Asda superintendent pharmacist Faisal Tuddy was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the pharmaceutical sector during COVID-19, according to the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours List, which was published last week (October 9).

Mr Tuddy, who manages 225 pharmacy branches at the supermarket chain, was honoured for “his leadership keeping all the pharmacies open during the pandemic,” according to a statement released by Asda last week (October 9).

“I feel honoured and humbled to be accepting the British Empire medal. It’s a testament to the incredible work of all our pharmacy teams in stores and the support of my head office colleagues,” Mr Tuddy said.

Former chief pharmaceutical officer for Northern Ireland Dr Mark Gerald Timoney – who is now superintendent pharmacist at Timoney Pharmacy in Lisburn, Northern Ireland – was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for “services to pharmacy”.

Commenting on the honour, Dr Timoney said he was “pleased the award has recognised my contribution to the pharmacy profession.

“I hope that my ongoing work in pharmacy will contribute to the transformation and rebuilding of the wider health and social care services in order to improve the health and well-being of patients and local communities.”

Asgher Mohammed, director of Abbey Chemist – which has two sites in Paisley and one in Glasgow, Scotland – was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Commenting on this award last week (October 10), Mr Mohammed, who is also the founder of the Scottish Sadaqah Charitable Trust, said: “Serving the community through my pharmacy and charity work has been both a privilege and my passion. This has been driven by my Islamic faith.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award and would sincerely like to thank everyone who have made it possible.”

More than 1,400 people were recognised across the UK, and Mr Tuddy, Dr Timoney and Mr Mohammed are among the 14% of Queen’s Birthday Honours recipients who are health and social care workers.

AIMp: Few frontline community pharmacists recognised

Malcom Harrison, CEO of the Company Chemists’ Association, told C+D yesterday (October 10) that the organisation is “delighted that [pharmacy professionals] were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

“It is very positive that the hard work and leadership of community pharmacists during the pandemic has been recognised in this way,” he said. 

Commenting on this year’s list, Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) CEO Leyla Hannbeck told C+D yesterday that, “this year, when COVID-19 heroes and NHS key workers dominate the Queen's Birthday Honours, we congratulate the recognition shown to the pharmacists on the lists”.

However, she said AIMp is “disappointed that despite [the fact that] so many pharmacists are defying the risks and standing firm at the front line in their communities, going over and beyond, comparatively few of them have been recognised when compared to the numbers of other NHS key workers”.

National Pharmacy Association chair Andrew Lane told C+D yesterday that while it is “always a cause for celebration when a pharmacist is formally recognised for their work” there are “thousands more… who deserve the nation’s gratitude”.

“There’s still a way to go before the contribution of pharmacies is truly understood, but the public’s awareness has grown considerably during the pandemic,” he added.