A local business is celebrating after being crowned The Midcounties Co-operative ‘Pharmacy of the Year' at its 2009 Christmas awards.

The Dursley pharmacy has enjoyed a successful year with Pharmacy Manager Sarah Newey awarded ‘Pharmacy Manager of the Year' at top industry awards the PHARMAS.

The Co-operative pharmacy on Parsonage Street was commended for its excellent performance throughout 2009, transforming the store and building stronger relationships with the local community.

Julie Sheldon, Operations Manager for The Co-operative Pharmacy, said: “We really wanted to give the staff at the Dursley branch acknowledgement for all their hard work and commitment over the past year, under the excellent management of Sarah.

“Of course all our pharmacies offer outstanding support to the communities they serve but we have seen a big change at Dursley this year and Sarah has led the way in constantly improving her skills and providing exceptional support for the local health services and patients.”

Sarah's recent win at the PHARMAS is an award given to a community pharmacy manager who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving public health service and patient care and demonstrating excellence.

Sarah joined Midcounties Co-operative as a manager a year ago and since then has worked tirelessly to build relationships with her patients and local GPs and improve patient services. The branch has also seen a dramatic increase in sales figures.

Sarah said: “Myself and the team at Dursley feel very honoured to be given this award by Midcounties. When starting my role at Dursley pharmacy the team and I looked hard at our strengths and weaknesses and from this drew up a plan of how we could build on our strengths to benefit both the store and our patients.

“Using these ideas has really helped us improve our pharmacy services and stand out against local competitors.”

Any issues or queries are discussed at quarterly meetings Sarah arranges with the local health services to maintain and improve their relationships and what they can offer to their patients.

Sarah and her team of seven, offer both essential and unique services and products to their customers, including free blood pressure checks and the weight management programme Lipotrim.

ENDS