Two pharmacy staff at a Burnham-On-Sea chemist have been presented with top healthcare industry awards in recognition of their life-saving work.
Alison Curtis and Charmaine Cole from Day Lewis Pharmacy in Love Lane, Burnham-On-Sea have received the accolades during the eighth annual Recognition of Excellence (RoE) Awards in London which shine a light on healthcare workers for outstanding achievements.
Alison, an accuracy checking technician at Day Lewis Pharmacy in Burnham, was named winner of the Customer Care Award for an outstanding example of going above and beyond the call of duty.
A spokeswoman explains: “When a gentleman who came in every Monday for his MDS (Monitored Dosage System) pack failed to show, Alison took it upon herself to investigate and when a call to a relative proved inconclusive, she drove to his home and found him lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor.”
“After ringing for an ambulance and getting help to break into the property, she was able to make him feel more comfortable and preserve his dignity while waiting for paramedics to arrive.”
“The diagnosis was a blood clot on his lung and he was developing sepsis. Her selfless actions were truly lifesaving.”
In her nomination for the RoE Award, Alison’s pharmacist manager Sally Farmer says: “Ali gives excellent customer service in the pharmacy daily, but this was just one example of how she went above and beyond her duty.”
Alison was also presented with a Spotlight Award – a title for one of the nine individual category winners.
Alison says: “I just couldn’t believe I was at the awards to be honest – the second award was a massive shock, I didn’t realise that was going to happen! Winning the Spotlight Award felt unbelievable, honestly, I struggled to speak which isn’t like me. I absolutely adore my job, not many people can say that so I’m very lucky.”
There was further success for Day Lewis Pharmacy in Burnham when Alison’s colleague Charmaine Cole, a pharmacy assistant and healthy living advisor, took home a ‘Healthy Living Advisor Award’.
A spokesman said: “Charmaine creates engaging and impactful displays to support customers improve their mental and physical health, training herself on new topics where needed. She is a crucial part of the local LGBTQ+ Domestic Awareness Group, running live Q&A sessions on social media and raising awareness of this important cause. A brilliant health champion and a worthy winner.”
Finalists were treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to central London for the awards ceremony that took place at the glamorous 8 Northumberland Avenue.
Commenting on the Awards, editor of Training Matter and RoE Awards host Helena Beer said: “Our finalists represent the very best of community pharmacy. I’m thrilled to be able to reward these individuals for their hard work, dedication and passion for helping the people in their communities live better and healthier lives. The past year has been exceptional in more ways than one and it’s been a pleasure to share the stories of what community pharmacy teams have achieved despite very challenging circumstances.”
