And now for something completely different!
Janet Richardson and I met Molly whilst taking part in the Planetary Health Alliance meeting at Edinburgh University this year. We were there to present posters and carry out a workshop on the TOOLKIT.
I was very lucky to meet up with Molly again, this time at the Northern Sydney Health Centre. Molly is a Clinical Nurse Consultant working in the department for Chronic Care, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Aboriginal Health Service in NSW. She is part of a small, very dedicated team who are working together to improve the health and life of their clients. One of the most difficult things is actually getting their potential clients to come and talk to them. From what Molly told me this sometimes takes a long time and often works by word of mouth and building up an awful lot of trust.
A big chunk of Molly’s work is coordinating and creating various health pathways for her clients. She spends a lot of time listening to people’s problems, even when these are not being said out loud, then she takes action and doesn’t stop until things get done. When she sees a need for a link in the care pathway she works to create it, whether it is with individuals or whole departments. She works very hard to get the specialties her clients require on board. She’s even managed to get specialty areas, which do not belong directly to health, to give their support.
We discussed the use of the NurSusTOOLKIT and if it would be possible to integrate it somehow into her work. In particular, we discussed the themes and topics dealing with the social determinants of health and how these might be used as a starting point for some of the areas she’s involved with. We also looked at topics on mental health and green spaces. It became very clear to me, that our TOOLKIT is very European! There’s very little about indigenous peoples and links between the elements and lifestyles. This is definitely an area where Molly could bring in her expertise when the TOOLKIT is adapted for use in Australia.
I spent a great afternoon and was absolutely amazed by Molly’s energy and dedication. She is so enthusiastic when she’s talking about her work, it’s infectious.
Thanks Molly for the short but really interesting glimpse into your work!