Emma O’Keefe

Consultant in Dental Public Health

Dr Linda McGourty and I share the Realistic Medicine Clinical Lead role for Realistic Medicine. I am a Consultant in Dental Public Health in NHS Fife and work as part of a network covering South East Scotland and a Scottish Quality and Safety Fellow (Cohort 9). I have also collaborated with other dental colleagues who have taken on the Realistic Medicine Clinical Lead role for the islands and promoted the need for dentistry to be engaged in the Realistic Medicine agenda. We are working to ensure the principles guide the new model of care.

I see this role as a great opportunity to contribute to taking the social movement further and as a result of COVID-19 to look at innovative ways to do things differently or even better within NHS Fife. This involves working with the population of Fife, patients, their families/carers and the workforce to embed the principles of the Realistic Medicine and ultimately change the culture. There are already many examples of Realistic Medicine taking place every day. Collaboration with key stakeholders is critical, in order that realistic conversations take place in a meaningful way. To achieve these principles the key priorities are the need to work with the Communications Team to share the message with the population, patients and through continued professional development in order to empower our colleagues and identify champions in all areas.

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