The ACT Branch of the Pharmacy Guild and ClubsACT have signed a historic agreement creating the opportunity for licensed ACT clubs to work with their local community-based pharmacies.
The agreement will allow both organisations and their members to join forces and work to best utilise their strengths to better serve their local communities.
“We hope the first achievement of this agreement will see community clubs and local pharmacies jointly play a role in the rolling out vaccines for the flu,” ClubsACT president Kim Marshall said.
“Both organisations have agreed to develop a range of joint activities that will benefit the local community and capitalise on the strengths of both organisations.”
The organisations say the agreement reflects the desire to facilitate a collaborative, productive and collegiate working relationship between the Guild and ClubsACT and between pharmacies and clubs.
ClubsACT is the peak association representing the interests of the ACT’s not-for-profit licensed club industry with aggregate memberships well over 500,000 across the ACT.
The Guild is the peak body representing 75 community pharmacies in the ACT.
“While clubs continue to focus on traditional social and recreational amenities, they have also diversified into other offerings including theatre, retail, cinema, gymnasia, aged care, childcare, health services and accommodation,” Ms Marshall said.
“These amenities are provided for the benefit of the community. This historic agreement will see us build on our community focus.”
The ACT Pharmacy Guild President Simon Blacker welcomed the unique partnership.
“The most important word in community pharmacy is community, and as community pharmacies strive for better health and wellbeing outcomes in the community. We are thrilled to work with ClubsACT to offer wider access for their members and the public to flu vaccinations and health screenings,” he said.
Pharmacy Guild Branch Director Margaret Beerworth said clubs were well-established meeting places within the community.
“This agreement will allow us to explore opportunities to work together to further enhance the well being of the community by working together to identify and promote a range of community initiatives across their respective memberships,” she said.
Initiatives could include promoting vaccinations at pharmacies for club employees and members, and enabling pharmacists to conduct site visits to clubs to administer health checks and screenings.
ClubsACT and the Guild have also committed to establishing a framework to enable the establishment of new pharmacies or the relocation of existing pharmacies into a registered club or on its land, subject to existing rules and regulatory requirements.
Only those pharmacies that are members of the Guild, and registered clubs that are members of ClubsACT, will be considered under the proposed framework.