Helen Murphy is an exceptional pharmacist who has plenty to celebrate this year. Not only does 2026 mark her 50th year on the pharmaceutical register and the 75th anniversary of her pharmacy, she is also the winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Pharmacy Award.


Helen followed in her parents’ footsteps. She took over the family business, Murphy’s Chemist in L/Derry, where she worked six days a week, leading from the front and providing consistent and trusted care to her patients.


Intensely private by nature, Helen is not one to be found seeking the spotlight. Instead you are more likely to find her championing, supporting and lifting up others. Over the years, Helen has nurtured and developed many pre-registration trainees and young pharmacists and has also supported and guided every member of her team to reach their full potential.


A trailblazer for pharmacy


Throughout her extensive career, Helen has embraced innovation and new ways of working, allowing the pharmacy to evolve while protecting the values and patient care standards that her business is renowned for. Under her leadership the pharmacy has invested in two dispensing robots which allow the team to spend more time providing face to face clinical support to patients.


Service provision within the pharmacy has also benefitted from Helen’s approach to modernisation. She was a trailblazer when it came to offering a broad range of services to meet the changing needs of the community, ensuring patients could access care locally and conveniently.


Helen’s commitment to continuous improvement has also influenced the training of her team. The five pharmacists, two accuracy checking technicians, two technicians and four dispensing assistants that work at Murphy’s Chemist, all have access to up to date training facilities which support both safe practice and service growth.


With Helen at the helm, Murphy’s Chemist has gained widespread recognition and it is often the go to for pilot studies and showcases. In fact, The Pharmaceutical Society started their centenary year there as they kicked off their celebrations.


An exceptional leader


The challenges facing community pharmacy are well documented, yet Helen has responded to these challenges with resilience, determination and exceptional leadership. She continues to work six days a week, ensuring the pharmacy remains well supported and professionally led. While she has a reputation for speaking her mind, Helen is always fair, to the point and ensures people are treated equally. She is always happy to open the doors to welcome people to her pharmacy... especially if they bring a dog!


Without a doubt, Helen’s impact on her community has been profound and long lasting. She has ensured the pharmacy continues to thrive as a high performing, patient centred healthcare provider while preserving a 75 year community legacy. Helen


has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to deliver the highest standards of care to her team, her patients and the wider community. Through her hard work and determination, she has created a strong operational model, while maintaining the warmth, compassion and professionalism that makes patients feel safe, listened to and supported. Helen is not only a pharmacist, she is the heart of healthcare in L/Derry.


Here is what the UCA-NI had to say about Helen:


“Through her 50 years on the register, Helen has provided consistent leadership, advancing the role and perception of community pharmacy by embodying what community pharmacy represents at its best: trusted, accessible, expert healthcare delivered with dedication and humanity. Her continued stewardship of a 75 year pharmacy legacy, highlights the importance of independent community pharmacy as part of the health service infrastructure. Her dedication, resilience and community commitment inspires both colleagues and patients, elevating how community pharmacy is perceived across the community and beyond.”


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