With an approachable manner and commitment to keeping her knowledge up to date with e-learning, Jayne Underhill can handle almost any situation

Jayne Underhill has been working in pharmacy since 1972, when she started as a dispensing assistant. However, it is on the counter and on the shop floor at Ivor Owen Pharmacy in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, that she now spends her time and there is no doubt that she is brilliant at it, as her Highly Commended in the EllaOne-sponsored Service Excellence Award confirms.

Jayne was nominated for the Awards by her colleague Michelle Griffiths, who said: “Jayne has worked in pharmacy for over 40 years and I think it is time she was recognised for her enthusiasm and for the dedication she has given to her customers before she retires next year. Every campaign the pharmacy has to take part in, she will do it, giving 100 per cent each time.”

Surprised at having her name put forward, Jayne says that she simply tries to be approachable and make sure customers are calm and relaxed – perhaps by inviting them into a quieter area of the store so they feel able to talk more openly. She is heavily involved in the pharmacy’s stop smoking and weight management initiatives, and recently completed a course on safeguarding to make sure that the wide range of customers who come into the store get the best service possible.

“I feel like pharmacy has come on leaps and bounds since I started. Some days I feel more like a social worker because we have to talk to people about way more than just simple medical issues. The role has definitely becoming increasingly less about just dispensing medication,” Jayne says. “The amount of training we have to do is much better than before… These developments in the way pharmacies work are part of the reason I enjoy my work so much.”

Awards judge and Avicenna chief executive Salim Jetha heralded Jayne for her “traditional service that is often lacking nowadays”, while Well’s superintendent pharmacist Janice Perkins admired her “great rapport with her customers” and how she “always goes the extra mile”.

So close to retirement, does Jayne have any ambitions left unfulfilled? Just one: to appear in Training Matters. As her colleague Michelle says: “This will be her moment. She deserves it!”