Hosted by award-winning actor and comedian Miles Jupp at The Brewery in London, 14 trophies were presented at the event – which was attended by over 500 guests.
Mohammad M Rahman of Lewes primary care network (PCN) and Foundry Healthcare took home the inaugural trophy for GP or PCN Pharmacist of the Year, impressing the judges by demonstrating effective co-working with his colleagues in community pharmacy.
Read more: Revealed: The full shortlist for the C+D Awards 2023
For a second year running, the ever-popular Above and Beyond Award was split into individual and team categories, racking up over 3,000 votes from C+D readers as they chose their favourite entries.
Hassan Riaz of Sandbeds Pharmacy in Halifax was named Above and Beyond Individual, with his community fridge acting as a lifeline for local families in need.
And the team at Exeter’s Pinhoe Pharmacy won in the Above and Beyond Team category after they overcame the odds to help a distressed patient get hold of their vital Parkinson’s medication when they were far away from home.
Celebrating innovation
The C+D Awards judges were so impressed by the entries for the popular Innovation of the Year category that finalists were divided into two groups – Business Innovation of the Year and Online Innovation of the Year.
Southampton’s AR Pharmacy walked away with the trophy for Business Innovation of the Year, impressing the judges with its razor-sharp focus on private services.
Read more: They’re back! C+D Awards officially return for 2023 with two new categories
Meanwhile, electronic prescription service SignatureRx was crowned Online Initiative of the for its revolutionary way of digitising private prescriptions.
And private pharmacy REMEDI HEALTH, which won the Business Innovation of the Year category at the C+D Awards 2022, took home the trophy for Health Initiative of the Year at last night’s ceremony in recognition of its comprehensive menopause service.
Landy’s Chemist named Independent Pharmacy of the Year
North London’s Landys Chemist won the prestigious Independent Pharmacy of the Year award, and was praised by the judges for its commitment to supporting the local community. It marks the second time the pharmacy has won the accolade, having picked up the same award in 2021.
The Training and Development Award went to Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW), with judges praising the negotiating body’s community pharmacy workforce enabler scheme.
Read more: Who gets your vote? Meet the pharmacy professionals going the extra mile
And Kingston University’s series of inclusivity workshops on its MPharm course secured it the Diversity and Inclusion Award, which returned for a second year after being introduced at the C+D Awards 2022.
Online pharmacy PillTime’s senior pharmacist Josh Edwards snagged the coveted gong for the Community Pharmacist of the Year category, with the judges describing him as as an “expert on services, with good clinical interventions”.
Pillbox Chemist takes two
Meanwhile, Lubna Mahmood of Pillbox Chemist was crowned the Pharmacy Staff Member of the Year, impressing the judges with her rapid career progression despite no previous experience in the sector.
Ayan Awale snagged another trophy for Pillbox, taking home the crown in the Manager of the Year category after she led her team to achieve an impressive year 16.4% uplift in prescription numbers.
And Summerhill Pharmacy’s Greg Buchan was triumphant in the Trainee Pharmacist of the Year category for truly making a difference to his team by representing his pharmacy at careers fairs and implementing new technologies.
Read more: C+D’s news editor wins award recognising 'rising stars' in journalism
The team at Stokes Croft Pharmacy in Bristol scored the award for Pharmacy Team of the Year, impressing with their dedication to delivering stellar patient care in an area of high deprivation.
C+D’s editor Beth Kennedy said: “The quality of entries to this year’s C+D Awards was the highest I have ever seen – and that’s saying something. It was a joy to celebrate true excellence in community pharmacy at last night's ceremony.
“Congratulations to all of our winners, and to everyone who was shortlisted. The C+D Awards provides a wonderful opportunity to highlight the fantastic work that goes on in community pharmacies every day, and we're already looking forward to welcoming you to next year's ceremony, which promises to be even bigger and better."
