REPORT
> the Health Plus Pharmacy training that is benefitting all pharmacy staff.
‘The Health Plus Pharmacy initiative is very worthwhile in that, while we have always been involved in health promotion in the community, the accreditation gives us an extra mark of recognition that I think the patients appreciate. I firmly believe that, while pharmacists ‘know what they know’, the ongoing training for Health Plus Pharmacy means that courses are being run all the time and all of the staff now have more indepth knowledge. I think it’s been of particular benefit to the counter staff, as they are being trained in what to look for in patients, who may be presenting to them with problems. They are then able to signpost patients to the pharmacist, who may then refer them to the GP. The value of this service to patients is immense.’
Building Community Pharmacy Partnership Every day in Northern Ireland, 123,000 adults visit their local community pharmacy in both rural and urban locations, so, naturally, community pharmacy has a long history of collaborating with local communities.
Over the last twelve years, Building Community Pharmacy Partnership (BCPP) - a partnership between the Community Development and Health Network and the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) - has promoted and supported local communities to work in partnership with community
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pharmacists to address local health and social wellbeing needs using a community development approach. OASIS Caring in Action is one of the current BCPP projects.
Situated in Coleraine town centre, this Level 2 Project, which is facilitated by pharmacist, Charlie McMullan from Clear Pharmacy, focuses on improving the health of the group, which meets in ‘The Haven’ each Tuesday and Friday.
The group comprises people in the area, who have experienced some kind of trauma, such as redundancy, chronic illness, mental health and wellbeing, issues with addiction or relationship breakdown, loneliness and isolation, anger management, homelessness and financial worries. Dressed casually, Charlie makes himself accessible to clients and not only speaks to them as a group, but also makes himself available to them on a one-to-one basis.
The information sessions are wide- ranging and work in partnership with other providers, enabling Charlie to signpost people to other local support, such as Women’s Aid and Debt NI. The emphasis of this BCPP project is on working alongside people through a system of referrals from various sources: GPs, self referrals, church referrals and word of mouth.
One recent event involved the use of a new venue for a lunch session, where participants enjoyed eating a meal
together instead of their usual habit of eating alone and lonely.
They also enjoyed a series of sessions and practical demonstrations on nutrition, where examples of seven breakfasts, lunches and dinners went down a treat! Course attendees also recently benefited from a ‘laughter workshop’ with Susan Lyons!
Co-design the way forward The community assets’ approach to wellbeing is an important element of ICPs and the skills and talents of the community and voluntary sector will be instrumental in delivering these services.
It was therefore logical that Deirdre McCloskey, Project Development Officer at Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership (MEEAP), should be appointed to Antrim/Ballymena ICP. Deirdre has extensive experience of running a range of initiatives and collaborations for the community, such as a ‘good morning service’, home security alarms and luncheon clubs.
But, how do you get the blend of medical and non-medical model to empower older people to live longer at home if they wish to? Simple. You co-design. Co-design offers an interesting way forward, with its particular focus on designing with ultimate utility in mind. The needs and circumstances of the service user drive the quest to find the best solution to the problem or challenge.
Deirdre McCloskey
Co-design involves: • Identifying the problem or challenge to be addressed • Understanding, defining and framing the problem • Researching – ie, seeking information on the reality of the circumstances and experience of the service user • Using divergent thinking exercises and processes to identify many possible solutions • Using convergent thinking to narrow down the list of possible solutions • Developing one or more prototype solutions and testing one or more of these
MEAPP’s Co-Design Steering Group takes a proactive lead in both co- design and co-production of services for older people and, fortunately, all of the key players are involved, including the Northern Trust, the Public Health Agency and the ICP. n
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