Danielle Russell, a dispenser at Pepys Estate Pharmacy in Deptford, south-east London, was off duty on February 23 when she was alerted to the incident.
A woman from a nearby community centre “shouted for her to come help urgently” as Ms Russell walked past the pharmacy on her way to collect her child from school, superintendent pharmacist Toseef Akhter told C+D.
“When she arrived there, she saw a young man on the floor bleeding,” he added.
Read more: Health minister hits out at ‘appalling’ abuse after pharmacist stabbed
After collecting a pair of gloves from the pharmacy, Ms Russell entered the community centre to attend to the young man on the floor.
While waiting for an ambulance to arrive, the ambulance service team instructed her on how to help the man over a video call.
A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service confirmed it was called to Grove Street “to reports of a stabbing” at 3.04pm.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed the force was also called at 3.07pm “to a report of a stabbing” and on attending the incident “found a man, aged 20, with a stab injury”.
“It all happened so quickly”
Ms Russell “was shaking” while helping to compress the wound, repeatedly asking the young man to look at her every time he tried to close his eyes, she told C+D.
Paramedics took over once they arrived. An ambulance crew was sent to the scene, along with “a medic in a car, an incident response officer and a team leader”, while London’s Air Ambulance was also dispatched, the London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed.
“We treated a man at the scene and took him by road to a major trauma centre as a priority,” they added.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told C+D that an investigation into the incident “is ongoing”, but no arrests have yet been made.
Read more: Police received almost 16k reports of crime in pharmacies in just 2 years
Ms Russell told C+D: “It all happened so quickly, if I’m honest. The shock hit me after.”
It is not the first time that staff members at Pepys Estate Pharmacy have stepped in to help a patient in need.
Last September, Mr Akhter praised his pharmacy technician Ibrahim Kargbo after he stopped a patient who had reportedly attempted to self-harm inside the pharmacy.
“I am just proud that my staff members are such a help to the local community. This is the second instance in the space of a year where a member of staff has gone above and beyond,” he told C+D.
“I believe that this was a truly heroic act,” he added.