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Photography Credit: Nathalie Crouch Photography
Above: Adewunmi Adeyemi
Adewunmi Adeyemi, Totty Pharmacy, London
Health Equality Award Winner
“Adewunmi, known to us as Wunmi, joined Totty Pharmacy in May 2024, and in that short time, she has brought an incredible combination of warmth, commitment and community focus to our team,” said Samson Akere, owner and manager of Totty Pharmacy.
“With her ever-present smile and uplifting energy, she is a welcome presence to patients and colleagues alike – but it’s her passion for equity and education that truly sets her apart.”
Crucial conversations
Adewunmi made an incredible impact on the local community through the pharmacy’s Black History Month health outreach campaign. Adewunmi led the pharmacy’s campaign – a collaborative effort with PureGym branches – in four local areas, where she gave out educational leaflets focusing on conditions disproportionately affecting the Afro-Caribbean community.
Initially, Adewunmi would visit local gyms in the area of behalf on the pharmacy to perform blood pressure (BP) checks, which she noted to be a problem in the community. She found the gym to be a surprisingly convenient location to strike up these conversations.
“I also used this as a way to talk to people about other diseases black people are more predisposed to, like prostate cancer, which affects mainly black males, who are also less likely to check. I was researching and I found this out,” said Adewunmi.
The campaign has inspired an ongoing partnership with the gyms. Now, Adewunmi conducts visits each week for a few hours, providing blood pressure checks, and she continues to use these moments as opportunities to discuss other health issues customers.
“It is a great experience, having conversations with people while checking their blood pressure, and giving them motivation to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle,” she added.
“The main thing that motivated me, is that my mom has diabetes, and this has made me search for more information, and realise that people need to know this information to prevent these conditions.”
Identifying need
Judge Janice Perkins, chair of the RPS Community Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group, commented on Adewunmi’s impact, saying: “Wunmi’s enthusiasm and focus shone through in her nomination. She has identified a local need and systematically set about using her skills, knowledge and local connections to take their BP monitoring service to the patients who need it most. She has built relationships with the community and leveraged partnerships with external providers, taking healthcare into the community. The Afro-Caribbean community have specific healthcare needs and Wumni has ensured that these are not overlooked.”
Judge Mimi Lau, CEO of Pickfords Pharmacy, added that Adewunmi “really understood the demographics of the community she served” and that she was “motivated, had a clear objective and plan, and the results were impressive”.
Samantha Pugh, Park Lane Pharmacy, Wednesbury
Highly Commended
“My aim is for every LGBTQ+ person to be able to walk into our pharmacy and feel safe, seen, and supported by me and other healthcare professionals who provide their care,” said Samantha, who feels passionate about creating a welcoming and inclusive space in the pharmacy.
Samantha works mainly in the dispensary but found that she had an opportunity to make all customers feel welcome in the pharmacy and embarked on one-to-one LGBTQ+ education when she was at her previous pharmacy. This is something she has carried with her into her new position, and which she tries to encourage the rest of her teammates to uphold, too, even organising training.
“You can do anything, from wearing a badge at work, or a wristband,” she says. “Even just with staff, I like to be that person that people can talk to and be friendly for anyone who wants to come in and speak about something.”
Samantha has shown that small, thoughtful acts can go a long way towards making someone feel valued, and that everyone should be able to ask for the healthcare advice that they need – a crucial step towards making healthcare more accessible to everyone.
Mimi Lau, CEO of Pickfords Pharmacy and judge, said: “[I have] not seen many work to tackle LGBTQ+ and “UK Says No More”, so this was a refreshing application to read. Samantha was passionate about supporting this group of people and has done it well.”
Judge Tim Rendell, head of pharmacy at Day Lewis, added: “Congratulations, for efforts in raising awareness and offering a safe space for every LGBTQ+ person to feel supported.”
Débora Duarte, Newington Pharmacy, Hull
Highly Commended
Débora’s ability to make all customers, no matter their background, age, culture, or language they speak, feel seen and understood in the pharmacy is a testament to her empathic and compassionate nature.
“Débora’s unwavering commitment to helping patients is truly extraordinary,” wrote Daniel Duarte, operations manager at Newby Pharmacy, who nominated Débora for the award.
“In an area with a high population of foreigners, many of whom struggle with English, Débora has made it her mission to bridge the communication gap. Being Portuguese herself, she has learned Spanish, Romanian and Italian and she frequently uses translation apps to assist Polish- and Arabic-speaking customers.”
RoE judge, Janice Perkins, chair of the RPS Community Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group, commented: “Débora has invested time and effort in enhancing her natural talent for languages to ensure she can communicate with everyone in her local community, meaning they don’t miss out on vital health information and care. Her commitment to the needs of her community shines through everything she does.”
Beyond this, Débora also wants to get ID cards made for her team that have their names, photo, position, and the language(s) they speak for customers to see. “I am also encouraging my team to learn the basics, so that customers can at least be greeted in their language. I think this will help to make them more comfortable,” she said.
“In all my years in pharmacy, I have rarely encountered someone as genuinely caring and committed to their patients as Debora,” said Daniel.
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