- NHS Western Isles

Transcription

- NHS Western Isles

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NHS Western Isles Staff Magazine – Winter 2009
Medical 2 Ward
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– leading the way
in infection control
Slàinte
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Staff Maga
mmended”
“Highly Co
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Scottish M
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Awards 200
Better Health, Better Care, Better Here
Slàinte Winter 2009
Slàinte
Editorial Team
EDITOR
Maggie Fraser
maggie.fraser1@nhs.net
01851 708060 (x.3060)
UISTS
Alicia Campbell
alicia.campbell@wihb.scot.nhs.uk
01870 603600
Katherine Mathis
katherine.mathis@wihb.scot.nhs.uk
01870 603241
PUBLIC HEALTH/
HEALTH PROMOTION
Angela Grant
angelagrant1@nhs.net
01851 708033 (x.3033)
Marissa Maclennan
marissa.maclennan@nhs.net
01851 701545
WESTERN ISLES HOSPITAL
Diana Shearer
diana.shearer@nhs.net
01851 704704 (x.2278)
Mike Hutchison
mikehutchison@nhs.net
01851 704704 (x2410)
HEALTH BOARD OFFICES
Joanna Wright
joannawright@nhs.net
01851 708063 (x.3063)
CHaSCP
Briony Jones
b.jones@cne-siar.gov.uk
01851 703545
BARRA
Vacant
If you are interested in joining the
Editorial Team please contact Maggie
Fraser. Membership involves submitting
articles, photos and ideas for issues of
Slainte.
CONTACT US
Email: Slainte@nhs.net
Tel: 01851 708060 (x.3060)
SUBMISSIONS
Please send items for the next issue no
later than 11th February 2010.
(Due to space limitations, late
submissions may be saved and
used in a future edition)
The Editor reserves the right to adapt as
appropriate any contributions.
Designed and printed by
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Office 4 Clinton’s Yard, Rigs Road,
Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS1 2RF.
Tel 01851 702993
office@shore-print.co.uk
2
àinte
Sl
NHS Western Isles Staff Magazine – Winter 2009
‘Slàinte’ shortlisted for national award
Slàinte Magazine was one
of only six staff magazines
in Scotland to have been
shortlisted for a national
magazine award. The
magazine has been ‘highly
commended’ by judges.
The title was evaluated
by a team of judges from
the publishing and media
industries and the winner was
announced at a special awards
ceremony in Dynamic Earth,
Edinburgh, on November 26.
Slàinte faced an extremely
high standard of competition
including Standard Life’s
magazine, ‘Standard’;
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
Service’s ‘SFR News’ and NHS
National Services Scotland’s
magazine, ‘Pulse’. The title of
Contents at a
glance.....
5........ Introducing the national uniform
7........ Swine Flu – if you can’t catch it, you can’t
pass it on!
8........ NHS Western Isles achieves Bronze Award
20...... Smile for the camera –
Emergency Services Ball
21...... Triumph for NHS team –
Battle of the Sexes
22...... Travel Survey – what you told us
25...... Congratulations to Debra and
team!
29...... What’s on this Festive Season?
34...... NHSMail – what you should know
Scottish Staff Magazine of the
Year went to Scottish Widows’
magazine, ‘Lifetimes’.
The Editorial Team are
delighted to have been in such
good company on the shortlist,
and hope that staff continue
to enjoy receiving updates
through ‘Slàinte’.
Maggie Fraser
Editor
Foreword
Since the last issue of Slàinte,
NHS Western Isles has
seen a number of significant
developments. On September
7, the Cabinet Secretary,
Nicola Sturgeon and her team
conducted the Annual Review,
which entailed meetings with
the Area Partnership Forum, the
Area Clinical Forum, Comhairle
nan Eilean Siar, and patient
representatives, as well as the
formal Public Review Session
in the Caberfeidh Hotel. By all
accounts, this year’s review was
more positive than the previous
year’s; a tribute to the hard work
of all those directly and indirectly
involved in improving the
performance of the organisation.
Last year the Board stated its
vision to be ‘the best at what
we do’. This is a considerable
ambition which sets a challenge
to us all. It was gratifying to
be able to demonstrate to the
Cabinet Secretary in the Annual
Review that in some aspects of
our work, NHS Western Isles
was up there with the best in
Scotland, and in some ways,
front runners. We were able
to demonstrate a range of
service improvements – ‘early
deliverables’ - which fit with the
direction of travel indicated in
the developing Clinical Strategy.
The tele-neurology link with the
Southern General, the stroke
thrombolysis link with Grampian
and the radiology obligate
from
the
Chair
network with Borders cited by
Gordon Jamieson in the last
issue of Slàinte, are examples of
innovative service developments
described to the Cabinet
Secretary. We were encouraged
to continue this process over the
coming year.
We acknowledged, however,
that we still have a way to go
in finalising a comprehensive
Clinical Strategy, and in
stabilising our financial position
to live within our means in a
difficult economic environment.
These issues are inextricably
linked, as the services we deliver
have to be sustainable and
affordable as well as of a high
standard in terms of patient
safety and accessibility.
In this environment it becomes
even more important that we
manage our in-house resources
efficiently, and that we have
effective partnerships with other
Health Boards, with the Local
Authority and the voluntary
sector. It was very encouraging
for me, therefore, to chair the
Allied Health Professionals’
Conference which brought
together a range of partners
to focus on the challenges
of dealing with Long Term
Conditions in our ageing
population.
In the past few months we
have welcomed to the Board
Non Executive Directors Annie
MacDonald and Gerry Macleod,
both also local councillors, and
Dr Francis Tierney as Chair
of the Area Clinical Forum.
Taken with the appointments of
Executive Directors mentioned
in the last Slàinte (and this
edition), the Board of NHS
Western Isles now has a range
of fresh perspectives to bring
to bear on the issues which
confront us. I hope that all the
new recruits at this level, and
throughout the Board, will find
their experience here positive
and fulfilling.
It was a privilege for me to
declare the new Clisham
Garden open in October.
This was another service
development which entailed
co-operation with a range of
partners to whom we owe
thanks, as well as to our own
staff, for their imagination and
dedication. In terms of patient
outcomes, it was a revelation
to see the way the garden,
and its range of experience,
was enjoyed by patients taking
advantage of the sunshine
immediately after the opening.
In developing services,
the Board is conscious of
the complexity of serving
communities from the Butt
to Barra, each with unique
characteristics, but with the
same basic needs. The Clinical
Strategy seeks to address
this, with a view to providing
modern health services fit for
purpose in the 21st century. The
need to develop a replacement
for St Brendan’s in Barra has
been acknowledged and has
become a focal point in recent
months for discussion with staff,
the community and the Local
Authority with a view to factoring
the development into the
Board’s forward capital plan.
Whilst planning for the medium
to long term future, however,
the demands of the present
are very real. With winter
upon us, seasonal illnesses,
compounded by H1N1, are very
real concerns. We rely on our
staff, as always, to continue to
show determination to serve
our community. This year, there
is additional encouragement
for frontline staff to protect
themselves and others by taking
advantage of the jabs on offer.
For what it is worth my own
personal experience to date is
that it is worth it.
In conclusion, my thanks
again to all our staff for their
contribution to improvement in
NHS Western Isles.
John Angus MacKay
Glowing
report for
Medical 2
Medical 2 Ward in Western
Isles Hospital has been
commended for its infection
control practices in a recent
audit.
The staff (pictured on the front
page) were given a glowing
report recently for their
infection control procedures
– in particular their isolation
practices. The audit was part of
the MRSA Screening Project.
Two audits were carried out by
former Infection Control Nurse
Consultant Maggie McGowan.
She gave positive reports
about the hospitals in the
Western Isles in general, but
particularly focused on Medical
2 Ward in Western Isles
Hospital as having improved
its practices considerably.
Senior Charge Nurse, Medical
2, Anne Graham, said: “We are
delighted to have been given
such a good report. We have
very hard working domestics
and nursing staff in the Ward,
who always go that extra mile.
The Ward General Assistants
have had a huge impact.
The staff in general are very
conscientious and work well
as a team. The staff are also
not afraid to highlight potential
infection control issues to their
colleagues, and they always
help each other out.”
She added: “Staff were
really pleased to have had
this excellent result. They
work incredibly hard and it is
encouraging that their efforts
have been noted. I would also
like to thank them – their hard
work is appreciated and well
received.”
Has your
ward or
department
celebrated
an
achievement?
Then let us
know!
3
Times Gone By
Slàinte has reached the end of
its supply of old photos! If you
have any old photos you would
like to submit, please contact
one of the Editorial Team on
Page 2. Photos will be scanned
and returned to you.
Pictured are
a student
nurse; Cathie
MacInnes
and Cathy
MacInnes
in Seaforth
Dayroom.
Above left: NHS staff night out
(1990s)
March 1993, Western Isles
Hospital official opening - Brian
Liddle; His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales; Emelin Collier;
Janet Cameron; Dena Irvine;
Mary Macleod; Dr Phil Hill; and
Dr Ian Rioch.
4
Changing into
something better!
NHSScotland staff work in
challenging roles, delivering
first-class services to their
patients every day – and they
deserve a uniform that’s fit for
the demanding job they do.
Research and feedback from
staff has shown that the existing
uniforms are of variable quality.
A new uniform was therefore
specifically designed for
NHSScotland. Decisions on
the uniforms were reached
following a six week public
consultation in June 2008.
Around 650 responses were
received including feedback
from organisations such as
professional bodies, unions
and NHS Boards.
Why change?
A recent review found that
the majority of patients
have difficulty in identifying
uniformed members of staff.
It said that variations in the
style and colour of uniforms
across regions, and sometimes
hospitals within the same
region, created confusion. This
isn’t surprising considering
NHS Boards have been using
250 styles of tunic in more than
100 different colours!
The new colour-coded
national uniform will present a
professional corporate image,
making it easier for members of
the public to identify type and
grades of NHSScotland staff.
What will the new uniforms
be like?
The new uniform will be
manufactured in a lighter, more
comfortable fabric. It will be
cool enough for the hospital
environment and in terms of
comfort it will stretch to allow
bending and freedom of
movement. An improved style
and fit make it more appropriate
for manual handling needs.
The uniform will be available in
a wide range of sizes, including
maternity wear and the
short-sleeved design will also
enable effective handwashing,
promoting best practice and
inspiring public confidence.
See below for information
on the different uniforms for
different staff groups:
CLINICAL STAFF
ALL unregistered staff and
support workers
• Pale sky blue tunic or pale
sky blue polo shirt
• Navy blue trousers
Registered nursing staff,
including dental nurses
• Cornflower blue tunic or
cornflower blue polo shirt
Allied Health Professionals
• Mediterranean blue tunic or
Mediterranean blue polo shirt
• Allied Health Professionals
will have their professional
role embroidered on their
tunic/polo shirt
Senior Charge Nurses
• Navy blue tunic or navy blue
polo shirt
NON-CLINICAL STAFF
Catering and domestic staff
• Green tunic or green polo
shirt
Catering and domestic
supervisors
• Dark green tunic or dark
green polo shirt
Porters
• Green Polo shirt or white
dress shirt/blouse
Work is underway to develop a
suitable uniform for other staff
groups including Pharmacy
Technicians, Healthcare
Scientists, Admin & Clerical and
Dental Care Professionals. It is
anticipated that new tunics for
these groups will be available
from Spring 2010.
Staff who do not wear a uniform
for a range of safety, clinical
and other reasons will not be
required to wear a new uniform.
When will I get my new
uniform?
The first uniforms will start
to appear in health settings
across Scotland by December
2009. In the Western Isles,
new members of staff will be
issued with new uniforms. The
replacement of uniforms for
existing members of staff will be
phased. Staff will continue to
wear their current uniform until
they are issued with a new one.
All NHSScotland staff who
currently wear a uniform will
be required to wear the new
uniform by 2012.
5
Chair John Angus MacKay officially opens the Clisham Garden as children from Laxdale School look
on (photo courtesy of the Stornoway Gazette).
A paradise garden for Clisham
The weather was fantastic for
the official opening – and gave
patients, staff and other guests
the opportunity to enjoy a stroll.
The area outside the ward
has been transformed into a
beautiful landscaped sensory
garden for patients to spend
time in and enjoy.
The water feature donated
by the League of Friends
is an impressive addition
to the garden.
6
All the hard work to create a
truly special place for elderly
patients in Clisham Ward,
Western Isles Hospital, has
undoubtedly paid off with the
‘unveiling’ of a stunning garden
in October.
The area outside the ward
has been transformed into a
beautiful landscaped sensory
garden for patients to spend
time in and enjoy. This has not
only provided an area in which
they can wander at their leisure
and enjoy the fresh air, but will
also impact positively on their
mental health and wellbeing.
Children from Laxdale School
put on a musical performance to
mark the official opening of the
garden and a crowd gathered
to witness the Chair of NHS
Western Isles cut the ribbon and
declare the garden open.
“When I turned the first turf here
last year, I was really looking
forward to seeing the finished
product,” said Mr MacKay. “I
didn’t dream it would look as
good as it does today. A lot of
people have been involved in
this and I would like to thank
them all for creating such a
special place.”
Head of Planning and
Development at NHS Western
Isles, Emelin Collier paid
special thanks to a number
of individuals who have
contributed to the success of the
project, including the following:
Pat Welsh (Long Term
Conditions Programme
Manager); Dave Tierney
(General Manager, Non Clinical
Support Services); Norman
Morrison and Alan Morrison
(Maintenance); Bain and
Morrison; Barden Hebrides;
Willowglen Garden Centre;
Robert Stubbington (Architect);
the League of Friends; and the
janitor, teachers and pupils of
Laxdale School.
Good staff uptake
for Flu Jabs
Increasing numbers of NHS
Western Isles staff are making
sure they protect themselves
against the Winter Flu virus.
Uptake of the Winter Flu
vaccination amongst staff has
been particularly good this
year, with 144 staff1 already
having taken up the vaccine
by the beginning of November
(compared to a total uptake
for 2008 of 119). Around 50
Comhairle staff have also taken
up the vaccine.
Chair John Angus MacKay gets the Seasonal Flu jab.
SWINE FLU
MYTHBUSTER!
MYTH: Swine flu is a mild
illness, so I don’t really need
the vaccine
Yes, swine flu is generally
mild for healthy people, but
for pregnant women and
those with health problems it
can be much more serious.
So vaccination isn’t just
about keeping you safe and
well – it’s about protecting
your patients and your
colleagues, who may be more
susceptible to the virus. It’s
also worth remembering that
in a number of cases swine
flu can kill otherwise healthy
people. Don’t underestimate
the virus, get yourself
protected!
MYTH: I’ve already had
swine flu so I don’t need the
vaccine
Many people think they’ve
had swine flu when they
haven’t. Unless lab testing
confirmed that you definitely
had swine flu, you should still
have the vaccination.
MYTH: The vaccine will give
me the flu
The vaccines contain
inactivated flu viruses so they
can’t give you flu. There is a
Staff who have not yet had
their vaccination are urged
to take steps to protect
themselves and their patients
against flu. The vaccine takes
around ten days to work and
will protect you from flu for
around a year. Last year’s
vaccine won’t protect you
from this year’s flu virus - you
will have to get vaccinated
annually, because the virus
develops different strains. Also,
it is important to stress that the
flu vaccine is not a live vaccine
and so it is not possible to
catch the flu from the vaccine.
H1N1 Vaccination
Staff will be aware that
seasonal flu is a different
strain from Influenza A (H1N1),
commonly known as ‘swine
flu’. The H1N1 vaccination
does not provide protection
against seasonal flu; and
the seasonal flu vaccination
does not provide protection
against H1N1. Therefore, it is
recommended that staff get
both vaccinations.
Staff uptake of the H1N1
vaccination has also been high
with a total of 311 staff2 having
taken the jab (which includes
a small number of Comhairle
and Ambulance staff).
Staff can get both their Winter
Flu and H1N1 jabs at the same
time.
1
2
Figure to November 23 2009
Figure to November 23 2009
small chance you may get a
mild fever and a few aches
and pains immediately after
the jab, but any side effects
are usually very mild and will
pass within 48 hours. Most
people suffer nothing worse
than a slightly sore arm.
MYTH: I don’t treat anyone
who has swine flu, so I don’t
need the vaccine
Health professionals are more
likely to be exposed to the
virus. If you catch it and pass
it on to your patients, then
they may become seriously
ill.
MYTH: The vaccines have
been rushed out and
haven’t been properly
tested – you simply don’t
know it’s safe.
The vaccine had to pass
stringent tests before
being granted a licence by
the European Medicines
Agency. On top of this,
extensive trials involving
thousands of people
have been done on very
similar H5N1 flu vaccines.
This means we are very
confident that the new
vaccine is low risk.
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7
Photograph courtesy of the Stornoway Gazette.
Walk on the wild West-side raises
thousands for children’s charities
On August 29, a group of local
residents braved the Lewis
summer weather (a brisk wind
and heavy showers) to walk
the trail from Port of Ness to
Barvas in aid of two good
causes.
Local mum and health board
employee Donna Macleod
(pictured inset) organised the
sponsored walk to raise funds
for two charities close to her
family’s heart; the Yorkhill Chil-
dren’s Foundation and Down
Syndrome Scotland.
Donna’s own son Connor who
has Down’s Syndrome, and
her nephew Damien who has
had two liver transplants, have
both had to attend numerous
appointments at the Royal
Hospital for Sick Children at
Yorkhill, Glasgow. The Foundation aims to provide those
extra services and pieces of
equipment which help make
a child’s treatment or stay in
hospital a bit easier, and cover
everything from state-of-theart equipment to entertainment to put a smile on little
faces.
Thanks to the efforts of the
35 walkers who took part, 15
fundraising supporters and all
of those people who sponsored them, the event raised
a fantastic sum of nearly
£5,000 which will be split
Volunteering in
the Western Isles
NHS Western Isles is
celebrating success after
picking up a prestigious
Healthy Working Lives Bronze
Award for efforts to help
support a healthier workforce.
The Awards, administered
by the Scottish Centre for
Healthy Working Lives,
encourage employers to create
a healthier workforce and
cover a wide range of topics
including health promotion,
occupational health and safety,
employability, mental health
and well-being, community
involvement, and health and
the environment.
NHS Western Isles was
assessed for the Award in
October. Susan Birse (NHS
Highland) carried out the
assessment by interviewing
staff within Western Isles
Hospital, Health Board and
Health Promotion.
Susan was very impressed
with the ongoing work by NHS
Western Isles and commended
Douglas Jamieson (Human
Resources) on his role in
arranging health events. She
was particularly impressed
with the range of activities
on offer for staff including
Healthy Working Lives days
and sponsored walks. She
also highlighted the health
information on offer for staff.
Areas covered in the
assessment were the role of
the Healthy Working Lives
Steering Group, the events
which had taken place, the
Smoking Policy and cessation
support available to staff,
sickness absence rates, and
return to work and health and
safety procedures.
A meeting of the Healthy
Working Lives Steering Group
will take place before the end
of the year, when they will start
working towards the Silver
Award.
8
Volunteers have been
working alongside healthcare
professionals in NHS Scotland
bringing untold benefits to
patients and NHS staff alike.
The Scottish Government, in
recognition of the value that
volunteers bring to the NHS,
launched a Refreshed Strategy
for Volunteering designed to
deliver more consistency to
volunteering in the NHS.
Every NHS Board in Scotland
has been asked to achieve the
Investing in Volunteers quality
standard. This is managed
in Scotland by Volunteer
Development Scotland to
recognise a commitment
to high quality volunteer
involvement.
The process of achieving
Investment in Volunteers status
has been broken down into
10 steps which have to be
completed prior to inspection
by an approved assessor.
equally
between the two causes.
Congratulations and well
done Donna!
A big thank you from Donna to
all those who helped to fundraise and sponsor the event.
Joanna Wright
This process and assessment
requires to be completed
by August 2010 for onward
referral for independent
scrutiny with all Boards being
required to achieve Investors
in Volunteers status by March
2011.
A short life working group has
been set up to review NHS
Western Isles’ current policy
and practice in relation to
volunteering. The Investors in
Volunteers Short Life Working
Group will be assisted in this
process with representation
from existing volunteers to
advise us on their experience
of current practice.
Should you require further
information on the review
of the Volunteers Policy or
Investors in Volunteers, contact
Denise Symington PFPI
Development Officer on 01851
708041.
RETIREMENTS AND DEPARTURES
One of NHS Western Isles’ longest serving
members of staff, Nellie Flanagan,
recently retired as Medical Secretary from
Uist & Barra Hospital after an impressive
45 years of service.
Her retirement party took place on
October 16 in Polochar Inn where
colleagues from Uist and Barra Hospital,
community, GP surgery staff and even
surprise guests from Medical Records in
Western Isles Hospital attended.
It was a great evening and after a beautiful
meal, speeches were given by Dr Senior
on behalf of Hospital Staff and Dr Tierney
on behalf of Benbecula Medical Practice.
Billy MacPhee provided the entertainment
for the evening.
(Nellie is also pictured, right – 1994)
A fond farewell to the
following members of staff:
Gautram Choudhury, Locum
Consultant. Angela Foster, Marie
Curie Nurse. Christine Macleod,
HCA. Roberta Macletchie, HCA.
Jennifer MacDonald, Domestic
Supervisor. Jane Macaulay, Diabetic
Spec Nurse. Samuel Miller, Locum
Consultant. Catherine Shepherd,
Domestic Assistant. Sonja Street,
Staff Nurse. Gwendoline Graham,
HCA. Anne Macleod, Ward General
Assistant. Georgina Hough, Staff
Nurse. Andrew Hothersall, Consultant
Anaesthetist. Margaret Macdonald,
Lead Assessor. Joan Macleod, Staff
Nurse. George Walton, Maintenance
Assistant. Louise Hyndman,
Anaesthetic Nurse. Nellie Flanagan,
Medical Secretary. Richard Myles,
Locum Consultant. Ratna Chatterji,
Locum FY1. Catherine Millar, RGN.
Clare Blanusa, Accounts Officer. Colin
MacDonald, GP. James Milburn,
Radiographer. Margaret Macleod,
Peripatetic Assessor. Jean Davis,
OH Physician. Alasdair Macleod,
Painter. Laura Nicolson, Radiographer
Helper. Eoghan Lapsley, HCA. Peter
Rintoul, Non Executive Director. Anne
Ryan, Non Executive Director. Jean
Macleod, HCA. Matthias Herzig,
Locum Orthopaedic Surgeon. Philip
Morrison, OT Assistant. Laura
Johnstone, RGN. David Mackay,
Painter. Ruth Maciver, HCA. Marion
Montgomery, RGN. Nicola Cowsill,
Domestic Assistant. June Taylor,
Domestic Assistant. Martin Hill, Project
Manager. Fernando Isaza, Locum
Consultant. Peter Keiller, LHCC Rep.
Joan Macleod, RGN. Francis Kelly,
Locum Radiologist. Kate MacDonald,
Ward Sister. Neil Lawrie, CPN Team
Leader, Mary Nolan, Project Manager.
Margaret Graham, Physiotherapist.
Katie MacDonald, Ward Sister, Uist
and Barra Hospital, retired on Friday
October 30 after 42 years of nursing. A
surprise tea party was held in the Uist
and Barra Hospital on Friday afternoon
and on Friday evening a buffet dance
was held at St. Mary’s Hall, Griminish.
Katie received lots of gifts and a great
night was had by all.
Alistair Macleod, Painter, (commonly
known as ‘Webb’) recently retired from
the Works Department. Webb has been
with us since 2004 and we wish him
well in his retirement. A tea party was
held for Webb in Western Isles Hospital
when he was presented with gifts from
colleagues.
Anne Ryan’s Term of Office as Non
Executive Director came to an end at
the end of August. Anne had been a
Non Executive Director of the Board
since 2005. Anne chaired the PFPI
Committee.
Jennifer MacDonald recently retired
from her role as Domestic Supervisor.
She originally started with the
organisation in 1990, before leaving
to go to Barra and then returning
three years ago. After retiring, Jennifer
travelled to Africa as part of the Gambia
Partnership, and she plans to spend
her time on her charity work.
9
Eileen Turner, Speech and Language
Therapy Assistant in the Uist office,
is retiring after 11 years with the
department. She has been a great
asset, and we would like to thank her
for all her hard work. We wish her a
long and happy retirement.
James Milburn left Western Isles
Hospital in August, where he had been
employed as a Radiographer. James
has taken up a post in Grimsby.
Dr Jean Davis recently left NHS
Western Isles after five years as
Occupational Health Physician. Jean is
presently devoting her time to politics.
10
Maggie Graham recently left the
Physiotherapy Department in Western
Isles Hospital after five years. Maggie
was the Stroke/Neuro Physiotherapist,
and was also involved in the treatment
of Multiple Sclerosis patients. She
started classes for Parkinson’s Disease
and Multiple Sclerosis, and she also
developed a Hydrotherapy programme
for Neuro patients.
Maggie left in November, to go to
Bournemouth, to work in an NHS
Trust there. She is getting married on
December 19, and we wish her all the
best for the future.
Peter Rintoul’s Term of Office as Non
Executive Director came to an end at
the end of August. Peter had been a
Non Executive Director of the Board
since 2005. He was chair of the Staff
Governance Committee.
WELCOMING
NEW RECRUITS
David MacKay, Painter, recently left the
Works Department.
Mary Nolan, MRSA Project Manager,
recently left NHS Western Isles to
take up a position with NHS Greater
Glasgow and Clyde.
Eilidh Stewart started work on
September 14 (part time) as a
Physiotherapy Administrative Assistant
in Uist and Barra Hospital. Eilidh
undertakes all admininstrative tasks
for the Physiotherapy staff. Eilidh is
from Grimsay in North Uist and her
external interests include looking after
her horses.
WELCOME - NEW RECRUITS
Welcome to the following new members of staff:Shona Matheson, Domestic Supervisor.
Sandra Campbell, Physiotherapy
Assistant. Audrey Ferguson, HCA. Iain
Joseph Macneil, Relief Maintenance
Assistant. Muhammad Aleem, Locum
Consultant. Zara Jacek, Catering
Assistant. Richard McGregor, ST1.
Gautram Choudhury, Consultant
Orthopaedics. Laura Mascall, GPST.
Tara Mill, GPST. Duncan Simpson,
GPST. Christopher Gingles, ST1.
Ibrahim Algarousha, Locum SHO.
Richard Myles, Locum Consultant.
Peter Oduro, Locum Consultant. Ratna
Chatterji, FH02. Janette Murray, Clinical
Skills Instructor. James Ward, Medical
Director. Susan Thomson, Community
Staff Nurse. Fiona Macfarlane, Staff
Nurse. Turvekere Chandrasekhar,
Locum Consultant. Abdelwahab
Babiker, Locum Consultant Physician.
Ann Milligan, HCA. Anne MaclachlanSammons, Ward General Assistant.
Matthias Herzig, Locum Orthopaedic
Consultant. Denise Symington, PFPI
Development Officer. Eilidh Stewart,
Physiotherapy Admin Assistant. Mary
McWilliams, Registered Nurse. Emily
Smith, HCA. Helen Macrae, Domestic
Assistant. Irene Morrison, Dietetic
Assistant, Jon Hodkin, Occupational
Therapist. Clare Falconer-Flint, Health
Intelligence Analyst. Paul Kedar, Health
Intelligence Analyst. Coleen Macleod,
Staff Nurse. Lindzi Riddell, HCA.
Gerry Macleod, Non Executive Director.
Francis Kelly, Locum Radiologist. Anne
Marie Macaskill, HCA. Sophie Murie,
Catering Assistant. Carrie Martin,
Dr Francis Tierney took over the
position of Chair of the Area Clinical
Forum on August 1. In this capacity he
will sit as a Non Executive Director of
the Board for one year.
Ward General Assistant. Alice Spencer,
Substance Misuse Development Officer.
Ellen MacDougall, Staff Nurse. Alan
Miller, Accounts Clerk. Ronald Murray,
Accounts Clerk. Anne Mackenzie, Stroke
Rehab Assistant. Carol Cobb, Domestic
Assistant. Juanita Macleod, GP.
Annie Macdonald has joined the Board
as a Non Executive Director for a period
of four years from September 1, 2009 to
August 31, 2013.
Annie is an elected SNP council
member for Sgir’ Uige agus Ceann
Tuath nan Loch on Comhairle nan
Eilean Siar. Her previous experience
comprises of chairing the Joint Services
Committee, member of the Social Work
Committee and member of the Joint
Futures Committee.
Nigel Hobson started as NHS Western
Isles’ Interim Nurse Director/Chief
Operating Officer in September.
Nigel is on secondment from NHS
Highland, where he is Associate
Director of Nursing. His secondment is
for one year.
Alice Spencer recently joined NHS
Western Isles as Alcohol and Drug
Partnership (ADP) Substance Misuse
Development Officer.
Alice previously worked in Liverpool
as an Alcohol Assessor designing
and introducing brief intervention
clinics across Merseyside. Following
this she was a Criminal Justice
Substance Misuse Co-ordinator for
Sefton Council in Liverpool.
Gerry MacLeod has joined the Board
as a Non Executive Director for a period
of four years from September 1, 2009 to
August 31, 2013.
Gerry is an SNP councillor for Barraigh,
Bhatasarsaigh, Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist
a Deas on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
He is a founder member, director and
company secretary of Lochboisdale
Amenity Trust, a group established in
1998 to improve the amenities of the
Lochboisdale area. He was Chairman of
Buidheann Tigheadas na Meadhanan,
the South Uist housing association,
until it merged with the Hebridean
Housing Partnership in 2007.
11
Alasdair joins us from the Comhairle’s
Education Department, Kedar was
previously employed by British Gas in
Edinburgh, Kathy previously worked on
the MRSA Screening Project, and Claire
was in higher education in England.
Alan Miller started work in the Finance
Department as an Accounts Assistant.
He previously worked for Carpet World.
Pictured above are new members of the
Health Intelligence Team, who are all
based at the Health Board Offices:
Alasdair Finlayson, Health Intelligence
Analyst Specialist (started November 9);
Kedar Paul, Health Intelligence Analyst
(started September 18); Kathy Turner,
Health Intelligence Analyst (started
September 7); and Claire FalconerFlint, Health Intelligence Analyst
Specialist (started September 28).
Welcome to Catriona Maclean who
has taken on Sarah MacDonald’s
former role in the HR Department
to help out temporarily. Many will
recognise her face from the Library
Coffee Shop where she worked for
several months after leaving college.
Ronnie Murray recently started
work as an Accounts Assistant in the
Finance Department. He previously
worked for Mann Judd Gordon.
12
Sandra Campbell recently started
work as a Physiotherapy Assistant
for Stroke and Neuro in Western Isles
Hospital.
Shona Matheson recently started work
as a Domestic Supervisor.
Denise Symington started in
September as Patient Focus Public
Involvement Development Officer and
is based within the Clinical Governance
team.
Denise previously worked as the Drugs
Development Officer with the Western
Isles Alcohol and Drugs Partnership.
Denise has previous experience
of community consultations and
engagement in her previous career
as Partnership Manager within Social
Inclusion and Community Planning in
Glasgow prior to moving to the Island
in 2006.
MOVING ON UP
CONGRATULATIONS
Cath MacQuaide has recently joined
Podiatry for a six month contract as a
Podiatrist.
She previously worked as a Podiatrist
for the Birmingham East & North
Primary Care Trust and is looking
forward to exploring the Western Isles.
Irene Morrison started work as a
Dietetic Assistant in Western Isles
Hospital in October. Irene previously
worked in North Harris Medical Practice
and she has also worked in Broadbay
Medical Practice.
Susan Thomson recently started work
as a Health Visitor Assistant.
Jon Hodkin recently started work as
an Occupational Therapist based in
Western Isles Hospital.
Diane Morrison started work
as Administrative Support to the
Governance Team in October. Diane,
who is based in the Health Board
Offices, previously worked in Medical
Records.
Robert Macaskill began work
on September 14 2009 as an
Administration Assistant within the
Community Health and Social Care
Partnership, based at Springfield Road
Medical Centre. Robert was born
and brought up in Stornoway and has
worked within the public and private
sectors previously in similar roles.
Karen Toovey has recently taken on the
position of Lead Officer for Mental Health
and Adult Protection for Comhairle nan
Eilean Siar.
Karen commented: “My responsibilities
include ensuring all care agencies within
the Western Isles, including Health and
Social and Community services are,
at the very least, aware of the Act and
of their agencies, and themselves as
individual workers, responsibilities, to
report situations where they believe or
have concerns about an adult at risk
of abuse or an adult at risk of harming
themselves because of pressures from
another.”
Other responsibilities of the Lead Officer
will be to coordinate inquiries where
concerns have been raised regarding an
adult at risk, coordinate investigations
and risk assessments, set dates, plan
venues and prepare agendas for case
conferences, prepare Adult Protection
Plans and call regular reviews of these
plans.
Janette Murray has joined the
Professional Practice Development
Team (on a part-time basis) as a Clinical
Skills Instructor. Janette’s primary role
is to teach and supervise ward and
departmental nursing, midwifery and allied
health professionals to enable them to
achieve competence in a variety of clinical
skills. Janette still also works in A&E.
Stephen Moore recently returned to
NHS Western Isles after an extensive
travelling career break.
13
MOVING ON UP – CONGRATULATIONS
Good luck to Chris McLachlan who
is leaving the end of November to go
travelling to Australia for a year.
Jill Donnelly recently celebrated her
40th birthday party with her friends and
colleagues in the Thai cafe. Jill is a Health
Visitor Assistant linked to the Group
Practice. A very good time was had by all!
Janet Marshall recently joined Medical
Records as a Patient Services Officer.
Janet was previously employed as
the Administrative Support to the
Governance Team in the Health Board
Offices.
Congratulations to Angela Grant (Public
Health) who recently graduated with an
HNC Working with Communities.
Congratulations to Mags Macleod (nee
Martin) who got married in October.
Mags, who is a domestic in the Health
Centre, Springfield Road, is pictured on
her hen night…sorry Mags!
14
Congratulations to Jennifer
Macdonald who has completed
her Post Graduate Diploma in Infection
Control. Jennifer was also successful
in securing the permanent post of
Infection Control Nurse.
Mairi Campbell is set to start as a Senior
Charge Nurse in Barra covering the
hospital and the community in January
2010. Mairi is currently a Practice Nurse in
Clach Mhile Surgery, Barra.
Congratulations to Derek and Jane
Macleod (nee Maciver) who got
married on June 5 in Carloway Free
Church. Jane works in Public Health
intelligence, based in the Health
Board Offices in Stornoway. Further
congratulations are due to the happy
couple who are expecting a baby in
May 2010.
Improving the patient journey through a Single Shared Assessment
The Single Shared Assessment
Practitioners Group, a subgroup of the Western Isles Data
Sharing Partnership, recently
hosted a briefing event looking
at the relevance of Outcomes
Focussed Assessment, and
Care Planning and Review
utilising the Talking Points
approach to information gathering. The Group was delighted
that Winona Samet from the
Joint Improvement Team, was
able to come up to the Western
Isles to facilitate these four days
of workshops and discussion.
The Community Health and
Social Care Partnership
(CHaSCP) has already adopted
the Community Care Outcomes
Framework approach, which
is based on the individual
outcomes for service users
and their carers and they aim
to use this approach within
the Data Sharing Partnership,
whilst developing the electronic
Single Shared Assessment
Tool. This tool will provide the
Funding
for the
Voluntary
Sector
NHS Western Isles is
committed to working with
its partners in the voluntary
sector to improve the lives
of the people it serves.
The level of voluntary
service throughout the
islands is almost certainly,
per capita, well in excess
of that provided elsewhere
in the country and
recent care commission
reports on a number of
voluntary sector service
providers have classed
the services they provide
as excellent. NHS Western
Isles recognises that the
voluntary services provide
cost effective services,
and is happy to be able to
support them through the
development of Service
Level Agreements.
At a recent meeting of the
CHaSCP Management
Team, six monthly activity
reports received from
voluntary sector service
providers were considered,
and it was agreed to
release the second of two
six monthly payments
to a number of service
providers.
ability to share information
electronically between Health
and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
practitioners to ensure that both
agencies will have the most
up-to-date picture of recent
assessments carried out on
patients and clients, even if they
were done by partner agencies.
What this briefing session has
highlighted is that the eSSA
tool should compliment the
Outcomes Approach and we
will be working towards that
goal.
Practitioners from Health, Social
and Community Care and the
voluntary sector attended the
briefing days which were held
for the first two days in Stornoway (see photograph), followed
by two days in Uist.
The first day began with a
welcome from Iain Macaulay,
Director of Social and Community Services. Chair of the
Health Board, John Angus
Mackay provided the welcome
on the second day in Stornoway. In Uist the welcome was
provided by Andrew Walker
from Social and Community
Services and Mary Mackenzie,
Team Lead for South Uist Community Nurses.
We are currently doing an
analysis of the feedback forms
that everyone who attended
has completed, but the
response from the practitioners
was very positive and we hope
to further develop this way of
working.
Christine Chlad
Supporting patients to manage their conditions
The overall aim of the Long Term
Conditions (LTC) Collaborative
Programme is to improve the
quality and range of care and
experience for patients - in
particular, allowing patients to
manage their conditions more
effectively. The resulting goal
is to improve health outcomes
for these patients, reduce their
requirements to use secondary
care services and, as a byproduct, reduce unnecessary
demands on acute services.
This includes:
• Shifting the balance of care
where appropriate from
hospital to community
• Optimising quality of life for
patients, carers and families
• Reducing preventable hospital
admissions and length of stay
• Increasing the involvement
and influence of patients in the
decision making process
• Improving communication
• Improving local access to
quality services ensuring
seamless care for people with
LTCs
These objectives can be
achieved by working through
Managed Clinical Networks
(MCNs) and using staff
improvement tools and
resources supported by the
Improvement Support Team to
build capability and capacity to
progress sustainable change.
The three work steams that
are used to improve the
management of long term
conditions are as follows:
Self Management
This involves encouraging
people to take decisions and
make choices that improve
their health, wellbeing and
health related behaviours. It
can be viewed in two ways: as
a portfolio of techniques and
tools, and as a fundamental
transformation of the
relationship between the person
living with a long term condition
and their caregiver into a
collaborative partnership.
Condition Specific
Management
Within NHS Western Isles, a
number of MCNs provide and
support condition-specific
initiatives, management
programmes and standards of
care. Examples of these include
the Diabetes MCN which has
offered Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy; the Coronary Heart
Disease MCN which introduced
a Heart Failure Nursing Service;
and the Stroke MCN which
developed the Stroke Unit. In
General Practice, the Quality
and Outcomes Framework
within the General Medical
Services (GMS) contract
has encouraged the use of
accurate disease registers and
frequent planned follow-up of
many people with long term
conditions.
The LTCC Programme will
facilitate a number of new
and innovative approaches to
optimise specialist care within
a generalist arena, with the aim
of preventing exacerbation of
conditions, the deterioration of
the patient, and enabling people
living with a long term condition
to achieve and maintain the best
quality of life.
Complex Care
NHS Scotland recommends
system change to deliver
an integrated, coordinated
and preventative health and
social care system, especially
for people with long term
conditions. Care management
has been highlighted as
essential for people with
complex or frequently or rapidly
changing needs.
Good quality practice that
supports holistic assessments
and user and carer participation
is the key to better outcomes
and the first step in developing
appropriate care and support
plans. Regular discussions at
multi-disciplinary team meetings
within GP practices or other
settings enable health and social
care practitioners to reassess
individual care plans, address
any gaps in a collaborative way,
and make more effective use of
the local team and services.
15
New Office Bearers for
Locality Planning Groups
Lochs Locality Planning
Group has recently appointed
a number of office bearers
who are enthusiastic about
taking forward the aims of
the group. Pictured right are
Annie Macdonald (Chair),
Maggie Smith, (Secretary),
Don Alasdair Smith (Treasurer)
and Ann Moqbel (CHaSCP
Committee Representative).
The group have decided to
hold most of their meetings
during the winter months, and
hope to put on an interesting
series of meetings to tempt
people away from their
fireplaces! Guest speakers
invited to future meetings
include the Community
Fire Safety Officer, and staff
from the Health Promotion
Department.
Jen Ellis (pictured left) has
recently joined the Stornoway
and Greater Broadbay
Locality Planning Group as
the treasurer. At the meeting
of the Locality Planning
Group held in Laxdale Hall
recently, the group discussed
Working in
partnership
to solve
transportation
issues
The second Transport Seminar
was held on October 21
in the Council Chambers.
This was well attended with
colleagues joining us from
Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra.
There were representatives
from the Council, Voluntary
Organisations, the Scottish
Ambulance Service and the
Western Isles Health Board.
It was agreed that the group
should be looking at a more
integrated approach using
shared resources. This would
enable us to provide a more
flexible service.
Colleagues in the Council and
Voluntary Organisations have
vehicles which could be used
to transport patients to and
from medical appointments. A
meeting will take place in the
near future to discuss how we
can share these resources.
A number of the issues raised
during the last seminar in June
have now been resolved and
good progress is being made
in a number of areas.
There will be another seminar
on December 10 at 2pm in
the Clinical Skills Area of the
Western Isles Hospital with
video link to Uist and Barra. If
you would like to attend please
contact Jennifer Ellis at jennifer.
ellis1@nhs.net or telephone
01851 703545 ext 239.
16
their constitution, the clinical
strategy, the dental centre
project and parking issues.
For further details check
the CHaSCP website. www.
chascp.org.uk
Shared
Lives
Dementia: Independence
or Dependency?
Training on Dementia took
place in Uist on September
28, and in Stornoway on
September 29 for health and
social care staff. The training
focused on types of dementia,
effective communication and
practical advice on developing
a meaningful working
partnership with the person
concerned.
The training was facilitated
by Jim Kilgour (pictured) who
started his career in care as a
nurse for people with learning
disabilities; working for a few
years as a Charge Nurse.
Jim moved to Social Work and
care of the elderly, becoming
a Deputy Manager and then
a Unit Manager for many
years. During this time he
began to specialise in working
with people with dementia,
developing a wide range of
services to meet the needs of
the individual.
Jim also began to develop
his knowledge base through
contact with the Dementia
Services at Stirling University
and he continues to be
involved in training with
the centre. He studied at
postgraduate level and then at
Masters level completing his
MSc in Dementia Studies.
He still works with people with
dementia, whether in the early
stages or through to more
advanced stages in a variety of
community settings.
The training was well received
by all those who attended in
Uist and Stornoway.
The Social and Community
Services Department of the
Comhairle recently invited
representatives from Shared
Lives (formerly known as ‘Adult
Placement’) to the Western
Isles to progress discussions
on the success of Shared Lives
schemes in other parts of the
country.
Anne Fernie (Project Officer –
NAAPS – National Association
of Adult Placement Schemes,
Scotland) and John Dickinson
(Head of NAAPS, UK) visited
Residential and Day Care
services for adults within
Stornoway and also met with
Community Care and Allied
Health Professionals during
their trip.
Shared Lives offers
opportunities for inclusive
day care and living options
within family homes and can
range from short breaks to that
of long term arrangements.
Anne and John have agreed
to return early in 2010 and
will be involved then in
wider consultation across
the Western Isles, including
meeting with representatives of
locality planning groups.
Anne has forwarded reports,
information bulletins and a
PowerPoint presentation which
are available for those who
have interest in finding out
more about what Shared Lives
can offer. You can receive this
by contacting Paul Dundas,
Adult Services Manager
on 01851 703043 or paul.
dundas@cne-siar.gov.uk
The children learning
about dementia.
Intense concentration
during the ‘Brain Game’.
The Big Parachute Game
went down well!
Raising children’s awareness of dementia
A special event was held in
Daliburgh to raise children’s
awareness of dementia, which
more than 90 children attended.
The event was held in June
at the Sacred Heart House in
Daliburgh, and all the pupils and
teaching staff from Daliburgh
School were invited to the fun
day.
After being welcomed to Sacred
Heart House by Christine
MacInness (the Manager),
the children participated
in an information session
where they heard all about
dementia and the impact that
it has on people’s lives. This
was followed by a range of
short sessions which aimed
to illustrate activities that can
As part of its commitment to
encourage members of the
public, partner organisations,
professionals and staff from
around the Western Isles
to become more involved
in the planning, redesign
and delivery of services
and care more effectively
through strengthened joint
working, members of the
Community Health and Social
Care Partnership (CHaSCP)
Management Team recently
travelled to Barra and held a
number of useful meetings.
Arriving on Barra to be greeted
by some typical Western Isles
weather, the Management
Team wasted no time (once
we had established how the
windscreen wipers on the hire
car worked!) in driving down
to Castlebay for a meeting
be used with those who have
dementia. The children took part
in some outdoor activities such
as skittles and big parachute
games (pictured), and other
activities that were more
mentally challenging such as
the ‘Big Brain Academy’ using
the Nintendo Wii and also some
more traditional puzzles like
crosswords and word searches
with a dementia theme.
Some of the older children had
the opportunity to spend a little
time with residents of Sacred
Heart House while they were
enjoying a showing of some
archive films of the Uists, which
were kindly loaned for the day
by Ray Burnett.
The group then had a relaxing
treat in the sensory stimulation
area which had been set up
specifically for the day. It was so
well received by all that it was
left there for the use of residents
over the following few days.
Depending on the outcome
of this little trial period, staff in
Sacred Heart House might well
be looking for support in some
fundraising activities to establish
a permanent sensory area
there…so watch this space!
Feedback from the day was
extremely positive, with the
children enjoying the day
and also gaining ‘a better
understanding of dementia’
and ‘more ideas of what to
do to help people who have
dementia’.
Involving the public
in service delivery
with the Barra and Vatersay
Locality Planning Group. At that
meeting, we discussed progress
with St Brendan’s and the care
home for the people of Barra
and Vatersay.
The following morning we paid
a visit to Cobhair Bharraigh
where we were able to view
the impressive renovation and
extension that has recently
been completed. After a tour
of the building and informal
discussions with some of the
care staff, the Management
Team had a more formal
discussion with the project coordinator and office manager
on future funding arrangements
and service developments.
We then had the opportunity
to look around both the Care
Home and St. Brendan’s. Next
stop was a lightening visit to
the Northbay Garden where
Peigi Maclean introduced us to
service users and volunteers
who were spending the day
indoors making chutney, using
produce grown in the garden.
The chutney smelt lovely, but
unfortunately was still too hot for
us to bring some away with us!
CHaSCP Committee
commenced at 12.30pm
back in the Council Offices in
The day ended with snacks,
prizes, certificates of attendance
and little packs of puzzles to
take home. The ‘goody bag’
also had an information leaflet
for parents about helping their
children to cope when someone
close to them has dementia.
The fun day was organised and
coordinated by the Dementia
Working Group (Uist and
Benbecula). Special thanks are
extended to Christine, and to
the staff and residents of Sacred
Heart House for opening their
home to the children and for all
their support on the day. Thanks
should also go to Katherine
Mathis and all the staff who
supported this very successful
event.
Castlebay; video linking to both
Balivanich and Stornoway.
The Committee discussed
the Mental Health Review,
and received an update on
the Clisham Project. They
were presented with the latest
statistics of the prevalence of
breast feeding in the Western
Isles, and discussed progress
with the CHaSCP’s Three
Year Development Plan.
Unfortunately, we ran out
of time, and had to ask Pat
Walsh to delay a presentation
on the implementation plan
for the Long Term Conditions
Collaborative until the next
meeting.
Just made it in time to catch
the plane back to Stornoway…
Briony Jones
CHaSCP Project Officer
17
Diabetic Foot Screening - A Step Ahead
‘Diabetic foot screening is the
cornerstone of good diabetic
foot care’. This is the message
that the Scottish Government
is promoting through the
development of a National Foot
Screening program.
In August, the Podiatry
Department (NHS Western
Isles) provided training sessions
for all GP practices in the
practical aspects of Diabetic foot
screening (see group photo).
The day was introduced by
Duncan Stang, the National
Diabetes Foot Co-ordinator for
Scotland, whose role involves
improving access to specialist
foot care services for those with
foot problems and working
to ensure the appropriate
stratification of foot risk in all
Left to right: Jane Findlater, Podiatry Manager Halifax; Sandra
Bates, Foot Care Technician; Morag Macleod, Foot Care
Technician and Rebecca Keane, Foot Care Technician.
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Health Care Professional. Agreed self
management plan. Provide written and
verbal education with emergency contact
numbers. Appropriate access to podiatrist
if/when required.
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people with diabetes, using the
online SCI-DC Foot Screening
Tool.
Duncan also assisted the
Podiatry team in the training of
a practical competency-based
assessment approach to diabetic
foot screening. The day was a
follow-up from previous training
in 2007 which was supported
by the local Diabetes Managed
Clinical Network (MCN). The
Western Isles was leading the
way in Diabetic foot screening
by providing training in support
of SIGN guideline 55 which
recommends annual screening
by a suitably trained health
care professional. The Podiatry
Department has provided
access to training for all Practice
Nurses. This helps improve
access to Podiatry services for
those patients that are at risk
of developing foot problems,
and ensures consistency in the
Diabetic foot risk stratification
and triage supported by the
Scottish Diabetes Foot Action
Group.
AHP Placement Project
This training helped further
develop our Foot-care Technician
Morag Macleod, who is involved
in the NHS Education for
Scotland national AHP Support
Worker Placement Pilot Project,
which is led locally by Rhoda
Mackay, the AHP Practice
Education Facilitator (PEF).
This project is aimed at role
and skills development of AHP
support workers to undertake
and develop extended roles and
release capacity for professional
staff to undertake other duties.
Morag went on a placement
to Halifax for a week in August
(see photo, left) and took part
in their competency-based
training program in Diabetic
foot screening for Foot-care
Technicians. This was followed
up with some practical hands
on experience of screening
and shadowing two Foot-care
Technicians.
Morag commented: “It was a
very interesting experience and
I learnt new skills and saw how
other podiatry departments work.
There were slight differences
between Scottish and English
guidelines in the management
of diabetic foot care. I thoroughly
enjoyed myself and hope
other support workers get the
opportunity to have similar
learning experiences.”
Morag is now training to achieve
her practical competencies in
Diabetic foot screening which will
enhance her scope of practice to
include Diabetic foot screening
within her own caseload.
‘Full of Life’
A series of successful dance taster sessions were held in October
by NHS Western Isles in the Bridge Centre, Stornoway.
The ‘Mature Movers’ (50+) sessions - which included Belly Bolly
Dance (a little belly dancing and Bollywood moves); Gentle Jazz
(different jazz routines to well-known songs); and Gentle Salsa
(a gentle hip swaying dance class) – attracted a large number of
participants. The sessions were led by Kirsty Anderson.
Senior Health Promotion Officer Sara Aboud commented: “The
classes were well attended and the feedback was extremely
positive. The sessions were designed to be gentle and relaxing,
improving co-ordination, flexibility and fitness in a friendly and
welcoming environment.”
To coincide with the UN
International Day for Older
People, UK Older People’s
Day took place on October 1
2009. The event provided the
opportunity to tackle outdated
stereotypes around ageing
by bringing people of all ages
together.
Under the banner of ‘Full of
Life’, events were held in local
communities across the Western
Isles on or around this date. In
the Uists, demonstrations of
Tai Chi, cooking on a budget
and the art of screen painting
took place at Balivanich Hall.
A ceilidh evening with music,
singing and country dancing
demonstrations also took place.
An information point covering
issues such as healthy eating,
food labelling, information
about discounts at the sports
centre, and information/leaflets
on health issues and screening
programmes were also
available. There was also an
abundance of information on
courses/evening classes and
volunteering opportunities.
In Stornoway ‘Mature Movers’
taster dancing classes took
place (see photo) and a number
of displays giving information
and advice on issues relating to
Older People were set up. The
display of information at Western
Isles Hospital proved to be
particularly popular with leaflets
disappearing quickly and having
to be restocked several times.
Introducing the NOVA project
For several years Penumbra
has provided community
based mental health services
to people in the Western Isles.
Due to changes in the needs
of service users, the re-design
of the existing service was
undertaken in partnership with
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Community Care Services in
order to create a service that
is more efficient; whilst at the
same time achieving more
recovery-focused outcomes for
service users.
The service has now been
re-launched as the Western
Isles NOVA Project. The service
is responsive to the needs
of service users with support
staff engaging in a variety of
activities that promote social
inclusion. All those who use
the service have a personal
recovery plan that identifies
their individual personal
objectives. The main function
of the service is to facilitate
and enable people with mental
health problems to improve
their self-management skills,
and promote their social
inclusion and recovery in
every way possible. This
involves empowering service
users to develop self-support
mechanisms and engage
effectively with community
activities in order to live a
confident and independent life.
The service is designed to
facilitate the ‘fade in, fade out’
approach that can increase
support at times of greater
need, but in turn reduces or
stops at times where support is
no longer required. The service
is designed to be time-limited
and only continues if clear
objectives are agreed through
the review process. Critical to
the process is that those who
use the service are clear from
the outset that they have a
responsibility to work toward
their goals, but that the service
will deliver support where
required.
The range of service users
includes a significant proportion
with severe mental health
problems. Where someone
has the involvement of a care
manager or a community
mental health nurse, there
is a close collaboration with
that professional to ensure a
consistent approach.
FLEXIBILITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY
The ‘fade in and fade out’
model of support that has been
agreed with the Comhairle’s
Community Care Services
enables staff to provide more
support to service users at
times of greater need and
to reduce support levels
when appropriate; therefore
providing greater efficiency and
effectiveness. This approach
requires flexibility within the
individual support packages,
rather than services purchased
at a fixed number of hours per
week. Situations where service
users are over-supported are
avoided, and opportunities to
promote independence are
created. This approach also
enables flexibility within the
service and therefore increased
access to new service users
who need the service.
Further information and advice available from:
Drinkline 08009 178282
Lifestyle 01851 701010
Bridge Project 01870 610737
Substance Misuse Co-ordinator 01851 701585
Substance Misuse Co-ordinator 01870 603279
Alcohol Development Officer 01870 603366
Drug Development Officer 01851 702712
The Western Isles Alcohol Drug Partnership would
like to take the opportunity to say
Nollaig Chridheil Agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur
19
Western Isles Hospital reception staff and Overnight Community
Nurses.
Margretta Macleod, Lesley Slaughter and Karen France (Nutrition
and Dietetic Department).
The Emergency Services Ball held on
October 30 exceeded all expectations
with a full turn out of stunning gowns
and smart kilts. Well done to the
organisers who managed to raise
£3,500 for three local charities - RNLI
Stornoway, Deaf Club Stornoway and
Breast Cancer Research Stornoway.
You shall go to the ball!
Yvonne Macmillan and Moira MacDonald (Medical 2).
Staff from the Health Board Offices.
20
Richard Galloway (Referral to Treatment Project Officer) and Kay
Magee (Dental Receptionist).
Susan Macaulay, A&E, and
Moira Macaulay, Western Isles
Hospital Reception.
NHS Brainy
Bunch!
An NHS team scooped first
prize in this year’s Men’s
Health Forum annual Quiz
Night at Stornoway Golf Club.
The event, held on November
13 2009, attracted nearly 40
teams this year. The
winners were Lachlan
Mac Pherson, Eric MacDonald,
George Macleod and John
Lyon - collectively known as
‘Reduce Poverty Now – make
chocolates cheaper’.
The highest female team
(T Birds) were also from NHS
Western Isles and came in fifth
place.
A commitment to further protect
patients from interruptions
during mealtimes has been
made by staff at Uist and Barra
Hospital, who have extended
protected mealtimes.
Focusing on the needs of
patients in the hospital, the
decision has been taken to
extend the time the ward is
closed to visitors, to avoid
unnecessary and avoidable
interruptions and to enable staff
to provide patients with support
and assistance with meals
– placing food first at mealtimes.
Visiting times in Uist and Barra
Hospital are therefore open,
apart from during protected
mealtimes.
The ward is now closed to
visitors for the following periods:
• 8.30am-9am
• 12noon-2pm (extended from
current period of 12.30pm1pm)
• 5.30pm-6pm
Senior Charge Nurse, Uist
and Barra Hospital, Margaret
Macdonald, explained: “There is
a quiet time after lunch between
12noon and 2pm so that patients
can rest after lunch. Visitors
should check with nursing staff
if it is suitable to visit in the
morning.
“Providing protected meal times
and a rest period emphasises
the importance we place on
mealtimes and rest as part of
the care and treatment provided
for our patients. However,
each patient will be assessed
individually, and if the nursein charge believes that it is
beneficial for close relatives/
friends to visit outside these
times, exceptions will be made.”
(Photo courtesy of the Stornoway Gazette)
Continued commitment
to high quality
nutritional care
Welcoming new premises for support group
After five years on Cromwell
Street, the Lewis and Harris
Breast Cancer Support Group
has moved to welcoming new
premises in the town centre.
The Group, which has been
providing invaluable support
services for women across the
islands for 12 years, held a
special event on November 6
to mark the opening of the new
premises on Kenneth Street.
Convenor of the Lewis and
Harris Breast Cancer Support
Group, Mary Macleod stated:
“We provide support and
information to people who have
experienced a breast cancer
diagnosis and treatment,
including their families and
friends,” she explained. “This
applies especially to the Group
membership which currently is
in the range of between 35 and
40 ladies.
“We also provide ‘Looking
Forward’ courses for ladies
who have had a breast cancer
diagnosis and treatment. We
have provided at least 24
sessions with approximately
12 patients per session since
2001.”
Mary also explained that the
Group runs Breast Health
Promotion Workshops during
the month of October each year
for Breast Cancer Awareness
Month; and is also a Patient
Advisory Group to Cancer Care
Research Centre at Stirling
University to support research
into experiences during
breast cancer diagnosis and
treatment.
“A Cancer Focus Group was
set up two years ago, led by
Gill Chadwick, the MacMillan
Lead Cancer Nurse for NHS
Western Isles where some of
our group, and members of the
Men’s Cancer Support Group,
meet to discuss and develop
projects,” Mary added. “We
recently developed ‘Breaking
Bad News’ and ‘So now I know
I have cancer’ which are leaflets
to offer advice and support
(the latter being the basis of
nationwide use).”
Communities Networks
Coordinator for MacMillan
Cancer Support in Scotland,
Alan Gow, who officially
opened the new Drop-in
Centre, spoke about the drive,
determination and ambition of
the local Support Group, and
congratulated the members on
all they have achieved.
NHS Western Isles Chief
Executive Gordon Jamieson
commended the Group for
providing an invaluable support
service, before updating
members of the Group on the
progress of the Board’s Clinical
Strategy.
“The contribution that groups
such as the Lewis and Harris
Breast Cancer Group make
to providing patients and their
families with much needed
support and information cannot
be overestimated,” he said.
“We will continue to work in
partnership with voluntary
agencies so that together we
can best serve the population
of the Western Isles.”
(At a fashion show held by
M&Co on the evening of
November 5, a total of £1,016
was raised for the Lewis and
Harris Breast Cancer Support
Group)
21
Bristling success for ‘Movember’
Norma Macleod, Healthy
Working Lives Coordinator,
has been encouraging
workplaces in the Western
Isles to support employees
to grow moustaches to raise
awareness of prostate and
testicular cancer.
And all across the Western
Isles, men are taking up the
challenge! To date around 100
men have decided to fashion
the fuzz including Royal Mail,
Talk Talk, Comhairle nan Eilean
Siar, NHS, Neil MacKay &
Co, ACE Electrical, Cal Max,
Legion, Airport Fire Service
(Benbecula), HIE Data Centre
(Uist) and many more.
Several participants at the
Update on ‘the Green team’
How do you mos t c ommonly tra v el to your pla c e of work ?
Walk
11%
Bicycle
1%
Car share
4%
Bus
3%
Private car
81%
Other
3%
Pool/ lease car
0.5%
Aeroplane and car
0.5%
Depends on weather
(car, bike or walk)
0.5%
Taxi
0.5%
Mos t common method of travel between NHS buildings ?
Car share
13%
Walk
12%
Ferry/Air Travel
3%
Don’t travel to other
locations
10%
Other
7%
Pool/ lease car
2%
Bus 1%
Private car
58%
22
Taxi 1%
Battle of the Sexes Quiz
Night were also sporting a
dodgy array of moustaches
in their quest to support
‘Movember’ and raise money
and awareness of Prostate and
Testicular Cancer.
Norma commented: “As
word went round, men
were persuading their friends
A big thank you to all of those
staff who took time out to
complete the survey of Staff
Travel Habits. It revealed that
there are plenty of staff out
there with an appetite to reduce
the need for cars, and adopt
greener behaviours, but that
the rural location of our homes
and workplaces remain a huge
challenge in reducing travel.
Perhaps one of the easiest
ways to reduce staff travel is to
encourage car sharing. More
than 50% of staff said they would
consider car-sharing, and it is
hoped that we can develop
the current intranet system to
be more effective in helping
this to happen. However, 48%
didn’t want to share, or simply
considered it to be impractical
due to different working patterns.
(Whilst some just seemed
adverse to the invasion of their
personal space stating reasons
such as ‘possible bad odours!’).
The Carbon Management Team
has formed to look at three
main areas in which our green
credentials can be improved
– energy, recycling and waste,
and travel. The group were visited
by Robert Sinclair from Hebrides
Alpha who spoke about the
recycling initiatives they currently
offer and most particularly – one
they hope to run in the future. This
would involve collecting waste
cardboard from organisations
to join their teams and the
figure just grew and grew, it’s
been fantastic to see all these
men prepared to change their
looks for a month, knowing
they are raising money at the
same time, so if you see lots of
unusual moustaches, it’s not a
new fashion statement; it’s just
men doing their bit for Prostate
Cancer Charity.”
such as NHS Western Isles and
turning it into ‘Eco-Bricks’ which
can be sold to use as fuel in open
fires in the same way as logs and
coal. I have an example brick
on my desk at the Health Board
Offices and it’s proved a talking
point! In fact, there are already
some people doing this on a small
scale with cheap kits available
from retailers in which you use
paper from your own home
shredding machine.
The group is also considering
how best to collect and segregate
different types of waste. The main
issue to be resolved is the lack of
storage space for different bins
within wards and offices, and also
how the waste will be collected.
NHS Western Isles hopes to work
in conjunction with the Comhairle
to develop better recycling within
the organisation. However, rather
than simply working out how to
use our waste more effectively,
we also want to try and cut
down on it. Ideas currently in the
pipeline include encouraging
the use of laptops and ‘ebooks’
for Board committees to save
printing off paper. These are just
small measures, but often it’s the
smallest things like making sure
that lights, machinery and heating
that is not needed is switched
off that can make the biggest
difference.
Joanna Wright
Chief Executive’s Office
Stephen snorkelling,
Coral Bay.
‘Moore’ updates on
Stephen’s travels…
(Stephen Moore recently returned to NHS Western
Isles after travelling far and wide. Below is a continuation of Stephen’s experiences, following on from the
last update in the Spring edition of Slàinte.)
Stephen rafting in New Zealand!
Blue-tipped shark.
After an amazing time
journeying across parts of
Canada, from Newfoundland
and Labrador to Vancouver,
followed by a brief spell in
Arctic Norway, I decided to
head south for Christmas
(2008) and the New Year
(2009), flying to Darwin,
Australia via Singapore.
After a couple of days in
‘tropical’ Darwin, which was
very hot and humid, I joined
a group to journey across
the top of Australia, taking
me from Darwin to Perth.
Our journey would take three
weeks and cover approximately
10,000km. Travelling in a large
4WD truck (with intermittent
air conditioning), sleeping out
under the stars in ‘Swag bags’
and swimming two to three
times a day in beautiful gorges
and rivers just to stay cool.
This was an action packed
trip, hiking, swimming, and
camping. Walking into the
mountain ranges, through
small rivers and caves (some
with crocodiles!) and across a
meteorite crater, to name but
a few.
Highlights? Many, but
probably…
The ‘Bungle Bungle’ (Purnululu
National Park) a surreal
landscape of eroded dome
shaped hills. Millions of years
old, which just appear literally
in the middle of nowhere.
The temperature reached 50
degrees Celsius when we were
in the ‘Bungle Bungle’.
Then the drama of getting our
vehicle stuck half way across
a river (the Ivanhoe Crossing),
when attempting a night time
river crossing of a croc infested
river. Shining torches on the
water, looking for eyes! Whilst
‘Matt’ our guide put rocks
under the wheels of the truck to
help us get some traction; this
was the only time we saw Matt
our ‘chilled’ Aussie guide get
just a little flustered! (Not that
we should have been crossing
the river at night, but that’s an
altogether different story!)
Attending the premiere of the
latest James Bond Film in an
open air cinema at Broome,
shorts and tee shirts, sat in
deck chairs, eating curry, whilst
bats were flying over head!
Kayaking and snorkelling on
the reef at Coral Bay, Western
Australia. Coming face to face
with reef sharks, turtles and
thousands of fish.
In Perth, I spent a magical few
days with friends, Amanda
(who worked as a Podiatry
locum, when I first arrived
in the Western Isles, back in
1996), her husband Mitch and
daughters Emma and Zoe.
Then onto Adelaide to meet up
with another two ex-podiatry
locums Ann Barwick and Claire
McConnochie and their families
and friends (‘note to self’
– always recruit locums from
beautiful parts of the world!).
Then I took the train, the ‘Ghan’
from Adelaide to Alice Springs.
You really get the feel for the
vastness that is Australia when
you journey by train, two days
by train just to get to Alice
Springs.
Alice was the site of another
great adventure. With a local
guide, Adam, and just a small
group, we headed into the
‘Red Centre’ to Uluru (Ayers
Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas),
Watarrka (Kings Canyon)
and the MacDonnell Ranges.
Rainbow over Uluru, sun rise
over the Olgas, sunset in
the MacDonnell Ranges and
Stephen getting bitten by a
spider! Then the rains finally
arrived! We could hear from the
radio, highways getting closed
all around us, some highways
just simply got washed away.
We drove (approximately 70km)
out to a homestead, partly on
dirt track, partly ‘out bush’,
partly flooded road and partly
just ploughing through the
rivers themselves. ‘Awesome’.
Christmas and New Year was
always going to be a difficult
time for me, so I decided to
spend it in an amazing place
with complete strangers, so I
headed to New Zealand.
I caught up with friends
and past colleagues, Carol
Steadman (ex-rehab secretary)
and her husband in Auckland
and Meg Matthews (nee
Gordon, ex-Head of OT) and
her husband on their yacht in
Wellington.
Christmas Day morning was
spent on the shores of Lake
Taupo (the largest lake in
Australasia). On Christmas
Day we entered the Tongariro
National Park, hiking across old
larva flows, around volcanoes
and up to Oturere mountain
hut. Christmas night was spent
eating, drinking and playing
party games! But this time high
up in a mountain hut in the
shadows of volcanoes. This is
‘Lord of the Rings’ country.
Boxing Day was spent hiking
over the mountains, in and
around volcanoes in order to
complete the classic ‘Tongariro
Crossing’ through this
extraordinary World Heritage
Area.
The New Year was welcomed
in at a small bar in Fox Glacier
and I spent New Year’s Day
hiking up on this dramatic
glacier which is 13km long,
falls some 2600m. It makes
its journey from high up in the
Southern Alps to the temperate
rainforest just 250m above sea
level.
New Zealand lived up to its
reputation of stunning scenery
and high octane thrills, with
a combination of hiking,
camping, kayaking, white
water rafting, jet boating, plus
a helicopter taxi in the Mount
Aspiring National Park. Next
stop, South Africa, South
America and Antarctica…
Stephen Moore
23
Photo courtesy of the Stornoway Gazette.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon met
with Samaritans volunteers during her visit to the Western Isles for
the Board’s Annual Review in September.
New premises ‘testament’
to volunteers
Samaritans Western Isles
celebrated an extremely
positive step in September
when the charity’s new
premises on Bayhead were
officially opened.
The celebrations took place
on September 11, when
National Chair of Samaritans
UK, Sophie Andrews, travelled
north to cut the ribbon and
officially open wide the branch
doors. Ms Andrews described
the new premises as ‘a
real testament’ to the local
volunteers who have achieved
so much despite being a small
group.
Available 24 hours a day to
provide confidential emotional
support for people who are
experiencing feelings of
distress - including those
which may lead to suicide
- the Samaritans’ vision is for a
society in which fewer people
die by suicide, people are able
to explore their feelings and to
acknowledge and respect the
feelings of others.
As the smallest branch in
the UK, the opening of the
Samaritans Western Isles
premises marks a milestone
in the branch’s history. The
branch now boasts nearly 20
volunteers and is entering a
new phase of helping others
through a new face-to-face
service soon to be introduced.
Samaritans Westerns
Isles Chair, Emelin Collier,
commented: “The listening and
email service we offer is on
a national network, therefore
we’re dealing with people from
as far afield as Devon, County
Antrim in Ireland, and even
some transatlantic emails.
“With the new premises, which
were secured with funding
from the Choose Life suicide
initiative, we are able to now
offer a weekly drop-in face-toface service. We will also be
arranging a Suicide Survivors
Group for those bereaved
or traumatised by suicide as
grieving over a suicide is often
very different and difficult.”
Emelin also paid tribute
to those who give up their
Developing healthy initiatives
NHS Western Isles is receiving
funding over three years to
develop initiatives around
Breast Feeding, Child Nutrition
and the National Healthy Start
Programme.
As part of this, a Public Health
and Nutrition three day course
was recently held at the
Coastguard Station Training
Room, which 115 people
attended. This included Health
Visitors, and their colleagues
and partners from the Childcare
Partnership, members of the
Dietetics Department and
Health Promotion staff.
The course is designed for
people interested in the
practical application of nutrition.
It is ideal for those who have
done some nutrition training
24
in the past, but need to be
brought up to date with current
issues and thinking. The course
merits two HCIMA (Hotel
Catering and International
Management Association)
membership points and
contributes to ongoing
professional development.
Chair of the Early Years
Working Group, Tina Burgess,
commented: “We were
extremely fortunate to have Dr
Marnie Summerville from the
Nutrition Training Company
delivering the course and
hope that she will be able to
return next year to deliver the
Diploma in Nutrition and Public
Health, which is designed
for senior personals to build
on knowledge gained in the
Certificate Course. The course
is considered by the Royal
Environmental Health Institute
of Scotland as the baseline
qualification for teaching the
elementary course.”
All the participants will take the
2.5 hour exam and some may
go on to study for the Diploma
in Nutrition and Health. The
course has been so popular
and relevant to the Early Years
HEAT (Health Improvement,
Efficiency, Access, Treatment)
Targets that it is hoped to offer
the course in the next financial
year as part of the three year
funding initiative.
For more information, please
contact Tina Burgess at the
Health Promotion Department
on 702712.
own time to make time for
those who desperately need
someone to talk to.
She said: “In a community
like ours, suicide is a tragic
problem and the Samaritans is
the only organisation available
to people 24/7, every day of
the year. The commitment and
involvement of our volunteers
has always been strong in the
Branch and it’s a core group
that have kept the whole thing
going.”
Travel Discount
for NHS Western
Isles staff
A five per cent discount on
package holidays is being
offered to NHS Western Isles
staff.
Thomas Cook on Cromwell
Street is offering staff a
discount on all Thomas
Cook Package Holidays for
Winter and Summer 2010.
This also includes Sunset,
Manos, TC Signature, 1830 and Style Holidays. It
covers all destinations, with
the exception of Cruises and
Worldwide operators such as
Kuoni and Virgin.
Staff should present their NHS
Western Isles Identification
Cards to qualify for the
discount.
Special Recognition
to Heart Failure Nurse
Heart Failure Nurse Debra
Vickers reached the final
stages of this year’s
prestigious Scottish Health
Awards.
Debra was shortlisted for
the Heart Care award after
colleagues nominated her in
recognition of her outstanding
contribution to developing
heart failure services for local
patients.
She was appointed to the
Western Isles Cardiovascular
Community team in 2007 and
set up a heart failure service,
which has grown to over
100 clients from across the
Western Isles. Debra has built
the dedicated team of two parttime nurses and administrative
support staff and developed
a new training package which
is being implemented. The
new heart failure service has
been well received by local
consultants and GPs who can
now refer patients for expert
treatment and advice.
Debra and her team joined the
other finalists at a gala award
ceremony at the Edinburgh
Corn Exchange in November.
Whilst the team unfortunately
didn’t scoop the top prize,
being shortlisted itself was an
honour. The top prize went to
Janet McKay from Ayrshire and
Arran.
Chief Executive Gordon
Jamieson said: “This itself
was testament to, and special
recognition of the efforts of
Debra and her team.”
BHF Nurses, Debra Vickers, Margaret Paterson and Jane
MacAulay
Health Board
staff in the
pink
Improving knowledge and skills
The learning network of all
staff involved in planning
and delivering learning and
development to NHS Western
isles staff met together for an
away day on October 30.
The team had a facilitated
discussion and various
workshops on the future
provision of learning and
development activities across
our service areas. We now
have an agreed action plan
to take this forward in a
structured and responsive
way to assist in meeting the
learning needs of all our staff.
Topics discussed included
updating the learning and
development plan and activity
directory, the implementation
of a learning management
system and quality assurance
of educational materials. A
draft staff learning agreement
was also completed and this
will be considered by the
relevant committees before
ratification.
It is the aim of the group that
every staff member will have
access to information about
activities and materials to help
them improve their knowledge
and skills. By improving these
across the workforce we will
increase our recruitment and
retention of skilled staff, but
our main aim is to improve
the quality of health care we
provide for our population.
In this way we support our
NHS Western Isles quality
statement: ‘the best at what
we do’.
Mary McElligott
Professional Practice
Development Manager
More than £100 was
raised for the local
Breast Cancer Support
Group on Wear it Pink
Day (October 30) by
staff in the Health
Board Offices.
A number of staff
made a special effort
this year, with many
donning pink outfits,
some baking pink
cakes and buns… and
others taking it a step
further (see above
photo of Phil Tilley,
who dyed his beard
pink for the cause!).
Well done to all who
made a special effort,
to those who provided
a superb supply of
cakes, and to Phil who
was a fantastic sport!
25
New telehealth treatment
pathway for stroke patients
Pictured are those who attended the launch of the service in
the Western Isles: NHS Western Isles Coronary Heart Disease
and Stroke Managed Clinical Network Co-ordinator, Donella
Campbell; Elaine Macleod, Emergency Nurse Practitioner, NHS
Western Isles; Dr David Rigby, Chair of the Stroke Managed
Clinical Network; Jane Ferguson, Radiographer, NHS Western
Isles; Janette Murray, Staff Nurse, NHS Western Isles; Chris
McLachlan, Patient Services Officer, NHS Western Isles
(volunteer ‘patient’); Anne Duthie, Telestroke Programme
Manager, Scottish Centre for Telehealth; Interim Hospital Lead,
NHS Western Isles, Chrisanne Campbell; Senior Charge Nurse,
Erisort Ward, NHS Western Isles, Joan Frieslick; and Dr Jim
Ward, Medical Director, NHS Western Isles.
The link up to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
NHS Western Isles
recently launched a Stroke
Thrombolysis service as
one of the Clinical Strategy
‘early deliverables’. This is a
significant development as
it allows stroke patients to
receive a standard of care
previously only available in
larger stroke units.
The development is part of the
Scottish Telestroke Programme
facilitated by the Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and
the stroke managed clinical
networks across Scotland.
Chest Heart and Stroke
Scotland are funding the
evaluation of the Programme.
(For more information go
to: www.sct.scot.nhs.uk/
telestroke.html ).
Stroke Thrombolysis is a
treatment for breaking up clots
and is available to patients with
ischaemic stroke. All patients
presenting with symptoms
consistent with new onset
stroke of less than 4.5 hour
duration are considered for
treatment. The treatment
involves the administration
of a ‘clot-busting drug’. If
administered within a 4.5 hour
timeframe there is a one in
seven greater chance of living
independently. This is improved
to a one in two greater chance
if administration of the clot
busting drug can be performed
within one hour of the onset of
symptoms.
NHS Western Isles Coronary
Heart Disease and Stroke
Managed Clinical Network
Co-ordinator, Donella
Campbell explained:
“As stroke is a medical
emergency, ambulance
personnel radio in to the
Accident and Emergency
Department that they have
a patient with symptoms
consistent with new onset
stroke.
“A&E then page the oncall Stroke Consultant at
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and
the on-call local radiographer
in order to arrange an urgent
CT scan. The patient returns
to A&E following the scan. If
the scan and observations
show the patient may be
eligible for the clot busting
drug, the patient has a
video consultation with the
consultant and is able to view
everything that is happening
via a telehealth monitor. The
consultant is also able to
speak to relatives or carers
at the same time. A specialist
decision on treatment can
then be made.
“A&E staff and ambulance
staff have had training on
stroke thrombolysis and this
is ongoing. In addition, staff in
primary care are being made
aware of the new service and
the changes it means for the
response to a new stroke in
the community.”
Emergency exercises… be prepared!
YELLOW PERILS! Donna Macneil (CSN) and Elaine
MacLeod (A&E) are pictured trying out the new eye catching
decontamination suits as part of their decontamination training.
26
NICE HATS! Pictured during Exercise Thistle (a simulated plane
crash) are members of the Site Nursing Team, Erica Duffy, Donna
MacNeil, and Angela Urquhart (CSNs).
Leading Better Care
As part of Leading Better Care,
the senior charge nurses
from all island hospitals and
communities are completing
a development programme to
meet the competencies of the
new senior charge nurse job
description.
A main competence for
senior staff at this level
requires them to demonstrate
transformational leadership
and lead service improvement
initiatives. The group recently
attended a bespoke RCN
leadership programme with
other experienced staff. The
group will progress a variety
of projects over the next
eight months which will meet
criteria outlined in the service
improvement collaborative
plans and the clinical strategy.
This will involve working with
local and national staff to
improve patient services and
pathways of care and they will
be supported using facilitated
leadership action learning sets.
Both the Chief Executive
Gordon Jamieson and Interim
Nurse Director/Chief Operating
Officer Nigel Hobson
contributed to the course
programme on the first day
and wished the group well with
their identified projects.
Keep fit –
Shakira style!
Launch of the exhibition: pictured are William
Mackay, Peter Macleod, Angus Morrison, Kathryn
Chisholm (Occupational Therapist) and Jan
Schouten (Lewis Studio Photography).
‘The Light of Three’ shines bright
An exhibition organised by the
Western Isles Occupational
Therapy Service has been
received extremely well, and
there have been many positive
comments on the work.
‘The Light of Three’ was
a project which aimed to
use digital photography
to encourage creativity,
learning, social interaction
and inclusion. The launch of
the exhibition in An Lanntair,
featuring some stunning
photographs, took place in
October.
NHS Western Isles
Occupational Therapist
(Mental Health), Kathryn
Chisholm explained:
“Occupational Therapy is
based on the principle that
meaningful activity is central
to an individual’s health and
wellbeing. It can be delivered
on a one-to-one basis, or in
a group, and the OT digital
photography project ‘The Light
of Three’ is a good example of
the latter.
“The three participants have
been very committed to the
project and have produced a
high standard of photography.
The Occupational Therapy
service is grateful for all the
support and positive feedback
received from the group, their
families, friends, Lewis Studio
Photography and all those
who attended to view the
exhibition.”
The idea of plodding up
down on a treadmill in a room
full of noisy machinery isn’t
everyone’s cup of tea when
it comes to keeping fit. So
when I saw that some dancebased exercise classes were
being run in town, I roped in
a friend and signed us up for
a six-week run of ‘Dancercise’
– one of many different dances
classes being run by Kirstie
Anderson of Isles Dance.
The basic premise is that you
gradually learn fun aerobic
routines to a mix of songs
by building up steps and
sequences. Sounds easy
eh? Kirstie’s enthusiasm was
infectious and she made
us all feel at ease, although
just like the professionals on
Strictly Come Dancing she
made it look easy, when for
the less coordinated and
flexible (like me!) it was a bit of
a challenge. The first session
involved a lot of giggling and
limbs flinging everywhere
as we all tried to follow the
instructions and remember
which foot went first and what
your arms were supposed to
be doing. Gradually, through
repetition, everyone picked
up the routines and had a
really good workout. The best
thing about the class was that
it was a really enjoyable way
to exercise and no-one took
it too seriously. The music
was upbeat and in between
the jumping and kicking there
were plenty of excuses to
shake your bum and wiggle
your hips, and dream that you
looked every bit as good as
Shakira…
Jo Wright
Chief Executive’s Office
27
Growing links with Malawi
Since my last article for
Slàinte we have continued
to be in contact with the wee
school just outside Blantyre
in southern Malawi. The
link with Thantwe School
continues with Leverburgh
and Scalpay schools. This
has led to exchanges of
letters and photographs
between the children as well
as correspondence between
the head teachers. These
contacts between children from
such diverse communities are
invaluable and provide many
opportunities for learning.
The schools have also been
very active in fundraising,
gaining support from their local
communities. A specific activity
the children at Leverburgh have
completed is assembling back
pack bags for the Malawian
children (see photo).
This initiative is supported by
Mary’s Meals, an organisation
which transports the bags
to the relevant school and
also builds breakfast feeding
stations within the schools.
http://www.marysmeals.org
This concept may be similar to
the Scottish concept of school
breakfast clubs but in Malawi
this may be the only meal the
28
children receive all day.
I have been asked to commit to
raise £7,000 to build a feeding
station at Thantwe School.
Initially this will feed the 642
pupils registered there, but if
the children are fed a maize
porridge meal each morning
then other children will be
able to attend. Mary’s Meals
will organise the building and
purchase of equipment as well
as training the local parents
in running the feeding station.
Along with my Advanced Life
Support in Obstetrics (ALSO)
colleague Angela Wagstaff, I
have set up a ‘Just Giving’ web
page and I am delighted to
note that to date nearly £1,500
has been raised. This gives me
confidence that the £7,000 will
be achievable.
http://www.justgiving.com/
Mary-McElligott-ThantweSchool/
In addition to the initial building
we will seek sponsors to feed
each child for a year — the
cost of this is £6.15 annually,
which is such a small amount
of money to make a huge
difference to a child. Maybe
some staff will consider
contributing in this way?
Many of my local colleagues
have suggested ways of
fundraising to help us reach
these targets and if you would
like to assist or suggest
fundraising ideas then I will
be delighted to hear from
you. Suggestions include
bag packing at the local
supermarkets, donating to this
site instead of buying team
‘Secret Santa’ presents, or
various sponsored activities.
Thanks to all who have
supported my efforts to date
and I hope to see may of
you at future presentations.
Please feel fee to circulate the
website address to friends
and colleagues who may be
able to support this cause. I
will also be willing to provide
talks to interested groups so
please contact me if you wish
to discuss this further.
(Mary travelled to Malawi
again in November and she
plans to organise evening
presentations about her work
there. This will include how
the Medical and Midwifery
staff in Malawi are being
supported. The ALSO team
continues to teach emergency
obstetric management and
is now moving out into the
distant communities to spread
knowledge and skills.)
Mary McElligott
Professional Practice
Development Manager
mary.mcelligott@nhs.net
What’s on the menu
this Christmas?
Christmas Lunch Menu
The Christmas lunch for staff at the Western Isles Hospital will be
held on December 17 2009 within the main dining room with two
seatings at 12noon and 2pm.
The Uist and Barra Hospital lunch will be on December 21 with
seatings at 12.30pm and 2pm.
Tickets can be purchased from both dining rooms.
HEBRIDEAN SMOKED FISH CAKES
(Homemade smoked fish patties, pan fried with balsamic dressed
salad with lime, mint & coriander dressing)
SEASONAL FRUIT PLATTER
(Chilled selection of seasonal fruits with elderflower syrup &
raspberry coulis)
SELECTION OF CHILLED FRUIT JUICES
(Apple, Orange, Pineapple, Tomato or Cranberry)
WINTER WARMER
(Cream of tomato and basil soup topped with garlic croutons)
STUFFED FILLET OF ROAST TURKEY
(Turkey breast stuffed with pork, sage & onion stuffing,
coated in rich cranberry gravy)
POACHED SOLE ROULADE
(Stuffed with Scottish smoked salmon and leek puree,
coated in lemon and dill cream sauce)
MUSHROOM, SPINACH & MASCARPONE LASAGNE
(Chestnut & oyster mushrooms layered with spinach, lasagne
verde and mascarpone cheese sauce)
STAFF CHRISTMAS DANCE
This year’s Staff Christmas Dance will take place
on Friday December 18 2009
GLAZED BATON CARROTS
BUTTERED MANGE TOUT
ROAST BABY POTATOES
CREAMED POTATOES
9.30pm til late
(Entry strictly by ticket only - £3)
CRÈME BRULEE CHEESECAKE
(A creamy cheesecake on a sweet crunchy brandy snap base,
glazed with a caramelised sauce)
FLAMBEED CHRISTMAS PUDDING
(Served with lashings of brandy sauce)
ICED MISTLETOE
(Creamy white vanilla ice cream drenched in hot butterscotch
sauce)
To book your ticket, contact Angela,
Janet or Tina at the Health Board Ofﬁces
on Ext: 3033, 3044, or 3031)
Earl Gray Tea, Colombian Filter Coffee
Mincemeat Pies
A sumptuous 5-course meal all for £9.90, also a free raffle
at
Stornoway Golf Club
with ‘Cheap Shotz’
Staff commit to
kick the habit!
A ‘fantastic response’ has
been received from staff
within Western Isles Hospital,
who have come forward with
an interest in trying to QUIT
smoking.
Kathryn MacIver from the
Smoking Cessation Service
is encouraged by the
commitment from staff to kick
the habit. There are currently
19 staff at varying stages of the
quitting process and several
others have appointments
arranged. Kathryn will continue
to raise awareness of the
support to stop smoking that is
currently available throughout
the Western Isles.
The service is planning to link
in with Occupational Health
and provide Brief Intervention
training to all staff in the
hospital over the next few
months; giving invaluable
support towards improving
staff confidence in the referral
process of patients who smoke
and the undisputable benefits
for them.
We are available between 2pm
-2.30pm every Tuesday in the
Specials Ward Day Room for
anyone who may be interested
in the Smoking Cessation
Service. If you can’t make this
session, you can telephone
Kathryn direct on 07920
150292 or 01851 701623 to
speak to any of the Smoking
Cessation staff.
In Uist and Barra, our
Cessation Advisors Mairead
MacDonald and Christine
Gartshore can be contacted
on 01870 603610 and 01871
810665, where they will be
happy to offer support and
resources on request.
GP referrals are also on
the increase, as are those
from the Well North Outer
Hebrides project. The
Smoking Cessation Team get
tremendous support from
everyone we engage with
and we would like to take this
opportunity to say ‘thank you’
to you all and if you have any
ideas, suggestions or thoughts
on how to improve the service,
please get in touch with any
of the team. Finally all of the
Smoke Free Hebrides team
would like to wish everyone all
the best for the Festive Season
and a Happy and Prosperous
2010.
Smoke Free Hebrides
Team
29
Back to
Fitness!
The Physiotherapy Department
in Western Isles Hospital has
introduced an innovative new
programme for clients, in
partnership with Lewis Sports
Centre.
The Back to Fitness programme
takes place every Friday
morning and has been
developed to empower clients
to look after their own health
and wellbeing and also increase
their confidence.
Prior to introducing this
programme, clients suffering
certain conditions such as
chronic or acute back pain
attended a six week fitness
programme (one day a week)
in the Physio Department and
were subsequently discharged.
Now, after the six week
programme, clients are provided
with a free gym induction in the
Lewis Sports Centre, where
Senior Physiotherapist Lisa
Casey teaches them how to use
the machines and develops a
programme of exercise for them.
The aim behind the scheme
is that patients will continue to
use the gym and build up their
fitness, thus reducing referrals to
the Physiotherapy Department
that could have been prevented.
Lisa describes the new
service as ‘bridge building’
and stressed that those
currently on the programme
are extremely motivated and
enthusiastic. She added: “It’s
about building confidence, not
just making people pain-free.
One of the clients on the
programme commented
about the benefits of the
exercise on her back, whilst
another has already noticed an
improvement in her flexibility.
Bus Driver, Iain Macleod,
commented: “As a bus driver,
I suffer from chronic back
pain and was terrified of
movement as I was always
trying to take care of my
back. This project has given
me so much confidence and
has certainly changed my
attitude.”
Tony Wade, Sports Centre
Manager, said: “From our
point of view, this is a really
good example of two groups
working together to try and
benefit the same client group.
We will get additional gym
users and the people involved
will hopefully get some longterm physical activity benefits.
Good on Lisa for getting this
going.”
Lessons Learned - Remote and Rural Major
Incident Management Conference 2009
A recent conference on Remote
and Rural Major Incident
Management was attended
by between 60 and 70 people
involved in the management
of major disasters, including
a number of international
delegates.
Under the auspices of the
Highlands and Islands Strategic
Coordinating Group (supported
by the Scottish Resilience
Development Service
(ScoRDS)) and the Cooperation
for Safety in Sparsely Populated
Areas (CoSafe), the Northern
Periphery Programme project
held the conference on
September 23 in An Lanntair,
Stornoway. The conference was
organised and coordinated by
Tom Laverty, NHS Western Isles
Emergency Planning Officer
and Local CoSafe Co-ordinator.
The conference was opened
by the Lord Lieutenant of
the Western Isles, Mr Sandy
Matheson, OBE. In his opening
words he welcomed the
audience to the conference and
introduced them to the Western
Isles. He made specific mention
of the uniqueness of the Outer
Hebrides and the challenges
posed by remoteness, the sea
and the weather. By way of
introduction, Scottish National
30
CoSafe Co-ordinator Professor
Andrew Sim described the
objectives of the CoSafe
project, described its activity
so far and the initial results of
its studies. He emphasised that
the theme of the meeting was
to learn from lessons of the
past.
The meeting was in two parts:
Three state of the art lectures
were delivered on topics
important to major incident
management:
• Mike Langran, a full time
GP in Aviemore with special
interests in immediate
medical care and ski patrol
medicine gave a talk entitled
‘Equipment Challenges at the
Pre-hospital Coalface’. He
highlighted recent equipment
advances and areas for future
development.
• Jason Long, consultant in
Emergency Medicine at the
Southern General Hospital
in Glasgow, presented his
analysis of the Emergency
Medical Retrieval Services in
the Northwest of Scotland.
He illustrated his talk
with examples from the
government-supported
emergency retrieval service
pilot study which is nearing
completion.
• Mick Tighe, mountain guide,
mountain rescue expert and
past National Training Officer
for the Mountain Rescue
Committee of Scotland,
used his presentation ‘Wild
Mountain Times – Frontline
Rescue Experiences’ to
illustrate the work of the
mountain rescue service
and draw attention to areas
which he thought needed
investment and expansion.
Interwoven between these
presentations and in keeping
within the theme of learning
from lessons of the past, three
other presentations were made:
• Sandy Matheson described
two Western Isles local
disasters; the sinking of
the Iolaire (1919) and the
Shackleton aeroplane crash
in South Harris (1990). He
emphasised the difficulties
of coordinating disaster
management in an isolated
environment.
• A specially commissioned
DVD, made with the support
of Ian Burgess (Operations
Manager for the North of
Scotland) of the Maritime
Coastguard Agency,
graphically and dramatically
depicted the rescue of 14
fishermen from the trawler
Spinningdale, grounded on
St Kilda in 2008.
• Agnes Munro, Senior
Charge Nurse, Accident and
Emergency Department,
Western Isles Hospital, gave
a personal account of a road
traffic accident in Shawbost
(2004) emphasising that an
incident with as few as five
casualties stretches the local
services considerably.
Interesting discussion took
place about the interactions
between the various
agencies involved in disaster
management and information
was shared on the advances
in communication and
organisation spearheaded by
the Northern Constabulary.
The Chief Constable of the
Northern Constabulary and
Chairman of the Highlands and
Islands Strategic Coordinating
Group closed the meeting by
emphasising the importance of
using the opportunities made
available through the CoSafe
project to make real and
practical improvements in the
management of major disasters
in remote and rural areas.
Visual Eyes
A focus on Long Term Conditions
Allied Health Professionals
(AHPs), together with other
health care, social care and
voluntary sector partners,
recently attended the annual
AHP conference, which this
year focused on Long Term
Conditions.
Groups who work in
partnership with AHPs were
invited to attend this year’s
event in September, so that we
could jointly learn about the
service improvements that are
being delivered or envisaged.
This also gave us the
opportunity to explore together
and identify areas which need
to be improved.
John Angus Mackay, Chairman
of NHS Western Isles, chaired
the conference. The first
speaker was Ina Munro, who
gave a thought provoking talk
about her personal experience
of the role of a carer to
someone with a long term
condition. This was followed
by Dr Anne Hendry who is the
National Clinical Lead from
the LTC Collaborative who
gave an overview of the LTC
agenda before local speakers
Ella Macbain, John Maclean
and Pat Welsh described local
initiatives. This was followed
by AHPs (Nic Groenendijk,
Toni Symon, Barbara Bates,
Kathryn Chisholm, Janet
Mackenzie and Martha
Henderson) giving examples of
improvements that they have
made to their services.
Claire Tester, QIS and
Audrey Taylor from NHS
Education Scotland (NES),
informed delegates about the
support that is available from
NHS Quality Improvement
Scotland (QIS) and NES to
help delegates achieve their
actions. The delegates will
continue to be supported by
Rhoda Mackay, AHP Practice
Based Education Facilitator
who organised the conference.
Rhoda said: “Delegates at the
conference identified 12 key
areas where they want to see
developments in services and
in staff training to support the
LTC vision. Working with others
across health, social care and
the voluntary sector enriched
the conference and led to a
better understanding of each
others’ roles and of the care
that we provide for people
with LTCs. I’d like to thank all
those who participated both
as presenters and delegates;
their interest and enthusiasm in
providing a quality service for
people with LTCs is a credit to
the islands.”
Rhoda MacKay
AHP Practice based
Education Facilitator
An Lanntair in conjunction
with NHS Western Isles staff
recently held a pilot art group
for young people aged 14-18.
An exciting mix of visual arts
projects gave participants
the chance to discover
and develop their creative
skills in a friendly and safe
atmosphere. Workshops,
held on Wednesdays, also
promoted the development of
positive feelings of confidence
and self esteem.
Reflective group-work helped
individuals to develop greater
self awareness and channel
feelings and emotions in
positive and productive ways.
The workshops were facilitated
by Moira Macdonald from an
Lanntair and Mike Sullivan
from NHS Western Isles.
Mobile Skills Unit
NHS Western Isles played host
to a Mobile Skills Unit (MSU)
for three weeks during August
and September. The MSU was
developed by the Clinical Skills
Managed Educational Network
based in Dundee and funded
by NHS Education Scotland.
The MSU is a lorry which has
been built to provide space
and equipment to deliver state
of the art, simulation-based
education to remote and rural
areas of Scotland.
The unit spent one week in
Stornoway at the Western Isles
Hospital and was dedicated
to paediatric training as the
programme of adult training
is well established. Local and
visiting facilitators provided
focused training which covered
subjects as diverse as child
protection and neonatal
resuscitation to advanced
respiratory and cardiovascular
clinical assessment.
The unit then travelled to Uist
and Barra Hospital where it
stayed for two weeks in order
to offer a wider selection of
training. Again there was a
great focus on paediatric
training and we were fortunate
enough to have a day with
the Paediatric Retrieval Team
during the visit. Unfortunately,
on this occasion and due to
constraints of travel times the
unit did not attend the Isle
of Barra, however on future
visits, it will be based directly
in Barra.
In total, 143 members of staff
received training during the
three weeks with excellent
feedback on all sessions. Staff
have already begun to put this
knowledge to good use.
Emma-Jane Trayner
Resuscitation & Clinical
Skills Facilitator
A number of Basic Life
Support/Automated
Defibrillation Training
sessions took place
in the Health Board
Offices in October and
November.
Emma-Jane Trayner,
Resuscitation
and Clinical Skills
Facilitator, led
the sessions, and
feedback from each
session was extremely
positive.
If you have a photo or story you think
the Slàinte team would find interesting
then please contact:
Maggie Fraser
maggie.fraser1@nhs.net
01851 708060 (x.3060)
31
Mental Health Services
- reflections and
aspirations
Full of Life
A ‘Celebration of Life’ was held
on October 1 in Balivanich
Hall, to mark International
Older People’s Day.
The event was organised
by Uist members of the
Western Isles Older People’s
Partnership and featured
demonstrations and
workshops on tai chi, the art of
screen printing and Cooking
on a Budget.
Other local organisations
were represented on the day,
such as Cothrom, who were
promoting opportunities in
lifelong learning, the local
Volunteer Centre who were
highlighting volunteering
opportunities, as well as
Faire giving information on
equipment/resources available
in the home. Local Health staff
were also there to provide a
health information point which
gave information and advice
on numerous topics such as
healthy eating, staying active
and promoting self-care.
An evening ceilidh was
scheduled to take place
with demonstrations
of singing and country
dancing but unfortunately
this was cancelled due to
a bereavement in the local
community.
This event focusing on
people, 50years+, was an
opportunity to celebrate
their life experience and the
contribution this age group can
make in our local communities.
It was also an opportunity to
provide information and advice
which we hope will support
them in preparation for an
active and healthy retirement.
Thanks to all who delivered
workshops and information
stalls on the day.
Sonya Davidson enjoying a cup of microwaveable soup during
the ‘Cooking on a Budget’ workshop delivered by our two
dietetic students, on placement from Robert Gordon University.
32
Having returned to Mental
Health in July of this year, I
was immediately struck by the
seismic changes that have
occurred over the last six
years. We have a new Mental
Health Act, which unlike the
previous 1984 act, is based on
a set of principles e.g.
• Reciprocity i.e. Where
society imposes an
obligation on an individual to
comply with a programme of
treatment or care, it should
impose a parallel obligation
on the health and social care
authorities to provide safe
and appropriate services.
• Least restrictive alternative
i.e. Service users should be
provided with any necessary
care, treatment and support
in the least invasive manner
and environment, taking
account, where appropriate,
of the safety of others.
• Non-discrimination - People
with mental disorder should,
wherever possible, retain the
same rights and entitlements
as those with other health
needs.
Central to this was the recent
review of mental health
nursing, ‘Rights, Relationships
and Recovery’ which sets the
vision for the future practice of
mental health nursing. Whilst,
on the one hand it reaffirms the
relationship between mental
health nursing and legislation,
the review also, for the first time
in the history of the profession,
provides a framework by
which the profession can move
away from illness models of
care, that is both enabling and
empowering, and responsive
to the needs of service users.
I recall an experience where
I was a student nurse in a
medical ward in Edinburgh
undertaking my general
nurse training. I happened to
be sitting on a patient’s bed
talking to him about some
anxieties he had around his
diagnosis. I was promptly
reprimanded by the ward
sister in front of the patients.
There was some bed linen that
needed to be folded away in a
cupboard, a task that was felt
to be more important.
That encounter represented for
me, a realisation that general
nursing had a lot to learn
from mental health nursing
about patient experience and
empathy. Things have clearly
moved on today.
Review of Mental Health
Services
The direction of travel in the
‘Review of Western Isles
Mental Health Services’ was
recently approved by the
Board. The move away, in
1992 with the opening of
the Western Isles Hospital,
from a primarily community
based mental health service
to a hospital focused service
was considered acceptable
and appropriate at that time.
However, governmental
directives and policy
statements such as ‘Shifting
the Balance of Care’ have
informed us that hospital
centred models of care are
outdated and not what the
public want. The report’s
key recommendation is that
we need to design a service
where the majority of people
can receive support as close
to their own environment as
possible.
Whilst change instinctively
generates anxiety, NHS mental
health services do have much
to learn from agencies such
as Penumbra and the Western
Isles Association for Mental
Health, which represent
user involvement and user
choice. My own experience of
working in the acute services
has taught me the various
branches of nursing that exist
in NHS Western Isles have
more common philosophies
than differences now, and that
we can learn from one another.
I was recently asked by a
District Nurse, how the mental
health service could share its
skills and experiences with the
wider nursing group so that
mental health needs could
be met by whoever is closest
to the patient. This is indeed
the crux of the current issue. If
we can tap into this collective
enthusiasm, we will deliver
the type of service which is
appropriate and relevant to the
people of the Western Isles,
and which will also be the
seamless service that we have
all talked about for so long.
Mike Hutchison
Head of Mental Health
and Learning Disability
Services
Improving
Library
services
The recently refurbished
Western Isles Hospital Library
contains a wide range of
books, access to electronic
journals, eight new networked
computers at individual
workstations, printing,
photocopying and scanning
facilities. The library is also an
excellent quiet place to study.
Access is 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
Users are encouraged to
utilise the resources of the
NHS Education for Scotland’s
e-Library and full training for
this and IT skills tuition is
readily available. Further online
learning resources and other
information can be accessed
from the Learning and
Development intranet page
which is updated regularly. On
this page you will also be able
to find a full list of all the new
books that have recently been
added to the library.
To make the library service
even more responsive to staff
there is a suggestion box in
the library and log sheets next
to all PCs for users’ comments
and feedback. A questionnaire
on the library service has been
compiled to capture opinions
which can be accessed at
http://www.surveymonkey.
com/s.aspx?sm=g3_2fCsPb
9CWQ4MOzumbinOw_3d_3d
Developing diabetes services
A Development Day to progress the proposal to develop a Diabetes Obligate Network with NHS
Greater Glasgow and Clyde was held in October.
Delegates from NHS GG&C attended the day-long event, including Dr Andy Gallagher (Consultant);
Sharon Adamson (Head of Planning) and Cath Macfarlane (General Manager).
Issues looked at during the Development Day included governance, clinical pathways and
pharmacology, young people’s services, research and development and communications.
Sense and Sensitivity
You may have noticed some
Lab Reports recently coming
back with the words Extended
Spectrum Beta-Lactamases or
ESBLs written on them.
Have you been wondering
what this meant?
Well, since October 2008 the
Lab has been carrying out
more extensive antimicrobial
testing on microbiological
samples.
While ESBLs have been
around for over 20 years,
this expansion in testing has
enabled the Lab to pick up
more of these present on the
island.
The planning application for the new Dental Teach and Treat Centre has been
submitted and a decision is expected by mid-December 2009.
The trees were removed from the site at Western Isles Hospital in October (see
photo) and a temporary fence has been erected between the Dental Centre
site and the residential properties nearby.
There has also been agreement of an additional 94 spaces on the site (21 of
which will be allocated to the Dental Centre).
What are they?
ESBLs are a small group of
common bacteria that have
become more resistant to
antibiotics.
What caused them?
1 – Patients not finishing a
course of antibiotics.
2 – Failure to change antibiotic
therapy in line with lab
results.
What are the consequences?
The main consequence of
developing an ESBL is that it
limits the number of effective
antibiotics. However, this does
not mean patients cannot be
treated.
So what is the moral of the
story?
1 – ONLY prescribe where
appropriate.
2 – Prescribers should always
check prescriptions against
the lab report to ensure
accurate prescribing.
3 – Patients must always
complete a course of
antibiotics as prescribed.
Ian Pritchard
Christina Macaskill
Lead BMS
Specialist Practitioner
Infection Control
33
NHSmail is to become the
only supported email system
for NHS Western isles staff
in 2010. Most staff are now
using it. All staff are expected
to have an NHSmail email
address.
If you are using Groupwise,
and are not yet registered for
NHSmail, this update is for
your attention.
We will be ceasing technical
support for users of the old
Groupwise system as of
January 1 2010 – this means
that you should be moving
to NHSmail NOW. Please
refer to the Frequently Asked
Questions on the intranet for
help and guidance.
• Groupwise email users will
no longer be able to send or
receive email after January
31 2010.
• The existing Groupwise
email store will continue to
be available for review of old
emails.
The new NHSmail system
• If you are not registered with
an NHSmail email address,
you can do so at any time,
from home or from work.
Just visit www.nhs.net and
self-register. There is no
need to wait.
• If you are unable to selfregister, please call the ICT
Help Desk on 708323.
• NHSmail can be used at
work and at home, in fact
anywhere you can access
the internet, you can access
your NHSmail.
• The NHSmail directory will
become the primary source
of contact information for
NHS Western Isles – make
sure your entry is complete,
accurate and up to date
including your location,
job and phone number.
Department Heads are
urged to ensure that entries
for their staff are accurate.
• You can use NHSmail to
send SMS messages free
of charge.
The IT Department is happy
to assist and advise with any
aspects concerning NHSmail,
and will try to answer any
questions you may have.
NHSMail is continuing to be
developed, and in 2010 will
see significant new features
including instant messaging
and incoming SMS (text)
message support.
The FeedGood Factor comes to Stornoway
An exhibition to raise
awareness of the benefits of
breastfeeding for both babies
and mums visited Tesco in
Stornoway in November.
The ‘FeedGood Factor
Roadshow‘ was organised
by NHS Western Isles to
provide useful advice and
support for ‘significant others’
of new mums – the people
who can provide support and
encouragement to help women
choose breast over bottle.
Local breastfeeding support
staff were also on hand to offer
practical advice and guidance
on breastfeeding and local
services.
Local midwife Anne-Marie
Maciver said: “There has
been a fantastic turnout from
dedicated breastfeeding
mothers and supporters
who are passionate about
promoting all that is wonderful
about breastfeeding on the
island. We all wish to improve
the health of women and give
their children the very best
quality start in life.”
The ‘FeedGood Factor
Roadshow’ is part of the
national campaign to improve
breastfeeding rates in Scotland.
The campaign message
– ‘the feedgood factor’
– highlights the health benefits
of breastfeeding, as well as its
34
Mums, grandparents and staff from NHS Western Isles attended the FeedGood Factor exhibition.
role in strengthening bonds
between mum and baby.
Anne-Marie added: “Since
May we have produced a
‘Breastfeeding friendly places’
leaflet and this is available
to mums - antenatal and
postnatal. We have had such
positive feedback from the
campaign which tells us that
mums feel empowered and
have the support to continue
exclusive breastfeeding for
longer. We have also compiled
a local support leaflet for mums
and local banners and posters
to circulate across the island.
“A Breastfeeding Support
Group meets in the Maternity
Unit of Western Isles Hospital
the first Monday of each
month from 2-4pm to support
and encourage mothers
to breastfeed. Another
group meets at the Grianan
Centre in Stornoway every
Wednesday from 10am until
11.30am Terrace to support
postnatal women who
are breastfeeding. All are
welcome to attend.”
For more information, please
visit www.feedgoodfactor.
org.uk or call the National
Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300
100 0212, or contact AnneMarie at the Maternity Unit
in Western Isles Hospital on
01851 704704.
Peer
study
group
launched
For the many staff studying
for qualifications online,
there is now extra support
offered by NHS Western
Isles in the form of a study
support group which
offers mutual and peer
support. NHS Western
Isles recognises that online
study is an essential aspect
of professional practice
development.
Students of online courses
have until now been studying
in isolation and experiencing
all the issues associated with
it. Aside from the great range
of opportunities offered by
Lews Castle College UHI,
staff in the Western Isles
have limited opportunities
to study for recognised
qualifications.
As such, many members of
staff have opted for online
courses (some of which are
offered by Lews Castle College
UHI) and the range of subjects
studied is wide and varied from
Masters Degrees in Public
Health to Masters of Science in
Surgery and Palliative Care.
Staff studying online have
come together to form the (to
date, nameless) group to share
experiences of online study,
but beyond this they offer
anyone thinking of starting a
course of study the benefit of
experience and indeed, some
staff who have successfully
completed their online study
offer their advice based on real
experience.
Cottage pie with potato topping
For the cold winter months this
is a good hearty warmer for you.
Serves 4
2 tbsp sunflower oil
750g minced beef
300ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 tsp plain flour
Salt and black pepper
Topping
750g potatoes
30g butter (optional)
2-3tbsp hot semi skimmed milk
White pepper
125g grated mature cheddar
cheese
Heat oil in saucepan. Add the
onion and carrot and cook for
2 minutes. Add the mince and
cook for 5 minutes. Then add
the flour and allow to cook for
a further minute. At this point
add the stock, tomato puree,
Worcestershire sauce, and salt
and pepper to taste. Bring to the
boil. Cover and simmer but stir
regularly for 40 minutes.
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes.
Drain and dry, then add butter,
milk and white pepper and
mash until soft.
Spoon the beef into a large dish
or individual dishes, cover with
the mashed potatoes and cook
in a preheated oven at 200C/
Gas Mark 6 for 25 minutes.
Serve hot and enjoy.
Angela Grant
Public Health
If you are studying online
and in isolation and would
like to come along to one
of the regular meetings,
contact, in the first instance,
Gareth Davies, the Research
Officer for more information:
garethdavies1@nhs.net.
(Suggestions for the name of
the group are also welcome
– ideas on a postcard to
Gareth, and a packet of
biscuits prize for the person
who suggests the preferred
name!)
Gareth Davies
Christmas Cake
9 oz plain flour
¼ level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
13 oz stoned raisins
13 oz sultanas
13 oz currants
4 oz glace cherries, quartered
8oz butter
8oz soft brown sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ level tablespoons black
treacle
2 tablespoons brandy
(optional)
Line the base and side of an
8-inch round cake tin with a
double layer of greaseproof
paper, then round the outside
of the tin, tie a double band of
brown paper, make sure it is
1 inch wider than the depth of
the tin.
Sieve flour, salt and spice
into a large bowl. Cream the
butter and sugar until pale
and creamy then beat in the
egg, a little at a time. Stir in
the treacle, flour and dried
fruit. Turn the mixture into the
cake tin and bake in a cool
oven at 150C/Gas Mark 2 for
3 hours then reduce the oven
to 140C/Gas Mark 1 and bake
for approx 1-1 ½ hours or until
a skewer inserted in centre
comes out clean.
Take cake out of oven and
leave to cool in tin for 10
minutes then turn out onto wire
tray, remove all paper. When
cold, turn the cake upside
down, pierce with a fork and
add the brandy (optional). I
don’t use brandy but it still
tastes great! For storage, wrap
in a greaseproof paper and foil
in an airtight container.
Angela Grant
Public Health
Carrot &
Orange Soup
Ingredients:1 Onion
1½ lb Carrots
½ Fluid Ounce Orange Juice
1½ pints Chicken Stock
2oz Butter
Chop the onion and carrots
Melt the butter in a pan
Add the onion and carrots
Add the chicken stock and
cook for about 20 minutes
Add the orange juice and cook
until all the vegetables are soft
Once all the vegetables are,
cooked liquidise the soup and
serve.
Janet Mackenzie
Public Health
35
Suicide. Don’t Hide it.
Talk about it!
‘Suicide. Don’t hide it. Talk
about it’. That was the
message Choose Life in the
Western Isles was sending
out to people to mark
Suicide Prevention Week in
September.
Suicide Prevention Week
began with a launch at the
Lews Castle College to link
in with the start of Fresher’s
Week. The event was opened
by the Cabinet Secretary for
Health and Wellbeing Nicola
Sturgeon, who was in the
Western Isles for the Health
Board’s Annual Review.
To mark the event, 60 balloons
were released (pictured) and
the Cabinet Secretary also
led a ‘Walk for Hope’ from the
College to mark the beginning
of the week in the hope that
people will be more aware of
the issue of suicide and the
stigma around talking about it
will be lifted.
All events during the week
(including the opening of the
Samaritan’s new premises
and keynote speeches by
Sophie Andrews, National
Chair of Samaritans UK and
Ireland, and Professor Richard
Collacott) were well attended
and the message from the
week is relevant even now.
Many people feel they can’t
talk about feeling suicidal, or
that asking someone if they are
feeling suicidal will somehow
put the idea in their head. In
fact nothing could be further
from the truth. So we need to
continue to tackle the stigma
that surrounds suicide to make
people more comfortable
about seeking help.
Pictured are Chair of NHS Western Isles John Angus MacKay;
Alasdair Allan MSP; Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing
Nicola Sturgeon; Chief Executive of NHS Western Isles Gordon
Jamieson; Professor of Rural Health and Wellbeing, Dr Richard
Collacott; NHS Western Isles Choose Life Coordinator Elaine
Campbell; Principal of Lews Castle College David Green and NHS
Western Isles Head of Planning Emelin Collier.
Better Health, Better Care, Better Here

- NHS Western Isles

Transcription

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