The chemist and druggist, 18/25. December 2010 (issue 6778)

For Awards hints and tips and a sample entry go to: www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/awards PROFESSION Sponsored by Reckitt Benckiser MARTJNDALE PHARMA Mai1 ing lives better AAH P\!euta \ HI II liti iKt A (.Rot P t,f t OMPANIES McNei ft actavis For details of how to enter, including category questions, hints and tips and a sample entry go to www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/awards and demonstrate the benefits of good pharmaceutical care. As well as showing how you have found the time, skills, knowledge and support from your team to make MURs a routine part of your daily practice, your entry must above all demonstrate the impact this has had on your patients Whether you saved a life, spotted an ADR, or picked up an interaction, tell us how you are using MURs - targeted or otherwise - to make a difference to your patients. You must submit a sample (anonymised) MUR for assessment. Clinical Service of the Year There's no such thing as a run-of-the-mill clinical service - every single one has the potential to deliver life-changing patient benefits. And whether you provide, for example, a substance misuse service, an anticoagulation clinic, vascular screening, weight management or palliative care, the opportunities for pharmacists to deliver great clinical services are more diverse than ever. It goes without saying that your service has to be well executed but, above all else, it has to demonstrate that it meets a local health need. Tell us how you identified the need and made it happen and most importantly how it's made a difference to your patients Entries can be from an individual, primary/community/hospital pharmacy team or multidisciplinary team, but the service must have a community pharmacy component. NEW Pharmacy of the Year Community pharmacy's enduring ability to seamlessly deliver health services in an accessible retail environment is what makes the sector so successful. In today's increasingly competitive professional and business landscape, this skill has become even more vital. Every pharmacy - from the biggest multiple to the smallest independent - has to balance the demands of delivering a modern patient-centred health service while offering a customer experience that rivals the big high street retailers. The best pharmacies have turned this into an art form with warm, inviting, premises, welcoming and knowledgeable staff and accessible services that together make for a great customer experience. Winning this award is not about how much you've spent, it's about what you do with the investment. Whether you've undertaken a top-to-bottom revamp of your pharmacy, launched a successful private health service, or used your IT systems to increase your efficiencies for example, tell us how the changes have propelled your pharmacy from the also-rans to the top of the podium. Entries must include information on the gains made. Business Initiative of the Year Great businesses never stand still. They continue to innovate, evolve and raise the bar for their competitors. And it's not just about throwing cash at problems - it's about the creative ideas that genuinely move your business forward. There could be a multitude of initiatives you have introduced, but here's a few suggestions to get you started: you might have improved your dispensing service through new workflow processes; unlocked the wealth of data in your PMR system to launch targeted support services; utilised robotic technology to free up your pharmacy team; relocated into bespoke premises; cut your carbon footprint, won a commissioning bid, found a novel way of delivering MURs; rolled out a hub and spoke dispensing model; set up a virtual head office; rolled out a new professional service; or developed a mobile service. The list is endless, but the judges will want to see how your business and your customers have benefited. Pharmacy Team of the Year Every great pharmacy has at its heart a great team. Like the US astronaut crews of the 1960s, the magical Brazilian football team of the 1970s or the Chilean miners of this summer, great teams are dedicated, knowledgeable, hard working and capable of delivering far more than their constituent parts. The winners of this category could be a pharmacy team or a multidisciplinary team (but with a majority community pharmacy component). Tell us how your team works together, their strengths and skills, how they have solved problems or gone the extra mile to help patients and how they make their pharmacy a hit with their community. There are some truly magnificent pharmacy teams, so don't miss your chance to get the recognition that you deserve. Pharmacy Innovation of the Year Take your pick - professional, retail, clinical, business or management - there isn't a field in which community pharmacy doesn't innovate. Robotic dispensing, online pharmacies, web-based repeat prescriptions, bespoke clinical services, CPD support, hub and spoke dispensing - these are just some of the ways in which pharmacy has taken a tried and trusted formula and made it better. Tell us everything about your innovation: how you came up with the idea, how you made it happen, the hurdles you overcame and the benefits for you, your team and your patients. It's not so much about how much you spend, but about the creative spark that set you on the way and the improvements you delivered as a result. mnimmimrnimm There are few genuine landmark victories in life and, for pharmacy, achieving prescribing status is clearly one of them. It's a real recognition of what the profession can offer patients and many of the pioneering pharmacist prescribers are already making a difference to the quality of care provided to their patients. Whether you're an independent or supplementary prescriber, the C+D Awards is your chance to showcase your success. Tell us how you have made a difference as a prescriber, for example by improving medicines compliance, creating formularies, or helping your colleagues to achieve similar successes. But most of all, tell us how your work has benefited patients - whether it's cutting CP or hospital visits, redefining patient pathways, increasing access to services or measurably improving health outcomes - this is where you will score with the judges. Entries must include proof of your prescribing qualification. The pharmacy sector, with its mix of high street brands and local community pharmacies, is blessed with some of the finest business minds. So whether you're a chief executive, senior director, area or cluster manager, PCT pharmacist, a single- handed owner and whether you work for a multinational company, LPC, wholesaler or local pharmacy, now's your chance to get the recognition your efforts deserve. Tell us about your vision and how you make it happen. Tell us how you unite your team and how you develop those all-important contacts and tell us how your efforts make a difference to you, your colleagues, and your customers. Entry can be by nomination or by self-entry.