Niall McGoldrick and Orna Ni. Choileain, who were recognised after launching a campaign to raise awareness of the rising
FREE
YOUR LINK TO HEALTHCARE IN YOUR COMMUNITY The winners Health Hero Award: sponsored by Edinburgh Evening News: Heather McVicars Improving Patient Access: the outpatient department at Leith Community Treatment Centre Best Example of Innovation, Quality and Productivity – sponsored by the University of Edinburgh: Dr Kate Templeton and the Gene Xpert team The Voluntary Service Award: Niall McGoldrick and Orna Ni Choileain for the Let’s Talk About Mouth Cancer campaign Mentor of the Year: Jane McNulty and Dr Graham Nimmo Staff Member of the Year: sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University: Kelly Black, medical secretary team lead, Western General Hospital Respect for Others: the Healthy Working Lives bite-size literacy and numeracy education project Team of the Year: sponsored by Unison: the REACT team Caring Champion of the Year: Louise McFarlane, dental receptionist, Sighthill Dental Clinic.
WINTER 2014
MEET OUR NHS HEALTH HEROES
Annual Celebrating Success awards recognise our inspirational staff
A RESEARCH nurse has been named Health Hero of the year at an annual awards ceremony recognising NHS Lothian’s most inspirational health workers. Heather McVicars, a research nurse in cancer clinical trials at the Western General Hospital, received the gong at the Celebrating Success Awards held at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange. The award is voted for by members of the public and Heather was nominated by patient Lynn Mellon, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. Lynn said: “Heather was so supportive to me and to my family. She was constantly on the other end of the phone and, as she knew I was struggling with my diagnosis, she helped me to get psychological support. “Heather always takes the time to listen and help in whatever way she can. “She always manages to put a smile on your face no matter how bad you’re feeling and she doesn’t just provide support for the patient but to the family and loved ones too. Everyone should have Heather on their side when going through treatment for cancer. “I really don’t know how I
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HEALTH HERO: Heather McVicars with HEALTH HERO: Heather Awards host, Scottish McVicar with event host, broadcaster Cat Cubie broadcaster Cat Cubie
would have got through it without her.” The Health Hero Award was one of nine honours given out at the event, which recognises staff who deliver exceptional service and the very best care. Other NHS Lothian health workers who picked up prizes included: the Rapid Elderly Assessment Care Team (REACT), a mixed team of professionals who care for patients aged over 75 in West Lothian, often providing an alternative to hospital admission; Kelly Black, the lead medical secretary at the Western General who was named Staff Member of the Year; and foundation dentists Niall McGoldrick and Orna Ni Choileain, who were recognised after launching a campaign to raise awareness of the rising rates of mouth cancer. Tim Davison, chief executive, NHS Lothian, said: “The Celebrating Success Awards mark the inspiring and truly amazing work that takes place across health services in Lothian every day. Many of our staff go above and beyond their duties every day and demonstrate our commitment to providing high-quality patientcentred care.”
Funding boost for REH campus THE programme to redevelop the Royal Edinburgh Campus has been boosted with a further £120 million funding pledge by the Scottish Government. The redevelopment of the campus is planned to be undertaken in stages, beginning with the £48m first phase. The business case has now been approved and work will start once contracts are finalised. Phase one will include 185 inpatient beds across the adult acute mental health inpatient service, older people’s mental health assessment, intensive psychiatric care service
and the new Robert Fergusson National Brain Injury Unit. Work is anticipated to be completed by late 2016. David Small, chair of the Royal Edinburgh Campus project board, said: “To have reached this point in the project is extremely pleasing. It is the culmination of much hard work and effort on the part of staff, patients and the team involved with the project. “With construction of the £48m first phase expected soon, the timing of this announcement of further funding could not have been better. This will now allow
us to bring together phases two, three and four of the project and will mean that these works should be completed sooner than we had initially anticipated. “Throughout this project, we have listened to what matters to people and are confident that the new buildings will deliver an excellent mental health facility that will open a new chapter in the hospital’s proud 200 year history.” Phase two will include, among other facilities, a new integrated rehabilitation facility, a newly refurbished MacKinnon House and a new facilities management centre.
The redevelopment of the hospital site is being undertaken in partnership with Hub South East Scotland Ltd, who have appointed Morrison Construction as phase one contractor. The Royal Edinburgh Hospital provides mental health services,
including treatment for learning disabilities and dementia.
EE You can see a 3D animated
fly-through video of the phase one redevelopments at www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/ rehcampus
INSIDE: Be Health-Wise this winter - a new campaign will help you and your family stay healthy over the festive period – p4&5
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NEWS
Winter 2014 Health link
Edinburgh Sexual Health Services to host UK centre A PRESTIGIOUS research base is to be set up at NHS Lothian’s Chalmers Centre after its Sexual Health Services were recognised as some of the best in the country. The Edinburgh site has been awarded the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare
NHS Lothian board meetings LOTHIAN NHS board meetings are open to the public. The next dates are: ■■4 February 2015 ■■1 April 2015 ■■24 June 2015. Board meetings will start at 9.30am in the boardroom at Waverley Gate.
Get in touch LET us know what you think about Health link by getting in touch. You can give us your feedback on Twitter (follow @NHSLothian) or on our Facebook page. Do you want to write to the editor? Send us your letters to let us know what you think of Health link. Write to: Health link, NHS Lothian, Waverley Gate, 2-4 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG, email lothian.communications@ nhs.net or call 0131 465 5645. Visit www.nhslothian. scot.nhs.uk
editorial advisory board
(FSRH), which it will host from January for the next three years. The FSRH, which is part of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, has a membership of more than 14,000 medical professionals and sets national standards for training and practices across the UK. Dr Sharon Cameron, NHS
Lothian consultant gynaecologist and co-director of the CEU, said: “The work of the CEU is ultimately aimed at improving clinical practice throughout the UK. It acts as a national base, giving advice to clinicians and international agencies such as the World Health Organisation on best practice, rare conditions and new research.
“We’re a relatively young service and so hosting the CEU will really put us on the map. The team in Edinburgh has a wide range of experience and already has a strong reputation for high-quality clinical research and developing guidance and standards.” The Chalmers Centre opened in 2011, bringing Family Planning
and Genito-Urinary Medicine Services together under one roof. It has 14 clinics across Edinburgh and the Lothians and sees close to 70,000 patients every year. It is the third time the CEU will be based in Scotland, having previously been hosted by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and the University of Aberdeen.
Winning dish is on the menu St John’s chefs stir up success at national hospital food competition A NEW dish has been added to the patient menu at St John’s after the hospital’s catering team scooped a top award. NHS Lothian chefs Steven Cowan, Sarah Jane Mathieson and Steven Rae won the first NHS Good Food Challenge catering competition after wowing judges with their Scottishthemed menu. The Challenge, which took place at Glasgow’s Royal Jubilee Hospital, was set up to test the skills and imagination of hospital catering teams from across Scotland. The competition criteria asked chefs to develop a two-course meal that was healthy, used fresh, local ingredients and was able to be made and delivered in a hospital environment. After making it through regional heats, the St John’s team beat off stiff competition from NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Grampian to take the top prize for their smoked mackerel pâté with chilli and coriander
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TASTE OF SUCCESS: St John’s chefs Sarah Jane Mathieson, Steven Rae and Steven Cowan
oatcakes starter and main course of Ayrshire pork stuffed with black pudding and haggis, served with a plum, fig and ginger sauce, whole grain mustard, Almondine potatoes and fresh steamed vegetables. The winning main course has now been added to the St John’s Hospital menu. Sarah Jane said: “We came up with the menu as a team and with input from the other chefs and catering managers at St John’s. During the competition itself, we had two and
a half hours to prepare and serve all the food from start point to plate.” She added: “It meant a lot to win because we work really hard at
St John’s and I think this award reflects and recognises the high standards we look to achieve in catering every day.”
NHS Lothian is currently developing a new catering strategy which seeks to enhance the health board’s current catering. It also seeks to reduce waste and duplication, maintain nutritional standards and consider issues such as food miles as well as give local sites the flexibility to make their own decisions about meal times, in order to better suit patients. If you’d like to find out more about the strategy or the planned consultation, contact: Danny Gillan, Head of Soft Facilities Management:
[email protected]
Travel by public transport to NHS Lothian hospitals PUBLIC BUSES Buses that reach the following NHS Lothian hospitals include:
■■Editor: Stuart Wilson ■■Kizzy Taylor ■■Sarah Manning ■■John Richardson ■■Julie Cassidy ■■Meriel Deans ■■Lesley Baxter ■■Stuart Smith ■■Catherine Evans ■■Phil Horne
■■Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh: Lothian Buses – 7, 8, 18, 21, 24, 33, 38, 49. First Buses – X95. E&M Horsburgh – 40/X40. Please remember, the bus stops serving the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh have now moved. Due to ongoing works taking place to prepare the site for the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neuroscience, the bus terminus is now located at Little France Drive.
■■Royal Hospital for Sick Children: Lothian Buses – 41.
RIE site
LINKS BETWEEN NHS LOTHIAN SITES The services 40 and X40 run by E&M Horsburgh run between St John’s and the Royal Infirmary. Lothian Bus service 38 runs between the Western General Hospital and the Royal Infirmary.
PARK & RIDE ■■Western General Hospital: Lothian Buses – 19, 24, 29/X29, 37/X37, 38, 47, 113. ■■St John’s Hospital:
irst Buses – 21/X21/21A, F 22/X22, 26, 27/X27, 28/X28, 800 E&M Horsburgh – 7, 22, 26, 31, 32.
Around the edges of the city are Park & Ride facilities at Ingliston, Hermiston, Sheriffhall, Straiton and Wallyford.
NEWS
Health link Winter 2014
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‘Keep Going’ with healthy routine New support offered through active lifestyle programme A NEW initiative, set up to help families maintain healthy lifestyle plans, has launched in Edinburgh and Midlothian. ‘Keep Going’ will support children aged from five to 18 – who’ve already completed the sister programme ‘Get Going’ – and their parents to lead healthy and active lifestyles through one-to-one coaching and support. It follows the success of ‘Get Going’, which was launched in 2010 to tackle child obesity. The free family-based programme sees children attending weekly sessions across Edinburgh and the Lothians alongside their parents or carers to learn about nutrition, exercise and to work towards a healthy weight. Now, those who have successfully completed the nine-week course in Edinburgh and Midlothian can enrol in ‘Keep Going’, where they will continue to receive advice and support to help them stick to a healthy routine. Cath Morrison, Child Healthy Weight Programme Manager at NHS Lothian, said: “We launched ‘Keep Going’ in response to requests from families who were keen to maintain the healthier lifestyle that they’d been working towards through participation in the ‘Get Going’ programme. “We know that the longer we’re able to support families keep up their healthier routines, the easier it will become for them in the future. “So far we’ve had great feedback
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HITTING THE SPOT: Amelia Blunt works with one of the ‘Keep Going’ trainers
from the children and families that have been involved, and we hope to broaden the availability of the service in the near future.” Amelia Blunt, 12, has recently started the ‘Keep Going’ programme at the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh after attending ‘Get Going’ with her father Alan. She said: “I’m in the second term and really enjoy it. I get to work with one of the trainers, Scott, who I met right at the start so he knows me and knows my standards so pushes me! I go on Saturday afternoons with my dad and I’ll go in to the gym or sometimes will do boxing or circuits. “I have learned a lot and definitely think differently now about food and exercise. I’ve completed a few
charity runs and am planning to do some others next year.” Amelia’s dad, Alan, said: “It’s great for children to hear advice about nutrition and exercise from someone other than their parents. I think the message really gets through to them and all the staff involved are quite young and ‘cool’, which helps.” In the past year, about 100 children and young people have been involved in the ‘Get Going’ programme. The course involves an initial one-to-one appointment, followed by seven 90-minute interactive and fun group sessions and then a final one-to-one to plan for the future. The classes, which take place in community and leisure facilities
across the region, cover healthy eating and physical activity and support families to make positive life choices. Children are able to make new friends as well as take part in fun, active games while parents get the chance to share ideas and experiences. Parents or carers worried about a child’s weight can self-refer a child or they can be referred by a health professional. ‘Keep Going’ is supported by NHS Lothian and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh Leisure and Midlothian Council.
EE For more information, call
0131 537 9209 or visit www. nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/getgoing
Thank you for giving your views NEARLY 1000 people have had their say on NHS Lothian’s new vision for healthcare. Our Health, Our Care, Our Future sets out proposals to transform the current system to ensure the health board can meet the challenges of the future and continue to deliver safe, person-centred, effective care for years to come. A public consultation was launched in spring to collect as many views as possible from the people of Edinburgh and the Lothians. Ten thousand copies of the strategic plan summary document were produced, with an online questionnaire attracting responses from more than 150 individuals and organisations. Others commented by letter, e-mail or via stakeholder consultation events. Some 71 per cent of online respondents agreed that the plan addressed the most important issues and 69 per cent of people agreed the proposed criteria for making decisions are the right ones. The feedback also identified some areas people felt should be given greater priority, which included primary and community care, mental health, improving end of life care and IT/technology. Other areas that attracted a large number of comments included prioritising GP services, managing staff and public expectations and workforce capacity. An update of the strategic plan, taking account of the feedback from the public consultation, is due to be discussed by NHS Lothian’s Board in early 2015.
EE Details of the consultation feedback are at www. nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
New FM tours playroom before being sworn in
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FUN TIMES: youngsters Ben and Esme showed the new First Minister around one of the playrooms
THE NEW First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met patients and staff at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, ahead of being officially sworn in to her role. Ms Sturgeon took a look at the recently refurbished resuscitation room in A&E and met nurses in the staffroom before chatting to patients Esme Williams, three, and Ben Gavin, eight, who gave her a tour of one of the playrooms. Play specialist Lorna Galbraith said she was delighted that the First Minister was able to see the important role play has in a patient’s recovery. She said: “It’s really important we make being in hospital, which is an abnormal environment for a child, as normal as possible and the playroom is an integral part of that. You can really see the children relax when they come in and it’s great for the parents too, who are able to see their child happy and taking their mind off why they are here. “And, if a patient isn’t able to come to the playroom, we take the playroom to them.”
4 WINTER HEALTH
Winter 2014
CAMPAIGN OFFERS ‘WISE’ WINTER HEALTH TIPS A NEW national campaign is encouraging people across Lothian to stay healthy this winter. Launched by Minister for Public Health Maureen Watt, the NHS Scotland campaign ‘Be Health-Wise This Winter’ is offering advice to help people stay healthy over the festive period, when many common winter ailments are circulating. Aided by character Dr Owl, the campaign reminds people to re-stock their medicine cabinets with cold and flu remedies, ensure repeat prescriptions are ordered in time for the holidays and to be aware when GP surgeries will be closed over the festive period. This year, GP surgeries throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians will be closed for four days at Christmas (25-28 December), before reopening on Monday 29 December. They will close again for f o u r d a y s a t N e w Ye a r ( 1 - 4 January), opening again on Monday 5 January. Jim Sherval, deputy director of
With many GP surgeries closed over Christmas and New Year, now is the time to plan ahead to enjoy a healthy festive period
public health, NHS Lothian said: “Preparing ahead and knowing how to treat common winter ailments at home can not only help ensure that people in Lothian make the most of
the festive period, but also means local health services can provide help where it is most needed. “As winter approaches, it is important for everyone – parents and elderly people especially – to take a few simple steps. “For example, using your local pharmacy for advice on medicines, finding out when your local GP practice is open and arranging repeat medicines before they close for the festive period, are all ways of making sure you are not caught out this winter.” NHS 24’s executive nurse director Sheena Wright added: “Listen to Dr Owl’s wise words and make sure health doesn’t drop off your to-do list. “Take the time now to check you have cold and flu remedies in your medicine cabinet and use your local pharmacy for advice
on what to have in your medicine cabinet. “If you need to visit your GP, try to schedule an appointment before the festive period and submit your repeat prescription request in plenty of time and only order what you need. “By taking the time now, you can help ensure you and your family enjoy a healthy festive period.” The national Be Health-Wise This Winter campaign is supported by NHSScotland in partnership with NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Ser vice, all 14 Scottish Health Boards and the British Medical Association in Scotland.
EE General advice and information on how to stay healthy this winter can be found at www.nhsinform.co.uk/winter or contact NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88.
Norovirus – keep the winter bug NOROVIRUS, or the winter vomiting bug, becomes more common during the winter months. It’s highly contagious, spreads very easily and can affect anyone of any age causing vomiting and diarrhoea.
OTHER SYMPTOMS INCLUDE: n mild fever n headaches n stomach cramps n aching limbs. Although unpleasant, norovirus is not usually dangerous. There’s no cure for it – you just have to let it run its course and avoid contact with other people until you feel better, which usually takes just a few days.
HOW TO AVOID CATCHING NOROVIRUS n Keep your hands clean. n Wash them frequently with soap
WINTER HEALTH 5
4 Health link
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MAJOR CENTRE: the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences facility will include paediatric care, neonatal care, neurosciences and adult and children’s emergency departments
Work ongoing at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site to yourself and water, particularly after going to the toilet, and before eating or preparing food. n Avoid raw, unwashed food. n Rinse fruit and vegetables well before eating them. n Don’t share towels, flannels or toothbrushes. n If someone in your home has norovirus, you could catch it from something they’ve used. n Keep household surfaces clean. n Anywhere you prepare food, and your bathroom, should be kept as clean as possible using bleach-based cleaners.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU CATCH NOROVIRUS n Keep it to yourself. n Staying at home and
keeping your hands clean can help avoid spreading norovirus to others. You can still be infectious up to 48 hours after your symptoms go, so it’s best to avoid seeing other people during that time. It’s especially important to avoid visiting anyone in a hospital or care home, as norovirus is more serious for people who are already ill. n Drink plenty of liquid. Water is best. This will replace the water your body loses from vomiting and diarrhoea. Avoid alcohol. n Eat food that’s easy to digest. That means things like soup, rice, pasta and bread. Babies should continue with their normal feeds.
CONSTRUCTION works to prepare the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for a new co-located Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences are continuing. The new facility will bring paediatric care, specialist neonatal care, neurosciences and adult and children’s emergency departments together on one site. T h i s w i l l c re a t e a m a j o r trauma centre reducing the need for emergency transfers between sites. The new hospital will be built on Car Park B and works to redevelop existing car parks have now been completed. Extra spaces have been created in patient and visitors’ parking areas C and D; a
new bus hub has opened, flood prevention works have taken place, and road widening is ongoing to allow buses to travel around the site. From early 2015, you will be unabl e to d ri v e aro u n d Little France Crescent as a new link building will be created to join the new and existing hospital buildings. Brian Currie, project director, Ro y a l H o s p i t a l f o r S i c k Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, said: “We would like to thank you for your co-operation during these ongoing works. “We know they may cause you some inconvenience, but safety is our priority.
“Please ensure that you give yourself extra time where possible when visiting the hospital as temporary signage and road changes may be in place when you visit.” There will be 154 beds in the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children, 67 beds in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and 12 beds in the child and adolescent mental health service, along with 10 theatres. The new facility is anticipated to open in the summer of 2017, with construction work expected to start over the coming months.
EE More information can be found
at www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/ riecampus
Flagship minor injuries clinic celebrates 20-year milestone THE minor injuries clinic marked its 20th anniversary this year after opening its doors for the first time in 1994. Based at the Western General Hospital, the unit was the first in Scotland and also became the first nurse-led clinic of its kind. Now 20 years on, it continues to be one of NHS Lothian’s flagship services, treating about 25,000 people each year for a variety of aches, pains, cuts and sprains. Fiona Churchill, lead nurse practitioner, NHS Lothian, said the unit provided a crucial alternative to busy emergency departments
that were dealing with lifethreatening injuries. She added: “The minor injuries clinic was pioneering when it was created and over the years it has continued to be at the forefront of quality care.” The service has grown and evolved over the last two decades and paramedic practitioners and a physiotherapy practitioner are now attached to the unit. One of the other major changes has been that all staff are, or are working towards becoming, independent prescribers, which has helped the unit become the
one-stop shop it was designed to be. The clinic is soon to move into a specially designed unit as part of the work to redesign the Western General Hospital site to make it more effective and improve patient flow. The minor injuries clinic is a walk-in service, so no appointment is required. Over the years, opening hours have also been extended to make the clinic more accessible, meaning that it is now open every day of the year from 8am to 9pm, with last book-in at 8.30pm.
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NEWS
Winter 2014 Health link
EAST LOTHIAN
EDINBURGH
New GP surgery at Ratho A NEW GP surgery is to be built in Ratho under plans approved by NHS Lothian. The proposals will see the existing surgery increase in capacity when it relocates from Baird Road to a new purpose-built facility on 14a Wilkieston Road on the west side of the village. The surgery will be extended to provide improved accommodation for the local community to meet the demand for healthcare services from a growing local population. The medical centre will have four consulting rooms, one treatment room, a waiting area and a staff meeting room. It will also have on-site parking and be accessible by public transport. Peter Gabbitas, joint director, Edinburgh health and social care partnership said: “I’m sure that this news will be welcomed by the people of Ratho and its surrounding areas. “The new surgery will provide the local community with modern and fit-for-purpose healthcare facilities. It will also have the capacity to meet the demands of an ever-increasing
local population. The team working on the project is now moving ahead with the plans alongside the site developer.” A planning application is expected to be submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council in the early part of 2015. Under the proposed plans
the existing property at 14a Wilkieston Road will be demolished and a new facility built in its place. NHS Lothian will then lease the property from the landlord. Construction is anticipated to start by autumn 2015 and the site completed by spring 2016.
MIDLOTHIAN
EE A public exhibition of the
designs will be held in Ratho before planning is submitted next year. More information about the project can be found at www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/ rathosurgery
Plans for East Lothian community hospital to go on show PLANS for the proposed new East Lothian Community Hospital will be shown at a series of community events throughout the region in the early part of 2015. Initial plans for the Hospital were approved by the Scottish Government in the summer. The project team is working towards preparing the business case for the development, as well as submitting a planning application. Construction is anticipated to start in 2016, with services operational by the end of 2017.
EE Dates for the public
engagement events will be publicised more widely nearer the time and will be updated at the project website www.nhslothian. scot.nhs.uk/ELCH
WEST LOTHIAN
Health hub in Blackburn moves forward •
MERRIT TEAM: from left, Elizabeth Marr, Brenda Hally, Dr Patricia Cantley, Sharon Dempsey and Maureen Lucas
CARE FOR THE ELDERLY SERVICE A SERVICE has been launched in Midlothian to care for elderly and frail patients in their own homes. The Midlothian Enhanced Rapid Response and Intervention Team (MERRIT) has been set up following the success of the rapid response team, which brings occupational therapists, physiotherapists, carers and social workers together to provide support for people at times of crisis or who have had a fall. The MERRIT service is a key model of integrated working
across health and social care in Midlothian. With the help of a consultant geriatrician and four senior nurses, MERRIT acts as an extension to this service and can manage illnesses such as infections, heart failure and acute kidney failure in the community. Consultant physician Dr Patricia Cantley said: “This enhanced service is able to care for frail and elderly people who would otherwise have had to go to hospital. For those patients at risk
of developing delirium in hospital, it is particularly advantageous to be able to offer them care at home. “The nurses and doctor work closely with therapists and carers to ensure that each person is given the best chance to stay at home if they wish to do so.” MERRIT has also recently started working with local care homes. To avoid patients having to leave a familiar environment, the team are able to provide medication including intravenous therapy to treat infections and heart failure and can provide a drip for patients unable to take enough fluids without assistance. Patricia added: “While it isn’t the answer for everyone, those who are frail, or who have had difficult times in hospital in the past, are often very keen to be looked after at home.”
THE project to build a new multimillion pound health and council hub in the heart of Blackburn is moving forward. The Scottish Government approved the outline business case for the £7.6 million Blackburn Partnership Centre in autumn. The new facility is being developed in partnership by West Lothian Council and NHS Lothian and will be built next to the Mill Centre in Blackburn. Ground developments have been carried out at the site in preparation for construction of the new centre in spring 2015. Jim Forrest, joint director, West Lothian community health and care partnership, said: “This is an exciting development which will allow health and council services to work more closely together in the future. The new building will encourage joint shared services, will bring resources closer together and mean greater collaboration between agencies.” The preparatory works are not part of the actual construction of the facility. Once these enabling works are finished, there will be a period of inactivity on the site prior to full construction starting. Councillor Frank Toner, chair, West Lothian community health and care
partnership, said: “I’m delighted that plans for Blackburn Partnership Centre are progressing well. “The new centre will enhance the range of services available locally and provide a boost to the local community.” Hub South East Scotland Ltd, NHS Lothian and West Lothian Council’s development partner, is delivering the project and has appointed GRAHAM construction to build the new centre. The project team is now working towards finalising contracts in the early part of 2015. The new centre is anticipated to open in summer 2016.
NEWS
Health link Winter 2014
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FORWARD-LOOKING: mum Sabrina Kinsella and 14-month-old Jennifer help launch NHS Lothian’s new children’s strategy
Board launches vision for children’s services HEALTH and wellbeing services for children and young people in Lothian have been strengthened following the launch of a pioneering new strategy. NHS Lothian’s Children and Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy sets out a clear vision, principles and approach to services over the next six years. It was unveiled by Aileen Campbell MSP, minister for children and young people, at a conference organised by NHS Lothian. The document sets out NHS Lothian’s vision and is the road map for reducing inequalities and improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Lothian. Tim Davison, chief executive, NHS Lothian, said: “This strategy is crucial to children’s and young people’s services. “It will underpin all the work we do over the next six years and will help to transform services to ensure that the interests and health of children are at the forefront of everything we do.” The document outlines how the health board will work with children, young people, their families, public, the voluntary sector and local authorities, to improve the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people. Sally Egan, associate director and child health commissioner,
NHS Lothian, said: “Every child should have the best start in life and grow up being healthy, safe, confident and resilient. “This new strategy puts children and young people at the centre of their care and makes it clear who is responsible for their welfare. “It comes at a time when we are forming closer working relationships with local authorities to fully integrate health and social care and are also looking ahead to the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children.”
”This will make a real difference to the lives of our children and young people“ Created with the help and input of children and young people and supported by the Children’s Parliament, the ambitious strategy is based around the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and underpins the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. It aims to tackle three key issues – how NHS Lothian engages with children and young people in their care and treatment; ensuring the health board recognises how
children and young people feel; and improving access to health information and health services, which were all highlighted by children and young people during the extensive consultation period. The strategy sets out plans to: ■■involve children, young people and their families in decisions that affect their health and wellbeing ■■improve the range and quality of healthcare services for children and young people ■■reduce the impact of social circumstances on health ■■ensure disabled children and young people will have their additional needs met ■■increase staff understanding of the needs of the younger population. Aileen Campbell said: “I’m delighted to help launch this ambitious new strategy. This successfully builds on the NHS services already in place, with a renewed focus on children’s rights and wellbeing to help ensure they and their families can get access to the right help at the right time. “The Scottish Government’s aspiration is for Scotland to be the best place to grow up and this type of pioneering work will make a real difference to the lives of our children and young people, and ensure they have the best possible start in life.”
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NAME OUR NEW £7m HEALTH FACILITY
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INVESTMENT: an artist’s impression of the new health facility
NHS Lothian is developing a £7 million community health facility in Firrhill that will provide general practice and community health services to the surrounding area. We want you to help us name the new building. The new name could, for example, be a local historical or cultural reference, or someone or something significant with a geographical link to the area. So far, the development has been known as the Firrhill Partnership Centre, but we want you to come up with something more meaningful to local communities. The new centre will provide accommodation for the Craiglockhart Medical Group, replacing its existing surgeries at Colinton Road and Oxgangs Path, as well as relocating the Firrhill Medical Practice from
its current surgery on Colinton Mains Road. The plans include new clinical facilities for podiatry, physiotherapy, community nursing and child health. A shortlist of suggested names will go to a public vote and a new name will be chosen by spring 2015, around the time when construction of the building is anticipated to start. You can be part of this important decision to name your new local healthcare facility and shape its future identity. The winning entry will receive a prize and have the opportunity to announce the name to the public.
EE To submit a name, go to
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/ namethecentre or pick up a form in Firrhill, Craiglockhart or Oxgangs GP surgeries or Oxgangs Library.
The view from the frontline MEET NHS Lothian’s longest-serving employee, Cathie Lackie, 79, who has spent 50 years at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC). Where you’ll find me: At the reception desk at the RHSC. Best thing about my job: Meeting people. Everyone asks me where to go. I see everyone from patients and their parents and families, to staff and visitors.
My first day was… terrible! I didn’t know anything. I was working on the switchboard then, which was where the main reception area is now, and it was so busy, you had to be fast. That was 50 years ago and now some of the doctors, who were junior doctors when I started, are now retiring as consultants. I remember one of the uniforms we had was a flowery blouse and we all got £20 to buy a skirt in Marks & Spencer.
Favourite “at work” memory: For my birthday one year, the staff all got together and decorated the reception with banners and balloons and I got lovely flowers. I hadn’t told anyone it was my birthday, so it was a complete surprise. In my spare time… I like to go to the library. I love reading crime novels. I also like to sew and knit, although I don’t do as much of that as I used to – I’m getting lazy!
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NEWS
Winter 2014 Health link
Competition Wordsearch
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SNAPSHOT IN HISTORY: Soldiers unload wounded patients at Bangour Village Hospital. The hospital was taken over by the War Office in 1915 and by 1918 had become the largest military hospital in Scotland with 3,000 hospital beds. Photo: Lothian Health Services Archive, University of Edinburgh Library
A moment to reflect on life and death… Dave Caesar, clinical director for emergency medicine at NHS Lothian, tells how one hospital fell silent for Armistice Day and why sometimes the best thing is not just to make a patient ‘better’ IT’S Armistice Day, and a beautiful thing happened in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Emergency Department. At 11am, amidst all the usual hubbub – conversations between clinical staff and patients, equipment and stock being moved on creaky trolleys, family members coming and going with concerns over relatives – the nurse in charge of the department requested that we observe a two-minute silence. And we did, all of us. Staff, patients, family members, carers. You could hear a pin drop. It allowed such a unique window of reflection that, having thought about the indescribable horror of trench warfare and all the subsequent deaths and injuries, physical and mental, that our servicemen and women and their families have endured in securing our and others’ freedom, all I was left with was the thought that we should do this more often. If nothing else, it allows you to remember what is important in your life, and your patients’. Just before we observed our moment of silence, I was discussing a patient with one of our excellent foundation year doctors. She had just assessed Edith, and was coming to summarise her findings and ask me for some advice about what we should do next for her. Edith is 102. She was alive when World War 1 broke out, and still lives in her own home with help from carers four times a day. This in itself is quite an achievement, and on this day she had been found by her bed, having had some difficulty operating the mechanics of raising and lowering her bed. It didn’t seem like she had injured herself, or was particularly different to her normal self. In fact, the carer who called for the ambulance mentioned that this happened quite frequently to Edith, and that often she just pulled her covers off the bed and slept on the floor. “She says she feels fine and is really keen to go home,” my junior colleague tells me.
So we have a 102-year-old who has an issue with her bed and is now in the emergency department. Having spilt a fair amount of sweat and tears building my son’s cot (which my daughter is now trying to destroy) and then bed, I can categorically say that this is not an area of expertise for me. This is also not that uncommon a scenario – a frail patient has a turn of events that may or may not have a medical cause or consequence, and they find themselves in the emergency department. At this point, there is probably a 50 per cent chance they will then be admitted to hospital, as the avenues for returning them to their home are so difficult to navigate, and do not
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: NHS Lothian’s Dave Caesar respond with the speed required to service our four-hour emergency access standard. It is one of the greatest frustrations of working in our specialty. However, if ever we had a chance to help Edith get home, this is it. It is 11am on a weekday, she is uninjured, and she wants to go home. She has an existing comprehensive care package, and seemingly no medical cause for a fall or collapse. All the stars seem aligned. If only all our elderly patients could arrive in this way! Our foundation doctor goes on: “But, she does seem a bit dehydrated, and I wonder whether her bladder is a bit distended. I
was thinking of scanning her and then maybe catheterising her, and then...” I have cut her off mid-sentence. This is where our role as doctors needs so much work. We go looking for things we can “fix”, interventions we can do to make patients “better” in our minds. She was also planning on admitting Edith “to be safe”. If there is one place Edith should avoid at all costs, it is an acute hospital. We need to change our perspective from “what can I do to this patient” back to “what matters to the patient?” Edith wants to be at home. That should be our prime mission. Not only is that the place where she can remain as independent as she can be, it will also avoid all the potential interventions and dependencies that come with being in a hospital setting. It means she will remain oriented in her own place, not confused with potential to fall in hospital. It will keep her in better condition than we can achieve with all our medicines at our disposal. And at 102, there is a high chance that she will die soon. This inevitability shouldn’t be shirked, but planned for. I, for one, would not want to die in a hospital bed, but in my own place with my family around me. We often delude ourselves as doctors and citizens that this is somehow avoidable, and worth throwing everything at. It isn’t, but, unlike those millions who died in the World Wars, we will often have the luxury of time to consider what will be important to us as we approach the end and plan for it. It also struck me that, with all the publicity around the Tower of London poppies, we don’t seem to have a problem talking and thinking about other people’s deaths. Maybe we should give ours some thought too. This column first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News.
DO you want to keep fit? Here is your chance to win a fantastic fitness prize. Simply tell us which word from the list below is missing from the wordsearch and which area you are from (one winner will be picked from each area). East Lothian: We’ve teamed up with enjoyleisure to offer one lucky reader a six-month allinclusive fitness membership. Your membership provides you access to seven Bodyworks gyms, one performance gym, six swimming pools, more than 280 fitness classes per week and the opportunity to relax and unwind in the sauna/steam rooms and spa pools across the county. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Leisure is offering one lucky reader 12 months’ free fitness membership. With 11 swimming pools, 16 gyms and more than 450 classes per
week, there’s plenty to choose from. Midlothian: ToneZone is offering one lucky reader three months’ free platinum fitness membership. Choose from four swimming pools, seven gyms and more than 140 fitness classes per week. West Lothian: West Lothian Leisure is offering a six-month Gold Membership for all its Xcite venues. With eight Xcite venues throughout West Lothian, you can choose from many services within fitness, swim, sports and N-R-G Kids.
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Send your answer to Communications Department, NHS Lothian, Waverley Gate, 2-4 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG by Monday 9 February. The first correct entries drawn out of the hat will win.
Competition winners E THE winners in the autumn issue competition were:
Midlothian – Alan Bowers; Edinburgh – Katherine Bates; East Lothian – Penni Gordon; West Lothian – Alex Gordon.
