A Southampton pharmacist has been crowned Pharmacist of the Year at an event honouring excellence in primary care.

James Tibbs of A R Pharmacy won the award against stiff competition at Friday's 11th annual General Practice Awards at a glitzy ceremony held at the Park Plaza Westminster hotel in London.

The General Practice Awards – held each year by The Pharmacist’s parent company Cogora – shines a light on the remarkable work carried out by Britain’s primary care professionals every day.

Mr Tibbs caught the judges’ eye for his pharmacy’s stellar track record for delivering services – including smoking cessation and flu vaccination.

He particularly shone because of the pharmacy’s commitment to ensuring some of the most deprived communities have their health needs met.

Mr Tibbs said: 'It feels amazing, I can’t believe it. I didn’t expect it at all. I know most of the people in the category and I thought ‘oh my god, they’re doing amazing things’. I'm really proud of the team.

'We do a lot of things outside the pharmacy and we work really closely with other professionals like GPs. I think we just do things outside the box – we like to do things differently and push the boundaries a bit.'

The other finalists for the category were:

  • Ashburton Prescribing Pharmacist Team
  • Keith Howell
  • Olutayo Arikawe, The Priory Community Pharmacy
  • South Coast Medical Group Pharmacy Team

 

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