In the second of this two-part series marking International Women’s Day 2024, Kathryn Meade tells us about her role as senior health promotion officer with the National Screening Service, and how staying connected to the needs of our communities inspires her to be inclusive.
Kathryn Meade has worked in health promotion for over 20 years and joined the National Screening Service (NSS) in 2021. Kathryn’s role in the NSS is varied, working with colleagues in the Public Health team and across the communications team and screening programmes, developing content and resources. “Recently, I worked with colleagues in Diabetic RetinaScreen to create a 15-minute e-learning programme for health and social care staff which will be launched soon on HSeLanD. Throughout a typical day, I follow up on any access queries, or queries from HSE colleagues or from the public looking for information or support. I’m also involved in various equity projects.“
Kathryn explains the important qualities for effective health promotion work - supporting empowerment, participation, partnership and good practices. “We need to continuously engage with and listen to people who are delivering and participating in our screening programmes – we need to know what we are doing well, and the barriers that exist, so that we can continue to improve our services.”
Kathryn says that inclusion to her is about improving systems and supports in healthcare and education to ensure fairness. “It’s about meeting people where they are at, and accepting people for who they are. It’s about supporting the vulnerable - marginalised and excluded groups in our society. This can be done in many ways including the provision of resources and funding, access to services, education and supports.”
Kathryn describes how she has learned about inclusion through her health promotion work and starts by referring to the importance of working with colleagues across our screening programmes. “They have immense experience and knowledge about the programmes which helps inform our health promotion work and how we can improve the screening experiences for our participants.
“Having been a Patient and Public Partnership team member, I recognise the important role that patient representatives have in helping us to identify where and how to improve our services, resulting in better outcomes for screening participants.”
Kathryn is particularly proud of the ongoing health promotion project with the Traveller community. It’s a joint initiative involving the Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre Primary Health Care Project and the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) to address cancer prevention and early detection, and to provide information about our four screening programmes with the Traveller population in Finglas and Blanchardstown.
“Our Pavee Point and NCCP partnership project is an example of where we are working to address barriers to the uptake of screening and using feedback to inform our equity work in the NSS. We are creating resources to address literacy issues, finding other ways to reach people when sending invitations for those with postal difficulties, and supporting peoples’ registration and appointments when they need assistance. We’re working on a project report so that we can share these learnings with others.”
Kathryn says this project is representative of the NSS ensuring that services are equitable and inclusive and speaks of the recently published NSS equity framework and how it will guide our work to help improve equity in screening.
Speaking about International Women’s Day and the 2024 theme of inspiring inclusion, Kathryn says she is inspired “by the women in my family, and my friends, who are being true to themselves, often looking out and advocating for their loved ones. I am also inspired by women in local communities, healthcare, education, politics, the arts, who are not afraid to speak up for themselves, advocate for the rights of others, and often challenge the status quo. I admire that bravery and courage to confront discrimination - unequal pay and opportunities, reproductive rights, legislation - for the greater good.
“I particularly admire the late Laura Brennan, who despite being ill with cervical cancer, campaigned for young people to have the HPV vaccination. Laura generously shared her personal story to educate others. To me, Laura was selfless and fearless, and contributed to the provision of healthcare that she would never gain from herself.”
Kathryn looks for inspiration in her day-to-day experiences. “I try to remain open to different ways of seeing things, understanding different approaches, and stay connected to the needs of our communities. There is always more to learn. I really believe people can thrive if they have the right supports and are met with compassion.”
- Read Part 1 – Lynn Swinburne describes how inclusion is a priority in her daily work and what inspires her to be inclusive.