Pharmacist Pauline McQuoid on the burning platform that sparked change

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Pharmacist Pauline McQuoid on the burning platform that sparked change

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Pauline McQuoid and husband John Fletcher
Pauline McQuoid pictured with her husband John Fletcher won Community or primary ­healthcare pharmacist of the year

We take a look at some of the highlights of 2021, with one of them being the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora, where Pauline McQuoid won the Community or primary healthcare pharmacist of the year award

“It was so crazy!” says Pauline McQuoid of the whirlwind New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora 2021 at which she was awarded Community or primary healthcare pharmacist of the year.

“Someone said, ‘Oh, you look like you should be at the Oscars!’ and I thought actually, celebrating what health professionals do is so unheard of…and yet we celebrate worldwide these people whose job is pretending to be someone else. It’s like we’ve got our priorities around the wrong way.”

But while the celebrated clinical pharmacist may have looked every bit the Academy Award winner in her glamorous emerald gown, the unwavering dedication to her work is certainly no acting performance.

Things don’t just come to us on a plate – we have work to make them happen

Growing up, Ms McQuoid lived in Auckland state houses with her mother and two younger siblings.

The first home the family lived in at McGehan Close, was described by previous leader of the National Party John Key as a “dead end” where “hopelessness has become ingrained” and homes were “destroyed by alcohol and P”.

In 1941, her grandmother emigrated from Niue to New Zealand by herself at age 17, and made a life for herself in the face of a lot of racism”.

“She was really active politically and socially, and ended up getting a Queen’s Service Medal for her community work, which she was so proud of.

“She and my mum worked really hard at the Chief Post Office which I think was a really good role model for me,” she explains, adding that her mother, now 75, still works full time as a ward aid at Christchurch Hospital.

Pauline McQuoid walking to receive her award

The first person in her extended family to get a tertiary qualification, Ms McQuoid completed her pharmacy qualification at the Central Institute of Technology before completing her masters through the University of Otago while working as a pharmacist at Hutt Hospital.

But during her career in hospital pharmacy, Ms McQuoid recognised the “huge risk” of medicine-related harm as patients left hospital.

“They say, ‘if you want change, then create a burning platform’ and at the time, I was really lucky to have international evidence as well as that personal experience to back me up.”

As a result, in 2008, Ms McQuoid and clinical pharmacist Carolyn Woolerton – who was “serendipitously” seeing the same issues occurring in general practice, co-developed Medwise. The Bay of Plenty DHB-funded service now provides clinical pharmacy services in primary and secondary care to reduce medicine-related harm in the Bay of Plenty.

In addition to her work at Medwise, Ms McQuoid’s lengthy to-do list includes teaching and tutoring on the postgraduate certificate of clinical pharmacy course at the University of Auckland, and rewriting the pharmacist prescriber competence standards and accompanying guidance at the Pharmacy Council.

She is also part of the Bay of Plenty DHB Pharmacy Services Alliance Team, Central TAS expert advisory group, the Pharmaceutical Society local branch committee and most recently the Independent Pharmacists Association executive committee. And, once the nominations open for the PSNZ executive committee, she plans to run for that too.

The judges noted Ms McQuoid – who was also named as a Fellow of the PSNZ earlier this year – is an “exceptional professional providing an amazing service”.

But despite her numerous achievements, the big win still came as a “huge surprise” to Ms McQuoid, who was convinced her friend and fellow finalist Fiona Corbin would reign supreme on the night.

When asked how she manages her work–life balance with such a crammed calendar she coyly admits: “I haven’t cracked that one yet.”

“When people ask you to be a part of that you think oh, this is such a great opportunity we can’t let that go past!” she laughs.

“It’s that unrecognised harm that just keeps me going...unfortunately, we haven’t cracked it by any stretch of the imagination – it goes on every day; but you just have to keep going, keep trying.”

Last year, Medwise was chosen as an example of medicines optimisation services in the Health and Disability System Review, she adds, “so hooray, we’ve made a dent”.

Ms McQuoid is proud of her career and Medwise but she notes, opportunities haven’t simply landed in her lap.

“You can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen. No one invented my job and things don’t just come to us on a plate – we have work to make them happen,” she says.

“You’ve got to get out there and do it.”

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