Award-winning initiative from Dee-Anne is making a difference

Southern Cross Care’s Quality and Clinical Specialist, Dee-Anne Hull MPS, has been recognised by her peers with a national award.

In July, Dee-Anne was named the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) Symbion Excellence Awards 2023 Early Career Pharmacist.

While she was completing her university study, Dee-Anne covered a maternity leave position for the South Australian Pharmacists in Aged Care Project, and this was how she discovered her passion for working as part of a multidisciplinary team.

In her role as Quality and Clinical Specialist, Dee-Anne collaborates with other health experts to support high risk residents in our Residential Care Homes.

“It’s a non-traditional pharmacist’s role. So I am the first pharmacist to be in a role like this within at least the State, if not more,” Dee-Anne said.

“What I love is we’ve got an awesome, diverse, multidisciplinary team, and that’s so important. 

“Something I’ve always advocated for is the need that there’s not a one cure for everything. We need to look at what everyone else can bring to the team and work together for that person-centred care.”

Dee-Anne has also become a panellist, workshop facilitator and presenter, and launched the Aged Care Pharmacist- Australia Facebook page, quickly building it into a community of about 260 pharmacists sharing research and discussion.

As an advocate, Dee-Anne promotes the role of pharmacists in aged care, to improve the lives of residents.

“There’s so much work that we can do,” she said. 

“It’s advocating for the residents, for one, a lot of residents don’t have someone that can be that voice for them. 

“It’s seeing those things that other people can’t see, you know, we are the medicine experts so we know when a dose is too high or too low or whether there’s a medication interaction.

“You can see the direct effects of what you’ve done, what interventions you’ve had and what the outcomes are for the residents.”

PSA National President Dr Fei Sim FPS said the award was a way of acknowledging the impact Dee-Anne is having through her work.

“The PSA Excellence Awards acknowledge the pharmacists who go above and beyond, those who are involved in innovative practice, those who are striving to raise practice standards, and those who, through their professionalism, provide a model of practice which others strive to emulate,” Dr Sim said.

“I am proud to award the 2023 Early Career Pharmacist of the Year to Dee-Anne Hull, who has taken the opportunities to carve a career path of her own in pharmacy, and we congratulate Dee-Anne on her commitment to deliver quality and impactful aged care.”

To learn more about the work that Dee-Anne has been recognised for, watch PSA’s video here.