PJ Online | Christmas 2001 (Mick, Chuck, Elvis and - er

The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7179 p904-936
22-29 December 2001

Christmas miscellany summary

Mick, Chuck, Elvis and — er — Adrian

The Journal asked to hear from any pharmacist who has developed a talent or hobby to a high standard. Twelve were selected with their talents ranging from dancing to bell ringing...

Do you have a bandage? If you asked this question at Southport and Ormskirk hospital you might get more than you bargained for. Adrian Brown, chief pharmacist, is lead singer in a nine piece band called Band-Age.

Band-Age was formed in 1996. At the auditions for the band, Adrian demonstrated his singing and accordion and keyboard-playing skills. However, it was decided that his talents lay in vocals.

Seven other members of Band-Age are employees at the hospital, including a nurse, nurse manager, consultant physician, medical performance manager, consultant biochemist, senior manager and a phlebotomist.

Adrian says that Band-Age plays about 12 gigs throughout the year and all proceeds are paid into an endowment fund for the hospital that is used to finance patient amenities. The band has has raised around £7,000 since its formation and this has helped to buy items such as televisions and videos for the wards.

The band plays mainly rock and roll and rhythm and blues music such as that of the Rolling Stones, Bryan Ferry and music from the movie "The Commitments". They also write their own tracks and have recently recorded a CD in a studio in Liverpool.

The band usually plays gigs locally but has also played at a number of conferences including an AstraZeneca sales conference in Cardiff this year and the National Pathology Conference in Manchester last year.

"Playing in a band was something I never got around to doing in my younger years, and I have had such a great time, I can't understand why I didn't do it years ago," Adrian says. However, given the choice between international rock stardom and pharmacy, Adrian says that he would soon pine for his tablet counter.

Adrian qualified as a pharmacist in 1979. After working in various hospitals in the north west, West Midlands and Liverpool he joined Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust in 1996 as chief pharmacist.