“From the very start, Mitesh has supported all his colleagues and has made the pharmacy get to where it is today," says HR manager Jodie Senescall

While working in his previous role as a retail manager at a branch of Wilkinsons, Mitesh Patel had “a good, hard think about where I wanted to be with my working life.” Having an interest in healthcare, an accuracy checking technician sister and a pharmacist brother-in-law – both of whom he saw thoroughly enjoying their jobs – a career in pharmacy seemed like a fantastic option, particularly, as he says, “I’ve always enjoyed solving problems and helping people”. As soon as an opportunity arose at Morningside Pharmacy Whitehills in Northampton, he jumped at the chance.

“Mitesh has worked fantastically from day one of joining the Morningside family,” says HR coordinator Jodie Senescall in Mitesh’s Outstanding Contribution Award nomination. “From the very start, he has supported all his colleagues and has made the pharmacy get to where it is today, tackling many issues ranging from losses through to encouraging other employees to adopt the same positive work ethic he has.”

Widespread support

The pharmacy’s customers have benefitted from Mitesh’s help too. “Just before Covid, for example, a male customer said he was urinating more often and seemed to be feeling tired all the time,” recalls Mitesh. “I suggested a health check and discovered that his blood sugars were very high, so I gave him some lifestyle advice and arranged a referral to his GP.”

The patient returned a couple of weeks later to tell Mitesh he had been diagnosed with diabetes and that the advice and information he’d been given had made him think long and hard about changing his habits and making positive health choices. “He was grateful for the wake-up call,” says Mitesh.

Sharing expertise

Mitesh has been very active in some of Morningside’s other pharmacies, helping out on his days off during staff shortages and even once on his birthday, showing true dedication.

Jodie is full of praise for Mitesh’s attention to detail and says that working largely in his own time, Mitesh developed a complex ‘end of day figures’ spreadsheet that all eight branches now use to keep count of their daily prescription items. “This has resulted in a huge time saving and has most certainly saved the company some money,” says Jodie.

The RoE judges were impressed by Mitesh’s wide-ranging contribution to his pharmacy. “He is clearly a well-respected and valued member of the team, providing additional support during the pandemic,” says Liz Fidler, president of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK. Richard Stephenson, chief operating officer at Right Medicine Pharmacy, adds that his “commitment to patient support and care is great to see – a successful time in pharmacy to date”.

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