THE AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER FOR NHS LOTHIAN STAFF JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 ISSUE 36
Connections
WWW.NHSLOTHIAN.SCOT.NHS.UK
A HEALTHY WIN TWO NIGHTS AT
NEW YEAR! THE DUNBLANE HYDRO
PAGES 8&9
PAGE 13
TRANSPLANT
PIONEERS
RIE surgeons
perform the first
‘mismatched’
blood group organ
swap in Scotland
A DIALYSIS patient has been
given the best gift by his motherin-law – a new kidney.
PERFECT MISMATCH:
transplant surgeon Lorna Marson,
left, with Alex Proudfoot and his
mother-in-law Ann Watt
Alex Proudfoot, 46, and Ann Watt,
65, have made medical history by
becoming the first “mismatched”
blood group transplant in Scotland.
He has been given a second
chance after medical experts in NHS
Lothian performed the transplant –
I am just delighted
I could help Alex.
To hear him talking
about the future
with so much
enthusiasm is
the best reward
I could have
Kidney donor Ann Watt
even though the pair do not share
the same blood type.
This has the potential to
transform the lives of hundreds of
patients and turns the current
system on its head.
Alex, who has blood type O, was
given the organ by Ann, who has
group A, during the life-saving
operation.
Marketing manager Alex said:
“This is the best present I have ever
been given. I have been given my
life back. I have everything I ever
wanted and I have been given a
second chance – I couldn’t want
anything more.
“I know there are lots of jokes
about mother-in-laws, but we are
really close and we always have been.
She is an amazing woman.”
Alex, a father of two, from
Dunbar, East Lothian, was diagnosed
with polycystic kidney disease
eight years ago.
The incurable genetic condition
caused his health to rapidly
deteriorate until he was forced to
begin kidney dialysis and join the
transplant waiting list.
His wife Judy, 43, wanted to
donate one of her kidneys, but
Alex insisted that only one of
them should undergo an operation
to ensure the other could look
after their daughters Zoe, 16, and
13-year-old Katie.
Then Ann, a retired secretary from
Edinburgh, stepped forward and
offered her own kidney.
Tests soon showed the pair were
blood group incompatible and a
Continued on page 3
2
NEWS
January/February 2010 Connections
Comment Jenifer Stirton
A very ‘warm’
welcome to 2010
to our readers!
W
elcome to the first edition
of Connections in 2010. I
hope you had an enjoyable
– albeit chilly – festive season.
While the snow has dominated the
news headlines, staff at NHS
Lothian pulled out all the stops
during the extreme weather to ensure
that patients continued to receive
access to healthcare services across
the region.
MEDICAL MILESTONE
NHS Lothian has long been a
pioneer in transplant surgery and our
front page features the remarkable
story of yet another milestone in this
life-saving area.
Lorna Marson and her team
became the first in Scotland to carry
out a kidney transplant where the
patients’ blood types were
mismatched, giving hope to
hundreds of seriously ill people.
On page 14, we meet some
of our staff who are also at the top
of their professions – and have the
awards to prove it!
Among them is Alison Cockburn,
who has been named hospital
pharmacist of the year. Well done to
her and all the others. Do let us
know if you have been honoured for
your professional work.
One of the major capital projects
that NHS Lothian is undertaking is
the new Royal Hospital for Sick
Children and staff have been given
their first look at the proposed
designs. See page 11 for more details.
Young mums in Lothian are
being given a helping hand through
the newly launched Family Nurse
Partnership – another first in
Scotland.
This three-year project will
support teenage first-time mothers
through what can often be a
difficult time. Read the full story on
page 7.
LIVE WELL IN 2010
Of course, a new year is often the
catalyst for a new you, and on the
centre pages, we help you kick-start
your healthy living programme
with some valuable tips for staying
on track.
We’re always keen to hear what
our staff across NHS Lothian are
doing, whether it’s success in the
workplace, fundraising for charity,
personal achievements or sharing
your professional knowledge with
colleagues across the world.
Let us know and we’ll share your
stories in Connections. Our contact
details are below.
Meanwhile, best wishes for a
happy – and warmer – 2010!
New facilities
at St John’s
MAJOR changes have been happening
at St John’s Hospital.
The hospital is being transformed
with a new dedicated endoscopy unit,
observation unit, decant ward and
state-of-the-art decontamination unit
– which is the first of its kind in
Scotland.
So far more than 2000 patients from
all over Lothian have been treated in
the endoscopy unit.
The dedicated endoscopy suite will
treat twice as many patients as before
and support the Lothian-wide bowel
screening programme.
It is part of the wider project to
create the £8.2 million short stay
elective surgery centre (SSESC), due
to open this year.
The endoscopy unit formed phase
one of the building work, which will
help St John’s to continue to provide
modern, safe, swift and effective
healthcare.
Didi Welsh, project manager of the
SSESC, NHS Lothian, said: “It is great
to see patients benefiting from these
new facilities which have been so
carefully planned. Staff are also
happy to work in such a pleasing
environment.”
As part of the grand plan for the
SSESC, wards are being refurbished,
created and relocated, new office
accommodation is being built as well
as the flagship decontamination
unit and the new observation ward
adjacent to accident and emergency
which opened last January.
Work is now complete on the
decontamination unit, which
sits adjacent to the endoscopy suite,
for the reprocessing of flexible
endoscopes.
The stunning new facility will treat
all endoscopes used in St John’s – a
total of around 12,000 each year.
Didi added: “It is the now the most
modern unit providing the highest
standard of decontamination facilities
in Scotland. Other areas nationally
are looking at this unit as an
example of excellence”
Renovation work on ward 19, the
former laser suite, is now complete
and will soon become the new ear,
nose and throat inpatient facility.
The laser suite has also moved to
OPD4 on the ground floor and is
fully functional.
Get ready to quit on No Smoking Day
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:
[email protected]
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
TOP CLASS: the
observation ward is
part of the hospital’s
transformation
NATIONAL No Smoking Day on
Wednesday 10 March will be the
day when millions of smokers in the
UK decide to stop smoking. It could
also be the time you decide to stub
out cigarettes.
It’s widely accepted that you
stand a much greater chance of
success with support from NHS
Stop Smoking Services. NHS
Lothian smoking cessation services
provides free information, support
and advice to smokers who want to
quit in a range of venues
including general practices,
pharmacies and leisure
centres.
To contact
the service, call
0800 84 84 84 or visit
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Everybody has their own reason
for wanting to give up smoking.
Whatever your reason, NHS Lothian
has information on the range of
stop smoking medicines and advice
as well as tips about how you can
give up smoking for good.
National No Smoking Day
has been running since
1984 and is one of the
UK’s leading health
awareness campaigns.
National No Smoking Day
publicises and explains the help
that smokers can get when they
want to stop. So make 10 March
2010 the day when you decide
to quit smoking.
Thanks for all your hard work on H1N1
A BIG thank you to all of our staff who
have worked hard to implement the flu
vaccination programme, and in putting
measures in place to help us cope with
the H1N1 pandemic.
Dr Dermot Gorman, consultant in
public health medicine, said: “The
hard work and commitment of staff has
played an important part in the roll-out
of the H1N1 vaccination campaign.
“I’d like to thank all of our staff who
have been involved over the past few
months, as we couldn’t have done it
without them.”
NEED INFORMATION ABOUT FLU?
IF you have questions about the
H1N1 vaccination, please contact
the Scottish swine flu vaccination
helpline on 08000 28 28 16 or NHS
24 on 08454 24 24 24
The first part of the vaccination
programme is almost complete,
with the second phase – involving
the vaccination of children aged
six months to five years, under
way. For more information, see the
NHS Lothian intranet page at:
NHSLothian > healthcare >
A-Z > flu vaccinations
E You can also contact the health
protection team on 0131 536
9092 or your GP for more info.
NEWS
Connections January/February 2010
3
PATIENT INFORMATION
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
New hand-held
tablets keep
staff up to date
on the wards
HEALTH staff at St John’s Hospital
are using the latest technology to
improve services for their patients.
N H S L o t h i a n’ s e H e a l t h
department, led by Martin Egan, has
pioneered the introduction of new
hand-held computers to the hospital
after a successful earlier pilot.
A £70,000 grant from NHS
Education Scotland helped to
purchase personal digital assistants
(PDAs) for a pilot scheme. Now, new
tablet computers, called mobile
clinical assistants (MCAs), designed
by computer giant Intel, are in
widespread use on the wards.
They can be easily cleaned and
give access at the bedside to vital
patient information.
Dr James Walker, consultant
physician at the hospital, said: “Since
2002 we’ve used a computerised
picture archiving and communication
system (PACS) at St John’s, which
allows clinical staff to call up
patients’ X-rays on their computers.
In theatres they needed a wireless
network to use this technology.
“The wireless network now covers
the hospital and we have linked MCAs
to this system.
“No patient information is stored
on the MCAs – it’s very secure. Our
thanks go to our eHealth team, and
TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: a hospital-wide wireless network allows staff access to patients’ information
in particular Jonathan De la mar as
team co-ordinator.”
Dr Walker added: “The new system
is saving time on the ward rounds,
and allows doctors, nurse practitioners,
pharmacists and staff nurses on the
wards to have the information they
need at their fingertips.
“Soon we hope to be able to view
patients’ latest observations, such
as pulse, blood pressure and
heart/respiratory rate, and produce
what’s called a Scottish Early
Warning Score (SEWS) to see
which patients are particularly
unwell at any one time.”
Meet Scotland’s kidney transplant pioneers
From page 1
transplant was impossible, but they
were placed on the paired kidney
register which meant they could be
pooled with another matching couple
anywhere else in the UK.
Ann said: “I desperately wanted to
help because I saw how quickly Alex
was going downhill. I could see how
much strain the family were under.
“I wanted him to get a kidney,
primarily for him, but also for my own
daughter and my grandchildren.”
Then they received a life-changing
call from transplant co-ordinator
Sarah Lundie, from the Royal Infirmary
of Edinburgh (RIE), asking Ann to take
part in more blood tests to establish
if a revolutionary new procedure could
take place.
Lorna Marson, one of the UK’s
leading transplant surgeons, had
drawn together a team of crossspeciality experts, including the
Scottish National Blood Transfusion
HOW TO BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR
MORE than 10,000 people in the
United Kingdom currently need
an organ transplant. Of these,
1000 each year – three people a
day – will die waiting as there are
not enough organs available.
More than 16 million people
across the UK have already
registered on the NHS Organ
Donor Register.
If you would like to join them,
log on to www.organdonation.
nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23 for
more information.
Service and laboratory experts, to
mirror the advances being made in the
United States to perform Scotland’s
first ABO incompatible transplant.
The new technique means that the
donor and the recipient do not have
to share the same blood type.
Normally, the body’s immune system
would reject the organ immediately.
However, Alex underwent a month
of treatment to reduce the levels of
antibodies in his blood which would
cause his body to attack the new organ
and instead encourage it to accept.
Ms Marson said: “The concept of
performing a kidney transplant
between a donor and a recipient who
were blood group incompatible was
inconceivable.
“Such a transplant would have
resulted in the rapid failure of the
transplanted kidney.
“We hope Alex’s transplant will be
the first of many in Scotland.”
LIFE-SAVERS: Lorna Marson and some of the kidney transplant team
Alex said: “It is incredible. I feel well
and the effects were almost instant. I
used to be tired all of the time, but now
I have strength and energy.
“I can’t wait to take up a new
sport and begin to increase my fitness
levels again. We are also planning our
first holiday since all of this began.”
Ann added: “There have been a lot
of jokes about mothers-in-law. But I
suppose not everyone is as close as we
are. Family is very important to us.
“I am just delighted I could help
Alex. To hear him talking about the
future with so much enthusiasm is the
best reward I could have.”
4
NEWS
January/February 2010 Connections
Document sets out service’s commitment to provide patient-centred care
Pharmacy
strategy
aims for
excellence
A NEW pharmacy strategy
developed by NHS Lothian aims to
give all patients the best
pharmaceutical care that resources
can provide – wherever and
whenever they are needed.
O n e h u n d re d a n d e i g h t y
community pharmacists serve the
needs of patients in NHS Lothian,
together with a workforce of over 300
staff working across the primary and
secondary care pharmacy services.
The new pharmacy strategy sets
out a detailed plan for delivering the
challenges of sustaining and
improving on patient care in a
constantly changing environment.
NHS Lothian director of
pharmacy Pat Murray said: “Our
service is committed to providing
excellent patient-centred care.
“We aim to achieve it by working
with patients, carers, health and
social care providers and partnership
colleagues, all of whom have
contributed to the new strategy’s
development.”
Five key themes drive the strategy:
■ patient experience
■ safe systems
■ efficiency
■ pharmacy workforce
■ innovation and development.
She added: “Patient experience
is a key theme of the new strategy.
Patients will be at the heart of
everything we do.
The strategy will also make sure
that patient safety is at the centre
of pharmacy services wherever
they are delivered. NHS Lothian will
lead by example, to provide the
highest standard of pharmaceutical
care, sensitive to patients’ needs,
with continuous improvement to
deliver a service that exceeds
expectations.
Pat and her colleagues will
establish a workforce plan that is
flexible and responsive to the
changing healthcare needs of the
NHS in Scotland.
Anne Gilchrist, lead pharmacist in
the medicines management team, told
Connections: “Staff across the
pharmacy service have welcomed the
strategy.
“Feedback is very positive, with
staff members agreeing the strategy
offers the opportunity for them to
understand the direction of travel over
the next three years.”
SUPPORT ACROSS THE BOARD
■ “NHS Lothian’s pharmacy
service is committed to providing
outstanding patient-centred
pharmaceutical care. NHS
Lothian’s vision is to be one of
the top 25 healthcare providers
in the world and the delivery of
this strategy will contribute to
this goal.”
Professor James Barbour, chief
executive, NHS Lothian
■ “I welcome this strategy,
which will ensure NHS Lothian’s
pharmacy services deliver
and second choices of antimicrobial
agents, alternatives for use in
patients with allergies are also listed.”
The AMT, which is a subgroup of
the area drug and therapeutics
committee, is responsible for
production, update, implementation
and audit of these guidelines.
The development of the guidelines
involved consultation with relevant
specialties, review of specialist
organisations’ literature including
SIGN guidelines and circulation to
associated committees.
An A4 guidelines poster is being
distributed to all ward areas and
prescribers.
The team is keen to receive your
feedback on the guidelines. Please
■ “I recognise the key role
pharmacy staff play in the
delivery of safe and effective
pharmaceutical care. My
colleagues and I, in partnership
with others, have worked hard
to identify how we will contribute
to the delivery of key service
developments in line with national
guidance on healthcare.”
Professor Pat Murray, director
of pharmacy, NHS Lothian
■ “I am delighted to support
the pharmacy strategy. The
actions and direction of travel
it sets out will enable our
pharmacists to continue to deliver
high-quality services that meet
the developing pharmaceutical
care needs of patients across
NHS Lothian.”
Eddie Egan, employee director/
vice-chairman, NHS Lothian
e-summary improves
care out of hours
Revised guidelines
for antibiotics
REVISED 2009/10 antibiotic
prescribing guidelines for adults
have been published by NHS
Lothian’s antimicrobial management
team (AMT).
The guidelines provide
comprehensive information to
health staff on the recommended
antibiotics that should be used for
adults in UHD hospitals.
Alison Cockburn, an AMT lead
antimicrobial pharmacist, said:
“The aim of the guidelines is to
promote prudent antibiotic
prescribing and thereby improve
results of treatment, reduce drugrelated toxicities and limit emergence
of resistant strains.
“In addition to providing the first
best access and equitable
pharmaceutical care, supporting
patient safety and best value.”
James McCaffery, chief
operating officer, NHS Lothian
contact AMT administrator Linda
Robertson at: linda.m.robertson@
luht.scot.nhs.uk
E The guidelines are available at
www.intranet.lothian.scot.nhs.
uk/NHSlothian/Healthcare/
A-Z/amt
A NEW computerised summary that lists
the palliative and end-of-life needs of
patients is helping family doctors and
district nurses to give people the best
possible advice and care whenever they
need it.
It is called the electronic palliative care
summary (ePCS) and it is being rolled
out across NHS Lothian.
ePCS allows GPs and district nurses
to record details of the palliative and endof-life needs of their patients in the GP
computer system. Such information
automatically becomes available via the
emergency care summary (ECS) to staff
providing out-of-hours care during
evenings and at weekends.
It also includes information on
diagnoses, patient understanding and
their wishes, to help improve care in
practice and out of hours. The summaries
are held locally in the GP system, and
copies are sent to the central ECS store
twice a day.
ePCS project manager Marysia
Williamson said: “NHS Lothian took part
in the pilot study in summer 2009 and
found it straightforward to use and
helpful in supporting these vulnerable
patients and their families.
“The system is now being rolled out
across the Lothians and is already being
used in 30 practices, which have sent
more than 160 electronic palliative
care summaries to the central store.
ePCS will also be available to NHS
Lothian’s out-of-hours service, and
accident and emergency departments.”
The plan is for ePCS to replace the
need to fax and e-mail palliative care
information out of hours, as more
practices take up the system.
E Information on how to use ePCS
is available on the ECS website
at www.ecs.scot.nhs.uk/epcs
or contact Marysia at
[email protected]
NEWS
Connections January/February 2010
5
New technology is enabling
domestic staff at the RIE to
clean up in the fight against
healthcare acquired
infections
Our vision
for 2010
THE Better Acute Care in
Lothian (BACiL) programme
has been working for the past
two years with NHS Lothian’s
ophthalmology team on a
strategic redesign of eye
services.
The BACiL project board
agreed a remit to develop a
service model for
ophthalmology services, with
the emphasis on primary and
secondary care delivery, and not
aligned to services being
delivered on any specific sites.
A centre to train optometrists
is being set up within the
Lauriston Building and should
be open in 2010.
As part of our commitment to
the 18-weeks referral to
treatment team, computer
network points and PCs are
being installed throughout the
Eye Pavilion to improve
reporting on TraK.
Work with the 18-week team
is also going on to refine and
improve the patient’s journey
through the service.
Operation of the acute
“Services should
continue to be
delivered from
the current sites,
at least in the
short term”
Sandra Mair, director of operations
referral clinic is also going to be
reviewed. The service has
grown substantially over the
years, and in 2008 there were
approximately 14,000
attendances.
There are opportunities for
the ophthalmology service to
redesign this clinic, including
running it as a nurse-led clinic,
and having more flexible clinics
over an extended working day.
The operational team will
monitor the progress of this work.
The Eye Pavilion itself has
been refurbished over the years,
and has been adapted to
accommodate the changes the
service has seen in recent years.
Director of operations Sandra
Mair said: “The BACiL Project
Board has agreed that
ophthalmology services should
continue to be delivered from
the current sites, at least in the
short term.
“Any decision about the future
location of the service will be
delayed until the economic
climate is more secure.”
CLEANING UP: domestic staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh are using new microfibre mops
HI-TECH MOPS HELP
TACKLE INFECTIONS
CLEANLINESS in NHS hospitals is
believed to be a major contributing
factor in the control of healthcare
acquired infections (HAI).
Now technology is also playing
its part.
At the Royal Infirmar y of
Edinburgh, BBWorkPlace, which
delivers the hospital’s domestic
services, has been proactive in
improving the cleaning methodology,
equipment and training to help
reduce such infection.
The past year has seen the roll out
of BICS training and recently the
first load of microfibre mops were
loaded into the OTEX washers in the
new laundry.
The technology behind microfibre
is a blend of polyester and polyamide
with a thickness equivalent to
approximately 100th of a human hair.
It is what gives microfibre its ability
to clean, lifting around 96 per cent of
bacteria using only water.
The bacteria is held in the mop until
the wash process. Microfibre is used
damp, so no more carrying buckets
of water around the hospital.
The new laundry will manage the
daily washing of microfibre mop
heads, delivering about 38,000 clean
mop heads each year.
The new laundry incorporates the
unique OTEX system, which uses
an oxygen concentrator that takes
in air and converts it to 90 per cent
pure oxygen.
An ozone generator separates the
oxygen atoms that then reassemble
into groups of three to produce ozone,
a natural and environmentally friendly
gas that attacks bacteria and soiling.
It kills bacteria 3200 times faster
than chlorine bleach. OTEX uses
mostly cold water and is perfectly safe
because the ozone it utilises quickly
reverts back to oxygen.
The OTEX washers produce
a validation receipt that the
disinfection cycle has completed
effectively. If it hasn’t, then the alarm
sounds, the machine stops and the
wash can be restarted.
Initial feedback from the domestic
staff has been extremely positive.
Extra support for those with dementia
A SUPPORT group for people who’ve
been diagnosed with dementia aims to
help NHS Lothian deliver the Scottish
Government’s targets on the early
diagnosis and management of the
condition.
With almost 70,000 people in
Scotland diagnosed with dementia –
and the figure expected to increase by
75 per cent over the next 25 years – the
national priority is to help patients deal
with the challenges a diagnosis of
dementia may bring.
According to NHS Education for
Scotland (2009), support groups for
people with dementia are useful for:
■ providing a sense of support and a
social network
■ offering help and advice to one
another, which has a positive impact
on members’ self-esteem
■ providing opportunities for helpful and
meaningful conversation
■ maintaining a sense of identity.
In August last year, NHS Lothian
dementia care co-ordinators Karen
Ritchie and Katrina Balmer set up an
early interventions education group in
the capital for people with dementia and
their care givers.
Karen said: “We had decided that
there should be no more than eight
people with dementia in the pilot group,
with members invited to come on their
own or with a spouse, relative or friend.
“It met for two hours a week for four
weeks, and we handed out information
packs that the members could refer to
throughout the course. Each pack was
tailored to the individual – for example,
providing information about the type
of dementia the person has and about
any treatment they are receiving.”
Calling themselves “the Pioneers”,
the members now meet monthly and
the support group has developed
steadily over the months.
Other early interventions education
groups will run five times a year in
different parts of Lothian.
LEADING THE WAY: two of
the “pioneers” at the pilot group
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
■ “The group has enlightened
me to how the illness progresses
and the help that’s available”
■ “The relaxed atmosphere has
enabled me to open up about
my feelings”
■ “I felt totally lost when she
was given the diagnosis, but this
has been beneficial for the carer
and the person with dementia”
■ “This group came along at just
the right time for us”
NEWS
Connections January/February 2010
7
NEW UNIT BRINGS
TEENS TOGETHER
Specialist facility at Sick Kids will support young cancer patients
AWARD-winning fundraiser Lynne
McNicoll celebrated her birthday in
December by officially opening the
Teenage Cancer Trust’s first specialist
facility for young cancer patients in the
east of Scotland at the Royal Hospital
for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
The Trust, a charity that helps young
people fight cancer, is developing
facilities including a four-bed specialist
unit for 13 to 16-year-olds diagnosed
with cancer at the new Sick Kids,
which is due to be complete in 2013.
The two-bed unit which has opened
at the current hospital site has been
built in the interim to provide a
recreational space, shared bathroom
and two single bedrooms for young
people with cancer in Lothian.
Lynne has been involved with the
charity since 2006, when she set herself
the challenge of raising £50,000 in her
50th year. Since then, she has helped
raise more than £600,000 for the Trust
and was recently named Volunteer
Fundraiser of the Year by the Institute
of Fundraising.
Lynne said: “This unit will make a
huge difference to young people with
cancer, giving them the ability to spend
time with each other and still be
teenagers in an environment suited
to their needs.”
Matthew Rocks, 16, who was
diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic
leukaemia, said: “I felt so isolated
HAPPY DAY:
fundraiser Lynne
McNicholl (centre)
celebrated her
birthday by opening
the new unit
during my initial treatment. Being
treated on a children’s ward meant that
I was surrounded by cartoon
characters and people a lot younger
than me that I couldn’t relate to.
“This new facility is fantastic,
and is definitely more suited to
young people.”
Dr Hamish Wallace, consultant in
paediatric oncology at the Sick
Kids, added: “We are absolutely
delighted to have this dedicated unit
for young people. It has been a longawaited development for which we
have so many wonderful fundraisers
to thank.
“Our teenagers have told us that
this unit makes their time in hospital
much more bearable and will
dramatically improve their ability to
cope with treatment.”
Our mental health
target set for June
WE have set ourselves a new
target: to achieve the Mental
Health and Wellbeing
Commendation Award by June
2010. The award is part of
NHSScotland’s Healthy Working
Lives Programme.
Over the next few months,
Connections will focus on what NHS
Lothian staff are doing to look after
their mental health. The mental
health and wellbeing team is also
currently finalising its action plan,
so look out for lots of activities.
This award sets a workplace
standard for good practice in
promoting positive mental health
and wellbeing, supporting staff with
mental health problems and
reducing barriers to recruiting
staff with a history of mental
health problems. The criteria for the
award are to:
■ hold mental health awareness
activities for staff and training for
managers
■ undertake a stress risk
assessment or stress audit and
produce an annual action plan to
tackle any organisational issues
■ develop and implement a
workplace mental health and
wellbeing policy.
There are five key actions which
help to improve your own mental
health:
■ connect: with people around you,
and within your community
■ be active: exercising makes you
feel good – do something you enjoy
■ take notice: be aware of the world
around you and what you are feeling
■ keep learning: try something new,
set challenges
■ give: seeing yourself as linked to
the wider community is rewarding.
E For further information,
contact linda.irvine@
nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk or
kathryn.sinclair@nhslothian.
scot.nhs.uk
Vital support for teenage mums
A PIONEERING programme to
support first-time teenage mothers
before and after pregnancy has
been launched by NHS Lothian.
The Family Nurse Partnership
(FNP) programme is being
tested in Scotland with Edinburgh
as its first site following the
scheme’s successful introduction
in England.
The programme will start
enrolling mums in January in
Lothian and aims to improve
antenatal health, child health and
development and parents’
“We are confident
that we can be
as successful as
England in this
innovative
programme”
Vanessa Strong
economic self-sufficiency.
It is delivered by specially
trained family nurses who come
from health visiting, midwifery,
mental health and other branches
of nursing.
The Lothian programme, which
is fully funded for three years by
the Scottish Government, will
be delivered by a six-strong team
of family nurses and a supervisor
in Edinburgh.
In England, 50 primary care
trusts (PCTs) have been testing
the programme, originally
developed in the United States
by Professor David Olds of the
University of Colorado, over the
past three years and now one
third of all English PCTs provide
an FNP service.
Vanessa Strong, Edinburgh lead
for the programme, said: “We are
confident that we can be as
successful as England in introducing
this innovative programme.”
MUM’S THE WORD: the Family Nurse Partnership
will support teenage first-time mums in Lothian before
and after pregnancy
8
LIFESTYLE
IN BRIEF
Cleaning up at
hand hygiene day
STAFF at the Royal Edinburgh
Hospital have been raising
awareness of hand hygiene at a
recent demonstration day.
Hand hygiene co-ordinator Ann
McQueen and infection control
nurse Scott Forrest organised the
day. Helping was Mary Bisacre,
a newcomer to the infection
control team who will be
supporting wards with submission
of their monthly hand hygiene
audits and assisting with hand
hygiene education and training.
As well as giving out updated
staff leaflets on recent hand
hygiene developments, there were
glow boxes – a device that shows
the areas we commonly forget
when cleaning our hands, such as
between fingers, backs of hands,
fingertips and thumbs.
The REH has been at the
forefront of efforts to increase
the use of antiseptic gels and
handwashes and has invested
in dispensers throughout the
hospital – including the psychiatric
wards, which is a first in Scotland.
E For information, visit www.
washyourhandsofthem.com
New dental unit
opens at St John’s
DENTAL care has been enhanced
for the people of West Lothian
thanks to the opening of the new
dental unit at St John’s Hospital
last year.
The dental unit – which officially
opened in January – is located
on the first floor of the hospital
and staffed by two part-time
orthodontists and two special
care hospital dentists.
The West Lothian out-of-hours
dental service operates on
Saturdays and Sundays.
In addition to giving patient care,
the new unit will also be used to
train dental care professionals,
some of whom are studying at the
Edinburgh Dental Institute.
The Scottish Government is
committed to widening and
enhancing the skills of the dental
team working in the community.
Dental care professionals can carry
out work such as fillings,
extractions and dental hygiene,
thereby freeing up dentists to
perform more complex work.
Robert Naysmith, clinical director
of the salaried primary care dental
service, is delighted with the unit.
He said: “We’ve been able to
provide a bright, airy and
welcoming dental clinic and the
new range of services gives us the
opportunity to provide a better
service to our patients while at
the same time giving valuable
training to a new generation of
health professionals.”
January/February 2
TAKE STEPS T
HEALTHY NEW
Resolutions don’t have
to be radical – here are
three simple ways to
help you achieve a
better lifestyle in 2010
Our top tips will help
IT’S that time of year again – when the
excesses of the festive season and the start
of a new year often prompt us to resolve
to make changes to improve our lifestyle.
To help you achieve your goals,
we’ve given you some tips on how to
enjoy a healthier way of life by
Resolution 2: drink
Resolution 1: choose healthier foods
MAKING small changes to what you
eat every day can make a big
difference to both your mental and
physical health.
Eating healthily is not about crash
dieting or cutting out whole groups of
foods – it’s about making small
changes and enjoying what you eat.
Why not make 2010 the year you
swap some of those high-fat,
high-salt, high-sugar foods for healthier
alternatives?
Try some of the following swaps to
make a big difference on a daily basis.
To cut down on the amount of fat you
eat, try the following:
■ use semi-skimmed rather than full
cream milk
■ snack on fruit instead of crisps
■ have pasta, rice or boiled potatoes
rather than chips
■ if you must have chips, make low-fat
oven chips
■ try eating more
More information can
be found at
www.takelifeon.co.uk/
www.eatwell.gov.uk/
healthydiet/
MOTOR
RUNNING: Dick
says his fitness and
breathing have
improved since he’s
had his new bike
improving your diet and exercise.
But whether you want to lose weight,
up, become fitter or simply feel better ab
yourself, to achieve your goals, it’s
important to remember these vital po
■ Don’t expect a “quick fix” – break y
goal down into small, achievable targ
vegetables and a bit less meat
■ choose boiled rice instead of fried rice
with a takeaway
■ why not poach your eggs instead of
frying them?
■ use low-fat spreads rather than butter
on toast and sandwiches
■ eat nuts and raisins instead of salted
peanuts.
To cut down on sugar, try the following
easy substitutes:
■ choose sugar-free versions of
fizzy drinks
■ snack on crackers or fruit rather
than sweet biscuits or chocolate
■ carry sugar-free mints,
not sweets
■ when you buy tinned
fruit, choose fruit in
juice rather than syrup
■ try taking a bit
less sugar in your
tea or coffee – you
might not notice the
difference!
Get on
your
bike and
take to
the hills
FOR many people, having an alcoholic
drink or two is an important part of
socialising, and many of
us enjoy a drink while
relaxing, celebrating or
having
fun.
In
moderation, this is not a
problem and alcohol
can be enjoyed safely.
It is important,
however, to know the
facts about how alcohol
can affect your health,
relationships and career, so
you can make an informed
decision about how much
you choose to drink.
Think about how much
alcohol you are consuming
and how many units you’re
drinking. Consider the
following:
■ Try cutting back on the
quantity you drink by
drinking smaller glasses of
wine or bottles of beer/lager
instead of pints and using a measure for
spirits – a small glass of wine (125mls ABV
DICK FITZPATRICK has his own pet
names for the hills that lie between his
home in Leith and his work at the Royal
Edinburgh Hospital.
That’s because for the past three
months he’s been cycling up and down
them each working day, as one of the
latest employees to take advantage of
the Cycle-2-Work scheme run by
NHS Lothian in partnership with
Cyclescheme Ltd.
He said: “I know them all – the hill
up Leith Walk, and the ones up to the
Bridges and Lothian Road and
Bruntsfield. But some of the names I
have given them are unprintable!”
Dick, who has suffered from asthma
all his life, has a bike that’s powered
LIFESTYLE
2010 Connections
9
TO A
YEAR
keep you on target
tone
bout
also
ints:
your
rgets.
For example, rather than telling yourself
“I must lose two stones”, why not set
a target of losing half a stone at a time?
You’ll reach this far more easily and it
will help maintain your enthusiasm.
■ Why not treat yourself every time you
reach a goal with a small reward to
in moderation
12 per cent) is about 1.5 units, whereas
a large glass (250mls) of stronger wine can
contain three units or
more.
■ If you’re feeling down,
remember that alcohol is
a depressant drug and
can of ten make a
situation feel worse.
The Scottish
Government recommends
that men should not
regularly drink more than
three to four units of
alcohol per day and no
more than 21 units per
week, and women
should not regularly drink
more than two to three
units of alcohol per day
and no more than 14 units
per week.
Everyone should have at
least two alcohol-free days
each week.
If you are pregnant or
trying to conceive, you should avoid
drinking alcohol altogether.
by an electric motor to help him up hills,
and is paying for it out of the salary
sacrifice scheme at the board.
“The scheme makes the bike more
affordable, and paying for it in
instalments is easy.
“Apart from saving me money, I doubt
I would have had the motivation to save
up for it. There are plenty of other
priorities that come along and swallow
your cash.”
Dick added: “I hadn’t been on a bike
in years and frankly, I wouldn’t have
been physically able with asthma to
cycle up all those hills on the way to
work on a normal bike. This was
preventing me from even thinking of
cycling to work until I discovered that
improve your self-esteem – for example,
a haircut or a manicure?
■ Enlist the support of your friends, family
and colleagues. Better still, ask them to
join you on your new exercise or healthy
eating programme – you’re less likely to
skip that aerobics class or scoff that scone!
Resolution 3:
be more active
PHYSICAL activity helps to
reduce tiredness,
improve your mood
and digest all that
festive fare.
The long-term benefits of
regular physical activity are well-known
– they include a lower risk of developing
diabetes or high blood pressure and
a reduced risk of becoming obese or
dying from heart disease.
The short-term benefits include
having more energy, a better ability to
cope with stress and an increased
metabolic rate – which means calories
burn more quickly.
Once you decide to become more
active, try to find a form of exercise that
you enjoy doing. If you find an
activity you like, you are more likely to
stick to it over time.
You might find that joining in with
other people gives you added
motivation – why not investigate
I could get a motorised bike through
the scheme.
“Since I got the bike I’ve noticed a
big difference in myself. I feel fitter, have
lost some weight and my breathing has
definitely improved. I’m also using the
motor less as my stamina increases.”
Dick, who is project manager for the
reprovision of the Royal Edinburgh
Hospital, uses his bike at weekends too.
“I feel fitter, have
lost some weight and
my breathing has
definitely improved”
Dick Fitzpatrick
whether
there is a
dance class or a walking
group in your area?
Adults should be doing a
minimum of 30 minutes of
moderate intensity physical
activity five times a week.
What is moderate activity? It
should make you feel warm and
leave you a little breathless but still
able to speak.
Moderate activity could include
walking, cycling, dancing, housework
or jogging.
And remember, when it comes to
exercise, a little of what you fancy
really does do you good!
He’s using a map produced by
Spokes, the Edinburgh cycling
group, and said: “There are some
fantastic routes in there that keep
you away from the traffic.”
He reckons he may soon have
company on his trips around the
capital. His wife Linda, who also
works at NHS Lothian, is
considering buying herself a
bike, and colleagues – one of
whom, like Dick, has asthma –
have asked him for information
about the scheme.
E Find out more on the NHS
Lothian intranet under staff
room/staff benefits.
DID
YOU KNOW
It takes the liver one
hour
to metabolise and saf
ely get
rid of each unit of alc
ohol.
Any amount of alcohol
affects
your ability to drive as
your
reaction times are slo
wer
and you’re less able to
judge speed
Watch out for…
Crossword,
sudoku and the
chance to win a
two-night stay
at Doubletree
Dunblane
Hydro See
pages 12&13
10
NEWS
January/February 2010 Connections
A staff information
leaflet has been produced
and is available at
locations across
NHS Lothian
New strategy
for city’s
community
podiatrists
A NEW strategy is being
developed for community
podiatrists working in Edinburgh,
East Lothian and Midlothian that
will examine premises and
services with an aim to improve
both treatments for patients
and staff development.
The strategy will review the
provision of services from
traditional clinics and health
centres that often provide
working space for only one
practitioner at a time.
Claire Duff, podiatry accredited
staff side representative on the
strategy’s core and steering
groups, told Connections: “A
number of our staff are lone
practitioners and don’t have
the benefit of team working,
which can affect personal and
practice development
opportunities.
“The strategy is looking at
where services are delivered, who
is delivering them and how we
as a health board can support our
workforce.”
The strategy will be developed
over the next 12 months with
involvement from representatives
from all the patient public
partnership forums, staff side,
podiatry team members, as well
as senior managers and head of
service, Pat Donald.
COLOUR-CODED: Sally Dedecker, left, and Claire Watt are the first NHS Lothian employees to be given the new national
uniform. They received the uniform during induction in advance of taking up their posts at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
READY TO WEAR
NEW recruits Sally Dedecker, staff
nurse, and Claire Watt, clinical
support worker, are among the first
in Scotland to have been issued with
their new national uniforms.
The new uniforms are being
introduced following a public
consultation undertaken for the
Scottish Government in 2008.
The uniforms promote a coherent
NHSScotland corporate image,
and aim to help patients and the
general public identify NHS staff and
New national uniforms will
help patients identify staff
their respective roles. They are made
of a better quality material
and are designed to meet the
needs of staff.
Mary Kelly, national uniform lead
in NHS Lothian, said: “We’ve
known for some time that the new
uniform was on its way. It was
designed in consultation with staff
and the short-sleeve design will allow
staff to wash their hands easily, and
help in the fight against healthcare
associated infections.”
Clinical staff involved in patient
treatment will wear tunics in
shades of blue, with navy trousers.
Facilities staff, including porters,
catering and domestic staff, will wear
shades of green with blue trousers.
All the clothing will carry the
NHSScotland logo, and will be
provided to all staff who currently
wear a uniform over the next
two years.
Staff groups who don’t currently
wear a uniform will not be required
to do so.
Help celebrate 10 years
of brain injury service
A DECADE OF SERVICE: Janet
Foggo, front, with the CRABIS team
THE West Lothian Community
Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Service
(CRABIS) celebrates its 10th anniversary
at the end of January.
The service, which was originally set
up as a one-year project in January 2000,
is now firmly established within the
West Lothian Community Health and
Social Care Partnership (CHCP).
It provides community-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation to adults in
West Lothian with a physical disability
and/or acquired brain injury.
Manager Janet Foggo, said: “Over the
10 years, the service has developed as
referrals and caseloads have increased,
as an active programme of service
improvement has been implemented,
and as the team members have built
on their skills, knowledge and
experience of neuro-rehabilitation.
Since it began, the service has received
over 1500 referrals.”
To mark the anniversary, the team is
hosting a drop-in event at the Ability
Centre in Carmondean Centre Road,
Livingston on Wednesday 24 February.
E For more information on the
event, or the service, contact
Janet on 01506 774046 or by
email janet.foggo@
nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
NEWS
Connections January/February 2010
11
Concept designs go on show to give
staff, patients and the public an
idea of how the new facility will look
Designs
for new
children’s
hospital
STAFF, patients and public are
getting their first sight of how the
new Royal Hospital for Sick
Children in Edinburgh will look with
the production of the hospital’s
concept designs.
The Sick Kids’ new location at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
(RIE) will be its fifth since being
founded in 1860 and the launch of
the designs marks the start of
activities to celebrate 150 years of
pioneering healthcare for children
in Lothian.
The designs show what the building
may look like, its position on the site
21st-CENTURY HEALTHCARE: one of the concept designs for the new children’s hospital at Little France
at Little France in relation to the
existing Royal Infirmary buildings.
I n p a r t i c u l a r, t h e i m a g e s
demonstrate the importance of
creating green space in and around
the new hospital.
Staff, patients, families, and other
groups have all been given a chance
to contribute to the design.
As part of the formal planning
process, the consultation is now being
opened up to a wider audience.
A series of exhibitions is planned
for sites across Lothian in the
coming months providing the
general public with an opportunity
to view the concept design proposals
and give their feedback.
The hospital, due to open in
2013, is being publicly funded, with
the Scottish Government backing
NHS Lothian’s stance that it would
not be funded through the private
finance initiative.
Praise for placements
I SPY A CAREER OPPORTUNITY: secondary pupils toured laboratories as part of the week’s events
THE work of managers in giving
people the chance to secure vital
work experience as a gateway to a
rewarding career has been formally
applauded at a special event recently.
Students on the placements have
been provided through a partnership
with Access to Industry and Lothian
and Edinburgh Abstinence
Programme (LEAP).
Representatives from both
organisations also spoke at the
event. And one student of the LEAP
programme explained her hopes for
her placement.
Jenni Duncan, head of resourcing
at NHS Lothian, said: “Managers
found the event very emotive when
they heard about how much of a
difference the placements they
provided had on the students –
building up their confidence and
helping them get back on track.”
E If you are a manager and
interested in providing
work experience opportunities,
contact Melissa O’Reilly,
workplace co-ordinator,
on 01506 523442 or
e-mail melissa.oreilly@
nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
An insight into pathology
THREE events held by NHS
Lothian as part of National Pathology
Week offered the public a rare insight
into the diversity of this highly
specialised branch of medicine.
At the Royal Infirmary of
Edinburgh, consultant pathologists
Margaret Evans and Barbara
Langdale-Brown, and senior
biomedical scientist John Lauder,
organised tours of the histopathology
and cytopathology laboratories for
secondary pupils.
Margaret said: “Overall, we
wanted to show the diversity of
careers within pathology and dispel
myths. We wanted to show how
pathology is involved in more than
70 per cent of diagnoses made in
living patients.
“The response was overwhelming.
We welcomed 104 pupils to the
hospital, who examined surgical
resections, observed embedding,
tissue sectioning and hand-stained
a section of pig liver followed by
microscopy, quiz and careers talk.
“It was a great success and the
feedback was encouraging.”
Margaret and Barbara also arranged
a poster exhibition in the Royal
Infirmary foyer, attracting questions
from the public about the nature of
the work and training required for
consultants, biomedical scientists and
medical laboratory assistants.
They also hosted a poster
exhibition with pamphlets supplied
by the Royal College of Pathologists
and the Institute of Biomedical
Science at Edinburgh’s National
Museum of Scotland as part of a
pathology event featuring other
disciplines of the profession.
Margaret said: “Lots of people
stopped and chatted to us about the
type of work done in pathology and
most admitted they had not realised
the extent to which pathology
was involved in diagnosing cancers
and other diseases.”
BOOST: members of Access to Industry, LEAP, NHS Lothian and
students shared their views on the benefits of work placements
12
NEWS
January/February 2010 Connections
CONNECTIONS CROSSWORD
Across
6. There is a new ______
campaign for the new
Sick Kids hospital (7)
7. Creating this kind of
space in and around
the new Sick Kids
hospital is very
important (5)
9. Ellen’s Glen House,
which cares for elderly
patients, celebrated
this anniversary (5)
10. This scheme is part of
East Lothian and
Midlothian Community
Health Partnerships’
PACE programme (7)
12. In NHS hospitals, it is a
key factor in the control
of healthcare acquired
infections (11)
14. Name taken by the
NHS Lothian early
interventions education
group for people with
dementia and their
caregivers (3,8)
18. NHS Lothian chief
executive (7)
19. This programme has
been working with
NHS Lothian’s
ophthalmology team on
a strategic redesign of
eye services (5)
21. Debbie, an NHS Lothian
finalist in the Scottish
Health Awards (5)
22. Our photography team
won at the 2009
Healthcare Science
Awards (7)
WIN
Down
1. This golf cup will be
contested in Wales in
2010 (5)
2. Pale or light colour (6)
3. Healthcare acquired
infections, in short (3)
4. Criminals serve their
sentences here (6)
5. Courage or valour (7)
8. Charity that campaigns
to end homelessness
(7)
11. 17th-century style of
music characterised by
extensive use of
ornamentation (7)
13. St John’s Hospital,
Livingston, and NHS
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 26 February.
The first correct entry drawn out of the
hat will win.
Name
Job title
E-mail
Work tel. no.
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 35
Lothian’s _____
department have
pioneered the
introduction of new
hand-held computers
(7)
15. NHS Lothian does
everything possible to
serve the ______ (6)
16. Person who loads,
unloads, and sets up
equipment for
musicians on tour (6)
17. King of Phrygia to
whom Dionysus gave
the power of turning
to gold all that he
touched (5)
20. Most common type of
blood cell (3)
Issue 35 solution
Across
Down
4. Neil
6. Forth Rail
8. Malawi
9. Arctic
11. Ohms
12. Livingston
14. Nora
15. St John’s
17. Pill
20. Bridge
21. Logo
22. Wards
23. Pyjamas
1. Royal
Victoria
2. Showman
3. Nina
5. Infirmary
7. McConnell
10. Doses
13. I Do
16. Highs
17. Pity
18. Loom
19. Toys
FITNESS
A range of new projects is helping older
THERAPY is to become fun in East and
Midlothian for older people with mental
health issues, if an innovative new project using
Nintendo Wii games proves successful.
The occupational therapy team in East Lothian
Community Partnership is currently assessing
the use of the popular interactive game
console with patients at Herdmanflat Hospital
in Haddington.
Fiona Graham, head of occupational therapy
for mental health in East Lothian, explained:
“We are at an early stage of the pilot at the
moment to assess the risk and appropriateness
of the games and Wii controls to use with older
people with mental health problems.
“There is growing evidence that using these
games with older people can help with balance,
flexibility and hand-to-eye co-ordination. We are
interested in its affect on the cognitive
functioning of patients with dementia, and how
it can influence mood, especially for those with
anxiety and depression.”
Taking exercise at your desk
OFFICE workers can now work healthier thanks
to a new initiative targeted at promoting good
posture and regular exercise at workstations.
The Physpop scheme, part of East Lothian and
Midlothian Community Health Partnerships’
PACE programme (Physical Activity, Community
Education), has been developed to help
organisations attain Healthy Working Lives
awards as East & Midlothian physiotherapy
manager Brain Brockie explained: “It will show
how admin and clerical staff who regularly use
computers can stay healthy regarding posture
and the set-up of their workstations.
“It also includes simple exercises that will help
to break up their routine during the working day.”
The 15-minute programme involves
cardiovascular exercises and stretches, and this
is combined with advice on stress
management, the importance of diet
and impact of the office set up.
The pilot started in November
2009 and the East Lothian and
Midlothian PACE Team plans to
reach staff in locations across
both East Lothian and
Midlothian CHP areas once a
month with regular follow-up
sessions to check progress.
So far, staff at Edenhall
Hospital and Eastfield Medical
Practice have gone through the
training with positive feedback.
NHS Lothian supports project
CONSIDERABLE work is under way across
NHS Lothian to improve the health and
wellbeing of children and young people.
The Scottish Government launched the
United Nations Committee on the Rights of
the Child (UNCRC) under the branding “Do
the Right Thing” in September 2009.
In conjunction with a wide range of
stakeholders, an action plan was developed
to ensure that children’s rights are
considered and incorporated into law,
policy and practice.
Several projects are being carried out under
the umbrella of the UNCRC – an international
law that aims to ensure all children live happy,
healthy lives and are well looked after.
Over the next four years, the plan aims to
improve children and young people’s
participation in how their schools are
organised and run; promote positive
parenting; improve support for young carers
and children with disabilities and improve
outcomes for looked after children.
NHS Lothian has several ongoing projects
COMPETITIONS
Connections January/February 2010
12 weeks to wellbeing
IN THE
SWIM: a
whole range
of activities
are available
through MAC,
including
aquacise
MIDLOTHIAN Active Choices (MAC), a
joint venture launched in September 2009
by Midlothian Community Health
Partnership, is showing signs of success
– with more than 50 people signed up
for the 12-week exercise programme.
MAC, which is funded by NHS
Lothian and managed by Midlothian
Council, has been designed for adults
with obesity problems and for those with
mental health issues such as anxiety and
depression. Patients are referred to the
scheme by their GPs or other health
professionals and then assessed by MAC
co-ordinator Isabel Lean.
Isabel explained: “I find out what type
of activities might suit them and
discuss their expectations.
“There’s a huge range of activities we
can offer through the Council’s Sports
& Leisure service, from aquacise and
seated exercise to supervised walking
and gym work. It only costs them £1 a
session and I’m on hand to provide
support and encouragement throughout
the 12-week period.
“So far we’ve been pretty successful,
with patient health questionnaires
showing an increase in wellbeing
levels and decreases in weight – one lady
lost two stones in weight!
“At the moment it is still quite hands
on as some people need a lot of
encouragement – especially those
lacking in confidence and having
anxiety issues – but I’m looking to get
people to link up across Midlothian to
form their own activity networks and help
to support each other.
“In the meantime, I’m continuing to
give presentations at local medical
centres to explain the benefits of the
initiative and I’ve been delighted with the
response as many health professionals
are keen to refer their patients on to the
scheme,” added Isabel.
FOR ALL!
people in East and Midlothian get active
13
COMPETITION
Win a two-night stay at
Doubletree Dunblane Hydro!
and world-class facilities to
Doubletree Dunblane Hydro.
On check-in, every guest will
receive their trademark warm
chocolate chip cookie – just
the start of what the hotel
hopes will be the warmest
welcome you have ever had!
For a chance to win, simply answer this question:
What is the name of the hotel’s
Scottish fare restaurant?
Name
Address
E-mail
Work tel. no.
Send your answer to Hotel competition, Connections,
NHS Lothian, 148 Pleasance, Deaconess House,
Edinburgh EH8 9RS by Friday 26 February.
The prize is a two-night stay for two guests on a bed-and-breakfast
basis. The prize is subject to availability and is valid until the end
of June 2010. No cash alternative is available. For more information,
visit www.doubletreedunblane.com
✁
CONNECTIONS has
teamed up with Doubletree
Dunblane Hydro to
offer a lucky reader a
fabulous two-night stay at
the newly refurbished hotel.
Set within 10 acres of
private landscaped
grounds, the Victorian-style
Doubletree Dunblane
Hydro offers breathtaking
views of the Trossachs and
Campsie Fells. Keep fit in
the LivingWell Leisure
Club, indulge in traditional
Scottish fare in the
Kailyard Restaurant and
enjoy an after-dinner drink
in the stylish Cocktail Bar.
An extensive multi-million
pound refurbishment has
added contemporary style
Wordsearch Health and fitness
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 26 February. The first correct entry
drawn out of the hat will win.
THE MISSING WORD IS…
GAME ON:
elderly
patients are
using the
Wii games
console in a
pilot project in
Haddington
Name
Job title
E-mail
Work tel. no.
to protect children’s rights
to support UNCRC implementation, including:
■ Edinburgh Community Health Partnership
has been designated the single pilot site for
Scotland for the Family Nurse Partnership (see
page 7). The aim of the FNP is to improve
outcomes for young first-time parents and their
children.
■ NHS Lothian’s looked-after children team are
developing measures on physical and mental
health to improve outcomes for looked after
children and young people.
■ The healthcare in schools group will review
the healthcare services we provide to schools to
ensure continuous healthcare from nursery to
leaving school.
■ NHS Lothian is also working to tackle poverty
through increasing the life expectancy of babies
born in some of Lothian’s most deprived areas.
E For more information about the UNCRC,
visit www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/
2007/07/30114126/0 or contact
Lucy Johnston on 0131 469 3375 or
[email protected]
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ACTIVE E BENEFITS E EXERCISE E MODERATION E RESOLUTION
E HEALTHIER E TARGET E VEGETABLES E DIET E LOW FAT
Issue 35 competition winners
E Dewalt 18V combi-drill (value £180) – Alistair J. Allan, assistance crafts man, Roodlands
Hospital E Historic Scotland – Derek Robertson, charge nurse, Pennywell Resource
Centre E Word search – Jane Hunter, staff nurse, Corstorphine Hospital
14
AWARDS
January/February 2010 Connections
Accolades for Alison and Kaye
IT’S not every day you hear you have
been judged top in your field in the
country. But that is exactly what
happened to Alison Cockburn in
November when she was crowned
hospital pharmacist of the year.
Alison came to the attention of the
judges of the Scottish Pharmacy
Awards, run by the magazine
Scottish Chemist Review, for the
pioneering pharmacist-led diabetes
cardiovascular risk reduction service
which she launched and has run for
the past six years.
RECOGNITION: pharmacists Alison
Cockburn, left, and Kaye Devlin
Alison, who also works part-time
as an antimicrobial pharmacist,
said: “It’s great to get recognition for
implementing this service which has
benefited so many patients with
diabetes in NHS Lothian. The
award also helps to encourage
other pharmacists further develop
their careers in the hospital setting.”
Alison wasn’t the only NHS
Lothian staff member to visit the
podium at the ceremony, held at the
Marriot Hotel in Glasgow. Another
staff member who won an award was
Kaye Devlin, pharmacist at The
Co-operative Pharmacy, Edinburgh,
who picked up the managing
healthcare in the community for the
future of pharmacy award.
Her team’s work undertaken on
supplying training to nurses, medical
students, hospital-based pharmacists
and other area staff as well as
the community sessions held
demonstrates it was well deserved.
In total, nine NHS Lothian
pharmacists were shortlisted for
eight awards.
Professor Pat Murray, NHS
Lothian director of pharmacy, said:
“It is noteworthy that NHS Lothian
had nine shortlisted nominations to
the awards.
“Congratulations all.”
Photo
team
‘snaps’
up top
prize
OUR medical photography
team is celebrating a
convincing win in the 2009
Healthcare Science Awards,
which recognise innovation in
improved health services.
The team, led by Hazel
Herd, won first prize for its
submission based on the new
patient photography medical
image manager system (MIM).
The MIM system (featured
“Everyone in
the medical
photography
team has
worked so hard
to achieve such
a prestigious
award”
Hazel Herd
in Connections issue 34)
has been rolled out NHS
Lothian-wide.
Hazel said afterwards:
“I am delighted that our
profession is credited with
being at the forefront of
healthcare science.
“Everyone in the medical
photography team has worked
so hard to achieve such a
prestigious award.”
Dr Kevin Woods, the
NHSScotland chief executive
and the Scottish Government
director of general health,
presented the prize of £5000
that will be used for staff
training and team building.
CONGRATULATIONS: Nicola Mairns and Ian Duguid receive their award from Dr Kevin Woods, chief executive of NHSScotland
MAGNIFICENT 7!
NHS Lothian leads the way at the Scottish Health Awards
A MAGNIFICENT seven healthcare
professionals and teams from across
NHS Lothian reached the final
stages of this year’s prestigious
Scottish Health Awards.
It was a great achievement for so
many of our teams to get to the
final, as chief executive Professor
James Barbour said. “I am delighted
that the special efforts and
outstanding achievements of
individual staff members and teams
from a range of NHS Lothian
services and sites have received
recognition in this year’s Scottish
Health Awards.”
There was special joy for Nicola
Mairns and Iain Duguid, of the allied
health professionals team at the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh, who won the
older people care award for their work
at the hospital.
They received their award from Dr
Kevin Woods, chief executive of
NHSScotland.
The Scottish Health Awards
h e l p a c k n o w l e d g e t h e h a rd
work, professionalism and
devotion of those who work in
and with NHSScotland to
provide quality healthcare and
treatments.
NHS LOTHIAN’S SEVEN FINALISTS
■ Improvement & Innovation
Award NHS Lothian bacteriology
team, RIE
■ Heart Care Award Debbie
Stein, cardiac rehabilitation
team, Leith Community
Treatment Centre
■ Cancer Care Team Award
Shanne McNamara, central
nervous system nurse specialist,
Western General Hospital
■ Older People Care Award
Nicola Mairns and Iain Duguid,
AHP team, RIE
■ Therapists’ Award
Louise Allan, senior occupational
therapist, East Lothian Community
Learning Disabilities Team
■ Nurses’ Award Helene Leslie,
alcohol liaison nurse, RIE
■ Women and Children’s
Services Award Aileen Banks,
health visitor, Newbattle
Medical Centre.
PEOPLE
Connections January/February 2010
15
ALLOTMENT USERS
ENJOY ‘GOOD LIFE’
Minister sees
positive impact
of ‘grow your
own’ project
MINISTER for the environment
Roseanna Cunningham MSP enjoyed
a taste of the good life when she visited
the Bridgend Community Allotment
Health Project at Craigmillar Castle
Country Park.
The minister saw for herself
the positive impact that growing
your own food can have on health
and wellbeing.
She said: “Our national food and
drink policy recognises the important
role ‘grow your own’ activities can offer
to our environment, health and
wellbeing. They also help us to
appreciate where our food comes from,
and how it grows.”
The health project is all about getting
people together to grow healthy food
without using chemicals. The project
is open to all ages and all levels of
fitness, and the minister planted a tree
while she was there.
Bob Anderson, chair of the
Edinburgh Community Health
Partnership, said: “The project marks
our commitment to the use of
community gardens as an important
part of our health promotion service.
“We are also establishing growing
plots at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital
for use by patients with the support
of staff as part of a therapeutic activity.”
Jennifer Fairgrieve, community
development facilitator for Edinburgh
and the project manager at Bridgend,
said: “We are in discussions with the
Scottish Allotments and Gardening
Society and other stakeholders to help
unlock the potential that unused derelict
land holds for community growing
projects and allotments and are
looking to make more land available.”
Search
out those
forgotten
‘antiques’
TWO former staff of the Royal
Hospital for Sick Children have
come up with a novel idea for
raising funds for the new
pyjamas campaign – and they
need your help.
Former clinical director Zoe
Dunhill and Paula Shaw, former
associate specialist in
paediatric oncology, are looking
for donations of “antiques” to
be included in the Cash in the
Attic television programme.
They will be sold at auction,
with the proceeds going to the
new pyjamas campaign for the
new Sick Kids hospital.
Your “antique” could be
anything from a picture to a
coffee pot, or a book, piece of
jewellery or an item of furniture.
It could be something hiding in
the attic or under the stairs.
Cash in the Attic have
asked Zoe and Paula to try to
obtain as many items as
possible so that they can work
out if they have enough items
for a programme.
Should they be unable to
collect enough objects of
interest for Cash in the Attic,
they would sell the donated
items at an Edinburgh auction
house, giving all the proceeds
to the new pyjamas campaign.
E If you would like to donate
GROW YOUR OWN: Bob Anderson, Robert Ford and Roseanna Cunningham ‘dig in’ at the allotments
WELL DONE:
Steven receives
his cheque from
David Lee,
associate
director of
workforce
development
an object to Cash in the Attic
for the new pyjamas
campaign, please get in
touch with Alice Will at the
new pyjamas campaign,
12a Castle Terrace,
Edinburgh, by 26 February.
Her telephone number is
0131 659 7010.
Questionnaire results will help us
shape the development of our staff
MANY thanks to all those who
completed a questionnaire or took
part in local focus groups to help
NHS Lothian evaluate the
effectiveness of the development
review process using the Knowledge
and Skills Framework (KSF).
Thanks also to logistics staff, who
distributed flyers to raise staff
awareness of the evaluation
programme.
A random draw from all identified
staff who contributed was held at
St John’s Hospital and performed by
Dr Donald Farquhar, consultant
physician.
The winner of the £300 prize is
Steven Littlewood, operating
department practitioner at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, who
said: “The money was really useful
for Christmas.”
Information gathered from the
survey will remain anonymous and
will form the basis of a report for each
service area.
Each report is intended to inform
area action plans to help improve the
way we support and develop staff in
the future.
For further information on KSF
progress and evolving benefits, see
the NHS Lothian intranet.
16
PEOPLE
January/February 2010 Connections
Community gardens will bring a rural touch to the REH
GOING BACK
TO NATURE
A GROUP of horticultural experts
have been appointed to the team
creating NHS Lothian’s community
gardens.
The charity, Cyrenians, will oversee
the creation and development of the
community gardens planned for the
Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Up to 30 gardens will be created on
unused land within the hospital
grounds over the coming years. Each
garden will be created and kept by local
people and community groups.
Charles Winstanley, chair, NHS
Lothian said: “NHS Lothian
recognises the role gardens play in
“NHS Lothian has
shown great vision
is making this land
available for the
Community
Gardens project”
Des Ryan, chief executive,
Cyrenians
creating a pleasant environment for
patients, their families, visitors and
the staff in our hospitals.
“These community gardens are
particularly special as they differ from
allotments. They bring members of the
local community and patients together
as they work alongside each other to
grow things.”
Des Ryan, chief executive of
Cyrenians, said: “NHS Lothian has
shown great vision is making this land
available for the Community Gardens
project. Turning the vision into reality
is going to take a lot of hard graft and
we’re looking to bring together a wide
range of people from the local
community to make it happen.
“This is a great opportunity for local
gardeners, community groups and
businesses to get involved at an early
stage in something new and exciting
that promotes a better 21st-century
way of life. We would also love to hear
from people offering their time to help
make it happen.”
Community gardens feature
allocated plots for individuals or
groups to grow vegetables, fruit, herbs
or flowers. They may also have
common areas of grass and other
cultivation for the use of all.
The charity Cyrenians was
appointed to manage the project after
a formal tender process. They will
shortly begin to liaise with community
groups and members of the public to
outline how they can get involved in
the project. It is intended that the first
gardens will be created in 2010.
LEAP leader David
is a Master student
Kyle’s our
top dog!
ELEVEN-year-old golden retriever
Kyle and his owner Elizabeth
Hughes are celebrating after the
dog was named Therapet of the
Year for 2009.
Therapet is a free dog visiting
service for Scotland’s hospitals
operated by Canine Concern
Scotland Trust, and their dogs have
been visiting NHS Lothian hospitals
for much of the last 10 years.
Kyle has been a Therapet for the
past three years and has
demonstrated his versatility by
being at home with adults and
children in a variety of situations.
Beth Thomson, the voluntary
services manager for REAS/
Edinburgh CHP acts as a liaison
between Therapet and
REAS/CHP hospitals,
and she outlined the
qualities Kyle brings
to his “job”.
She said: “Kyle is
a great big golden
retriever who
GREEN FINGERS: community gardens such as this provide a
pleasant environment for patients, families and visitors at hospitals
THERAPETS: Kyle at the
awards ceremony. Below left:
Mercy finished in the top eight
enjoys being cuddled and giving
his own cuddles. He’s simply an
all-rounder and is at home visiting
children and adults. He is also the
first Therapet in Lothian to visit
an acute mental health admission
ward, which is a testament to his
wonderful nature and effect that
he has on the patients he visits.”
Kyle’s “beat” includes the
Edinburgh Sick Children’s and
Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
E Anyone interested in putting
their dog forward can contact
Canine Concern on
[email protected]
or the organiser for Edinburgh
and the Lothians, Douglas
Ruthven, on 0131 445 3678.
CONGRATULATIONS to Dr
David McCartney on achieving a
Master of Science degree in drug
and alcohol studies.
David, who is clinical lead at
Lothians & Edinburgh Abstinence
Programme (LEAP) had already
begun studying for his part-time
degree at the University of the
West of Scotland when he joined
NHS Lothian to help set up LEAP
in the capital.
As a result, his studies had to
be put on hold for a time, and he
also faced delays in getting
ethical approval to carry out
research on how doctors who’ve
become addicted to drugs have
successfully recovered.
Then, just before Christmas,
David got the news he was
hoping for – that his class work and
research had won him an MSc.
David said: “The idea for my
research was born about four years
ago, so LEAP didn’t figure in the
MSc project at all. But I had to get
ACHIEVEMENT: Dr McCartney
ethical approval from the NHS
ethics committee before I could
begin my research.”
He added: “I travelled widely and
interviewed 10 doctors who had
successfully overcome their drug
addiction. I heard some incredible
stories from brilliant doctors about
their descent into chaos, and
their subsequent recovery.”
IN BRIEF
TUCK IN!: resident Lily
Devine enjoys a slice of cake
A decade of care
at Ellen’s Glen
ELLEN’S Glen House, which
cares for elderly patients, recently
celebrated its 10th anniversary
with tea and fireworks.
Ellen’s Glen House is NHS
Lothian’s facility in south
Edinburgh, catering
for the frail elderly
and those with
enduring mental
health illnesses.
It’s a two-storey
building with
extensive,
accessible garden
grounds, and is
laid out in two wings,
with a total of 60 beds.
NHS Lothian chairman
Charles Winstanley said:
“Ellen’s Glen House shows the
best of NHS Lothian, giving
people a home from home.”
Ellen’s Glen House opened in
November 1999 and was the
second NHS facility – after
Ferryfield House – to be
provided in Lothian through the
PFI route. Ellen’s Glen House
was built and is operated by the
Partnerships Division of James
Walker (Leith) Limited in
partnership with NHS Lothian.
Family room will
give private time
A BUSY ward is not the best
environment in which to receive
potentially devastating news
about your health.
That’s why three former
cancer patients have raised
money to build a dedicated
family room at ward 210 at the
Royal Infirmary where patients
come for and recover from
gynaecology-oncology surgery.
The donations, totalling
£3400, will help to renovate
two side rooms at the end
of the ward and another
into a family room
to provide a quiet and
comfortable environment in
which consultants can talk to
patients in private.
Former patient Eileen
Keith, who raised £1520 by
organising a “girl’s night”
disco, said: “I’m delighted
that the family room is going
to be built. When people
receive bad news about their
health it can be a real blow.
“Having somewhere to go in
private to talk to a doctor or just
to be with their family for a cry
and cuddle is really important.”