Team Leader & Spotlight Award Winner

“Rachel’s story resonated with me,” said RoE judge Reena Barai, pharmacy owner and co-founder of the Female Pharmacy Leaders Network. “She has worked for Boots for 31 years and believes that working in pharmacy is a ‘core part of her being’.” Previously a store manager before stepping down to focus on ACT responsibilities, Rachel not only swept the Team Leader Award, but also won the overall top prize, the 2024 Spotlight Award, for her decades of dedication to pharmacy. 

A wealth of wisdom

Since starting in pharmacy many years ago, Rachel has maintained her ambition in making the pharmacy a place where people can receive personal, empathic care. Having been in a management position for many years to now working reduced hours for personal reasons, Rachel has experienced large stores, small stores, worked in England and the Isle of Man, and taken on-board the many changes pharmacy has been through, throughout. It is important to Rachel that the customer always receives the high level of care and attention they deserve, which is one reason why she decided to reduce her hours in the pharmacy after personal health issues. “I really love working with people, and this reduction in hours and responsibilities was bittersweet, but I really need to be home in the evening and feel that what I’ve done during the day has had a positive effect and helped.”

A tangible impact

“Because of her positive attitude, our pharmacy is a pleasure to work in and all the customers get 100 per cent customer service,” said Caroline Dixon, who nominated Rachel for the award. The nature of pharmacy is a busy and demanding one, where the job’s focus is to provide care for others. With so much emphasis on helping others, it can be easy to forget about looking after one’s own health, and in fact can make it difficult to acknowledge. “She has also been brave enough to recognise she needed balance in her life so as not to overwhelm herself and performs this role part-time, when she could have easily given up, she didn’t,” added Reena. Not only has Rachel continued her responsibilities as an ACT in the pharmacy, but she remains a leader amongst the team. “Despite my diagnosis and health issues, my leadership skills haven’t gone away, and I really do thrive knowing that things that I help with make the team better. I know I have been described as a people person and I feel with what I’ve experienced in my own health, caring for my parents and the experiences over the years of the different issues patients have coming through the door, that I can offer a good example of patient care to the team. Experience and empathy help build bridges in customer conversations and make communication more effective.” 

RoE judge and lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy, Ade Williams, MBE, commented: “Dedication, empathy and professional excellence is why her much admired positive attitude is so admirable and wonderfully awe-inspiring.”