Southmead pharmacist wins top prize in I Love My Pharmacist competition

Emily Rose, rheumatology pharmacist at Southmead Hospital, has won the top prize in the Royal College of Pharmacist’s “I Love my Pharmacist” competition.

The final stage of the competition saw Emily, along with the five other regional winners, meet with the I Love My Pharmacist judging panel to determine the nartional winner.

The judges chose Emily as this year’s winner due to her outstanding contribution to rheumatoid arthritis care, designing a new pathway for appropriate prescribing and monitoring of arthritis medication.

On being declared the winner Emily said: “I am thrilled to be the winner of ‘I Love My Pharmacist 2015’. The entire competition has had such a positive impact on the workplace and I could not have got this far without the support of the hospital staff and patients as they motivate us to make these service changes. I’m overwhelmed that so many people took the time out of their day to vote for me.

“Being the winner is a real honour; we go the extra mile on a daily basis for our patients and it is nice to have some recognition for all our hard work. At the judging panel day it was lovely to meet and learn from the other pharmacists, especially as they were all from different sectors which could help improve our communication going forward”.

Alistair Burt, Minister of State for Pharmacy said: “I would like to extend huge congratulations to Emily Rose for winning amongst such a talented field. Pharmacists are a major resource for our health service and they do a fantastic job, helping people to manage their health and stay well.”

Ash Soni, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said: “The I Love My Pharmacist competition has been incredibly successful this year. The vast number of entries and votes demonstrates how valued pharmacists are within the community.

“It was interesting to see a wide variety of applications demonstrating the many different roles pharmacists play across the NHS, making a huge difference to patients’ lives.

“We are delighted with the level of public support for I Love My Pharmacist 2015, and are looking forward to next year’s competition being even bigger and better.”

To read more about Emily and the regional winners visit www.ilovemypharmacist.co.uk, and follow @ilovemypharm for more from I Love My Pharmacist.