Our Rights and Medication Advocacy Group

The Our Rights and Medication (ORAM) Advocacy Group is a network of experts by experience, advocates, academics and practitioners hosted by the SHEP Advocacy Program.

We are recent recipients of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Grant Scheme.

We want to make sure that everyone knows that they have choices and rights around medication.

We support the principles of human rights-based practice in relation to the prescribing of medication.

This means following the FREDA principles.

Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity, Autonomy; the FREDA principles promoted by HIQA, are relevant to prescribing medication in just the same way as they are relevant to other supports such as housing, education and work.

And this means supporting:

– The right to be fully informed about the medication being prescribed.
– The right to informed decision-making and informed consent.
– The right to medication review including options for reduction and de-prescribing if that is what the person wants.
– The right to the least restrictive option.
– The right to be heard and for concerns to be considered and acted upon.
– A right to have the right support to address any and all of these rights.

To learn more about the work of ORAM and our commitment to the FREDA human rights principles you can watch our short animated video.

This video was made possible by the grant from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the work of Dog Day Media along with ORAM members Amy Begley and Deirdre Lillis.

We believe that these rights belong to all of us.

We want to say that the Our Rights and Medication Advocacy Group are not anti-medication.

We understand that medication is right for some people. Medication can help people stay safe and well.

This is about the right medication at the right time for the right reason for the least time necessary. This is everyone’s responsibility. (STOMP 2021).

For more information or to get involved please contact ORAM@socialandhealth.com