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HIGH-FLYING staff at a local pharmaceutical manufacturer have been recognised after they all successfully completed an NVQ Level 3 qualification.

 

The seven staff from Northumberland-based company, The Specials Laboratory, passed their two-year NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services following a combination of internal training and community pharmacy placements.

 

The students included Jill Soulsby, Stephanie Thirlwell, Gail Johnson, David Hart, Michael Yearnshire, Richard Endersby and Matthew Scott, who were all presented with their Certificates by Mr. Sukhjit Grewal, head of education and training at the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).

 

Mr. Grewal made a special trip to the region to present the students with their Certificates to endorse their success.  He said: “ It was a great honour to have the opportunity to congratulate the students personally in recognition of their outstanding achievements.”

 

Following the official presentation ceremony at the company’s Prudhoe-based offices, Mr. Grewal along with numerous managers from the award-winning specials manufacturer, attended a celebratory supper along with the students and their families.

 

Catherine McGlew, learning and development manager at The Specials Laboratory, said: “We are extremely proud of the achievements of our students and their qualifications demonstrate a huge amount of dedication and commitment from them all to continue progressing.

 

The outcome also reflects a real success story with regards to our in-house training programme that has helped these staff members throughout the course. It is an extra bonus to have Sukhjit from the NPA here to endorse our training and development system and of course the individual accomplishments of all seven staff.” 

 

The NVQ Level 3 Pharmacy Services is aimed at individuals working in a pharmacy setting and the qualification allows the ‘special students’ to apply for registration with the RPSGB to become registered Pharmacy Technicians.

 

Recently crowned North East Manufacturer of the Year and North East Company of the Year across Northumberland & Tyneside, The Specials Laboratory is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of unlicensed medicines – known as ‘specials’ – which are bespoke-made for individual patients.

 

Placing a huge amount of emphasis on staff training and development, The Specials Laboratory last year was awarded the “Silver“ Investors in People (IiP) status – an honor achieved by less than 1% of IiP recognised organisations across the UK – and was also accredited as a Best Companies to Work For ‘One To Watch’.

 

With three state-of-the-art facilities, the fast-growing specialist manufacturer is now one of the biggest employers in the Tynedale area with 135 staff. The company looks after over 7,000 pharmacy and hospital customers across the UK and Ireland, delivering over 90% of orders within 24 hours.

 

Picture caption: (l-r) STARS: Sukhjit Grewal (NPA), Stephanie Thirlwell, Richard Endersby, Dorothy Barker (training Pharmacist), David Hart and Michael Yearnshire

 

For further information, images and interview opportunities, please contact Raman Sehgal - ramans@specialslab.co.uk