Jay Patel, a director at the pharmacy chain Day Lewis, has won the race to be the multiple chemist representative on the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the body that negotiates pharmacists’ funding with the government.
Patel secured victory after garnering 654 votes, 360 votes ahead of Has Modi at Jardines UK who got 294 votes. Karen Price at Marsh (Bolton) Ltd was third with 290 votes and Jay Badenhorst from Whitworth Chemists was fourth with 132 votes.
Patel’s election victory sees him follow in the footsteps of his late father Kirit Patel, the founder of Day Lewis, one of the largest independent pharmacy chains in the UK and Europe, who sat on the PSNC as vice-chair and multiple representative.
Kirit Patel, who died in July at the age of 66, started Day Lewis in 1975 with his brother JC and the group has grown to 280 pharmacies. His three children, Jay, Sam and Rupa, are all directors at Day Lewis and they will attempt to continue growing the chain, with their father’s ambition of 400 pharmacies by 2021 firmly in their sights.
Jay’s election to the PSNC is a sign of his growing stature within the pharmacy industry, having impressively spearheaded a change in fortunes for the ABC Pharmacy Group following its acquisition by Day Lewis in 2010.
“PSNC would like to welcome Jay Patel to the team and very much look forward to working closely with him to support and promote community pharmacy in England,” the PSNC said.
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