When his dreams of becoming a professional volleyball player were dashed following injury, Tom Halagiera trained to become a pharmacist. A decision which set in motion a 19-year career in community pharmacy, a move to the UK from Poland with his pharmacist wife, and a new-found admiration for the tech which enables him to focus on caring for patients.
Too little patient focus
“It was my parents who suggested I become a pharmacist”, says Tom, who graduated from the Medical Academy in Gdansk in 2007 before moving to the UK.
“I liked chemistry and the idea of spending my day helping patients appealed to me.”
But soon after graduating Tom found out that for most pharmacists, it was dispensing, rather than caring for patients, which occupied most of the working day.
“I’d say around 5 per cent of the day was helping patients. The remaining 95 per cent I was checking and labelling prescription medication.”
Better balance
Fast-forward to 2025 and Tom joined the Osmondthorpe branch of Pharmacy+Health. A move which not only allowed him to achieve better work-life balance by reducing his daily commute but also promised less time dispensing and more time delivering patient care.
“I’d been commuting to Mexborough for a long time, and I wanted a role closer to home in Leeds”, says Tom.
“I saw that Pharmacy+Health was recruiting for their pharmacy in East Leeds and that they used HubRx to free up dispensing.”
No going back
The use of dispensing automation was an important pull for Tom, who had become used to his previous pharmacy dispensing with a robot.
“I could never go back to manual dispensing”, he says. “I’ve done my time sticking labels and initialling boxes.
“Now my day is focused on clinical services. I don’t have to worry about the prescriptions mounting up if a patient consultation takes longer than usual. I just send a prescription and the hub handles it.”
Achieving ambitions
Another factor in Tom moving to the Pharmacy+Health team was the ability to pursue his interest in becoming an independent prescriber. A goal which in just over a year since joining he’s set to achieve very soon.
“I’ve just finished my last uni session and have one more exam in 2-weeks,” he explains.
Smiles not stress
While technology is central to making sure the patients at Tom’s pharmacy receive their prescription medication, it’s clear that the focus for him and his team is always on people.
“When patients come into our pharmacy it’s important that they can get the help and support they need. I want them to see that the health system isn’t broken, and smiles, rather than stress behind the counter.
“I became a pharmacist because I enjoy meeting new people. And that’s how I want my time and energy to be spent.”
