Cameron Steele

Cameron Steele
Day Lewis Pharmacy, Southborough
Best Newcomer Award
Highly Commended

Perhaps the youngest nominee in all 10 years of the RoE Awards, Cameron Steele is just 17 years old, having started working right after his GCSEs. His quick development has not gone unnoticed and is one of the things that was picked up by pharmacist manager, Shreeya Ondhia, in his nomination. “Cameron is always willing to go the extra mile and is a key asset to the pharmacy team,” she says. 

A particular example of Cameron taking the time to help a patient was when a man came in with reoccurring hiccups. “At first, I used my knowledge from the medicines counter course and I suggested indigestion relief, or even sipping ice which I heard was a good treatment,” he says. “A few days later he came back, and it became a red flag case because it had been a week or two. I referred him to the pharmacist, and he came back in three weeks later having been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. It just shows how important pharmacy is and how important the training that we receive is. We spot red flag symptoms.”

According to Shreeya, it’s not just the community where Cameron’s impact and caring attitude is felt. “The teams says that Cameron uplifts the pharmacy with his happy go lucky, friendly nature which makes the working environment a better place,” she says. 

The judges were particularly impressed by this nomination. “Cameron’s passion for pharmacy and commitment to supporting his community really shone through,” says Claire Steele, APTUK president. “I’m confident he has a bright future in pharmacy – I would absolutely offer him a job!”