Taking on a pharmacy with issues such as staff shortages and low morale is a challenge at the best of times, but to tackle this head on during a global pandemic at an already-busy store is even more striking, and that’s just what acting pharmacy manager Hayley did at Well Pharmacy in Rossington, Doncaster

Hayley worked hard to ensure all aspects of the pharmacy ran smoothly, offering the team some stability and keeping customers happy. Being situated in an ex-mining town with lots of COPD and asthma patients required a military-like operation from the pharmacy to ensure everyone received the correct medication on time. “It was about ringing up the right suppliers on the right days to make sure we had enough,“ she explains.

But that’s not all, as a new member of staff started during the pandemic. “I made sure that she got all the training she needed and was never out of her depth,” she says. Unfortunately, this colleague lost her mother just a week into the job, but Hayley was there for her, ensuring she didn’t come back to work until she was completely ready. “She’s settled back into the team brilliantly and felt supported through her grief,” adds Hayley.

The judges were also very impressed with Hayley’s efforts to set up a safe space for domestic violence victims and named her winner of the Covid-19 Hero Award. “Hayley’s story is inspiring. She’s a problem solver and brilliantly rose to the challenge during Covid. Hugely impressive,”says Pharmacy Magazine editor and judge Richard Thomas.

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