A pharmacy in Ballymena has been shortlisted in two categories for the sector's prestigious Pharmacy In Focus Awards 2024.
Ballee Pharmacy, located just off the Antrim Road in the town, has been shortlisted for Community Pharmacy of the Year, while manager Andrew McCaughan is in the running for the Pharmacist of the Year award.
The Pharmacy in Focus Awards are the most prestigious and respected awards in the pharmacy sector. They celebrate the achievements, innovations, dedication and excellence of pharmacy professionals and teams across Northern Ireland.
For customers of Ballee Pharmacy, it will come as no surprise to hear of the shortlisting achievement. Ballee has been at the forefront of serving the community across Ballymena in recent years.
Adapting to the needs of the local community, Ballee was the first, and still the only pharmacy in the town to open a drive-though dispensing facility. Quick to respond during the pandemic, the pharmacy launched the service to keep both customers and staff safe during uncertain times. But the service also offered customers convenience in a busy world, and was much appreciated for those in the community with mobility problems such as the disabled and the elderly.
Realising that many of its customers worked themselves during normal hours, Ballee responded by extending their opening hours to 8:00pm, Monday to Friday.
Under the leadership of Pharmicist Partner Stephen Burns, Ballee has also been at the forefront of innovation with its PillPacPlus service which offers people the convenience of receiving their tablets in daily pouches - dated and timed - especially helpful for many who take lots of medications or are in any way impaired through age or ill-health.
Ballee Pharmacy has firmly cemented itself in the heart of healthcare for many across the town, and continues providing dependable source of help for minor ailments, while offering vaccination clinics and more. Sound advice and friendly service is assured from the staff team, managed by Pharmacist Andrew.
The shortlisting comes as well-deserved recognition for Ballee's contribution to the health and wellbeing of the local community of Ballymena.
We wish both Andrew and the shop team all the best of luck for the awards ceremony which will be hosted this Saturday night, 2nd March, at the Crowne Plaza, in Belfast.