OBE award the ‘pinnacle of my career’ says community pharmacist

A community pharmacist has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List 2025.

Amish Dipakkumar Patel, director of Hodgson Pharmacy in Kent, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to community pharmacy.

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Mr Patel said: ‘I was very much lost for words when I heard. It’s the pinnacle of my career thus far, I’m really excited, happy and ecstatic.’

As the current chair of the Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) in Kent, he runs the pharmacy which was set up by his father in the 1980s and previously sat on the board of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).

‘I’ve been on the LPC since 2010, starting a year after qualifying and in the last few years I have been chair of the LPC representing pharmacists across Kent.’

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His pharmacy ‘firmly believes that to serve the community requires a constant commitment and professional attitude towards its healthcare needs’.

‘We aim to provide our patients and customers with comprehensive information and guidance about their health and well-being,’ he said.

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‘The pharmacy has been in the community now since 1987, and I’ve been here since 2008. We do lots to support local initiatives and local charities.’

Another pharmacist was also recognised in the honours list. Anne Friel, recent head of pharmacy and medicines management, Western Trust, Londonderry, was awarded an OBE for services to Pharmacy in Northern Ireland.