The hotly contended Customer Care Award was awarded to ACT Jacqueline Cheetham of A&L Porter New Deer Pharmacy in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, in recognition of the countless occasions on which she has gone out of her way to ensure a customer’s safety and wellbeing during her 14 years in pharmacy

Examples of Jacqueline’s outstanding customer care include the time when she escorted a poorly patient home to wait for a GP visit, and another occasion when her careful questioning of a customer who was concerned about her sick husband resulted in him being admitted to hospital with pneumonia.

Jacqueline’s actions illustrate the importance of listening attentively to customers to get to the bottom of their problems and provide the most appropriate advice. “Every day is different in pharmacy and you have to be able to think on your feet,” she says. “It’s important to listen to what people are saying to get the right information, but it’s also important to know when to refer to the pharmacist.”

Her care for her local community extends beyond the pharmacy doors, however, as demonstrated by the occasion when she sat for hours on a park bench chatting with an elderly patient with dementia and keeping them calm until help arrived.

It was no wonder that judge Joanne Taylor, ACPT and national secretary for the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK, was impressed by Jacqueline’s “care and compassion” for her customers and her willingness to “go the extra mile”.

Despite her long service in pharmacy, Jacqueline had never won an award before and says: “I got the shock of my life when I found out I was shortlisted and a real boost when I won.” Sadly, she was unable to attend the event as her flight from Aberdeen to London was cancelled due to inclement weather and her whole team shared in her disappointment. Nevertheless, she received “a lovely surprise” when TM sent her winner’s certificate through the post together with a bouquet of flowers and prize money.

Jacqueline describes A&L Porter New Deer Pharmacy as a “very community focused pharmacy” and “a hub of village life”. In addition to providing health services, the pharmacy sells tickets for the local theatre, handles bookings for the town hall and even produces a community newsletter. Over the years, Jacqueline has experienced various staff changes, new owners, pharmacy refits, and new services, but has taken all of the changes in her stride and built up a strong rapport with her customers, many of whom she knows by name.

Before joining the world of community pharmacy, Jacqueline worked for several years in retail and relishes the fact that her current job “combines my retail skills with my customer services skills, whether it’s advising on health matters or chatting about the weather.”