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Louise Davies

Recognition of Excellence 2019 bookmark icon off

Louise Davies

A great team player with a passion to help people and unparalleled OTC knowledge after such a short time in pharmacy, saw Louise Davies scoop a win and a highly commended at the RoE Awards

There is a common belief that working in a pharmacy based in a GP surgery equates to high volume dispensing and not much else. But Louise Davies, just 18 months into the job at the time of her entry to the Recognition of Excellence (RoE) Awards, has proved that to simply be untrue. She’s not only carving out a role for herself on the shop floor and pharmacy counter, but being named winner of the Rhinomed-sponsored Counter Intelligence category to boot.

No customer or problem is too big or small for Louise; she gives everyone the same care and attention. From the young mum seeking help about her infant son’s teeth and a woman seeking emergency medication for her husband’s epilepsy, to the lady suffering with dementia who needed information writing down and the deaf patients for whom Louise is able to deploy her basic knowledge of British Sign Language, the healthcare partner at LloydsPharmacy in Sidley on the outskirts of Bexhill-On-Sea in East Sussex says: “I always try and go the extra mile.”

Her manager Paul Scott-Harris comments: “Since Louise’s employment, she has been amazing, both with team members and with our patients… Demands on our time are great because we are very busy, but Louise always manages to find the right amount of time for patients, which is a skill in itself.” Her apparently boundless energy is a bonus, continues Paul: “She is wholeheartedly positive and a shining light. A constantly upbeat and happy soul who picks the team up even when they bare feeling stressed or under pressure, Louise is our little pocket rocket as she whizzes around the pharmacy.”

Since Louise’s employment, she has been amazing, both with team members and with our patients 

A team player

In addition to completing her counter assistant training – at home because the pharmacy is too busy to allow study time inside working hours – Louise is a smoking cessation advisor and is keen to learn and help develop other local enhanced services, particularly with her branch having recently achieved healthy living pharmacy status. She says she loves working on the counter, but is also keen to do her dispensing assistant training in time so she can cover holidays. Louise is clearly a team player and Paul calls her a real asset to the team: “She has shown true dedication to our patients, a high thirst for knowledge and focused leadership to facilitate high and consistent standards. A true ambassador for our profession.”

Louise says she was “chuffed” to have had her name put forward by Paul for the RoE Awards, explaining: “He hadn’t started as manager very long before he spoke to me about it so it was really nice that he saw something in me.” She adds that the Awards event itself was a wonderful experience, highlighting the friendliness of everyone she met, and the thrill she felt when she heard her work being described in such glowing terms by Training Matters editor Helena Beer (pictured left with Louise). She adds: “Sitting there, hearing what amazing things the other candidates had done, I really thought ‘there are such good people in the world’. I felt very privileged to be among them.”

The judges regarded it as only right to bestow upon Louise a highly commended in the Rising Star category and honour her with the Counter Intelligence Award itself, which recognises someone who is highly skilled at identifying symptoms and recommending the right OTC products, along with the right advice, or referring appropriately. Judge and Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK president Liz Fidler was taken with the “plethora of examples” cited in Louise’s nomination that proved she has what it takes, and former Spotlight Award winner and fellow judge Myra Battle heralded her as “perfect for health hubs in the future”.

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Recognition of Excellence 2019

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