Inspired by the pain points of the job - double handling, dispensing headaches and diminished scope of practice - Ms Fox launched Complete Care Pharmacy, in Rosny Park, in 2023.
A complete transformation from the traditional pharmacy model, Complete Care Pharmacy is innovative to say the least. It comes as no surprise the store has been named the 2025 Pharmacy of the Year, by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
Every decision, whether it be the layout, the technology and placement of staff, has been carefully considered in a bid to drive efficiencies so pharmacists can spend more uninterrupted time with their patients and provide more clinical care.
“We wrote down all the things we wished we could improve, and we asked, ‘how could we achieve this?’”
“We need to be able to do more for our communities with this amazing asset and resource in our pharmacies but we haven’t been utilising our knowledge to its fullest,” Ms Fox said.
Retail space is minimal, with healthfocused products replacing beauty items. Most of the store is devoted to clinical services, including full consultation rooms and stand-up consultation pods.
“Most pharmacies are made up of 80 per cent front of shop and 20 per cent of the pharmacy is back of house, but that’s where you actually do 80 per cent of the work.”
When patients step inside, they’re greeted and triaged by a pharmacist or pharmacy assistant. With a click of a few buttons staff create a high tech ‘virtual basket’ system, called Excipient.
“Typically, you’ve got these stuffed in physical baskets, you have no idea how long a patient has been waiting or who needs to be served next.
“Our software creates queues according to priority, it takes away the chaos in your mind,” she added.
Virtual baskets containing repeat prescriptions go to the discreet dispensary, where technicians can get on with the job, freeing up pharmacists to spend the day helping their patients without distraction.
Depending on their needs, the patient, along with their virtual basket, are dispersed to different areas within the pharmacy. As an example, they might be sent to a pod for new medication counselling or to a consultation room for a vaccination.
“Patients feel more comfortable to ask more questions and speak openly in the privacy of a pod, they talk about things they might be embarrassed about and didn’t want to bring up on the floor.”
A nurse practitioner is onsite providing prescriptions, blood tests, pap smears, stitches, casts, catheterisation and much more.
“Patients have affordable and timely access to medication. They can see the nurse practitioner the same day, if not the next day.”
Guild President Trent Twomey was blown away when he visited the store in May.
“Being 100 per cent present during one-on-one consultations has had a positive impact on clinical outcomes for Kristina’s patients, but also commercially by doubling her script count,” Mr Twomey said.
“The thing I found impressive is that she is going head-to-head with two large discount model pharmacies on either side, she is smack bang squeezed in the middle and she is absolutely thriving.”
The model is quickly catching on around the country. Seven Complete Care Pharmacy franchise stores have opened with more on the way.
Whilst Excipient is for Complete Care stores only, a light version called Worx is available through FRED, this is available for nonfranchise pharmacy owners looking to improve everyday workflow. Large corporations are also looking to implement the technology.
“I figure if we can implement the model and use the software in little communities all over Australia, we are then giving pharmacists the best chance of working to their full scope to improve the health and wellbeing of their patients.
“And that gets me really excited.”
