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COLLABORATION


MeAAP: Our work goes on!


NeVeR HAVe THe OLDeR PeOPLe IN OuR COMMuNITIes NeeDeD sO MuCH HeLP AND suPPORT. DeIRDRe MCCLOsKeY, PROJeCT CO-ORDINATOR AT MID & eAsT ANTRIM AGeWeLL PARTNeRsHIP (MeAAP) TeLLs PIF HOW THe ORGANIsATION Is MAINTAINING ITs ‘BusINess As usuAL’ APPROACH IN THIs CHALLeNGING CLIMATe…


T


he IMPACTAgewell® Programme was launched in April 2017 thanks to the


funding support from The Dunhill Medical Trust.


The aims of IMPACTAgewell® are to improve the quality of life of older people by providing them with person-centred services that will put their wellbeing and social needs on a par with their medical needs.


enabling older people to work together with their local GP practice, local community pharmacists and the Northern Health & social Care Trust (NHsCT), we at MeAAP have the ability to share relevant information which helps support the older people in managing their long-term health conditions and allow them to access the wealth of community/voluntary activities in their area.


At the end of January 2020, MeAAP and the IMPACTAgewell® Collaborative was showcasing the difference our community-led multi-


Sir Harry Burns gives us the thumbs up!


disciplinary team approach has made since it was launched in April 2017, and were joined by the prestigious Ballymena Boogie Bouncers, alongside the esteemed sir Harry Burns, university of strathclyde, Professor of Global Health.


Fast forward almost six months, and we are now in the midst of the COVID19 crisis, whereby the people and communities we have previously been supporting via IMPACTAgewell® are now amongst the most vulnerable to this pandemic.


Prior to COVID-19, due to the extensive evidence base which had been achieved as a result of this proof of concept funded by The Dunhill Medical Trust, we were delighted to announce that the partnership with Dunhill would continue and be enhanced with the Health & social Care Board having agreed to work together to support the rollout of the IMPACTAgewell®


model of care to


cover all 26 GP practices in Mid & east Antrim. Plans were also already


The IMPACTAgewell® Collaborative


developing as to how we could scale and spread the model beyond the Ballymena, Larne & Carrickfergus areas.


We have, as a charity, had to redirect our efforts to support the older people in our local community during the immediate COVID-19 crisis, and so have put a temporary pause on plans to scale and spread. We are, however, very grateful to The Dunhill Medical Trust for giving us their continued support and allowing us sustainability during what is a worrying period for many charities and social enterprises in Northern Ireland. I firmly believe that the energetic partnerships which have formed as a result of IMPACTAgewell®


have meant that


our small team has risen to this considerable challenge with the same commitment and innovation, maintaining our relationships with our local GP practices, community pharmacists and social work teams, and breaking down the silos and barriers that exist.


During the last two weeks of March, we increased our opening hours, offering a telephone enquiry service Monday to sunday 9am to 9pm and received and responded to more than 200 requests for support. Our local Council distributed 58,000 MeAAP fliers to every household along with the bin collections, with a further 10,000 Good Neighbour leaflets provided to local groups and shops across Mid & east Antrim.


Over 250 key safes are being supplied and fitted on an emergency basis to


22 - PHARMACY IN FOCus


homes across Mid & east Antrim and Antrim/Newtownabbey via our handyperson service, with Bryson energy helping keep people safe following discharge from hospital.


Three thousand scam Awareness booklets were sent out to remind older people to be vigilant, as there had already been a worrying spike in crime and fraud. We worked closely with Community Development & Health Network to prepare a proposal to support community pharmacists in delivering prescriptions to those people needing to self-isolate during COVID19. Whilst waiting on the green light, we have also been working with the local Northern Health & social Care Trust and Council to look at a food strategy, having secured funding to provide prepared meals via several local businesses to those most in need in our community.


so what’s next? Well, firstly, you can be sure that MeAAP will be hosting one hell of a party when this crisis is all over. We do not underestimate the hard work which will go into re-establishing the IMPACTAgewell® Locality Hubs, but are confident that our efforts to support our healthcare partners through this crisis will highlight the need for sectors to continue working together to provide population- based health, using community development as a key component of tackling health inequalities to ensure that we all have the opportunity to grow old, enjoying more years of good health as opposed to ill health.


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