Congratulations to BOPA member Iain Rivans (Pharmacist at NHS Fife – Victoria Hospital)
The BOPA Committee were delighted to learn of one of our members, Iain Rivans, winning an unsunghero award. See http://www.unsungheroawards.com/2018-winners
I’m sure as pharmacy professionals we can all relate to unsung hero status as some of our work is often behind the scenes in aseptic units, dispensaries, sat in front of the electronic prescribing computer verifying etc. We don’t get as much focus as our medical and nursing colleagues but that doesn’t stop us from giving our all. So it’s fantastic to see Iain get recognition. Well done from all your BOPA colleagues.
Iain has kindly shared the nomination that won him the award.
“I would like to nominate Iain Rivans, a pharmacist at the Victoria Hospital Fife as an unsung hero. Pharmacists usually work behind the scenes and are generally unacknowledged but I would like to acknowledge Iain’s help and kindness.
I was going through chemotherapy a few months ago and had been sent home with a bag of drugs to take. Unfortunately I became very ill over the weekend with the worst nausea you could imagine. I couldn’t eat or sleep or drink. NHS 24 gave me a prescription but there wasn’t a pharmacy open on a Saturday night to dispense it. A doctor came to the house on Sunday and injected me but this had little effect. There seemed to be very little help available over the weekend. On Monday morning I phoned the haematology ward again barely able to speak and I was passed to Iain. Through tears I tried to explain my predicament and my inability to get help. He listened patiently and showed great compassion. I’m usually not a crier so I was embarrassed at being so tearful but Iain reassured me. He arranged for several medications for me, using all his knowledge as an experienced pharmacist, he seemed to be determined to find something that would give me relief. He sent a prescription to my GP, then phoned to ask them to send it to the local pharmacy. I was too ill to pick it up and was home alone so Iain again sprang into action and phoned the pharmacist who brought the medication personally to my house. It gave me great relief.
Iain phoned every day for the next few days to see how I was doing and when I thanked him he said cheerfully that it was all part of the service. Iain went way beyond the call of duty and his passion and dedication to the patients he encounters is something rare and worthy of note. I am so grateful to him for his compassion and kindness in a time when I was so ill and vulnerable and so I would like to nominate him for the unsung hero award.”
