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NOVEMBER 2015

NHS HIGHLAND chief executive Elaine Mead has

written to budget holders in the organisation urg-

ing them to play their part in ensuring that the

board meets its financial break-even target.

She urged them to “critically review every decision

they make to commit resources”.

Her letter pointed out that at month nine (December)

of the current financial year the board had overspent its

budget by £2.3 million.

“It is absolutely crucial that this position is brought

back to break-even by year-end,” she wrote. “Therefore, I

need every budget holder to think really carefully before

using temporary staff and to think really carefully before

appointing any staff before the end of March – could that

appointment be made in April?

“The same applies to buying any equipment or any

Highlights THE NHS HIGHLAND STAFF NEWSPAPER February 2016

FINANCE PLEA

Continued on page 2

Help us

to meet

our cash

target

Canine

capers

What’s a nice dog like this doing in NHS Highland’s staff newspaper? You can find out on page 37.

- 2 -

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Contents

Wedding belles

Staff activity survey

Commuters’ Corner

Leisure deal for carers

Tinnitus campaign

At Your Service: Shirley Ann

Highland Quality Award

‘Blanket’ on trial

Aviemore site works

Alcohol abuse project

Other Lives: Ian Douglas

Q&A: Jean Murray

Appeal to budget holders

other supplies – can it wait till

April?”

The chief executive continued: “If

you are breaking even,

thank you, but can you

squeeze out a bit of an

underspend? If you are

underspending can you

push it a bit more?”

She pointed out

that £2.3 million sounded

like a big number, but

spread it over the total

number of budget holders

(around 600) in NHS

Highland it amounted to

only around £4,000 each,

so even a small individual contribu-

tion counted.

She also asked all budget holders

to critically review any savings they

had made non-recurrently this finan-

cial year and see if these could be

turned into recurring savings? This

would help to take some

of the pressure off next

financial year, she said.

Finally, she added,

“It has been another

challenging financial year

and I would like to thank

every one of you for

y o u r e f f o r t s t o

date. With the right

focus and attention to

detail over the remainder

of this year I know

we can deliver a break-

even position while not compromis-

ing care.”

Continued from front

M EMBERS of NHS Highland’s

board said farewell to chair

Garry Coutts at their bi-monthly

meeting in January.

Mr Coutts is pictured with David

Alston, who will succeed him on 1st

April. Presenting Mr Coutts with an

inscribed pyramid glass gift at the

meeting, Mr Alston commented: “If

we look at what Garry is leaving the

board with, it is making quality im-

provement the touchstone of what

we do.”

Mr Coutts said: “I am going to

miss this and working with everyone

here. It has been a huge part of my

life.”

Mr Coutts has been NHS High-

land’s chair for 12 years — three

consecutive terms of office.

ELAINE MEAD

GOODBYE, GARRY

- 3 -

A LOCHABER care home has

been successful in its search for a

new canine companion for its resi-

dents.

Earlier this month, NHS Highland’s

Invernevis House in Fort William sent

out an appeal via social media for a four-

legged friend after Henry, a dog that

belonged to one the residents, passed

away.

Now the residents are preparing to

welcome William, a spaniel kindly do-

nated by a lady from Keith, to Lochaber.

Care home manager Kit Cameron

said: “We were overwhelmed by the

response we received on social media.

A lady named Claire Buchannan from

Keith contacted us about bringing Wil-

liam to Invernevis House. Claire res-

cued William from Cyprus through the

‘Give a Dog a Bone’ charity.

“It takes a very special type of dog

to live in a care home, and William will

be with us for a trial period to see how

he adapts to all the attention he will

receive from our residents and day ser-

vice users.

“The residents and staff were very

excited to meet William, and we made

banners and put balloons up to wel-

come him to Invernevis House. William

loved being the centre of attention and

already looks like he is right at home.

“The residents and staff were all

devastated when Henry passed away,

and it is wonderful to see how pleased

they are now that William has arrived.

Henry was friendly, playful and loyal and

put a smile on everyone’s face. It’s early

days yet, but it looks like William will be

a very welcome addition to our family

at Invernevis.”

And the care home is appealing to

the Lochaber community to help Wil-

liam settle in to his new surroundings.

“Henry’s owner will be the dog’s

main master, Kit explained. “However,

our staff and the other residents will

help look after William. We thought it

would be a wonderful idea to ask peo-

ple living in the area who would like to

help walk William, and get to know our

residents.

“We have great connections with

the local community, and our residents

love it when people pop in for a cup of

tea and chat. This would be an ideal

opportunity for anyone who is looking

to do some voluntary work, or looking

to keep fit and meet new people –

they’ll also get the change to get to

know William!”

Anyone interested in walking Wil-

liam can contact Kit Cameron at In-

vernevis House on 01397 702939.

LOCHABER

Dog found for care home

after social media appeal

Invernevis House resident John Crooke-Gayford with Henry and, in the insert,

with his replacement, William

- 4 -

STAFF have recently gone that

extra mile and truly shown what

patient-centred care is by organis-

ing not one but two weddings at

hospitals in Highland.

Ward GC at Raigmore Hospital in

Inverness and the Newton Wing at

Wick’s Town and County Hospital have

both been praised for the excellent way

in which they both handled requests

from terminally ill patients in their care.

In Inverness, Ward GC, which cares

for oncology patients, had a request

from a patient following a significant

deterioration in their health that they

would like to marry their partner.

Without even thinking twice about it

senior charge nurse Rhoda Patterson

and her team set out to make the day as

special for the couple as they could.

In the space of an afternoon, while

still caring for all their other patients,

they turned a quiet room within the

ward into a temporary wedding venue

complete with decorations, flowers, a

cake and even confetti. The couple

were married that evening and staff sup-

plied a camera phone to ensure that

they had a few mementos of the occa-

sion.

So moved were people by the work

the team did that they were nominated

for and won a Highland Quality Award,

which was presented to them earlier

this month.

In the nomination, Rhoda and her

team were praised for always doing an

excellent job in ensuring that the time

spent by patients on their ward was the

best it could be and for handling what

was a very difficult and poignant time

for all involved superbly well.

Garry Coutts, chair of NHS High-

land, who presented the award, said:

“What Rhoda and her team did for this

patient was above and beyond the al-

ready excellent care they deliver to

vulnerable patients every day.”

In Wick, a similar request from a

palliative care patient in Newton Wing

caught the imagination of the staff mem-

bers and the local community.

Sylvia Stubbings (50), from Wick,

who has been a palliative care patient in

the hospital since January, has been with

her partner Terry Vine (38) for eight

years and told staff in the unit that her

final wish would be that she and Terry

could get married.

It didn’t take long before staff in the

hospital took on that challenge but no-

one could anticipate the support that

has come in from the local community.

Briony Cleland, staff nurse in the

Newton Wing, explained that everyone

has been delighted with just how gener-

ous local businesses have been.

She said: “When Sylvia told us what

she wanted to do we could not have

been happier to help fulfil her wish for

her and Terry to get married.

“What we didn’t expect was the

generosity from so many local busi-

nesses that have really gone above and

beyond to help make this a very special

day for the couple.”

Briony, who also made the couple’s

wedding cake, explained that Sylvia was

given a wedding dress from Simply Bliss

Bridal Boutique which she was able to

choose herself and it was altered to suit

her needs.

Her make-up was also done on the

day and flowers, head pieces, wedding

PATIENT-CENTRED CARE

Wedding belles at

Highland hospitals

Rhoda Patterson and staff from Ward GC AT Raigmore Hospital are presented

with the HQA award by NHS Highland chair Garry Coutts

Continued on next page

- 5 -

Wedding belles at

Highland hospitals

Continued from

previous page

decor and food were all donated. The

couple even got some wedding photos

taken on the day courtesy of Julie Fraser

Photography.

The wedding ‘venue’ was decorated

by To Have and To Hold, Fiona Miller

and Tesco in The Community, who also

donated a buffet for all the guests.

Briony said: “We initially thought

we’d get a few token pieces that would

make this a wee bit extra special for the

couple but the response was just been

fantastic.

“I really can’t thank the companies

enough who have really gone above and

beyond for Sylvia and Terry.

“The Rev John Nugent has also been

supportive from the very start and came

by almost immediately to talk to the

couple to discuss with them what they

wanted.

“Local registrar Elaine Gray has also

been brilliant in sorting out the paper-

work and explaining to the couple what

needed to be done.”

Sylvia is overwhelmed with the reac-

tion of the staff to her request and also

the response received from the local

community.

She said: “I am so happy that this

was organised. It’s been on our mind for

a while and I just asked if it would be

possible – everyone has been so kind in

everything they have done and I really

can’t thank them enough.”

Newton Wing staff said they were

grateful to the Rev John Nugent, Elaine

Gray, Simply Bliss Bridal Boutique,

Tesco In the Community, To Have and

To Hold, Julie Fraser Photography,

McAllans, The Flower Patch, Lark and

Lily Designs, Caithness Curtain House,

George Dunnet, Vana Guy Makeup Art-

ist, Helaina Rosie hairdresser, Michael

Miller- piper, Fiona Miller, Tina Russell,

Superdrug, The Norseman Hotel, Sam’s,

Gail’s Gift Box, Craftastic, The Gift

House, Reid’s the Chemist, Driftwood

and Willie Bain Engraving, who all

helped make the day so special.

Mr and Mrs Vine on their wedding day in Wick (photo courtesy of Julie Fraser Pho-

tography)

AN event is to be held in Inverness

next month to provide an update

on ‘Our Voice’, which seeks to im-

prove participation and empower

people to be equal partners in

their care and in the design and

delivery of services.

To take place in the Centre for

Health Science on 8th March, the event

will also give people the chance to com-

ment and further shape the develop-

ment of the Our Voice initiative.

The programme for the say will in-

clude discussions on various aspects of

Our Voice, including the Citizens’ Hub

and e-Participation.

You can read more about Our Voice

at http://ourvoice.scot/

To register for the event visit

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/our-voice-event

-tickets

OUR VOICE

Improving participation and empowering people

- 6 -

Get active … and

complete survey IT’S time for the NHS Highland

Staff Physical Activity and Active

Travel Staff Survey for 2016.

We really appreciate your time to

complete this short survey by Friday

18th March 2016, and your answers

will help us shape opportunities and

activities that we hope to offer staff, or

support them to enjoy.

Follow this link for the survey -

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/

NHSHPAATS2016

If you wish to enter the prize

draw for one of five £50 'outdoor activ-

ity' vouchers, then just enter a few ex-

tra details at the end of the survey.

These vouchers are being funded

through cashback monies we received

from the latest cycle2work scheme

(thus no operational budgets are af-

fected).

The key message to remember

throughout this is that any form and

amount of physical activity and body

movement is better that none.

There are general recommenda-

tions that some of the questions are

based on, but this is intended to help us

support people’s health at whatever

level of movement they can achieve.

Then everyone can find realistic ways

to increase that movement and im-

prove all aspects of their health.

Physical activity can be, for example,

brisk walking, gardening, dancing, play

or sport - anything that raises your

heart rate or breathing a little or makes

you feel warmer. But, as already men-

tioned, any movement is better for

your health than none.

Current recommendations say we

should try to be physically active for a

minimum of 30 minutes on at least five

days a week; this can be divided into

chunks of 10 minutes or more. Ideally

we would include a variety of cardio-

vascular (getting our heart rate and

breathing going), strength (anything that

has some resistance, whether that's

using our own body weight, or some

separate additional weight) and balance

(for co-ordination, confidence and body

awareness).

Being sedentary for long periods

can be bad for your health, even if you

are otherwise active to the levels de-

scribed above.

If your role is mainly sedentary, it’s

important to consider what could allow

you to move more and avoid sitting for

long periods.

Take a look at the short film enti-

tled "23½ Hours" by Dr Mike Evans –

just type it into You Tube. It is a great

overview about why being active is the

single most important thing we can do

for our health.

Also, if you want to find out about

physical activity opportunities in your

l o c a l a r e a , t r y v i s i t i n g

www.activescotland.org.uk.

There is a brand new, free, online

course starting in May that can help

provide real, practical ways to sit less

and get active.

It’s three weeks of about one hour

a week for the core course, including

video links, and then six months of oc-

casional follow up and activities. It’s

free to access all the materials, and also

has an option to pay for a certificate.

Go to https://www.coursera.org/

learn/get-active

If your professional role could in-

volve any aspect of supporting patients

to be more active and you would like

some introductory training to help with

this, please take a look at a series of

short video films from NHS Health

Scotland called Every Step Counts (also

available on You Tube) or their e-

learning module "Raising the Issue of

Physical Activity" (link available in the

survey).

Dan Jenkins,

health improvement specialist

Win one of five

£50 activity vouchers

by taking part

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

‘

’

The key message to

remember is that any form

and amount of physical

activity and body movement

is better than none

- 7 -

A HAND hygiene roadshow will

take place in Raigmore Hospital

next month (March) as the Infec-

tion Prevention and Control Team

(IPCT) will be spreading the ‘clean

hands save lives’ message to all

wards.

The roadshow, which starts on 21st

March and will continue for the week,

will see the team visit every ward with

the hand hygiene message and a number

of glow boxes which will allow staff to

test their own hand hygiene skills.

Ann Chalmers, infection prevention

and control nurse, said: “Our aim is to

remind and re-educate on the impor-

tance of hand hygiene and when you

should be washing your hands.

“There are five moments when

hands should be washed when you are

with patients and we will be making

sure that everyone is clear on those

points.”

Ann explained that glow boxes

would also be available during the week

so that those involved could test their

hand-washing skills.

She said: “Glow boxes use UV light

and allow you to check your hand wash-

ing skills and, in some cases, showing

you where improvement is needed.”

Stands will be available in the hospi-

tal’s main corridor and dining room

during the week.

HAND HYGIENE

NHS HIGHLAND has welcomed

the publication of a blueprint for

the future of the health service in

Scotland.

The National Clinical Strategy for

Scotland, issued by the Scottish Govern-

ment last week, sets out a broad direc-

tion for change to help the NHS in

Scotland meet the challenges ahead.

Demographic changes in population,

shifting patterns of illness, workforce

issues, technology and the need to re-

duce waste, harm and variation in treat-

ment are among the issues considered

in the document, which was produced

with contributions by NHS Highland

clinicians and managers.

The strategy also looks at the chal-

lenges of delivering high-quality health-

care in remote and rural areas, and fo-

cuses specifically on work by NHS High-

land in this regard.

It points out that the Scottish Gov-

ernment is developing networks be-

tween rural and urban hospitals which

support doctors working in rural areas

to maintain and develop their skills.

“In some areas,” the strategy states,

“this will involve rotating staff between

rural and urban hospitals to ensure that

we continue to provide services close

to communities.

“This work has already delivered

early success in supporting the delivery

of general surgical services in Fort Wil-

liam’s Belford Hospital.

“Working with NHS Highland, a

network between Caithness General

Hospital and Raigmore Hospital is being

put in place which will involve rotating

staff between the two hospitals. This

will support the delivery of the majority

of surgical care and all out-patient care

close to the community in Wick.

“The Scottish Government is also

supporting an enhanced training pro-

gramme for GPs who will be able to

support the general medical services

delivered in Caithness General.”

The strategy also reports on an-

other initiative implemented by NHS

Highland with government support. The

Being Here programme has explored

new healthcare approaches to tackle the

challenges of primary care delivery in

rural and remote areas.

“New multi-practice models for GP

provision are being tested in West

Lochaber, Isle of Islay, Mid Argyll and in

Campbeltown for 24/7 care by the com-

munity hospital, local GPs and the Scot-

tish Ambulance Service working to-

gether,” the strategy states.

The document goes on to explain

how installing telehealth facilities in the

Small Isles Medical Practice on Eigg was

enabling patients to access improved

virtual consultations with their GPs.

Dr Rod Harvey, NHS Highland’s

medical director, said: “We welcome

the National Clinical Strategy and are

delighted that it reflects the direction of

travel that NHS Highland is already tak-

ing on a great many issues. A good ex-

ample is the work, reflected in the strat-

egy, we are carrying out to seek to ad-

dress the very real problems of recruit-

ment and retention of staff in remote

and rural areas. Changes are required if

we are to continue to provide high-

quality health and social care, and this

strategy sets out a vision for how clini-

cal services will need to adapt to meet

present and future needs.”

Keep it clean call to hospital staff

CLINICAL STRATEGY

Board welcomes new

national health blueprint

- 8 -

HANDING over your toys might

well be one of the biggest sacrifices

a child can make.

But 10-year-old Caithness lass Erin

McIntosh did just that … because she

loves her granny.

Erin was so struck by the benefits

her grandmother, Isobel Cormack, had

experienced as a result of attending an

NHS Highland Cognitive Stimulation

Therapy (CST) Group that she sold her

toys, raising the grand total of £200 for

the group.

Gay Draper-Rickards, a community

mental health nurse based in Dunbar

Hospital, said: “It was a very sweet and

generous gesture by Erin. I am sure this

money will go a long way to helping the

group in its work, and we are all ex-

tremely grateful to her.”

NHS Highland has been running CST

groups for people in the early stages of

dementia in both Thurso and Wick for

several years. This is a recog-

nised psychological intervention pro-

gramme of one-hour sessions, running

twice a week for seven weeks.

However, once the groups

were completed many people expressed

concern that there was nothing more

for those who attended and it was de-

cided to launch an ongoing support

group, and so the Friday group was

formed. It meets once a week for 90

minutes in Wick and Thurso, offering

support, cognitive stimulation, fun and

laughter.

The group is run by support work-

ers Moira Gunn and Denise Cormack

with the community mental health

nurses Gay Draper-Rickards, Nicola

Watts and Hannah Mclean joining in as

necessary.

Erin is pictured handing over a

cheque to her granny. Looking on are

support workers Moira Gunn in the

Santa hat and Denise Cormack (far

right) as well as members of the CST

group.

PRESENTATION

Erin, age 10, sells

her toys for

granny’s group

Healthcare chaplain wanted NHS HIGHLAND is looking for a new healthcare chaplain to deliver spiri-

tual care to people in hospital and in the community.

Applications are being sought for the position based in Caithness Gen-

eral Hospital in Wick.

NHS Highland lead chaplain Rev Dr Derek Brown said: “We are looking

for a part-time chaplain to serve the Caithness community. It is an ideal

opportunity to provide spiritual care to patients and staff in hospital, as well

as in the community. Caithness has a very close-knit community, and the

successful applicant will play an integral role within it, providing support and advice for people of all faiths and none.”

CAITHNESS

- 9 -

NURSE TRAINING

Hospital teamwork

impresses Austrians THREE student nurses from Aus-

tria found out about healthcare in

Scotland while on a two-week

study visit to Inverness.

And they said they would leave with

one abiding memory: of teamwork be-

tween healthcare professionals that they

say they don’t often see in Austria.

The third-year students observed

care in various wards at Raigmore Hos-

pital and attending classes in the Centre

for Health Science.

Organised in partnership with NHS

Highland by the University of Stirling,

which has a campus in Inverness, the

visit was the latest in a series between

the university and the Paracelsus Medi-

cal Private University in Salzburg.

The students raised money for their

trip and while in Inverness they resided

in the staff accommodation on the Raig-

more Campus.

William Craig-Macleman, NHS High-

land divisional nurse manager for surgi-

cal specialists at Raigmore, said: “The

visit has given the three students a valu-

able insight into nursing, and healthcare

generally, in another country.

“They found some significant differ-

ences between how things worked in

Highland and what they have experi-

enced in Austria, and I know there were

aspects of what they saw here that

really impressed them.

“From our point of view, their visit

provided us with a helpful insight into

nursing and nurse training in Austria.”

Stephen Loch, NHS Highland’s sen-

ior nurse for education and training,

added: “It is always good to be given the

opportunity to learn something from

overseas. Visits like this are obviously

valuable to the students who take part,

but I like to think that we in Inverness

benefit too.”

The visitors not only witnessed the

delivery of healthcare while they were

Inverness, but observed and discussed

similarities and differences in nursing

practice.

Julie Kroiss (22), Julia Wagner (22)

and Theresa Buchroithner (21) each had

a day in Raigmore’s intensive care, coro-

nary care, renal and medical high-

dependency units, as well as the hospi-

tal’s MacMillan Suite. They also spent

time with a nurse practitioner and with

diabetes researchers, and Julia spent a

day with a family nurse practitioner as

she did her rounds.

“I found that very interesting as we

do not have family nurse practitioners in

Austria so it was good to see something

new,” said Julia.

Julie added: “We have learnt that

nursing education is very different here.

In Austria there is much more theory

but in Scotland it is more practise-

orientated, which I like. There is also

more group work in class.”

And all three students agreed that

one of the things that most impressed

them in Inverness was the way doctors

and nurses in Raigmore worked to-

gether as a team.

“I really loved that,” said Theresa.

“It’s not like that in Austria.”

While the students said they were

used to more modern hospital buildings

than Raigmore, they observed that

equipment in the Inverness hospital was

“very modern”. However, they did no-

tice that more work was done on paper

than on computer in Inverness com-

pared with in Salzburg.

The trio said they enjoyed looking

round Inverness and visiting the Black

Isle and Loch Ness, and were particu-

larly struck by the sea – something

they’re denied when in land-locked Aus-

tria.

Pictured, from left, are Julie Kroiss, Theresa Buchroithner and Julia Wagner

- 10 -

MORE and more of our staff are

deciding to cycle to work every

day and one of these is Christine

Budd, from Cardross, who com-

mutes to her base in the Victoria

Integrated Care Centre in Hel-

ensburgh.

Christine started working for the

NHS in 1998 and has held a number

of roles in the Dumbarton and Hel-

ensburgh area. She is currently the

operational services support manager

for the Helensburgh and Lomond

locality.

One of the main reasons says

Christine that she decided to cycle to

work was the physical health benefit

of getting in some cardio exercise

before starting her working day.

There is also the added bonus of

no longer adding to the air pollution

in Scotland and she finds the com-

mute on her bike is less stressful than

taking the car to work.

Although the actual length of the

journey is in itself relatively short at

just under five miles, the commute

takes Christine along the A814 from

Cardross to Helensburgh.

This is a challenge in itself as it’s

an extremely busy road with all the

commuters driving to work in Hel-

ensburgh and the nearby naval bases

at Faslane and Coulport, not to men-

tion the logging lorries making their

way to and from Lochgilphead.

Christine, who purchased her bike

through the ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme,

says that she cycles pretty much

every day and has been doing so for

the last six years, rarely missing a day

due to inclement weather. She even

cycled to work during her recent

pregnancy, finally giving up at eight

months.

Christine recommends that if you

are going to cycle to work, you do

need to be well prepared, kit wise.

She says her journey is great and,

no matter the weather, the scenery

looking over the Firth of Clyde is

always spectacular.

“I find that I get rid of my stress

and arrive at work in a much better

frame of mind (although you might

want to ask my colleagues about this

one, to be fair), she said.

“I would definitely recommend

cycling to work. Once you get confi-

dent about riding on busy rural roads

such as the A814 it is much less scary.

The key is being prepared. Test out

your route when you aren’t under

pressure, see how long it takes and if

there are any cycle paths that can be

used. Make eye contact with drivers

who are turning out of side roads,

shout if pedestrians look like they

may step out and don't jump red

lights! You also need to have your

work clothes, meals and kit prepared

well in advance.

“There are no excuses then, plus

you don’t have to say no to office

cakes or bacon rolls as you can burn

off the calories on your way home!”

All in all says Christine, it’s a great

way to travel.

We continue our

regular series about

how our staff travel

to work. This month,

Christine Budd, op-

erational services

support manager,

Helensburgh Lo-

mond, explains why

she enjoys cycling to

work.

Two wheels

are better than

four for Christine

COMMUTERS’ CORNER

- 11 -

Pictured from left are NHS Highland community mental health services man-

ager Mike Perera, Highland Choose Life co-ordinator Elspeth Lee and Breathing

Space support officer Heather Robertson

Yasmin to sing

with Lulu at

Eden Court

AN NHS Highland employee will be

onstage with Lulu at the Eden Court

next month singing in a choir back-

ing up the Scottish singing sensation.

As a member of the 15-strong

Inverness Military Wives Choir, Yas-

min Yarrick will appear alongside

Lulu when she sings her latest re-

lease on Friday 18th March.

“She is releasing a single called

‘Cry’ and all proceeds will be going

to the Military Wives Choir Founda-

tion,” financial services officer Yas-

min said. “She has readapted the

song to include backing vocals by the choir and this will be the song we

will sing back-up for at Eden Court.”

And Yasmin says the choir –

modelled on the famous BBC series

with choir master Gareth Malone –

has gone from strength to strength

since it was set up in January 2015.

After Eden Court, the choir will

appear at Belladrum in August. And

six members are going to New York

in May to sing at Carnegie Hall with

members of other choirs across the

Military Wives Choir network.

“Then the last bigger event we

have booked for this year, so far, is

the Highland Military Tattoo at Fort

George where we perform every

day from 8th September to 11th Sep-

tember,” said Yasmin. “We will be

combining our forces with the

Kinloss and Lossiemouth Military

Wives Choirs for that event.”

As a founder member of the In-

verness choir, Yasmin is keen for

more members to join in the fun.

“To qualify as a member you

have to be either a wife, a co-

habiting partner/fiancé/girlfriend, or

relative (daughter/mother/sister) of

serving or ex-serving personnel,”

said Yasmin. “This covers all the

armed forces, from Army, Navy and

the RAF.”

The choir which meets every

Tuesday from 7-9pm at the commu-

nity centre on Wimberley Way, In-

verness. Anybody interested should

go to the intranet bulletin board for

further details.

IN CONCERT

Listen to this... NATIONAL Breathing Space Day

took place earlier this month and

marked the launch of Scotland’s

Year of Listening.

The annual awareness day, which

urges people in Scotland to take some

‘breathing space’ to look after their

mental wellbeing, was intended to en-

courage us to take time to listen.

The Year of Listening is promoted

by Breathing Space and Living Life men-

tal health telephone services to highlight

that listening, and being listened to, is

good for your mental health.

NHS Highland health promotion

specialist and Highland Choose Life co-

ordinator Elspeth Lee said: “We all

know the frustration of realising some-

one isn’t listening to us. Maybe they just

make the odd “uh uh” now and again.

It’s so much better when someone

really listens to us, without interrupting

or giving advice.

“We’re encouraging everyone to

use the Year of Listening to make an

effort to listen to those around us, and

hear what they are trying to say to us. It

can really make a difference to our well-

being.”

Breathing Space national co-

ordinator Tony McLaren said: “We like

to think we are good listeners but often

find ourselves not truly listening. Talking

through your problems is great but it

can only help if you feel like you are

being heard and perhaps understood.

“Relationships and friendships,

where we feel listened to, can have a

huge positive impact on our sense of

wellbeing. This Year of Listening is a

reminder for us all to try to be better

listeners. Whether you are a friend,

parent, sibling, colleague, spouse,

neighbour or carer; take time to listen

today.”

The Year of Listening launch is sup-

ported by Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister

for Sport, Health Improvement and

Mental Health.

He said: “Looking after our mental

health and wellbeing is crucial. An im-

portant part of this is listening empa-

thetically to friends, family or col-

leagues. The Breathing Space telephone

advice line and the NHS Living Life ser-

vice provide an invaluable service for

people experiencing low mood, depres-

sion and anxiety.

Breathing Space is a free telephone

service in which advisors offer listening

and advice to anyone feeling low, de-

pressed or anxious. The service is open

evenings and weekends on 0800 83 85

87.

SYMPOSIUM

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MORE than 70 NHS Highland staff

recently achieved nationally recog-

nised qualifications.

In total, 71 candidates from health &

social care and business & administra-

tion departments across Highland at-

tained Scottish Vocation Qualifications

(SVQ), Personal Development Awards

(PDA) or Institute of Leadership and

Management (ILM) development

awards.

Among those who achieved results

were:

Social services (healthcare)

level 4: Penny Gardner, Claire

McIntosh, Catherine Mitchell, Meg

Shaw, Rhona Walker, Jemma Illingworth

and Karen Patience.

Social services (healthcare)

adults level 3: Alison Mackinnon, Anna

Myeshkova, Kerry Bienfait, Kirsty

Munro, Elizabeth Proudfoot and Rachel

Hewitson.

Social service (children and

young people) level 3: James Baily,

Neil Mcelroy, Yvonne Johnstone, Eilidh

Mcleod, Tracy Swanson, Robert Bur-

ridge, and Dani Gallacher.

Social service (healthcare) level

2: Evelynne Ledingham, Marina Macleod,

Emma Bee, Tanya MacRae, Anne

Pattinson, Joan Kirk, Christina Smith,

Heather Pinder, Mary Finlayson, Zuzana

Buvalova, Sandra Wilson, Ginette Rose,

Victoria Walton, Carol Wood, Dawn

McQueen, Kirsty Robertson, Caroline

Burke, Paula Charlett, Ina Cowe, Susan

Mutch, Deborah Beagent, Nonkonzo

Leeds, Audrey McGoogan, Alison Bro-

die, Lynda Mackenzie, Ishmar Macaskill,

Alana Mackenzie, Karen Thompson, Joni

Allen and Carol Ross.

Care services leadership and

management: Vladimir Kramer, Lyn

Johnson and Hazel Frazer.

PDA – administration of medi-

cation: Louise Gray, Connie

McCulloch, Angela Elder, Lyndsey

Macleod, Linda Stark, Shannon Murray,

Kathryn Watson, Gemma McQuillian,

Beryl Mackay, Kathleen Douglas, Karen

Farquhar, Laura Strachan, Michelle Suth-

erland, Alma Wright and Alison Collins.

Learning and development 3:

Maxine McBrier

Assessor award: Geoff Hewitt

Business and administration

level 2: Ruth Mclachlan

Business and administration

level 3: Amy Smyth and Swarna Bhar-

gava

ECDL (core): Debbie Rorison and

Laura Bates

ILM level 2 development award

(team leader): Lorna Reid

ILM level 3 award (managing

and supervising): Isobel Murray

ILM level 5 award in leadership

and management: Nikki Gilbert

RESPITE

NHS HIGHLAND has welcomed a

new High-Life Highland scheme

which provides respite for carers.

A partnership agreement between

NHS Highland, Connecting Carers and

High-Life Highland has enabled people

who care for a loved one for more than

35-hours per week to access leisure

facilities in the north of Scotland at af-

fordable prices.

And NHS Highland community de-

velopment officer Kate Maclean believes

the initiative will have enormous bene-

fits for both carers and their loved ones.

“I think this has huge potential to

really make a difference to the lives of

unpaid carers in the north of Scotland,”

said Kate. “Anyone who cares for

someone for more than 35-hours a

week can now use High-Life Highland

facilities for 50p a time.

“Many carers are unable either to

afford the monthly membership fee or

to regularly attend the gym due to car-

ing commitments, in which case the fee

becomes an unjustifiable cost.

“The link between physical wellbeing

and mental health is well known, and

this project will enable people to exer-

cise and maintain their health.”

Carers can access the discount

scheme at any High-Life Highland facil-

ity, and can receive information by con-

tacting Connecting Carers. Members

are given a High-Life Highland card

which is scanned each time they use any

of their facilities.

Karen Anderson, who has recently

been appointed as carer voice co-

ordinator for the Carer Improvement

Group, was heavily involved in planning

the project. As a full-time carer herself,

Karen knows how crucial respite can

be.

She explained: “This is a great form

of respite without having to travel any-

where. Anyone can become a carer at

any time and it’s crucial that people

know how to access community groups

and projects that can help them.

“Aside from the physical benefits of

gaining access to High-Life Highland

facilities, there are a number of mental

health benefits. Being able to have time

for yourself is so important for all of us,

and even more so when you’re a full-

time carer.

“As a carer, I am very rarely asked:

‘How are you?’ and the focus can re-

main on the person we are caring for.

This scheme seeks to give carers a

short break from the pressures of car-

ing to focus on themselves.

“I would encourage anyone who is a

carer and not currently a member of

this scheme to get in touch.”

AWARD SUCCESSES

Qualifications for staff members

Carers get cut-price access to

High-Life Highland leisure facilities KAREN

ANDERSON

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RAIGMORE Hospital’s quality and

patient safety division is appealing

for support from members of the

public who call the wards enquiring

after their relatives, particularly

over the winter months.

Having a loved one in hospital can be

stressful for all involved and it is under-

standable that people will want to make

enquiries about a family member’s wellbe-

ing.

However, during the busy winter

months hospital staff are under significant

pressure with peaks in activity while de-

livering direct patient care.

Iona McGauran, the hospital’s lead

nurse, explained that while staff would

always want to keep those closest to the

patient informed of their progress there

needed to be a balance between the avail-

ability of staff to answer enquiries about

patients without detracting too often

from the delivery of patient care.

She said: “What we are asking mem-

bers of the public to help us with is that

one relative be named as the patient’s

contact person so any information relat-

ing to their loved one can be passed on

to them and this individual can then dis-

seminate the updates wider to family and

friends.

“Of course, we can appreciate how

concerned people are when someone

they know is in hospital but there are

frequent interruptions for staff who are

delivering direct patient care when there

are multiple calls about the same patient

from various family members.

“Any time saved through communicat-

ing with one family member will mean

less interruptions and more time for the

staff to deliver care. I would gratefully

appreciate the help and support of every-

one in this matter.”

RAIGMORE

Phone calls

appeal to

patients’

loved ones

THE Active Healthy Achieving

Futures project in Fort William,

a Scottish Government-funded

initiative for 15-25 year olds, was

launched earlier this month.

The youngsters will work in a se-

ries of six-week blocks alongside three

community projects to learn new skills

and meet people.

And the manager of Nimble Fin-

gers, one of the social enterprises

involved, believes the project will help

unlock the potential of those taking

part.

Lyn Johnson, centre manager of

NHS Highland’s Montrose Centre in

Inverlochy, said: “Active Health

Achieving Futures (AHA Futures) is an

exciting, fun experience for young

people aimed at unlocking their poten-

tial and enhancing their life skills to

help them achieve employability.”

Nimble Fingers is an enterprise

that uses recycled materials to pro-

duce crafts which are then sold. It

provides an opportunity for people

with learning disabilities to develop

their creativity, opinions and ideas.

Lyn continued: “The supportive

group adventure will take place every

Monday until October this year, in-

cluding a two-night stay in en-suite

pods.

The programme will be delivered

at Clovullin in Ardgour and at the

Lochaber Rural Education Centre in

Torlundy. Transport will be provided

by Lochaber High School at a commu-

nity pick-up point.

“They will then spend 12 weeks

split between two other local projects

before returning to work with us at

Nimble Fingers.

“Funding has been secured from

the Scottish Government for the next

two years, and we are looking forward

to working in partnership to give

these young people opportunities to

develop their talents.”

The project is the result of a part-

nership between NHS Highland, High-

land Council and a series of third-

sector organisations.

“We have a number of activities

lined up to help improve service users’

confidence and employability, such as

gardening, cooking and retail skills,”

continued Lyn.

LEARNING DISABILITIES

Project helps to

unlock potential

in young people

- 14 -

AN NHS Highland audiologist be-

lieves that raising awareness of

tinnitus can help people living with

the condition manage it better.

Drew Ferguson (pictured) is the

head audiologist at the Lorn and Islands

Hospital in Oban, where they offer sup-

port and treatment to anyone with the

hearing condition.

And he hoped that Tinnitus Aware-

ness Week, which took place earlier

this month, will have helped to improve

understanding of the illness, which can

significantly affect the quality of people’s

lives.

“It’s vitally important that we en-

courage prevention through education

and awareness to increase our under-

standing of the condition so that people

can manage it better,” Drew explained.

“About 10 per cent of adults, or six

million people across the UK, have con-

stant mild tinnitus - sounds that come

from inside your body rather than from

an outside source.

“Tinnitus is rarely the sign of a seri-

ous underlying condition, and for some

people it might only be a minor irrita-

tion. However, up to 200,000 people in

the UK have tinnitus that significantly

impacts on their quality of life.”

Drew continued: “Tinnitus can affect

anyone at any time, and hearing tinnitus

for the first time can be quite frighten-

ing if you think it means that something

is wrong with you.

“It is quite common for people to

develop the condition as you get older.

All audiology services within NHS High-

land have referral pathways with local

GP practices, and they are able to give

you support and advice on how to man-

age your tinnitus.

“We have a series of devices that

can help, such as a white noise genera-

tor that enables you to become accus-

tomed to the noise, and a relaxation

device which helps you sleep. And there

are also things you can do to help.

Keeping relaxed, fit and healthy will

encourage your brain to listen to more

interesting sounds.

“In most cases, tinnitus settles down

and goes away naturally. Even if it does-

n’t go away, it will get better as time

goes on, as your brain learns how to

manage it.

“We can also look at the possibility

of fitting a hearing aid, and we have a

series of contacts for support groups

throughout the north of Scotland.”

Awareness can

hold key to helping

tinnitus patients

AN NHS Highland district nurse who

cycled the length of Ireland to raise

thousands of pounds for Marie Curie

is urging others to sign up for the

Great Daffodil Appeal 2016.

Nairn-based Fiona Macdonald

pedalled across the Emerald Isle

while colleague Sally Brown trekked

across the Amazon rainforest to

raise funds for her local branch of the UK charity.

Now she is urging others to show

their support for the charity that

supports people with a terminal ill-

ness and their families.

Fiona explained: “We wanted to

show our support to our local Marie

Curie nurses, and thought we would

raise awareness by doing something

special.

“I cycled from Malin to Mizen,

some 450-miles across Ireland, while

Sally embarked on a trek through

the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

“We managed to raise over

£10,000 for the charity at a local

level.”

The Great Daffodil Appeal is

Marie Curie’s biggest fundraising

campaign and encourages everyone

to give a donation and wear a daffo-

dil pins during March.

The appeal has raised £80.4 mil-

lion since it first took place in 1986.

This money has enabled Marie Curie to provide further free, hands-on

care and emotional support to peo-

ple with a terminal illness and their

families. Daffodil pins will be avail-

able from volunteer collectors, local

shops and supermarkets.

The charity also launched its first

‘Trek for Scotland’ challenge.

“I would certainly recommend

getting involved in this project, as

Sally and I loved our experiences,”

Fiona continued. “The ‘Trek for

Scotland’ challenge will take place in

Costa Rica in November next year

and will raise much-needed funds.”

AUDIOLOGY

MARIE CURIE

Sign up for the Great

Daffodil Appeal 2016

- 15 -

DUNBAR Hospital has gained a

new service as part of a plan to im-

prove patient care and reduce wait-

ing times by streamlining NHS

Highland health and social care pro-

vision in Thurso.

The West Caithness podiatry

service has been relocated from the

community health centre on David-

sons Lane, to new, bigger facilities

at the hospital’s out-patient depart-

ment on Ormlie Road, Thurso.

At the same time, care-at-home

services have relocateed to the health centre, integrating the

health board’s community health

and social care provision under one

roof.

Mike Flavell, NHS Highland’s

district manager for Caithness, said:

“This move is in line with our inte-

grated team vision and will provide

facilities in a clinical environment

benefiting podiatry staff and pa-

tients and increase the use of Dun-

bar out-patient department.

“The Thurso Community

Health Centre will then house the

care-at-home services allowing

them to be onsite with other health

and social care providers, ensuring a

more streamlined integrated ser-

vice helping us deliver patient-

centred care while promoting

health and maximising independ-

ence.”

Another benefit of moving the

podiatry service is that it will bring

it together with other related ser-

vices already located at Dunbar

Hospital.

“One other positive of the relo-

cations is the ability for joint work-

ing between physiotherapy and po-

diatry services on musculoskeletal

problems as the two services will be

in the same building,” Mr Flavell

said. “This should help reduce wait-

ing times and improve outcomes

for patients.”

‘Fantastic job’

earns award

HIGHLAND QUALITY AWARD

THE latest recipient of an NHS

Highland staff award are teams

working behind the scenes that have

been praised for going the extra

mile to keep services going during a

telecommunications and network

outage at Lawson Memorial Hospi-

tal in Golspie.

In July last year the hospital lost tele-

communications and network access for

three days and NHS Highland’s eHealth

teams, led by systems infrastructure man-

ager Alec Maciver, have been com-

mended for doing a ”fantastic job” in

keeping services going not only at the

Lawson but across East Sutherland.

Alec and the other eHealth teams,

which includes network, telecommunica-

tions, support, desktop, access manage-

ment and service desk, were nominated

for their immediate response to the inci-

dent and for the professional manner in

which they dealt with the situation, al-

ways with a touch of humour, which of-

ten included working into the evenings

and even on days off.

Alec said: “We saw the potential im-

pact that may occur so assembled a re-

sponse squad from a number of teams

within eHealth. It was very much a multi-

team effort and we were glad that we

could help and provide alternative access

to telecommunication and computer net-

works.”

Garry Coutts, chair of NHS Highland,

presented the Highland Quality Approach

award to the teams.

He said: “The staff who were affected

were thrilled at the response and service

provided from Alec and his team, what

they did demonstrated a clear desire to

put patients first and keep services going

which is exactly what these awards are

about.”

CAITHNESS

Podiatry

service

relocates

Alex Maciver is seen being presented the award by Garry Coutts as the rest of the

team look on

- 16 -

AT YOUR SERVICE

Shirley Ann: Inverness-

based SDS clerical assistant

Several local newspapers have been running a series of articles by NHS High-

land which puts the spotlight on people who work in healthcare. Shirley Ann,

clerical assistant for the self-directed support team, is the subject of this arti-

cle, which has been published by the Ross-shire Journal and Northern Times.

What does your job involve?

Alongside my colleague, I am responsible for all

of the administration and clerical work for the

NHS Highland self-directed support team. This

can be anything from photocopying and scan-

ning documents to assisting with clients’ return

forms, which documents their direct payment

money.

What are direct payments?

The Social Care (Self-directed Support)

(Scotland) Act 2013 gives people choice and

control over how their social care and support

is delivered to them. Every person who has

been assessed as eligible for support is assigned

an individual budget to spend on achieving their

identified outcomes. There are four options

available to clients, the first of which is a direct

payment. The individual budget is paid directly

to the person or someone on their behalf so

they can purchase support or services them-

selves.

What are the biggest challenges of your

role?

We deal with more than 500 clients from

across Highland, so the biggest challenge is

staying on top of all the paperwork. It is

absolutely vital that all the returns are com-

pleted on time and correctly, otherwise it could

have huge implications for a client’s care and

support.

And what are your favourite parts of your

job?

I enjoy all of it if I’m honest. I like to think of

myself as a problem solver and I love to help

people. I enjoy speaking to and meeting new

people and this job enables me to do that every

day.

What is your background and how long

have you been in your present role?

I grew up on a small croft on the Black Isle. My

upbringing taught me the importance of hard

work, and that has served me well. I worked in

the care sector for over 20 years before I ar-

rived in this post in 2013.

How do you relax away from work?

I love taking my dog for long walks after work

and on weekends, I find it very therapeutic and

great exercise for both my dog and I. I also

have a passion for painting, photography and

poetry. I love abstract paintings such as Van

Gogh and Picasso, and most of my work is in

that style. I have also recently had a book of

poems on domestic abuse published. When I’m

not taking photographs, painting or writing po-

etry, I spend time with my three children and

five grandchildren.

‘

’

I like to think of myself

as a problem solver and

I love to help people

- 17 -

SOCIAL care and enablement staff

from across Highland came to-

gether at the end of January to

learn more about nutrition screen-

ing and enteral feeding tubes.

The event was co-ordinated by NHS

Highland community dietitian Jill Mac-

Rae, and expert training was provided

by enteral feeding nurse Peter Berrie.

Jill said: “The session was attended

by 24 staff and we provided practical

skills with this training to enable front-

line care and enablement staff to truly

make a positive impact in identifying and

treating malnutrition.

“This is vitally important because

those staff are often the only health

professionals involved in the care of

someone at home.”

NHS Highland is keen to support

people to stay at home as safely and

independently as possible. This means

that many more people are now able to

be tube-fed artificially in homely set-

tings, allowing them to stay out of hos-

pital and independently maintain their

nutritional requirements.

In many cases district nursing teams

and social care workers assist individu-

als with this, and ensure that food is

given as prescribed and that feeding

tubes and sites are well maintained.

Evelyn Newman, NHS Highland nu-

trition advisor for care homes, ex-

plained: “It is important for staff to un-

derstand how to manage problems with

the feeding site including any tube

blockages or damage. This is crucial to

enabling independent community living

and to preventing admission to hospi-

tal.”

The training also enabled staff to

undertake practical training on how to

calculate Malnutrition Universal Screen-

ing Tool (MUST) scores and how to

develop an individual care plan for any-

one at risk of malnutrition.

“People who are malnourished are

more at risk of falls, confusion, and poor

wound healing,” said Evelyn. “They are

also less likely to be able to look after

themselves safely. Regular MUST checks

are therefore an important method of

identifying and preventing nutrition risk.

“NHS Highland has invested in a

LearnPro MUST module for staff to use

their self-development.”

The British Association of Parenteral

and Enteral Nutrition have a free MUST

poster, calculator and app to help make

calculations easier and consistent for

staff groups. It can be accessed at

www.bapen.org.uk

Improving

safe practice

NUTRITION

IN-PATIENT mental health services in Lochgilphead

are being relocated to a “significantly improved care

environment”.

The services are being moved from unsatisfactory facilities

in Argyll and Bute Hospital to the lower ground floor of Mid

Argyll Community Hospital and Integrated Care Centre.

The relocation will be an interim one, with work to be

undertaken before a decision is reached on how and where

the service will be provided in the longer term. The exact

timing of the move has yet to be confirmed as some altera-

tions will be required in Mid Argyll Hospital to ensure that

the area identified to house the service meets the necessary

requirements for adult mental health care patients.

A recent meeting of the core management team of Argyll

and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership was told that the

facilities which currently provide in-patient mental health ser-

vices were no longer fit for purpose and do not meet current

clinical and health and safety standards.

Christina West, the partnership’s chief officer said: “Mid

Argyll Hospital provides a high standard of accommodation

with a wide range of other clinical services in proximity to the

ward areas.

“The decision by the core team will result in a significantly

improved care environment for our patients and a much im-

proved working environment for our staff.

“We will work with patients, staff, carers and public repre-

sentatives to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possi-

ble.”

She added: “It is important to highlight that this is an in-

terim relocation of the services. Further work will need to be

undertaken over the next few months before a final decision

is reached on how and where the service will be provided in

the longer term.”

David Wright, from mental health support network ACU-

MEN, added: “The buildings currently housing patients in Ar-

gyll and Bute Hospital are dilapidated and increasingly a cause

for concern and it’s to be welcomed that the safety and well-

being of patients is being acted on with this proposal.”

ARGYLL & BUTE

New base for in-patient mental health services

- 18 -

NHS HIGHLAND staff are testing

a prototype body-length ‘blanket’

that keeps patients warm during

surgery and helps to reduce their

chances of infection after an opera-

tion.

Called the ‘Cozynorm’, the specially-

designed fleece blanket has sealable

openings that allow surgical teams ac-

cess to different parts of the body.

By being able to open and close the

blanket over a specific area, the surgical

team is able to keep the rest of the pa-

tient’s body warm – a crucial element in

ensuring that the patients avoid harmful

post-operative complications.

The Cozynorm was created by NHS

Highland as a result of the ground-

breaking Scottish Patient Safety Pro-

gramme (SPSP) which has seen the

board’s staff identify and apply simple,

consistent steps that have helped to

reduce infections and harm.

The SPSP team has achieved its aim

of reducing major elective colorectal

surgical site infection (SSI) to less than

10 percent. And by applying innovations

like the Cozynorm, the team aims to

sustain this improvement.

The Cozynorm is being assessed by

the NHS Highland innovation hub to see

if they can patent and market it.

Professor Angus Watson, NHS

Highland’s director of innovation, said:

“The team have developed a great solu-

tion to a very common problem. We

hope that we can market the product to

benefit more patients.”

Made up by the hospital’s sewing and

laundry team, the Cozynorm blankets

are being tested on patients at the colo-

rectal ward.

“We are testing it on a number of

patients, measuring their temperature at

every stage,” said Maryanne Gillies,

NHS Highland’s SPSP manager.

Every aspect of patient care for ma-

jor colorectal surgery at Raigmore was

assessed, and special evidence-based

‘bundles’ – four or five simple steps that

medical staff needed to follow for every

patient, every time – were put in place.

This application of high-reliability

care was provided in this case by two

different bundles developed for SSI re-

duction: one for when the patient was

on the ward and one for when in the

theatre. The surgeons have gone on to

develop their trailblazing ‘operative

technical bundle’ for use during surgery.

One key step in both ‘bundles’ is

that patients were kept warm as they

underwent a surgical procedure. And

the Inverness-based team of doctors,

nurses, pharmacist and others noticed

that reliably ensuring that each patient

was kept warm, every time before, dur-

ing and after surgery, was crucial to

helping to prevent infection.

”Because of the SPSP ‘bundle’ meth-

odology and monitoring, we found that

keeping people warm was another way

of preventing infection,” said Maryanne.

“We measured their temperature and

kept patients very warm with warming

blankets in the previous half hour be-

fore they went to theatre. And we kept

them warm in theatre, and afterwards

back on the ward.”

The development of the Cozynorm

blanket was a logical extension of this

methodology.

In addition to the Cozynorm, the

NHS Highland SPSP team is piloting the

use of disposable warming blankets on

the wards at Raigmore.

“Once activated, they keep warm

for up to ten hours and ensure that the

patients keep warm before they leave

the ward,” Maryanne said. “As you un-

fold it, it warms up using the same tech-

nology of those hand warmers that hill-

walkers use. But you don’t have to click

it, you just open the blanket up and it

triggers and starts to warm up,.”

While keeping patients warm is an

element of the SPSP team’s success,

there are other steps in the bundles

that staff also need to ensure happen

every time, for every patient.

“There are four or five separate

simple things that, applied reliably to-

gether, will prevent SSIs. Aside from

keeping the patient warm before, during

and after the surgery there are other

steps such as ensuring that antibiotics

are given on time, every time and, if the

patient is diabetic, ensuring that his or

her blood sugars are kept below critical

levels.

“Simple things like that do make a

big difference to the outcomes.”

INNOVATION

Board tests blanket

for surgery patients

Linda McFadden models the proto-

type

- 19 -

ENGINEERS have carried out

ground investigations on the pre-

ferred site of the planned new hos-

pital in Aviemore.

The technical investigations, along

with work into the utility services and

topographic surveys, will help to deter-

mine if the site at the Technology Park

is suitable. Ecological and archaeological

survey work has already been carried

out.

The work is a key requirement be-

fore the board determines whether to

make a bid to purchase a site.

Project director Georgia Haire,

deputy director of operations for NHS

Highland’s south and mid operational

unit, which includes Badenoch and

Strathspey, said: “I am pleased to see

this work get under way and I look

forward to the results.”

She added: “A key part of our plan

for this year is to secure a site for the

new hospital but it is important to state

that we have not ruled out the other

possible sites. However, we are focus-

ing our effort one site at a time.

“NHS Highland hopes to make a

final decision on a site for the hospital

to allow purchase in the summer. I

know from the feedback we have re-

ceived this is eagerly awaited and it will

be a very important milestone for the

project.”

Meanwhile, NHS Highland managers

and members of the project team met

the redesign development group on 9th

February to update them on progress

with the redesign. The well-attended

meeting, held in Aviemore, was re-

minded of the compelling reasons why

the status quo was not an option and

an update on progress made in the past

year was provided.

The group was told that a key ele-

ment was to develop the workforce

plan which would set out the future

staffing requirements to fit with NHS

Highland’s new clinical and care model

for Badenoch and Strathspey. New

ways of working will see more care

delivered in people’s own homes and in

care homes, offering more choices in-

cluding with end-of-life care.

In addition to building the new hos-

pital in Aviemore, investment will be

made to improve facilities in Grantown

Health Centre and to establish short-

stay ‘step-up’ beds in Grant House care

home.

In Kingussie, refurbishment work is

already under way in the Wade Centre

and plans are being developed to make

some changes to the GP practice facili-

ties. These developments will be funded

via NHS Highland capital monies and is

in addition to the funding already se-

cured from the Scottish Government.

The new Aviemore hospital is

planned to open by the end of 2019 but

in advance of this all the other new

developments need to be tested and in

place before the closure of Ian Charles

and St Vincent’s hospitals.

BADENOCH & STRATHSPEY

Investigations

get under way

at preferred

hospital site

APPOINTMENT

College role

for head of

procurement

NHS HIGHLAND’S head of procure-

ment, Neil Stewart, has been ap-

pointed as the new chair of Inverness

College UHI. Neil (33) has become one of the

youngest chairs of a UK academic

institution and brings a wealth of first-

hand experience of both further and

higher education to the role.

“I’m delighted to have been ap-

pointed as the chair of the board at

what is an exciting time for the col-

lege,” said Neil.

“I’m looking forward to working

with the board in assisting the college

and its management team to fulfil its

ambitions.

“When I came to Inverness a few

years ago I was looking to do more

voluntary work, and was fortunate to

join the board of the college in 2014.

Taking on the role of chair is a huge

privilege and an ideal opportunity to

learn and develop new skills.

“I have recent experience of

higher education in both a full and

part-time roles as a student at institu-

tions in the north of Scotland.

“I hope to draw on those experi-

ences to help guide and advise fellow

board members to ensure the college

reaches its full potential.”

- 20 -

Training session

on methods of

research analysis

AN ‘Analysis for Qualitative Re-

search’ training session is to be held

in Inverness next month.

The event will focus on the meth-

ods of analysis that can be used in

qualitative research. Specifically, it

will include thematic analysis, con-

tent analysis, analytic induction,

grounded theory, framework analy-sis, and Interpretive Phenomenologi-

cal Analysis (IPA).

The session – to be held in the

Centre for Health Science from

10am-3pm on 11th March – will in-

clude an introduction to each

method, discussion and workshop

approaches, and some basic exer-

cises.

To apply for the course, an appli-

cation form can be found on the

intranet’s R&D page, which is under

the heading ‘Staff’. Otherwise, email

laura.mcilhatton@nhs.net

The course presenter will be NHS

Highland research, development and

innovation manager Frances Hines.

Glasgow seminar

A FULL-DAY seminar, ‘Attachment

Disorders: The State of the Art in

Europe’, is to be held in Glasgow in

April.

The event, to be held in The

Campanile, 10 Tunnel Street from

9am-4.30pm on 22nd April, will fea-

ture a wider range of speakers.

Check out the home page of NHS

Highland’s intranet for details on

how to book a place.

Key appointment

CLAIRE WOOD has been appointed

to the position of NHS Highland’s

associate AHP director.

Claire is currently principal officer

(AHPs) at The Highland Council,

where she has been working for

three and a half years following inte-

gration. Before this, she was the lead

AHP for the North Highland CHP.

It is hoped that Claire will start

her new job in the next two to three

months.

NEWS IN BRIEF

NHS HIGHLAND is leading the

way in Scotland in the use of insu-

lin pumps for young people with

diabetes.

And it’s doing so from a standing

start.

In 2012, the Scottish Government

decided that 25 per cent of all young

people with Type 1 diabetes should

have access to insulin pump therapy.

At the time, NHS Highland’s paedi-

atric diabetes team didn’t even have an

insulin pump service. Now, though, the

board has exceeded the government

target – and currently Highland pump

patients are ranked No. 1 in blood

sugar control in Scotland.

NHS Highland consultant paediatri-

cian Victoria Franklin said: “Achieving a

safe, effective pump service in the short

timescale given by the government was

a challenge which involved a lot of

careful planning.

“We have worked hard to achieve a

common goal of improving the lives of

young people with diabetes, and we are

obviously delighted with the success of

the pump service.”

Data from all paediatric teams in

Scotland is collated every three months

and the latest results put NHS Highland

as the highest-ranking board in terms

of average blood sugar levels in paedi-

atric patients who use insulin pumps.

The health board employed a range

of measures to meet the Scottish Gov-

ernment challenge. When the target

was set, only one member of the

board’s paediatric team had pump ther-

apy experience, and so the whole team

– medical, nursing and dietetic staff –

did a university course on the subject,

and prepared the extensive amount of

documentation required to support the

service.

In addition, nursing staff liaised with

The Highland Council’s education de-

partment and headteachers to discuss

how to support children on pumps in

schools and nurseries. Furthermore,

the team had to actively promote

pump therapy to patients and their

families, doing so at clinics, through

awareness sessions and via NHS High-

land-produced videos, posted on You-

Tube, showing young patients who

were benefiting from using insulin

pumps.

Since the work started the team has

had 49 young patients on pump ther-

apy.

Victoria Franklin said: “The devel-

opment of such a successful paediatric

pump service from a standing start has

been quite remarkable.

“However, we have also worked

hard to ensure that patients not on

insulin pumps are not unduly disadvan-

taged, and are achieving improving re-

sults across the whole clinic population.

“What’s more, we are planning a

range of initiatives for this year to con-

tinue to improve our service for all

young people with diabetes in our area,

irrespective of whether or not they use

insulin pumps.”

DIABETES

NHS Highland

leads way in

Scots insulin

pump rankings

- 21 -

THE Quality and Patient Safety

Division at Raigmore Hospital has

been producing patient safety alert

newsletters for 18 months now and

a recent evaluation has shown that

these are being well received

across Highland.

The newsletters always contain brief

descriptions of two cases involving pa-

tients where there are key learning out-

comes that will be of interest to doc-

tors, nurses and other healthcare pro-

fessionals working in Highland.

The reasoning behind the newsletter

was an attempt to share learning across

Highland from cases involving patients

that had not gone as well as they should

have and where there are learning out-

comes.

Liam Gaffney, quality and patient

safety facilitator and editor of the news-

letter, explained that as an organisation

NHS Highland knows how to celebrate

success when things went well but it

was also important to recognise when

things did not go so well.

He said: “When things don’t go as

well as we would want them to, we

need to look at our systems and proc-

esses to see what we can learn and

what we can do to change how we

work where necessary.

“This is to ensure, as best as we

possibly can, that the identified defi-

ciency won’t happen again.

“The safety alert is in keeping with

this philosophy of continuous quality

improvement, so as to always provide

safe, high quality care. After 18 months

of publication, positive feedback is still

being received from many staff across

Highland, from a number of different

disciplines, commenting on the rele-

vance and value of the safety alerts.”

Feedback has included comments

such as:

“Anonymous items are frequently

useful in reminding us of best practice,

and it is useful to reflect on this.” – GP,

Argyll and Bute

“Thanks for the very informative news-

letter, which strikes me as a very positive

and sensible approach to sharing outcomes

of adverse events.” – Practice manager,

Inner Moray Firth

“They are an excellent way of sharing

learning. There is no point conducting inves-

tigations if we are not going to learn and

improve from them.

“I’m sure patients and relatives would

also be encouraged to realise that we do

actually try to learn from adverse events.” –

Senior charge nurse, Inner Moray

Firth

Liam explained that feedback from

families involved in case reviews had

also been received, with one family

commenting that they were very

pleased to see the relevant safety alert,

showing that the organisation was de-

termined to learn from their case.

He added: “We are always mindful

of patient harm that may have happened

when publishing these safety alerts. But

as an organisation we will learn far

more from our failures than our suc-

cesses, so must take every opportunity

to share learning with each other in the

best interests of our patients.”

SHARING LEARNING

Patient safety alerts

being well received

University class of 2001 nurse

graduate reunion planned

HIGHLAND Health visitor Fiona Jones is calling for all Stirling University

Highland Campus nurses who graduated in September 2001 to get in touch

with her because she’s organising a class reunion.

While no venue for the event has yet been booked, Fiona (42) is keen to

renew contact with as many of the 70 or so nurses who graduated 15 years

ago as possible. She said the idea was to have a big get-together on Saturday

1St October somewhere in Inverness to renew old acquaintances and generally

catch up with each other.

“This year we will be qualified for 15 years and a few of us thought it would

be a good idea to get together for a reunion,” she said. “I’ve not booked a

venue yet but do have a provisional date of 1st October for the reunion.

“I’ve got a few people interested already, but a lot of people have moved

and they could be all over the place.”

Fiona also spent some time away from the Highlands working at the James

Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

After doing a post-graduate Public Health Nursing diploma, Fiona re-

turned to work as a health visitor for NHS Highland. Anyone who graduated from the Highland campus in September 2001 can

contact Fiona on Facebook where she has created a Facebook group/event

especially for the reunion. Alternatively, she can be emailed for further details

on: fijay73@yahoo.co.uk

NEWS IN BRIEF

- 22 -

- 23 -

Mama Gee's Spot at

Jamestown, in Accra,

Ghana, is a friendly

place to enjoy a Guin-

ness

THE 2015 annual report by NHS High-

land’s director of Public Health explored

attitudes towards alcohol and its abuse.

These apparently local public health prob-

lems actually span the globe and affect areas

way beyond our hills and glens.

As noted in the January issue of Highlights,

NHS Highland and other staff are collaborating

on a mental health project in Ghana and Zam-

bia.

Part of this project involves health promo-

tional initiatives relating to drug and alcohol

abuse.

These problems are very similar to the ones

experienced in the UK.

Various media forms have been utilised to

get across public health messages and this arti-

cle covers the development and production of a

song.

Illiteracy is still high in both countries and

song provides a really useful communication

medium.

A song in rap style was written by Thomas

Balenibe, a community mental health nurse

based in Ghana.

The music was recorded in both Ghana and

Zambia by local musicians and versions of the

song in local dialects were produced.

The song has been played on local radio

AFRICAN PROJECT

Alcohol abuse: a

global concern... Special

focus on

Zambia and

Gambia

stations as part of the project.

A Scottish version of the song is also

planned.

The lyrics, music and song in both versions

can be downloaded from the following: https://

www.dropbox.com/sh/nh93fuvxxo3zgyh/

AACuGQt-LGva_4PasIBHefOFa?dl=0

Why not have it as a jingle on your mobile

phone?

You can keep up with the project via the

Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/

groups/1475628512732644/?fref=ts

The project would very much like your

ideas for fundraising and donations for the pro-

ject.

by Rob Polson (rp5@stir.ac.uk),

Anne Mason (annecmason65@gmail.com)

and Anna Skene (anna.skene@nhs.net)

Image courtesy David Stanley

- 24 -

- 25 -

NEW guidelines have been pub-

lished to advise NHS Highland staff

on how to book interpreters for

their patients.

It is the responsibility of NHS staff

to ensure that interpreting is available

for patients who do not speak English

or are deaf or hard of hearing.

However, according to NHS High-

land’s principal officer for health ine-

qualities, equalities and diversity, Helen

Sikora, many staff don’t know how to

book interpretation for patients – or

that it’s their responsibility.

Helen explained: “Each individual

service within NHS Highland must have

systems in place to ensure that inter-

preters are booked for any of their pa-

tients or service users. This includes

making sure it is clear who books the

interpreters.

“This covers both foreign language

and British Sign Language (BSL). Making

sure patients can access and benefit

from our services is absolutely crucial

for a public service like NHS Highland,

and it’s important that we consider any

additional support patients may require

so we can offer patient-centred care.

“We can’t allow any of our services

to discriminate against our patients be-

cause of their protected characteristics,

which include things like disability or

ethnicity. We must promote access to

services for all of our patients.

“The Interpretation Guidance docu-

ment is available on the NHS Highland

intranet in the policies library, and high-

lights when and how to book interpret-

ers for both foreign language and BSL

interpretation.

“I would encourage staff to familiar-

ise themselves with the policy to give

them the confidence to engage with any

patients who require to use interpret-

ers to access our services.

“It would also be really useful to

hear from staff who have used the in-

terpretation services so we can find out

what is working well, what we need to

improve on and any support or addi-

tional information staff might need.

“I am currently working closely with

the Highland Council so we can offer

Working with Interpreters training to

NHS Highland staff. We have had a

great response from staff so far, with

two courses planned in May and more

to come later in the year.”

Helen also has a range of resources

about the interpretation services on

offer including posters with contact

details for BSL interpreters within and

outwith office hours.

For more information about the

interpretation services NHS Highland

can offer patients, or to learn more

about the training or resources avail-

able, contact Helen on

Helen.sikora@nhs.net

GUIDELINES

How to get

interpreters

SERVICE REDESIGN

Favoured

locality

picked for

‘hub’ on

north coast THE steering group looking into

the redesign of health and adult

social care services across the north

coast of Sutherland has recom-

mended that a new single ‘hub’ fa-

cility be located in the Kyle of

Tongue area.

The recommendation follows a for-

mal options appraisal exercise which

took place in Tongue earlier this month.

The proposal is to have a dual-

registration (residential and nursing care)

facility. It would be supported by

strengthened community and primary

care services and improved joint working

through the co-location of some staff and

services.

The group identified six general pos-

sible locations for the ‘hub’ in an area

stretching from Scourie to Melvich, with

Kyle of Tongue emerging as the front-

runner, followed by Bettyhill.

This month’s event was facilitated by

Euan Mackay, who as an independent

participant guided those present through

the process of assessing each of the pos-

sible locations against a set of eight crite-

ria which the group agreed on the day.

Before coming to their determina-

tion, representatives of community coun-

cils and other local groups, NHS High-

land staff and GPs ranked the criteria

from the most to the least important,

weighted them for relative importance

and finally scored them.

Gill McVicar, director of operations

for NHS Highland’s north and west op-

erational unit, said: “This was another

intensive event and everyone worked

very hard to consider the locations ob-

jectively.”

- 26 -

- 27 -

LAWSON MEMORIAL

THE Lawson Memorial Hospital in

Golspie has received more than

£21,000 worth of equipment

thanks to the generosity of a newly

-merged charity.

For many years the hospital bene-

fited from the support of two charities:

‘The Friends of Cambusavie Equipment

Fund’ and ‘The Friends of The Lawson

Memorial Hospital’.

This generous support has enabled

projects such as ECG machine, palliative

care room, physiotherapy equipment,

televisions, furnishing, paintings, mural,

orthopedic equipment, midwifery train-

ing, specialist mattresses, specialist

clocks, ultrasound machine, infusion

pumps, alaris pump, X-ray department

items, podiatry chair, commodes and

tea trolleys.

Given the recent changes resulting in

bringing the two hospital units under

one roof, it made sense for one united

charity to best serve the hospital.

And so last year, the Friends of the

Cambusavie Equipment Fund and the

League of Friends of the Lawson Memo-

rial Hospital unanimously agreed to

merge and to function under the name

‘The Lawson Cambusavie Memorial

Hospital Friends’.

As previously, representatives of the

charity attend hospital liaison meetings.

Outdoor space is recognised as be-

ing very important for general wellbeing

and ‘The Outdoor Space Patio’ project

is currently under discussion and could

create a haven for patients, families and

staff.

A recent introduction of hospital

WiFi, financed by the charity, has

proved immensely successful.

Other projects financed under the

charity’s endowment fund include:

Video-conferencing to enable the inte-

grated team including social work, dis-

trict nurses, home care, mental health,

disability nurses, based at Lawson, link

with GP meetings, specialists, and out-

patient clinics.

Video-conferencing trolleys. This

will be used within clinic rooms.

Coagulent blood testing machines.

This will offer more immediate blood

results for patients at the Lawson.

Defibrillator for the out-patient

area of the hospital.

A hospital summer house.

Including the Wifi provision, but not

the summer house, these projects add

up to over £21,200 being donated to

the hospital by the newly-merged char-

ity.

United Friends group delivers

£21k-plus donations to hospital

PARENTS whose children seemed glued to com-

puters all day will be able to find out more about digi-

tal careers opportunities in the Highlands and Argyll

and Bute at two events to be held especially for them

in Inverness and Oban next month.

With demand for skilled workers in the technology indus-

try at an all-time high in Scotland, the ‘Discovering Digital

World’ roadshow will include special insight sessions to show

parents what a career in digital could hold for their computer

wizards.

Organised by Skills Development Scotland in partnership

with Young Scot and My World of Work, the roadshow will

reach Oban on 11th March. The event, in the SAMS building

at Dunbeg, will feature a parents’ evening session from 6.30-

8pm.

In Inverness, the roadshow will hold the insight session at

the new UHI Inverness College Campus on 14th March, also

from 6.30-8pm.

With an emphasis on careers available locally, parents will

be able to hear directly from large organisations such as NHS

Highland and Johnson & Johnson and smaller ones like NCC

and Marine Science Digital in Oban and the Create Entrepre-

neur team in Inverness. They will also be able to find out

about job vacancies and typical salaries in the industry.

Pamela Cremin, NHS Highland’s workforce planning and

development manager, said the health board had a huge range

of careers in health and social care that required computer

skills.

“These include information technology infrastructure, app

development, systems maintenance and development and ana-

lytical skills,” she said.

Among companies participating in Oban will be Johnson &

Johnson, NCC Group, Argyll College and Marine Sciences

Digital. In Inverness, participants will include NHS Highland,

Johnson & Johnson, UHI Inverness College, the creative en-

trepreneur team and Oracle.

ROADSHOWS

Technology careers

events … for parents

- 28 -

- 29 -

STAFF at the radiotherapy department at Raigmore

Hospital have got their sewing kits out to brighten up

their tearoom.

The chairs in the staff room were badly worn and consult-

ant clinical oncologist Kay Kelly decided something had to be

done.

Kay and her colleagues have pitched in on their lunch

breaks to repair the chairs – and she says the whole experi-

ence has brought their team closer together.

“One of my colleagues was showing a clinician around the

department and was so embarrassed by the state of the chairs

they had to apologise,” Kay explained.

“They looked really worn out and were in a real mess.

“I love to be creative in my spare time and thought it

would be a nice project for the team to get our teeth into. I

sourced a sari border, which is like a wide decorative ribbon,

that matched the colour of the chairs.

“One of our colleagues from the mould room has even

managed to cut out foam to shape the repair. They look so

much better and it’s a credit to the team we have here in the

radiotherapy department.

“I think it’s important for staff to feel comfortable in their

working environment. That way they can truly welcome pa-

tients into it.

“We all know the simple things can make the difference,

but it’s surprising just how big a difference it can make.”

RAIGMORE

BEFORE AFTER

Tearoom’s

chairs are

given new

lease of life

- 30 -

9.00am: Scott begins the day by deal-

ing with some admin work. ”I often

have a patient at nine. Otherwise, I’ll

spend the first half hour or so dealing

with the phone calls and emails, and

admin work that encompasses patient

discharges, that sort of thing,” he said.

From then until 1pm he usually deals

with patients – mostly musculoskele-

tal therapy appointments – and pro-

vides advice and guidance to his

physiotherapy team of two assistant

practitioners, while also liaising with

doctors and other health profession-

als as necessary. “I have a mix of

roles. My specialism is in muscu-

loskeletal physiotherapy which is

mainly centred on helping to diagnose,

prevent and alleviate pain,” said Scott,

34. Scott, who is originally from Ork-

ney, added: “I sometimes see children,

people with disabilities, those who

have suffered falls, and those with

neurological problems. I can find my-

self dealing with all sorts of things

from patients who need a review of

their walking aids to someone who

requires rehabilitation following a life-

changing event.”

10.55am: Having dealt with several

patients already, Scott is in the office

and the phone begins to ring. A pa-

tient he’d previously dealt with wants

to be seen again regarding a different

problem and Scott talks her through

the referral process. After the call,

Scott explains that most patients are

referred to him via their GP, but pa-

tients can also be referred by consult-

ants, usually orthopaedics in his line of

work, NHS Highland’s occupational

health department or another health

professional. Patients can also access

information through a recently

opened advice line and website. Since

November last year, patients have

been able to call the new muscu-

loskeletal advice and triage service –

MATS – to access information. If their

problem clears up then they will not

need to be seen by Scott, but if the

call handler feels the patients still

needs see a physiotherapist then, said

Scott, “a referral will make its way

through to me – it’s a bit like NHS 24

but for musculoskeletal purposes.”

Scott explained that whatever route

the patients used for referral, he was

kept busy. “Between nine and one, I

may see between six or seven pa-

tients in the morning, and then maybe

another four or five in the afternoon,”

he said. “However, I need keep a lot

of flexibility in my diary. There has to

be a few gaps for me to be able to

deal with the unexpected things that

come up.”

11.25am: Scott deals with a further

three phone calls.

11.35am: Scott goes to the physio-

therapy room to treat a returning

patient, who we’ll call George. “I’ve

been treating George for a bit of a

shoulder problem,” said Scott. “Now

he tells me he’s also got a bit of prob-

lem with the heel of his foot. Satisfied

that the shoulder was better, Scott

took a look at George’s foot. Using a

full-sized skeleton that he kept in the

room, in simple terms Scott outlined

to George the exact part of the heel

on the skeleton’s foot that he said

was inflamed. Scott told George to

try an ice pack on his foot, two or

three times a day for a maximum of

15 minutes at a time. George agreed

to give that a try and Scott told him

that he’d give him a phone in a couple

of weeks. He wanted to make sure

foot was OK before he discharged

him. Scott is keen that patients take a

modern approach and self-manage

their treatment as much as possible.

“Clearly if I can find a technique or

exercise that a patient can use to

manage their own condition then that

is great,” said Scott. “It enables the

patient to take ownership of their

problem and make the appropriate

decisions regarding its management.”

11.55am: Scott uses the last five

minutes before the hour to write up

his notes on George.

12 noon: Scott grabs a bite to eat at

the hospital canteen. “I just have what

the patients have. It’s cottage pie to-

day,” said Scott, who worked first in

Invergordon for four years before

moving to Migdale in 2011.

12.30pm: Scott goes to the Migdale

Hospital’s seminar room for a training

course. Via a video-conference (VC)

link-up, today’s training will help Scott

to be able, as a state registered health

care professional, to start to refer

patients for X-rays. “Having the ability

to able to request X-rays will help me

with diagnosing or confirming certain

conditions with certain patients,” he

explained. “This will help the patient

A Day in the Life of… Physiotherapist Scott Smith, Migdale Hospital

NHS Highland’s commu-

nications team occasion-

ally produces ’Day in the

Life of…’ articles for local

newspapers. For this

piece, written for the

Northern Times, commu-

nications mnager Mark

Scruton spent a day with

Scott Smith, senior

physiotherapist at Mig-

dale Hospital in Bonar

Bridge, and found his role

is busy, interesting and

varied.

Continued on next page

- 31 -

in relation to having prompt and accu-

rate diagnosis without me having to

trouble the GP.”

After training ended at 1.50pm:

From around 1.30pm to 2.30pm Scott

normally covers the wards. “It can be

challenging at times as sometimes

there can be a lot for me to do in a

relatively short space of time,” Scott

admits. During this time, Scott co-

ordinates and manages the time of his

two assistant practitioners, and liaises

with other colleagues where neces-

sary to ensure the rehabilitation

needs of the ward patients are appro-

priate and effective.

2.10pm: Scott and his two assistant

practitioners do some aerobic exer-

cises with a patient who has cardio-

vascular problems. “I’m assessing the

patient’s ability to cope with a variety

of exercises which should help with

their stamina,” he said. “I plan to

transfer this person to my assistant

staff in order to continue with his

rehabilitation daily. This frees up my

time to see other patients, but ulti-

mately I’m responsible for the pa-

tient’s rehabilitation and welfare and I

keep a close eye on their progress,”

he said.

“2.30pm: While catching up on his

notes, Scott said one of the things

that drives him is that he always feels

the need to progress in his career. He

explained: “I’m always looking to de-

velop as a person and as a practitio-

ner for instance, trying to keep up-to-

date on my management skills.” Scott

is clearly very happy living and work-

ing in the region and has a variety of

hobbies and interests. “I go hill walk-

ing regularly, and I try to swim once

or twice a week,” he said. “I do a mile

and a half in the pool. And I love get-

ting into the hills, particularly to the

north and west of Sutherland. For the

last couple of seasons I have also

played football for Lairg and that has

been really enjoyable.” He added: “In

addition, I still visit Orkney a lot and

still get asked to play my bagpipes at

many weddings. It’s all about the scen-

ery and the quality of life up here, and

the people in general are very friendly

and appreciative, and that’s what

makes me love the job. It was great

moving into the brand new hospital in

2012. It modernised the way health-

care is provided up here. It’s clean,

safe, and well maintained. It is clear

that the patients really appreciate the

new hospital too and having the op-

portunity to participate in rehabilita-

tion so close to their own community

can be very beneficial with having the

nearby support of family and friends.”.

3.00pm: Scott sees a new patient,

who had been referred through NHS

Highland’s occupational health depart-

ment. Scott, after having taken a

‘subjective’ full patient history, starts

the ‘objective’ assessment with spe-

cific tests to see what is going on.

After identifying that there is a prob-

lem with the patient’s neck, Scott

tests the patient’s reflexes, telling the

patient at each stage what he was

doing. Declaring that the reflex and

strength tests are all normal, Scott

shows the patient certain exercises

that should help to improve the pa-

tient’s neck problem. Using the skele-

ton, he shows the patient the exact

area that he believes is causing the

problem. He explains that the pain,

which the patient first felt in the

shoulder blade, and has now has pro-

gressed to the hand, was actually the

result of a disc protrusion. Scott sug-

gested that this was a relatively com-

mon problem and that the exercises

could potentially be effective in help-

ing move the disc back into a better

position, reducing the pain in the

process. “I’ll get you back in a week’s

time to see how you are getting on,”

he said.

4pm: Scott makes a couple of phone

calls to patients who live some way

from the hospital to see how they are

progressing with their exercises. ”

5pm: Moving the skeleton back

against the wall of the Physiotherapy

room at the end of the day, Scott

said: “One of the children I was treat-

ing once asked me what my skeleton

was called. I said he had no name so

they could choose the name and they

said ‘Bob’. I’ve called it that ever

since.” Scott turned back to writing

up his notes; something which has to

be done as soon as is practicable for

legal purposes. Scott explained: “We

record both when the patient was

seen and when the notes were writ-

ten. Sometimes I do them immedi-

ately after the treatment, or later that

day if I am running a little behind, or if

something unexpected comes up, it all

just depends on my workload that

day.”

Senior physiotherapist Scott Smith

with ‘Bob’ the skeleton which he

uses to help patient’s understand

their problems.

Continued from

previous page

‘ ’

I’m always looking to develop myself as a person and

as a practitioner

- 32 -

- 33 -

THE title might be a bit of a

mouthful, but this course provided

by the health improvement team

achieves exactly what that title

says.

And because improving health is in-

creasingly a key part of many jobs, the

course will be of interest to a wide

range of roles not only within the NHS

but in statutory and third-sector part-

ners.

Improving the health of individuals,

groups and whole populations is easier

said than done. We all live in complex

web of circumstances and influences that

shape our behaviours, and impact on our

health in countless visible and invisible

ways. The IH:DEP course gives partici-

pants an understanding of these broader

determinants of health, examines key

theories of health and health behaviours,

and develops real-life skills and confi-

dence that participants will transfer to

their daily work.

This course is delivered through a

blend of four one-day, face to face work-

shops and accompanying online learning

modules. There is also a valuable combi-

nation of individual learning and group

discussion to undertake key learning

tasks. The discussions and activities take

account of different learning styles, and

there is a strong emphasis on developing

reflective practice skills to continually

boost confidence and improve practice.

The course dates are set as 12th

April, 28th April, 25th May and 28th June;

and will be delivered in Inverness. For

more information and joining instruc-

tions email Tanzeela Bashir on tan-

zeela.bashir@nhs.net or phone 01463

704781.

HEALTH IMPROVEMENT TRAINING

Improving Health:

Developing

Effective Practice

T HE best way to describe the

Improving Health: Develop-

ing Effective Practice course to

you is to hand over to a few previ-

ous participants:

I found the Improving

Health course to be an extremely

positive experience. It’s one of those

courses where the learning stays

with you (I attended about two years

ago). I think it’s down to the way the

course runs over the space of a cou-

ple of months and the way the facili-

tators blend the learning - it be-

comes embedded in your practice

very quickly and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that parts of my

own practice were changed com-

pletely as a result of attending the

course. Having the time and space

provided by the course to consider

and evaluate your practice in such

detail is a rare event and I know I

benefitted from it. I also found it a

really safe space to critically analyse

various areas of work due to the

support of the facilitators and my

colleagues.

It was a while ago now that I

did participate in the course but I

will have memories of it forever! It

opened my eyes to see the different

learning patterns we all have, and

we all enjoyed the group work. And

the advantage is that it has helped

with involving my patients in design-

ing and managing their care better.

I really enjoyed the course,

the trainers were knowledgeable and

enthusing and helped me to gain a

broader understanding of the way I

work, and how to improve on that

by better planning, preparing and

reflecting on practice and events. I

also made good connections with

other participants, and learnt new

skills and techniques.

I attended this course during

a very challenging period at work. I

almost cancelled my place because I

felt I was 'too busy' to attend BUT

that would've been a big mistake. It

was great to have the space to think

creatively and to share and explore

ideas and concepts with a very di-

verse group of professionals working in the sector. It reignited my passion

at as time when things were feeling

overwhelming, and was just a fantas-

tic experience due to the partici-

pants and the absolutely excellent

facilitators.

APPOINTMENT

IAN THOMSON has been ap-

pointed lead social work officer for

the north and west operational unit

with immediate effect.

Ian (50), a graduate of Glasgow Uni-

versity with a Master of Social Work

research degree and a post-graduate

Diploma in Social Work, had been in the

role in an acting capacity since March

last year.

He will provide social work advice as

a member of the operational unit’s sen-

ior management team, as well as provid-

ing professional leadership and practice

governance for adult social work and

social care services.

Prior to taking up the position Ian

was a project manager on the board’s

care service improvement team. He

joined NHS Highland when adult social

work provision was transferred from

The Highland Council in April 2012. Pre-

vious to that he had worked for the

council for eight years in various roles.

Ian is married with two children. He

enjoys art, music and cycling.

Ian appointed to key north

and west social work post

- 34 -

- 35 -

NHS HIGHLAND staff are being

urged to consider signing up as

retained firefighters.

An appeal to board employees to

consider joining retained fire crews in

their home communities was made last

year through Highlights.

But with the Scottish Fire and Res-

cue Service continuing its recruitment

drive, those NHS Highland employees

who may have previously dismissed the

idea are being urged to think again.

The board has underlined that it will

fully support any staff member who

wishes to apply, and urges anyone inter-

ested in becoming a retained firefighter

to contact their local fire station.

The Highland Community Planning

Partnership (CPP) has signed up to sup-

port the recruitment of retained fire-

fighters in what’s been seen as a break-

through agreement in which each mem-

ber organisation has agreed to promote

the role.

The chair of the CPP board and

leader of The Highland Council, Coun-

cillor Margaret Davidson, said: “We

recognise the benefits in helping to fill

these vacancies, as it supports the shar-

ing of transferable skills, making our

communities and our organisations

safer, stronger and more resilient.

“We want to encourage everyone to

consider if they can contribute to their

communities in this very worthwhile

way.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

is encouraging men and women to ap-

ply. Becoming a retained duty system

(RDS) firefighter brings with it a tre-

mendous sense of satisfaction and gives

ordinary people an opportunity to do

extraordinary work, helping protect

communities from fire and saving lives

and the environment.

The local senior officer for Highland,

Scott Hay, welcomed the commitment

from CPP partners.

He said: “RDS firefighters are called

upon to attend the same wide range of

emergency service as whole time fire-

fighters, including fires, floods, road traf-

fic accidents, chemical spills and more.

“They can also be called upon to

work with whole time firelighters to

promote fire safety messages, giving fire

safety advice to schools and other or-

ganisations as well as carrying out free

home fire risk assessments within their

communities.

“It is a very rewarding job and there

are tangible benefits for employers who

support and allow their staff to become

RDS firefighters.”

In return, RDS firefighters are paid

an annual retainer fee plus additional

payments for every incident attended

and time spent on all activity including

training nights, community engagement

and courses.

RDS firefighters come from diverse

backgrounds and bring a variety of ex-

periences to the role. A range of skills

are required including being a team

player, having excellent communication

skills and displaying attention to detail.

You must be aged 18 years or over,

have a good level of physical fitness,

have the required standard of vision and

colour perception and live or work

within five to eight minutes of the fire

station.

Applicants are requested to note the

initial two-week training course, prior

to submitting an application. Applicants

will need to demonstrate that they have

the potential to carry out this challeng-

ing role through a rigorous recruitment

process.

APPEAL

NHS Highland employees urged

to become retained firefighters

PUBLICATION

A NEW leaflet has been produced on

‘The Role of the Social Worker in

NHS Highland’.

The leaflet explains what social

workers do and sets out their re-

served functions under the partner-

ship agreement with The Highland

Council by which NHS Highland has

a statutory responsibility to promote

welfare and protect the wellbeing of

adults, including those at risk.

It also goes into ‘Changing Lives’,

the Report of the 21st Century Social

Work Review that was published in

2006. In addition, it explains the so-

cial worker value base and signposts

people to various organisations

where more information about social

work and social workers can be ob-

tained.

WITH Scotland leading the way in

the integration of health and social

care, the National Health Service

Retirement Fellowship has now ex-

tended membership to social care

retirees.

Increasingly, health and social

care staff are working together with

patients and the Fellowship is sure

that branches will welcome their

social care colleagues.

If you’d like to know more about

the fellowship or to arrange an invi-

tation from your nearest branch

please contact chair Jeanie Suther-

land on jsclan@sky.com.

Leaflet explains role of

board’s social workers

RETIREMENT

Fellowship extends membership

- 36 -

THE head librarian resplendent in waist-

coat (Christmas present from the butler?)

left the sherry and shortbread they were

having in the leather chair at the side of

the roaring fire in the library office and

issued a missive to free up some space on

the shelves.

The assistants huddled together and had a

think about what they could do. ‘Weeding’ is

the term us

l i b r a r i a n

types use

for going

through the

stock and

r e m o v i n g

old or out

of date

editions of

material.

This job

is similar to painting the Forth Bridge – it is a

process which never ends. Several sections of

the library were weeded last year so the min-

ions thus decided to focus on an area not cov-

ered in that sweep – the management and hu-

man resources sections. Did you know the li-

brary stocked a wide collection of management/

HR materials?

The first though which crossed the mind of

the trembling kneed assistants was that quite a

lot could go – the section was possibly quite

old.

However, once the work began and the

section began to be analysed a number of inter-

esting patterns began to emerge:

Far from being old and dated the library

holds a number of classic works by some of the

management/HR greats – eg; Druker, Handy

and Armstrong. The range of works is wide

covering elements from general management/

HR to specifics such as teamwork, workplace

psychology, rewards schemes, bullying, and help

with CVs.

Borrowing from the section has dropped off

since around 2006. The librarian would like to

know the reasons behind this and negotiations

are currently ongoing around offering some

HIGHLAND HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY

Negotiations are ongoing

around offering some gin-

ger or maybe chocolate

biscuits (or both) as a re-

ward

’

Dandelions and tea...

‘

Remember, whatever your needs the Highland Health Sciences Library exists to help you. Save time and money. Don’t

spend more than 10 minutes on a problem you may be having – contact the library instead. To find out more about the

library call 01463 255600 (x7600).

ginger or maybe chocolate (or both) biscuits as

a reward for any information about this drop off

in usage.

Despite look-

ing like a de-

ranged relic from

the Edwardian

era the librarian

has a distinct

modern ap -

proach and has

decided that

anything needing

replacing and

which is available

e l e c t ron i c a l l y

should now be added to our burgeoning NHS

Highland electronic book collection.

A recent addition to this collection – this

resource relating to any of you introverted pre-

senters out there is shown below.

Rob Polson, Subject Librarian (rp5@stir.ac.uk)

Image courtesy Maggie McCain

Image courtesy Phil and Pan Gladwell

Image courtesy Cartoon Archive/Will

Dyson

- 37 -

OTHER LIVES

His four-legged friends…. DOGS are said to be man’s best friend.

They are loyal companions who keep us

company and always offer a warm wel-

come home from a hard day at work.

However, for NHS Highland health intelli-

gence specialist Ian Douglas, his four-legged

friends are all that and more.

Ian, who is based in Assynt House in Inver-

ness, trains his pets Tara and Fly as agility dogs,

and Fly has been chosen to represent Scotland

at this year’s World Agility Open in May.

“I took Tara along to good citizens’ classes

for dogs when she was younger and I think both

of us just fell in love with it,” said Ian.

“Fly is a Border collie and they are dogs

which are bred to work closely with us. She is

excellent at reading me and she has been hugely

successful. Tara is a Labrador cross, and is well

known on the agility circuit, often being the

only non-collie competing in large height finals.

“My dogs perform to such a high standard

because they just love working with me and for

reward. When you consider what dogs can do

– working as assistance dogs, detecting un-

healthy tissue and identifying tiny amounts of

explosives or drugs – agility is an easy game for

them really.”

Ever wondered what our staff do in their spare time?

‘Other Lives’ reports on colleagues’ outside interests

It’s a labour of love for Ian and his family,

who travel huge distances across the United

Kingdom to enable their dogs to take part in

competitions.

“We easily clock up 15,000 miles every year

taking the dogs to and from events and compe-

titions,” he said.

“Shows are often held over weekends and

there is a strong social element and some great

craic and banter – it’s not all about rosettes and

trophies.

“The agility community is hugely diverse – I

could be competing against anyone between 10

and 70 years of age, so there is always some-

thing to learn.”

Ian would advise anyone with a dog to get

involved.

“I would encourage anyone with a dog to

think about whether they are maximising the

potential of that relationship,” he said.

“Dog sports can increase that special bond,

and I would love to see more people actively

engaging with their dog – just taking a dog for a

walk is an opportunity to do that: just think of

the physical and psychological benefits.

“I know there are a few other NHS High-

land staff members who are agility addicts.

“I would ask anyone who is interested in

dog agility training to get in touch with me.

“There are a number of clubs throughout

the Highland area, and once you get started it is

very hard to stop – trust me!”

’

‘

There are a few

other NHS High-

land staff mem-

bers who are

agility addicts

- 38 -

What does your job involve?

I work in the Lawson Memorial

Hospital in Golspie. My job is to

lead a team of nursing staff and

ensure that the service delivered

to patients is of the highest stan-

dard possible. I have recently

been promoted to my post of

deputy charge nurse and I assist

and support charge nurses Jo

Gemmell and Ashley Ross in the

delivery of change and implemen-

tation of good practice. I also co-

ordinate and plan admissions and

discharges.

How would you describe

yourself?

Hard working, reliable, friendly,

caring, and responsible with a

good sense of humour.

Do you have and hobbies and

interests?

Reading, gardening, walking, na-

ture and history. I help out on my partner Michael’s croft,

especially at busy times like lambing. I love all animals, but

have a special interest in dogs. I volunteer in my spare time

for Springer Rescue for Scotland (SRS). I am the area co-

ordinator for Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire.

I have helped rehome several spaniels locally, including one

myself. I assist with dogs coming into SRS and with assess-

ments of these dogs and potential new homes. I liaise with

volunteers in my areas without whom SRS would never

function. We do home checks, transport runs, and fund

raisers.

What was the first single you ever bought?

David Essex’s Rock On.

What is your favourite food?

Cheese on toast or a nice steak if I’m going out.

Your favourite film?

I loved Gravity in 3D at the cin-

ema.

And TV programme?

Downton Abbey, Shetland and War

and Peace.

Your favourite book?

Just finished the Martian by Andy

Weir. Great book.

If you won £10 million in the

lottery, what would you

spend it on?

I’d share it between my grown-up

children (Jennifer and Iain), myself

and my partner, the dogs and

close family and friends. But as I

don’t do the lottery I don’t have

much hope!

What about £1,000?

An excursion, something like a

trip away on a steam train.

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or

alive, who are they and what would you cook?

David Attenbourgh, physicist Brian Cox and my partner,

Michael MacPherson. Lasagne; something easy.

What are your pet hates?

Unfairness; the glass on my wood burner being dirty; folk

who don’t pick up after their dogs when out walking them;

drinking milk — yuk!

What are the best and worst things about your job?

The best is that there are never two days the same and I get

to meet so many interesting people. Seeing patients improve

and return home is satisfying. The worst is breaking bad

news. But it’s part of my job. When it has to be done it

should be done with sensitivity, compassion and respect.

THIS MONTH: Deputy charge

nurse Jean Murray

A & Q

‘The big bruiser black and white fellow is Buzz,

who I rescued a year ago. The wee brown dog

is Rolo (on my knee). Cora is the brown and

white with the eye patch ( she’s a rescue too).’