Sandy poon

Sandy Poon 
Kellaway Pharmacy
Health Equality Award
WINNER

Sandy Tsang [centre, pictured with Arthur Walsh, editor of P3pharmacy, right and Monica West, editor of Training Matters, left] has only been in the UK for a mere five years, but the trainee dispenser has already made quite an impact.

As a single mum and financial journalist she didn’t expect to become a vaccinator during the pandemic. After working at her local Covid clinic she was asked if she would be interested in joining the Kellaway Pharmacy team as a dispenser and she accepted, wanting to make a difference. “Her dedication and compassion were especially noticed in how she supported elderly patients and those with non-visible disabilities and actively maintained team morale,” says nominator and pharmacist, Jess Williams. “Talking of team morale, such was her influence on some of our volunteers. Their partners, who had yet to meet her, started sending her gifts and swapping homemade treats. Seeing the fulfilment and opportunity to develop broader life skills as part of a pharmacy team offered, she encouraged her two daughters to take up a similar role. The eldest has now moved on to train as a paediatric nurse.”

A daily expression of care

Just recently, the care Sandy delivered to a patient and their family in a time of need made her a standout, crowning her the winner of the Health Equality Award. This patient had recently been discharged from hospital and their family were extremely worried about them and would often come into the pharmacy to seek advice and reassurance. Sandy soon realised that they were having trouble communicating with the team, so would converse with them in Cantonese. She liaised between the family, taking their questions to the pharmacist, getting the answers they needed and reporting back. For example, recommending their local GP prescribe supplements for the patient, rather than the family buying additional ones from the pharmacy. “We spend much of our time wondering how to add more people like her, not just to our pharmacy team but to our lives,” adds Jess. 

This is just one example of Sandy’s dedication to her customers, it is clear her impact certainly reaches far and wide. “Looking at the Christmas messages and cards our patients left us last year, we think the ‘Sandy effect’ is cherished across our community,” says Jess. “And did we say she is not also mentoring our foundation year trainees and students on placements? Could they have a better role model than Sandy?” 

We certainly don’t think so and the judges agreed! “Sandy embodies when a person takes the community into their heart and their work becomes a daily expression of caring and making a difference,” says Ade Williams MBE, lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy.