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Photography Credit: Nathalie Crouch Photography
Above: Mollie Littlewood, Lorraine Ferguson, Hannah Stock, Peak Pharmacy
Peak Pharmacy, Greendale Centre
Pharmacy Team of the Year Winner
“Peak Pharmacy exemplifies outstanding teamwork, innovation and consistency in delivering high-quality care,” said judge Ifti Khan, Well Pharmacy superintendent. This year’s Pharmacy Team of the Year consists of 15 team members, most of which are part time, but all of whom contribute to the pharmacy’s impressive reputation.
“One of the reasons for the success of [the pharmacy’s] services is that the whole of the team gets behind them and enthusiastically promote them to patients,” said David Smith, pharmacist manager.
Enthusiasm to get on board with services is such that there are at times not enough training places available for the amount of team members volunteering to be trained up – a good problem to have!
Customers come first
One of the areas where the team excels is customer service, a crucial element of pharmacy practice. With many of the team members having been present for five years or more, there is a strong sense of duty to the community they serve. “Jane is our most experienced counter assistant. With over 10 years serving on the counter, she knows most customers by name and can give a personal service which has seen our counter sales top £15,000 per month,” said David.
Another example of the team’s exceptionally efficient service is their efforts to find another suitable option for customers affected by medicines shortages. “In fact, our local surgery, Oakhill Medical Practice, actually said we were too efficient when requesting scripts for alternatives for our patients compared with competitor pharmacies,” explained David.
“Our patients can be assured that when they come to pick up their prescription, our team have done everything possible to supply them with the item ordered or arranged a suitable alternative.”
Community care
The team is also involved in charity and community projects, such as Comic Relief, Children in Need, 10km night walks for hospice, finding prizes and generating support and fundraising for raffles and Christmas Jumper Day. “The team will always get involved for a good cause,” said David.
“Each colleague appears to have an equally important role to play in the team’s success, they are the epitome of that saying, ‘There’s no I in Team’. What sets them apart is their tenacious nature when the going gets tough,” said Rachel Graham, judge and 2024 Spotlight Award winner.
“Clearly knowing there is a patient behind every prescription drives them to work outside there contracted hours to deliver a seamless operation. The cherry on the cake for this team is their charitable commitments, despite the number of hours they work, they still find time to raise money for those less fortunate.”
Judge, Ade Williams MBE, lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy in Bristol, said: “They exemplify the NHS at its very best – love, dedication and excellence.”
Boots UK, Londonderry
Highly Commended
Despite being an extremely busy store in the heart of its community, the Boots UK Londonderry team have not sacrificed individualised care. “This application was all about the team! They work together and support each other, they are competitive and always striving for more, there is a can-do attitude and a willingness to embrace new challenges. It really sounds like the Dream Team,” said judge Mimi Lau, CEO of Pickfords Pharmacy.
The team has managed to balance the relationship between the business and customer-facing elements of pharmacy, saying that “the focus on accessible healthcare, community partnerships, and stakeholder relationships has underpinned the growth and reputation of the pharmacy”.
One of the most special things about this pharmacy team is their involvement with various charities and organisations in their community, including: “The Deaf Society, autism support for impacted families, Macmillan Cancer including Macmillan on the Move, and building a local partnership with the Cancer Centre at the Altnagelvin hospital,” said store manager Andrew Storey. “The team work tirelessly to ensure the community is fully integrated with pharmacy.”
Judge Rachel Graham, RoE Spotlight Award winner 2024, said: “They are a team that have truly made frontline healthcare accessible for everyone.” Whilst Ifti Khan, judge and Well Pharmacy superintendent added: “Their seven-day access to care, partnerships with local groups, and targeted service expansion mark them as a progressive healthcare hub.”
Remedi Health, Winchester
Highly Commended
Pharmacy teams all know that a pharmacy cannot be run by an individual. It takes a group of people, working together with a shared goal in mind, not only to deliver exceptional care each day, but to keep each other motivated and push the pharmacy forward. Remedi Health is a team that does just that.
Made up of a group of hardworking individuals, the pharmacy has become a hub of in-demand services alongside its day-to-day patient care.
“The Remedi team are totally committed to identifying patient need, expanding their scope of practice and delivering innovative services built around the patient. There is no challenge too big, and their shared values and teamwork mean they will bring operational clinical excellence to everything they do,” said judge Janice Perkins, chair of the RPS Community Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group.
“The commitment to learning and development is second to none, and they constantly challenge themselves to deliver more. This is a unique and innovative business model, and they are truly pioneering in their approach to service delivery.”
Important to the team, too, is “[holding] each patient’s hand throughout their journey, listening, coaching and advocating for them”.
“Remedi Health is a trailblazer in private pharmacy innovation, offering services rarely available in traditional settings, from phlebotomy and pharmcogenomics to CBTi sleep therapy,” said judge Ifti Khan, Well pharmacy superintendent. “Their agile, multidisciplinary team model, patient-first values, and use of AI support position them at the cutting edge of primary care delivery.”
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