Highlights
JUNE 2015
Rachel
runs up
cash for
a good
cause
LET’S
GET
LEAN!
Care home
resident is
oldest person
in Scotland
… and let’s get active!
By Andrew Devlin
Communications manager
See pages 12
and 22 for
news of how
some NHS
Highland employees are determined to get
active at work.
GET involved in Lean leader training – it
will help NHS Highland be better.
That’s the message from Mid area manager Georgia Haire, who is nearing the end
of her Lean leader training.
She said: “I would encourage other staff
Continued on page 2
- -
Lean is yielding results, says Georgia
Continued from front page
in NHS Highland to get involved
in the range of training that will
soon be available.
“This is not about doing so
many weeks of training and being
qualified – it’s a whole new way
of working that I think is absolutely vital as we look for ways to
improve the services we provide
in NHS Highland and is an important strand within the overall
Highland Quality Approach.”
Georgia’s training, which began in January 2014, consisted of
a week’s course culminating in
the presentation of a number of
modules to an audience of fellow
participants (known as a ‘module
marathon’) who are randomly selected during the marathon from
a potential list of 20. This is to
prepare her to lead improvement
events including Rapid Process
Improvement
Workshops
(RPIWs).
These workshops, two of
which she has led so far, aim to
identify ways to reduce waste
and improve services across
NHS Highland. Georgia maintains that this quality approach
plays a crucial role in shaping the
future of care.
She said: “I think it speaks volumes that the organisation is
committed to invest an entire
week out for teams to do RPIWs.
It shows that there is a belief in
the Lean process as a way of
working more efficiently.
“One of the main strengths of
this way of working is that it is all
based on evidence. Most people
believe that they know what’s going on in their place of work, but
when you put that mirror up and
allow them to reflect on the data
and observations you’ve collected, they can see why these
RPIWs have been so successful.
Georgia Haire, who has completed her Lean leader training
“I understand that people can
sometimes be reluctant to
change.
“However, I’ve never heard
anyone say no to improvement –
and that is what this is. The philosophy is one of continuous improvement, which is so critically
important in healthcare.”
Georgia has now completed
one RPIW at the Highland Breast
Centre and another at Ward 7A in
Raigmore looking at reducing the
length of stay and improving the
hospital experience for patients
with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is nearing completion – meaning she will be a certified Lean leader.
While the events are led by
Lean leaders, Georgia remains
adamant that the credit for success lies with the staff.
She said: “The preparation
-2-
work highlighted the things that
could be improved upon, but the
teams themselves develop the
action plans and improvement
work and they deserve enormous
credit for doing so.
“There is an enthusiasm to
participate in the Lean process,
and I think the improvements that
are beginning to be seen are due
to a combination of using a tried
and tested improvement methodology and the hard work and
dedication of the staff.
“I find myself applying many of
the principles I’ve learned
through my training into my everyday work.
“I think we will know that Lean
has been imbedded into our way
of working when everyone, every
day, everywhere is thinking about
how they might do things differently.”
Rene reaches 109
By Tom Davison
Communications manager
GOOD food, strong faith, a loving family and a good sense of
humour – the ingredients for a
long life, according to Irene
(Rene) Chapman.
And she should know. For
Rene, Scotland’s oldest person,
celebrated her 109th birthday in
Fort Augustus on 9th June.
Friends, family and staff gathered for a birthday tea party in
the Telford Centre, the NHS
Highland care home where Rene
is a resident and, as a dog-lover,
she enjoyed a specially made
birthday cake in the shape of a
Pekinese, her favourite breed.
“It’s a privilege to have Rene
with us,” said the centre’s manager, Caroline Gunn. “She’s a
very special lady and we’re all
delighted to be able to help her
celebrate this remarkable milestone.”
Elaine Mead, NHS Highland’s
chief executive, added: “Rene’s
milestone is all the more remarkable when you realise that at the
Much-loved
resident of NHS
Highland care
home is the oldest
person in Scotland
time she was born no airplane
had ever flown in Europe, San
Francisco lay in ruins after a devastating earthquake and a census had concluded that Britain
ruled one-fifth of the world. She’s
lived through a great deal and we
are honoured to have her in our
care. We send her our very best
wishes.”
The centre’s manager explained that although Rene had
lost her sight and was hard of
hearing, she enjoyed chatting to
staff at the centre.
“She likes to hear about their
children and pets,” Caroline explained, adding that Rene was
particularly keen on her African
grey parrot.
“It used to listen to us when
we were kids and say ‘Tata
Rene with her nephew Clive and his wife
-3-
dada’,” Rene recalled, tapping
her still sharp memory. “I also
had a Pekinese and a Westie
called Pansy, which looked just
like a pansy, as well as cats and
mice. I used to show the dogs.”
Caroline said that, like everyone, Rene had her particular
tastes and wishes, which the staff
were happy to accommodate.
“She likes Shreddies for
breakfast and toast and marmalade for high tea,” she said. “She
used to be very keen on sucking
Fishermans Friends at night but
now she likes Polo mints. She’s
also quite particular about her
clothes – she likes everything to
be just so. Rene used to enjoy
listening to audio books but was
irritated by the American accents
they often featured. We try to ensure that she gets what she
wants and to make today different from yesterday for her.”
Born on Saturday 9th June
1906, Rene is from Twickenham
in London, where she helped in
her father’s corn and seed merchants business.
Rene, who never married,
spent much of her life as a carer,
looking after her aunt and parents. A keen organist and chorister, she worked for a while in a
convalescent home in Crowhurst,
East Sussex, and moved to Scotland to live with friends near
Spean Bridge.
She moved into the Telford
Centre in 2012, and is the centre’s oldest resident by just a few
years – another resident is 99!
Asked if she liked Scotland,
Rene smiled and said: “I would
like it better if it was warmer.”
And served a cup of tea and
Continued on next page
Scotland’s oldest resident
Continued from previous page
her favourite biscuit, she remarked dryly: “There’s nothing
like being waited on.”
Rene was visited on her birthday by her nephew Clive Chapman and his wife Lesley, who
travelled from Dorset for the occasion.
Mr Chapman said: “Rene is a
very special person. She has a
very caring nature, is very family
orientated, has a lovely sense of
humour and her memory is
amazing.
“She loves chatting to people,
and loves to get news about her
family – she has five nieces and
nephews, 11 great nieces and
nephews and nine great great
nieces and nephews.”
Mr Chapman continued: “She
has said she attributes her long
life to good food, strong faith, a
loving family and a good sense of
humour.”
Christina Mudditt, senior social
care manager at the Telford Centre, added: “She's an amazing
woman. She certainly keeps us
on our toes, and always has a
different story to tell you.”
Be considerate plea
to Raigmore parkers
By Erin Greig
Communications manager
USERS of Raigmore Hospital’s
main car park are being asked
to think of others parking.
Crawford Howat, hotel services manager for Raigmore,
said: “The car park is very busy
and we recognise that it can be
difficult trying to find a space
when you are coming in for an
appointment or to visit a patient.
“However, what we have noticed – and this has also been
highlighted to us by members of
the public and staff – is that not
everyone is considerate of others
when parking on site.
“We know that for some coming into a hospital environment
can be a stressful experience and
a busy car park can add to that
but we have examples of cars
being blocked in, access roads
being blocked and the disabled
bays at the front of the car park
being used by those who do not
have blue badges displayed on
their car.”
Mr Howat explained that many
of the complaints coming to the
hospital with regards car parking
were in relation to how people
parked rather than the car park
itself.
He said: “The main car park
has just under 900 spaces, including disabled bays, and we
have in recent years split it so
that patients and visitors can park
in the front of the car park while
staff park at the back.
“The idea is that there will be a
higher turnover of cars in the
front section of the car park and
so there is more chance of finding a space.
“Staff are reminded on a regular basis that they should park to
the rear of the car park and our
security staff monitor it first thing
in the morning to ensure it is being used appropriately.”
There is an overflow car park
on site as well as parking at our
-4-
staff accommodation and associated buildings.
The Centre for Health Science
also has a car park, which has a
£1 charge on exit.
Linda Kirkland, interim director
of operations for Raigmore, explained that while it was clear the
car park needed more spaces
this was not something that the
hospital would be able to do at
the moment.
She said: “We’re fully aware
that having a bigger car park
would go a long way to helping
us resolve this but it is just not
something that we are in a position to do at this current time.
“What we are asking is that
everyone takes responsibility for
how they use our car park. Leave
enough time to find a space if you
are coming in for an appointment,
please don’t block cars in or
block any of our access roads
and please be considerate of others when driving round and parking on our site.”
Rachel’s
bucket-list
event boosts
Samaritans
A RAIGMORE occupational
therapist completed the Edinburgh Marathon last month –
and raised over £1,000 for the
Inverness branch of Samaritans.
Rachel Hince, specialist occupational therapist for blue badge
and housing, has worked as a
listening volunteer at the Inverness branch of the charity for
over a year.
She decided to run the marathon through Scotland’s capital
city to tick off one item on her
bucket list – and to raise muchneeded funds for the volunteer
service.
“I’m a keen runner and had
always wanted to take part in a
marathon, but the opportunity
had never really presented itself.”
Rachel said. “I put in a lot of training over the months leading up to
it, and I was delighted to finish in
4hrs 53 mins – far better than I
had expected.
“I had been in Bristol for a
Rachel Hince,
who has
completed her
first marathon
wedding a few days before running, which wasn’t the ideal
preparation, but once I got out
there I just focused on pushing
through and getting the best time
I could.
“I had set myself a target of
raising £500 for Samaritans, and
I’m delighted to say that I managed to raise £1,118. I would like
to thank everyone who has donated – it means a great deal and
every penny will be directly funding the Inverness branch of Samaritans. I have been volunteering there for a year now, and it is
an incredibly rewarding and satisfying role. I’m there to listen and
not to judge. As a listening volunteer, you really feel that you’re
making a difference.
“Thinking of the impact this
money could have on helping to
support people from all over the
UK, and even from as far afield
as America, kept me going
throughout the marathon – it was
worth it, even though I struggled
to walk for a few days afterwards!”
If you would like to donate to
Rachel’s marathon effort, her MyDonate page remains open. You
can
donate
at:
https://
mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/
rachee1
Royal college to host event featuring speakers and workshops
THE Royal College of Physicians
and will be hosting the Faculty of
Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM) event ‘Learning
Lessons, Leading Change 2015’
in conjunction with the Scottish
Academy of Royal Colleges on
21st September.
To be held in the Glasgow
College, the event will feature a
number of high-profile speakers
discussing the future of the NHS
and how best practice can be implemented.
-5-
The event will also feature a
range of workshop sessions.
Full programme details and
online booking are available from
the
website
https://
www.rcpsg.ac.uk/events/
fmlmmgtevent.aspx
VALUING SERVICE AWARDS
A group of employees in Caithness with, in the centre, Evelyn Miller, a recently retired senior charge nurse
who presented the awards. Evelyn had 42 years’ NHS service.
Employees
honoured
for their
long service
MORE than 300 members of staff from across
NHS Highland were
thanked for their years
of service at ceremonies
held this month
throughout the area.
The awards, which
are now in their seventh
year in Highland, mark
20, 30 and 40 years’ service with the NHS, with
employees receiving a
A group of employees who received their awards in
Inverness
certificate and vouchers.
Included in this year’s
cohort of recipients
were 15 staff members
who between them have
clocked up 600 years of
service, or 40 years service each.
Here, Highlights presents a selection of the
many photographs
taken at the presentations.
Valuing Service Award recipients from Argyll and
Bute
-6-
VALUING SERVICE AWARDS
Neil’s life with a
family that’s
always changing
NEIL SPENCE, who has been
awarded a Valuing Service
Award following 40 years of service, started work at Raigmore
Hospital as a 17-year-old junior
lab technician – salary £830 a
year – July 1974.
Since then, Neil has worked
solely at Raigmore – and has
seen one or two changes in his
time.
He recalls being over-awed at
starting his first job after leaving
school but says he always
wanted to work in a lab so he
was quite happy.
He said: “It was quite hi-tech
when I started here, very cutting
edge with the most up-to-date
equipment for the era.
“There was no ward block at
the time. We had the lab building,
the car park and the old wartime
hospital. I remember you used to
have to go outside to go from
ward to ward.
“It was good being able to
watch as the tower block we all
know now was being constructed
Three members of staff with 40 years’ service; from left, Neil Spence,
Jennifer Potts and William Paulin
– although it did spoil our view to
the Moray Firth! The opening was
certainly a highlight though. The
Queen was here and there was a
‘do’ for her with a marquee and
all staff could get involved as we
also had a ‘do’ in the canteen – it
was like a medieval banquet, a
great afternoon.”
Talking about the opening of
the ward block reminded Neil
about the waiting service that
Douglas
Seago and
Fraser
Brunton with
their 40-year
certificates
-7-
there used to be in operation in
the canteen.
He said: “We youngsters used
to get seconds; I think they took
pity on is.”
Neil also remembered the
WRVS volunteers who used to
operate out of a wooden shack
which Canadian lumberjacks built
on site during World War Two;
the not-so-happy times when a
colleague sadly died while at
work; or finishing a busy night of
on-call to find the hospital’s flag
at half mast following the death of
Princess Diana.
Reflecting on his career he
happily talks about the dedication
of the staff which he says has
always stood out during his time
at Raigmore.
He said: “Everyone does an
excellent job here and are all
dedicated in what they do, that
has never changed. I’ve always
liked being in Raigmore, it’s like a
family, an ever-changing family
but family all the same.”
Firing home the safety message...
THE Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
attended a Friends of the Birnie meeting in Inverness recently to give members a talk on fire safety in the home
and a chance to get up close and personal with a fire engine.
Anne Watmough, from Friends of
the Birnie – a registered charity that
runs a support group for children with
additional special needs – said: “We try
to have outside speakers at the support
group about every six to eight weeks.
“I’m delighted the fire service was
able to attend and talk to families and
give some of the children, and some of
the ‘bigger children’, a shot in the fire
engine. It was an informative day and
very much enjoyed by everyone in attendance.”
Colin Whitty, from Scottish Fire and
Rescue, said: “The fire service regularly participates in community activities both on and off station. This gives
the opportunity to engage with the public through various groups and to put
across our vital fire safety messages,
while also providing a bit of fun and
learning about what we do.”
-8-
Search begins for
new board chair
By Tom Davison
Communications manager
THE Scottish Government has
begun its quest for a new nonexecutive chair of NHS Highland.
On 31st March 2016, Garry
Coutts will stand down as the
board’s chair, having served in
the post for three consecutive
four-year terms.
Now, Scottish Government
ministers are advertising in the
press and online for a replacement for Mr Coutts.
They are also on the look-out
for replacement chairs of four
other health boards: NHS Orkney, NHS Tayside, NHS Greater
Glasgow and Clyde, and NHS
Health Scotland.
The advertisement for the
NHS Highland post states that
they want to hear from people
with “the senior level experience
required for these significant appointments, which come at an
exciting time of transitional
change for the NHS in Scotland”.
The part-time post of NHS
Highland chair requires a commitment of at least three days a
week for a remuneration of
£29,640.
Information on the posts was
made available on the website
www.appointed-for-scotland.org.
Mr Coutts is the longestserving chair of a health board in
Scotland.
He first joined the NHS High-
land board in 2002 as the nominated local authority councillor for
Highland Council and took up the
position of chair in April 2004.
In his time as chair of NHS
Highland Mr Coutts has led the
board in planning the integration
of adult health and social care
services, first in The Highland
Council area and currently in the
area covered by Argyll and Bute
Council.
Advice on stabilising ill
children before transfer
THE Remote and Rural Healthcare Educational Alliance
(RRHEAL) is to run a videoconf erencing session on
the ‘Stabilisation and Management of the Critically Ill Child
Prior to Transfer’, with Sandra
Stark, paediatric nurse consultant, ScotSTAR.
It can often take the retrieval
team some hours to reach the
referring hospital and this can
be an extremely stressful time
for the referring hospital staff
that are looking after the child.
This education session, to be
held on Thursday 3rd September,
will provide useful advice and
information for staff members
who are dealing with such a
situation. There will be opportunity for discussion.
The session will be of interest
to remote and island health
teams as well as those with a
specific educational role. They
are asking those with an interest
to book a video-conferencing
place. To secure a link book as
early as possible so that audience engagement and bridged
sites can be confirmed.
-9-
Follow the link below to find
out more and how to book a
place:http://www.rrheal.scot.nhs.uk/
what-we-do/programmes-ande v ent s / r r he a l - v c - e duc a t io n network.aspx
Scotland’s Specialist Transport
and
Retrieval
–
'ScotSTAR' – is a national service that provides safe transfer
for some of the sickest patients
within NHS Scotland. The clinical teams transport patients,
from babies through to children
and adults by road and air. The
expert teams include doctors,
nurses and paramedics.
For more info on the videoconferencing session contact:
Roslyn
MacDonald,
RRHEAL administrative assistant and PA to Pam Nicoll, at
NHS Education for Scotland,
Centre for Health Science, Old
Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3JH
( e m a i l
r o s [email protected]
;
direct
line
01463
255910 (extension number for
internal calls within NHSH:
7910).
CRUSE Bereavement Care Scotness, Tain, Aviemore, Thurso and
land, which offers free and confiSkye.
dential counselling services to
Anyone needing assistance
bereaved individuals of all ages
should initially contact Cruse by
struggling with grief following the
calling the National Helpline on
loss of a loved one, has recruited
0845 600 2227 after which they will
more counsellors and is now able
be directed back to the Highland
to provide services in Fort WilThis adds to the CRUSE coun- regional team for further assisliam, Dornoch and Nairn.
selling teams located in Inver- tance.
CRUSE services
in new areas
Success at
the double
By Andrew Devlin
Communications manager
DIETITIANS Week was held across the UK earlier this month, with a number of events to mark
the occasion.
But the week began by celebrating success for
two NHS Highland dietitians, who were selected by
the General Education trustees to win the British
Dietetic Association’s (BDA) Dame BDA Clayton
Award, celebrating excellence in practice innovation.
Emma Pasieka, NHS Highland dietetic placement co-ordinator, and Evelyn Newman, NHS Highland nutrition and dietetics co-ordinator for care Emma Pasieka (left) and Evelyn Newman with their
homes, collected their award at the annual BDA awards for excellence in practice innovation
awards ceremony in Birmingham.
Both expressed how proud and honoured they Parklands Care Group.
Throughout the week, the NHS Scotland Allied
felt to have been selected for their work, developing
a unique model for training student dietitians on Health Professionals blog had a daily feature proplacement in a care home setting – the first of its moting various updates about the BDA and aspects
of dietitians work across the country.
kind in the United Kingdom.
In Evelyn’s blog, she discusses her role within an
A special BDA Scotland Board reception took
th
integrated
care setting in Highland. You can read it
place on 10 June at the Scottish Parliament, courhttps://ahpscot.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/
tesy of Jamie MacGrigor MSP. It showcased de- at
mentia care and provided examples of how dieti- dietitians-week-2015/.
She said: “Dietitians have a key role to play in
tians were proactively engaging with people afimproving
the nutritional care and support needed
fected by the condition. Health boards across Scotland were asked to provide examples of innovative to maintain health and quality of life.
projects to support this theme.
“The integrated model of care we offer in HighNHS Highland was represented, using some pro- land affords us even more opportunities to do this
ject work, delivered by Robert Gordon University effectively, and help to reduce hospital admissions
student dietitians on placement at both Urray House by improving nutrition and hydration of people in a
and Innis Mhor care homes, which are part of the variety of cared for settings.”
- 10 -
T
HE after-school club at Inshes
Primary School in Inverness
got into the spirit of International
Nurses Day by creating artwork
depicting what they thought
nurses did and what they looked
like.
The work was displayed at
Raigmore Hospital and staff were
able to vote for their favourite with
Pictures of
nursing life...
prizes being awarded for the top
three.
Iona McGauran, interim lead
nurse for Raigmore, attended an
assembly at the school to award
the winning pupils their prizes and
to give a talk on the reasons behind International Nurses Day.
Pupils Eilean (first), Iona
(second) and Hayden (third) are
pictured above being presented
with their prizes
The winning artwork is pictured below.
NHS Highland to reinvest hydrotherapy pool funding to benefit more people
NHS Highland has decided not to renew its contract larger group of patients to exercise and have waterwith the Nairn hydrotherapy pool and has instructed based therapy.
the Nairn Healthcare Group to stop referrals for pa“There is a small number of patient groups actients from 1st July. Funding for this project is not cessing the hydrotherapy pool, and upon reviewing
being withdrawn, but reinvested in exercise and this, we would like to encourage a wider access to
pool access in the Nairn area.
therapies.
South area manager Jean Pierre Sieczkarek
“This reinvestment will increase the opportunities
said: “The decision to bring our contract to an end for a wider group of patients to access the benefits
with the hydrotherapy pool is based on the need to of such treatments. We are in negotiation with High
utilise the financial resources connected with the Life Highland to look at alternative wellbeing activPool in a fairer way, allowing increased access for a ity.”
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By Andrew Devlin
Communications manager
TWO Highland public health
dietitians have created a
board game aimed at improving people’s understanding of
healthy weight.
The Food, Mood and Health
game is a thoughtful and fun
learning resource for children,
young people and adults that
provides an informal context for
learning about important food
and health topics.
NHS Highland health improvement
dietitian
Fiona
Clarke worked with Highland
Council dietitian David Rex to
create a stimulating and social
tool to open up discussions
around such topics as a healthy
relationship with food; an inclusive approach to ‘healthy
weight’ and how food can have
an effect on your mood.
The game has been piloted
and refined with the help of primary school and high school
pupils, and community groups
including the 1st Strathpeffer
and West Guides.
Unit leader Val MacDonald
said: “We tried the game out
with 16 of our Guides and they
loved it.
“The questions prompted
lively debate and discussion on
issues such as the origin of different foods and food miles,
how our mood can influence
what we eat, body image in the
media and discriminating and
bullying relating to weight.
“Children and young people
are the main target audience for
the game. However, education
and understanding of a healthy
diet and weight should be a lifelong learning process.”
She added: “While some of
the questions are quick and
straightforward, many provide
an opportunity for further dis-
Strathpeffer Guides try out the new game
Board game gives
food for thought...
cussion and debate, enabling
players to gain insights into how
food affects their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.”
Dave Rex, who works with
schools
promoting
healthy
weight, said: “We know that
weight is a sensitive issue because of the societal stigma
around size and obesity.
“This game has been designed to help teachers and pupils explore and critique messages about nutrition, and how
this affects our mood and
health.”
- 12 -
Councillor Linda Munro, former Highland Children’s Champion, said: “We know that
weight is a sensitive issue because of the societal stigma
around size and obesity.
“This board game has been
specially designed to help
teachers and pupils explore
questions about nutrition, and
how this affects our mood and
health.
“Everyone will be a winner if
the game takes off and it will
hopefully encourage healthy
living in the long term.”
Care-at-home initiative
clinches national award
By Andrew Devlin
Communications manager
THE efforts of one local Highland community to develop innovative and creative social
care packages have been recognised at the Scottish Care
Awards.
Highland Home Carers (HHC)
picked up the Personalisation
and Partnership award at the annual event in Glasgow, after their
unique approach to overcoming
the shortage of care-at-home provision in the area.
Residents of Boleskine were
keen to help care for older and
vulnerable people in their community. Individuals were interviewed, recruited and trained by
HHC in partnership with NHS
Highland – and the success of
their work means similar models
could soon be rolled out across
the region.
Local Highland councillor Margaret Davidson said: “The volunteers who run Boleskine Community Care are an inspiration to us
all. They took ownership of their
own problems and found local
solutions.
“This is essentially about community sustainability; this rural
area will not have to face the
prospect of all their older people
leaving to live in Inverness, and
they now have a local workforce.
The partnership with Highland
Home Carers and NHS Highland
is a great success, and I congratulate everyone involved.”
NHS Highland self-directed
support (SDS) manager Jennifer
Campbell said: “I was delighted
to hear about Boleskine Community Care being nationally recognised for their fantastic and innovative work.
“This has been a huge success because of the resilience
the local community showed by
approaching NHS Highland and
HHC. We are hopeful that this
model can be rolled-out across
Highland, and we have already
seen interest generated by other
communities on the Black Isle,
Lochaber and elsewhere.”
You can watch a video about
Boleskine Community Care at our
YouTube
page
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LEi6A0xfMXk
Working-out video goes viral
A
FLASH MOB highlighting
‘Workout at Work’ has
reached over 100,000 people after a video of it was posted on to
NHS Highland's Facebook page.
NHS Highland staff, patients
and members of the public were
treated to the display over their
lunch at the Raigmore Hospital
canteen earlier this month.
Entertaining the crowd were
the musuloskeletal and occupational health physiotherapists
who chose the flash mob as a
way of highlighting national
Workout at Work Day.
Featuring dancing to the
rousing ‘500 Miles’ by the Pro-
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claimers the video has now been
viewed over 51,000 times with a
reach of over 100,000.
One of the participants, occupational health physiotherapist
Judith Arnaud, said: “This was a
bit of fun to highlight an important message about keeping
moving while at work.
“We’re all delighted it's
reached so many people and
that many of those who have
seen it are talking about having
their own workout at work
event."
You can view the video on the
NHS Highland Facebook at
www.facebook.com/
Free digital
health service
is launched
NHS HIGHLAND’S new Technology Enabled Care (TEC) service
was launched on 1st April. It is
hoped that NHS Highland leads
the way in digital health innovation and its deployment within the
community.
The TEC service is a mainstream telehealth service, and we
offer free, intensive home health
monitoring packages for patients,
in addition to simple telehealth
packages.
NHS Highland is now offering
Motiva, a managed intensive
home monitoring service for patients with COPD, diabetes and
heart failure. Florence, the
board’s simple Telehealth service,
will give personalised health tips,
provide valuable advice to help
patients stay on track and send
medication reminders.
With Motiva and Florence NHS
Highland is kick-starting a new
healthcare delivery model enabling clinicians and patients to access real-time health data for remote monitoring.
Employees who want to find
out how the free TEC digital
health service can help patients
should register to attend one of
four drop-in sessions to be held
on 15th July in the auditorium at
Centre for Health Science, Inverness. The sessions will take place
from 9.30-11am, 1-2.30pm, 4.305.30pm and 6.30-7.30pm.
The TEC team will be on hand
all day to give advice and guidance about the new service.
Contact Elizabeth Pritchard on
01463 703 518 or email nhshighland.technologyenabledcare@nhs
.net indicating which session you
would like to join.
Pictured from left are recovery nurse Lindsay Oman; Theresa Pittillo,
senior staff nurse and team leader for gynaecology; Mary Glasgow,
clinical practice educator; and, under the blanket, Donald Macleod, assistant nurse manager for surgical
Grateful patient says
thanks to hospital
team ... with a blanket
By Erin Greig
Communications manager
THE theatre recovery team at
Raigmore Hospital has received a thank-you from a
grateful patient in the form of
an Intitherm over blanket.
The blanket, which cost
around £2,000, is used after surgery to keep patients warm and
help them with their recovery.
Carol, who wishes to remain
anonymous, had recently been in
hospital following surgery and
while very complimentary about
her care during her stay it is her
time in theatre recovery that she
remembers most fondly and she
wanted to do what she could to
say thank-you.
Theresa Pittillo, senior staff
nurse and shift co-ordinator on
the day Carol was a patient, said:
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“We were trialling the blankets
when Carol came into the recovery department. The warming
blanket is an aspect of her care
which made a big impact on her
in the immediate post-operative
phase.”
Donald Macleod, assistant divisional nurse manager for surgical, said: “Most people don’t
really remember a great deal
about their theatre recovery so
I’m pleased that Carol has good
memories about her stay in recovery, and particularly of
Theresa, who was shift coordinator that day.
“We’re all incredibly grateful
that she has thanked the department in this way. This is the only
blanket of this type we have in
the department but it is proving
very popular with some patients
asking if they can take it home!”
COMPETITION
Put your
passion
for the
Highlands
in a picture
DO you have a passion for the Highlands?
Then why not have a go at the Scottish Mental Health
Arts and Film Festival Highland photography competition,
which has ‘Passion for the Highlands’ as its theme?
The organisers want to know what it is that makes you
passionate about the area you live in. It could be the
beautiful scenery or it might be the people that make your
community great. It could be the local culture or sport, or it
could be your family and friends. The theme gives you the
scope to tell us what you are passionate about in Highland.
There are two categories: one for children (aged under
16 years) and one for adults (aged 16 and over). A panel
of judges will choose a winner and a runner-up for each
category. The competition is open to anyone living in the
Highland Council area.
The runners-up and winners will be officially announced at the launch of the Scottish Mental Health Arts
& Film Festival Highland on Thursday 1st October 2015.
The photographs will be displayed in a free public exhibition at Eden Court in Inverness for two weeks in October.
Please email your entry to [email protected]
with the subject heading “SMHAFF Photography Competition”. The closing date for entries is 31st August.
See the competition’s terms and conditions on the
right.
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Terms and conditions
All images to be submitted in JPEG format
and not be greater than 10MB in size
Entry is open to anyone living in the Highland
Council area
Entries are limited to one per person.
Entries must fall under the theme of
“Passion for the Highlands”- you can provide up to 50 words of explanatory text
alongside your entry. Photos that are
deemed not to fall under the theme by the
judges will not be valid to win.
For those entering the children’s competition: the entrant must be aged under 16 years
on 01/10/2015 (the date when the winner is to
be officially announced).
All photographs should accurately reflect the
subject matter and the scene as it appeared.
Beyond simple cropping and touching up,
the detail of the photograph should not be
altered by excessive use of filters or photomanipulation software.
Pictures must not have been entered into
other photographic competitions
Amateur photographers only
Entries must be submitted by midnight on
31/08/2015. Late entries will not be accepted
Winners will be notified by email on
24/09/2015 and will be formally announced at
the SMHAFF Highland launch on 01/10/2015.
Winners will also be announced on the
SMHAFF Facebook page.
The judges’ decision on all matters affecting
this competition is final
Entries should be sent to [email protected] with “SMHAFF
Photography Competition” in the subject
line, along with up to 50 words of explanatory text (optional) and stating which category the image is entered into
Full copyright title shall be retained by the
Author of any submissions. By submitting
any contribution to SMHAFF Highland, you
agree to grant SMHAFF Highland a perpetual
royalty free licence to use any or all of the
contributions to promote the festival. The
photographer will be credited where possible.
Any contribution must be your own original
work, it must not infringe the rights of third
parties including copyright, trade mark, trade
secrets, privacy, publicity, personal or proprietary rights;
If your contribution features other people
who are recognisable, you are responsible
for ensuring that you have their permission
for the contribution to be treated according
to the uses set out above.
Up to the minute: News from the board meeting, 2nd June
New body to show benefits of integration
THE Scottish Parliament was
scheduled give formal statutory
approval for the scheme to integrate health and adult social
care in Argyll and Bute on 26th
June.
After this, NHS Highland will
receive permission legally to establish an 'Integration Joint
Board' (IJB).
A report to the board explained that the process of finalising the membership of the IJB
was planned to be completed by
early June, with its inaugural
meeting to be held in July.
Recruitment to several senior
management-level posts will be
followed by recruitment to the
next tier of operational management.
The revenue and capital
budgets of the specified Argyll
and Bute Council and NHS
Highland services will form part
of the integrated budget for the
new health and social care partnership to manage, and the re-
port will explain that the exact
details of budget management
and accountability will be defined in the course of the integration programme.
Integration represents a major service change which will
require the new partnership to
hold a comprehensive public
involvement and engagement
process.
This, the report explained,
would demonstrate how services
are improved by integration.
Badenoch & Strathspey
service redesign work
set to enter next phase
MEMBERS of the board were
asked to approve the next
step in the process which will
lead to redesign of health and
care services in Badenoch &
Strathspey, and the construction of a new community hospital and resource centre in
Aviemore.
The board approved what is
called the 'Initial Agreement' for
the service redesign, and
agreed that it should be presented to the Scottish Government's
Capital
Investment
Group on 30th June.
The Initial Agreement establishes the case for change and
demonstrates that the board's
proposals fit with NHS High-
land's strategic direction and
with national policies and priorities.
The report to the board
showed how the Initial Agreement was prepared and outlined
its key points.
The Initial Agreement sets
out details of a financial appraisal of the redesign work.
It shows that the operational
running costs of the new model
of service delivery are estimated
to be £3.1 million less than at
present, and that the changes
would eliminate the £5.1 million
maintenance backlog at the
area's two existing hospitals,
which are to close.
Board members were told
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that, although potential sites for
the new facility in Aviemore had
been identified, an affordable
site had still to be purchased.
There may be significant
merit, the report argued, in looking to secure a site as soon as
the Initial Agreement is approved.
The report also explained
that there were some “significant
ties” with the two hospitals that
are to be closed: the Ian Charles
in Grantown-on-Spey and St
Vincent's in Kingussie.
This would require “respectful
and sensitive handling”, particularly when it comes to deciding
the future use of the buildings,
board members were advised.
Up to the minute: News from the board meeting, 2nd June
Nurse training
transfer talks
BOARD members were told of a
proposal by the University of
the Highlands and Islands (UHI)
to offer pre-registration nursing
training.
At present, the University of
Stirling (UoS) provides preregistration nursing training to
NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles at its campuses in Inverness and Stornoway respectively, with all student placements being provided within
the two health boards.
However, a joint UHI/UoS
project board has been established to explore the possibility
of transferring provision.
A paper to the NHS Highland
board set out the rationale for
the proposal and outlined the
next steps.
“Although this is the beginning of the consultation process, both universities will ensure the best experience and
outcomes for students currently and in the future,” board
members were told.
They noted that input had
been sought from NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles to
support the development of a
business case for the proposed
transfer.
Master plan looks at
options for future of
Raigmore Hospital
HEALTHCARE in the Highlands is constantly evolving,
and it's important that the
buildings NHS Highland use
continue to be fit for purpose.
To that end, NHS Highland
has been developing a master
plan for the board's buildings in
the Inner Moray Firth area.
A report updating board
members on the progress of the
master plan showed that that
there is poorly utilised space in
all the buildings reviewed.
At Raigmore Hospital, the
exercise
has
shown
that
“significant
investment”
is
needed in the hospital's building
fabric if it is to continue to deliver
healthcare for the next 20 years.
The plan identifies five main
options for the future, ranging
from a brand-new hospital on a
greenfield site to refurbishment
of the existing building with significant new buildings. These
options range in cost from £280
million to £450 million.
Break-even achieved
MEMBERS of the board were
given an overview of NHS Highland’s revenue budget for
2015/16.
NHS Highland appeared to
have underspent its 2014/15
budget by £136,000, a report to
the board showed.
Setting out the interim financial position at the end of the
financial year (it is based on
provisional information and is
still subject to audit scrutiny),
director of finance Nick Kenton
explained that achieving breakeven in a “particularly difficult
year” was “extremely positive
and reflected the considerable
efforts throughout the year to
deliver this”.
- 17 -
The report explained that as,
well as public consultation, when
the options are better understood considerable work will be
required to establish the favoured option.
At New Craigs Hospital work
has to be done to identify suitable services to fill the space
identified there.
The report also showed that it
is thought likely that two new
primary care premises will be
needed in the next five years to
meet increased demand in Inverness, and to deal with the
areas of poor provision that currently exist.
A list of potential projects resulting from the master plan,
along with estimated costs, was
presented to the board.
Head of estates Erin Green
told the board meeting that the
master plan, which represented
two years of “challenging” work
involving surveying every NHS
Highland property in the area,
was nearing completion.
And NHS Highland chair
Garry Coutts stressed that it was
important to recognise that a
new-build Raigmore was only
one of a number of options that
would be considered and that, if
that emerged as the favoured
one, a new hospital would still
be “many, many years away”.
The board was given an assurance that any decision on the
hospital’s future would be clinically led.
Up to the minute: News from the board meeting, 2nd June
Work progresses on
major service changes
BOARD
members
were
briefed on work relating to
major service changes in various parts of Highland.
In Caithness, a review of
adult services is continuing
through various work streams.
The Caithness General Hospital
work stream has been focusing
on patient flow and internal improvements to the hospital.
However, a report to the
board explained that medical
staffing challenges in terms of
consultant and junior roles had
led to a contingency plan being
put in place.
The situation there remained
“very fragile”, board members
were told, with vacancies for
physicians, surgeons, anaesthetists and an obstetrician. Out of
12 substantive posts, there were
only four post-holders, and
locums were being employed on
a 14-hour, two-week programme. Raigmore consultants
were covering for weekends.
Extensive community engagement has been started, with
more meetings planned, to inform the public of the situation
and to seek assistance in developing new models. A formal options appraisal had been
planned for 17th June, the board
heard.
In Skye, Lochalsh and South
West Ross, work has taken
place in respect of a site for a
Board misses C. diff target
NHS HIGHLAND has failed to meet a key infection prevention and
control target, the board heard.
In the period from October to December last year there were 40.2
cases of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) per 100,000 total occupied
beds, against a national target of 32 cases. However, figures yet to
be validated show that in the period from January to March this year
there were 25.15 cases per 100,000 total occupied beds – well within
the national target.
A paper to the board also showed that NHS Highland has met its
target for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) infection prevention and control, based on data that's yet to be validated.
However, board members were told that if the same numbers and
rates of cases occurs in 2015/16 as was reported in the previous
year, NHS Highland was at risk of not meeting the SAB or C. diff targets come March 2016.
It will also be advised that the Mid Argyll Community Hospital and
Integrated Care Centre received an unannounced post-inspection
visit by inspectors in May. The initial verbal feedback was
“extremely positive”, the board will be told.
- 18 -
new 'hub' facility in Broadford,
with the preferred option of the
site adjacent to the health centre
there having been identified.
Work on an Initial Agreement
and business case is continuing,
and a draft design statement will
be circulated initially to steering
group members for comment.
This will then be used as part of
the Initial Agreement and as a
key briefing for architects tendering for the work. It is hoped
that the Initial Agreement will be
presented to the HNS Highland
board in August.
A report to the board noted
that there continued to be some
concern in the north of Skye,
with a group, Save Our Services, having been formed there.
Members of that group have
been invited to join the steering
group, the board was told. It was
planned to establish a sub-group
of the steering group to focus on
services in the north of Skye,
and the Save Our Services
group will be invited to participate.
In North West Sutherland, a
series of informal meetings and
discussions involving local communities, councillors, GPs and
staff have been held to consider
local health and social care matters. The report will look at specific issues, such as GP/primary
care services in Durness, Scourie and Kinlochbervie and the
future provision of care services.
Board in quest for
GPs to practise in
NW Sutherland
NHS HIGHLAND, which has long
had a problem recruiting and retaining medics in some of its
most remote areas, is on the look
-out for GPs to practise in North
West Sutherland.
And it says that, even it recruits
general practitioners, it will be looking to develop a more flexible
model of delivering healthcare in
the area.
The board is advertising for salaried GPs who would work as part of
a multi-disciplinary team.
Based in Durness but working
across some other locations, including Kinlochbervie and Scourie,
they would play a key role as part
of an integrated team which includes another GP employed by
NHS Highland, as well as nurses,
allied health professionals, pharmacists and administrative staff, and
staff from the Scottish Ambulance
Service.
The move has been prompted
by the decision of Durness-based
single-handed GP Dr Alan Belbin to
retire on 30th June. Dr Belbin had
been running the practice for 19
years but on his retiral it will be
taken over by NHS Highland to ensure that its 294 registered patients
continue to have access to medical
services.
NHS Highland has been holding
a series of meetings with local community representatives to consider
what this would mean for local services.
In advertising for GPs, NHS
Highland points out that the team
covering Durness, Kinlochbervie
- 19 -
and Scourie provides out-of-hours
cover during the week, with on-call
shared by members of the team. At
the weekends, out-of-hours cover is
provided by the NHS Highland Out
of Hours service.
The advert states that NHS
Highland would be happy to consider any variations in working patterns, from full-time or part-time to
rota/shift work, and will consider
applications from new and experienced doctors. Locum work is also
available in the area, and ‘golden
hello' incentives and relocation
packages are available to eligible
candidates.
Until new, permanent arrangements are in place NHS Highland
has secured locum doctors who will
be based in Durness. Some temporary arrangements will be required in terms of opening hours
and ordering prescriptions.
The general practitioner situation
in North West Sutherland forms
part of a wider look at how NHS
Highland services are to be delivered in the area.
With the Highland Council having committed to building a £1.5
million residential care centre for
older people to replace the ageing
Caladh Sona community care home
in Talmine, NHS Highland sees an
opportunity to consider how this
might influence other potential
changes and improvements.
The board has been working
with community councils, local
councillors, GPs and staff as it
seeks to re-align services to cope
better with future needs.
Highland patient safety
initiative to go national
AN NHS Highland patient
safety initiative is being rolled
out across Scotland.
Two years ago, NHS Highland
launched ‘Medicine Sick Day
Rules’ cards, which explain which
long-term medicines should be
stopped temporarily if a patient
develops a dehydrating illness
such as vomiting, diarrhoea and
fever.
Health professionals have
been aware of the medicine sick
day rules for some time. However, NHS Highland spotted that
patient awareness of the rules
was low so it funded the development of credit-card sized patient
information cards to tackle this.
Health and social care professionals have since been involved
in distributing the cards to patients.
Following a successful evaluation of the cards in NHS Highland
that showed they are safe, effec-
tive and well received, NHSScotland and the Scottish Patient
Safety Programme have decided
to make the cards available
across Scotland. The national
cards were launched on 23rd
June at the NHSScotland Event
in Glasgow.
Clare Morrison, lead pharmacist (north) at NHS Highland, who
created the cards, said: “The response we have had to the cards
from patients and professionals
alike has been overwhelmingly
positive. It is fantastic that this
NHS Highland initiative is being
extended across Scotland.”
The Medicine Sick Day Rules
were first defined in NHS guidance by Dr Martin Wilson, consultant physician at Raigmore
Hospital.
He said: “Increasing patient
awareness of these rules is important, given how common dehydrating illnesses are and how
frequently many of the targeted
medicines are prescribed. Most
patients do not seek medical advice when they are ill with sickness and diarrhoea, so it is vital
that patients know about the
medicine sick day rules in advance.”
This NHS Highland initiative
may be extended further in future, as a pilot of an exact replica
of the cards has just started in
Salford on behalf of NHS England.
Copies of the Medicine Sick
Day Rules cards can be obtained
from the SPSP in Primary Care
website.
Board changes patients’ mileage allowance
NHS HIGHLAND has continued its policy of reacting to market rates in relation to patient travel allowances by increasing the sum it pays to 15p per mile.
It has long been NHS Highland policy of basing
its patient travel allowance on the HMRC’s advisory
fuel rate for a mid-sized (1400cc-2000cc) petrol car.
This rate is regularly amended to take account of
the changing costs of fuel.
In December 2013, the HMRC advisory rate was
reduced from 18p per mile to 16p. However, NHS
Highland decided at that time not to lower its rate
accordingly. The advisory rate changed again, to
13p, in March 2015 and NHS Highland’s rate followed suit.
Iain Addison, NHS Highland head of area accounting, said: “On reflection, we perhaps should
have reduced our reimbursement rate at the time
the HMRC advisory rate fell from 18p to 16p. That
would have made the drop to 13p less glaring.
“On 1st June, the HMRC advisory rate was increased from 13p to 14p. However, in recognition of
the significant drop in our rate in one jump, and to
allow for smoothing out probable future changes in
the HMRC rate, we have decided to go higher than
that and set it at 15p per mile.
“This will be brought into line with the HMRC advisory rate at the next review date of 1st March
2016.”
- 20 -
- 21 -
Colleagues get
on the move...
By Tom Davison
Communications manager
THE campaign by NHS Highland
occupational
health
physiotherapists to encourage
employees to be more physically active at work has stirred
some colleagues into action.
As a committee member of
Nairn Athletics Club, NHS Highland learning and development
facilitator Paul Simmons (right) is
well aware of the benefits of exercise. But when he saw a ‘Beware
of the Chair’ presentation by OH
physios Lesley Marshall and Michelle Smith, he knew he could
adapt and adopt some of their
recommendations to help get his
workmates on the move.
Now, Paul and some of his
colleagues at the John Dewar
Building in Inverness have become converts to the cause –
and say they’re already feeling
better for it.
Paul posted ‘Beware of the
Chair’ posters around his office
and handed our ‘3x/h’ signs, imploring people to make a point of
standing up at least three times
an hour.
He told Highlights: “Initially
people thought it was a bit of a
laugh and wondered how they
were supposed to disrupt their
working day every 20 minutes.
“But when I started to research
the literature on the subject I realised there was a need to increase
awareness of the dangers of a
sedentary lifestyle.”
When the ‘Beware of the
Chair’ campaign attracted nationwide media attention a few
months ago, the focus was
largely on the use of standing
desks. However, these can be
expensive, and Paul and his colleagues have found ways of being more active at work without
spending money.
He explained: “As well as
standing up more often, we do
things like getting up and talking
to colleagues in the same office
rather than emailing them. We
don’t pile up documents to take to
the shredder and photocopier
every once in a while; we make a
point of doing things like that
more often.
“Another important measure
has been taking lunch away from
the desk. This helps to refresh
you and, I’m sure, that will ultimately make you more produc-
- 22 -
tive. Socially, it’s better too.
We’re more likely to speak to
people we work beside.”
And the ‘being more active
and interactive’ message is particularly relevant in the lunchtime
activities Paul has organised.
He and his colleagues recently
took part in a lunchtime Air
Hockey tournament – won, some
might think suspiciously, by Paul
– in the nearby Vue cinema, and
have just started a boules competition to keep them active during the lunch break.
“It’s been great,” said Paul.
“There are 10 of us in the learning and development team and
we’ve been playing with colleagues in the recruitment and
employment services team, who
moved to John Dewar in October.
Previously, we hardly spoke to
them – now we have created an
opportunity to interact.”
As learning and development
facilitator, Paul spends much of
his working week away from the
office but OH physios Lesley and
Michelle know that many NHS
Highland employees don’t have
that opportunity.
Lesley said: “Paul and his colleagues are setting a great example. They’ve shown that you don’t
need to use up valuable work
time to be more active at work.
All you need to do is make small
changes to your behaviour. We’d
urge others in the organisation to
follow suit – they’d be healthier
for it.”
SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB NEWS
Whisper it, but it’s time
to think about Christmas!
THE Highland Health Sports and Social Club
has Christmas on its mind.
The club is currently promoting the fact that the
Recreation Hall at Raigmore is available for Christmas parties on Friday and Saturday nights throughout November and December.
There is a fully licensed bar service available,
and catering courtesy of the hospital, covering a
range of options from finger buffets to three-course
meals.
Meanwhile, the club has revealed the winners of
its June prize draw. The first prize, £50, went to
Fiona Elder, of the OPAT office; the £25 second
prize went to Niall Henderson, of IT, and the £25
third prize-winner was Graham Nelson, of Estates.
Exercise classes at the club in July are:- Mondays, 5.30-6pm – Metafit with Ewen (£4, free to
members). Tuesdays, 5.30-6.30pm – Kettlercise
with Katey (£4); Wednesdays, 6-7pm – Zumba (£4,
free to members); 7-8pm – beginners’ salsa (£5); 89pm – improvers’ salsa (£5). Thursdays, 5.306.30pm – Yoga-fit with Deborah (£5).
- 23 -
Annual
Review
goes north
NHS HIGHLAND’S Annual Review will take place in Caithness this year and will be held
by the Cabinet Secretary for
Health and Wellbeing, Shona
Robison (pictured).
The performance of all NHS
boards is reviewed by the Scottish Government at Annual Reviews, which provide an opportunity for boards to highlight their
achievements and discuss issues
with the Cabinet Secretary, the
Scottish Government and patients in the local area.
Last year, NHS Highland’s Annual Review was held in Fort William, and in 2013 it was staged in
Inverness. This year, NHS Highland asked the Cabinet Secretary
to consider holding it in Wick,
both to ensure that these events
are spread throughout the
board’s area and in recognition of
the particular challenges the
board faces in delivering services
in Caithness.
NHS Highland chair Garry
Coutts said: “We are delighted
that the Cabinet Secretary has
agreed to our suggestion to hold
the Annual Review in Caithness
and look forward to welcoming
her to the event, to be held on
Monday, 7th September.
“Delivering health and social
care in remote and rural areas
QUOTE
I look forward to
meeting staff and
patients in the
area and would
encourage as
many people as
possible to consider taking part
such as Caithness comes with
certain challenges, not least with
the recruitment and retention of
clinicians. These challenges have
been particularly acute in Caithness General Hospital and have
resulted in NHS Highland reconsidering how it delivers consultant
-led services, including out-ofhours surgical services.
“Our actions relating to this
have provoked some controversy
locally, and we believe that holding the Annual Review in Caithness will give us the opportunity
to shed further light on our thinking with regard to the hospital
and our ongoing review of adult
- 24 -
services, and to offer reassurance to local residents.
“It will also allow us to show
the Cabinet Secretary some of
the many examples of good care
we deliver in the area.”
Shona Robison said: “I’m
pleased to be carrying out NHS
Highland’s Annual Review in
Caithness this year. I look forward to meeting NHS staff and
patients in the area and would
encourage as many people as
possible to consider taking part.
“The Annual Review is an opportunity to scrutinise the health
board’s performance over the last
year and highlight what has been
done well, as well as what could
be done better.
“It’s important to hear a range
of different viewpoints on the performance of NHS Highland, and I
welcome the opportunity to hear
first-hand accounts and opinions
from the people who are using
local services.”
The agenda for the Annual
Review is set by the Scottish
Government based on national
standards and agreed local performance targets.
Following the Annual Review,
the Cabinet Secretary will provide
a summary of the board’s
achievements and actions for the
coming year.
Visiting Norwegians during their visit to Cairngorms National Park to find out about mountain rescue and prehospital care
Norwegians on
fact-finding visit
NHS HIGHLAND this month hosted a party of
around 20 senior Norwegian officials who were
touring Scotland.
The visitors were keen to share challenges around
the delivery of rural health and social care, and were
particularly interested in pre-hospital care, community
hospitals and recruitment.
Their visit started with a discussion in Assynt
House, Inverness, facilitated by Dr Ken Proctor NHS
Highland’s associate medical director, followed by a
trip to Aviemore to find out about the Cairngorm
Mountain Rescue Team.
Dr Antonia Reed GP and clinical lead for out-ofhours in mid-Ross met the delegates and told Highlights: “My feeling was that they faced similar issues
to us, particularly around supporting people
with mental health and alcohol problems.
“They have on-call mental health nurses to provide
retrieval 24/7 and a safe environment for people with
alcohol problems who don't need police involvement.
“Like us, they are struggling to fill rural posts. They
are looking at having to change the standard of their
paramedic education to increase training to fill gaps
and they now have legislation to compel GPs to attend emergencies that happen in their areas.”
She continued: “Despite their challenges I thought
it was interesting that they are still trying to throw
money at their problems rather than thinking smarter.”
And on the subject of money, Ken Proctor added:
“The key point they kept making was that having too
much money meant they had little incentive to
change.”
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What’s your
story? Keep
Highlights
informed
Do you know of something
you think should be featured
in Highlights? An award, an
achievement, a piece of research, an appointment, a
retiral … you name it, Highlights has a place for it.
Please send your articles
for
Highlights
to
[email protected] (01463
704903) or visit the Staff
Dropbox on the NHS Highland intranet home page.
You can follow
NHS Highland on:
WEBSITE
www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/
NHSHighland
TWITTER
www.twitter.com/NHSHighland
or @NHSHighland
Highland Health Sciences Library
More magic from the library
By Rob Polson
Subject librarian,
Highland Health Sciences Library
([email protected])
We did an article in the March
edition of Highlights outlining
the reasons why membership
of the Highland Health Sciences Library was set at a
one year’s duration and why
the library need certain forms
of identification when people
re-register to use the computers.
With a lot of staff retiring or
moving around the library has a
fairly fluid user group. Additionally, everyone is very busy,
maybe you don’t use the library
often and you forget about renewing your membership.
Bearing these factors in
mind the library has instigated a
new reminder process, which it
is currently trialling.
The way it works at present
is that around the middle of the
month the wizard looking after
the library system enters the
labyrinth that is the library database.
Crawling through the whirring cogs and brushing the spiders’ webs away, our magician
uses some of the spells learned
over years of knowledge management training to conjure up
the details of library members
who are to expire in the following month.
When these details have
been obtained our sorcerer
waves their Microsoft wand
over their bubbling cauldron
adding some drops of Notepad,
Excel and Word.
These are boiled together for
some time until the vapours are
just right.
Our Druid then summons the
deities MailMerge and Microsoft
Outlook who combine their supernatural powers to send emails to all expiring members
so:
Dear Sir/Madam
Your membership to the
Highland Health Sciences Library is about to expire.
Can you please pop in or
phone us on 01463-255600
(ext7600) to check if you are
still eligible for membership
and to update your details.
Thank you.
The Library Team
01463-255600 (x7600)
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On receiving one of these
mystical missives all you then
need to do is to phone the library to give your current details.
Staff there will check your
membership eligibility and if the
Ides are right the library will use
its extensive magic to raise you
from your expired state and update your details.
Finally, please remember
that whatever your needs the
Highland Health Sciences Library and its staff exist to help
you.
So please don’t spend more
than 10 minutes on a problem
you may be having – contact
the library.
Someone there will be delighted to help.
Colleagues say farewell
STAFF from Laundry Services at Raigmore Hospital
bid a fond farewell this month to sewing room supervisor Linda Craig (62), who has retired after nearly
45years of working for NHS Highland.
Alistair Wilson, professional lead for facilities, paid
tribute to Linda, explaining that she started work in the
NHS in October 1970, a month away from her 18th
birthday and was, and still is, known for her putting
patients first.
He said: “Linda simply got on with the job quietly
and efficiently and always put patients first. All of us
have really appreciated everything she has done and
we are going to miss her.”
NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead was
also on hand to say a few words.
She said: “I’d like to thank Linda
for all that she has done for NHS
Highland. The role that she, and
everyone in laundry services, does
is really important. And, as a budding sewer, I now know where to
come to for help!”
A clearly emotional Linda admitted that she had been with the NHS
for a very long time but said she
had thoroughly enjoyed her time
here.
She added: “I am looking forward to relaxing a bit and am going
on holiday shortly but I will find
something to do, possibly volunteering. I’m not sure yet.
“I’ve made a lot of friends and I
really have enjoyed my time working here.”
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Linda receives a bouquet from Elaine Mead
By Andrew Devlin
Communications manager
I WAS invited to take part in a
walking football game organised
by Reshaping Care for Older People Highland, Highlife Highland,
NHS Highland and Inverness
Caledonian Thistle FC.
The game took place in the Averon Leisure Centre in Alness and
attracted a healthy crowd of
about 12 men and women of all
ages. This was a tremendous
coup for the organisers, as they
had hoped to entice both sexes
along to give the game a try.
We were given a presentation on
walking football, a sport which
isn’t as straightforward as you
might think. As the name suggests, there is no running – and
any attempt to break into a jog
results in a foul against you. The
ball must be kept below head
height, which can be rather challenging if you’re not a regular
football player.
Goalkeepers can only roll the ball
out and you must leave one
player in the opposition half at all
times. Tackling is also slightly
different, as it is a non-contact
sport.
The sport may very much be in
its infancy, having been invented
six years ago, yet with over 225
registered clubs in the UK, its
popularity is gaining pace (no
pun intended).
We were split into two teams of
five to play against the community coaches. I was placed in a
team with four older gentlemen,
all of whom were enthusiastic
about our chances of victory.
Anyway, the game gets under
way and the ball arrives at my
feet. While trying to remember
not to run, I glance up and notice
my opponent speed-walking to
close me down. Having played
football for over two decades, I
doubt I have ever witnessed a
stranger sight.
My team were fiercely competitive, much to the surprise of the
opposition, and soon we were
walking all over them! Goals
It may be slow but
it’s quickly gaining a
foothold in Highland
were flying in from every direction; not-very-quick one-twos;
the slowest overlapping fullbacks you’ll ever see.
After 10 minutes, we stopped for
a little break, and I have to say it
was more for the coach’s benefit
than ours. With the score at 6-1
in our favour, we were well and
truly in command. Yet at half time
we were discussing tactics, encouraging each other and congratulating goal scorers.
And right then I was able to see
exactly why this game is catching on all over the country. Yes,
the health benefits of exercise
are there and, trust me, it’s hard
work. However, one of the main
aims of the sport is to reduce
social isolation among the older
population.
Watching these guys – who had
never met – interact and communicate about their performance
brought home to me just how
crucial a role sport can play in
bringing people together.
The striker for our team, who
bagged himself a hat-trick, was
64-year-old Jamie Stewart (insert
picture) from Alness. He had
- 28 -
never played walking football
until two weeks prior to this
game, when he headed to Edinburgh with the ICT community
coaching team to take part in a
national tournament.
Having enjoyed his experience in
the capital so much, he is keen to
see the sport kick-off in Highland.
“Hopefully this will become a
permanent fixture.” he said.
“What I love the most about this
is that you get to meet a whole
bunch of new people, and you
have to communicate effectively
to work as part of a team.
“I used to play football when I
was younger, and I really missed
the camaraderie between teammates. Everyone was so positive
and encouraging, and it makes
you feel good about your performance and yourself.
“It may be a slower version of
football, but you’re constantly on
the move, and that is great for
people of my age. I would recommend the sport to anyone who is
looking to try a fun, friendly way
of exercising and meeting new
people.”
&A
Q
Answering the questions this
month is Raigmore-based
management assistant,
complaints, Sylvia Fraser
What’s your job description?
Investigating formal and informal complaints on
behalf of the medical and surgical divisions at
Raigmore Hospital, as well as the complaints
which are received by the board by MSPs, MPs
etc.
Describe yourself.
Small but perfectly formed!
If you won £10million in the lottery, what
would you spend it on?
I would spend it on my family and travel the world.
Hobbies and interests?
Archery, baking – which my colleagues at work
are testament to. I also love nothing better than
escaping with into a good book with a tall glass of
wine.
What was the first single you ever bought?
Electric Light Orchestra.
What is your favourite food?
Venison.
And your favourite film?
Pretty Woman.
What about your favourite TV programme?
Silent Witness.
Do you have a favourite book?
I’ll read just about anything, but I love a good
mystery.
What about a smaller sum, say £1,000?
I would go on a city break.
What are your pet hates?
People who are rude.
If you could have dinner with three people,
dead or alive, who would they be and what
would you cook them?
My mother, who I miss dearly, Princess Diana
and Robert Redford. I would make a Sunday
roast.
What are the best and worst parts of your job?
The job is certainly challenging. The best part is
the satisfaction that you have been able to give
someone the answers to their letter. The worst
part is the sadness in some of them, which in
some cases make my cry! Yes, I know, I am a big
softie!
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