Pharmacy technician Karen Blackmore has been at Evergreen Pharmacy in Kings Heath, Birmingham, for 11 years. “I absolutely love my job,” she says.

This has not gone unnoticed, especially by Evergreen’s superintendent pharmacist Shilla Shah, who nominated Karen for the Service Excellence Award. “Karen is passionate about the wellbeing of all patients,” says Shilla. “I have a lot of letters of praise from grateful people she has helped.”

A large part of Karen’s work is dedicated to pharmacy’s services, which include health checks, flu vaccinations and Covid-19 testing. “I absolutely love helping customers to quit smoking,” adds Karen. “I had one patient who was sleeping downstairs on a chair because if she slept in a bed she struggled to breathe. With my support, she quit, and is now able to sleep in a bed for the first time in a really long time. There is no better feeling than being able to help someone like that.”

Karen also supports regular customers who must do lateral flow tests for work. She provides all the information they need for a successful test, fills in the paperwork afterwards and is a calming and encouraging presence for those who are anxious.

The RoE Awards judges were full of praise for Karen’s contribution to pharmacy services. “She demonstrates the role community pharmacy care brings to the patient,” says Richard Dunne, senior manager pharmacy learning and development at Boots UK.

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