Pharmacy team has winning prescription

Pharmacy team . . . (from the left) Margaret Blewitt, Christine Donohue (manager), Marie Shaw, Dawn Reid, Debbie Heywood and Joanna Kenyon

A TEAM of dedicated pharmacy staff have been nominated for a Pride in Oldham award.

The Co-operative Pharmacy in High Street, Shaw, has proved a popular choice before as it was nominated for a Pride award in 2005.

Despite a change of staff since then, their hard work and keen customer-service is still a hit among customers.

Russell Snelling (51), from Kendal Drive, Shaw, has been attending the pharmacy for the past 30 years.

As an insulin-dependent diabetic who suffers from osteoarthritis, he says the staff’s hard work is invaluable to him.

He said: “If I’m going away on holiday and need extra medication, Christine, the pharmacist, authorises my prescription.

“They collect my prescription for me and and I only have to make one phone call to get it. It is a small shop but they are extremely busy as they sort prescriptions for local nursing homes.

“They get a lot of abuse from people who have to wait a while but such people don’t realise how much work is done behind the scenes.

“Staff are very helpful, courteous and cheerful, and should be recognised for their work.”

Debbie Heywood, checking technician, said: “We are really proud of this — it is nice to be nominated.

“We are a very customer-orientated pharmacy and try to make sure the customer gets what they need when they need it.

“Our eight staff and one pharmacist make a good team.”