Milton Kent Nuako Owusu has a pioneering approach to promoting her pharmacy and making it a go-to destination for sexual health advice

Milton Kent Nuako Owusu joined Fieldway Pharmacy in London’s New Addington in October 2016. Right from the start, she was clear about her reasons for joining the sector, saying: “I had a keen interest to learn new things and to be able to help the community as a whole.” Milton has certainly achieved both of these ambitions, as her Highly Commended in the National Pharmacy Association-sponsored Pharmacy Champion Award confirms.

Milton is the reason the business has increased its profile among local residents, as she makes sure there is a buzz of activity on Fieldway Pharmacy’s Facebook and Instagram pages. She tries to go the extra mile every day – for example, by making sure that the end of month submissions don’t exceed three days. At a wider level, she organises events such as the charity cake sale at the pharmacy for the Alzheimer’s Society – a nod to her former job at a residential home. Awards judge and NPA chief pharmacist Leyla Hannbeck was particularly impressed by these efforts, commending Milton’s “pioneering approach”.

It is with younger people that Milton truly shines, however, via her instrumental role in the pharmacy’s sexual health clinic. She says: “Many have told the pharmacist that they prefer me to attend to them as they feel so comfortable talking to me when they come in for their condoms.” She has completed her C-Card, healthy living and dispensing assistant training – good going for someone who admits she knew nothing about pharmacy when she started her job and was banking on her interest in people and health, and her belief in her ability to learn quickly, to carry her along.

Milton was encouraged to enter the Awards by pharmacist Ifesi Anyanene and head office staff at independent pharmacy support group Avicenna. It has further bolstered her ambitions to apply to university to study to become a pharmacist. She loves community, but would also like to experience the hospital and industrial sectors. Given how far she has already come, the sky seems to be the limit.