Community pharmacy comes out on top following regional results of I Love My Pharmacist 2016

The six regional winners for I Love My Pharmacist 2016 were announced on 9 August 2016.

I Love My Pharmacist 2016 logo

The six winners, all of whom are community pharmacists, clockwise from top left: Kantilal Agravat (Northern England), Olutayo Arikawe (Midlands and East), Zafar Khan (London and Kent), Kate Thomas (Wales), Francisco Alvarez (Southern England and the Channel Islands) and Naseem Sadiq (Scotland)

The regional winners of the I Love My Pharmacist Award 2016 have been revealed after over 15,000 members of the public cast their votes.

The six winners, all of whom are community pharmacists, are: Kantilal Agravat (Northern England), Olutayo Arikawe (Midlands and East), Zafar Khan (London and Kent), Francisco Alvarez (Southern England and the Channel Islands), Naseem Sadiq (Scotland) and Kate Thomas (Wales). They were announced as the regional winners after six weeks of public voting.

In June 2016, the public were asked to vote for their favourite of 23 regional finalists selected by the I Love My Pharmacist judging panel from 67 entries. The finalists were chosen based on evidence of their commitment to improving patient care, including accounts from patients and colleagues highlighting the value of their work in the community.

Agravat from Manchester stood out because of his relationship with local GPs and commitment to visiting housebound patients, as well as his work supporting the training of medical students from the University of Manchester, while Arikawe, a pharmacist manager and visiting lecturer from Dudley, was chosen as a finalist for her work to improve the health of patients in the community and support alcohol dependent patients.

Khan was selected for his drive to provide care around the clock through his 24-hour pharmacy in Earl’s Court, London. Alvarez, a pharmacy manager, was recognised for his work with GP practices and patients in championing the Pharmacy First service in the Isle of Wight. Sadiq, from Glenrothes, Scotland, was selected as a finalist for his work in developing services for his community, in particular his work with the local GP practice to develop a referral form to enhance communication between GPs and pharmacists.

Thomas, from Cowbridge, was chosen for her commitment to helping patients with more than just their medication; she also writes a health column for her local newspaper.

The regional winners will attend a judging day on 9 September 2016, after which the judging panel will decide who will be crowned the UK’s favourite pharmacist for 2016. The national winner is expected to be announced later in September.

To find out more about the regional winners and all of the regional finalists visit the special reports page on
The Pharmaceutical Journal website
.

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, Community pharmacy comes out on top following regional results of I Love My Pharmacist 2016;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201555

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