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Hebe Hobson is one of the lucky people who found their calling early on in life – and fortunately for the community pharmacy sector, it happens to be pharmacy. For two years now, Hebe has been one of the hardest working members of her Boots UK, Cambridge Street store, for which she was recognised when a colleague nominated her for the 2024 Best Newcomer Award at the Recognition of Excellence Awards.
Finding her path
Hebe had always had an interest in a career that would allow her to care for others in a healthcare sense. She considered nursing, pharmacy and midwifery when exploring options out of college. “I did health and social care in college for two years, and I loved it so much,” says Hebe. “I knew from there that I wanted to help people and be in the healthcare area.” One of Hebe’s tutors was working in pharmacy, which first gave her the idea. “Pharmacy seemed right for me. I like caring for people and I wanted to be somewhere where I could help others,” she says. “When I first signed on to do the training course, I told myself if I didn’t like it, I would’ve learnt something either way, like working on the shop floor. But I loved it,” she remembers. “The helping people, creating relationships with the customers – yeah, I just love it.”
Two years on, Hebe is the lead dispenser in her pharmacy and is often the first to arrive in the mornings, where she starts off her day by delegating the tasks among her team. “I look at who is working that day and what the roles that need covering are, if we have anything specific on in the diary – like dosettes or deliveries – and make sure I delegate according to what suits people best,” she says. “I like that organisational part of the role.” She then takes care of most of the dispensing throughout the day but is always happy to contribute to all aspects of the pharmacy work day. “I like dispensing but also like helping in other areas,” says Hebe. “We look after care homes too, and I have delivered medication after work a few times when it has been urgent for people – you know, there are some times when people can’t make it into the pharmacy.”
“I have come so far since I first began. I didn't know how much there was to learn in pharmacy"”
Customer care
Hebe also enjoys building positive relationships with customers, and knows the regulars in the area very well, paying close attention to them. “[Last year] I noticed one lady coming into the store, and she was very reserved. I made an effort to speak with her,” she recalls. “After a while she told me her son had passed away, and that is why she had been so down. She now only talks to me when she comes in.”
Such attention to detail, and working closely with the pharmacist, has meant Hebe has been able to make crucial referrals and direct customers to vital services. “I do a lot of advising, taking people into the consultation room, looking at things and signposting them,” she explains. “A lady came in and she was on antibiotics, but she wasn’t getting better. I spoke to the pharmacist, and we advised her to go to the hospital. It turns out that she had pneumonia.
“There was also a time when an elderly man came in with a rash, and I thought it looked like shingles,” she recalls. “I told the pharmacist, and he was able to help him through Pharmacy First straight away.”
“I like caring for people and I wanted to be somewhere where I could help others”
A future in pharmacy
Looking forward, Hebe sees herself working in pharmacy for the long run and soon plans to start further training. “I want to go onto the pharmacy technician course,” she says. “I feel like the pharmacy technician path is a good path, because pharmacy technicians are going to become more and more involved in the pharmacy in the future and providing services and so on.”
The thought of more training is exciting for Hebe, who is eager to add to her ever-growing knowledge of the pharmacy. “I have come so far since I first began,” she says. “I didn’t know how much there was to learn in the pharmacy, and now I know all of these terms and as well as all of this medication and the different interactions [between them]. I do just feel like I have learnt a lot.”
In Practice