The Reckitt Community Pharmacist of the Year for 2024 went to Michelle O’Hagan of Pharmacy Hub Killinarden.
Michelle is an advocate for her patient’s health, and for the health of the local community. She is heavily involved with South Dublin County Partnership and their HSE health promotion officers. She regularly has the smoking cessation officer in the pharmacy, carrying out clinics and providing information to the community on the free HSE We Can Quit Smoking Cessation programmes. She runs vaccination clinics, all year round for covid vaccines, and the seasonal flu vaccine.
She is also an advocate for mental health and wellbeing, getting personally involved in the ‘Darkness into Light’ campaign (Pieta House) every year and the ‘Hello, How are you’ campaign (Mental Health Ireland) in 2023. She organised for the Marie Keating Mobile Unit to visit the pharmacy in October 2023 (for Tallaght Health Awareness Month) to encourage breast cancer health awareness. Michelle also enrolled the pharmacy in the IPU Safe Pharmacy initiative, and ensured all staff completed the training and that the pharmacy can be seen as a safe space for those who fall victim to domestic violence.
After accepting her trophy Michelle said, “I am shocked yet honoured to win the Reckitt Community Pharmacist of the Year Award. This means everything to me on a personal level having been in pharmacy for over thirty years. My team that I have behind me believe in my vision for what community pharmacy can do and that it’s more than just the 4 walls.
“These Awards present the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on pharmacy, something we don’t often get a chance to do. Quite often we are in the shadows or behind the scenes and not always totally comfortable with the spotlight so it’s huge for us that the team at IPN behind the Awards and all of the sponsors are putting our work out there and giving us the chance to come out and take a bow. Not only do we get so much out of it, but so do our teams and our communities.”
Adam Lee is Country Manager, Ireland, with Reckitt, and he told us, “Can I firstly offer my congratulations to all the Finalists for getting this far. It is a huge honour to be here tonight in this capacity out of all your peers in the industry and to be recognised as one of the best pharmacists in Ireland.
“Pharmacy and pharmacists are at the heart of what we do at Reckitt; self-care is very important to us. These pharmacists are at the front line of ensuring that patients are taking the right products and the right medications for their illnesses and that is something which we hold as valuable.
“We are looking forward to working together in the year ahead to drive more positive change in communities nationwide.”
