Trust is fundamental to building relationships in any business, and particularly in the health professions. A successful community pharmacy relies on trust between manager and staff, between pharmacist and patients, and between staff and customers in order to sustain its performance and grow.

Without trust there can be no meaningful relationships, and without relationships there is no sustainable business. It really is that simple.

How can we build trust?

Our first and fundamental question is: how can we build trust? It is clear that a base level of trust is required in any pharmacy business. For example, in order to have an employment contract with a member of staff, provide good customer service or enter a service level agreement with a primary care organisation to provide a smoking cessation service, a healthy level of trust is needed.

It is no exaggeration to say that, in business relationships, the level of trust that exists is a greater determinant of success than almost anything else, including service excellence. Think about this for a moment: we like to buy things from, receive services from, and work with, people we trust. And if we trust them, we forgive their occasional frailties.