The Pharmacy Department has unlocked new levels of efficiency after a successful team-led reshelving project sparked big change at the unit.
It was June 2024 when the old brown-built shelves came down, soon replaced with purpose built white stock flow shelving. But the change was about much more than aesthetics.
Director Pharmacy Natalie Tasker says the difference is in the details, where subtle upgrades are enhancing medication safety, efficiency, and staff morale at the unit.
“All the changes we’re implementing may sound small, but they’re cumulative, and often it’s the simple things that work,” said Natalie.
“We’re applying medication safety principles to make sure that our medicines are laid out in a safe manner to prevent selection errors. The shelf labelling helps with that; the alphabetical order of the medicines helps with that; and the shelving for stock to keep everything in its place also assists,” she explained.
A/Medical Team Leader Karen Chan says the upgrade has unveiled a lighter and brighter space, while importantly improving the flow of stock in and out of the unit.
“The new shelves are much more accessible, which makes it a lot easier to grab stock and allows us to care for our patients more effectively.
“It improves the workplace mentality as well because staff feel it’s a lighter, brighter area, and things are more accessible. I know exactly where to go for something and there's no confusion or multiple storage locations for things anymore. As a ward pharmacist, I appreciate having separate and clearly labeled sections,” she explained.
With the introduction of PBS dispensing coming to QEII in 2025, sights were set on futureproofing the space, maximising shelf functionality, and enhancing flow with a new layout.
“As part of the PBS go-live, we're going to have a higher density of stock to keep more of each item. The purpose-built pharmaceutical shelving will help us keep more density of stock than the previous shelving, and that’s complemented by the introduction of clearer labels, the addition of barcodes, and the layout of the shelves,” explained Natalie.
Six months on, medication safety and efficiency have significantly improved, while the installation has created a more spacious and more accessible work environment.
“Part of the focus of this is to improve stock density to enable PBS dispensing, while also enhancing the medication safety and patient safety aspect of the pharmacy. One of the intangible benefits of improvements like this, is that it improves our workspace, which in turn improves morale, and that improves the culture of the whole department,” said Natalie.
“We’ve also created a through aisle for the first time, which creates an efficient pathway from the dispensing terminals to the stock at the back. That has really optimised the space and created a two-way path for staff to get around, which is nice.”
It was the team’s collective advocacy efforts behind the scenes that secured leadership support and saw the project through to completion.
“We’re really grateful to have a leader like Natalie, because she takes a solution-focused approach and is always advocating to improve things within the Pharmacy unit,” said Karen.
“We also received strong executive support for this capital expenditure. Whether it’s investing in staff or investing in physical things like the shelving, that goes a long way to making our team feel valued and supported by the organisation,” added Natalie.