This isn’t a job that has time boundaries. Children are in pain, parents are terrified, so when the phone goe

PHARMACIST WHO’S NEVER OFF DUTY

AlpA gHelAni is a pharmacist from stretford in Manchester. ALPA is the ultimate community pharmacist, with the kind of dedication to her customers that many will envy.

she delivers prescriptions herself so she can meet customers to chat and check up on them.

Her pharmacy backs onto an old council estate, with a high number of elderly people living alone with no support network or transport, and she often drives those who need it to hospital for their appointments.

it comes as no surprise to learn that during lockdown she’d do their shopping if they were isolating. she also made herself available day and night to patients, who were encouraged to text with a query at any time. One of those she helped, suzanne Wood, was in terrible pain and exhausted with lack of sleep. Worried she might be taking too many painkillers, she texted Alpa in the middle of the night, thinking that she’d see it in the morning.

To her astonishment, a text came straight back with advice. suzanne, who suffers from a number of health problems, says she cried: ‘i’d never felt so alone, yet the thought that someone cared enough to reply gave me strength to cope.’

Alpa, 45, works seven days a week, 12 hours a day. When not working, she’s helping care for her father who has dementia and is bedbound.

During lockdown, to safeguard her parents and her patients, she moved out of home and into a rented flat — ‘i didn’t want to have to stop doing deliveries, because i wanted to check up on my patients,’ she says.

‘People were scared, and couldn’t get to their GP, so my phone was on 24 hours a day.’

Alpa says she’s motivated by a sign in her father’s corner shop which said: ‘it’s nice to be important but it’s important to be nice.’

Yogeeta Patel, who runs a convenience store near Alpa’s pharmacy, nominated her for the awards, saying: ‘Day and night, she’s caring for the local community and then she takes over helping with her father — but she’s always cheerful. she’s amazing.’

GP PREPARED CARE PACKAGES FOR STAFF

Dr HAiDer Ali is a gp in sale, Cheshire. THe jagged scar down Haider’s left arm marks the moment he nearly died, aged 13, after falling through a glass door — and when he was inspired by the medics who saved him to become a doctor himself.

in this role he’s demonstrated a commitment beyond the call of duty many times over.

During lockdown, for instance, after a full day’s work, he put together care packages, delivering them to overwhelmed frontline Health service staff (costing thousands and all paid for out of his own pocket).

To tackle the shortage of protective visors, he spent £1,500 on a 3D printer and made them himself in his garden shed — from 6am, before work, and then in the evenings, racing back at lunchtime to change the printing plates.

When the pandemic eased, he printed stethoscopes to send to doctors in developing countries — later sending them the printer itself.

Haider, 38, spent his annual leave working with local mosques to set up vaccination centres in Manchester — organising WhatsApp messages in Arabic, Bengali, Hindi and Urdu to encourage vaccine uptake, as well volunteering to give jabs.

Once a week, Haider devotes a day off to helping local residents by translating forms and accessing services.

As he says: ‘Many don’t realise that they’re entitled to care, and buy drugs from the internet in desperation, even though most can’t afford credit for a phone.’

When Dr Katherine Polson was a trainee GP with Haider, her sister was rushed to hospital with suspected meningitis, and although he was in London on a weekend away, he drove 200 miles straight back to Manchester, arriving at the hospital where Katherine, her husband and mother were sitting anxiously, bringing food for them all.

‘it was 11pm, and he sat with us for hours,’ she says.

Another sums it up simply: ‘Haider is always there when anyone needs help.’

WARD MANAGER TOOK IN PATIENT AT CHRISTMAS

niColA peAt is a hospital ward manager at south tyneside District Hospital. iT WAs Christmas eve when Angela Coverdale-Robinson was stuck 230 miles from home, having missed the last train.

Her brother-in-law, Alfie, had died earlier that day, and tearful and exhausted, Angela, then 81, was stranded. Until ward manager Nicola stepped in.

‘i was crying and returned to the hospital because i just didn’t know what else to do,’ recalls Angela. ‘The kindness of the ward staff drew me back — Nicola had taken me under her wing from my very first visit.

‘When i returned, Nicola wasn’t on duty, but then she rang and asked me to spend Christmas with her family, saying she wouldn’t take no for an answer. ‘i re-live that moment still. ‘Nicola and her family surrounded me with love and helped me cope with my grief.’

Nicola, 46, explains her actions: ‘When i heard from a colleague that Angela had missed her train, i just couldn’t bear to think of her being alone.’

Nicola, whose mother and grandmother were nurses, looks at patients’ emotional as well as physical needs.

For instance, noticing an elderly patient sitting with bowed head in a hospital gown, she asked her if she’d feel better in her own clothes. The patient’s face brightened immediately — but then Nicola discovered she had only a bag of dirty clothes. so Nicola took these home and washed them.

she also noted that the same patient was going to spend her 90th birthday alone at home, so on the day, Nicola organised a whip-round and bought flowers, chocolates and a card from the staff.

Going the extra mile is typical of Nicola, says general surgery matron Denise simpson. she is also ‘always’ there for the staff.

‘Recently, a newly qualified young nurse had experienced verbal abuse from a patient and security were called. Nicola’s shift had finished, but she stayed for a couple of hours to make sure that the nurse was OK.

‘if it hadn’t been for this, i believe that girl would have struggled to carry on nursing, let alone return to work the next day,’ adds Denise. ‘Nicola is a credit to this profession.’