This site is intended for Healthcare Professionals only

Breaking new ground in Bristol

Pharmacy Awards bookmark icon off

Breaking new ground in Bristol

The winner of the Independent Pharmacy Innovation award was Ade Williams of Bedminster Pharmacy, Bristol.

Following the decision of a local surgery to amend their prescribing practice such that dispensing income would drop by 30 per cent, Bedminster Pharmacy had to change its practice model to survive. From a low-services, non- proactive base, it is now ranked as the premier pharmacy in the city for incontinence, mobility, and life-aid products and advice.

Mr Williams said: “Ensuring that my patients have help to live healthy, dignified lives is a driving motivation for me. I have undertaken training in my own time to become one of the best incontinence and healthy living specialists in the city. Seeing the confusion and stress patients face when having to provide care for loved ones has helped me model our practice to be able to support them.”

Ade Williams receives his award from Dr Bruce Warner and the NPA's Ian Strachan

Bedminster Pharmacy was one of the three first Healthy Living Pharmacies in the South West. It has piloted a funded pregnancy advisory service in response to a local fatal post-natal incident.

Mr Williams has used a number of innovative ideas to champion health messages, including multilingual notices in the pharmacy and writing a health column for a local newspaper. His pharmacy team speaks 10 languages between them.

Presenting the award on behalf of sponsor the NPA, its chairman Ian Strachan said that one of the characteristics of independents was being able to respond to adversity and to adapt. Nobody epitomised that better than Mr Williams. When local prescribing practices changed he had to develop a business plan and quickly recognised there were opportunities across mobility aids, incontinence and life aids.

Referring to pharmacy generally, Mr Strachan said that, through delivery services, MDS and compliance aids, it was allowing people to live independently in their own homes for longer. “How on earth do you put a price on that?

Mr Williams was a shining example of what could be achieved if someone shared a vision and took a team with him.

Copy Link copy link button

Pharmacy Awards

Share: