Asian stories: a celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Asian Stories:

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

NPU

1929

The Retail Pharmacists’ Union (RPU) holds its first board meeting

1921

Name change to National Pharmaceutical Union (NPU). Information Department formed.

RPU launched the inaugural Pharmacy Week, aiming to enhance understanding of the role of the pharmacist and their qualifications.

1932

AYP NPA launches the first nation-wide ‘Ask Your Pharmacist’ advertising campaign

1982

1977/78

New medicines have to be approved and licensed before being allowed on to the market.

1968

NPU changed their name to National Pharmaceutical Association (NPA) and moved to new headquarters at Mallinson House in St Albans, Hertfordshire.

1945 End of World War II. Business Purchase & Guarantee Fund formed to keep pharmacies in private hands

NPA

NPA campaigns against cuts to community pharmacy funding – and takes the UK’s largest ever health-related petition to 10 Downing Street

2016

2020 The coronavirus pandemic sees pharmacies on the frontline of efforts to protect the population from illness. Health Secretary Matt Hancock addresses NPA members at the association’s annual conference.

The NPA marks 100 years representing its members.

Interest in community pharmacy in government, the media and public is higher than it has ever been.

2021

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

The role of pharmacists – our journey of change NPA chair Andrew Lane envisages community pharmacy of the future as tech-driven neighbourhood health and wellbeing hubs, recognised as the front door to the NHS…

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he founders of the National Pharmacy Association, 100 years ago, could barely have imagined what today’s pharmacists are doing to keep people well and save lives. Would they have foreseen pharmacy-based vaccinations, pharmacist prescribing and being part of a supply chain that stretches around the globe?

It would be foolish to try to predict exactly what the next 100 years will bring but it is certain that community pharmacy will need to evolve continually to meet the ever-changing needs of the population and modern consumer expectations.

Covid-19 has rapidly accelerated several developments in pharmacy business and practice.

We will need to think deeply about a long list of other issues for the post crisis world, including the place of online supply, remote

a favourable view of community pharmacists according to an NPAcommissioned poll in 2020. The same research also showed support for pharmacies to play a greater role in the future of the NHS and a strong attachment to communitybased services.

As NHS structures in England continue to change, collaboration is going to be a key part of making future changes a success. Whether it’s working across care settings as part of a multi-disciplinary team, or a joined-up approach to helping patients get the most of their medicines.

Looking further into the future, it’s already clear that members will need help to also adapt to climate change and climate change policy.

We will also have the ‘knownunknowns’ of genomics and artificial intelligence to grapple with.

Some things will always

stay the same, I hope: I hope that community pharmacy will always be fundamentally about people, not just pills; I hope that the ‘community’ in community pharmacy is always more than just a word; I hope that patients will always be justified in putting their trust in us as pharmacists and pharmacy teams, because we maintain high standards of professionalism and care.

Finally, I hope and believe the NPA and our many, dedicated members are there to see it all happen - and to be at the heart of the action – for at least the next 100 years.

NPA reaches 100 years milestone

J

ust over a hundred years ago (14 April 1921), the National Pharmacy Association held its first board meeting at the Hearts of Oak Friendly Society in Euston Road, London.

At that meeting, chairman John Deakin addressed the newly elected executive committee and outlined the course that the new organisation (then called the Retail Pharmacists’ Union) should pursue.

Since then, the NPA has grown to become the leading voice of independent community pharmacies across the UK. Today the association represents over 6000 pharmacies, the vast majority of which are from the independent sector.

Over these 100 years, the NPA has brought community pharmacists together, to pool resources, to learn from each other and to deliver fantastic patient services at scale – standing together at times of adversity and challenge.

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consultations, flexible teamworking and how pharmacies cooperate with each other to provide a resilient service.

To survive and thrive over the long term, pharmacies need to be progressive and modern, while at the same time being true to the historic values of pharmacy as a personal, caring profession.

We are in a golden age of technological and digital innovation that promises to revolutionise pharmacy working practices. I therefore want to see tech-enabled community pharmacies, better integrated with other health services, operating efficiently as neighbourhood health and wellbeing centres, providing excellent patient care and recognised as ‘the front door to the NHS’.

As we move forward, it will be on the basis of considerable public support, with 81 per cent holding

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The NPA describes itself as there independent community pharmagood practice in relation to medicines to ‘help independent pharmacies to cies in England with fewer than 50 safety and acts as an interface with prosper, professionally and commerbranches. In this role the NPA shares the Department of Health and Social cially, for the benefit ultimately of the Care on this matter. patients and communities they serve’.

Genuine membership organisaIts functions are to offer insurtions, like the NPA, are run by their ance and legal service and members for their members. o mark the NPA’s centenary, business and practice advice There are no other shareMPs led by Dr Lisa Cameron (Scottish and act as the representaholders or disguised interNational Party MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and tive voice of the sector ests – the people who Lesmahagow) offered their congratulations in the form of a to government and make the decisions Parliamentary Early Day Motion. It reads: regulatory bodies, as are members who That this House congratulates the National Pharmacy Associawell as providing best have been elected tion (NPA) as it celebrates 100 years of serving community pharmacies in class training and by other members in the UK; notes that the NPA has helped its members through enoreducation. Additional so their interests are mous change, including the formation of the NHS in 1948, the overhaul roles are updating aligned entirely with of medicines regulations in 1968, the massive expansion in the range members on recent the interests of their of medicines available to patients and the establishment of new roles developments in members. in public health, urgent care and managing long term conditions; the sector, new drugs The NPA is also recognizes the vital contribution of pharmacies today, especially coming to market. It also proud to count amongst in the light of their work during the covid-19 pandemic; and mediates with the NHS, on its members people from looks forward to pharmacies playing an important role behalf of its members and diverse ethnic backgrounds in the health, wellbeing and daily life of our offers Patient Group Directions. and half of the association’s communities in the years to come.

The NPA is officially designated current board has an Asian as the Medication Safety Officer for all heritage.

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

The rise of Asian pharmacists

As part of the NPA’s centenary celebrations, we look at the diverse contributions made by various Asian communities to Britain’s pharmacy sector…

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fter a fairly stagnant two decades, pharmacy retail outlets in Britain began mushrooming in the 1980s – the number of pharmacies as well as pharmacists increased by about 10 per cent throughout the decade.

The inner city areas – which

had become the favoured settlement areas for immigrant groups, especially after the expulsion of Asian migrants from East Africa – had started witnessing a growing trend of small business entrepreneurship, including investments in the community pharmacy sector, in

Margaret Thatcher’s Britain.

Many young Asian immigrants chose pharmacy as a profession because they could become an entrepreneur. Those who had the resources quickly invested in community pharmacy because the sector promised growth, stability and security.

Others who didn’t have the financial firepower worked very hard – slogged for longer hours and did double shifts – so they could save up a decent deposit to start their own business. Helpful government schemes at the time also facilitated bank borrowing for some.

Consequently, the number of

Asian pharmacists who owned pharmacies kept growing so much so that it is claimed that Asian-owned pharmacies now make up to around 50 per cent of all independent pharmacies in Britain.

To celebrate the contribution of Asian pharmacists in the UK and also to mark the National Pharmacy Association’s centenary, we spoke to the leading lights of the profession and successful pharmacists to find out the story of their journey into the world of community pharmacy – when they came, what they saw and how they conquered.

A bold visionary Dubbed a ‘giant of independents’, Kirit Patel was a pharmacy heavyweight whose opinion was sought by everyone including those in the corridors of power...

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escribed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society as a “giant of independent community pharmacy”, the late Kirit Chimanbhai Patel was a bold visionary who built one of Britain’s most successful pharmacy businesses. A leading entrepreneur, he was a hugely respected leader in the pharmacy profession and the South Asian community.

Kirit was born in Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya. His businessman father sent young Kirit to England to be educated at Truro School in Cornwall. Although his parents had wished him to go into medicine, he chose Portsmouth University, graduating as a pharmacist in 1974.

A year later, along with his elder brother JC, he founded and subsequently grew the Day Lewis Group to almost 300 pharmacies, which became not only an employer of choice but the recipient of many awards in addition to earning itself a ‘gold investor in people’ status. The

group now employs over 2,000 people across the UK. Alongside its chain of pharmacies, the company also supplies pharma products to its retail stores.

From those early days when Kirit and his brother set about their journey to change the face of pharmacy retailing in Britain, he remained passionate about community pharmacy. He lived and breathed community pharmacy and was never shy to voice the concerns of small independent pharmacy contractors.

Kirit’s contribution to pharmacy and public service was recognised in 2005 when he was awarded an MBE by her Majesty the Queen. He was recognised as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in pharmacy and the Top 100 Entrepreneurs by the Management Today magazine.

He would go on to hold highprofile positions at the biggest organisations in pharmacy, including the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the National Pharmacy Association and the

Late Kirit Patel

Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Yet people who knew him very well remember him for the way he treated those who worked for him.

He made them feel 10 feet tall.

As a respected pharmacy leader, his voice carried weight and when he spoke people listened. He used his considerable clout to fight for the small independent and the profession as a whole. Always fair and forthright, he took a pragmatic approach to the perennial issue of pharmacy funding, clearly understanding the need to tighten belts in the era of austerity.

Those who knew him also talk of Kirit as someone “who was bright and energetic with a razor-sharp mind. He had a

knack of getting to the heart of any problem and more often than not, found a solution that pleased all parties.”

Apart from being an inspirational leader in the industry, Kirit was also well known for living life to the full, and making sure that everyone had fun. It was of no surprise that he once fell whilst dancing on a table at an industry skiing conference. He flew aircraft, climbed Kilimanjaro, drove for charity from the UK to India, China, and Everest base camp.

Kirit died of heart failure suddenly but peacefully at home on July 16, 2016, aged 66. He is survived by his wife Nalini, daughter Rupa, and sons Jay and Sam. MARCH/APRIL 2022

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Happy memories or lasting legacy?

A highly respected entrepreneur, Dr Bharat Shah gives an account of his long and distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry...

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y journey into pharmacy can be summed up in three words: importance, strength and unity of the family.

Born into a hard working Gujarati family in Nairobi, Kenya (who were immigrants from India), I grew up within the Asian community and only knew the cultural and spiritual lifestyle I was exposed to.

From what my father told me, we were brought up in tough times. My parents weren’t well educated, but they were hard working and emphasised the importance of family unity and education. I completed my secondary education in Nairobi and came to the UK at the age of 16 to do my A Levels. I did well and joined the University of Bath and graduated with a degree in pharmacy. My hard work was rewarded with the coveted Ferris Gold Medal for academic excellence in 1971.

After two years of work with Boots in Bath, I returned to Kenya. I practiced pharmacy for a year in retail in Nairobi and then became chief pharmacist at the prestigious Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi for six months.

After getting ‘bored’ with pharmacy in Kenya, I joined my father for a brief spell of work in his textile business.

This brief stint actually helped me learn a lot and hone business skills which became vital in later years in pharmacy.

After getting married in 1975, I decided to return to England and in 1982 I set up my first pharmacy business in Watford, which developed into a distribution business.

This all happened at the back of a small pharmacy shop in Watford, Hertfordshire.

Dr Bharat Shah I believe this was a classic case of ‘being in the right won the Innovation Award in place at the right time’. plastics in year 1992. In 1990, my My younger brother Manish younger brother Kamal joined qualified as a chartered Sigma and looked after the OTC accountant and together we set business. up Sigma in 1982. We began by With help of the independent wholesaling generic drugs and community pharmacy sector parallel imported medication, mainly in South England, serving the growing independent our business grew from four pharmacy sector. employees in 1982 to almost In 1989, I set up a plastic 500 employees now. At our moulding factory in Ilkeston, Watford site is also our PI Derbyshire to make Child business OPD Laboratories Resistant Closures for the liquid Ltd authorised by the MHRA medicines. The closure system to re-pack licensed Parallel was bought out by GSK and Import pharmacy products. It

also holds several PLPI licenses.

That initial start-up has now developed into one of the UK’s leading pharmacy wholesalers under the name of Sigma Pharmaceuticals plc. Our new corporate strapline is ‘Independent Together’ which simply states our defined objective to serve the independent pharmaceutical sector.

Our business is now reckoned to be one of the largest independent pharmacy wholesaler in the UK. Through these 40 years of family strength and endurance together, we have won several awards and recognition by Deloitte, Fast Track, Pharmacy Business and GG2. I was also appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for my role in ‘business, exports, economic growth, pharmacy and philanthropy’.

I feel very blessed and pleased with the fact that I, along with my brothers, started the business, grew it, sustained it and now have passed it to our next generation. This to me has been the most satisfying part of my journey. I am still active in the business in my capacity as an ambassador and advisor for Sigma.

A view from Wales

A passionate advocate for community pharmacy, Raj Aggarwal is also an entrepreneur who has helped to shape the sector in Wales...

R

aj Aggarwal is a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and has run a successful chain of pharmacies in Cardiff for 40 years. He emigrated from Kenya in 1967 and studied pharmacy at Cardiff University, graduating in 1972, after which he became one of the youngest ever managers to manage large Boots stores in Central

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London.

Raj said: “I qualified as a pharmacist 50 years ago, and since then I’ve seen the sector going through many changes.

“Pharmacy has always gone through ups and downs but it’s a necessary to keep going be-cause we’ll always be essential to the community.

“In the past few years, I have seen the local pharmacy become the frontline of the NHS, the initial point which the community goes to for medical advice.

“The pharmacy has moved on from being a place of dispensing prescriptions to offering a full range of clinical treatments and vaccinations.

“The one thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the selflessness and service to the community – it gives you Raj Aggarwal

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a lot of satisfaction.”

Raj added: “My siblings and I, we all got education overseas. That was my father’s decision, to make sure we were all educated in various sectors abroad. He wanted us to have the best education.

“After qualifying as a pharmacist, I spent 10 years managing various stores for Boots in South Wales and in London. Then on a social visit back to Cardiff, I became aware of the sale of a small pharmacy and could see the huge potential.

“Over the next decade, I built up a chain of six pharmacies and I’m still chairman of the Aggarwal Group, which runs the Central Pharmacy, Clarins Gold Salon and an online

A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

beauty retailer Escentual.com, which is run by my son Rakesh Aggarwal.”

In June 2007, Raj was made an OBE in recognition of his contribution to pharmacy and the Asian community.

In September 2018, he was appointed by Her Majesty to become the first Indian-born honorary officer/ pharmacist in the Royal Navy and now holds a role of captain.

He believes British Asians have made a “massive impact” to community pharmacy in the UK. Raj said: “South Asians who migrated here have worked extremely hard to develop their skills and serve the community. They are passing on their knowledge,

experience and exper-tise to the rest of the diaspora to encourage younger generations to embrace a profession like pharmacy. It’s a good profession to be in and satisfying in so many ways.”

Advocating for the sector is another key role that Raj plays – he is a board member of the National Pharmacy Association and of Community Pharmacy Wales. In 2009, the minister of health and social services invited Raj to be on an expert Task and Finish Group to develop a strategy for community pharmacy in Wales.

Raj said: “This helped create the network we have here and is responsible for delivering pharmacy

Hungry to succeed

A firm believer in collaborative and integrated model of health care, Hiten Patel says pharmacy must embrace clinical services to survive and thrive…

I

came to the UK from Kenya in the exodus in the winter of 1968 as a six-year-old boy, sniffing the then harsh ‘industrial smell’ of Manchester. I grew up when racism was widespread and was part of life, and when physical and emotional bullying in school was common.

In general conversations among peers at pharmacy school, a common question used to be asked: ‘What do you plan to do after you leave university (polytechnic as it was then called)?’

I mentioned hospital pharmacy and was told off: ‘No, as soon as you get out there, you need to buy a pharmacy. You need to become an owner, a proprietor.’

My generation and those before us chose pharmacy because principally, you could be your own boss. We were quite entrepreneurial and innovative. We embraced different aspects of the business – dispensing prescriptions in a retail environment, dealing in photography, perfumes, nappies, cosmetics – you name it, we did everything.

One of the key things that our

generation had was hunger, and to be fair, we also had opportunity.

We were always willing to work very hard and were desperate to ‘make it’, because most of us didn’t come from affluent backgrounds.

Another thing that helped us was that small businesses at the time were looked upon as the engine room of the country, which made significant contributions to economic growth. The economy too was quite buoyant, and it was an opportune time to enter into business.

Many of us had the chance of getting ‘onto the ladder’, and of owning a pharmacy business because a pharmaceutical wholesaler called UniChem group (now Alliance Healthcare) provided us with almost 100 per cent business loan guarantees.

Several of us also benefited significantly when UniChem became a PLC (public limited company) and entered the stock market.

How has pharmacy changed?

In the nineties, if you asked a room full of 100 pharmacists how many of them did film developing and printing, everyone would

put their hands up. If you asked the same question now, no hands would go up.

Just a few years ago, people often used to talk about how many items they did – 10K, 15K. Now, it almost seems irrelevant. Even though the volume of prescriptions is steady, your margin is going down dramatically and going to continue to do so.

Although the number of items written is not falling, distanceselling/online pharmacies are dispensing more items as each day goes by, and other forms of mass dispensing will also develop at pace, all at the expense of their bricks and mortar counterparts.

Meanwhile, bricks and mortar pharmacies are clearly under threat and that’s why they need to diversify even further. They are losing it in terms of both volume and value.

In my view, this can only be compensated by private and NHS clinical services.

Whereas you could get away with cosmetic selling and shampoo/99p toilet rolls display in years gone by, now your patients and your customers are a lot more sophisticated. If they walk into your pharmacy, they need to feel a clinical environment. Mixed messages won’t work in the future.

You must decide – ‘retail’ or

services in the country.

“We’ve got an extremely good relationship with the Welsh government and that is vital to the success story of the community pharmacy network here. As cchairman of Kidney Wales Foundation, he initiated for a deemed consent or soft opt-out to increase the number of or-gans available for transplantation. The law came into effect on December 1, 2015, in Wales and other countries in UK have now introduced the same, thus saving lives and misery.

“At the end of it all, we are a caring profession and we just need to have the tools available so we can continue to deliver that.”

Hiten Patel

alternatively, ‘clinical’ with the products, services, and an image to match.

I believe community pharmacies are also at risk of losing out to independent prescribers and others who may start up non-NHS pharmacies and provide all sorts of private clinical services in the years to come.

Not having to pay hefty goodwill, they will have kitted out their premises with superb consultation rooms, bright lights, good reception area, creating a superior and a thoroughly professional image. That’s what current bricks and mortar pharmacies will need.

On a positive note, existing bricks and mortar are already established and by embracing these inevitable changes will still be able to realise their aspirations and, importantly, continued viability of their business.

Hiten Patel is managing director of Pharmaplus.

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Mobilising a community Veni Harania explains what prompted him to form a buying group between pharmacy owners from a small Gujarati community...

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ike so many others, I too have followed in my father’s footsteps.

He looked after the family, relations, friends and the community. For me, the community has been the small Indian Gujarati community in England, the Oshwals (Shahs) and more importantly, the independent pharmacists.

Having come from Kenya more than 60 years ago, the early days in England were happy, sociable and free of any racial discrimination. I was fortunate to have a chance to live with a middle-class English family in London for eight years and learned so much about life from them.

After qualifying, having worked in hospital for three years and pharmaceutical industry for six years in

various roles, my destiny and passion lay in serving patients and customers in community pharmacy.

By accident in the mid 1980’s, I learnt that anybody who had more than one pharmacy was able to buy better. I thought this was unfair as we single pharmacists worked just as hard as anybody else.

There were many Shah pharmacy owners in London at the time working on their own. I encouraged all of the 150 friends and acquaintances to come together to work as a ‘multiple’ to form the Oshwal Pharmacy Group, where we enjoyed buying terms similar to what the multiples enjoyed.

With professional advice from my senior colleagues, we formed a public company,

Nucare plc, which was owned principally by the pharmacists and grew this to 1,200 membership of independent pharmacists across whole of Britain, providing all round support.

Nucare also bought 35 pharmacies from retiring pharmacists over this period.

The company was sold in 2007.

While in the early days, the national multiples grew by buying retiring independents, now it is the independent chains buying up retiring single pharmacy owners. There is a huge appetite for young pharmacists to come into business.

I am now encouraging this by buying in partnership with them, allowing them to invest whatever they can. Young people have the energy and knowhow to make significant improvements in the business, good for all parties.

I encourage all retiring pharmacists to consider this

Veni Harania

option rather than exiting altogether. You will be giving an opportunity to young people to come into business, who will undoubtedly grow it for benefit of both the parties.

I am nearly 80 years old and still wanting to do so much more.

I would like to see independents get together to own collectively their own hubs in the possibly forthcoming hub and spoke dispensing model, in the assembling of MDS trays using robots in hubs, embracing technology to free up pharmacists’ time and to take up a full clinical role to provide services, and much more.

Like in any business, one cannot stand still.

Veni Harania MBE is director of Mango Group.

The Ugandan-born Chotai brothers came to Britain to study pharmacy and went on to build the hugely successful Waremoss group from a single store in East Sussex…

I

t was during 1979 in Uckfield, East Sussex, that the first Kamsons Pharmacy was opened. Over 40 years later, the company has now grown to 77 pharmacies and employs nearly 1,000 people.

The family-owned chain was founded by Bipin and Bharat Chotai and their brother Piyoosh, who sadly died in January 2020. The family came to England from Uganda in the 1970s, to escape persecution from its dictator Idi Amin.

Their drive and determination to build a better life helped develop the values and ethos of Kamsons.

“The nice thing is that it’s still family-owned with lots of staff that have worked here for many years –

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Kamsons has still got a family feel to it, which is quite different to working for the multinationals,” says Mark Donaghy, professional development manager at Kamsons.

Mark who joined the business in 2005 described what the Chotai family has achieved as “incredible”.

“They started with the one pharmacy here in Uckfield and built it into a chain. You still definitely feel like you’re working for an independent and the pharmacist managers feel like they’ve got the autonomy to handle the branch as their own pharmacy. It’s nice that it’s owned by pharmacists, managed by pharmacists, with area managers who are pharmacists — that professionalism

Photo: Kamsons Pharmacy

Unsung heroes of pandemic

The Duchess of Cornwall meets the Chotai family, owners of Kamsons Pharmacy.

runs in our blood, throughout the organisation.”

Kamsons are based mainly throughout Sussex but also have pharmacies in Kent, London, Surrey, Hampshire, Luton, West Yorkshire, Manchester and now Dorset.

The group recently invested in a new state-of-the-art warehouse in Uckfield and use innovative “weasel”

robots, which help transport medicines across the warehouse. Mark says Kamsons Pharmacy is the first pharmaceutical warehouse in the country to implement this technology, after much development work.

“We have about a dozen weasel robots. We’ve retained all of our staff but it means that we can actually do more from the new warehouse.

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Moving from a manual-picking to an automated system has allowed the capacity of the warehouse to increase to delivering a million units of stock to the pharmacies each month.”

Mark explains that the warehouse has also been covered in 925 solar panels, which are used to power some of the electric vehicles that deliver medicines to the pharmacies and directly to patients as part of Kamsons Pharmacy drive towards becoming carbon neutral.

“We’ve got electric vehicles, which are now being charged overnight, and the fuel is free of charge. It’s all coming from the sun. We’re looking at purchasing more electric cars and hope to have half a dozen pharmacies doing an initial rollout of charging points for these electric vehicles.”

The pharmacies all have a clean, clinical-look and provide a range of services to patients and the NHS.

A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Mark says a lot has changed since he first became a pharmacist.

“I qualified in 1993 and if someone said to me then that pharmacists would be busy vaccinating patients against flu or against Covid, I would have been absolutely shocked. The development of services has been quite phenomenal.”

He adds: “Two of our independent pharmacist prescribers have been prescribing for 10 years now.

They’re prescribing methadone to substance misusers in the pharmacy setting. Innovative things like that are proving their worth over a long period of time.”

Kamsons Pharmacy, which have been NPA members for over 40 years, find its insurance service particularly useful.

“The help of the insurance team has been phenomenal,” says Mark.

“You get such a prompt response

from them. Our new staff are sometimes surprised to know that everyone is insured working for us, at whatever capacity. It helps you sleep well at night.”

Mark says the representation work by the NPA has also been very helpful for the sector.

“The NPA is standing up for independent pharmacies all the time. We’re not having to fight for recognition like we used to.”

During the pandemic, some Kamsons pharmacies were working at the height of a dangerous Covid-19 variant found in Kent.

“People were coming up to us and saying they’ve been waiting for a couple of weeks for their delivery from an online pharmacy. A lot of the postal workers had got Covid and so there were limited postal deliveries.

At times like that, people who might not ordinarily use our pharmacies re-

ally found the benefit of using a local community pharmacy.

“Our pharmacy teams have done tremendously, coping with massive queues. We had some of the multinational pharmacies closed down for weeks with very limited notice and so some of our pharmacies became doubly busy overnight. It’s been intense, very pressurised but we’ve managed to keep all of the 77 pharmacies open every day.”

The Duchess of Cornwall visited Kamsons Pharmacy in March last year and met with pharmacists and support staff, including delivery drivers and warehouse staff, who kept the family-owned group’s pharmacies running during the pandemic when many other healthcare services closed. She thanked pharmacy staff for their essential work during lockdowns and called them ‘unsung heroes’ of the coronavirus pandemic.

Helping vulnerable patients

Shilpa Routledge and her staff in Shil Pharmacy take great pride in going the extra mile to provide a personalised service to their patients…

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hen Shilpa Routledge wanted to open up her own pharmacy 33 years ago, she had no idea how to go about it.

After qualifying in 1985 as a pharmacist, she went to work for Boots and did some locuming before being approached by a GP two years later, who asked her to open what is now Shil Pharmacy in Cwmbran, Wales.

“I thought, yes, I want to do this but didn’t know how to go about it,” Shilpa recalls.

It was then that she was advised by a colleague to approach the NPA. “They were my first port of call when I was thinking of setting up my first business,” says Shilpa.

“When I contacted the NPA, they sent me lots of literature on who I should contact and their details, advice on how to set up a business, and how to go forward.

They also explained how I should be approaching different

suppliers because in those days, unless you had a supplier you wouldn’t get the funding you needed.”

Shilpa and her staff pride themselves in providing an “individual service” to their customers and patients. She adds that they always make an effort to “go the extra mile” in resolving queries from patients and feels reassured the NPA is there to back her up.

“When I have a difficult query my first port of call is the NPA for medical advice, for legal advice, for any information. They’ve never let me down.”

Shilpa says that she and her staff often go out of their way to help vulnerable patients.

“There is one man in his 70s who has Alzheimer’s. He lives on his own but has difficulty taking his medications. We went through everything — to weekly boxes, to daily deliveries. He even has carers in, but he would never know where his meds were.”

Shilpa Routledge (L) with her colleagues at Shil Pharmacy in Cwmbran, Wales

Shilpa says she and her team eventually got the patient to come into the pharmacy to take his medication while they supervised him.

“It didn’t matter what time, day or night, he had to get into a routine of knowing to be in the pharmacy once a day and we would supervise him to make sure it was safe.

“I’d get him to sign it because if he came back again on the same day we’d tell him ‘you’ve

already signed for it’. We didn’t have to do all this but we did it out of concern. We had to.

How else would he take his medication?”

Shilpa, who employs eight staff members, says she puts them all through the NPA training courses.

“I know there are lots of other courses and some which I could have done free, but I just feel the NPA offer the right training for my needs. They’ve always MARCH/APRIL 2022

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been spot on with training and development.”

The last year has been tough for the local community in Cwmbran who had to deal with a GP surgery closing down.

It meant that more people are coming into Shil Pharmacy to ask for information and advice.

Shilpa says: “One local GP surgery closed down overnight

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

in the housing estate due to the pandemic, so where do patients go? The only place was the pharmacy. There have been certain occasions where I’ve had to go down and take the patients to another GP surgery for appointments because they couldn’t get buses or taxis.

“Patients do feel they could come in and talk to me on

common ailments, which we could easily deal with.

“Throughout it all, the NPA’s Advice and Support service has been really helpful for us. Since the beginning of this pandemic when nobody is taking phone calls, the NPA have always been there.”

Moving forward Shilpa says she plans to provide

more enhanced services such as flu vaccines for the local community.

“We’re going to bring in more services because we’re in an area that is very deprived. Patients here don’t have the luxury of taking taxis to GP surgeries miles away. We have become the first port of call for a lot of patients, particularly the elderly.”

Breaking boundaries

Shaheen Bhatia had £1 million in debt and two young children to raise when her pharmacist husband died in his sleep from a massive heart attack…

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haheen Bhatia was only seven when her family came to the UK in the winter of 1969 – as part of the exodus of South Asians from East Africa. Her father, who had a really good job in Kenya as an accountant for Unilever, couldn’t find an equivalent role in England due to “racial prejudice”.

Instead, he became a bus mechanic and joined a night school to become an electrical engineer. He did rise up to a foreman’s position at GEC but discrimination again cost him his job, and he had a nervous breakdown.

“Dad got really ill when I was 15, and as I saw my mum struggle with the bills, knowing we needed money desperately, I took up a job at our local pharmacy, and that’s how my career began in earnest.”

Shaheen started breaking boundaries quite early. “My secondary school in Birmingham prepared most of the students to work in the nearby factories, but I pushed to be the first girl in my school to study physics and sciences.

“My mum was a very traditional and devout Muslim, expecting me to have an arranged

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Shaheen Bhatia is her pharmacy in Ilford in East London

marriage, but I wanted a career first. So I went on to become the first woman from my family to go to university.”

She studied pharmacy in Brighton where she met her late husband Pummy. After qualifying as pharmacists, both moved to Essex and worked as locums in various pharmacies.

In July 1987, they managed to buy a dilapidated fish shop in an ethnically diverse part of Ilford and converted it into a community pharmacy.

They named it P&S Chemist – after their own names. Soon afterwards, Pummy started running two other businesses – a care home and a B&B. But sadly and out of nowhere, in March 1995, Pummy suddenly died in his sleep from a massive heart attack – leaving Shaheen and their two young children devastated and heartbroken.

“Many people told me that as

a woman I wouldn’t be able to manage the businesses —which were left in a debt of £1million due to negative equity — and raise two young children alone at the same time.

“But I was determined not to walk away. I continued to break boundaries in the world of community pharmacy: I became the first woman to sit on our Local Pharmaceutical Committee and became the vice-chair for more than five years.”

Shaheen’s pharmacy secured the Pharmacy Business Community Award in 2015.

“In 2019, we became the first community pharmacy in the UK to pilot a service to administer the buprenorphine prolongedrelease injection (Buvidal) – for the treatment of opiate addiction.

The positive outcomes that I have observed in the clients has been amazing.”

She remarried in 2010. Her

husband Chris looks after the design and social media aspects of the business – “ensuring that the information we provide is easily accessible.”

Shaheen added: “The pandemic has shown that communities need pharmacies more than ever, and I am passionate about our everincreasing clinical role, which was always our vision when we first started the pharmacy.

“I have trained about 20 pre-reg, and countless pharmacy students over the years, which I love as I try to pass on my enthusiasm for community pharmacy.

“Looking back, I’ve been so lucky to find a career that I still love, a career made to help people feel better and positively impacting all marginalised sectors of the community.

“I’m prouder than ever to call myself a pharmacist.”

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Cornerstone of local community

Ashok Soni explains how his pharmacies have become bustling health hubs for patients seeking expert advice on a range of conditions…

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treatham, South West London, has undergone a good deal of change in the last couple of decades but through it all, Copes Pharmacy has always been there, as a cornerstone of the local community.

“This was where all the innovation would happen; this would be where we’d test and demonstrate what pharmacy and pharmacists could do,” says Ashok Soni, owner of Copes Pharmacy.

Ashok qualified as a pharmacist in 1984 and soon after bought the pharmacy in Streatham in 1986. He has also acquired two other pharmacies but his day-to-day work revolves around his flagship store, Copes Pharmacy.

“It’s a cornerstone of the local community. We have other pharmacies around Copes itself, which sits in a small parade of shops.

Its sits right in a residential area, mixed economy with large houses but also lots of deprivation.”

He adds: “Other sites in the parade have changed, but throughout it the pharmacy has been there.”

His reasons for starting out as a pharmacy owner were very clear in his mind: “I wanted to see whether I was capable of running a business and to see how we could make pharmacy different,” he says.

“When I started there were barely any clinical services delivered by pharmacy at all. None whatsoever really. Copes then became one of the very first pharmacies in the country to deliver emergency contraception via a patient group direction. That was part of what made us different.”

In 1990, Ashok became one of the first pharmacists to work on a sessional basis for his local

GP surgery and worked with them on developing formularies of best practice across a number of therapeutic areas.

Ashok, who has served as chair of the Copes Pharmacy in Streatham, South West London NPA and also president of the Royal Pharmaceutical have been there for the customer Society, says he feels reassured throughout without questions is that the association is there to help incredible. They’ve done something him. that I don’t think anybody in other “The NPA was my safety blanket sectors have done in the same and still is. If there’s anything I way. ever need the first place I go from “I think Copes Pharmacy and an owner and contractor perspecmy staff have been integral to the tive would always be the NPA. That local community. It’s a place where hasn’t changed and won’t change.” people can go with confidence and Altogether Ashok has 15 staff get a sense of security and assurwho work in his pharmacies. He ance of knowing they will get the says they have been “incredible right information.” during the pandemic”.

In 2014, Ashok was awarded an “All the staff have been amazOBE for services to pharmacy and ing and I think that the fact they the NHS.

Giving back to society

Eighty-year-old Nizar Mawani works full time as a pharmacist and enjoys writing and performing plays in Gujarati…

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aydons Pharmacy is rooted firmly in local community healthcare of Merton and Colliers Wood since it was set up in 1982 by husband and wife Nizar and Shirin Mawani.

Nizar (80) left Tanzania in the early 60s, vowing to return to hometown Mwanza as a UKqualified pharmacist. He fondly remembers his send-off: “It was a quite novelty to be travelling to the UK for higher education.

The whole town came to the airport to say goodbye.”

At London Heathrow, he was greeted by grey skies and not a particularly warm welcome.

“From 30 degrees of glorious sunshine to a very cold, damp and windy England, it was quite a shock to the system, and I didn’t

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even have a proper coat to wear.”

After passing his A levels from Loughborough College with flying colours, Nizar joined the School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University to embark on a career as a retail pharmacist back home.

However, the changing political climate in Tanzania meant that he could no longer return to his beloved natal city to start his pharmacy career.

“Do not come back. Stay there. The situation here is very bad,” read the telegram he received from home, where properties of migrants were being nationalised.

“It was heart breaking. I was worried about my family and didn’t know when I was going to see them.”

Nizar had only just completed

his internship in two London hospitals but wanted to work in retail pharmacy. After making several applications he finally landed a job in a small community pharmacy in the city as a relief pharmacist on minimum wage. He worked night shifts in another pharmacy, trying to save some deposit to eventually start his own shop.

Shirin (77) ended up in the UK because her father, who ran a retail shop on the outskirts of Pretoria in South Africa, was a firm believer in educating his girl child. He couldn’t afford to send all his children abroad but chose Shirin ahead of her elder brother mainly because he was

a devout Ismaili who believed that by becoming educated and earning their own livelihood, women would become independent.

After completing her A-levels in a girls’ only school in Putney, south London she went to Sunderland for her pharmacy qualification in the mid-60s.

“I was the only Indian girl in my class and seeing all these white girls and white

teachers I felt uncomfortable and a bit inferior because we were used to treat them with a lot of respect in South Africa.

However, I soon got used to it and never had similar thoughts in university.

“I never felt discriminated against. And while we are on the subject, let me say this: even after becoming a pharmacist – working in retail, hospitals and pharmacy multiples, I never ever felt discriminated. I have hardly ever had to deal with any abuse from my patients and customers throughout my career as a pharmacist.”

The couple first met at a congregation in Kensington but returned to Africa for their big day in 1972. They bought their first pharmacy in Southend-OnSea but moved to London to raise their young family.

“Margins were very good in the late 1970s and therefore we could save up enough to be able to buy a pharmacy in Mitcham and two more in a couple of

Asian Stories:

A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

years,” Nizar said.

Explaining what drove him, he added: “It’s in our South Asian genes, I think. It gives us lot of joy when we realise that we are maximising our potential and progressing.”

Nizar said some, not all, of the Asians who came to Britain from Africa had the resources and the money to invest in a pharmacy which was considered a safe and promising business venture at the time.

For him though, giving back to his Ismaili Muslim community matters a lot. He has served in numerous voluntary roles over the last 40 years, helping with community support and development.

Nizar has been actively involved in delivering funerals and last rites of the people from the community for decades and still flies to Europe at short notice to support funeral ceremonies in other countries.

He has also enjoyed entertaining people through

Photo: Farhad Mawani

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Nizar Mawani (purple scarf) receives the Redwood Legend award at his alma mater in Cardiff while Shirin (seated) and others in the family look on.

comedy performances and writing and acting in Gujarati drama productions over the years – doing all of it while ensuring the safe and effective running of his pharmacies.

When asked when he intends to hang up his white coat, Nizar said: “At the moment I have no

plans, to be very honest. I really enjoy working.”

Shirin, meanwhile, is happy coming into the pharmacy whenever her husband needs a helping hand or if she needs to cover for a pharmacist in their two other pharmacies in Mitcham and Colliers Wood.

‘We always do our best’

During her time running her community pharmacy, Nisha Dave has stepped in to help many patients when they needed it most…

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ave Pharmacy in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, was originally founded in 1930.

Ownership of the pharmacy changed hands a number of times before it was taken over by Westons, a small pharmacy chain.

The father of Nisha Dave, the current owner of the pharmacy, was doing his pre-reg with Westons in the 1970s and eventually got a permanent job there and bought the pharmacy soon after.

When his daughter Nisha took over the reins, some of the locals were hesitant.

“The transition was a little difficult for some customers as they saw me as a child, even though I was qualified.

“I’m dispensing medication for my teachers and I still cannot call them by their first names.”

She says her father was a “pioneer in the early days” and was instrumental in setting the foundations of the pharmacy as a local place

for health advice, care and support.

“When used sharps were found in a children’s play area near the pharmacy, my father decided to offer harm reduction measures,” explains Nisha.

“The pharmacy provided services to drug users to prevent this. It is often an outcast group who do this but they still should have healthcare and not cause harm to others due to their risky behaviour.”

Nisha says lots of things have changed since she first took over.

“In the 1970s, we used a card system for recording Patient Medication Records and had little brown drawers filled with records. Labels were also handwritten. Then we got a typewriter for the labels and then eventually a computer which created computer generated labels. We used to accept cheques and now we use a contactless card machine. We used to get lots of handwritten prescriptions, now it’s mostly electronic prescriptions, so lots of things have changed.

Throughout it all, the NPA has been there to support her.

“I’ve used lots of the services from NPA,” says Nisha.

“When I started my career, I got my locum, travel and motor insurance via the NPA. “I’ve used the information and Nisha Dave advice service, legal services and many patients when they needed it lots else besides.” most.

She says she was particularly “I’d like to think that we are very pleased with the NPA’s help during important to the community. I’ve the early months of pandemic. called quite a few ambulances out “We got abuse from some people when people needed them. We cater just because we were an easy target not just for ill people but people in as we were open. good health too, so they can stay that The NPA gave us useful advice way. I’ve talked to some of the comand sent us a poster which really munity groups, mostly elderly, on helped. how to stay well and what pharmacy “Covid has been a tough ride for does. We don’t just do prescriptions everyone, which we are still going — we also provide pastoral care for through. I think our patients and cus- those who need it and we do this tomers valued the ‘service as normal’ because it is the human thing to do. approach when other parts of the “We always try and do our best; health service had shut their doors.” come stock shortages, lack of fundDuring her time running the pharing, or pandemic —pharmacy will macy, Nisha has stepped in to help keep on going.”

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

‘Whole family chipped in’ C

80,000 Ugandan Asians impacted by the decree.

Chiman and his siblings eventually adapted to life in the UK and did their formal education here. After qualifying as a pharmacist and doing his pre reg in Boots, he worked for an independent pharmacy before deciding to purchase his first pharmacy in Blackburn, alongside his younger brothers Utamkumar and Suresh Patel in 1979.

Chiman says the whole family chipped in to support the pharmacy.

“We started the business with great help and funds from family. I’m the founder of the company but both my brothers are heavily involved in the business with great support from our parents, sisters, wives, children and brothers-in-law.”

They grew the pharmacy business to form what is now known as Sykes Chemist, which has its headquarters in Bolton.

The group was operating 20 branches in the Northwest of England, but due to funding cuts in the last 18 months, they

Photo: NPA

himan Patel left Uganda with his siblings in 1967 to escape persecution from its former military dictator Idi Amin. He came to UK knowing one day he would have his own pharmacy.

“I’ve wanted to own a pharmacy from a young age, even when I was in Uganda,” he says.

But “times were hard” says Chiman, who was the eldest boy in the family and only 12 years old when he left Uganda.

He vividly recalls the day he arrived in the UK. “I remember arriving at Gatwick Airport and seeing lots of chimneys everywhere as we drove up to Bolton. My parents were already here so they came to pick us up. It was cold, damp and foggy.”

His family were one of thousands who left Uganda to escape ongoing violence against ethnic minorities.

In 1972, Idi Amin then expelled Uganda’s Asian population, which left thousands of families devastated, with approximately

Photo: Sykes Chemist

Chiman Patel of Sykes Chemist recalls how he needed help and financial support from his parents and extended family to ‘get on the business ladder’…

Sykes Chemist in Bolton circa. 1982.

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Sykes Chemist directors Chiman and Uttam Patel with professor Amanda Chetwynd and pharmacy managers Deborah Gartside and Mark Haythornthwaite in 2015.

had to consolidate some of the branches by mergers and management buyouts, says Chiman.

“We have 16 branches currently and have around 160 staff right across the group. We still have a strong commitment to deliver and be engaged in the provision of locally commissioned services.

“All our managers and staff are always ready to respond to the needs of the patients and during the last year, most have work late into the night to manage the work flow so that patients receive their medicines.

Without the dedication of my staff we couldn’t have managed this last year.”

Although there have been many advancements in the pharmacy sector over the years, Sykes Chemist has always managed to adapt, explains Chiman.

“Considering that I had my first Genie computer in 1979 as a labelling computer —we can say that with regards to IT developments, we have been learning

and adjusting to the constant demanding changes in pharmacies. In my 42 years being a pharmacist, we have adapted well and are always ready to learn and change.”

During those years as a pharmacist and NPA member, Chiman has always used the association’s services.

“I’ve been an NPA member from the very first day I started my first pharmacy in Blackburn.

“As a member I know I have all the resources I need just with a phone call away. With the support of the NPA I also know that my back room office paperwork will be up to date too.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on staff and proved to be a challenge for the sector but Chiman credits the NPA for keeping pharmacy in the spotlight.

“Covid-19 has been very challenging for pharmacists and pharmacy staff. But I’m very grateful for the NPA who continue to raise the issues about funding with the government and PSNC. “Through the media they convey that pharmacies are important and I just know that the NPA is always supporting our cause.”

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‘Proud I chose this path’

We spoke to a number of young South Asian pharmacists to find out what they thought of the profession and their future plans…

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ecoming a pharmacist has remained a popular career choice for Asians in Britain. Children of many prominent pharmacy families decided to follow in the footsteps of their parent(s) because they wanted to build on the family business. Others chose the profession because they literally grew up in a community pharmacy.

Yet there are some others who

like pharmacy because it presents them with the opportunity of becoming an entrepreneur. But the attraction of the profession to the vast majority has been because it offers a stable and well-regarded career.

One pharmacy student said: “I can say that for students who opt for science in their A-Levels, many of them will aim for pharmacy. Obviously, the ones that are clever enough to do so will

apply, and they’ll most likely apply to places like Kings College or University College London.

“Pharmacy is a vocational degree, so you’re definitely getting a job after the degree. I think that’s what people like, job security.

Plus, my traditional South Asian mum looks up to pharmacists, so I’m sure most South Asian parents feel the same way about them.”

Kent-based pharmacist entrepreneur Amish Patel had great A-level results and he could have easily found a place in a medical school, but he chose pharmacy because “the thought of the less pleasant side of medicine

such as having to deal with blood put me off. I also liked the opportunity pharmacy gave to be a business owner.”

But will Amish be as delighted as his father if his two-year-old son were to choose the profession to become the family’s third generation pharmacist?

“Definitely not in the current climate,” said Amish. “I hope my children explore the greater array of jobs now available that weren’t there or as accessible in my time.”

What then do the younsters of community pharmacy think about the profession they are trying to find their feet in?

‘Role is expanding forever’ “My views on the pharmacy are always changing, as it is such an adapting profession to be in.

The role is forever expanding drastically every day. I love it. It keeps things fresh and stimulating.

“The new trainees coming through are being introduced into this ever changing role and I feel are very much so prepared for it.

“I qualified officially a year ago after working as a provisional pharmacist. During that time I completed my pre reg after winning two pre reg awards in community pharmacy then moved

into the PCN role as soon as I joined the provisional register.

“This was so daunting as I was only used to community and the PCN job seemed to be still finding it’s place in the sector.

Now another year on I find myself flourishing. I’ve taken what I’ve learnt so far and enjoy working, on top of everything else, as a PCPA ambassador teaching the next year of trainees to pass their exam. Showing individually in a short space of time how many opportunities pharmacy has to offer.

“You can take the MPharm

degree in many different directions. I myself have shown this along with many others around me.

The career is adaptable to your lifestyle and your passions providing much scope to manoeuvre into different roles and grow into new ones.

“However, understandably this may not be for everyone and don’t get me wrong the workload, pressures and demands do get heavy at times but we have shown our training provides us with a level of resilience and

determination to provide a high level of care to our patients no matter the circumstance.

“I’m proud I chose this path and am hopeful of what is to come from us pharmacists.”

Yasmine Haq, 26, County Durham

‘Finding my feet as a manager’

“I have been a manager in a community pharmacy for over a year. It is quite unusual to go straight into a managerial role.

“Having worked for the same company during my pre-registration (a training placement), I was going to take this opportunity with both hands.

“My pre-reg was split three ways between a community pharmacy, a GP practice and a care home, so it was an unusual opportunity that meant I learned

about different parts of the healthcare system.

“I was an integral part of communications between the three. I would spend two days in the pharmacy, two in the GP practice and one in the care home.

“I worked on a project to de-prescribe. I designed surveys that firstly looked at the patients’ lifestyle – bowel habits, mobility – and their medicines and medical history.

“This information was put

together and I worked with the pharmacy and doctors to reduce medication.

“I enjoy being a manager.

Covid hit us like every other pharmacy, it was a case of how quickly you could adapt.

“As a manager there is a lot that I am required to do as well as being a pharmacist, such as the business side of things as well as staff management.

“We have a close relationship with our local GP surgeries and having worked in one before I

have more of an insight in terms of communications.”

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‘Job is customer focussed’

“I have always been interested in medicines and how they work, but I knew I needed some experience.

“I have been undertaking a variety of tasks, the main one being dispensing but I have also been consulting patients on minor ailments, such as eye infections

and skin conditions, to see if it is something that can be dealt with in the pharmacy or if the patient will need to see a doctor.

“When I first started I would work Saturdays and at times in the week during term time. During the summer I would be doing five or six

days a week.

“When the pandemic started it was completely different to what I had been exposed to. I had never seen that number of prescriptions come through before and the amount of work.

“Some patients were very

‘Becoming more skilful’ “I went into pharmacy because I wanted to do something vocational in the healthcare sector that has lots of patient contact. I really like working with people and I am interested in pharmacology, physiology and how medicines affect the body.

“Academic experience prepares you but it cannot be compared to actually working in a pharmacy, to being in a workplace. There isn’t that level of responsibility in a classroom.

“I’ve worked at this pharmacy for the last two years,

initially as a pre-reg, now I am a registered pharmacist.

“Lockdown was a testing time, less people came in but the workload went up. Sometimes patients could become frustrated and anxious but it is important with every interaction to be able to build rapport and empathise with patients and

explain that we are doing everything we can to help them.

“I’d like to get more experience in community pharmacy and possibly become an independent prescriber. I’d like to increase my clinical skill set, offering other services. I’d like to be able to help people as much as I can.”

Shirin Mawji, 28, Bristol

demanding, and frustration is understandable when people are self-isolating and need their medication.

“I learned a lot very quickly about interacting with patients.

This is a very customer-oriented role and you need to have patience and to explain that you are trying to do your best.

“It has taught me what I need for my career and I have developed people skills. You see all sides of life working in a pharmacy – people who are well off and those who are not doing so well or maybe struggling with addiction. It’s about trying to engage with them and making some sort of a difference.”

Joel Philip, 23, Liverpool

Kickstarting the next generation

Raj Patel reveals the success he has had with the Kickstart scheme after applying to have 32 young people work in his pharmacies…

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ovid-19 is the biggest public health crisis to face this country in living memory and to win the battle against this terrible virus, everyone has had to pull together.

When we faced workforce shortages in the middle of the pandemic due to staff having to self-isolate, we were faced with a serious problem.

This is when the Chancellor Rishi Sunak launched the Kickstart scheme in September – an initiative where the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays wages and employment costs for a sixmonth job placement, for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment.

We thought this would be a great way for us to help

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young people get on the job ladder but also get extra resource in the pharmacy which was desperately needed at that time. I applied to get in 32 young people who have been working alongside my teams in our pharmacies in Greater Manchester. To say they were good is an understatement - we were amazed at their enthusiasm.

Whether it be helping serve customers over the counter, collecting repeat prescriptions or even helping in our vaccinations centres, the kickstarters really got stuck in.

We have set up three vaccination sites – in Wigan, Crewe

and Haydock. The kickstarters have been helping as marshals, adding data to the outcomes for health portal, and helping keep the place hygienic by wiping down tables and chairs. They’ve fit right in with the other marshals and they were brilliant.

We didn’t expect our kickstarters to know a lot about pharmacy on day one - all we asked was for them to be humble and caring; that’s what patients Raj Patel need and require right now.

We do provide training however. these Kickstarters, this government When they leave they’ll have a dual scheme has enabled community qualification - as a Dispensary Aspharmacies like mine who have sistant and also the Medicines remained open throughout the last Counter Assistant, via a course year, to boost our overstretched provided by the National Pharteams at no cost to ourselves. macy Association.

Raj Patel MBE, chief executive of Although we have had to Hollowood Chemists and NPA Board put some work into training member.

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Flag bearers A celebration of of Asian Asian pharmacists women pharmacists in the UK

A long road for Asian Women Gender diversity in pharmacy has improved over the years, but support, encouragement and mentorship is still needed for South Asian women to progress..

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he demographic profile pharmacy lead for Cheam of the pharmacy and South Sutton primary profession in the UK care network (PCN). has significantly changed over With roots in India, the years with more Asians, Reena’s family moved from particularly women, joining East Africa to the UK in the sector. There is a clear the seventies. Her parents indication of affinity towards bought the pharmacy in the profession amongst this 1979, which she runs today.

Thorrun Govind population group, especially “I wanted to follow in those who migrated from Africa my father’s footsteps. I attained her pharmacy degree in sixties and seventies. grew up living on top of the in 1985 and started her business It is also true that a pharmacy that I now run, which in 1988. proportion of South Asian is a family business that we’ve She said in earlier days, women in the sector have had since 1979.” there would possibly be only inherited the pharmacy business The latest figures released two-three Asian women in from the earlier generation or by the Health Education pharmacy related meetings and have followed in their footsteps, England (HEE) Community functions, but now there are while some took up the Pharmacy Workforce Survey “lots and lots of Asian women profession without having any 2021 showed that 40 per cent as chairs, providing advice on family background. of the community pharmacy various post graduate courses.”

Reena Barai, community workforce in England The data indicates the pharmacy contractor, who runs comprised people of Asian profession has gained S G Barai pharmacy in Sutton origin. popularity amongst the South confirmed there is “definitely an A separate workforce survey Asian people and with more affinity towards the sector”. conducted by the General women entering the sector, “If we think about the Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Thorrun Govind, the Royal stereotypical South Asian kind in 2019, revealed that Asians Pharmaceutical Society of professional community comprised 35 per cent of the England chair has become a role you’re either a pharmacist, pharmacist role, higher than 32 model for many young women doctor, dentist, or a lawyer. per cent in 2013. aspiring to join the profession.

“So these careers obviously The GPhC data also showed She is the youngest elected are very popular for South that the female population board member at the RPS and Asian communities. Mostly accounted for 62 per cent of the also only the second female from the generation who have pharmacist role in 2019, against of colour as chair, after the come down from Africa. They 60 per cent in 2013. election of Shilpa Gohil to the had taken up pharmacy, and Shilpa Routledge, owner of position in 2012. then the next generation took Shil Pharmacy in South Wales, Thorrun believes that values over.” said a lot has changed since she imbibed by her family, which Reena, who is also a board hails originally from India, member of the National had a great impact on Pharmacy Association (NPA) shaping her personality and and a committee member of intellect. the Pharmaceutical Services She recalls “they (elders Negotiating Committee in the family) have always (PSNC), became a role model told me that nobody can for many women in her take away your education,” community. and that is why “education After securing election is really important to me.” to the NPA in 2018, she Thorrun studied became the first Asian female Pharmacy at King’s College pharmacy owner to do so.

London, completing her Later in January 2020, she pharmacy pre-registration was appointed community training in community Reena Barai

pharmacy. She studied for her Graduate Diploma in Law in 2018, whilst working as a pharmacist. Subsequently, she completed her Legal Practice course and MSc in Law, Business and Management.

After attaining several academic degrees, she chose to follow her passion in pharmacy which she feels is “a good mix of businesses”.

She was interested in the profession as it requires business acumen and is always accessible for the larger public.

A prolific tweeter, she often uses social media to advocate for the profession and utilises local and national media to promote pharmacy.

Sharing her piece of advice for the young South Asian women who wish to join the profession, she said: “Go for it, apply for the job. Don’t limit your potential because I think that it’s very easy to think -no, I can’t do this. (Believe that) you can.”

Thorrun added that in the current scenario, there are so many amazing opportunities in community pharmacy, “and what I would love to see is more young, aged women to get involved in pharmacy, politics.

I want to see them standing for boards.”

In the earlier days, young South Asian girls were not really encouraged to pursue education, but now that push for higher studies is important, she said.

“So, we’ve got to support each other as well.”

“There are always people who want to help you get better.

So I think you need to find mentors and find people who are going to help you and support you and that’s definitely the way forward.”

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to her origin and gender in the profession, many other South Asian women pharmacists have faced such challenges.

Thorrun said: “I have never experienced any racist behavior, but I know that some of my colleagues in the pharmacy (sector) have had and it’s very, very bad and upsetting.”

“So just because I personally haven’t experienced that in a work environment, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It doesn’t mean that pharmacists don’t encounter this awful behavior and we need to stop it.”

Meanwhile, Reena acknowledged that genderbased stereotypes are still a big challenge in community pharmacy, which is often faced by South Asian women pharmacists.

Sharing her personal experience, she said: “Many times people come into the

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of Asian women pharmacists

pharmacy and want to speak to the pharmacist and look for the man, and when I say it’s me, and I am the owner, they stare in disbelief.”

However, she considers this an achievement – breaking a stereotype.

“I really enjoy breaking those stereotypes because there aren’t that many female contractor owners, and the few that do exist are incredible because they juggle so many things to run their pharmacy, homes, family lives and everything else that us women tend to do.”

She believes that being the first Asian woman to ever join the NPA board, it is her responsibility to represent the segment well and “make sure that South Asian women have a seat at the table.”

“So it’s been really nice to be able to do that. I do feel

Shilpa Routledge

like there’s a growing number of us and the reputation is improving.”

On other challenges pertaining to women, Reena said that pharmacy being a challenging profession itself, the juggle to manage home and workplace is a tough job for any female contractor.

It’s a six days’ job and the

seventh day usually involves completing the paperwork while “you’re trying to do the roles that women traditionally do which is housekeeping, looking after children, homework, etc”.

However, she acknowledged that the attitude towards women pharmacists is changing both at home and in the profession.

“There’s a really good movement going forward of working partnerships between men and women so that each party can have their careers and run their businesses,” she added.

Citing her own example, Shilpa said in the early days of her business another chemist wanted to open nearby using all kinds of threats, but the local health board and the NPA supported her stand. The help of fellow pharmacists can help to sail through difficult times, she says.

Patient safety and lots else besides

Jasmine Shah talks to Pharmacy Business about leading a team that fields hundreds of queries each week on a range of everyday issues in community pharmacy…

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asmine Shah joined the National Pharmacy Association in 2006 as an information pharmacist. Having advanced through multiple roles, Jasmine now leads a team of pharmacists and pharmacy technician as Head of Advice and Support Services, and the Medication Safety Officer (MSO) at the NPA. What attracted you to pharmacy?

Pharmacy is a popular profession within the Oshwal community and many members of my extended family are pharmacists.

Work experience showed me the different aspects of pharmacy (patient care, helping patients with self-care and safe use of medicines, pharmacy business and much more) which led me to choose pharmacy as a profession.

After completing the pharmacy degree and pre-registration training, I worked in various community pharmacies where supporting patients’ health and wellbeing,

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and making a difference in an individual patient’s life, were the most satisfying aspects of my work.

What is it like working for the NPA? Fast-paced, engaging, stimulating, rewarding.

vices on the frontline of healthcare providing the highest quality of patient care. Part of my work also involves supporting the NPA’s representation and advocacy work on behalf of NPA members through stakeholder engagement.

What’s your job at the NPA and what does your team do?

The NPA is the leading pharmacy organisation for independent community pharmacy owners operating across all four UK nations.

As part of the NPA’s Membership directorate, I work at a national level leading a team of exceptional pharmacists and pharmacy technician to deliver the NPA’s highly valued Advice and Support Services.

We respond to hundreds of member queries each week, provide information, resources and tools for our members who deliver pharmaceutical ser-

What’s your role as the Medicine Safety Officer?

Jasmine Shah I currently hold the role of MSO for independent comprised of all community pharcommunity pharmacies macy MSOs in England; working in England who have fewer than through this cross-sector group to 50 branches. One of the key roles encourage increased reporting of of the MSO is to promote the safe patient safety incidents, support use of medicines and improve the application of learning from patient safety with the use of dispensing incidents and nearmedicines. misses, develop recommendaThis sounds simple but ensurtions and share best practice to ing patient safety is at the heart improve policy or practice across of all healthcare provision includthe sector. ing from community pharmacies.

As part of my MSO role, I am a Jasmine Shah is head of Advice member of the Community Pharand Support Services at the NPA macy Patient Safety Group that is

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Asian Stories:

A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

What’s in a surname?

Ian Cubbin stumbles upon the first person named ‘Patel’ on the national pharmacy register as he traces the origin of the modern pharmacist workforce...

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n the centenary year of the National Pharmacy Association it has been possible to celebrate this milestone in Wales, Northern Ireland and England with Scotland still to go! What has been particularly striking at these events has been the diversity of our membership and the rich ethnic mix which is involved in the business of pharmacy.

More than one third (36 per cent) of pharmacists described themselves as Asian or British Asian last year, and one in five people on the register are Indian.

Eight of the last fifteen NPA chairmen have been Indian and starting with Kirit, five of them have been Patels.

When I was a student in those

far off days in the 1970s in the wilds of the North East, I lived in a house with six Patels. Many of these friends had African backgrounds and all of them have gone on to be successful businessmen and women.

It made me think about the changing demographic of the register and using this family name as a typical example I began to trace the modern pharmacist workforce. From the earliest days of British imperialism, it was routine for the Administrators and the Army to arrive simultaneously, and as colonisation continued then the need for trade grew and frequently –particularly in Africa – the merchants came from the Indian subcontinent.

Successful entrepreneurs prospered as the empire grew.

The NPA was thirty years old before the first ‘Patel’ was included in the register of pharmaceutical chemists and today there are over 2,150 – a staggering change.

And it isn’t just the ethnic diversity that has changed; in that same year (1951) women accounted for 18 per cent of the number of pharmacists; today the balance is completely reversed with 62 per cent of the register identifying as female, and here again the number of Asian women registering after pre-registration training is outnumbering the Asian men, and has done for a number of years.

But how rapid was the growth

Ian Cubbin is an NPA board member and teacher practitioner at John Moores University in Liverpool.

in Asian pharmacists and what if anything was the catalyst?

We are all familiar with the Windrush years – and often people mistakenly believe this refers exclusively to those who arrived from the Caribbean – but many Indians arrived in Britain as part of this scheme.

A number left India directly to come and train in Britain, and part of the shortage of general medical practitioners has been caused by the retirement of that generation of doctors. The influx

NPA’s Asian chairmen Late Kirit Patel – 1999-2000 Co-founder and chief executive of the Day Lewis group, Kirit built up a business of 275 pharmacies, employing 2,000 people, over his 40 years in the profession. As well as being a chair of the NPA, Kirit served as treasurer of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and vice chair of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee at one point. In 2005, he was awarded an MBE for services to pharmacy and public service. He was also a non-executive director of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Hemant Patel – 2003-2004 Hemant Patel is a former secretary at North East London Local Pharmaceutical Committee. Four-time former president of the RPSGB, Hemant also served as chairman of NPA, vice-chairman of PSNC and a UK delegate to the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, amongst other international roles. He has also won several awards, including the RPS charter award when it was instituted in 2011, for his work to reposition community pharmacy.

Ashok Soni – 2004-2005 Ashok qualified as a pharmacist in 1984 and soon after bought a pharmacy in Streatham in 1986. He has also acquired two other pharmacies but his day to day work revolves around his flagship store, Copes Pharmacy. In 1990 Ashok became one of the first pharmacists to work on a sessional basis for his local GP surgery and worked with them on developing formularies of best practice across a number of therapeutic areas. Ashok, who has served as chair of the NPA was also president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Rajesh Patel – 2005-2006 Rajesh has represented the Greater Manchester Region on the NPA Board since 1998. He also represented the NPA in Europe as the former Head of the UK Delegation to the PGEU. Rajesh received an MBE in 2013 for his services to pharmacy. Rajesh studied pharmacy at Manchester University, qualifying in 1986. He spent his pre-reg year with Boots, opened his first pharmacy in 1989 and now owns sixteen pharmacies in the Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester area. He is a member of Halton, St Helens and Knowsley LPC.

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of pharmacists seems to have a different overlay to it.

Ten years on from the solitary Patel on the register, the number had risen to 62 – but that only tells us part of the story. In those days the Register was still a licence to practice in many parts of the globe, and full reciprocity existed with Australia and New Zealand.

In Africa local assessments were published in the various Government Gazettes, and the official notices stated that the undermentioned had satisfied the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in respect of his qualifications and had his name entered in the register of the colony.

Many of us recall advertisements for UK registrants to go and work in places as far removed as Bermuda and Papua New Guinea.

In 1961 of the 62 registrants, there were 34 in Kenya, 12 in Uganda, four in Tanzania and five in India. Only five were in England with the remaining two

A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

registrants being in Nigeria and Southern Rhodesia. It is likely that the parents of some of our readers would have enjoyed such registration and this would have enabled them to practise in Britain.

These early entries – with names such as Universal Pharmacy Ltd, Nairobi, Nakuru Medical Stores and Morogoro Chemists Ltd – may trigger memories for the more mature readers or be part of folklore for the younger. Interestingly, five per cent of pharmacists admit to being older than 65, so I guess some of them will be our readership.

By way of illustration of the changing times that the various African regimes forced onto the communities that were settled in Nairobi, Kampala, Dares-Salaam and elsewhere the following is of more than passing interest.

A mere eight years later the number of Patels had increased to 95 registrants, 38 of whom had qualified in the

intervening period and 21 of these were working in Britain – predominantly in the London area.

Equally the instability in Africa had begun to impact the business community and the number of the original 62 who were now practising in Britain had risen from five to 16. This was truly the start of the mass exodus – which came to the fore as the atrocities of the Amin regime worsened and diplomatic relations were finally severed in 1977.

For many this was a desperate time when alternatives were few; leave with what you could carry or stay and be killed.

It is against this background that we see the impact of this skilled workforce arriving in Britain, determined to succeed and to be involved in both the profession and business of pharmacy.

Over the last 40 years we have seen sons and increasingly daughters studying pharmacy like their parents and in some

cases moving away from the commercial elements to take up senior roles within the National Health Service. (And of course we have seen similar growth in the numbers of people choosing medicine, dentistry and optometry as their profession).

And what of the future?

Against a backdrop of static funding and rising costs pharmacy owners are continuing to provide services for their communities.

Throughout the pandemic we have remained open, increased our deliveries, provided care for those who are terminally ill and been a vital part in the Government’s Covid vaccination programme.

All of this has earned the gratitude of the public in the many diverse places that our pharmacies are situated.

The resilience and adaptability that has led people to uproot and travel half way across the world, and build new lives in different cultures will continue to be necessary as we move into the next hundred years with the support of the NPA.

NPA’s Asian chairmen Umesh Patel – 2006-2007 Umesh has represented NPA members in North England since 1998. He studied pharmacy at Sunderland University, qualifying in 1978. He opened his first pharmacy in London in 1980 and moved to Sunderland in 1990. He was joint vice chairman of the Border region branch and local branch of the RPS, an NPA nominee on the PSNC Committee. He was chairman of the PSNC’s Review and Audit Panel for over 15 years. Umesh was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2011 New Year Honours List. In 2010 he received an honorary doctorate of science from the University of Sunderland.

Dilip Joshi – 2007-2008 Dilip runs Boss Pharmacy in south London. As well as his roles on the NPA board, he served as chair of the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham local pharmaceutical committees and was elected to the PSNC in 1998. During the course of his representative duties, Dilip was at the helm of two royal visits – the Duke of Kent to a Surrey pharmacy and the Duke of Edinburgh to his pharmacy in Clapham.

Bharat Patel – 2011-2014 Bharat represented NPA members in East Anglia. He runs two pharmacies and a nursing home. He is also vice chair and regional representative (east) at PSNC. In addition, Bharat works as an independent prescriber with local doctors on a regular basis. He was a member of Essex LPC from 1982-2018. He has was also a PEC (professional executive committee of healthcare professionals) at Castle Point and Rochford PCT for a number of years.

Nitin Sodha – 2018-2019 Nitin is the managing director of the Knights Pharmacy group. Established in 1984, Knights Pharmacy comprises over 50 pharmacies across the country. Nitin is also a director of independent wholesaler, Lexon UK, which delivers drugs to more than 1,200 independent pharmacies and major groups across the UK. During his tenure, Nitin pioneered a new approach to taking board meetings out of NPA headquarters to visit members, policy makers and other stakeholders in all parts of the UK, to share best practice across the four nations.

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Racism on the frontline NPA board member Umesh Patel was shocked to face malicious abuse from customers during the pandemic, which he believes was racially motivated…

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harmacy teams are a tough bunch. They work tirelessly to serve the public and provide them with the medicines they need, sometimes in very challenging circumstances.

Usually, people are grateful for the help we give them, which is one of the things that makes all that hard work worthwhile.

Unfortunately, it’s not always that way.

I have been working in community pharmacy for nearly 40 years, but the past four months have provided me, and I’m sure lots of other colleagues too, with many firsts.

I expected to be hugely overworked and to worry about finances, what I didn’t expect

was all the abuse. It was the first time in my years of service to my community that me and my wife, who also helps run our pharmacies, have faced this kind of treatment from customers.

Pharmacy teams need to be resilient but there’s only so much we can take. The people in the community I serve are, by and large, lovely. They have always treated me with respect. But while the pandemic has bought out the best in some people, it’s also brought out the worst.

My pharmacy was targeted by a few individuals who accused me of ‘overpricing items’ and ‘cheating’ during the pandemic. Incidentally, the local trading standards office accepted I’d done nothing wrong.

On social media they threatened to boycott my pharmacy, to make me bankrupt, and one person even said they would throw a brick through my window. The abuse my wife and I faced reached the point that I felt like shutting the pharmacy down.

Things have calmed down now, but it left me with a feeling that more needs to be done to protect pharmacy staff from this kind of malicious behaviour.

Sad to say, I believe that a lot of this was racially motivated. A new bill was recently proposed in parliament by Alex Norris MP to provide shop workers with “appropriate” protection while ensuring the police and courts enforce the law.

I believe this should also include pharmacies and hopefully it will do – don’t forget that we have kept our doors open alongside shops and supermarkets. As an NPA board member I am trying

Umesh Patel

to do my bit by giving community pharmacies a voice in the media, government and PSNC. When I first joined the NPA board more than 20 years ago, I was a one of few Asian pharmacy owners to represent the profession at that level. I’m now proud to say that 50 per cent of the board is from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background. Whatever situation the sector finds itself in after Covid-19, I just hope that it’s one where community pharmacies are valued and not taken for granted.

Racism in pharmacy is real

Community pharmacist Harpreet Guraya speaks about her ordeal of dealing with a patient who questioned her racial identity…

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rom a young age we become aware of the fact that we are different. Although my passport is British, I don’t look “British” (although one may question what British looks like in modern day Britain).

Even if I changed my name and dyed my hair, the colour of my skin would still allow for these questions around my identity. Yes, I was born in this country, but there will always be instances where my belonging to this country will come into question.

One such instance was just the other day, on a regular working day in pharmacy. It was a busy Friday afternoon, we were short of a member of staff, and we had a young man come in asking to use the needle exchange service.

As we had no one in that was trained in the service, I told the counter assistant to let him know

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we had no one available to do it.

This delightful young chap, then decided to point at me through the glass barrier and then at his mask (which I then realised had the Union Jack on), shouting “You won’t do it cos I’m wearing this, isn’t it?”

Now, a flurry of rage shot through me. Here we go again, I thought. I’m the only non-white person in the room. Of course, I’m going to be singled out. But I won’t allow for it. No matter how much foul language you use, I will not tolerate it.

He was barred and told to leave the pharmacy, and if I could have identified him, I would not have shied away from ringing the police.

I know my rights. I too, am a British citizen. Despite being questioned, time and time again, on my loyalties and ties to this country.

Only a few months ago, another

such instance transpired where I was questioned on my identity and belonging. That, again, was at work, but by an older man from a higher socioeconomic background.

There was no foul language and no raising of the voice. It was calm and polite. But the undertone was the same. I was not from here. The calmness of the situation almost made it that much more shocking and abrasive.

Multiple times I have been described as the ‘South Asian’ or ‘coloured’ or ‘ethnic’ pharmacist.

Countless times, patients have spoken to me in a way they would not have done had I looked white.

This includes spelling out common words, enunciating really slowly or often assuming that I am not the pharmacist.

I know my experiences are so very mild in comparison to the experiences of my parents’

Harpreet Guraya

generation. I have heard of how they lived in fear. They hoped for a better future for us, the children of immigrants. They contributed to society, they learnt the language, they paid their taxes and built their businesses.

I have great pride in my colour, ancestry and heritage. But whether I consider myself English or not is totally irrelevant when checking Mr Smith’s propranolol or advising Mrs Jones on her rash.

Judge me on my hard work, on me exceeding my targets, on my clinical expertise. My colour is the easiest achievement I’ve had – I’ve been born with it and wear it as royalty.

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A celebration of Asian pharmacists in the UK

Fighting strongly on members’ behalf West Midlands pharmacist Sanjeev Panesar looks back over the year after becoming the NPA’s newest board member…

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ur pharmacies have been NPA members for longer than I can remember and we have always valued their services, advice and support.

I am one of many pharmacy owners who feel they have a duty to steer the pharmacy agenda in a positive direction for the benefit of the whole sector. So it was that, in 2020, I opted to stand for election to the NPA Board, to try and add value and support fellow members.

It has been a very steep learning curve and one that will not stop, given the ever changing NHS landscape and constant developments in policy and healthcare practice.

My hope is to continue to add value, thinking radically and exploring new ways in which to support our members through change.

The board is made up of many personalities that have years of invaluable experience, bringing their own energy and enthusiasm into discussions.

They regularly challenge each other in a constructive and open dialogue and consider multiple points of view to ensure all avenues are considered before reaching a consensus on how to move forwards.

The board also has representatives from each of the devolved nations which facilitates an exchange of learning to support progress across the UK. It has been just over a year from when I was elected onto the NPA board, and what a year it has been!

My first few meetings began

Mallinson House, NPA’s head office in St Albans, Hertfordshire

in April 2020, just when the covid pandemic was taking a foothold in the United Kingdom and lockdown restrictions began resulting in a huge financial and operational strain within our sector.

The NPA were quick to mobilise and respond, setting up working groups to deliver the support needed in those most testing of times.

They began robust lobbying alongside other organisations such as the PSNC, which bore fruit in the form of Covid-19 advance payments, PPE and the pandemic delivery service to name a few.

What has become very apparent to me is that the work the NPA has done has benefited the community pharmacy sector as a whole.

An example of this has been the well documented Ernst & Young (EY) survey which has been cited on numerous occasions by politicians and PSNC and other organisations to help fight our sector’s case and lobby to the government the urgent changes that are required to England’s inadequate funding model.

The acres of media coverage the NPA has achieved over the last year has been outstanding, resulting in a real momentum

of support from members of the public and politicians. Right across TV, radio and social media, we have heard about pharmacies’ vital contribution to health and wellbeing in communities up and down the country.

It has truly been an eye opener to be on the other side of the NPA and see the inner workings of such a large organisation. Independent community pharmacy contractors may have one branch, or several, and it can be a difficult balancing act attending to the needs of many contractors and organisations of different sizes.

One thing I am certain of though is that independent contractors can rest assured that the NPA is an organisation that truly aims to represent the core values and interests of independent community pharmacies of all sizes.

We all know the services that the NPA offers, such as discounted consumables with partner organisations, HR advice and support, gold standard pharmacy practice advice, insurance services and so on. However, it is the intangible value of representation and advocacy that is often overlooked and

undervalued.

I never quite had an appreciation for the level of work involved behind the scenes of the organisation such as the NPA, however one thing is vibrantly clear, without the NPA, many pharmacies wouldn’t get the support and voice they need to create positive change within the sector.

The NPA is continuing to make its voice heard on funding, because if funding isn’t addressed, more and more pharmacies will be unsustainable, health inequalities will widen and ultimately patients will pay the price by having reduced access to quality healthcare services on their doorstep.

This last year has given me an insight into what the NPA offers its members and its ambitions to continue to be a strong voice for independent community pharmacies for generations to come. I am immensely proud to be an NPA member now more than ever and can confidently say that the NPA is fighting strongly on behalf of all of its members.

Sanjeev Panesar is an NPA board member and superintendent of the Pan Pharmacy group.

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