The Woolpit Health Centre in Bury St Edmunds has been named as the “Dispensing Practice of the Year 2013” at last week’s annual Alliance Healthcare Awards.

The award recognises the commitment shown to patient care and the innovation used in delivering health care that is the best it can be.

Commenting on the award, Dr Richard West of the Woolpit Health Centre said: “We are delighted that the hard work and effort of every member of staff has resulted in winning this award.

“Over the last year we have developed a number of new services to improve patient care. We have initiated a prescription delivery service that reaches every patient within our 100 square mile practice area. We also now have a 24-hour turnaround service for repeat prescriptions, which is quite rare among GP practices.

“Additionally, patients are able to order repeat prescriptions online, by ‘phone or by fax.

“We recognise just how important it is for patients to regularly review with a clinician what medication they take. We have a system in place to make that happen for every patient who needs a review.

“Patient care is our priority and we will continue to look at what else can be done to improve the patient experience."

Dr Christopher Browning, chairman of the NHS West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group commented: “We are thrilled that one of our member GP practices has won this prestigious award. It is a positive reflection on the excellent general practice that we have in West Suffolk.”

The awards ceremony took place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 15 January 2013 and was attended by over 650 pharmacists, dispensing doctors and industry professionals.