Described as “the heart of everything” at Bedminster Pharmacy, June Cambridge-Rose provides an exemplary service to the people of Bristol, and her product knowledge and expertise have helped to shape all sorts of services, from retail transactions to health interventions

June Cambridge-Rose, winner of the Voltarol-sponsored Counter Intelligence Award, was nominated by the pharmacist she works alongside in her community pharmacy in Bristol. Why? In Ade Williams’s words: “June is the heart of everything at Bedminster Pharmacy.”

Being at the heart of it all means supporting mental wellbeing alongside the more traditional role that pharmacy plays in helping those with physical health problems. It involves prioritising patient safety and legal compliance, while providing services in a caring and sensitive way. It means staying up to date with products, not just in terms of usage, but also quality, and training others so they are just as sharp. It includes merchandising in a way that makes the best use of the space available, while running the campaigns essential to the healthy living pharmacy ethos. It is recognising the potential impact of funding cuts and thinking up ways to broaden the pharmacy’s offering in order to compensate.

June does all this and more. Her job title is healthy living champion and retail specialist, but that doesn’t really scratch the surface. While many pharmacies quake at the thought of a Which? inspector dropping in, pharmacist Ade wishes they would come into Bedminster Pharmacy and find June on the counter, highlighting her vigilance in making sure medicines sales are appropriate while allaying concerns, particularly among the elderly and those with young families.

June doesn’t shy away from the therapeutic areas that some people find less interesting. Anyone coming in for mobility and living aids will get not just the product they need – they will also benefit from a consultation to help them better understand the problem they are experiencing, how it can be supported or improved, and why the recommended product will help. While June drives this provision, working closely with reps to better understand the issues, she has passed on her knowledge to the rest of the pharmacy team so that everyone can help any patient with any query.

June has a strong appreciation of the financial side of things – not just for the business, but also for customers. In terms of the former, she was key in driving the 100 per cent increase in flu vaccinations and new medicine service consultations. For the latter, she runs free sample promotions of expensive products, often for incontinence, so that people can try before they buy.

No stranger to the Recognition of Excellence Awards, June received Highly Commended in the Healthy Living Advisor and Retail Skills categories in 2017. But she is modest about her success in the business she has worked in for some 21 years, saying: “It is a real team effort, it just wouldn’t work otherwise. And our managers are excellent.”

June has no great ambitions at this point in her career, commenting: “I’m just going with it. There are always new things coming into the pharmacy – a new product or service – we do so much more than we did when I first started as a delivery driver all those years ago. I still do some driving to cover holidays and so on, and that’s nice because you see a different side of the pharmacy. I really enjoy my job and just love people – both those we serve as customers and patients, and the team I work with.” 

The judges were unstinting in their praise for June, with 2016 Spotlight Award winner Myra Battle remarking: “Body, mind and soul, June is the right person in the right place”. Pharmacist Sarah Coffin added: “Her partnership with outside companies and product knowledge is truly inspirational – no wonder people come from miles around to see her. An amazing woman with fantastic skills.” But her pharmacist Ade sums it up best, saying quite simply: “She is the person you want to speak to when you come into the shop.”