Howard Minton Pharmacy, of Fir Road, Bramhall, and Cohens Chemists, of 242 Stockport Road, Bredbury, are the first winners of a new quality award for pharmacies within the area covered by Stockport health authority.
Developed by the health authority and the local pharmaceutical committee, the "Going for gold" awards recognise high quality of service provided for local people. "Going for gold" is an accreditation scheme that aims to support the development of pharmacies by offering a pathway to achieving higher quality standards. It is part of an overall strategy to improve the health of the people of Stockport by developing services that promote good health and prevent or treat ill health.
The award requires pharmacies to reach specific standards for the quality and range of services offered as well as a commitment to continuing education and training for pharmacist and staff and an awareness of health and safety requirements.
Once a pharmacy has received the award, its quality of service is reassessed annually. By making further improvements and introducing other quality developments, pharmacies can progress to a higher standard of accreditation.
The awards were presented to pharmacy managers Sandra Buckley (Howard Minton) and Janet Wallace (Cohens) by the HA chairman, Mr Philip Smith, who said that both teams of staff had worked hard to achieve the required standard. He looked forward to presenting awards to more pharmacies in the coming months.