Bristol pharmacist named ‘Community Pharmacist of the Year’

By Peter Davison

12 September 2023

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Josh Edwards has been named ‘Community Pharmacist of the Year’ at the UK-wide Chemist and Druggist awards

A digital NHS pharmacy based in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, is toasting award success as its Senior Pharmacist, Josh Edwards, has been named ‘Community Pharmacist of the Year’ at the UK-wide Chemist and Druggist awards.

Announced at a black tie event on Wednesday, September 6 at The Brewery in the City of London, more than 1,000 pharmacists were in attendance, with the award seeing Josh pitted against some of the best pharmacists in the country.

Bristol-based PillTime was established in 2016 and founded on the principle of using AI and robotics to create a simpler and safer method of medication administration for those on repeat prescriptions.

Now the fourth biggest NHS pharmacy in England, PillTime’s pouching method is helping thousands of people to get the most out of their medication and take greater control of their health, including those in residential care and supported living.

With excellence in pharmacy a fundamental aspect of PillTime’s services, Josh’s expertise ensures its prescription and dispensary processes work efficiently and effectively, while maximising the benefits of its automated pouching technology.

Speaking of his award win, Josh Edwards: said: “I’m absolutely delighted. The Chemist and Druggist awards are the most prestigious in the sector, so it’s an honour to even be shortlisted, let alone win the award.

"At PillTime, whilst a digital pharmacy, we are part of the pharmacy ecosystem and we like to think we work with community pharmacies to do the work they’re unable to do, releasing capacity to allow them to focus on their strengths, and thereby helping the NHS. To be named ‘Community Pharmacist of the Year' though, really serves to underline our patient centred culture.”

Leighton Humphreys, CEO at PillTime, also commented, saying: “Josh is an outstanding pharmacist and this just reinforces what we already know. It's with great pride and pleasure that we see this recognised. The Chemist and Druggist awards celebrate the very best of the pharmacy industry and are effectively the Oscars of our world, so Josh’s award win really does put him amongst the best in the business. We’re thrilled for him.”

Leighton added: “One thing that’s especially important to us though, is that, even though we are a large national pharmacy, looking after patients and care providers all over England, we have the best community pharmacist in Josh. It underpins that, just because we’re online, it doesn’t mean we don’t provide the community feel to our customers. And, even more than that, we’re award-winning at it! It’s also important to remember Josh is part of an outstanding team, with great processes in place that ensures we deliver an excellent service – something that’s evidenced by our other shortlistings on the night.”

Alongside the award win, in which category PillTime’s Technical Safety Lead, Emily Richardson, was also shortlisted, the PillTime team were finalists in four other categories, including ‘Manager of the Year’, ‘Pharmacy Team of the Year’, and ‘Online Innovation of the Year’, while its pharmacy team was also nominated for the ‘Above and Beyond Award’ in recognition of the team’s outstanding initiative in supporting patients presenting with a mental health crisis.

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The evening was hosted by comedian Miles Jupp, while the PillTime team were joined by other leading digital NHS pharmacists in the form of Kevin Heath, CEO of Pharmacy2U and Phil Day, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, who attended as guests at their table, as well as Irina Pafomova, CEO & Co-Founder of Engelworks, a Growth and Corporate Development Advisory.

The spirit within the sector is focused on collaboration and support in the face of wide-ranging challenges and pressures, with the coming together of business leaders embodying that sense of cooperation.

Furthermore Peter Snelling, Chief Care & Support Officer at Bristol-headquartered charity Hft, one of the largest and longest-established charities supporting people with learning disabilities, voiced support for the pharmacy’s cutting-edge approach to medication management, saying: "It's great to see a Bristol-based business flying the flag for innovation in the care sector and delivering an essential offering to those who need it most.

"PillTime's pharmacy services, which we've been using in Bristol, form a crucial part of the wider care network of which we're proud to be a part. Bristol, as a city, is a fantastic hub for innovators and trailblazers and both PillTime and Hft embody that determination to forge ahead and make a difference."

By Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country.

An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts.

Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.