What are The Pills winners’ insights on pharmacy?
Yesterday we revealed the list of 25 people working in pharmacy that C+D feel represent some of the outstanding talent in pharmacy in 2025 – you can read about what they do here.
Our editorial team chatted to some of them throughout The Pills celebration to hear their thoughts on their roles in the industry and the challenges they face.
“Being a safe space”
GM Graham area manager Natasha Jones, 27, loves to bring new ideas to her pharmacy chain and working across a team.
“We’ve got nearly 100 members across the whole group, and I need to make sure that we’re getting the best out the whole group,” she said.
But she’s concerned about commons issues of “workforce and funding” in the sector, something student and Pharmlogic founder Arvin Abdollahzadeh agreed with.
Read more: The Pills 2025: C+D’s list of pharmaceutical excellence announced...
“We saw last week £889 million more put into the GP contract, but we’re not seeing the same shift in pharmacy,” the 19-year-old told C+D. “It’s making it really difficult to provide services.
“A ridiculous number of pharmacies are closing and the drug tariff doesn’t match the price of medication. It’s a broken system. Pharmacies are working with no contract and we’re not seeing the same level of focus on pharmacy when it’s a hub of every patient’s care.”
With Pharmlogic, Abdollahzadeh used his programming skills to create a ‘bulk SMS’ tool that helps pharmacies streamline how they contact patients. He’s found that the “most rewarding thing” with his business is improving patient communication and having “a real impact on patient care”.
Read more: ‘You’re Hired!’: Can apprentices play a bigger role in pharmacy?
And community pharmacist Abimbola Alaba, 35, also enjoys being able to create positive impact through his work at Mitcham Pharmacy.
“Being seen as a safe space people come for all their needs, sometimes not even to do with their medication, that's been a real positive for me,” he said.
“But often the remuneration we get for the service we provide doesn't actually cover the cost, so many times I joke that we're running a charity! It's not always about profit. Of course, we're there to make impact but those are roadblocks that get in our way and can impact our ability to deliver that service to the best that we can.”
Collaboration and autonomy
In the primary care network (PCN) sector, Healthbridge Direct’s PCN lead Bhavika Dewchand said she loves how much value she offers as a pharmacist to her patients.
“I love my colleagues, I love my patients, and I just love how we're under underestimated,” the 35-year-old said. “Because we work in primary care, patients always want to see the GP but when they see us, they see quality.
“But I feel there's always going to be challenges in terms of getting us properly integrated. When you want to develop within the PCN world it’s difficult. We have a lot of qualities where we can help general practices and we do it day to day, so it’d be nice if there was more of a partnership.”
Fellow PCN pharmacist Romil Mandvia, 26, enjoys the autonomy he has as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) faculty lead.
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“As pharmacists, generally we don't have autonomy and here if you’ve got an idea, run with it,” he said. “That’s what I've really liked, and you can really make the role your own and do what you want.”
His colleague Harshad Karia, 31, in the Hammersmith and Fulham Partnership PCN added the support “from the pharmacy team and also from partners” helps build confidence to innovate and introduce new ideas, such as with the new eHub system he introduced.
But he stressed being able to “get the buy-in of many people” is important and can be tricky, something which pharmacist Rahul Kara, has learnt through his Medicycle business.
Medicycle allows community pharmacies to trade medicines safely and sustainably, and Kara hopes for more pharmacies to work with him to tackle medicine wastage that his service addresses, with plans to work with NHS trusts in the future.
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“The hardest part is getting community pharmacies to see the greener aspect of pharmacy,” he said. “The RPS are also trying to focus more on the environmental side and medicines wastage so that's the hardest part trying to get the pharmacies more involved.
Kara added that “the best bit” however is bringing community pharmacy into the conversation as he said sometimes “they feel a bit absent, and their voice isn't heard as much” and he enjoys bringing a focus on the environment into the sector.
The entrepreneurs of pharmacy
Community Pharmacy North East London chief operating officer Dalveer Johal loves the flexibility that his LPC role gives him.
“To be involved in lots of different projects, we're in quite a unique position where we're not based in a single pharmacy,” the 35-year-old said. “We use our influencing skills and having a seat at the table, ensuring community pharmacy voices heard - I'm really passionate about that.”
Read more: ‘Brushed under the carpet’
He echoed similar insights to PCN lead Bhavika Dewchand as he wants to establish “community pharmacy as a vital partner”.
“That's still sometimes a barrier we come across. When we hear the term primary care, it's often very GP heavy. We're here as well, and we've got a part to play.”
Prison pharmacist Kaniksha Aggarwal, 31, is playing the part of showing what pharmacists can contribute to healthcare in prison, with a new podcast focused on this profession coming soon.
“The best thing that I've found working in prisons is that people don't actually know that pharmacists exist in prison, so it's very much about understanding why people don’t know that?” she said.
“Prison pharmacy’s biggest challenge is transfer of care as prisoners are still a patient at the end of the day. It is about the impact we can make for the people that live in prison, just to see how we can make the healthcare a bit smoother compared to what it was on the outside.”
Read more: Becoming a pharmacy store owner: Who is Rahul Sharda?
Much like how Aggarwal is changing the perception of prison pharmacy, clincal pharmacist Jane Msumba, 27, loves using her “visionary outlook” to good use in pharmacy too.
As well as running study resource Pharmschoolsis, Msumba also has her own health coaching platform Inner Glow Clinic.
“I love the entrepreneurial side of being a pharmacist and being creative in two different ways - with the study guides to help future pharmacists, and then with behavioural change online clinic Inner Glow Clinic,” she said.
Read more: How two 23-year-old pharmacists snagged an ex-Lloydspharmacy branch
“I always love being able to build deep connections with patients but working in primary care, sometimes that can be restricted. We don't always have as much time as anyone would like.”
“I would love to establish Inner Glow Clinic more, helping women with high blood pressure and helping them to get the root cause of their weight management issues - it’s one of my big passions.”
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