Boots Healthcare Advisor Helen Parton scooped two awards at this year’s ceremony thanks to her ability to read and adapt to different situations and maintain true professionalism

Helen Parton admits that she only took a job at Boots’ Northgate branch in Newark, Nottinghamshire, as a stopgap six years ago, but says: “I loved it so much, I am still here”. She is also proof that no experience is ever wasted, saying that her years spent working in the catering and childcare industries and living abroad contributed to her winning both the Customer Care and Infant Care categories, sponsored by TENA and SMA Nutrition respectively, at this year’s Awards. “When you move around a lot, you have to be able to speak to anyone and deal with any situation,” she says.

Helen’s entry summed up exactly what pharmacy is all about: being welcoming to customers while having that extra bit of knowledge to make a real difference to people’s lives. She doesn’t feel constrained by working for such a big company, and ensures that she provides all customers with a consistently high standard of service and care, even if that means directing them elsewhere or dealing with less than ideal behaviour. As she says: “I don’t know what sort of day they are having, but if a customer has been helped, they are likely to return.”

Helen tries to ensure she is attuned to everyone who walks through the door so that she is able to provide exactly what is needed. From the man grabbing a sandwich in his lunch break and the one who knows exactly which OTC medicine they need, to the lady who is purchasing personal items but wants to discreetly slip them into her bag and the person who wants advice but is reluctant to ask, Helen picks up on every tiny clue.

A great example of how this benefits patient care is a case Helen cited in her entry of a woman who spoke very little English and came into the pharmacy one evening with her poorly child. Knowing that the local GP surgery had already shut for the day, and sensing the woman’s distress and her lack of resilience to cope with a difficult situation, Helen called 111 in order to secure an appointment at the local out of hours clinic.

Helen is not one to rest on her laurels. Her success in this year’s Awards builds on the Highly Commended she received in the Retail Skills category at the 2015 ceremony, and she has recently moved from being a customer assistant to a healthcare advisor, and is now working towards becoming a pharmacy advisor. “Every day is different, but I love that it keeps me on my toes and makes my day more interesting and rewarding,” she says.

The judges summed up Helen as “a true pro” who “goes the extra mile”. And Boots’ customers agree, with several completing online surveys to testify to her great service, helpfulness and professionalism.