A PHARMACY assistant who works in Wiveliscombe won a national award for her outstanding achievements in the world of community pharmacy.

Mary Lowder, pharmacy assistant at Day Lewis Pharmacy in Wiveliscombe, took home highly commended in the Health Equality Award category of the Recognition of Excellence Awards.

This was a brand-new category for 2022 and is designed to recognise an individual who has identified and tackled health inequalities for their patients and communities.

Mary aims to ensure those in her rural community look after their health, especially through the pharmacy’s blood pressure services. “It’s a real privilege to look after them all.

We have so many people who come in for health checks and they have high blood pressure and they always say to me ‘oh my gosh you saved my life’ and I say ‘no, you took the initiative to come in,’” she explains.

Commenting on the RoE Awards, editor of Training Matters and Awards host Monica West said: “The Recognition of Excellence Awards is the only UK awards that celebrates hard-working pharmacy staff, without the focus being on pharmacists.

“We think it is so important to reward the people who are fundamentally often the backbones of pharmacy teams. These individuals go above and beyond every single day, putting their communities before themselves. We think that’s certainly something to shout about.”

The ninth annual Recognition of Excellence (RoE) Awards was presented by pharmacy trade magazine Training Matters to key healthcare workers for outstanding achievements in the world of community pharmacy.