IPN 2022 October

Putting the ‘Super’ in Superintendent

Elaine Lillis: Winner of the Perrigo Superintendent Pharmacist of the Year Award 2022

Elaine has been Superintendent Pharmacist for Meaghers Pharmacy Group since August 2019 and in her time as Superintendent she has championed a number of public health initiatives. Described as someone who has a great passion for the role of the pharmacist in preventative healthcare, she truly believes that the position of the pharmacist can be utilised to help patients live healthier lives and to not only care for patients when they are ill but help them remain well.

Paul Hatton, National Field Sales Controller, Perrigo with Elaine Lillis, Superintendent Pharmacist, Meaghers Pharmacy Group

Elaine Lillis began her career as an Intern Pharmacist in Meaghers in 2011, throughout the years she has grown and progressed as a pharmacist, a leader, a patient advocate and as a business leader. Throughout her time in Meaghers Elaine has worked as an Intern, a support pharmacist, a supervising pharmacist, the support to the superintendent pharmacist and now as a superintendent she brings with her all the interpersonal, patient care and business skills to the role.

For the past few years, Elaine has been the driving force behind the Meaghers group flu vaccine campaign. Since taking on the role of superintendent, the number of flu vaccines delivered in Meaghers has increased dramatically year on year. Elaine has also organised, co-ordinated and delivered Flu vaccine clinics off site, delivering easy access to vaccinations to corporate customers to improve health and wellness in workplaces and in nursing homes and assisted living facilities helping to protect the most vulnerable patients in our communities.

Despite the significant challenges posed during the pandemic Elaine’s hard work and tenacity has helped countless people.

Elaine’s work with the Meaghers’ covid vaccine clinics has allowed her team to be part of the recovery of society and communities by delivering thousands of doses of covid vaccines so far.

Oonagh O’Hagan, Managing Director of Meaghers Pharmacy Group comments, “When the pharmacy vaccination program was announced Elaine was determined that we would play our part in Meaghers to bring our country and out communities out of the isolation and desperation caused by the pandemic, Elaine successfully rallied our

pharmacists to organise the swiftest and most efficient system of vaccination within the stores and her efforts certainly were successful. We will continue to deliver booster doses and run vaccine clinics within the Meaghers group.”

Elaine has a great passion for the role of the pharmacist in preventative healthcare, she truly believes that the position of the

Elaine Lillis, Superintendent Pharmacist, Meaghers Pharmacy Group

pharmacist can be utilised to help our patients live healthier lives and that pharmacies can not only care for patients when they are ill but can help them remain well.

There is a silent epidemic of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in Ireland and patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol are at greater risk of developing this disease which, if undiagnosed and left untreated, may lead to cirrhosis of the liver.

Elaine teamed up with leading Consultant Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist Professor Suzanne Norris, to run several successful liver scans clinics in a number of Meaghers pharmacies, the country’s only pharmacy-led Diabetes Liver Screen Initiative.

Oonagh continues, “As part of this initiative, our type 2 diabetic patients were invited into our pharmacies for a free liver fibroscan with the aim of identifying those with liver fibrosis. The highly ambitious programme is the first trial of its type in Europe and from our patient cohort an astonishing 67% had abnormal scans. Results of scans were sent to patients GPs and those with a high liver stiffness measurement were fast-tracked to a specialist hepatology clinic for treatment. If caught early, NAFLD can be reversed through healthy eating, exercise and weight loss and Elaine has plans to continue to educate and empower those at risk. Elaine hopes to run future Liver clinics in our pharmacies in 2022 targeting additional patient cohorts including those with high BMI and high cholesterol.”

Elaine’s passion for serving the communities in which she serves has proven to be a rallying call for the entire Meaghers team, Elaine leads from the front and has been instrumental in formulating strategies to allow the Meaghers business better serve patients and communities.

Meaghers recently launched a Travel Antigen Testing Service to enable local communities to travel safely and limit the spread of infection.

Elaine says, “In March 2022 we partnered with a qualified physiotherapist to supply online pelvic training exercises to our customers and next month we will be running in store pop-up clinics where our patients can come into the pharmacy to speak to our Expert Physiotherapist.

“Also, in process at the moment is the setting up Meaghers Pain Clinics. This will be the first type of pain clinic run in pharmacies in Ireland. The free appointment

will allow patients to review their current pain medication with a specifically trained pharmacist and then allow them to use Bio-electric devices to assist in managing their pain. These devices are showing to have a huge benefit in managing chronic pain, musculoskeletal pain and injury and also helping to reduce recovery time from acute injury or surgery. This novel initiative could bring huge benefit to many of our patients allowing them to reduce the amount of pain medication taken daily and to live a happier and more active lifestyle.”

Oonagh adds, “We are lucky to have Elaine at the helm, leading our team but the Pharmacy profession is also lucky to have such a passionate, innovative and proactive pharmacist working in the community sector. Elaine is incredibly passionate about the future of Irish Pharmacy and works with TCD educating and developing future pharmacists.”

In her role as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in TCD she designs and delivers communication and conflict workshops to secondand third-year undergraduate pharmacy students as part of their Practice of Pharmacy Module and works as an assessor in Trinity End of term OSCEs. She has also acted as an assessor in the Pharmacy Professional Registration Exam (PRE) in both Trinity & RCSI, the final exam pharmacy students must sit before becoming a fully qualified pharmacist.

Elaine is a champion of continued personal development and is instrumental in leading the training and upskilling of the entire Meaghers team. She works with the individual team member to ascertain what training and development would benefit them and their patients most and works tirelessly to lift them up, support them and encourage them to be the best they can be.

“Elaine also works to help our pharmacists develop and upskill in their profession, organising pain management workshops, gut health workshops and many more.

“Elaine manages the special relationship between Meaghers and the Nursing homes and assisted living facilities that we supply medicines to, she has worked with the teams there in designing courses for education

and training of nurses in managing patients’ medicines, increasing patient safety and has introduced new platforms, software and systems to Meaghers to ensure a better and more efficient integration between the pharmacy and the care facility. Most recently she made a change to the medication packs we supply to our nursing home, to a type which ensure medication rounds are carried out more efficiently and the risk of administrative errors are greatly reduced.

“Having held the role for a short number of months before the first lockdown hit Elaine had a baptism of fire in her role as superintendent, she never once faltered, she remained professional, kept her focus on patient care, team and patient safety and despite all challenges that came her way thrived and pushed the Meaghers Business forward. We are extremely proud of our superintendent and blessed to have her lead our team.

She said after receiving her Award, “This Award really is a shout out to my team. Having been nominated by my peers, it is rewarding to get that recognition from them; to then be announced as the winner is really the highlight for me. I am honoured to lead the team that I do and it has been a particular honour to lead

them during the last two years, during a time that has probably been the most challenging for the profession as a whole. They too have been an amazing support network for me.”

Paul Hatton, National Field Sales Controller with Perrigo added, “It is super to be involved with the Irish Pharmacy Awards. Within Perrigo, the core nature of our business is built around self-care and recognising excellence in community pharmacy is a great alignment for our business.

“With our healthcare landscape facing unprecedented change, our consumers are increasingly looking for self-care products that will improve their health and wellbeing. We would not be where we are today without the help of our local pharmacies and pharmacists. Congratulations to all the finalists and especially to Elaine on winning the Perrigo Superintendent Pharmacist of the Year Award.”