Could this Houghton pharmacy land a Best of Health title?

A pharmacist was 'blown away' after a string of nominations for the Best of Health Awards.
Gurnam Singh and the team at Houghton Pharmacy which has been nominated for the Best of Health Awards.Gurnam Singh and the team at Houghton Pharmacy which has been nominated for the Best of Health Awards.
Gurnam Singh and the team at Houghton Pharmacy which has been nominated for the Best of Health Awards.

The Houghton Pharmacy in Queensway, Houghton-le-Spring, is in the running in both the customer service and the pharmacist of the year categories.

One glowing nomination from a member of the public said: “Gurnam is always there with a smile on his face and has the biggest heart of gold. He cares about his customers who walk through the door and makes sure everyone is looked after.”

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Five staff look after something like 3,000 customers and pharmacist Gurnam Singh said: “We are blown away by what people have said. The feedback has been phenomenal and it is so motivational for us.”

His biggest satisfaction, he said, was “seeing customers doing well. We are in the business of health and we understand that our customers are not always cheerful. We don’t know what they have experienced.

“But we can be understanding and empathetic. We can try to get to know them.”

It is four years since Gurnam opened the pharmacy and said his aim is to have old fashioned traditions of everyone knowing people by their first name.

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Sponsors for this year’s awards are South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, mydentist, NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group and the Quality Hotel Boldon.

There are a range of categories for people to choose to nominate someone for and once the nominations are in, a shortlist will be drawn up.

Finalists will be invited to a finale at the Quality Hotel, in Boldon, on Thursday, April 27.

To nominate, send your name, address and telephone number, and email address, if applicable - and include the category of your nomination.

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Send the name of the person you wish to nominate, their address, telephone number and email (if known). Send all that to Lynn Wild by no later than April 7.

Email those entries to [email protected] or send them to Lynn Wild, Alexander House, Second Floor, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, DH4 5RA.