Paydens’ Caroline Cleary (pictured below) was crowned COVID Hero in the individual category for her “ingenuity and creativity” during the COVID-19 pandemic. She organised drive-through international normalised ratio (INR) clinics, spent hours talking to patients to alleviate their concerns and still found time to support colleagues across the business.
Meanwhile, Georgina Gillard (pictured below) scooped the gong for Pre-registration/Provisionally registered Pharmacist of the Year, for recognising the need for and launching a mental health awareness service during her time at the Paydens branch in Maidstone. C+D Awards judges pegged her as an exciting talent to watch for the future.
The COVID Hero Team Award went to the Day Lewis branch in Burnham-on-Sea for working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to not only keep up with the pharmacy demands, but to also run one of the early offsite COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
The 13 trophies were handed out by award-winning actor and comedian Sally Phillips (pictured below) at last night’s ceremony at the Intercontinental O2 Hotel in London, attended by close to 600 guests.
Going above and beyond
The popular Above and Beyond Award – celebrating stories of pharmacists and pharmacy teams who go the extra mile for their patients and the sector – returned for its fourth year and attracted more than 10,000 views on the C+D website and nearly 1,000 votes across the 10 entrants.
But it was Shoaib Hussain from Firza (pictured below) who walked away with the coveted trophy last night. His powerful video detailing his 2017 trip to help at Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh helped raise thousands of pounds within just four weeks.
Lucy Chalkley from the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education was awarded Health Initiative of the Year for her outreach work in local schools, where she has created programmes around first aid, asthma awareness and mental health. She said seeing the impact her pharmacy work has on local communities is incredibly rewarding.
Nickevale’s Kents Pharmacy (pictured below) was recognised in the Business Innovation category for undergoing a major refit in the past year to push clinical services within the community, while PharmaPlace was awarded Online Initiative of the Year for helping pharmacies diversify their income streams with its online marketplace.
Well Pharmacy’s Laura Robison was crowned Manager of the Year, with C+D Awards judges praising her “professionalism and efficiency”.
Meanwhile, judges described Lloydspharmacy’s Lilly-May Eggleden – who received the Pharmacy Staff Member of the Year Award – as “a truly rising star and an exceptional role model for the profession”.
Devon pharmacy team scoops Training and Development Award
Jackie Lewis from Lewis Pharmacy in Exmouth (pictured below) walked away with the Training and Development Award for the innovative Let’s Communicate Cancer programme. The team also received a high commendation in the Independent Pharmacy of the Year category.
It was Landys Chemist in north-west London that scooped the Independent Pharmacy of the Year gong, with judges recognising its sharp focus on sustainability and plastic free approach.
The multigenerational team at PharmaCare Solutions UK was crowned Pharmacy Team of the Year for achieving double-digit growth in a year that challenged everyone.
And the self-proclaimed “pharmacist with many hats”, James Tibbs of AR Pharmacy (pictured below), was awarded Community Pharmacist of the Year, with judges praising his community focus, strong business acumen, and commitment to patient care.
C+D editor Beth Kennedy said: “It was an absolute pleasure to celebrate with all of our wonderful finalists last night, and truly humbling to hear of all their wonderful stories.
“Congratulations to all of our winners. Your dedication to the profession and to patient care is obvious to see, and C+D is so proud to highlight the fantastic work that you do. We can't wait to see you all at the C+D Awards 2022.”
See the full list of C+D Awards 2021 winners here and look out for all the photos from the night on the C+D website in the coming week.
See highlights from the night below.