Edinburgh pharmacy business is best in the UK

An Edinburgh pharmacy is the best community pharmacy in the UK, after picking up a prestigious award at a top industry ceremony last week.

Beating competition from all over the country, Barnton Pharmacy won the Community Pharmacy of the Year trophy at the Alliance Heathcare Pharmacy Awards in London.

The business – run by pharmacists Leanne Carey and Sally Arnison – was also given the Scottish Community Pharmacy of the Year award.

Sally said:0 “The whole team is extremely proud of what we have achieved at Barnton Pharmacy over the last two years and the award will give us the motivation to carry on delivering the best care every day.

“Our customers are delighted for us too, with one even commenting on Facebook ‘it just goes to prove you are as good as your customers know you are’.

“We were thrilled to win the Scottish Pharmacy Award, but the icing on the cake of a brilliant evening was scooping the overall community pharmacy of the year award – especially given the high quality of the competition from all over the UK.”

Sally and Leanne took over the pharmacy almost two years ago and have worked, with their staff, very hard to improve the service they offer to their customers, including adding specific clinics, including diabetes checks and asthma.

Leanne added: “We have spent a lot of time and effort listening to what our customers tell us and using that information to improve our offering. We see our role as a crucial cog in the local healthcare machine.

“Our focus is now firmly on services for patients (both NHS and private) such as stop smoking, weight management and private flu service.”

The annual Alliance Heathcare Awards are open to independent pharmacists and the community pharmacy category recognises those demonstrate a wide ranging offer, develop partnerships with local surgeries, health boards and community groups, and have generally raised the standard of clinical excellence and innovation to the benefit of their community.

Judges were looking for a pharmacy that shows they use innovative services and techniques to overcome and thrive in a challenging and demanding industry.

Alliance Healthcare is a leading distributor and wholesaler of pharmaceutical, medical and healthcare products.