A well-recognised and trusted pillar of the community, Lorna Laurence has overcome her own adversity, battling illness and returning to her work with unwavering passion and dedication

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first appearance in the music charts, Norma Jean Mortenson became Marilyn Monroe, and the first Eurovision Song Contest was held. It was also the year that Lorna Laurence started working in pharmacy, so it is little wonder that she was awarded a Highly Commended for the Outstanding Contribution Award, sponsored by Day & Night Nurse.

Since 1993, when Lorna re-entered the profession, she has worked at what is now a Well pharmacy in Lancashire’s Bolton-le-Sands. “When I first started in pharmacy, it was very different,” she recalls. “I used to have to make stock mixtures and ointments manually and the tablets I dispensed came in tin cans. When I returned to pharmacy in 1993, I had to learn all the new systems that had come in since I’d left.”

But Lorna wasn’t fazed: “Despite all these changes, I feel that my role has remained the same – making sure all my customers get what they need, be that medication, advice or any other service I can provide for them.” Lorna is well known in her community and has worked hard to build rapport with her patients. She comments: “I work particularly well with the elderly patients… they engage well and trust my advice wholeheartedly.”

Lorna’s Award nomination came from pharmacy assistant Laura-Jayne Moysey, who highlighted her loyal, hardworking and responsible nature, as well as her habit of going “above and beyond”.

Since submitting her entry for the Awards, Lorna has retired from her position as an accuracy checking technician – at the age of 77. Times have been tough recently, as she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few years ago, although she stresses that she managed “extremely well” and worked “as hard as ever”, and has also battled and overcome breast cancer. Even now, Lorna is still flying the flag for healthcare by working with Macmillan Cancer Support on a project that sees her meeting with doctors to describe her experience of cancer treatment as a way of reminding them that patients are people first and foremost.

Judge and 2014 Spotlight Award winner Leanne Beverley said: “Lorna deserves to enjoy retirement with this award as her lasting memory of the career she so obviously loved.” Numark’s head of professional development Laura Reed added that despite the numerous changes over the years, Lorna ensured that customer service remained at the heart of her work. And Avicenna chief executive Salim Jetha complimented Lorna on her “outstanding lifetime achievement”, describing her as “a role model for pharmacy”.