For more than 115 years, National Pharmacies has been helping South Australians stay healthy through expert pharmacy care and advice, and optical services. As Australia's largest friendly society pharmacy and optical organisation, profits are reinvested back into members through better services and member benefits. 

Today, National Pharmacies operates 46 pharmacies across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, along with 19 optical stores throughout South Australia, providing services across health, wellbeing, beauty and optical.

Since partnering with Hughes in 2023, our role has grown from media relations to a strategic communications partnership, supporting corporate reputation, government engagement, stakeholder relationships and business priorities.

Objectives

Community pharmacy is changing rapidly.

Government reforms, including 60-day dispensing, increasing commercial pressures, changing consumer expectations and advances in healthcare and retail technology have reshaped the sector. At the same time, pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role in frontline healthcare, creating new opportunities to improve access to services and better support local communities.

Our role has been to help National Pharmacies navigate this changing environment by raising its profile, strengthening relationships with government and key stakeholders, and showcasing the expanding range of professional services delivered by its pharmacists.

Elements

We developed an integrated communications and stakeholder engagement program designed to strengthen National Pharmacies' reputation as a leading voice in pharmacy and primary healthcare.

Our work includes:

• Strategic communications and public relations.
• Proactive and reactive media management.
• Government and stakeholder engagement.
• Issues management.
• Annual Report development.
• Executive speeches, letters and content writing.
• LinkedIn content.
• Photography and videography.
• Media monitoring and strategic reporting.

Working alongside National Pharmacies, we identify opportunities that align its priorities with government health initiatives and policies. This ensures consistent messaging across media, stakeholder and digital communications while building productive relationships with Ministers, SA Health and key decision-makers.

Together, we've supported communications around many of South Australia's most significant pharmacy initiatives, including the launch of pharmacist-led UTI consultations, Oral Contraceptive Pill repeat prescribing, the expansion of pharmacists' scope of practice, the introduction of the University of Adelaide's Graduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing and the expansion of the State Government's 24/7 pharmacy network.