PSWA Member Consultation Summary July 2024

The PSWA Board and I were pleasantly overwhelmed by the number of members who took the time to provide feedback to the Board regarding the future of the PSWA offices at 21 Hamilton St Subiaco. The majority of members (96%) support the Board’s preferred option to sell 21 Hamilton St Subiaco if a suitable offer is received. The content of the feedback was informative and positive. The Board will now be able to move forward knowing that members support the option of selling the property.

The feedback received reflects the changed nature of the Society which now has a focus on maintaining the profile of pharmacy in WA through supporting research and innovation in pharmacy practice and maintaining a connection to the history of pharmacy in WA. All of this happens without ongoing membership fees, funded only from the income generated by our investments, donations from our committed champions and the dedication of our skilled Board members and their astute financial management of our investments.

I would like to take this opportunity to expand on the factors that have shaped our direction and provide general feedback on some of the issues raised by members.

The statutory actions of the Pharmaceutical Council with regard to pharmacist and pharmacy registration were divested as a result of the establishment of the WA Pharmacy Act 2010 and the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law in 2010.

The Society was left with significant responsibilities of professional representation, continuing education, and intern training. Despite continuing to provide those services for a further four years after divestment of statutory requirements, it was considered financially unsustainable for PSWA to continue providing those services to its membership base. This opened the way for an agreement between PSWA and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, to enable national alignment of our members and the services provided to them. Included in this was broadened CPD activities and professional representation at both a state and national level.     

The negotiations around an agreement between the two parties were protracted but, from a WA perspective, the focus was to retain and protect those assets that had been enshrined in the Society and the Pharmaceutical Council of WA before it, since 1892. This remains fundamental to the mission of PSWA.   

PSWA has substantially downsized its range of activities and subsequently its workforce since the establishment of a PSA branch in WA in 2014. The impact of COVID-19 has further created a shift in working environment paradigms and accelerated the efficiency and use of meeting technology. Ultimately the PSWA management and Board do not require physical premises to maintain and develop the majority of activities central to its operation and core values. The PSWA Board continue to explore opportunities to establish a “visible” presence, and this has included ongoing discussions with The Pharmacy Guild WA Branch and other entities.  Any future premises of the PSWA would reflect its workload and we would welcome partnership arrangements that would be fiscally responsible. 

We are a small organisation, and the simple equation is that any money spent on an office, either rental or upkeep and maintenance, is money that is not available for research and practice support.  In order to ensure the longevity of the Society we need to optimise our financial efficiency. The Board continue to look at investment strategies to protect and enhance our future income streams, and ways to minimise costs. 

Members indicated that maintaining the historical collections of pharmacy antiques, books and documents is important to them. Supporting the preservation of the history and heritage of pharmacy in Western Australia is one of the goals of PSWA and is evident in the PSWA Strategic Plan 2024-2026. This includes, ensuring the historical collection is maintained and appropriately stored, and developing a pathway to establish a permanent and meaningful display of the collection. This remains a central issue for the Board and is also part of broader considerations around premises and future relocations. The PSWA Board will give consideration as to how we can best develop this pathway and meet this goal.

PSWA believes that our focus of engagement with our members remains the most important connection rather than a physical presence and while an “office” may present a tangible address it would not necessarily add value to the PSWA offering or attract or revitalise our membership.

With regard to the future of the premises, the Board has sought independent advice including valuations from the best qualified people to support our decision making.  This also includes professional advice on the impacts of the PMH site and projected timeframes and leasing and cost impacts. The current soft rental market would adversely impact returns on investment, however the determinant of any sale pricing, would include other less tangible factors such as site’s attractiveness to owner-operators seeking a longer-term capital investment who are not necessarily tied to a return on investment based sale price. Similarly, developers may value the property in recognition of future returns and opportunities. All these factors are being considered by the Board in conjunction with advice from those independent consultants and trusted experts. 

I thank members warmly for taking the time to express your thoughts and ideas on the future of 21 Hamilton Street. I also acknowledge the contribution and connection many members had to the development of the premises at 21 Hamilton Street and the links established by the broader pharmacy profession in Western Australia. Your feedback contributes relevant discussion points, and I can assure you that all the points raised by members in the consultation, and probably many more, have been or will be considered as part of the Board’s decision making process.

The Board will endeavour to keep all members up to date through our regular communication channels, however I welcome members to contact me directly for any further clarification.

Regards

Richard

Richard Smirk BPharm MPS

Chair

Pharmaceutical Society of Western Australia

PO Box 71 Floreat WA 6014

9381 4142