Now that we know the winners of the Pharmacy Business Awards 2026, I’m taking a moment to reflect on my role as the Head Judge for this year and the people I met in the process.
This was my third year judging the awards. I was once again blown away by the entries we’ve had. It has been lovely to see nominations from people who haven’t entered in previous years.
As head judge I have an informal chat/interview with all the shortlisted nominations. While it’s challenging booking these interviews, it is so rewarding. I love learning about the person/team behind the nomination, the history of how they got to where they are now, the great work they do, the technology that they use, their care for the local community, their entrepreneurship, and much more.
This year, we saw that more pharmacies have started using robots for dispensing, and they have been switching to newer/updated intuitive PMR systems that utilise AI and increase accuracy.
I love learning about the person/team behind the nomination, the history of how they got to where they are now, the great work they do, the technology that they use, their care for the local community, their entrepreneurship, and much more
Many pharmacies are using the various apps that help patients order prescriptions, book appointments for services and access various PGDs for private services. It’s also great to see innovation we’ve seen so many pharmacy owners who have developed their own bespoke apps and booking systems for their pharmacy.
It’s heartening to see that there has not been a reduction in staff where these efficiencies have been implemented. Instead, staff have been utilised to maximise services to their local communities.
This year, I have seen a strong link with other sectors in primary care. I have interviewed a nominee who has had physiotherapists renting their consultation room for a short time, while they were in between premises, and they now have GPs renting space in their pharmacy so that they can run their surgery from there. This is a contrast to the old model of community pharmacy renting space in a surgery.
I have heard many examples of great community pharmacy and general practitioners working together and I suspect that as we increase our footprint in neighbourhoods this will be even more apparent next year. Another pharmacy that entered the awards has opticians working from within their pharmacy.
Many pharmacies are embracing innovative private services. One in particular that I heard more about this year was cryotherapy. Pharmacies offering private services are also maximising NHS services. In England, we are soon starting an NHS Independent Prescribing service. It’s reassuring to see that we already have many qualified community pharmacy independent prescribers who are using their qualification to provide private services. I imagine that in five years’ time we will have very few non prescribing pharmacists.
I enjoy these interviews, as it brings the written application to life. For many, the journey hasn’t always been easy, but they have persevered and evolved their businesses to make it work – in fact not only work, but excel.
Hearing so many of the nominees talk about how their family background has shaped the leaders that they are today has been heartwarming. Hearing stories of how they always knew they wanted to own a community pharmacy and the journey it took for them to get there was inspiring.
Many of the pharmacies are run by siblings, a couple, or friends who went to university together. There were no egos, just a clear focus on the business, the team and the local community. The way that they focus on each other’s strengths to get the best results for the business was great to see.
I enjoy these interviews, as it brings the written application to life. For many, the journey hasn’t always been easy, but they have persevered and evolved their businesses to make it work – in fact not only work, but excel.
The awards evening itself is a special event in the calendar for so many pharmacy owners, pharmacists, pharmacy teams, stakeholders and sponsors. There is nothing like the buzz and atmosphere in the room, as people are networking over lovely food while celebrating the best of the best. It is definitely one for everyone’s diary next year.
Congratulations to all the winners for 2026.
To register your interest in entering the Pharmacy Business Awards 2027 and to receive details as soon as they are published, please email tanuja.parekh@amg.biz
