The Co-operative Pharmacy’s awardwinning project was a bespoke MUR service aimed at Muslims during Ramadan and the weeks running up to the festival, which involves fasting. “We thought we had a good idea,” says clinical services manager Adrian Price. “When implemented it had a lot of press coverage, it went down well with the customers, and the pharmacists engaged with it; it was something a bit different and we could demonstrate the benefit.”
Although going for industry awards had not been on the agenda at the beginning of the project, when the opportunity to enter the 2009 C+D Awards came round, to Mr Price and colleagues it seemed like a logical choice. “When we won we were all delighted because it was such a team effort,” Mr Price says. “It involved Muslim pharmacists who had the idea, a teacherpractitioner who helped to write the training manual and the marketing team who worked on the point of sale material to put in the window and on the counter to get customers interested.”
In large organisations these things take a lot of people because there are so many disciplines that each have an interest, Mr Price adds. “Just because it’s an MUR doesn’t mean the pharmacist is the be-all and end-all.” It was nice to be recognised by professional colleagues and within the business, but also around the world. “In a big organisation, getting your voice heard can sometimes be a challenge,” Mr Price says, “but I love talking about the project because the reception has been really positive.
“We’ve had people contact us from all over the world, including Australia and Denmark, and the RPSGB has launched its own campaign on the back of the work we’ve done. It has also been picked up on Muslim networks, including BBC Asia, and Radio One. “One of the things I was really pleased about was that people were so willing to talk to us and that the MUR project gave us a vehicle to talk about some of the services we can offer. “Even after all these years that community pharmacy has been banging the drum, there are still many people and even some primary care trusts that still don’t seem to know, so this gave us a chance to talk about them. What you find when you do this is that people start coming back to you.
“We were very concerned about the possibility of offending anybody because of their religious beliefs – that was the last thing we intended to do. The most positive thing is that our Muslim pharmacists identified fasting as an issue; we’ve done something about it and demonstrated a benefit,” he says. So what are Mr Price and his Co-operative Pharmacy colleagues planning to do next? “This was the second year of the Ramadan MUR project and we ran it in 89 branches, targeting areas with Muslim populations. Next year we’re going to develop it further and to work with partners – but I don’t want to say too much just yet.” Does Mr Price have any advice to share with other budding award winners? “If you think you have a good idea, persevere and do it – and have the courage to keep on with it. This seemed very different to us when we first did it, even though we’re a big business and very diverse.” | 
Name
Adrian Price.
Company
The Co-operative Pharmacy.
Award won
C+D Clinical Service of the Year 2009.
Award entry An MUR for Muslims fasting during Ramadan.
Passion?
Adrian is an enthusiastic three-nights-aweek player of lacrosse,which he enjoys because it is a minority sport that appeals to someone who likes to push the boundaries and “do something different”.
Cats or dogs?
The friendship of a dog.
Favorite holiday destination?
Canada. Adrian worked there for a period and still loves the scenery and open spaces, and describes its people as very warm. |
How Adrian won the C+D Clinical Service of the Year Award 2009
Where did the idea come from?
Contact with customers revealed that there was an issue to address in relation to medications and conditions during Ramadan.
Co-operative Pharmacy clinical services manager Adrian Price and colleagues decided to develop a training pack that would give pharmacists various points to cover during a Ramadanrelated MUR, couched in terms that would be sensitive to patients’ religious beliefs.
What initial support did the plan get?
Early internal support for the project came from a business plan that showed the project would offer various types of business benefits, including a financial return, engagement with customers and local communities, and public relations more generally.
What training was needed?
A training package was created by teacherpractitioners employed by The Co-operative Pharmacy. It was designed to be specific about messages to be conveyed to patients in order to avoid causing offence. Branch pharmacists were asked to work through the course and complete an assessment.
How resource-hungry was the project?
The resources required were relatively small – the aspect that required the most time and effort was the setting up and running of the training. |
