Connections Newspaper Issue 37 - Mar/Apr 2010

THE AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER FOR NHS LOTHIAN STAFF MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE 37
Connections
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Clown Doctors Dr Sprout and Dr Moose celebrate with Kyle Gray aged 13 and Charlie Hunter aged nine at the hospital’s 150th birthday party.
The Sick Kids launches a year of celebrations to mark this special anniversary
THE Royal Hospital for Sick
Children (RHSC) in Edinburgh has
just launched a year of celebrations
to mark its 150th anniversary.
The internationally renowned
hospital began life in 1860 as a 20-bed
unit in Lauriston Lane and provided
treatment to the most vulnerable
children from the city’s poorest
backgrounds.
Today, the RHSC is a centre of
excellence offering a level of care and
treatment the founders would never
have thought possible.
A year of celebration began with a
party, as magicians, clowns and face
painters toured the wards to entertain
the young patients, who, with their
families and staff, also shared in the
official birthday cake.
And there were congratulations from
far and wide as the hospital celebrated.
150 YEARS OF
LOVING CARE
Prime minister Gordon Brown said:
“The hospital’s birthday provides an
opportunity to look back at how
paediatric care and medicine – and the
skills and knowledge of our doctors and
nurses – have developed and improved
over the last 150 years; from the
treatment in the 1860s of diseases such
as smallpox and tuberculosis to the
specialist surgery and intensive care
undertaken today.
“And it is a chance to look to the
future and the completion in 2013 of
NHS Lothian’s new children’s hospital,
The hospital’s birthday provides an opportunity to look back
at how paediatric care and medicine – and the skills and
knowledge of our doctors and nurses – have developed and
improved over the last 150 years
Prime minister Gordon Brown
which will provide the modern
facilities and environment for the RHSC
to continue its life-saving work and
exceptional standards of care for
society’s most vulnerable patients.”
Scottish Government cabinet
secretary for health and wellbeing,
Nicola Sturgeon, added: “The RHSC
has always had strong ambitions and
even before it opened for the first time
it was planned as a teaching hospital,
with the aim of promoting the
advancement of medical science in
relation to childhood diseases.
“Today, the hospital provides
a wide range of specialist services with
increased investment in gastroenterology,
general surgery, rheumatology, cystic
fibrosis and children’s cancer.”
The RHSC has a special place in the
hearts of many Lothian families.
Dr Charles Winstanley, chair of
NHS Lothian, said: “It’s wonderful to
be celebrating the hospital’s
150th birthday – it has achieved so
much for so many patients and is
recognised for its pioneering work to
advance paediatric medicine.
See our special feature on the history
of the RHSC on the centre pages.
2
NEWS
Comment Jenifer Stirton
A celebration
of outstanding
healthcare
A
warm welcome to this issue
of Connections, which, as
always, is packed with the
latest news and events from across
NHS Lothian.
It’s always a delight to share good
news – and what better celebration
than the Sick Kids’ 150th anniversary
of providing care and support to
poorly children across the Lothians?
Our special feature on the centre
pages marks this momentous
occasion and we’ll be reporting
regularly over the coming months on
the events that are being held for the
anniversary.
BETTER SERVICE FOR PATIENTS
As we all know, healthcare never
stands still – innovations in
treatments, new facilities and medical
breakthroughs all create a better
service for patients. In this issue, we
report on some of the latest
developments, including updates on
the new community hospital in
Midlothian and the Royal Victoria
Hospital, as well as the state-of-theart birthing centre at the RIE and the
revamped delivery suite at St John’s.
On page 3, NHS Lothian’s
transplant team is once again
making headlines after performing
one of the UK’s first triple transplant
operations – an incredible logistical
feat involving six patients and
dozens of medical experts across
the country.
night, including the young
communicator of the year award for
Aislinn McGrane, so well done to
everyone involved.
Congratulations, too, to our
midwives who were recognised for
their achievements by the Royal
College of Midwives – read more on
page 23.
From Peru to South Africa, our staff
are a well-travelled bunch! In this
issue, we report on how NHS
Lothian people are sharing their
knowledge – and giving up their free
time – to help those less fortunate
than us.
In a new feature on page 19, we
turn the spotlight on a service in NHS
Lothian. In this issue, we look at the
vital work of the bacteriology
department. If you would like to see
your department’s work featured in
Connections, do get in touch – our
contact details are below.
A WINNING READ!
I am absolutely delighted that
Connections was named best
employee newspaper at the
Communicators in Business awards
in February. It was one of four awards
picked up by NHS Lothian on the
Jenifer Stirton, editor
Connections
Editorial board:
Jenifer Stirton, Robert Aitken, Morag Barrow, Duncan Blyth,
Alexis Burnett, Noreen Clancy, Grahame Cumming, Eddie Egan,
Wendy Fenemore, Anne Gilchrist, Linda Haggarty, Shirley Johnston,
Anne Laing, Sue Lloyd, Aislinn McGrane, Dave Proudfoot, Lesley Reid,
Judy Scopes, Kathryn Sinclair, Louise Taylor, Tom Waterson.
Contact the editor:
lothian.communications@nhs.net
0131 536 9432/9355
0131 536 9013
Staff Newspaper, Communications Dept, Deaconess House,
148 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9RS
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION:
Connections is written, designed and produced by:
Connect Communications, Studio 2001, Mile End, Paisley PA1 1JS
0141 561 0300 0141 561 0400 www.connectcommunications.co.uk
Printing:
Scottish County Press
March/April 2010 Connections
Turning up the HEAT in 2010/11
STAFF across NHS Lothian have
been busy over recent months
developing NHS Lothian’s local
delivery plan for 2010/2011, which
will be submitted at the end of
March to the Scottish Government
health department for approval.
Local delivery plans (LDP) set out
a delivery agreement between NHS
Lothian and the government in
order to meet the key ministerial
HEAT targets, which stand for:
Health improvement, Efficiency and
governance improvements, Access
to services, and Treatment
appropriate to individuals.
Strategic programme manager
Grahame Cumming said 2010/11 is
going to be a busy year for NHS
Lothian.
“Next year will see the
requirement to deliver in full
77 per cent of the targets that make
up the LDP, presenting a significant
challenge for us in order to meet our
commitments.”
The key themes for HEAT targets
in 2010/11 include:
• health improvement: actions to
address Scotland’s major public
health challenges of alcohol,
obesity, smoking and to ensure that
children get the best start in life
• efficiency: implementation of
Scotland’s best value principles and
the efficiency and productivity
framework through financial
balance and delivery of 2 per cent
efficiency savings by removing
unnecessary variation in healthcare
• access: new national maximum
waiting times for access to drugs
misuse and mental health services,
and developing an access target for
alcohol misuse treatment services
• treatment: improving patient
safety through reducing healthcare
associated infections.
KEEP WELL IN
WEST LOTHIAN
PEOPLE in the most deprived areas of
West Lothian are to be offered health
checks and advice on a range of health
issues, from smoking cessation to healthy
eating and alcohol misuse.
NHS Lothian and West Lothian
Community Health and Care Partnership
(CHCP) has expanded the Keep well
scheme, which offers comprehensive
health checks to patients in five
communities in West Lothian.
The Keep well scheme aims to reduce
health inequalities and focuses on
reducing heart disease, stroke and
their main risk factors for adults
aged 45 – 64 years.
Jim Forrest, director of West Lothian
CHCP said: “We play an important role
in delivering accessible local health
services. The Keep well project is one
of the ways in which we can make it
easy for people to access assessment and
treatment early, helping to prevent years
of ill health.”
Dr Katie Browne, GP at Ashgrove
Medical Practice in Blackburn said: “We
recognise that many people in our local
area could benefit from a Keep well
health check, which provides earlier
assessment and treatment for conditions
such as heart disease.
“We are delighted to be able to offer
KEEP WELL: Elaine Leslie, nurse case manager, Lynne Simpson,
outreach nurse, Anita Muir, project nurse and Ciara Byrne, project manager
our patients a service that wasn’t
previously available.”
Elaine Leslie, Keep well nurse case
manager for West Lothian said: “It is
well recognised that people living in less
affluent areas have a much higher risk
of developing serious medical conditions
such as heart disease. By detecting and
treating these problems early we can
prevent years of ill health and also
premature death.”
The scheme also provides access to
a Keep well outreach worker, who will
focus on the wider social aspects that
affect people’s health by offering one
to one support and information for
Staff on the move
AS part of the efforts to improve
efficiency and make the best use of
NHS Lothian’s clinical space,
plans are progressing to move
corporate departments into new
more suitable and energy efficient
accommodation.
A lease has now been signed for two
floors in the former GPO building at
Waverleygate.
It is anticipated that about 280
staff from departments such as
finance, strategic planning, HR and
public health, most of which are
currently based at Deaconess House,
will move into this accommodation
in early summer.
We have also negotiated with the
Scottish Government to increase the
space we have in Pentland House. We
expect about 170 staff, mostly from
HR, finance and procurement, to
move into this building in the
summer.
These moves will free up clinical
accommodation at the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh, the Royal Edinburgh
Hospital and Astley Ainslie Hospital,
which will be used to create capacity
for clinical services.
Staff directly involved in the
moves will be receiving more
information from their departmental
directors in the coming weeks.
people at participating practices.
The Keep well health check involves
a few simple tests carried out by a nurse
that could help identify physical and
mental health issues.
The participating practices, which are
from four targeted areas across West
Lothian, are Ashgrove Medical Practice
in Blackburn, Craigshill Health Centre
in Livingston, Blackridge Health
Centre, Stoneyburn Medical Centre and
Whitburn Group Medical Practice.
E Contact your surgery for
an appointment with a Keep
well nurse.
Dementia care
IN an article in the last issue of
Connections about a support
group for people who have been
diagnosed with dementia, the
phrase “dementia sufferers” was
used in the heading.
We have been asked by the
group to point out that they
consider the use of the word
“sufferer” to have negative
connotations, which adds to the
negative attitude which is all too
often associated with people with
dementia. We apologise for any
offence the heading may have
caused and have amended the
heading in the online version of
the newspaper.
Connections March/April 2010
Helping people
back to work
WORKING Health Services held an open day
recently for patients, employers and health
professionals to learn more about vocational
rehabilitation.
Working Health Services has been designated
as Lothian’s “Fit for Work” provider, the government
initiative to provide early intervention and
personalised support to get sick employees back
to work. As a result, it has secured new funding to
allow it to continue its pilot programme for another
18 months from the Scottish Government.
Working Health Services pilot project has
been successful in helping some 200 people working
in small to medium businesses to stay in work or
return to work after illness or injury since it started
in July 2009 and aims to reach more people who
could benefit from its service.
Occupational therapist Lisa Paterson explained:
“Vocational rehabilitation is well developed in the
US and Australia as a successful way to get people
back to work who have had a health problem.
“Fit for Work status will allow us to work more
closely with GPs on the new proposed ‘fit note’ that
is due to replace the ‘sick note’. We can help GPs
and, for that matter, employees who have no access
to occupational health.
“This free service is available to all of the Lothian’s
working population and can include assessment
and treatment from physiotherapy, counselling,
occupational therapy and, more recently, debt and
benefit advice.
“We use an individual case management
approach to help more people who are sick stay
in work or get back to work quickly.
“We can work with both employers and
employees to help avoid lost time and productivity
in the work place as well as provide advice and
guidance on rights and liabilities.
“Lots of people we help are either self-employed
or receive no sick pay so the service is well received.
That’s why we want to publicise Working Health
Services further throughout Lothian,” she added.
E If you require more information on the
service, please phone 0131 537 9579 or
e-mail voc.rehab@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
NEWS
3
Connections among the winners for NHS Lothian at CiB awards
LEFT: The
Connections team –
Alexis Burnett (left),
Jenifer Stirton and
Aislinn McGrane
with CiB Chairman
Roy Carter and
awards show host
Shereen Nanjiani
BELOW: Jenifer
(centre) with Roy
Carter and Shereen
Nanjiani
A golden result
for comms team
NHS Lothian is celebrating after the
communications team scooped a clutch of
top awards.
The team scored four gold trophies in the
prestigious Communicators in Business (CiB)
Scotland awards, which mark the
achievements of the country’s private and
public sector experts.
NHS Lothian lifted the top award for
Connections for the second year in a row.
Health link made its debut entry in the awards
this year and was named best stakeholder
newspaper.
There were also individual honours for
Jenifer Stirton, director of communications,
who collected an award for Outstanding
Contribution to the Communications
Industry, and for Aislinn McGrane,
communications officer, who was named
Young Communicator of the Year.
Jenifer said: “I was delighted and honoured
to win the award for Outstanding Contribution
to the Communications Industry and I
was particularly pleased that the work and
talent of Aislinn McGrane was recognised
by the CiB.”
She added: “It’s great to see Connections
going from strength to strength by winning
the category for the second time in a row. I’m
also very pleased that Health link won best
stakeholder newspaper in its first outing.”
Aislinn, 24, from Edinburgh, said: “It was
great to be nominated in the first place, but
to win means that all of my hard work has
been recognised by professionals outwith my
own team.”
NHS Lothian also received a Highly
Commended for Best Multi-Lingual
Publication – Right Care, Right Time,
Right Place leaflet
The awards took place at a glittering
ceremony in the Radisson SAS Hotel
in Glasgow.
TRIPLE TRANSPLANT SUCCESS
SURGEONS at the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh have taken part in
one of the first ground-breaking
three-way kidney transplants in
the UK.
NEW LEASE
OF LIFE: Andrea
and Andrew
Mullen after
the life-saving
transplant op
Husband and wife Andrea and Andrew
Mullen were among six people in
Scotland and England who took part in
the pioneering triple operation.
It involved three anonymous pairs –
a donor and a recipient – who agreed
to put themselves in a pool to find a
match because their blood and tissue
types were not compatible with
their loved ones.
The RIE team, along with surgeons
at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation
NHS Trust and Imperial College
Healthcare NHS Trust, performed
the operation, the second of its kind
in the UK.
Andrea, 54, from Aberdeen, was
waiting for a life-saving donor when
husband Andrew was tested to see
if he could donate his kidney.
Although he wasn’t a match for
Andrea, the couple decided to join
the pooled transplant list in the
hope of finding a donor.
Each of the three donors was
compatible with one of the
recipients and now they are
enjoying a new lease of life.
Grandmother Andrea said: “I feel better
than I have done in years – I feel as though
I have been given my life back. My illness
didn’t just affect my life, but my husband’s
and my family’s. I am so grateful to
everyone for giving me this second
chance.”
Andrew added: “I couldn’t donate to
“Andrea and Andrew
have made a great
recovery and we are so
pleased for them both”
Lorna Mason, Consultant
transplant surgeon
Andrea directly because we were
incompatible, but this way I could still help
her. I feel absolutely fantastic
after the operation. It took me two
weeks to recover and I’m now back jogging
again.”
Donor pooling became legal
across the UK in 2006 and since then twoway swaps have become more common
place, with 20 having taken place so far.
But a three-way transplant has only been
performed once before in the UK by
medical teams in Oxford and Portsmouth.
The operation is complicated, not just
because of logistics, but because it relies
on each of the six people being well on
the exact same day to prevent the
procedure being postponed.
The transplants went ahead on
4 December 2009 and saw surgery
commence simultaneously at 9am. Once
retrieved, the three kidneys were packaged
in ice, put into custom-made cool bags and
transported across the UK – from
Edinburgh to London by plane and
between the London hospitals by blue light
ambulance.
Lorna Marson, the consultant transplant
surgeon who carried out the operation in
the RIE in Edinburgh, said: “Andrea and
Andrew have made a great recovery and
we are so pleased for them both.
“Andrea had to undergo a lot of
preparation before the transplant so without
this three-way operation, which was
planned in advance, she would never have
been able to undergo a transplant.”
The transplants were approved by the
Human Tissue Authority (HTA), which
regulates living organ donation. The
organisation has created a more flexible
approach to donation to help the 7000
patients currently on the waiting list
for a kidney transplant in the UK to find
a match.
4
NEWS
March/April 2010 Connections
21st-CENTURY DENTAL CARE
New unit will give
patients access to
the best treatment
and facilities
PUBLIC health minister Shona
Robison officially opened the £500,000
state-of-the-art dental unit at St John’s
Hospital in February.
The five-chair unit, which is run
by the salaried primary care dental
service and hosted by West Lothian
Community Health and Care
Partnership (CHCP), will help to
provide a better service for hospital
inpatients and local people with
complex medical needs and will also
be able to offer specialist orthodontist
services.
Postgraduate dentists and dental
care professional students will also be
able to train at the unit to help
create a new generation of dental
professionals including dentists,
hygienists/therapists, orthodontic
therapists and dental nurses.
Shona Robison said: “This is a
fantastic new facility, which will
enable dental services provided
within St John’s to operate to their
maximum potential.
“The outreach training element will
help to increase the dental workforce
in Scotland.”
Robert Naysmith, clinical director
of community dental services, said:
“This latest expansion will allow us
to train more dental care professionals
to service the whole of Lothian in
the future.”
OPEN WIDE: Trish Serles undergoes treatment at the new dental unit, watched by staff and public health minister Shona Robison
Advice on
keeping
patient
details safe
THE growth of electronic patient
records has brought new challenges to
ensuring that patient information is
protected.
Recent high-profile cases in Scotland
suggest that not all staff know their
responsibilities. NHS Lothian will be
running an information governance staff
awareness roadshow during the week
26-30 April, when staff are invited to go
along to make sure that they understand
their responsibilities.
Data protection staff and IT security
staff will be running stands in the
morning with advice on a number of
information governance issues. In
the afternoon, there will be short
presentations on responsibilities of staff
handling/managing patient information,
IT systems in place to ensure these
responsibilities are met and a final short
presentation around adequate and
appropriate record keeping, both
electronically and manually.
The day will end with questionand- answer sessions with data
protection and IT security staff in
attendance.
Delivering value for
money for patients
A NEW government-backed
initiative will encourage health
and social care workers to create
better, more cost-effective services
across Lothian.
The integrated resource
framework will assist the various
partners from NHS Lothian and
DATES AND LOCATIONS
Monday 26 April – Western General
Hospital
Stand: 9.30am-12.30pm, Anne Ferguson
building reception
Talks/Q&A: 1pm-2pm, WGH, 4th floor
lecture theatre, OPD building
Tuesday 27 April – St John’s Hospital
Stand: 10.30am-1.30pm, main foyer
Talks/Q&A: 2.30pm-3.30pm, Paul
Taylor lecture theatre, St John’s
education centre
Wednesday 28 April – Royal Hospital
for Sick Children
Stand: 10.30am-1.30pm, entrance to
RHSC lecture theatre
Talks/Q&A: 2.45pm-3.45pm, RHSC
lecture theatre, main building
Thursday 29 April – Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh
Stand: 9.30am-12.30pm, ground floor,
main hallway
Talks/Q&A: 1pm-2pm, GU108, RIE
Auditorium A, Chancellors Building
Friday 30 April – Royal Edinburgh
Hospital
Stand: 9.30am-12.30pm, outside
library/ward 8
Talks/Q&A: 1pm-2pm, lecture theatre,
Kennedy Tower.
E For further information on the
information governance
roadshow, call the NHS Lothian
information governance team
on 0131 537 6090/1
“The emphasis is
on the partners
working better
together and
maximising
the money”
Professor Alex McMahon
the area’s four local authorities to
deliver the ambitions set out in
the Scottish Government strategy
“Shifting the Balance of Care”.
Simply, it will allow the partners
from NHS Lothian, City of
Edinburgh Council and East,
West and Midlothian Councils
to put people at the forefront of
change, and deliver value for
money in the services provided.
Professor Alex McMahon,
deputy director for strategic
planning and modernisation at
NHS Lothian, said: “The emphasis
is on the partners working better
together and maximising the
money that’s available in the
public sector during these very
difficult economic times.
“We will do that by sharing
information between the
organisations, to make sure we all
better understand the services we
deliver, and what the outcomes
are that people want to see and
the associated costs.”
The pilot project in NHS
Lothian has been given funding
of £200,000 in this financial year
and the same amount in the
2011/12 fiscal year.
The partnership’s project board
plans to organise a series of
events and meetings across the
region with help from health and
social care staff and service user
groups.
Watch out for more details in
future issues of Connections.
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
5
Introducing ‘remote’ healthcare
REMOTE ACCESS: patients will soon be able to monitor their heart
condition via their television, helping them set goals and track progress
IN the near future, the TV remote
control could have another use for
patients diagnosed with coronary
heart disease.
Thanks to NHS Lothian’s heart
manual department’s collaboration
with Dutch electronics giant
Philips, patients may be able to
monitor their condition via their TV
at home.
The heart manual – a clinically
effective, evidence-based selfmanagement cardiac rehabilitation
programme developed by NHS
Lothian – has been used to
support patients set goals and track
their progress since 1992.
Fo l l o w i n g a f a c e - t o - f a c e
assessment with a clinician, patients
who have been treated in hospital
for a cardiac event move on to a
self-management programme which
includes recording their goals,
activities and exercise in a workbook.
First used in 1992, the heart
manual has now been adopted in
Holland, Canada and Italy. Now
the heart manual workbook is
going digital.
Last year, the heart manual
department was invited by Philips
to become a partner in a £60 million,
Europe-wide, telehealth project.
The project aims to create a
“patient loop” that gives coronary
heart disease patients regular
feedback on their health and
progress towards goals, as well as
a “professional loop” in which
data on a patient’s state and
how they are following treatment
is automatically communicated
to clinicians.
The project is due to have
finished its pilot and testing
across a few European cities by
2012, but for now it is still in its
developmental phase.
“None of our team is an IT
specialist and none of the team at
Philips is a cardiac specialist, so
it’s been a complete learning
curve for all of us,” said Louise
Taylor, heart manual lead for
NHS Lothian.
And while this kind of patient
platform may appear futuristic, it
offers a practical solution to the
increased health needs of an
ageing population. The over-65 age
group is set to double by the year
2050, and 30 per cent of these
people will be over 80. Philips
estimates this particular global
market at £100 billion.
E To find out more on the
heart manual, visit
www.theheartmanual.com
Health secretary tours medical centre
HEALTH secretary Nicola Sturgeon was
given a tour of one of NHS Lothian’s
newest facilities recently when she
visited Boroughloch Medical Centre in The
Meadows.
The centre provides a range of NHS
primary care services and clinics including
the Lothians’ first dental practice to be
based within a GP-led medical centre.
Developed with more than £600,000 of
funding from NHS Lothian – £500,000 of
which is through the primary and
community care modernisation programme
of the Scottish Government – the new
centre replaces the former Lauriston
Medical Practice.
Pictured are Nicola Sturgeon, centre, with
receptionist Cathie Armstrong, GP Dr Linda
MacCallum, practice manager Frea
Webster and reception manager Gillian
McHenry.
PIONEER:
David Gow
David does
things by
the book!
Recognising the value of
administration services
FROM December 2011, 18 Weeks will
become the maximum wait from
referral to treatment. The 18 Weeks
clock will start on the day that a
referral is received, and will stop on
the day that treatment begins.
In the case of the 12 weeks
treatment time guarantee announced
within the Patient Rights Bill on 17
March, the 12 weeks clock starts on
the day that a course of treatment is
agreed between a clinician and a
patient, and stops on the day that
treatment begins.
The 12 weeks treatment time
guarantee will be an integral part of
the 18 Weeks Referral to Treatment
patient journey.
Administrative services will play a
crucial role in helping NHS Lothian
meet the 18 weeks Referral to
Treatment (RTT) standard.
Optimising administrative
processes is one of six key themes
recommended by the Scottish
Government’s Improvement and
Support team.
Rebecca Willshee, ser vice
improvement manager for NHS
Lothian’s 18 Weeks team, said:
“Admin services underpin all of the
work of the NHS. Without admin
support we would be unable to invite
patients to attend appointments,
communicate with patients prior to
“Admin services
underpin all the
work of the NHS”
Rebecca Wilshee
and after their hospital visit, welcome
patients, and obtain and maintain
notes and records about patients and
their treatment history.
“We would be unable to type up
notes and letters following
consultations and inpatient stays,
manage waiting lists and record
coded clinical procedures.”
Under the 18 weeks project plan, NHS
Lothian’s 18 Weeks team has
suggested activities that can help
services to optimise the admin
process including mapping current
admin processes in detail and
reducing the number of queues
within each specialty.
Elaine Heron, modernisation
manager for the 18 weeks team, has
been working with a representative
group of staff from Gynaecology to
progress their action plan. She said:
“A lot of work has already been done
to improve the management of
referrals, and centralise bookings. But
everyone realises that improvements
can still be made, and bottlenecks
removed to ease the patient’s way
through treatment.”
Gynaecology admin staff, like the
clinicians, are concerned with the
patient’s welfare, and are often the
first contact the patient will have in
a clinic, whether as a receptionist, or
medical secretary.
Elaine added: “The admin staff are
also aware of, and using, some Lean
tools to improve the quality of the
service we offer patients, and they
appreciate that they have a part to play
in making improvements to such
processes.”
A NEW book has been
published recognising the
work of healthcare scientists,
including NHS Lothian’s own
bionic hand creator David Gow.
“Extraordinary You – Science
in Healthcare” profiles the
pioneering work of healthcare
scientists in the NHS across the
UK and details their reasons for
choosing a career in science.
The aim of the publication is
to encourage more people to
join the profession.
David Gow, head of south
east mobility and rehabilitation
technology services, was
responsible for the NHS Lothian
research team that developed a
revolutionary prosthetic hand.
The company Touch Bionics
spun out of NHS Lothian to
market the iLimb hand all over
the world.
David said: “It is flattering to
be in the book and be
recognised for my work. My
career has exceeded my wildest
dreams, and hopefully my
experiences will inspire others
to join the NHS as scientists
doing interesting and vital work.
“That my work and career is
recognised in the book is
actually a tribute to NHS
Lothian’s management and
board, which have had the
vision to support the research
which led to the iLimb.”
E For more information
on the iLimb, visit
www.touchbionics.com
6
NEWS
March/April 2010 Connections
Health Foundation
funds kidney and
heart research
ENHANCING the care and treatment of
patients with chronic kidney and heart
disease are two of the prestigious new
research schemes awarded by the Health
Foundation to NHS Lothian.
The Health Foundation has 11 research
projects throughout the UK under its
Closing the Gap through Clinical
Communities initiative, which aims to look
at ways of improving the quality of health
services.
The first project is managed by Kidney
Research UK. It aims to ensure kidney
disease is caught earlier within primary care,
and to improve the consistency and quality
of care people receive.
Simon Watson, consultant in kidney
medicine, said: “People in Lothian already
get very good care for kidney disease from
hospital and GP services. We want to achieve
even more through this innovative quality
improvement programme.
“We are going to ask GPs and practice
nurses to try out a ‘care bundle’ of highimpact interventions to improve the medical
treatment of people with kidney disease. This
will be done alongside a complimentary
intervention to help people to understand
and manage their condition. We hope that
this two-pronged strategy will lead to even
better clinical outcomes and an improved
patients’ experience of care.”
The second project involves 80 GP
practices across NHS Lothian, Tayside, Fife
and Forth Valley working to improve the
quality and safety of patients in primary care,
specifically in the area of heart failure and
implementing systems for the prescribing,
management and monitoring of patients with
high risk drugs including warfarin and
prescribing of cytotoxic drugs such as
methotrexate.
Each health board will concentrate on a
different work stream, with Lothian piloting
work around warfarin management.
The first year will involve 20 practices (five
from each health board) that will be trained
to implement new systems to improve patient
safety. Multi-disciplinary staff will be
involved to identify areas where quality
and safety could be improved at the
interface between primary and secondary
care.
The second year will build on this work
by implementing and spreading the
improvement measures and bundles
developed in year one to a total of 80 practices
in each of the four health boards.
For more information on the warfarin
project, contact the clinical governance
support team on 0131 537 8562.
E For more information, visit
www.health.org.uk
New partnership scheme
helps first-time parents
HEALTH secretary Nicola Sturgeon
has launched a test programme
that will support first-time
parents or single mums under
the age of 19 in the NHS
Lothian area.
Through the Family Nurse
Partnership, six family nurses will
visit expectant mums every one or
two weeks during pregnancy and
throughout the first two years of
their baby’s life. They will offer
guidance on child development,
preventative health measures,
parenting skills, breastfeeding,
better diet information and advice
for mothers on education and
employment.
Ms Sturgeon met with some of
the expectant parents and the
nurses at the programme’s base in
Craigmillar, Edinburgh.
The minister, pictured with
mum-to-be Danielle Potter,
said: “Intervening at the earliest
possible opportunity to support
those in our society who are most
in need is the key to improving
Scotland’s health.
“In time I want to see the kind of
support that the Family Nurse
Partnership provides across the
whole of Scotland.”
Jenny makes
sure beds
are available
DELAYED discharge/bed manager Jenny Mackenzie
is responsible for making sure there’s a bed available
at Astley Ainslie Hospital if it’s needed.
Jenny and her team look after around 150
rehabilitation beds, and within Edinburgh CHP,
approximately 400 frail elderly and psychiatry beds
for those who need respite, boarding or continuing
care.
With her team of three, Jenny facilitates the
transfer of patients when beds are available. And
that means making sure that patients are
discharged from hospital with minimal delay.
Jenny told Connections: “I’ve been a bed manager
for around 10 years, and delayed discharge
manager for the past six years.
“I manage about 550 beds in NHS Lothian’s
primary care service and I work with colleagues
at other hospitals to ensure beds are available
when they’re needed.”
Every morning, Jenny’s team holds a
teleconference with colleagues in university
hospital division, including Edinburgh’s Royal
Infirmary and the Western General, to make sure
that everyone has the information they need when
planning the rest of their day.
“If the RIE or Western General is under pressure,
patients who can be moved are transferred to
downstream rehabilitation or boarding units to free
up beds.”
Jenny, who qualified as a medical secretary, has
experience in pharmacy and also held practical
nursing posts in both acute and primary hospitals
and nursing homes, is unique in her role in NHS
Lothian. She is currently completing further studies
CHECKING BEDS: Jenny
(left) with assistant Sarah Nixon
in management and other projects are in the pipeline.
“In addition to this, I am working with the Scottish
Government and ISD in re-drafting the Delayed
Discharge Recording Manual.”
Her delayed discharge manager role within
Primary Care covers approximately 15 hospital sites,
including 66 wards from Corstorphine Hospital
to Edington in North Berwick. This involves liaising
with the multi-disciplinary health and local authority
teams when someone is delayed in hospital.
“Sometimes people need a lot of support to leave
hospital – although they are medically well and ready
to go. The Moving On Policy was developed by
NHS Lothian and the local authorities to assist
with making sure people are able to move to the
most appropriate place to meet their needs as
soon as possible.
“No one should stay in a hospital bed after they
are ready for discharge and this policy aims to assist
us with the discharge of patients to the best place
to meet their needs.
“At times, I work with social work colleagues,
the patient and their family to negotiate the patient’s
journey out of hospital. They may be going home
and need a package of care, or going into a care
home because they can no longer look after
themselves.”
FACILITIES
Connections March/April 2010
7
Midlothian’s new
community hospital
set to open this year
ON TARGET: work on the new Midlothian
community hospital is well under way
MIDLOTHIAN’S new community
hospital is on target – and on budget
– to be completed by September
this year.
The external building work is
complete, and internal walls have been
erected, with services being installed
ahead of schedule. The majority of
external landscaping and planting has
already been completed.
The hospital will offer a range of
inpatient and outpatient services when
it comes into use later in 2010. It
will have 88 beds (40 frail elderly
continuing care, and 48 frail elderly
mental health beds), a day hospital
for the care of elderly people, and
a physiotherapy and occupational
therapy service.
Outpatient services will include
diagnostic and imaging services;
community child health services, and
an unscheduled care service (out-ofhours) for the Midlothian area.
NHS Lothian gets extra money to continue to provide vital front-line services
Funding is announced for 2010/11
NHS Lothian is one of six health
boards in Scotland to be awarded
extra government funding to provide
frontline services for patients in next
year’s financial settlement.
Health Secretar y Nicola
Sturgeon announced that revenue
funding for NHS Boards for
2010-11 will rise by 2.7 per cent to
a record £8.464 billion.
Each territorial board will receive,
as a minimum, an above inflation
uplift of 2.55 per cent. NHS
Lothian will receive a 3.14 per cent
increase to take account of the
population’s changing health needs
as set out in the National Resource
Allocation Committee (NRAC)
guidelines.
NHS Special Boards, like the
Scottish Ambulance Service and
NHS 24, will receive an increase of
2.15 per cent.
Ms Sturgeon said: “This above
inflation increase in revenue
funding to NHS Boards across
Scotland in these difficult economic
times underlines the Scottish
G o v e r n m e n t ’ s u n s h a ke a b l e
commitment to our publicly funded
mutual health service.
“It means health boards will
have the resources they need to
progress their plans and ensure that
patients continue to be put at the
heart of the NHS.”
Director of finance for NHS
Lothian, Susan Goldsmith, said: “We
*NRAC explained
NRAC was established in 2008 to improve the Arbuthnott formula
used to divide the budget among the NHS Boards. It distributes
money based on a formula that takes into account the number of
residents and then makes adjustments for the age/sex, their needs
based on morbidity and life circumstances including deprivation
and the additional costs of providing services in remote and
rural areas.
NRAC evaluates new sources of evidence to determine healthcare
needs in different groups of people and use new information to
identify items that influence the costs of healthcare provision.
It has been estimated that NHS Lothian will be £60 million
short of its required funding position as identified by NRAC as at
31 March 2010.
PRIMARY CARE IN MUSSELBURGH
PLANS for the state-ofthe-art Musselburgh
Primary Care Centre have
taken a step forward after
full planning permission
was granted by East
Lothian Council.
The primary care
centre will provide new
accommodation for three
GP practices – Eskbridge
Medical Centre, Esk
Medical Centre (West)
and Riverside Practice,
Esk Medical Centre (East)
– and related healthcare
services and clinics.
These will include
some currently provided
at Edenhall Hospital such
as podiatry, physiotherapy,
community paediatric
services, community
dental services, speech
and language therapy,
clinical psychology
school nurse teams
and outpatient clinics.
Gerry Power, general
manager of Midlothian
Community Health
Partnership, said: “This is
welcome news which will
bring wide-ranging
healthcare benefits for
the local community.
“A great deal of work
has been undertaken to
reach this point,
including appointing the
design team and
engaging with the local
community on what the
new Musselburgh
Primary Care Centre
will look like.”
Following the recent
find of roman remains
on the site we are now
continuing to work with
Dundas Estates, the
current owner of the
land, to progress the
excavation work required
so that work can start
on the site as early
as possible.
welcome the revenue funding
allocation from the Scottish
Government and acknowledge
the contribution towards the
implementation of the National
Resource Allocation Committee
(NRAC*) guidelines.
“This money will be used to
continually improve services as part
of NHS Lothian’s commitment
to remain at the forefront of
patient care.”
REVENUE ALLOCATIONS FOR EACH NHS BOARD FOR 2010-11 ARE AS FOLLOWS:
NHS Board
Initial allocation
2010-11 (mill)
Uplift 2010-11
percentage
NHS Ayrshire and Arran
570.2
2.55
NHS Borders
166.0
2.55
NHS Dumfries and Galloway
238.3
2.55
NHS Fife
502.9
2.80
NHS Forth Valley
398.8
2.85
NHS Grampian
678.5
2.82
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
1,871.4
2.55
NHS Highland
480.6
2.55
NHS Lanarkshire
798.4
2.94
NHS Lothian
1,018.2
3.14
NHS Orkney
31.3
2.63
NHS Shetland
36.8
2.55
NHS Tayside
592.9
2.55
NHS Western Isles
58.1
2.55
TOTAL
7,437.4
2.73
Dalkeith hosts health board meeting
RESIDENTS in Midlothian were given an opportunity
to hear at first hand the work being carried out by
NHS Lothian when the latest board meeting was held
in Dalkeith.
It meant members of the local community could find
out the most up-to-date position on their healthcare
services.
Before the start of the board meeting in January, an
open session on developments and health services was
given by Midlothian community health partnership (CHP)
where the public had the opportunity to put questions
to the CHP’s general manager Gerry Power, Morag
Barrow, CHP allied health services manager, and Liz
Creggan, chief nurse.
Gerry said: “We are delighted that the board meeting
took place in Midlothian. It meant members of the local
community could find out the most up to date position
on their healthcare services.
“We gave a presentation providing details on some
of our major forthcoming developments such as
Midlothian Community Hospital and Dalkeith Medical
Centre, which was followed by a question-andanswer session.”
While board meetings are open to the public, there
is no question and answer session. Board papers
are available at each board meeting and on NHS
Lothian’s website from the day of the meeting at
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
The meeting meant members
of the local community
could find out the most
up-to-date position on
their healthcare services
8
NEWS
March/April 2010 Connections
ADVANCE PLANNING
FOR EMERGENCIES
IF there was a fire that closed your
hospital, where would you work? Or
a goods train loaded with dangerous
chemicals was derailed next to your
health centre and you weren’t allowed
in for your patient records. What
would you do?
Thankfully, for many of us, neither
is a scenario we need to worry about.
NHS Lothian and its community
health partnerships (CHPs), like
all major organisations, however, do
need to have plans in place to make
sure that “business” can continue
as normal in the event of a fire or
other emergency situation.
Edinburgh CHP recently
READY FOR ACTION:
the business continuity
ns
team discuss their pla
Ensuring we have business continuity plans in place is
essential for the vital services NHS Lothian provides
set up a business continuity planning
(BCP) group to develop and test
operational plans for a range of
possible scenarios in the city.
Assistant general manager Robert
Aitken told Connections: “We’ve
drawn up about 20 plans covering the
various disciplines and services in the
different parts of the capital
and we’ve carried out a number of
exercises to test how they would work
in a real crisis.
“We’ve brought staff
together from different
localities and involved social
work, GPs and practice
managers who have a close
relationship with our own
employees.”
He added: “Our business
continuity manager Julie
Drysdale develops various
scenarios to test how the
staff will respond and the
feedback from the exercises has been
very good. People realise how vital it
is that we are able to continue to
operate services for our patients even
in the event of a crisis.”
Steven Ross-Bell is clinical sourcing
manager (contracts lead) at NHS
Lothian and business continuity
lead for the health authority’s
procurement department.
He said: “We are taking a careful
look at the risks we face, and how we
can plan to mitigate them to allow the
board, or one of its units, to function
in the event of a crisis.
“We have asked our suppliers what
business continuity plans they have
in place, to ensure we can continue
to receive drugs or equipment.”
Steven added: “We have utilised
the BCP eLearning module on
NHS Learnpro which all 15
of NHS Lothian’s procurement
managers and supervisors have
Telling the story
of community care
THE Patients’ Council at the
Royal Edinburgh Hospital has
launched a book of stories from
patients, carers and staff about
moving from hospital-based
care into community care.
The book, “Stories of
Changing Lives”, gives a voice
to people to share their personal
experiences of moving on to
community-based care during
the mid/late 1990s.
“This book tells
the extraordinary
stories of
remarkable
people who made
huge changes
in their lives”
Linda Irvine
The book highlights the
reality that peoples’ lives do
change as they become
established in their
communities. It shows that
supporting people to live
in their own home rather
than in a hospital setting can
exceed both their own and
others expectations. The
publication was funded by NHS
Lothian Endowments.
Linda Irvine, strategic
programme manager, NHS
Lothian, said: “This book tells
the extraordinary stories of
remarkable people who made
huge changes in their lives. It
echoes our message that
recovery can be a reality for
people with a mental health
illness. I would encourage
everyone to read it and be
inspired by what is possible.”
Lesley Smith, a member of
the Patient’s Council and lead
for this work, added: “These
stories prove that community
based care that is focused, wellplanned and resourced in a
person-centred and holistic way
enables people to be in control
of their lives showing that it can
and does work”
In the mid/late 1990s, there
was shift toward community
care due to policy changes and
a recognition that hospitalbased care was not necessarily
the best option for people with a
long-term mental health illness.
At this time, the Royal
Edinburgh Hospital set about
moving its continuing care
service into the community. In
all, more than 100 people were
moved into the community.
ON THE RUN: Edinburgh to
Paris supporter Scott Hastings
with Gina Easton, age 14
completed and passed.
“We are spearheading the use of
this module on
The business continuity
behalf of the
process
makes sure we have
facilities
the capability to function
directorate. Other
during disruptive events such
managers and
as loss of power, water,
supervisors would
telephones, severe
find the module
weather and flu
useful to raise their
outbreaks
awareness of business
continuity for their own
service.”
Steven recently took part in the
Scottish Government’s National
Procurement pandemic BCP exercise
involving health boards across the
country.
He said: “We all learned a great deal
– especially the importance of testing
plans regularly and knowing where
to find and implement them in the
event of a crisis.”
DID
YOU KNOW
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
FIRE! By their nature,
emergencies are unexpected,
but NHS Lothian has plans
in place to cope with
events such as a major fire
9
Fraud – don’t risk it
RECENT court cases involving former
employees show just how seriously
NHS Lothian takes the issue of fraud.
Fraudsters not only lose their jobs,
but end up with a criminal record and
could even go to jail for their crime.
One ex-member of staff narrowly
escaped prison for falsifying
timesheets while working as a
member of the staff bank. Another
has been given a jail sentence for
altering his medical certificates to
claim longer off work than had been
authorised by his doctor.
Meanwhile, the procurator fiscal
is considering another case against an
employee who was working privately
while claiming sick leave.
Cases like these are investigated
by NHSScotland’s counter fraud
services (CFS), and evidence is passed
to the procurator fiscal for action.
Several others are at an early stage of
investigation – including some cases
where the suspects are not yet aware
they are under suspicion.
David Woods, chief internal auditor,
said: “Counter fraud services holds
investigative powers similar to the
police, including the power to carry
out directed surveillance, interview
suspects under caution and report
cases directly to the fiscal.”
He said that line managers identify
70 per cent of all suspected frauds that
are investigated by CFS, while others
are reported by members of staff.
Staff can also report suspicions
anonymously through CFS’s
hotline 08000 151628 or via
www.cfs.scot.nhs.uk
TRACKING DOWN FRAUDSTERS
NHS Lothian is investigating
some anomalies identified as
part of the national fraud
initiative (NFI).
Every two years, the NFI
exercise compares employee
and other data from various
public sector organisations,
and matches it to highlight
possible fraudulent activity,
e.g. employees on two payrolls,
claiming social security
benefits or anomalies with
employees’ UK visas.
A large number of matches
highlighted by NFI have
already been examined,
leaving some matches of
particular interest to be
investigated further.
Hep C screening
available for
those at risk
PEOPLE at risk of having the
hepatitis C virus are being
encouraged to come forward for
testing as part of a new Scottish
Government campaign.
Hilda Stiven, senior health
policy officer, NHS Lothian,
said: “Hepatitis C is a serious
illness, but it can be treated.
We are looking for former
injecting drug users, people
who had NHS blood
transfusions before 1991 and
anyone who may have shared
items, such as razors, with
someone who has the virus to
come forward and get tested.”
Testing for hepatitis C is
available at:
GP surgeries; genito-urinary
medicine – Edinburgh: 0131 536
2103 (men) 0131 536 2104
(women), West Lothian: 01506
464668; HIV counselling clinic,
Western General Hospital,
Edinburgh: 0131 537 2864; harm
reduction team offers testing at
various sites across Lothian. For
details and appointments, call
the blood borne virus prevention
nurse on 0131 537 8300.
E Contact C Plus, 17 Academy
Street, Edinburgh EH6 7EE
0131 478 7929 or Waverley
Care, 3 Mansfield Place,
Edinburgh EH3 6NB,
0131 556 9710
Fancy a gentle jog
to Paris for charity?
WOULD you like a trip to France with
a difference? Radio Lollipop has
l a u n c h e d t h e Ru n t o Fr a n c e
fundraising initiative that invites
people to run or walk a total of
1120km (696 miles) – the distance
from Edinburgh to Paris.
T h e c h a l l e n g e , b a c ke d b y
former Scotland rugby international
star Scott Hastings, officially kicked
off on 7 February, the same day as the
Scotland vs France 6 Nations Rugby
match at Murrayfield.
Participants have to clock up a
total distance of 1120km in short
runs across the year, culminating
concurrently with the 2011 France
v Scotland 6 Nations game
in Paris.
The idea for the fundraising
initiative came from two fathers
with young families who like to keep
fit by setting running challenges
throughout the year while raising
money for charity.
Fo r t h i s y e a r ’ s c h a l l e n g e ,
Staff are encouraged to support
Radio Lollipop’s challenge to run
the equivalent of Edinburgh-Paris
David Lewis and William
Fairhurst will help raise funds for
Radio Lollipop, which exists to
provide care, comfort, play and
entertainment to children and young
people in hospital, including the
Royal Hospital for Sick Children
in Edinburgh.
A dedicated website for the Run
to France campaign is available
(www.runtofrance.com) where people
will be able to learn more about the
challenge.
Anybody wishing to join the Run
to France challenge can find out how
through the website and will be
re-directed to the Run to France
dedicated web page on Nike Plus.
“I am happy to support the Run to France for
Radio Lollipop challenge. I am a regular runner
and will now be monitoring my weekly
mileage in support of this great initiative”
Scott Hastings, former Scotland rugby international
You can also keep up to date with
the challenge through the Run to
France Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/
runtofrance) and Twitter (www.twitter.
com/runtofrance) pages.
The Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor
hotel is backing the challenge and will
be supporting Radio Lollipop
throughout 2010 through their
Hilton in the Community Foundation
fundraising.
Scott Hastings thinks Run to
France will be a tremendous activity
for people to take part in: “I am happy
to support the Run to France for Radio
Lollipop challenge.
“I am a regular runner and will
now be monitoring my weekly
mileage in support of this great
initiative.
“While I would love to visit Paris
in the next year, the beauty of this
particular challenge is that you just
have to log your equivalent miles from
Edinburgh to Paris without setting foot
in the French capital!”
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
11
National award for
eHealth TRAK team
OUR eHealth TRAK team has
won a major national award for
the TRAK health electronic
patient record system that’s in use
across NHS Lothian.
At a glittering award ceremony in
London’s Guildhall, which prime
minister Gordon Brown addressed
by video link, the Lothian team
scooped the eGovernment award
for “proven team working which
has delivered more than the sum
of the parts”.
eHealth programme manager
Bill Alexander said: “We were
delighted to win this prestigious
award as recognition for our work.
MODERN CARE: Telehealth is
one recent healthcare innovation
Technology
goes on show
OUR eHealth department is planning
to showcase some of the new
developments in technology in use
right now at NHS Lothian – or being
evaluated for the future.
The show will be held at the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh in April for
senior executives and consultants.
Pete Waugh, eHealth programme
manager for system development and
training, said: “Several of the recent
innovations we are using will be on
show, including our mobile clinical
assistants that give users access at the
bedside to vital patient information;
the NHSScotland-wide electronic
library, and the national emergency
care summary.”
The show will also feature
Telehealth, which allows medical staff
to monitor patients at home, and may
include teleconferencing, which could
allow healthcare staff to discuss
concerns with patients over a secure
computer link instead of face to face.
SUCCESS: the
eHealth TRAK Team
“TRAK is one of the biggest
electronic patient record projects in
the UK.
“It’s a single database containing
all the patient records, events
and outcomes for accident
a n d e m e r g e n c y, p a t i e n t
administration, radiology
management, ordering/reporting
of investigations and maternity.
“eHealth has now started to
implement the project in the
community setting, giving
district nurses, health visitors
and AHP staff real-time access
to comprehensive patient
information.”
Walking programme’s
success acknowledged
SPECIALIST physiotherapist
Amanda Stears was recently
nominated for an award for her
ground-breaking work with adults
with learning disabilities in Lothian.
Amanda was nominated for an
NHS Health Scotland Physical
Activity and Health Alliance Active
(PAHA) Factor Award by Paths For
All development officer Zoe Smolka.
Sadly for Amanda, the Midlothian
community adult
learning disability team
and the day centre
staff, they missed
out on the top
prize. But as far
as Amanda is
concerned, just
being nominated
was reward
enough.
The nomination
came after Amanda
organised a walking
group in the Midlothian
area for adults with
learning disabilities.
She said: “I was keen to see how
it could be adapted and focused on
our work with clients within the day
centres we visit, primarily Cherry
Road in Bonnyrigg and John Chant
in Penicuik.
“I noticed that some of our clients
spent a lot of their activity time
sitting down at things like art classes
and other centre-based activities, so
we thought it would be a good idea
to encourage some
regular exercise.
“A n d i t h a s
proved to be very
popular – so
popular in fact
we recently
celebrated our
first birthday
and have grown
from one to
three walks per
week.
“It has also spread
to East Lothian with
the help of council
staff there. We have
WALK THIS WAY: Amin Mohammed, Lynne Sutherland, Jenny
Morgan, day services officer at Cherry Road Resource Centre,
and Thomas Drysdale. Left: Amanda Stears with Paul Scollan
also recently started walking with
adults who suffer from COPD.”
Amanda added: “Apart from the
obvious benefits of improved
fitness in participants, support staff
have reported that walking
outdoors in pleasant surroundings
has had a positive effect on mood
and behaviour.”
E For more information about
the walking groups, contact
amanda.stears@nhslothian.
scot.nhs.uk
21 years of promoting safer sex
CELBRATING SUCCESS: Marion Lynch, admin manager, Sylvia
Baikie, c:card manager and Mark Bailie, c:card service manager
THE very first NHS free condom
service in the UK is about to celebrate
its 21st birthday – in the Lothians.
The c:card team will host a thank you
event for its partners – public agencies
and individuals – at the Point Hotel in
April to say thanks for their support.
When the service opened in 1989,
condoms had a poor public image and
getting them for free was almost
impossible.
Mark Baillie, c:card service manager
in NHS Lothian’s harm reduction
team, said: “At that time, an effective
and efficient service was needed in the
Lothians to combat HIV transmission
and unplanned pregnancies.
“In the first year, c:card operated out
of two locations; since then, more than
70 points have been opened in
Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“From fewer than 300 visits in the first
year, we now have more than 34,000
visits and c:card has grown into
NHS Lothian’s largest sexual health
service. Its success has led to similar
services being set up by other health
boards across the country.”
Mark added: “c:card would not
have been possible without the
dedicated support of all the agencies
and individuals who work in
partnership with us to facilitate the
service for free.”
E For more information on
c:card and to find out where
the service is available, go to:
www.ccard.org.uk
12
SICK KIDS’ ANNIVERSARY
March/April 201
HAPPY BIRTHDA
We look back
over the last
150 years of
the Royal
Hospital for
Sick Children
THROUGH the 1850s, fever raged
in the stinking closes of Edinburgh’s
city centre. Many people lived in
poverty without sanitation or
piped water and with practically no
access to medical attention for their
infants when they fell ill.
Across the city, the average death rate
of children under five years of age was
one in 13.
Medical staff in the capital were
appalled and began a campaign to erect
a hospital that would look after the
health needs of young people.
The rest, as they say, is history. In this
special anniversary feature, we look at
some of the key participants in the
campaign and the timeline that led to
the Royal Hospital for Sick Children
celebrating 150 years of service and
innovation in paediatric treatment.
14 FEBRUARY 1859
THE CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED
Dr John Smith, a surgeon at the
Royal Infirmary, passionately raised
the importance of a hospital for sick
children in Edinburgh and persuaded
The Scotsman to publish a
letter opening the debate. It read: “No
colours are too strong to paint the
sufferings of young children among
the lowest and poorest classes
of the population, when afflicted
with disease.”
Kyle Gray and Charlie
Hunter blow out the
candles before enjoying
a piece of cake.
A big thank you to Andy
McPheely, assistant
logistics manager, and his
team who distributed the
birthday cake and made
sure everyone felt part of
the celebrations
Designed by architect George Washington, the current RHSC building
opened in 1895.
5 MAY 1859
FIRST PUBLIC MEETING TO
ESTABLISH THE HOSPITAL BOARD
21 JANUARY 1861
DIRECTORS REPORTED ON
THEIR SUCCESS
A public meeting chaired by the Rev
Dr James Hudson, rector of The
Edinburgh Academy, agreed that a
hospital for the relief of sick children
be established forthwith. It was also
agreed that the hospital would become
a training school for medical students
and nurses – an innovative and
controversial decision at a time when
paediatric medicine was still regarded
as an extension of the obstetric and
gynaecology specialities.
The directors reported –“154 children
of ages one year to 12 years admitted
and treated, of whom 140 have been
cured and restored to their parents and
friends. In the dispensary attached to
the hospital, 985 children have
during the same period received
medicine and – when necessary – been
visited at their parents’ dwellings
and a truly great amount
15 FEBRUARY 1860
EDINBURGH HOSPITAL FOR SICK
CHILDREN OPENS
A large building at 7 Lauriston Lane was
selected and, with a few adaptations,
was swiftly transformed into a
hospital comprising 12 inpatient
beds, a dispensary, an
outpatient consulting
room, eight convalescent
beds and limited
accommodation for
nursing and medical staff.
Just five months after
the lease was signed, on
February 15 1860, with no
special ceremony, the
doors to the hospital
opened.
Victoria Stewart
aged three gets
a cuddle from
Dr Sprout
“No colours are
too strong to paint
the sufferings of
young children
among the lowest
and poorest classes
of the population,
when afflicted
with disease”
Dr John Smith, 1895
A BUSY WARD: Memories
of the RHSC, 1909
of disease and suffering has thus also
been relieved.”
However, they also reported:
“The directors have been
compelled to refuse admission
to many poor languishing
and dying children because
at the time of application
the house was full, or
because they could
not venture to
admit fever
patients in its
SICK KIDS’ ANNIVERSARY
10 Connections
13
AY TO THE SICK KIDS!
THE THEATRE
TEAM: Memories
of the RHSC, 1909
“The building which Her Royal Highness is
about to declare open is one of the most
perfect hospitals in the United Kingdom”
Hall Blyth, chairman of the directors, 1895
Meadowside House was sold to The
Royal Infirmary and the site of a former
school at Rillbank, Sciennes, was
selected for the new building.
31 OCTOBER 1895
RHSC OPENS AT SCIENNES
New teenage
cancer trust
unit opens,
December 2009
then crowded state.”
They asked: “Shall not these
suffering little ones be turned away
from the door, to be taken back to
darkness, cold, hunger, pain and death
in their wretched dwellings where so
many are to be found?”
So, barely two years after Dr
Smith’s letter to The Scotsman, and less
than a year since the first hospital
opened, an appeal for a £5000 building
fund was launched so that the now
essential children’s hospital could be
housed in suitable premises.
18 MAY 1863
HOSPITAL ACHIEVES ROYAL STATUS
Three years after the first hospital
opened, services moved to a new
custom-built hospital, Meadowside
House. The new hospital was described
as “commodious and well ventilated”,
providing five wards and space for
48 inpatients.
The hard work of directors and staff
was recognised when Queen Victoria
bestowed her
patronage – the
first children’s
hospital in the
UK to receive the
honour.
1 NOVEMBER
1887
FIRST SURGICAL
WARD OPENS
UNDER DR
JOSEPH BELL
Dr Joseph Bell, president of the Royal
College of Surgeons and part of a
dynasty of surgeons, was appointed as
the first Ordinary Surgeon at the Royal
Hospital for Sick Children in May 1887.
The dedicated children’s surgical ward
opened its doors six months later.
2 DECEMBER 1890
TRANSFER TO PLEWLANDS HOUSE
During 1890, a major outbreak of
typhoid occurred through Edinburgh
and many children were admitted
to the hospital with advanced
symptoms. After the sad death of
a nurse, there were concerns that
the hospital was infected and no
longer clean.
The temporary closure was agreed
and all patients, staff and equipment
were moved to Plewlands House – the
former Morningside College.
Meadowside House was thoroughly
inspected and cleaned, but the report
concluded that the building was
inadequate for the needs of the patients
and staff, so once again the directors
sought to find a new, larger hospital.
E m i n e n t E d i n b u rg h a rc h i t e c t
George Washington Browne designed
a new building. Lady Jane Dundas
made the generous donation of £6500
to build and furnish one
wing of the new hospital,
naming it the Lady
Caroline Charteris
Memorial Wing after
her sister. Colonel W.
Lorimer Bathgate, one
of the directors who
had benevolently
ensured that all the
little inmates of the
hospital were provided
with Christmas treats
every year, endowed
enough to fund the
“Bathgate Ward” in
memory of his sister
Thomasine, and another
director left enough to
fund a ward, named the
“Mackay Smith Ward”
after him.
On 31 October 1895,
Princess Beatrice graciously performed
the opening ceremony on behalf
of her mother, Queen Victoria, the
Hospital’s Patron.
At the short ceremony, Hall Blyth,
the chairman of the directors, spoke
about the history of the Royal Hospital
for Sick Children services
in Edinburgh, explaining that up to
this date, more than 180,000 sick
children had received treatment.
He proudly stated: “The building
which Her Royal Highness is about
to declare open is one of
the most perfect hospitals in the
United Kingdom.”
1895 TO 2010
The hospital continued to expand and
to lead the way in many aspects of
paediatric medicine. During the war
years, women were welcomed on to the
medical team and the staff coped with
reduced supplies and evacuation.
The various additions, although
essential to the continued development
of services, made the hospital a
patchwork of add-on buildings as the
directors purchased houses in Rillbank
Terrace and Millerfield Place.
By the mid-1980s, the hospital was
again in need of more space and a
successful appeal raised the funds to build
a new wing. The three-floor extension
was formally opened in June 1995 and
the vacated wards created a new
paediatric intensive care unit.
Today, the hospital cares for more than
100,000 children and young people a
year from across Lothian and beyond.
It provides a comprehensive range of
dedicated children’s services, including
accident and emergency, acute medical
and surgical care, specialist surgical
and medical care, haematology and
oncology, day care and critical care.
THE FUTURE
The decision to pursue the construction
of a new children’s hospital was made
by the NHS Lothian board in 2005.
This was based on the recognition that
the present hospital requires significant
modernisation in order to continue
to be a first-class environment for the
delivery of high-quality care for children
and young people.
The new hospital, due to open in 2013,
will be truly fit for the 21st century.
The site at Little France will follow the
“gold standard” for children’s hospitals,
ensuring that children and young
people benefit from closer collaboration
between paediatric specialists and their
adult service counterparts working
in the Royal Infirmary.
Children, young people, families
and staff have all been involved in the
design process.
14
NEWS
March/April 2010 Connections
Self-referral to
physio service
THE launch of a self-referral physiotherapy
service is set to make a big difference to
patients across East Lothian and Midlothian.
The service, which went live on 22 February in
East Lothian and will be launched on 1 April in
Midlothian, will allow adults to get quicker access
to a physiotherapist for musculoskeletal problems
without needing to first see a GP or another
health professional.
At present, the service is not available to
people under 16 years of age or those who need
a home visit.
This is another step in the redesign of the
musculoskeletal physiotherapy service in East
Lothian and Midlothian. The redesign aims
to improve the quality of physiotherapy from referral
to discharge and is working hard to achieve a
patient-centred service.
To refer themselves, a patient can pick up a form
from a GP surgery, or download one from a website
(www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/community/physio/do
_you_need_physiotherapy.pdf). Once the form has
“This new service will
improve access for patients,
as well as free up time
in GP surgeries”
Morag Barrow, allied health professional manager
New system will give
patients quicker and
easier access to treatment
been received, the service will send a letter to the
patient acknowledging that the referral has been
received. When an appointment becomes available
the person will be contacted again to arrange an
appropriate time and date for an appointment.
Morag Barrow, allied health professional
manager for East Lothian and Midlothian, said:
“Patients can still go to their GP, but this method
of referral will add to our menu of options to access
the physiotherapy service.
“This new service will improve access for patients,
as well as free up time in GP surgeries. People
will be seen more quickly, which means they will
get better support. The longer the time between
a musculoskeletal injury and receiving specialist
advice, then the more likely that a problem
will turn into a chronic one.”
Libby Dale, physiotherapy team lead who
has been leading the self-referral development,
said: “Physiotherapy staff are very positive
about self referral. There were initial concerns
that it would lead to the service being overwhelmed
with referrals, but the evidence shows that this
should not happen.”
IMPROVING
HEALTH: Libby
Dale, right,
puts Debbie
Wood through
her paces
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
15
AIMING FOR EXCELLENCE
MEET the Balfour Beatty
WorkPlace (BBW) management
team based at the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh.
BBW delivers all of the hospital’s
domestic services.
The team comprises a combination
of operational and support function
services such as mechanical, electrical,
hard and soft landscaping.
BBW’s main aims are to strengthen
the commitment to the working
partnership with NHS Lothian and
the University Medical School and to
strive to achieve excellence in all
that it delivers.
Mark Barnett
Charles Neilson
Andy Diamond
General manager
Soft Services manager
Technical Services
manager
Mark Barnett joined
Balfour Beatty WorkPlace
(BBW) as the general
manager at the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE)
in August 2008.
Mark has overall
responsibility for the delivery
of facilities management
services for patients, staff
and visitors.
The services BBW
provides form an integral part of the patients’ stay in hospital
and Mark and his team are committed to ensuring high standards
of service are consistently delivered to enhance the overall
healthcare experience for all concerned at RIE.
He said: “Before joining BBW, I spent eight years in the private
sector within contract management, working on The Glasgow
and Edinburgh Schools PFI projects and prior to this had
12 very enjoyable years in the NHS with approximately
half of them spent at the Western General, Royal Victoria
and Royal Hospital for Sick Children Hospitals within
NHS Lothian.”
Mark has three children and enjoys five-a-side football.
Gillian Grieve
managers who provide a wide range
of ancillary and facilities services to
the site, including domestics, catering,
portering, security and technical
Edward Costello
Soft services manager
Charles Neilson has worked
for Balfour Beatty WorkPlace
(BBW) since January 2009.
Charles has overall
responsibility for service
delivery within soft services
that includes: domestic
services, portering
services, security services,
commercial catering, patient
feeding and helpdesk.
He said: “My main aim to is improve the overall experience
for patients, visitors and NHS employees whilst they are at
the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
“My career to date has been varied in facilities management,
which I have been in for some 20 years, ranging from contract
management on North Sea oil rigs to site management
within healthcare and business development in the private sector.
“Throughout my career I have been a great advocate of
customer service measurement, and I have continued this at
the RIE where we are currently carrying out surveys in all areas
for all services that BBW delivers.”
Charles has three children, is a keen golfer and enjoys coaching
shinty for his local club.
Ann Bradford
Iain Cripps
Andy Dimond is technical
services manager at Balfour
Beatty WorkPlace (BBW),
and has worked for the
company since March 2009,
when he first arrived at The
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Andy has overall
responsibility for service
delivery within technical
services that includes:
mechanical and electrical services, internal and external
fabric maintenance, asset management of the infrastructure,
projects and additional customer requests.
Andy said: “My career to date has been varied, with 14 years’
service in the Royal Navy, ranging from operating the facilities
at the Trident Submarine Base to being the engineering officer
of a minesweeper.
“This was followed by roles in facilities management, ranging
from contract management of an RAF base to running the
maintenance operation of the RBS Group headquarters at
Gogarburn, Edinburgh.”
Andy has two children and he is a keen rugby supporter,
following leading London club Harlequins.
Leigh McAllister
Office manager
Fabric services manager
Customer service manager
Electrical manager
Training and quality manager
Duncan Colville
Gordon Chalmers
Seton Steele
Colin Herd
Craig Bones
Customer service manager
Pam McKenzie
Night shift manager
Security manager
John Wilson
Mechanical manager
Customer service manager
Carol Stirrat
Business systems co-ordinator
Portering manager
Customer service manager
Andy Cummings
Rachel Barron
Health and safety adviser
HR adviser
Corrie McKenzie
Senior customer
services manager
Paul Dobosz
Senior customer
services manager
16
NEWS
March/April 2010 Connections
Midwife-led
birthing unit at
the RIE will give
expectant mums
first-class care
in a ‘homely’
environment
THE designs for NHS Lothian’s
new birthing centre have been
unveiled. Pictures and plans give
an idea how the midwife-led
facility will look when it is built at
Simpson’s Centre for Reproductive
Health at the Royal Infirmary of
Edinburgh (RIE).
It is part of the multi-million
pound strategy that will welcome in
a new era in maternity services in
Lothian and give thousands of
women more choice about the birth
of their babies.
Maria Wilson, chief midwife at
NHS Lothian, said: “The plans
look fantastic and we are thrilled
with them. We wanted to make
sure the birthing centre had
everything that women would
expect and we are confident we
have achieved that.
“The feedback from the groups
who have helped shape the new service
has been really positive. It is very
exciting to see all of the plans fast
becoming a reality.”
NHS Lothian gave the maternity
strategy the green light after women
and families took part in a public
consultation to help shape the future
of the service to meet the changing
needs of the community and the
unprecedented rise in the birth rate.
NEW DELIVERY: mums in
Lothian will soon benefit from a
new state-of-the-art birthing unit
BIRTH OF A NEW ERA IN
MATERNITY SERVICES
The number of babies born in
Lothian soared by 11 per cent, from
8538 in 2004 to 9456 in 2007 – a total
of 6508 at the RIE and 2948 at St
John’s in 2007.
The creation of the birthing centre,
led by midwives, will mean that about
1500 women a year, who are assessed
as being likely not to require any hightech medical interventions, can have
their babies in a more “homely”
environment, but still have nearby
medical expertise close if required.
The stand-alone unit will have a total
of six delivery rooms, each with its own
birthing pool.
The current service in St John’s
Hospital will also be upgraded with
plans to revamp the delivery suite.
En-suite facilities will be created in
delivery rooms to increase privacy and
dignity during the birth experience –
an action highlighted during the
consultation exercise.
C.diff infections at lowest
level since records began
Get yourself
connected…
WANT to find out more about
NHS Lothian’s latest news?
We’ve gone online, which
means you don’t need to wait
for the next edition of Connections
to keep updated on our latest
news and developments.
You can now follow us on Twitter,
or become a fan on Facebook. Be
among the first to receive news
updates and much more.
Let us know what
you’d like to see in the next
edition of your staff newspaper by
logging onto Facebook.
To start receiving our tweets,
log on to www.twitter.com/
NHS_Lothian
To become a Facebook friend,
log onto www.facebook.com and
search for NHS_Lothian.
TWO NHS Lothian initiatives are
helping staff win the war against
Clostridium difficile (C.diff): the
new Clostridium difficile toolkit
and the university hospital division
adult antimicrobial prescribing
guidelines (2009).
The C.diff toolkit, which is being
implemented in NHS Lothian,
gives a set of standards to help
prevent and manage the outbreak
of the bug.
The antimicrobial guidelines give
useful advice to clinicians to
prescribe antibiotics appropriately,
reduce the use of unnecessary
long course lengths of antibiotics
and to minimise use of those that
increase the risk of C.diff
developing.
Lead antimicrobial pharmacist
Alison Cockburn said: “Adherence
to the recommendations in the
guidelines is currently being
audited within the acute hospitals
to facilitate the reduction in
C.difficile infection rates.”
The number of C.diff infections
across NHS Lothian hospitals
has continued to fall.
NHS Lothian’s rate is now below
the national average and the 47
cases among people of all ages
recorded in December 2009 was
the lowest for Lothian since C.diff
surveillance began.
Levels of MRSA infections have
also continued to fall. For the
second half of last year (July to
December 2009) there were 30
cases of MRSA recorded. This
compares to 76 cases recorded
during the same period in 2004.
Dr Alison McCallum, director
of public health and health
policy at NHS Lothian, said: “We
are continuing to drive down C.diff
and MRSA infections using a
variety of methods.
“These include new guidelines
on prescribing, changing some
of the chemicals used in
cleaning and continuing with
education initiatives with staff
and visitors.”
E For more information on the
C.diff toolkit: http://intranet.
lothian.scot.nhs.uk/NHSLothian/
Healthcare/A-Z/Infection
Control/Pages/toolkit.aspx
UHD adult antimicrobial
prescribing guidelines: http://
intranet.lothian.scot.nhs.uk/NHS
Lothian/Healthcare/A-Z/amt
ELECTIVE SCREENING
NHS Lothian is rolling out
elective screening for the MRSA
bug as part of the Government’s
screening programme.
Screening will take place
with patients prior to elective
surgery and on emergency
admission to the following four
clinical areas:
■ renal,
■ vascular
■ dermatology and
■ specialist medical for the
elderly.
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
17
Volunteer patients wanted
Edinburgh Dental Institute
offers free treatment to people
not registered with a dentist
WOULD you like some free dental
treatment, and at the same time help
with the training of dental
professionals?
The Edinburgh Dental Institute at
Lauriston Place is offering people who
are not currently registered with a
dentist the chance of free routine
dental treatment from student dental
hygienist-therapists. Treatment will be
provided in the Institute’s new
dental education centre, which
boasts state-of-the-art facilities that
are second to none in Scotland.
Therapists are trained to undertake
routine dentistry, which includes
fillings, scaling and polishing and
preventive treatment. However, more
complex treatments, such as tooth
extractions, dentures, crowns, bridges
or root fillings, are not provided by
therapists.
Professor Richard Ibbetson, Director
of the Edinburgh Postgraduate
Institute, said: “We greatly appreciate
people helping us with the teaching
and training of the next generation
of dental care professionals.
“I think they will be impressed with
the quality of the facilities and the
friendliness of the staff and students.”
Dr Colwyn Jones, consultant in
dental public health at NHS
Lothian, said: “If people don’t have
a dentist, they can go along to get
routine dental treatment at no cost
to them. The students are always
supervised by other qualified dental
personnel.”
Colwyn continued: “By becoming
a patient for this treatment, you are
helping to train the next generation
of dental therapists. There are mutual
advantages there – you get free
treatment, the students get the
chance to carry out treatment, and the
community will ultimately see the
benefits.”
E To arrange an appointment, call
0131 536 4903 and leave your
name and number. You will be
called back within a week to
arrange an appointment.
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE: senior lecturer Margaret Ross teaches student dental therapists the skills to
undertake routine treatment. Edinburgh Dental Institute is now looking for more willing volunteer patients!
Snap to it and send us
your photographs!
FANCY yourself as the next David Bailey?
The Royal Infirmary Edinburgh Arts
Committee is looking for photographers
to enter the first NHS Lothian digital
photo competition.
The competition, which will open on
26 April, will run for 14 weeks, closing
on 2 August 2010.
Jane McArthur of Ginkgo Projects, who
is co-ordinating the competition,
explained: “Photos are welcome from
everyone.
“We are looking forward to seeing all
that talent that is out there from keen
photographers to people who have
never picked up a camera before or who
take great shots on their mobile phone.”
The competition is free to enter and
is open to all patients, staff, volunteers,
visitors and carers. There are two
categories with prizes: under-16s and
over-16s.
Entrants can either upload their
images straight on to a specially
designated website or send their
images on disk by post. Keep
an eye open for posters with
the web address and
further information
throughout NHS
Lothian buildings
and in public
libraries in time
for the launch on
26 April.
Full entry details and ideas will also
be in the next issue of Connections.
As well as a chance to win a prize,
entrants may have their images
selected for the NHS Lothian online
photo library.
Staff will be able to choose favourite
images that can be printed and framed
for waiting and treatment areas.
A selection of images will also
be chosen for display in the
radiology department at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at
the close of the competition.
A steering group of staff
from across NHS Lothian,
chaired by May Roseburgh
and Niall Lloyd, radiology
department, RIE and supported
by Ginkgo Projects, is
working to put the
competition together and
agree a title which will inspire
as many of you as possible to
send in a photo or two.
New child growth charts
give valuable guidance
for health professionals
THE World Health Organisation
has developed new growth
charts for children aged
between two weeks and
four years to promote
breastfeeding.
This links into many
aspects of work that we
are already involved in
such as the child
healthy weight
programme,
breastfeeding
and infant
feeding
strategy,
GIRFEC and
parenting
programmes.
The new charts
were developed using data
from breastfed children from
around the world. The charts
should be used for all infants
however they are fed.
The charts are a description
of optimal rather than average
growth and are suitable for
all children.
The core programme contained
in the Health for All Children
(Hall 4) guidance, issued by the
Scottish Government in 2005,
advises that children should be
weighed and measured at birth,
within the first 10 days of life,
six-eight weeks, three months,
four months, 13 months, between
the ages of three and five years
and at entry to primary school.
The charts show length up to
two years and height from age two
onwards, and have been designed
and developed by an expert group
and tested in focus groups.
A number of health
professionals have been trained
through train the trainer
events and are currently
delivering practical
training for
midwives and
health visitors, and
awareness sessions
for public health
nurses, practice
nurses, staff nurses,
general practitioners and
paediatricians are currently
being rolled out.
The new charts are included
in the new Personal Child
Health Record (Red Book),
which is now standardised
across Scotland and aims to be
more parent friendly.
It has information for parents
on what to look out for while
their child is developing with
easy to use checklists, details
of organisations that can
provide help and support, and
information on the data kept by
NHS Lothian and who it will be
shared with under the Data
Protection Act 1998.
18
NEWS
HR AND DEVELOPMENT
Managers urged to support
work placement programme
DID you know that NHS Lothian is
committed to giving disadvantaged
individuals the chance to develop
themselves through work placements
or employment?
But the organisation needs more
managers to get involved in providing
opportunities or doing more to
support identified candidates in the
recruitment process.
Through the work placement team, part
of the employee services department, NHS
Lothian has been offering people such as
the socially disadvantaged, including
those with mental health problems or
learning disabilities, the chance to
experience working in the organisation.
The target of the current NHS Lothian
human resources and organisational
development strategy is to provide
employment opportunities for 1000 people
over three years until 2011.
Also, as part of the plan, the team
has been creating links with external
organisations such as The Action
Group, Access into Industry, the
Cyrenians, IntoWork, JET Programme,
RNIB, Veterans First Point, Women
into Work and Jobcentre Plus to identify
and support appropriate candidates.
Neil Murray, recruitment development
manager, said: “Managers can get involved
by identifying suitable work placement
opportunities. Also, they can further
support applicants through the
recruitment process – for example, to
be sensitive to their situation and needs
and, if required, provide more detailed
constructive feedback at each stage of
the recruitment process.”
Other aims of the strategy include
adopting practices that encourage the
long-term unemployed or people on
income benefit into employment and that
encourage mature new entrants on the
basis that experience of life is an asset.
E To get involved in providing job or
work placement opportunities for
disadvantaged individuals, get in touch
with the work placement team via
either Melissa O’Reilly, work placement
co-ordinator, on 01506 523442 or
melissa.o’reilly@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
or Clare Halliday, work placement
administrator, on 01506 523412 or
clare.halliday@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
CASE STUDY
AFTER raising three children,
Leigh Anne Robb was keen to
get back to work, but she found
her lack of work experience
a barrier to employment.
After being referred by
Jobcentre Plus to the Work
Placement Team, an eight-week
placement within the
Recruitment Centre at St John’s
Hospital was arranged.
It was so successful that Leigh Anne
secured a full-time position at the centre that started in October 2009.
Leigh Anne said: “Going back to work has made a huge difference to my family
and me. I love spending time with my children, but it’s great to have my own life at
work as well.”
Equality and
diversity
goes online
TO help meet the needs of patients and staff,
NHS Lothian has launched the consultation for
its new Equality and Human Rights Scheme
for 2010-13.
The aim of the scheme is to make health
intranet
The equality and diversity
with a
pages have been updated
ources
greater range of helpful res
em at
and documents. Access th
ot.nhs.uk/
http://intranet.lothian.sc
AZ/
NHSLothian/Corporate/
es/
EqualityandDiversity/Pag
EqualityandDiversity.aspx
services better for all groups in the community,
as well as improve NHS Lothian as an
employer of a diverse range of people. The
consultation is due to close on 10 May.
The equality and human rights scheme will
replace every existing equality and diversity plan
and draws together work on all the equality
“strands” – age, disability, gender, race,
religious belief and sexual orientation. It also
includes plans to tackle socio-economic
deprivation and promote human rights.
Alan Boyter, director of human resources and
organisational development and executive lead
for equality on the board, said: “To become a
leading healthcare provider, we must be able
to meet the needs of everyone in our
communities, whether they are patients,
carers, families or staff.
“The new scheme is a big step forward for
NHS Lothian in the way we take forward this
work right across the organisation.”
March/April 2010 Connections
Facilities’ hat-trick of
quality accreditations
THE appetite for quality improvement
continues in the facilities directorate with
three more services gaining ISO 9000:2008
Quality Management System accreditation.
The catering service at the Western
General Hospital, the porter service at
Liberton Hospital and the patient
movement and portering service at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh have all
won accreditation, to the delight of Myra
Keenan, quality improvement and
development manager.
John Jack, director of facilities, said:
“When the facilities directorate was set up,
there were 10 departments that were
accredited and have since kept their
Pedal power is the
answer to traffic
trouble for Karen
KAREN MATTHEWS has discovered that cycling
at work is as much fun as cycling to work.
Fed up with parking problems, city-centre
traffic and fumbling for change at parking meters,
Karen decided to get on her bike and do
something about it.
Karen, a blood-borne virus nurse based at
the harm reduction team in Spittal Street,
Edinburgh, said: “I started bringing my bike to
work a few weeks ago, and instead of using a
“I get to places in good
time and can lock my
bike up right next to
where I need to be”
Karen Matthews
E For a copy of the consultation
document, visit www.nhslothian.scot.
nhs.uk under “Your Rights” and
“Equality and Diversity”. For a paper
copy or another format, contact James
Glover, head of equality & diversity,
at NHS Lothian, Deaconess House,
148 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9RS,
telephone 0131 536 9037 or 0779
2826954, or e-mail james.glover@
nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
accreditation. Last year, the porter service
at the RHSC became our 11th department
and we are understandably pleased that we
now have 14 departments accredited.
“The accreditation means that we have
robust management systems that help us
provide a quality service and mechanisms
that mean we can check our performance
and allow our people to feedback ideas that
can help them do a better job.”
However, Myra and her team are not ones
to rest on their laurels, as there is more work
to do. “Now the ISO 9000 accreditation
is in place for these services, we will be
looking to expand the accreditation at other
locations,” she added.
CYCLE CHAMP: Karen has
found it easier to do her rounds
across Edinburgh by bike
team car to carry out my calls, began using the
bike instead. I do like to cycle and I’m now doing
about 12 miles in each outreach shift.”
Karen has a set of panniers to carry the testing
and treatment equipment she needs and is
encouraging her colleagues to do the same.
She said: “It really is a much simpler way to get
around Edinburgh. The wind can be a bit nippy
at times, which anyone in Edinburgh on a bike will
tell you, but it’s well worth the effort. I’m even
thinking of getting a better bike now through
the cycle to work scheme.
“I get to places in good time and can lock
my bike up right next to
where I need to be. And
with a mileage allowance
for using a bike, there
are lots of incentives to
do it.”
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
19
Mary proves she is a real
credit to volunteering!
WELL DONE:
John Cormack
presents Mary
with her award
CAPITAL Credit Union has named Mary
Silence, ward clerk in the Royal Victoria
Hospital, as its Volunteer of the
Year 2009.
As a representative for the
Capital Credit Union since
2004, Mary promotes the
benefits of joining
Capital, which is a notfor-profit financial
services provider, to
colleagues.
Mary is also a
point of contact
should anyone
have any questions about Capital.
Capital Credit Union’s president John
Cormack said: “It is people like Mary who
are the very lifeblood of the organisation,
letting people know about all the fantastic
products and services that our credit union
can deliver.
“We are thrilled to be able to present this award
to recognise all Mary’s dedication and
commitment to the credit union for so
many years.”
Capital Credit Union is a member-owned and
controlled organisation that helps people from
all walks of life regardless of social or
economic circumstances who live or work in
Edinburgh or anywhere in the Lothian and
Scottish Borders area.
Capital offers different savings and loan
products for members, such as deposit
accounts, current accounts, loans for cars and
holidays, mortgages and insurance.
“It is people like Mary
who are the very lifeblood
of the organisation”
E For more information, visit
John Cormack, Capital Credit Union
www.capitalcreditunion.com
FOCUS ON SERVICES: BACTERIOLOGY
THE bacteriology department
at the Royal Infirmary of
Edinburgh has changed its
working practices to ensure a
speedy turnaround in sample
processing.
The unit switched to a 24/7
working shift because of the
demands placed on the team when
they are analysing samples.
The switch came in April 2009,
and since then, the overall
turnaround times have improved by
16 per cent – meaning bacteria are
being identified much faster.
Clinical manager Mike Gray
explained the reasons for
making the change.
He said: “In a normal year, we
process about 550,000 samples.
“Breaking that down, it’s about
2000 samples each day, ranging from
MRSA tests through to urine,
swabs and stool samples.
“The 65-strong team were finding
it increasingly difficult to get the
samples done in a typical day, and
it was meaning a lot of working
outside normal hours.
“By moving to a 24-hour pattern,
there is always someone available
to process a sample and that has a
knock-on effect with the treatment
of patients.”
Bacteriology has been in the news
of late because of concerns over
MRSA, and that is one of the
most important tasks for Mike and
the team.
He said: “The new shift pattern
means we can detect the likes of
MRSA and septicaemia in samples
much quicker and deal with it
more promptly.
“Bacterial testing sparks off a
whole chain of events. By getting the
results quicker, everyone else
in the hospital can do their
24hr BATTLE
AGAINST BUGS
BACTERIA BUSTERS: clinical manager Mike Gray with some of the bacteriology team at the RIE
respective jobs quicker too.
“Detecting the type of a disease
relies on us getting samples back as
soon as possible, and our 24/7 service
certainly does that.
“The staff have been very positive
about the change as it means
they have a more regular working
pattern.”
The changes have resulted in
a raft of award nominations,
including Innovation and
Therapy plan is music to the ears of patients
WARD staff at the Royal Edinburgh
Hospital need help with a new project
they plan to launch for their patients.
Swanston is a rehabilitation ward at
the psychiatric hospital, and staff have
put out an appeal for donations of
musical instruments.
In particular, they need percussion,
string and keyboard instruments for
their new music therapy sessions.
They would welcome any donations
from healthcare colleagues and are
quite happy to collect the instruments
if required.
Senior charge nurse Terry O’Malley
said: “Music can be used as a
social/recreational interest, but most of
all it should be enjoyable and fun. Who
knows, we may unearth the next
Chopin, Springsteen or Rod Stewart!”
If you’ve upgraded your kit recently,
Improvement at the Scottish
Health awards; Health Team of the
Year from The Herald Society
awards; and the team was highly
commended at the Healthcare
Science awards.
or have any instruments that need a new
home, Swanston and its patients would
welcome your donation.
E If you are able to help, please
contact Terry or any of the
team at Swanston Ward,
on 0131 537 6209 or 46209
on the internal system.
Chill out
and raise
some cash
STRESSED? Why not make a time to
see Lorraine Allan, who is holding
complementary therapy sessions at
the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on
Monday nights?
Whether it’s reiki, reflexology,
Indian head massage or a combination
of all three, Lorraine is offering all NHS
Lothian staff the chance to relax,
unwind… and help the Simpson’s
special care babies unit.
Sessions cost £20-£30 and Lorraine
is donating all proceeds to the
neonatal clinic.
“I’ve tried to keep the costs down
so it’s affordable for people,” said
Lorraine. “It’s doing good on three
levels. It’s fantastic for the people, it’s
helping the babies and, because
channelling reiki benefits the
practioner, it’s good for me too!”
Lorraine has spent a lifetime
looking after people – as well as
nursing training, she has also been a
holiday rep and is now a carer.
“Staff in the NHS are under a lot of
pressure,” she said, “so I wanted to do
something to help.”
And so far Lorraine’s holistic
approach is proving popular, with
several repeat bookings and plans
to expand the service if there is
the demand.
“The three therapies work on the
whole body,” said Lorraine. “And it’s
lovely to see staff just float out the door
after a session.”
Therapies are available to all at
NHS Lothian, not just RIE staff, and
are held from 5.30pm on Mondays at
the quiet room within the sanctuary
at RIE.
E To book an appointment or to
find out more, please phone
Lorraine on 07745 292860.
20
LIFESTYLE
CONNECTIONS CROSSWORD
6. Public health minister
who officially opened
the unit mentioned in
15 Down (7)
7. This actress’s films
include ‘A Few Good
Men’ and ‘GI Jane’ (5)
9. This charity provides
memory boxes to
comfort bereaved
parents (5)
10.See 20 Down
12.Clinically effective,
self-management
cardiac rehabilitation
programme developed
by NHS Lothian (5,6)
14.Transparent parts of
motor vehicles (11)
18.‘From Heaven’, a classic
BBC television drama
(7)
19.The key to a healthy
meal is limiting fat, salt
and ______ (5)
21.Small piece of paper (5)
22.NHS Lothian team
which has won a
national award for the
TRAK health electronic
patient record system
(7)
Down
1. Poisonous song from
Britney Spears? (5)
2. Harrison Ford’s
WIN
2
1
Across
3
4
5
7
6
8
9
10
March/April 2010 Connections
Eating healthily doesn’t
mean food has to be bland
or boring – why not try one
of these delicious recipes?
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
character in the movie
‘The Fugitive’ (6)
3. NHS Lothian’s bionic
hand creator (3)
4. He plays Smithy in
‘Gavin & Stacey’ (6)
5. Steel bar used as a
lever with the working
end shaped like a chisel
(7)
8. Dutch artist who
painted ‘Girl with a
Pearl Earring’ (7)
11. Andrew Strauss’
sport (7)
13. Ward clerk in the Royal
Victoria Hospital who
A £20 BOOK
VOUCHER!
There’s now a prize for doing the
crossword! Send your completed grid
to Connections, NHS Lothian, 148
Pleasance, Deaconess House, Edinburgh
EH8 9RS by Friday 23 April. The first
correct entry drawn out of the hat
will win.
Name
Job title
E-mail
Work tel. no.
has been named
Volunteer of the Year
2009 by Capital Credit
Union (7)
15. St John’s Hospital now
has a £500,000 state-ofthe-art ______ unit (6)
16. Confection made from
a sugar or honey paste
into which nuts are
mixed (6)
17. It is used in making
spaghetti, macaroni
and lasagna (5)
20. And 10 Across.
Boroughloch Medical
Centre is situated here
(3,7)
Issue 36 solution
TUCK IN,
IT’S GOOD
FOR YOU!
Across
Down
Starter
6. Pyjamas
7. Green
9. Tenth
10. Physpop
12. Cleanliness
14. The Pioneers
18. Barbour
19. Bacil
21. Stein
22. Medical
1. Ryder
2. Pastel
3. HAI
4. Prison
5. Heroism
8. Shelter
11. Baroque
13. eHealth
15. Public
16. Roadie
17. Midas
20. Red
RED LENTIL SOUP SERVES FIVE
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1. Place lentils and stock in a
pot and bring to the boil
2. Add diced onions, turnip,
leek, grated carrot and
tomato puree and bring
back to the boil
3. Simmer until lentils are
cooked, then season
4. serve with chopped parsley.
CONNECTIONS SUDOKU
Fill in all the
squares in the grid
so that each row,
each column, and
each 3x3 square
contains all the
digits from 1 to 9.
Good luck!
SOLUTION FOR
ISSUE 36
■ 180g red lentils
■ 75g diced onion
■ 50g diced turnip
■ 50g diced leek
■ 90g grated carrot
■ 1.1ltrs vegetable stock
■ 10g tomato purée
■ salt and pepper (to taste)
■ chopped fresh parsley
(to taste).
Main course (for vegetarians)
VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
SERVES FOUR TO SIX
INGREDIENTS
■ 400g onions, chopped
■ 2 cloves garlic, crushed
■ 1 red pepper, chopped
■ 1 green pepper, chopped
■ 400g courgette, sliced
■ 2 medium-sized
aubergines, roughly
chopped
■ 200g mushrooms,
quartered
■ 400g tinned tomatoes,
chopped
■ 70g tomato
puree
■ 1 tbsp chopped
parsley
■ 200ml vegetable stock
or water
■ 2 tbsp oil
■ salt & pepper
■ 2 tbsp coriander, chopped.
METHOD
1. Heat oil in a frying pan and
fry the onions, garlic,
peppers, courgettes,
mushrooms and
aubergines for 4-5 minutes
2. Add chopped tomatoes,
tomato purée and
vegetable stock
3. Simmer for 5-8 minutes
and season with salt
and pepper
4. Add parsley and coriander
then serve.
Connections March/April 2010
LIFESTYLE
21
COMPETITION
Win a relaxing and romantic
night at Kildonan Lodge Hotel
■ FANCY taking a little
time out and enjoying a
relaxing and romantic
evening in Edinburgh?
Connections has teamed up
with Kildonan Lodge Hotel
to offer a lucky reader a
one-night dinner, bed and
breakfast stay at the stylish
four-star boutique hotel
in Newington.
Our winner will stay in
one of the romantic and
luxurious four-poster rooms,
complete with elegant
canopied four-poster double
bed, Jacuzzi spa bath
en suite and flat-screen TV.
PART of leading a healthy
lifestyle is eating well – but
that doesn’t mean you
have to sacrifice taste in your
main meals.
The key to a healthy meal is
limiting fat, salt and sugar, but
going large on fresh and tasty
vegetables that are full of
flavour and vitamins.
One way of controlling what
goes into your diet is cooking
for yourself.
Connections asked two gurus
in the kitchen to come up with
healthy and tasty recipes that
are easy to make at home.
Tony Hunter, pictured,
One way of
controlling what
goes into your
diet is cooking
for yourself
assistant food production
manager at St John’s Hospital,
kindly supplied two recipes – a
starter and a main meal for
vegetarians.
And Linda McDonald, a
midwife at the Simpson
Reproductive Centre, Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh, donated
a classic chicken recipe.
This is just one of many in her
three recipe books that have
been published to raise money
for a Malawi maternity hospital.
E To buy Linda McDonald’s
recipe books, visit
www.mumsrecipes.org
You’ll also enjoy a delicious
table d’hôte meal in
Mathew’s restaurant, which
offers a tantalising dining
experience that infuses
Scottish food with French,
American and South East
Asian influences.
Terms and conditions: prize is available until the end of December 2010 and is subject to
availability. Table d’hôte meal allowance is £15 per person; a supplement will be applicable if you
opt to eat from the à la carte menu. For more information, visit www.kildonanlodgehotel.co.uk
Wordsearch Healthy eating
CAN you find which word or phrase from the list is missing from the wordsearch?
There’s a £25 Love2Shop voucher up for grabs, courtesy of our publishers, Connect
Communications. Send your answer to Connections, NHS Lothian, 148 Pleasance,
Deaconess House, Edinburgh EH8 9RS by Friday 23 April. The first correct entry drawn
out of the hat will win.
Name
CHICKEN CACCIATORE SERVES SIX
INGREDIENTS
■ 2kg/4lb 8oz chicken, or
4 large chicken portions
■ 3 tbsp olive oil
■ 2 large onions, sliced
■ 2 garlic cloves, peeled
and crushed
■ 425g tin tomatoes
■ 2 tbsp fresh parsley,
chopped or 1 tbsp
dried parsley
■ 2 tbsp fresh basil,
finely chopped or
1 tbsp dried basil
■ 1 tbsp tomato purée
■ 150ml/1/4 pint red wine
■ salt (to taste) and lots of
freshly ground black
pepper
■ optional – black pitted
olives and a large handful
of roughly chopped
mushrooms halfway
through the cooking.
■ serve with basil leaves.
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 160°C,
Gas Mark 3
2. Cut the chicken into
roughly eight pieces
and remove skin
3. Heat oil in pan and fry
the chicken pieces
until browned all over
4. Transfer to large
casserole or roasting
dish
5. Add onions and garlic
to the pan and fry until
golden brown. Add the
tomatoes with their
juice, parsley, chopped
basil, tomato purée
and wine, then bring
to the boil. Add salt
and pepper
6. Pour over the chicken,
cover the casserole with
lid or tinfoil and cook in a
preheated oven for about
Is it:
a) Mark Twain b) JK Rowling c) Sir Walter Scott?
Answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Job title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Work tel. no. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Send your answer to: Kildonan Lodge competition,
Connections, NHS Lothian, 148 Pleasance, Deaconess
House, Edinburgh EH8 9RS by Friday 23 April.
THE MISSING WORD IS…
Main course
Which famous author is
commemorated by a
monument in Princes Street?
✁
FLAVOUR PACKED:
Chicken Cacciatore
is a simple but
delicious dish
For a chance to win this fantastic prize, simply answer
the following question:
Job title
E-mail
Work tel. no.
R
Z
F
A
H
Z
X
I
V
L
K
G
F
U
D
K
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I
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B
F
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V
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X
G
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P
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CALORIES E FLAVOUR E FRUIT E HEALTHY E KITCHEN E
COOKING E MENU E TASTY E VEGETABLES E VITAMINS
one hour or until tender
7. Sprinkle with torn fresh
basil and serve with
chunks of crusty bread
and salad or with new
potatoes.
Issue 36 competition winners
E Word search – Hazel Kane, newborn hearing screener, The Simpson Centre for Reproductive
Health, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
E Competition – Ruth McHaughton, administrator, Education Centre at St John’s Hospital
E Book voucher – Jane Dalrymple, CHD MCN co-ordinator, Deaconess House
22
OVERSEAS WORK
March/April 2010 Connections
Physio’s
African
adventure
IMPROVING QUALITY OF
LIFE: Kyrsta with one of the
South African youngsters
IT was an ambition she had
for 15 years – but now Kyrsta
Macdonald-Scott can rest
easy after an impressive stint
making a difference as a
volunteer in South Africa.
From October to December,
Kyrsta gave her services as
a physiotherapist in a daycare
centre for disabled children
in Soweto.
More than that, before
travelling out, she raised a
whopping £2000 through
events such as car boot sales,
a ceilidh and a day of
relaxing treatments.
The money was used for
the shipment of donated
physiotherapy equipment
no longer used by Liberton,
Royal Victoria and Western
General Hospitals.
Kyrsta, a physiotherapist at
the Western General, said: “I
always wanted to volunteer
abroad since I was in high
school. This was the perfect
opportunity to help – the day
centre I volunteered at hadn’t
had access to a physiotherapist
for more than a 18 months.
“In the short term, I was able
to improve the quality of life
for children with a range of
disabilities. Hopefully, I will
have made a longer-term impact
as teachers and parents who
I trained will continue the
support of the children.”
EFor more information on
Kyrsta’s adventure in South
Africa, visit her blog at
www.kyrsta.co.uk
FRIENDLY FACE: Kyrsta
helped disabled children at
a daycare centre in Soweto
VITAL TREATMENT: NHS Lothian nurse practitioner Sue Aitken spent three months delivering basic medical and dental care in Peru
SUE HELPS TO MAKE
A REAL DIFFERENCE
Nurse practitioner joins Peru
medical ship to bring essential
healthcare to needy patients
“USING my skills to make a real
difference to someone’s life” –
that’s how Sue Aitken describes
her recent adventure on board the
Amazon Hope, a ship-comemedical-centre operated by the
Vine Trust in Peru.
Sue spent two weeks in November
2009 with the UK medical team of
eight on board the ship, that travels
the Marnonon tributary of the
Amazon river to deliver basic
medical and dental treatment to
some of the poorest and most
remote people on earth.
Sue, who is an inflammatory bowel
disease nurse practitioner at the
Western General Hospital, heard
about the Bo’ness-based trust
through a colleague and was intrigued
by the thought of taking part.
She said: “I felt it was an
opportunity to give something back
to others who aren’t as fortunate
as us, in terms of the healthcare
that we can access.”
As well as working on the boat, Sue
spent time at a clinic in the village
of Puerto Belen, which is also
supported by the Vine Trust.
Sue said: “We typically worked two
sessions per day, one in the morning
and one in the afternoon, till about
6pm. The people we were seeing have
absolutely nothing in terms of
healthcare. We were providing very
basic services such as applying
bandages and minor dental work.
Walking around their villages was
a very humbling experience.”
Sue was able to put her skills to
good use for one little boy in
AID: Amazon Hope brings healthcare to people in remote areas
particular and it was the moment that
summed up the whole adventure.
Sue said: “A boy came on board for
treatment who had only recently been
bitten by a piranha fish.
“It really was a huge bite mark and
“It was an opportunity to give something
back to others who aren’t as fortunate
as us. The people we were seeing have
absolutely nothing in terms of healthcare”
Sue Aitken, NHS Lothian nurse practitioner
all he had was a bloody rag
wrapped around his leg, so I was
able to clean the wound and
apply a proper dressing and give
him antibiotics.
“Being able to bring some comfort
to a child in a lot of pain was very
satisfying moment. And I would
recommend anyone to offer their
services to the Vine Trust.”
EFor information on volunteering,
e-mail Sue Aitken on
aatkn@aol.com
NEWS
Connections March/April 2010
Bright idea will
help sick people
across the world
A SIMPLE but clever idea to provide
much-needed medical supplies to
charities around the world is now up
and running.
Last year, Connections (issue 32)
reported on an innovative project
proposed by two NHS Lothian staff
to “recycle” unused items such as
bandages and donate them to
charities working overseas.
Marjory Thrusfield, an emergency
nurse practitioner at Lothian
unscheduled care services in
Midlothian, and Ruth Aird, a practice
nurse at Inchpark Health Centre, came
up with the idea after visiting
Romania to help set up a minor
injuries clinic at a day centre run by
Scottish missionaries.
While they were there, they saw the
terrible suffering of local people who
were injured or sick but unable to
afford medicines or bandages. They
realised that, for a variety of reasons,
there are a lot of unused supplies in
Lothian that could be used to benefit
those in need.
Now they are appealing for staff
across NHS Lothian, including
practice and district nurses, to
support them in their project by
donating supplies.
There are many items that can be
donated, ranging from out-of-date
bandages and dressings, sanitary
towels, catheters and drapes to
equipment that is no longer used in
NHS Lothian, such as latex gloves.
Medicines cannot be accepted.
Marjory and Ruth are also keen to
hear from people who can make use
of the donations in their aid work.
Ruth said: “If anybody out there
wants to take stuff out with them or
knows a charity that can use these
donations, just contact us with your
‘wish list’.”
EIf you have any items that you
can donate, you can deliver
them to Ruth at Inchpark
Health Centre.
EAlternatively, contact
Ruth on 0131 666 2121 or
ruth.aird@lothian.scot.nhs.uk
or Marjory on marjory@
thrusfield.freeserve.co.uk
and they will arrange to
collect the donations.
23
DOUBLE JOY FOR NHS LOTHIAN MIDWIVES
TOP TEAM: (L-R) Dorothy-Ann Timoney, infant feeding
adviser, Aileen Banks, health visitor, Michelle Davidson,
parent education co-ordinator, Carolyn Worlock, infant
feeding adviser and Dorothy Bradley, infant feeding adviser
An outstanding success
EXCELLENT work by a team of
Lothian midwives and health
visitors on infant feeding
education has been recognised
at the Royal College of
Midwives annual awards.
The team scooped the
Philips Avent Award for
Innovation in Midwifery for
the development of an
educational resource called
Feeding Matters.
Cathy Warwick, general
secretary of the Royal College
of Midwives, said: “This
award highlights the
important, innovative and
pioneering work being done
in Lothian and I congratulate
the team involved.”
Maria Wilson, chief midwife
of NHS Lothian, said: “Feeding
Matters allows us to give
mums the support and advice
they need to help make
breastfeeding work for them.
“This innovative resource is
already making a real
difference to women’s lives
and we are delighted that the
team’s hard work has been
recognised for this award.”
Feeding Matters is a
teaching manual and toolkit
that midwives can use to work
with mothers to help them
make informed choices about
how they feed their baby.
It enables mothers to have
more confidence around infant
feeding and programmes
based on it will now replace
the current breastfeeding
workshops.
The entry impressed the
award judges because it
balanced all types of infant
feeding, was very innovative
and could be rolled out to
other areas. They saw it as a
very inclusive project from
both the parents and other
professionals’ perspective.
They also felt that it was
an empowering initiative for
women and one that will
make a real difference to
the community.
The awards were presented
by the patron of The Royal
College of Midwives, Her Royal
Highness, The Princess Royal,
at a ceremony in London.
Delight for Marion as she is
named midwife of the year
POVERTY STRICKEN: the people receiving treatment at
the day centre in Romania live in rundown houses like these
RAISING FUNDS FOR HAITI
THEATRE staff at the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh have pulled out all the
stops – or should that be tickets! – for
a tombola to raise money for disaster
victims in Haiti.
From doctors to nurses and
administrators, theatre suite staff in
the day surgery unit managed to
raise £209 through raffling items,
also donated by staff.
The money has been passed to
the Disaster Emergency Committee,
which is co-ordinating efforts to
assist victims of the recent
earthquake in Haiti.
Staff nurse Rosy Carmichael
said: “The staff felt they should
do something to help. After all, we
have a lot and the people in Haiti
have very little.
“The success of the morning
event shows what can be done
for a good cause with a little
bit of effort. The support for this
from staff in the unit has been
fantastic.”
THERE was double delight at the
Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
annual awards after Carmondeanbased midwife Marion Campbell was
named the Johnson’s® Baby Mums’
Scottish Midwife of the Year.
This new award recognises the
impact midwives have on the people
who really matter – mothers!
The winning midwives were
nominated by mums whose lives
they have helped, or had an impact
on, and were judged by a carefully
selected panel of mums and
midwives.
Marion, a midwife since 1981,
was nominated by mum Sarah
Drummond for going beyond
the call of duty and making a
significant impact throughout both
her pregnancy and the birth of her
son Ryan.
The judges considered, among
other things, to what extent the
midwife demonstrated best clinical
practice, support for mum’s
emotional care, and support for
strengthening the bond between
mum and baby.
Marion said: “I didn’t know
a thing about it until I got an
email from Johnson’s to say
I had been nominated and
when I found out I’d won, I
was delighted.”
Louise Silverton, deputy
general secretary of the RCM,
said: “While there were many
amazing midwives nominated,
the judges felt Marion stood
out as someone who deserved
to be recognised for her
fantastic achievements.”
Dr Charles Winstanley,
chairman, NHS Lothian,
said: "The award recognises
“The award recognises the real
difference Marion makes to women’s
birthing experience in West Lothian”
Dr Charles Winstanley
the real difference Marion makes to
women’s birthing experience in
West Lothian. Being nominated for
the award by one of her patients
shows how much new parents
appreciate the help and support
that Marion gives.”
THANK
YOU: Marion
with Sarah
and baby Ryan
24
NEWS
March/April 2010 Connections
RAISING AWARENESS
OF VASCULAR DISEASE
STAFF from the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh put their
best feet forward recently to
highlight the serious issue of
vascular disease.
The team, from the vascular
surgery unit, completed a 13-mile
sponsored walk along the Water of
Leith as part of the UK’s first
vascular awareness week, organised
by the Circulation Foundation – the
charity arm of the Vascular Society
of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.
Vascular disease is as common
as cancer and heart disease and
accounts for 200,000 preventable
deaths each year. More than four
million people in the UK suffer from
the condition, which mainly affects
people aged over 55.
Treatment can range from
medical management and exercise
programmes to bypass surgery for
more serious cases.
As well as the sponsored walk – the
proceeds of which were donated to
the Circulation Foundation – the
RIE team organised a display in the
main foyer of the hospital featuring
posters and leaflets and also held a
‘screening’ event for the public.
The Circulation Foundation
also launched a patient
information handbook during the
NURSING assistant Callum
McGeever, who works at the
Greenbank Centre at the
Royal Edinburgh Hospital,
ran the Dublin Half Marathon
late last year raising £301.02
for SiMBA, the Simpson’s
Memory Box Appeal.
The charity provides the
precious memory boxes to
comfort bereaved parents
after the death of a baby at
Simpson’s Centre for
Reproductive Health and
St John’s maternity unit in
Livingston. It intends to
supply every maternity
unit across Scotland.
ON THE MOVE: the team
from the vascular surgery
unit on their fundraising walk
Remembering a
much-loved friend
at the Western
awareness week, which was held
from 8-13 March.
E For more information about
vascular disease, visit
www.circulation
foundation.org.uk
MoonWalk needs your support
THE Edinburgh MoonWalk in aid
of cancer charities takes place on
Saturday 19 June this year, and
the organisers are looking for your
help to make the event a success.
They are expecting 12,000
Callum’s on the
run to raise
funds for SiMBA
walkers (mainly women, but lots
of brave men also!) wearing their
decorated bras to take to the
streets at midnight for either a
half-marathon, or full-marathon
walk. If you fancy supporting this
event without doing the walk,
then you could volunteer your
time.
Stroke MCN co-ordinator Morag
Medwin took part in the event last
year and is planning to do so
again this time around.
Morag said: “It’s a great event
and a lot of fun to take part in.
Last year, there were a few people
from NHS Lothian who helped
out and this year we are looking
for more.”
The giant “Mooncity” base
camp will be at Inverleith Park.
There are three shifts available:
6pm-11pm, 11pm-7am, and 6amnoon.
There are a range of tasks that
volunteers are needed for,
including handing out drinks and
snacks, marshalling the walkers
around the route, drivers, cycle
couriers and help with the big
clean-up at the end.
Morag added: “It’s a great night
and you get all sorts of people
taking part and offering their
support. The organisers lay on
food and drink for all the
volunteers so if you have the time,
please consider signing up.”
E To register, go to
www.walkthewalk.org/
Challenges/TheMoonWalk
Edinburgh Why not get a team
together with colleagues and
volunteer as a group?
A MEMORIAL bench is to be set
up in the grounds of the Western
General Hospital by Sandy Butler to
commemorate the life of his late
partner, Claire Duncan, who worked
in the pharmacy at the Western.
The bench will be placed in the
hospital’s memorial garden or
the beechgrove garden at the end
of March.
Terry enjoys a
taste of luxury
at Glenskirlie
SENIOR charge nurse Terry
O’Malley and his partner Shirley
Mitchell recently enjoyed a twonight stay at the luxurious
Glenskirlie Castle Hotel in
Stirlingshire – courtesy of
Connections.
Terry, who works at the Royal
Edinburgh Hospital had a great
time chilling out in their
sumptuous castle room.
Terry said: “The prize was two
nights’ stay and breakfast in a
stunning location.
“We also enjoyed eating in
the Castle Grill and in the
House Restaurant where the
food and the service were of a
very high standard.”
He laughed: “When I told
my colleagues I’d won the
competition, they called me
a lucky beggar.
“When I asked them if they’d
taken part, none of them had!
I always find the chances of
winning are greatly increased
if you enter!”