Proving that delivery drivers are just as crucial a part of the pharmacy team as their shopfloor colleagues, Glenn Johnson is making a huge difference to the lives of his patients

Pharmacy champions are not always in the dispensary, at the counter or on the shop fl oor. Glenn Johnson, for example, works as a delivery driver at the Well pharmacy based in Waterfoot Health Centre in Rossendale, Lancashire. The judges had no hesitation in awarding him a Highly Commended in the NPA-sponsored Pharmacy Champion category. Glenn takes his role – which he has been in for four years – very seriously, working out which deliveries need prioritising, and getting out on his round no matter how trying the conditions. The snow storms earlier this year were no exception. Glenn doesn’t just “drop and dash”, but instead takes time to chat and help out with anything patients are struggling with – from small jobs such as picking up the post from the door mat, popping a letter in the mailbox and microwaving meals, to bigger tasks such as helping them understand how to operate their stair lift if it is new or playing up.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned, however. Recently, for instance, Glenn got to a patient’s house to discover the previous day’s meals on wheels delivery still on the doorstep. He phoned his pharmacy colleagues to alert them and they eventually discovered that she had been admitted to hospital and would not be discharged for a few days. Glenn kept tabs on the situation and was back at the woman’s home as soon as she left hospital to make sure she had the medication she needed.

Glenn was nominated for the Recognition of Excellence Awards by dispensing assistant Lynsey Parkinson, who called him “highly motivated” and commended him on working “exceptionally hard to maintain the service expected”. Glenn wouldn’t have it any other way, saying: “I only have a very short amount of time to spend with each patient, but I really strive to make as much of that time as possible. I recognise how much of a problem loneliness is amongst the elderly… I can be the only human contact some of these people have for over a week. It’s extremely rewarding to meet the patients and see how much of a difference I make to their lives, not just with medication, but also with the little help that I can give them.”