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The whole package

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The whole package

Whether she’s checking prescriptions, advising customers on healthy eating or helping to set up a new IT system, Scottish ‘Pharmacy Technician of the Year’ Wendy McLelland loves every minute of her job

Wendy McLelland initially applied for a job at Lindsay & Gilmour Pharmacy in Bonnybridge Health Centre to gain some more experience, as she was feeling a little adrift in her previous role at a larger pharmacy in the centre of Falkirk. She has now been employed at the pharmacy for more than 11 years, during which time she has reached the level of accuracy checking technician (ACT) and got stuck into every aspect of pharmacy life, from delivering services to staff training.

“My role involves everything from dealing with customer queries to providing blood pressure checks and stop smoking advice, labelling, dispensing and checking prescriptions and ordering stock,” says Wendy. “It varies every day and no two days are ever the same.”

Under one roof

Established in 1826, Lindsay & Gilmour is one of Scotland’s largest independent multiple pharmacy groups and currently operates 27 pharmacies across East and Central Scotland, the Borders and Fife. The Bonnybridge Health Centre branch is located under the same roof as a range of other healthcare providers, including GPs, district nurses, podiatrists, opticians and health visitors, which means that Wendy and her colleagues can quickly signpost patients to other healthcare professionals when necessary. The pharmacy has a high prescription volume and a strong focus on services, so much of Wendy’s day is spent either in the dispensary or in the consultation room. However, as the branch does not have specific counter staff, she often advises customers on OTC products too.

“I try my best to keep up-todate with new product launches and when I see a new product advertised on the telly or in a magazine, I look it up so I’ll be prepared if customers ask about it,” says Wendy. “I do my CPD entries on new products and medicines; I find that writing something down helps it stick in the memory.”

Focus on services

The pharmacy offers a wide range of services, including the chronic medication service (CMS), the minor ailment service (MAS), blood pressure (BP) checks and healthy living advice, a stop smoking service, emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), and the Scottish gluten-free food service. Wendy particularly enjoys delivering the BP check service, which patients usually request after seeing it promoted in the pharmacy window. She takes the first BP reading in the consultation room after getting the patient to relax, roll up their sleeve and sit comfortably and then goes through a health checklist with them before taking a second reading to ensure a more accurate result.

“I find out if they have diabetes, and I ask if they smoke, says Wendy. ”If they do, I refer them on to our stop smoking service. I also ask about how much they drink and offer tips on cutting down, and talk about their diet and how to reduce salt, eat more fruit and veg and take more exercise, for example. It’s like a mini health check. If the second reading is high, I will speak to the pharmacist, who might refer the patient to their GP. We give a copy of the check to the patient and their GP.”

Wendy believes that the key to providing this service is to “listen to what the customers say” and be careful not to “overload people with too much information”.

Wendy with her coveted Scottish Pharmacy Technician of the Year award

Going smoke-free

Seeing customers successfully ditch the cigarettes through the pharmacy’s stop smoking service also gives Wendy great satisfaction. During the initial consultation of the 12-week programme, she discusses the benefits of going smoke-free, including the money the customer will save, as well as helping them to select and correctly use the right type of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to suit their needs. “I talk about the different products available, ask what they’ve used before, and explain how they work – for example, how to chew the gum and park it in the cheek. Sometimes people miss the hand-to-mouth action, so I recommend the inhalator,” she explains. “It feels great when they get through it, but I always say that if they have a wee waver, come back and I’ll help to stop them getting hooked again.”

In addition to getting the chance to take part in a wide variety of pharmacy services, working at a small village pharmacy has given Wendy the chance to get to know her customers well, some of whom even ask for her by name.

A deserving winner

Over the years, Wendy has witnessed many changes in pharmacy, not least the rising prescription volumes and increasing amounts of paperwork. As a long-standing member of the team, she has helped mentor newer members of staff, while lately, to help the pharmacy manage its stock levels more efficiently, she has also been involved with the implementation of a new automated stock control system. In recognition of Wendy’s hard work and dedication across so many different areas in the pharmacy, superintendent pharmacist Yvonne Williams nominated her for ‘Pharmacy Technician of the Year’, which was awarded at the Scottish Pharmacist Ball and Awards 2014.

After making the shortlist, Wendy attended the glamourous event at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) in March with her pharmacist Emma McGowan and Yvonne, and was completely taken by surprise when her name was announced as the winner.

“We are thrilled that Wendy has won this award,” says Yvonne. “It is thoroughly deserved. She is an extremely hard working and valued member of staff.”

While Wendy feels extremely proud to have been singled out for the award, she insists that her success is down to working with such a great team and the fact that she enjoys her work so much. “Everyone here is brilliant,” she says. “We know what each other does and support one another. I enjoy it all. How many people can say that about their job?”

I enjoy it all. How many people can say that about their job?

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