrimshaw had no dispensary manager; in the subsequent three years she worked with five different managers.

Despite the constant change, she adapted quickly, making sure workflow was uninterrupted. And this is what makes her the backbone of the dispensary, says business manager Glenn Brider.

Despite all that has been thrown at her, particularly with COVID-19, Ms Scrimshaw has ensured the pharmacy and workflow remained seamless for staff and customers.

In the early weeks of COVID-19, as customers started stockpiling medicines, the impact on the pharmacy was significant. More staff were brought in and prescription numbers rose dramatically. This meant floor space became scarce, and the extra staff were trying to work in a very crowded space.

Ms Scrimshaw quickly rearranged the pharmacy with large display tables at the entrance for prescription collection and large labelled boxes under the table for easy access. These simple-but-effective strategies eliminated tripping hazards and made work less stressful for staff, while customers were promptly served.

Because of the frequent changes in staff, mistakes were repeatedly being made with the same customers, so Ms Scrimshaw developed a new labelling system to reduce the errors. The system now alerts pharmacists and other staff and has also proved effective in reducing the error rate where the medicines are similar, such as insulin cartridges and pens.

“She is dedicated, she is never sick, and she is the most reliable technician I have ever worked with,” Mr Brider says. The pharmacy had a long period of locum pharmacists filling in while permanent staff were being recruited. During this time, Ms Scrimshaw was able to keep the workflow steady because of her understanding of workflow patterns in the dispensary and her ability to prioritise.

During this period of staffing changes, a neighbouring pharmacy closed with their customers moving to North City. Ms Scrimshaw made the transition seamless for the pharmacy and the new customers, and has gone on to build a strong relationship with a local community mental health team, which uses the pharmacy to fill prescriptions for their clients.

Mr Brider says Ms Scrimshaw deserves recognition for her work. “Because she always goes above and beyond, which is what makes her the backbone of the pharmacy.”

Judges' comments:

Sonya is working at the top end of the technician role within her busy community pharmacy. She is a self-starter who thinks outside the square

FINALIST

FRAN CHEN

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN FRAN CHEN says knowing the team at Ranolf Pharmacy trust the knowledge and skills she brings is one of her greatest achievements.

“I have been working in the pharmacy for a long time and to get to the stage where it’s not just you as a person, but you are part of a family and your family is part of the pharmacy. I feel very grateful and very lucky for that,” she says.

Since gaining her pharmacy accuracy checking technician (PACT) qualification in 2019, Mrs Chen has established a standard operating procedure (SOP) and worked with her team to create an environment where they work seamlessly together. For Mrs Chen, it is these results that reflect the trust the staff have in her the most.

Mrs Chen has also developed systems for keeping patients up to date with their prescriptions, or reminding them by text message to make appointments with their doctors, or when they need to get new scripts.

Mrs Chen hopes to start building relationships with GPs and doctors, and the hospital pharmacist so she can gather more information to help the customer.

Judges' comments:

You are to be commended for the work you have done to improve the efficiency in the dispensary, by making changes and ensuring all the team is on board, using excellent teamwork skills