A DUDLEY pharmacist has bagged a top award for going "above and beyond the call of duty".

Olutayo Arikawe, who works at The Priory Community Pharmacy, was chosen as the national winner of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s I Love My Pharmacist Award.

The 39-year-old was shortlisted by an expert panel to become one of 23 regional finalists back in June and was announced as the regional winner for the Midlands and East in August after thousands people picked her as their favourite pharmacist during an online vote.

The final stage of the competition took place in London on September 9 and saw Olutayo given the prestigious title due to her "outstanding contribution in improving the lives of her patients".

Judges said that Olutayo’s pharmacy is a community asset as it is "more than a place that just dispenses medicines" and said her commitment to patient care was "second to none".

Olutayo impressed the panel by explaining how she had converted the pharmacy’s boardroom into an exercise room for patients and also created a ‘safe space’ where people who have worries – especially people with mental health and drug dependency problems – can speak to her and discuss their problems.

Olutayo said: “I am really honoured and delighted to be the winner of I Love My Pharmacist Award 2016. Patient care is at the core of everything that we do at the Priory Community Pharmacy - I believe that if you take care of the community, they will in turn take care of you.

“I’m overwhelmed that so many of my patients took the time out of their day to vote for me. It shows that all the hard work that my team and I put into our community does not go unnoticed.

"I want to say a big thank you to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for this opportunity and a big thank you to my staff and patients for all their support throughout this award."