Q&A
In ThIS ISSUE, ThE UCA’S PhArMACIST rEPrESEnTATIon groUP, WhICh WorKS on BEhAlf of All PrIMAry CArE EMPloyEE PhArMACISTS, PUTS ITS TEn QUESTIonS To KAThy MArTIn, STrATEgIC IMPACT MAnAgEr AT CoMMUnITy DEVEloPMEnT AnD hEAlTh nETWorK (CDhn).
TEn QUESTIonS
WE KnoW ThAT yoU ArE fAIrly nEW To yoUr PoST. WhAT WAS yoUr BACKgroUnD BEforE TAKIng UP yoUr PoSITIon WIThIn CoMMUnITy DEVEloPMEnT AnD hEAlTh nETWorK?
yes, I am fairly new to this Building the Community Pharmacy Partnership (BCPP) role - I started last summer - but I’m not new to CDhn. I’ve actually worked for the organisation since 2003.
over the last fourteen years, I have worked in several different roles, most recently as CDhn Training Manager. I managed a regional community development and health inequalities programme, developing and delivering training to community, voluntary and statutory sector workers across northern Ireland.
So, while the internal processes of BCPP are new to me, the vision of the programme is not. I have a deep understanding of the model, the theoretical and policy context and how it fits within the broader work of CDhn.
I have spent years engaging with our members, many of whom were delivering BCPP programmes and this has given me a great insight into their expertise, their unique position within the community and their ability to mobilise assets and design and deliver solutions to their health issues.
over the last six years, while developing our Pathways to health training, I have had the pleasure of engaging and developing lasting connections with leading experts in health inequalities research, policy and practice in nI and across the UK.
50 - PhArMACy In foCUS
WhAT Do yoU ThInK ArE ThE KEy fEATUrES of A SUCCESSfUl BCPP ProJECT?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, number one on the list is good partnership working. BCPP projects are very diverse; they engage with many different communities (women’s groups, people who are homeless, victims of violence etc) in different areas (rural and urban) around different issues (poverty, bereavement, social isolation), but the way of working doesn’t change. The most successful projects are the ones where the power balance shifts and the pharmacist and community see each other’s strengths and assets.
This breaks down the patient/professional barrier and gives the pharmacist an opportunity to learn about the group and hear their stories. Empowerment starts with the individual. giving someone your attention and taking the time to find
out about them is a very empowering act, the value of which should never be underestimated.
Building trust and developing relationships is a core part of every BCPP project and, because the sessions take place in the community - and with the community partner - the pharmacist can piggyback on existing relationships.
Through each project the pharmacist engages with a small core group of between twelve and fifteen individuals. We find this size perfect for group work as, in a small group, participants feel safe to engage and discuss what are often very personal issues about themselves and their families.
group work is core to the success of the programme. When people have the opportunity to meet and engage with others in similar circumstances as themselves, it reduces feelings of self-
blame and hopelessness. They realise they are not alone or ‘bad’ and this gives them the support to make small changes and the opportunity to address bigger issues together.
A key element of the BCPP model is that the pharmacist understands the context and conditions of people’s lives and this enables them to improve their health literacy and offer support that is relevant and timely.
WhAT hAS BEEn yoUr MoST SUCCESSfUl ProJECT AnD WhAT rolE DID ThE PhArMACIST PlAy? CAn yoU TEll US ABoUT ThE PoSITIVE EffECT on ThE hEAlTh AnD WEllBEIng of ThE CoMMUnITy?
We have so many brilliant projects it is impossible to pick one. I do however have a soft spot for the projects that engage with the most vulnerable and excluded members of our society.
We have examples of pharmacists working with people who are homeless and those with severe alcohol and drug dependency issues. This illustrates the strength of the model and the compassion of the pharmacists involved.
When supporting these groups, the pharmacist needs to think about the traditional health messages and present them in a different way. That could mean instead of focusing on their ‘five a day’, the message is ‘eat once a day’ or ‘eat before you drink’.
Engaging in this way highlights the barriers that stop people from making what we would consider the right choices and often emphasises their lack of choice. People’s experience of health is much more about the quality of their social and emotional
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