Published on 09 July 2019
Pharmacy was not on the cards for 24-year-old Ben Lancastle-Smith, when he first applied to university, it was the creative industries he looked towards, but struggling with his confidence and an incomplete art portfolio he couldn’t secure a place on an architecture course.
A chance encounter with a Sunderland academic then led him to apply for the Pharmacy (MPharm) degree. However, his application failed and he was encouraged to spend a year improving his communication skills, commitment to teamwork and identify his strengths. He took a year out to work as part of the team at St Oswald’s Hospice to work alongside disadvantaged people from diverse backgrounds and increase his awareness of medical conditions.
He successfully enrolled again and lecturers have been so impressed with his progress and personal development that they nominated him for this year’s Jemma O'Sullivan Award for Care and Compassion in the Practice of Pharmacy.
The award is presented each year to a graduate who has demonstrated these qualities during their degree course. Jemma O’ Sullivan was just 22 when she was killed in a motorway crash in 2010.
To mark a lasting legacy for Jemma, her parents Vincent and Margaret, sponsor this special award, presented to Ben, from Newcastle, during the graduation ceremonies at the Stadium of Light.
Ben, from Newcastle, said: “I feel honoured to have been nominated for this award. I have read Jemma’s story and I think it is a very moving tribute to commemorate a dedicated pharmacy student who sadly is no longer with us.”
He added: “I applied for pharmacy following a chance encounter with a university representative in Clearing after being unsuccessful applying for art and design based courses. I’ve never been the most outgoing person and despite being an unlikely applicant, Sunderland’s Pharmacy programme gave me the opportunity to prove myself and develop my communication skills which I am extremely grateful for.
“I have tried to emulate the behaviours of the inspirational pharmacy associates I have encountered over the last four years; the compassion shown by my peers, the diligence of my tutors and the resilience of my work colleagues, all of whom have shaped the person I am today and compelled me to succeed on the programme.
“I also try to follow my mam’s example. She takes solace in improving the lives of others with both her actions and words. She taught me to help those less fortunate than myself whenever possible simply because I am able to do so.”
Ben begins his pre-registration year atLloyds Pharmacy on Welbeck Road in Newcastle now he had graduated.
“Working in a busy community pharmacy has greatly increased my confidence and I have been able to apply the skills I have learned at university to real-life situations.
“I understand the ever-increasing pressures pharmacy teams face to deliver services. Claire Packham, my pharmacy manager and former Sunderland student is a fantastic mentor. Her guidance has helped me prepare for the challenges I am likely to face as a pre-reg. I would strongly encourage any student with the capacity to work alongside their studies to seek a similar placement.”
Pharmacy students go out on practice placements throughout their MPharm programme as well as meeting with patients in the classroom setting. The University asks the placement tutors and patients to nominate any student they felt stood out for their compassion and interaction with patients each year. They write a supporting statement for their nominations. The academic staff then vote for which student they would like to win based on the nomination statements.
Ben was presented with a special glass gift as well as a cheque to support his future career. This is the fifth year that the award has been presented.
Andrew Sturrock Lecturer & MPharm Programme Leader at the University of Sunderland, said: “It has been a pleasure for the academic staff at the University to watch Ben’s development. We are particularly impressed by his commitment to improving his communication skills and he has really benefited from the experience of working in a local community pharmacy.
“We are sure he will progress to become an excellent pharmacist and will continue to show the care and compassion that epitomises the Jemma O’Sullivan Award.”
A large glass memorial, created at National Glass Centre, has also been permanently placed in the foyer of the University’s Sciences Complex. Recipients of the annual award have their names engraved onto a plaque that stands next to the memorial.
Jemma’s parents were very keen that the award didn’t necessarily reflect the top academic performance, but was about demonstrating the caring and compassionate qualities of a pharmacist. These were the qualities Jemma possessed; a friendly person who was easy to talk to.
Jemma’s father Vincent said: “Jemma was a bright and intelligent young woman who brought nothing but joy to everyone who had the pleasure of meeting her. We felt this project encapsulates her memory, allowing us in some way to continue her good work and preserve what she represented.”
Jemma, from Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, was a passenger in a Citroen Berlingo on the M8, near Warmsworth, Doncaster, in September 2010, when a lorry crashed into it. The driver, who was texting at the time, was jailed for five years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.
Since her death her family and friends have raised more than £100,000 to support a hospice pharmacy in South Africa treating people with HIV/AIDS.
Her father Vincent said: “The year before she died, Jemma had volunteered at an HIV hospice crèche, where there were 300 children, 80 per cent had HIV/AIDS, next door to a hospice in Pretoria; she had an incredible experience there and learned to listen and talk to patients, that was her great strength.”
“We decided to support the Leratong Hospice in Jemma’s memory, raising £100k, and renovated the pharmacy, stocking it with drugs for the next four years. It’s officially been called ‘Jemma’s Pharmacy’, there’s a lovely plaque at the site.”
He added: “We were also supported by South Yorkshire Police in an initiative called Jemma Bear.
“Some 500 teddy bears have been produced in memory of Jemma and will be used by police family liaison officers across South Yorkshire to comfort children involved in collisions on the roads.
“After discussion with South Yorkshire Police, we felt a toy bear may be a comfort and a perhaps a distraction to children trying to deal with shock or possible grief.”