"I Didn't Even Know I Could Just Walk Into a Pharmacy": Kieran's Story

Kieran grew up across several placements in North Ayrshire. By the time he turned 18, he'd lived in four different homes and attended three schools. He was sharp, funny, and good with his hands — he'd been doing joinery training and had a part-time job at a warehouse near Irvine Harbourside. What he didn't have was any idea how to look after his own health. "Everything medical just sort of happened to me," he says. "Someone would take me to an appointment. I never had to think about it. And then suddenly I was on my own."

In his first month in his flat, Kieran ran out of the medication he took for a skin condition he'd had since childhood. He wasn't sure how repeat prescriptions worked. He didn't know which GP practice covered his street. He assumed he'd have to go to A&E if things got bad enough. "I didn't want to seem stupid asking someone," he says. "So I just sort of hoped it would sort itself out." It didn't, and the condition flared up badly over several weeks.

Kieran was referred to Vibrant Health Advocates Slate by his throughcare worker, who'd heard about the Health Skills Programme through the North Ayrshire Aftercare service. He was sceptical at first. "I thought it was going to be like a talk in a room with a PowerPoint," he says. "But it wasn't like that at all." The sessions were small — four young people and a Slate support worker — and very practical. They walked through how to register with a GP, how to order a repeat prescription online, what to say when you call NHS 24, and how pharmacies work. That last part surprised him most. "I didn't even know I could just walk into a pharmacy and ask for advice. I thought you had to be sent there."

By the end of the programme, Kieran had registered with a GP surgery near his flat, transferred his prescription, and set up an online account to manage repeat orders. He'd also had a check-up he'd been putting off since leaving his last placement, and got a referral sorted for something he hadn't told anyone about before. "It sounds small," he says. "But it felt like a big thing. Like I was actually handling my own life."

His throughcare worker noticed the difference too. "It wasn't just practical skills," she says. "Kieran came back from those sessions with a different confidence about himself. He stopped saying 'I don't know how to do that' and started saying 'I'll find out.' That matters when you're building an independent life."

Kieran is now in steady employment and still living in Irvine. He's become something of an informal source of advice for friends who are going through similar transitions. "I just tell them what someone told me," he says. "You're allowed to ask. You're allowed to take up space in those places. You don't have to figure it all out yourself."

At Slate, Kieran's experience is both why the programme exists and what makes it worth continuing. Care leavers in Irvine are navigating a town that can feel overwhelming when you're doing it alone — but with the right knowledge and the confidence to use it, they can access the same health support as everyone else. That's what we're here for.