A Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) competition to find the nation’s favourite pharmacist has received a “brilliant response”, it has said.

The RPS had received 18 entries to its I Love My Pharmacist competition since its launch on June 29 with C+D as its only media partner, it revealed on Monday (July 20). The RPS had received the most entries from pharmacists in the Midlands and the east of England, with the fewest entries in London and Kent, it said.

RPS spokesperson Neal Patel told C+D the competition had highlighted “some really inspiring stories of patient care”. He urged pharmacists from all sectors to “spare and hour and get your entry in” because it would “showcase” pharmacy to the public.

Entries to the I Love My Pharmacist competition will close next Tuesday (July 28), and the RPS told C+D that entering “really couldn’t be easier”. Those wishing to enter the competition should visit the RPS website and answer a question on the biggest impact they or their team have had on patient care in a minimum of 250 words.

The RPS said a good entry should include details of interventions that had “really made a difference" - for example, helping a patient quit smoking or to lose weight, or even spotting prescription errors or a serious problem during a medication review.

“If you’ve come home from work and reflected to friends [about] something you have done that had a big impact on patient care, that’s the story we want to hear,” the RPS stressed.

Surrey contractor Reena Barai, who was voted last year’s winner of the I Love My Pharmacist competition by Women’s Weekly readers, told C+D earlier this month that winning the competition had “put [her] out there” professionally.

Entries to the I Love My Pharmacist competition will be whittled down to 18 regional finalists from six regions across Britain by a judging panel including C+D editor Jennifer Richardson and Ms Barai.

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