Local pharmacist scoops national award / Fferyllydd lleol yn ennill gwobr genedlaethol

Meryl Davies, Primary Care Antibiotic Pharmacist at Hywel Dda University Health Board won the Pharmacist of the Year award at the prestigious Advancing Healthcare Awards Wales held in November.

Meryl was recognised for her innovative and disciplined way of working, focusing on addressing the appropriateness of prescribing of antibiotics. She has audited general practices to assess appropriateness and then visited each practice along with a consultant microbiologist to discuss and educate prescribers on appropriate prescribing of antibiotics. This process has seen an improvement in antibiotic prescribing at re-audit and has received positive feedback from practices. Patients on repeat antibiotics are now reviewed to ensure that medication is still appropriate to avoid unnecessary harm.

Meryl has also provided advice on the implementation of new testing machines to help identify likely bacterial respiratory infections and has represented the health board on its national work steam. She has also worked with the Ceredigion Infection Prevention Nurse and Frailty Nurse on the management of urinary tract infections in care homes. This resulted in a 30% reduction in the amount of antibiotics prescribed during the pilot phase and a reduction in urine samples sent to the laboratory. The methods used in this pilot has now been adopted across Wales. Patients benefit from less evasive testing and appropriate use of antibacterials.

Meryl’s reputation is well known amongst the executive team. She is focused, driven, and enthusiastic and is both visible and accessible to support clinicians across the Health Board. She has demonstrated a passion for this role and has a vision for how it can be developed.

On received this national award, Meryl said: “It is a great honour to receive this award, especially in their first year. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that the work I have been doing is recognised by my colleagues. I am passionate about the field of antimicrobial stewardship and putting patients at the centre of all the work we do. I would like to thank all my colleagues with whom I work closely for their support, without this I could not have been nominated for this award.”

Jill Paterson, Director of Primary Care, Community & Long Term Care added: “I’m very proud indeed of Meryl and delighted to see that the work that she has undertaken successfully in this field has been recognised at a national level. It’s important that achievements such as this are acknowledged, as it shows that we can find ways of making things better for our services and patients.”

The first Advancing Healthcare Awards Wales celebration event was held on the evening of 26 November at the Holland House Mercure Hotel, Cardiff. With an opening address from the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford AM, First Minister of Wales, it was attended by guests, finalists and supporters from across healthcare science, allied health professions and pharmacy to celebrate the inspiring achievements of these professionals working to improve citizen health across Wales.

The celebration event followed the inaugural Welsh Government `All Wales’ Conference: Healthier Wales – the Value of Person-Centred Care for allied health professionals, healthcare scientists and pharmacists.

Supporters of the awards include the Welsh Government, Welsh Therapies Advisory Committee, Welsh Scientific Advisory Committee, Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee, Public Health Wales, Health and Care Research Wales, Health and Education Improvement Wales (HEIW), The College of Podiatry, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Society and College of Radiographers.

The awards were open to allied health professionals, healthcare scientists and pharmacists in Wales and are part of the UK-wide Advancing Healthcare Awards programme, now in its 15th year and open for entries until 8 January 2020. The awards are organised by Chamberlain Dunn.

Fferyllydd lleol yn ennill gwobr genedlaethol

Mae Meryl Davies, Fferyllydd Gwrthfiotig Gofal Sylfaenol ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda wedi ennill gwobr Fferyllydd Y Flwyddyn yng Ngwobrau Hyrwyddo Gofal Iechyd Cymru a gynhaliwyd ym mis Tachwedd.

Cydnabuwyd Meryl am ei ffordd arloesol a disgybledig o weithio, sy’n canolbwyntio ar fynd i’r afael â phriodoldeb rhagnodi gwrthfiotigau. Mae wedi cynnal archwiliad gyda meddygfeydd i asesu priodoldeb ac yna ymweld â phob meddygfa ynghyd â microbiolegydd ymgynghorol i drafod ac addysgu rhagnodwyr ar ragnodi gwrthfiotigau yn briodol. Wrth ail-archwilio, mae’r broses hon wedi arwain at welliant mewn rhagnodi gwerthfiotigau ac wedi cael adborth cadarnhaol gan feddygfeydd. Mae cleifion sydd ar wrthfiotigau ail-roddadwy bellach yn cael eu hadolygu er mwyn sicrhau bod y feddyginiaeth yn dal i fod yn briodol ac i osgoi niwed diangen.

Bu Meryl hefyd yn darparu cyngor ar weithredu peiriannau profi newydd sy’n helpu i adnabod heintiau anadlol bacterial tebygol ac mae wedi cynrychioli’r bwrdd iechyd a rei ffrwd waith genedlaethol. Mae hi hefyd wedi cyd-weithio â Nyrs Atal Heintiau a Nyrs Eiddilwch Ceredigion ar reoli heintiau’r llwybr wrinol mewn cartrefi gofal. Arweiniodd hyn at ostyngiad o 30% yn y nifer o wrthfiotigau a ragnodwyd yn ystod y cyfnod peilot a gostyngiad yn y nifer o samplau wrin a anfonwyd i’r labordy. Bellach, mae’r dulliau a ddefnyddiwyd yn y peilot hwn wedi’u mabwysiadu ar draws Cymru. Mae cleifion hefyd yn elwa o gael profion llai ymledol ac o ddefnydd priodol o wrthfiotigau.

Mae gan Meryl enw da ymhlith y tîm gweithredol. Mae hi’n llawn ffocws ac yn frwdfrydig ac hefyd yn weladwy a hawdd mynd ati – yn gefnogaeth fawr i glinigwyr ar draws y Bwrdd Iechyd. Mae wedi dangos angerdd am y swydd hon ac mae ganddi weledigaeth ar sut y gellir ei datblygu.

Ar dderbyn y wobr genedlaethol hon, meddai Meryl: “Anrhydedd o’r mwyaf yw derbyn y wobr hon, yn enwedig yn y flwyddyn gyntaf. Teimlad braf yw gwybod bod fy nghydweithwyr yn cydnabod fy ngwaith. Rwy’n angerddol am y maes stiwardiaeth gwrthficrobaidd a rhoi cleifion yn ganolog i’r gwaith a wnawn. Hoffwn ddiolch i’m holl gydweithwyr yr wyf yn gweithio’n agos â nhw – heb eu cefnogaeth ni allwn fod wedi cael fy enwebu ar gyfer y wobr hon.”

Ychwanegodd Jill Paterson, Cyfarwyddwr Gofal Sylfaenol, Cymunedol a Hirdymor: “Rwy’n hynod o falch o Meryl ac wrth fy modd yn gweld cydnabyddiaeth ar lefel genedlaethol o’i gwaith llwyddiannus yn y maes hwn. Mae cydnabyddiaeth i lwyddiannau o’r fath yn bwysig, gan ei fod yn dangos y gallwn ganfod ffyrdd o wella gwasanaethau a gwella pethau ar gyfer ein cleifion.”

Cynhaliwyd digwyddiad dathlu cyntaf Gwobrau Hyrwyddo Gofal Iechyd Cymru ar 26 Tachwedd yng ngwesty Holland House Mercure Hotel, Caerdydd. Gydag anerchiad agoriadol gan y Gwir Anrhydeddus Mark Drakeford AC, Prif Weinidog Cymru, daeth gwesteion, ymgeiswyr a chefnogwyr ar draws gwyddoniaeth gofal iechyd, gweithwyr proffesiynol perthynol i iechyd a fferylliaeth ynghyd i ddathlu cyflawniadau ysbrydoledig y rhai sy’n gweithio i wella iechyd dinasyddion ar draws Cymru.

Daeth y digwyddiad dathlu yn dilyn Cynhadledd ‘Cymru Gyfan’ Llywodraeth Cymru: Cymru Iachach – Gwerth Gofal sy’n Canolbwyntio ar yr Unigolyn, ar gyfer gweithwyr proffesiynol perthynol i iechyd, gwyddonwyr gofal iechyd a fferyllwyr.

Ymhlith cefnogwyr y gwobrau mae Llywodraeth Cymru, Pwyllgor Cynghori Therapïau Cymru, Pwyllgor Cynghori Gwyddonol Cymru, Pwyllgor Fferyllol Cymru, Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, Ymchwil Iechyd a Gofal Cymru, Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru (AaGIC), Y Coleg Podiatreg, Cymdeithas Siartredig Ffisiotherapi a Chymdeithas a Choleg y Radiograffwyr.

Roedd y gwobrau yn agored i weithwyr proffesiynol perthynol i iechyd, gwyddonwyr iechyd a fferyllwyr yng Nghymru ac yn rhan o raglen Gwobrau Hyrwyddo Gofal Iechyd y DU, sydd bellach yn ei 15fed blwyddyn ac ar agor i geisiadau tan 8 Ionawr 2020. Trefnwyr y gwobrau yw Chamberlain Dunn.