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HighlightsMay 2014MONTHLY

MEET THE BOARD:Nursing through the agesRaigmore display: See inside

Continued on page 2

SCHEME LAUNCHEDQUALITY AWARDS

NHS HIGHLAND is launching anexciting new awards scheme thataims to reward and promote thespirit and values captured in theHighland Quality Approach.

Nominations are being soughtfrom staff, patients, carers andthe wider public for an individualor team employed by NHS High-land, or working as part of thewider NHS.

The award will reflect on anindividual or team who has dem-onstrated actions and behaviourswhich epitomise everything aboutthe Highland Quality Approach.

While all staff strive to do agreat job and provide outstandingcare and compassion on a dailybasis, this award will reflect ac-tions and behaviours that demon-strate quality improvement, orwhere individuals or teams havegone out of their way to providequality care, in support of theHighland Quality Approach.

It is planned to make this amonthly award and a small panelwill assess the nominations andselect the winning individual orteam each month.

The panel will be made up of amember of NHS Highland board,the chief executive, the employeedirector, the quality improvementlead for staff experience, and amember of staff who has alreadyachieved recognition through anaward for quality, as a panel toassess the nominations.

Individuals can be nominatedQualité counts: NHS Highland was represented at a majorquality improvement conference in France. See pages 4 & 5.

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Quality awards scheme launched

by staff members, patients ormembers of the public for thisaward within each month time-frame. The closing date will be atmidnight on the last day of themonth, with the panel agreeingthe winning individual or teamwithin 10 days of the closingdate.

Nominations can be by writtenor be by electronic submission toNHS Highland on the genericemail or postal address. The win-ning nomination will then beposted on our website with a cita-tion from the proposer. Nomina-tions must be made on the stan-dard template within the limitednumber of words which is avail-able on the NHS Highland web-site.

The proposer and winning in-dividual or team will be notified byemail or letter at the same timeand invited to attend a small andinformal celebration of theachievement. There will be asmall token of recognition whichwill be for the individual or teamto keep. The scheme will be formally

launched at the presentation ofthe first award, which will takeplace at NHS Highland’s AnnualEvent in Fort William on 9th June. You can find out more about

the Highland Quality Approach onNHS Highland website.

Continued from front page

HOW THEHIGHLAND QUALITYAWARDS SCHEME

WILL WORKTHE nomination for a Highland Quality Approach is open to allstaff.

Support can be provided to nominate individuals utilisingthe standard template through the Board Secretariat on 01463704868.

Completed nomination forms must be returned to: HighlandQuality Awards, NHS Highland, Assynt House, BeechwoodPark, Inverness, IV2 3BW, or by e-mail to nhshighland-board@nhs.net

Nominations cannot be made for family members.

Nominees must be notified by their proposers in advance ofthe nomination being considered by the panel

Winning individuals or teams cannot be selected again for12 months.

Nominations which are not successful within any givenmonth will not be contacted. They will also not be held overfor future months but can be updated and resubmitted for con-sideration for future awards.

The decision of the panel is final. It would be preferable ifnominees would agree to have their photograph taken for bothinternal and external communication purposes.

The scheme may change overtime and we would welcomeany suggestions.

Fort William venue for NHS Highland’s 2014 Annual ReviewThis year’s NHS Highland Annual Review will takeplace on 9th June in Fort William and will be underthe Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson.

During the morning the minister will meet theArea Clinical Forum, the Area Partnership Forumand local patients, carers and members of the pub-lic. He will also get the opportunity to observe a vir-

tual ward round in the Fort William Health Centre.In the afternoon NHS Highland’s performance

and progress towards the delivery of national tar-gets and standards during 2013/14 will be reviewedat the formal session, which will take place in from1.30-2.30pm. This session will be in the CaledonianSuite of the Moorings Hotel.

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A MEMBER of staff from NHSHighland is up for a nationalaward for going above and be-yond in their commitment to pa-tients in Highland.

Mandi Smith, British HeartFoundation (BHF) lead heart fail-ure nurse for NHS Highland, hasbeen nominated for the BHF Am-bassador of the Year award inrecognition of the work and sup-port she gives to patients acrossHighland who have heart failureand to the local BHF fundraisinggroup.

Mandi admits she wasshocked at first but is absolutelydelighted with the nomination.

She explained: “When LindaO’Neill (BHF manager) ap-proached me to ask if I was okayabout being nominated, I wasshocked at first but now feel privi-

leged that they felt I deserved thenomination.

“To me the work and supportthat I give to the BHF fundraisinggroup is just about giving some-thing back to the community thatsupported us in the beginning.”

When calling for nominationsthe BHF were looking to cele-brate high-quality services andpatient care with nominees beingable to demonstrate that theyprovide a vital service to their pa-tients.

The category of ambassadorrecognises BHF healthcare pro-fessionals who demonstrate alevel of commitment to the BHFabove and beyond the remit oftheir role.

This can include promoting,delivering or supporting BHF ser-vices, presenting BHF work to

peer support groups, activelysupporting BHF fundraising andrepresenting the BHF at a na-tional level.

The awards will be presentedon 3rd June at the BHF/BCSConference awards dinner inManchester.

Mandi said: “I am absolutelydelighted to have been shortlisted for this award. Although Iwill admit to feeling slightlydaunted after receiving the call tolet me know I was shortlisted.

“I’m looking forward to attend-ing the ceremony and we will justwait and see what happens onthe night.”

BHF HONOUR: Nomination ‘shocks’ Mandi

Heart failurenurse up for

national award

NHS HIGHLAND has launched athree-month public consultationexercise into the proposed mod-ernisation of hospital and com-munity services in Skye, Lo-chalsh and South West Ross.

The consultation opened on19th May and will run until 19thAugust with residents, staff andcommunity organisations urgedto participate in the exercise,which will help shape the future

of health and social care provi-sion in the area.

Last month, the NHS Highlandboard endorsed the recommen-dations of a steering group work-shop to consult on a proposalthat a new ‘hub’ facility for thearea, comprising a communityresource centre and hospital, belocated in Broadford and thatthere be a ‘spoke’ facility in Por-tree.

The proposals will now be pre-sented during the consultationexercise, which got underway thismonth with a number of eventsincluding a presentation at theRoss-shire Ward Business meet-ing by Gill McVicar, the director ofoperations for NHS Highland’snorth and west operational unit,and an update to Portree Com-munity Council by Dr SteveMcCabe.

Public consultation on redesign gets under way

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FIVE representatives fromNHS Highland attended aconference in Paris lastmonth aimed at encouragingnew ways of thinking aboutquality improvement and therole that it plays within healthand social care.

With over 3500 attendeesfrom 79 countries, there wasplenty opportunity for sharedlearning, which promptedNHS Highland consultant co-lorectal surgeon ProfessorAngus Watson to label theconference a ‘life-changing’event.

“I had a bit of an epiphanywhen I was in Paris,” said An-gus. “A large number of thetopics covered during theevent chimed with me and Ienjoyed being with enthusias-tic and positive people.

“It was a tremendous op-portunity for networking, evenwithin my own NHS Highlandcolleagues, and I found it fas-cinating to have access to de-cision makers and hear abouttheir backgrounds and moti-vation.

“I felt empowered by themall and I was really glad forthe opportunity to share mypassions and even more

grateful that I was listened to.My ambition is for NHS High-land to be the best health andsocial care provider in Scot-land and attending eventssuch as these will play a cru-cial role in ensuring that visionis realised.”

Angus continued: “But weneed to galvanise and inspireour workforce to join the jour-ney. We need our own schoolfor healthcare radicals: aschool that would teach qual-ity improvement methodologyacross the board.

“Everybody needs to be onthe team and be empoweredto do their job and improvetheir job. What is more, weneed a radical change in clini-cal leadership. Our future

leaders need to be excellentcommunicators, inspiring andworking collaboratively with allstaff to deliver our ultimategoal: to be the best.”

According to Linda Kirk-land, NHS Highland directorof quality improvement andrecently appointed interim di-rector of operations for Raig-more, we must do a better jobof highlighting the extraordi-nary work carried out withinour Health Board, across allareas and all disciplines.

“We have a lot to contrib-ute and should be out theresharing our learning – we arehiding ourselves,” said Linda.“It was great to go along tothis conference with my col-leagues and sharing and in-teracting with all the otherparticipants was a wonderfulexperience.

“Some of the work beingundertaken across the worldis huge in scale, while othersare very small and intense.

“But one theme which ranthroughout the event was theconnection between qualityand money. Presenters didnot shy away for the need to

NHS Highlandat event

in Paris onquality

improvement

Continued on next page

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Paris event on quality improvement

spend money wisely and thegrowing evidence that qualitycosts less. This makes per-fect sense when you thinkabout the chaos and upset itcauses in so many wayswhen we get things wrong.

“Before I went to the con-ference I heard from a con-sultant about cancer patientsbeing given an appointment inWick instead of Inverness –where the consultant waswaiting to see them. That sortof thing sums up everythingwhich is not a Quality Ap-proach. While I really do be-lieve we have a lot shoutabout there is so much morewe can do to improve. But,like Angus, it’s all about ourambition to be the best, andpart of that is having the hu-mility to recognise where wefall short.”

All participants at the con-ference were required tomake a pledge to take back totheir respective countries andservices to ensure the con-tinuation of delivering effi-cient, person-centred healthand social care. And, accord-ing to Linda, little time hasbeen wasted in implementingthose ideas.

She said: “There is nodoubt that we will reflect andshare on what we havelearned and we have startedworking on the pledges wemade already!” See Linda’spledge on the right.

NHS Highland non-executive board member

Elaine Wilkinson agrees withLinda’s assessment that weneed to get better at recognis-ing our own achievements,and made a commitment tospread the word of our qualityimprovement journey far andwide.

Elaine said: “NHS Highlandhas a tremendous story to telland we should be showcasingmore of what we do. Mypledge at the conference wasto support and promote thisjourney within and out-withthe organisation.”

NHS Highland clinical di-rector for medicine and diag-nostics in Raigmore, StewartLambie attended with theScottish Patient Safety Pro-gramme Fellowship.

He said: “The forum was areal highlight for all of us. Webonded together as a teamand provided support for eachother on several levels.

“The morning NHS Scot-land huddles created a focalpoint for the day and kept usfocused on what we werelearning and aiming to

achieve that day. As a board,we need to take more advan-tage of this programme whichseems to be going formstrength to strength with anever more competitive entrylevel.

“My own personal pledgewas to organise weekly teach-ing of quality improvementsessions in Raigmore Hospi-tal, which can only benefitstaff from across all services.”

David Alston was the sec-ond NHS Highland non-executive board member inattendance in the Frenchcapital.

He said: “The conferencemade me realise that im-provement is a science whichcan be applied across a widerange of sectors.

“Like Linda Kirkland, I feelthat we have a lot to say – oursuccessful integration ofhealth and adult social careservices is a fantastic exam-ple of our health board isleading from the front and Igained plenty from talking atgreat length to our NHS High-land team.”

Linda’s pledge: “To usewhat I learn; model the be-haviour I want; connect emo-tionally and to be a rebel, aradical but not a blocker.”

Highlights will catch upwith Stewart and Linda later inthe year to see what has im-proved as a result of their per-sonal pledges.

If you would like to shareyour personal pledge withHighlights, please get intouch.

Continued from previous page

‘It’s all about our

ambition to be

the best, and part

of that is having

the humility to

recognise where

we fall short’

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DEREK LESLIE retired as direc-tor of operations for Argyll andBute CHP at the end of March.

Derek spent many illustriousyears working in various seniormanagerial roles in both NHSGreater Glasgow and NHS High-land before taking up his currentpost in 2008.

In the years which followed, heled many service reviews andimprovements including the re-design of mental health servicesand reshaping care for older peo-ple.

From his own role as a carer,

Derek understood the importanceof professionals being preparedto listen to feedback and to makechanges to respond to the needsof individuals and communities.

NHS Highland lead nurse forArgyll and Bute CHP, Pat Tyrrell,said: “Derek was a committedand supportive individual andwas great fun to be around.

“He brought a sense of hu-mour to the difficult and challeng-ing business of delivering safeand effective services and hadthe unique ability to use this lighttouch appropriately.”

Derek held a virtual tea partyin the week of his retirement sothat staff from across Argyll andBute’s geographical spread couldhave a cup of tea and wish himfarewell.

He is joined in retirement byhis wife, Dhileas, who left herpost as e-health facilitator for theCHP.

Pat added: “I would like to takethis opportunity to thank Derekand Dhileas for all the work theyhave carried out in Argyll andBute and wish them a healthy,happy retirement.”

BRIAN ROBERTSON, Scotland’sfirst head of adult social care em-ployed by a NHS board, has re-tired from his NHS Highland post.

Having played a significantrole in the integration of healthand adult social care services in2012, Brian believes the correct

approach has been adopted andis convinced it will bear fruit in theyears to come.

“I think the integration modelthat we’ve been pursuing in theHighland Council area is the rightmodel to pursue,” said Brian. “It’sbeen challenging for our staff to

make the transition but I’m con-vinced it’s the right model.”

Having joined NHS Highlandfrom the Highland Council as partof the integration process, Briansays the highlight of his time withthe board has been seeing thebenefits of the plan being real-ised.

He said: “Integration is a rela-tively simple thing. It’s about try-ing to get people to play to theirprofessional strengths and do theright thing in combination withother professionals. But it can behard to do in practice. However,when it is done correctly, it’sfabulous and it is in the best inter-ests of service users.

“We’re only two years in andthere is huge potential for us tofulfil. It has been encouraging tosee staff engaging with the wholeagenda.”

CHP’s director of operationsretires after illustrious career

Farewell to NHS Highland’sfirst head of adult social care

ANOTHER NHS Highland employee to have retired recently is payand equality manager, Donald Shiach.

Donald began a secondment with the board in 2003 and over thenext 11 years held a number of key positions. As pay modernisationmanager, he played a key role in delivering the Agenda for Changeproject, in which he found the complexities of the job were aided byhis extensive background working in trade unions.

He was HR lead for integrating care in Highland and remainedstrongly committed to providing valuable management information andbest practice throughout the process. Donald brought a huge amountof knowledge, skills and experience to NHS Highland.

Pay and equality managerDonald starts his retirement

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THE ongoing review of healthand care services for older adultsin Caithness took another stepforward this month when a meet-ing was held to determine exactlyhow decisions will be made.

The review got under way in2012 when members of the pub-lic and community representa-tives met in Halkirk to look atwhat services existed, what gapsin provision existed and how im-provements might be made.

Since then, NHS Highland hasengaged the community in anexercise to look at the details ofpossible improvements. Now,NHS Highland wants to work outthe process by which decisionswill be made, and called a meet-ing in Thurso on 13th May.

Area manager Bob Silverwoodsaid: “I know there has been acertain amount of cynicism aboutthe review, with suggestions thatits outcome was pre-determinedand with concerns about howlong it is taking. However, I wouldlike to reassure the public thatthis review is a meaningful proc-ess; we want to involve the publicfully and we want to get the out-come right.

“We want to ensure that theservices we provide are relevantto current and future needs, andare sustainable. But it is impor-tant that members of the publichave confidence in the processby which decisions are made.”

The aim of the 13th May meet-ing was to determine the criteria

used in making decisions.Mr Silverwood explained: “In

making decisions, we must lookat a range of criteria, such as ac-cess, sustainability and effective-ness. But it is important thatthese criteria are weighted toshow their relative importance toone another.

“It’s a technical process knownas Program Budgeting and Mar-ginal Analysis which is usedthroughout the world to help deci-sion-makers maximise the impactof health and care resources onthe needs of the population.

“Only by going through such aprocess, and doing so openly,can the people of Caithness besatisfied that any decisions aremade fairly and rationally.”

Service redesign takesanother step forward

CAITHNESS: Next stage in ongoing health and social care review

APPLICATIONS for 2014-2015research and development en-dowment funding can now besubmitted.

Projects will be funded up to£3000, and while the main appli-cant should be from the NHS,collaborative projects with univer-sities or other organisations arewelcomed.

The primary function of theendowment is to support small-scale research studies, pilot stud-ies or feasibility studies that mayhave a direct impact for the High-lands, and which are likely to re-sult in publications and submis-

s ion for larger funding.There is also the possibility offunding for attendance at a con-ference but only where a paper isbeing given and NHS Highland isthe employer of the delegate.

The endowment does not ap-ply to student fees, travel to uni-versity to see an academic super-visor, educational training, train-ing for service improvement orother such activity. The endow-ment is for research activities andcosts.

If you want to discuss this fur-ther or want help in completingyour application form contact

NHS Highland R&D managerFrances Hines. You will requiretwo peer reviews for your applica-tion otherwise it will not be con-sidered by the R&D Committee.Application forms and guidancenotes can be found on the R&Dpage on the NHS Highland intra-net under the heading Staff > Re-search and Development.

If you do not have access tothe intranet, please emaillaura.mcilhatton@nhs.net

The closing date for applica-tions is 16th June.

If money remains after the firstcall a second call will take place

R&D endowment funding bids invited

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NEW ROLE: CHP gets MS and Parkinson’s disease specialist nurse

Appointment

a first for

Argyll & Bute

BBC Radio Scotland’s popular current affairs dis-cussion programme, Brian Taylor’s Big Debate, willbe aired from Eden Court, Inverness, on Friday, 16th

June.Anyone who wishes to take part should apply no

later than 5pm on Tuesday 3rd June towww.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-15190428

The show will be on the air from 12 noon to 1pm,and doors will open at 11.15am.

Want to take part in live radio debate?

FOR the first time, Argyll & Bute now has a multiplesclerosis and Parkinson's disease specialist nurseservice.

Cheryl Howe started a new role as an advancednurse in multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's diseasein March, her post having been jointly funded byParkinson’s UK and NHS Highland.

Cheryl is an experienced nurse who previouslyworked as a senior staff nurse in Ward B at Lornand Islands Hospital in Oban.

She is currently speaking with people and theirfamilies affected by these conditions across Argylland Bute, as well as with general practitioners,nurses and allied health professionals, and findingout what the patient's journey, in this rural area, islike for both conditions.

Cheryl said: “It is really important that peoplehave good access to health and social care no mat-ter where they live.

“I will be spending time putting patient pathwaysin place and ensuring that everyone who has aninput has a clear understanding in order to makethe journey seamless from the perspective of thepatient.

“Patients need to be at the centre of their treat-ment and in control of their choices, medications

and treatments, with their opinions firmly central toall care.

“This means that I will be working closely withthe people and their families affected by these con-ditions, health professionals from primary and sec-ondary care, social care, the private and the volun-tary sectors so that together we can improve thepatient's experience.”

Pat Tyrrell, lead nurse for Argyll and Bute Com-munity Health Partnership, said that they were verygrateful to Parkinson’s UK for co-funding this impor-tant post.

Pat continued: “We know that Cheryl’s role inworking with patients, families and other health andsocial care providers will make a significant andpositive difference to people who are affected byboth multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease inArgyll and Bute.”

Katherine Crawford, Scotland director, Parkin-son’s UK, said: “This is great news for local peopleliving with Parkinson’s, who will benefit enormouslyfrom having expert support locally.

“It’s been very positive to work with a healthboard so keen to provide high-quality services forits patients, and we look forward to continuing ourrelationship with the board.”

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ANYONE visiting Blar-buie Woodlands in thegrounds of the Argyll &Bute Hospital, Lochgil-

phead, this summer will begreeted by a wonderful display ofpoppies.

The poppies were planted tocommemorate World War One byworkers at the woodland as partof a project to improve the area.The Blarbuie Woodland Enter-prise trainees have been workinghard to make improvements allaround the woodland, including

path restoration, tree and shrubplanting and repairing the viewingplatform.

Along with all the outdoorwork, volunteers have also beenmaking progress with the 150Tree Rings project which is tomark the 150th anniversary of theArgyll & Bute Hospital.

The plan is to have volunteersand members of the local com-munity plant 150 plants and eachplant will be recorded with thename of the person who plantedit.

AFTER an extensive, £1.5 millionrenovation, Dingwall Health Cen-tre is ready to open its doors.

And an open day is to be heldthere to mark the work’s comple-tion.

NHS Highland area managerGeorgia Haire said: “We are de-lighted to invite local people tocome along to have a look roundthe centre on 9th June at anytime between 11am and 4pm.”

She added: “There has been anumber of noticeable changes,such as alterations to the groundfloor to provide more appropriatepatient consulting and treatmentfacilities, much improved waitingareas and facilities as well as fit-ting out the roof space with com-munity health and social carestaff accommodation and addi-tional staff and patient treatmentfacilities."

The centre will continue tosupport the provision of treatmentand care closer to home andhopes to develop this further withthe additional space now avail-able, reducing the need to travelto larger centres.

With 11,600 patients, theDingwall Medical Group, which isbased in the health centre, has11 doctors, four practice nurses,a healthcare technician, twomanagers and 15 administrativestaff.

The community staff team atthe centre includes communitynurses, midwives, social workers,care at home workers and alliedhealth professionals.

The refurbished health centreis due to open on Monday, 30thJune.

New-lookcentre to host

open day

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THE Mid Ross community men-tal health team has undertakenan innovative new project to pro-mote healthy lifestyle activitiesfor people attending its service.

The Branching Out pilot inHighland is a partnership be-tween NHS Highland and Abria-chan Forest Trust and is aimedat improving the physical andmental health of service usersthrough greenspace referrals.

The award-winning pro-gramme is a key deliverablewithin Forestry CommissionScotland’s Woods for HealthStrategy.

The activities have beenadapted to suit the group’s inter-ests, skills and imagination andaccording to NHS Highland oc-cupational therapist, CharlieClark, play a key role in partici-pant’s health and wellbeing.

“Quite simply, nothing is moreimportant than a person’s self-confidence and self-belief,” saidCharlie. “By encouraging peopleto try new things and learn newskills, this project enables ourservice users to increase both ofthese factors.

“There is a core group of 10people who regularly attend oursessions and I have never seenthem more active – both in termsof social interaction and theirenthusiasm to learn and improve

beyond their current skill set.“They set the agenda for the

day and, for me, it’s all aboutmoving away from ‘I can’t dothis’ to ‘what can I do to help’and that plays a crucial role intheir mental health and wellbe-ing.

“Overall, it has proven to be avery successful therapeutic en-deavour and it proves to themthat they have more skills thanthey might have imagined be-forehand.”

The benefits of being in thegreat outdoors are well knownand the group take part in hillwalking, conservation and crafts.NHS Highland community psy-chiatric nurse and team leaderHelen Neville says the grouphave benefited from the naturalsetting of the Highlands.

“We have been able to usethe natural resources availableat our doorstep,” said Helen.

“Being based in Highlandmeans that we are only five orten minutes away from theroaming hills and countrysideand there are plenty of newplaces to explore each andevery session.

“This helps encourage partici-pants to come along as everysession is different. I think thisproject is a wonderful way ofthinking outside of the box. I’vebeen involved in mental healthnursing for over 30 years and itis one of best ideas I’ve cameacross in terms of actively en-couraging people to try newthings and improve their self-confidence.

“The team and project atten-dees would like to thank thehard work and dedication ofAbriachan Forest Trust and theirstaff, as without their supportand continuing enthusiasm, thisproject would not have been sosuccessful.”

Charlie added: “Some of thefeedback from participants hasbeen extremely encouraging;with one gentleman commentingthat all of his personal goalswere met and that he couldn’thave asked for a better experi-ence.

“When you hear such positivefeedback, it only increases thehope that this project is madeinto a long-standing programmewithin our mental health team.”

Taking tothe GreatOutdoors

RIGHT:Service users

take to the hills

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Free Alcohol Brief Interventions course

AN innovative project to reducethe incidence of falls in a Caith-ness care home is being held upas an example of good practiceto other care homes in a nationalproject.

The achievements of PulteneyHouse residential care home inWick will be shared with the othercare homes taking part in the pro-ject, through a DVD which will befilmed in the next few weeks.

The falls prevention project atPulteney House is part of a Scot-tish Government initiative, ‘Upand About In Care Homes’, beingtrialled in three parts of Scotland,including in 14 care homes inNorth Highland.

In Pulteney House, it has beenled by Liz Sinclair and JulieLewis, senior social care workersbased there, who recently at-tended a national learning ses-sion on the subject hosted byNHS Scotland and the Care In-spectorate.

The project builds on the re-source pack, “Managing Fallsand Fractures in Care Homes forOlder People”, and the Wick careworkers have taken what theyhave learnt and applied it atPulteney House.

The work has so impressedthe ‘Up and About in CareHomes’ project team that it is tobe used to help create a newlearning resource for care homesin Scotland.

Liz said: “We’re delighted thatour work is to be used as an ex-ample of good practice for othercare homes. It’s resulted in fan-tastic outcomes for our residents,and it would be great if it helpedothers in care homes across thecountry.”

She added: “Many older peo-ple tend to think that falling is aninevitable part of growing old but

there is so much that can bedone to prevent falls.

“At Pulteney House, for exam-ple, we have assessed the physi-cal environment to determinewhat can be done to prevent falls.This has covered things like thenature of the floor coverings andthe height of seats, etc.

“We have also worked to iden-tify in residents what factors maymake them prone to falling – fac-tors such as medication, sightimpairment, and so on.

“And we worked to develop aconsistent approach to whatshould be done after someonefalls, in terms of determining whatfactors may have caused the falland checking if the person con-cerned had been injured.”

Liz and Julie have deliveredtraining sessions to staff at thecare home, and say they theirwork may well be having a signifi-cant impact on the number offalls there.

Liz said: “The number of fallsreduced by half from February toMarch, and has continued toshow a downward trend. Fallscan happen for a variety of rea-sons, but we are showing thatthey are not inevitable.”

A FREE course on Alcohol Brief Interventions is tobe held in Inshes Church, Inshes Retail Park, Inver-ness, on 3rd July.

The course is designed to give participants theopportunity to become familiar with FAST alcoholscreening and delivering a brief intervention to sup-

port adults to make healthy lifestyle changesaround alcohol.

If you work with people on a one-to-one basishelping them to change their health, social and/oroccupational behaviour then this course, which willrun from 10am-1pm, is for you.

Wick falls preventionwork to go nationwide

QUOTE

Falls can happenfor a variety ofreasons, but

we are showingthat they are not

inevitable

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A NEW Hepatitis C support ser-vice aimed at improving the livesof people living with the conditionhas been launched in Argyll andBute.

The service will support peo-ple living with Hepatitis C to startand maintain treatment throughproviding one-to-one support. Itwill also aim to reduce the num-ber of people who contract thecondition.

Waverley Care – Scotland’sleading charity providing care andsupport to people living with HIVor Hepatitis C – will run the ser-

vice, which is funded by Argyll &Bute Community Health Partner-ship.

The service aims to supportpeople in Argyll and Bute diag-nosed with the condition by help-ing them to talk through their is-sues and supporting them to gainthe confidence to start and main-tain treatment.

Waverley Care service man-ager Rachel Hughes said:“People living with Hepatitis Ccan feel socially isolated and canoften be living with other complexhealth issues and overall poor

emotional, physical and mentalhealth. This isolation can often beamplified for those living in ruralareas such as parts of Argyll andBute.

“This new service will providethe support needed to help peo-ple better manage their conditionand build their confidence andself esteem so they feel ready tostart treatment.

“We know that people aremore likely to sustain treatmentfor Hepatitis C if they feel theyhave the support available to helpthem through it.”

New Hep. C service launched

Insight intostatistics

A COURSE on ‘HypothesisTesting in Statistics’ will beheld at the Centre for HealthScience in Inverness on 3rd

June.The course, to run from

9.30am-4.30pm, will be pre-sented by Dr Roger Humphry,applied statistician, Scotland’sRural College.

Students will be introducedto hypothesis testing in statis-tics, with the course coveringchi-squared tests, t-tests andanalysis of variance. There willalso be a short overview ofregression methods and statis-tical computer packages. Takea calculator.

If you would like to apply forthis course and have accessto the NHS Intranet, an appli-cation form can be found onthe R&D page which is underthe heading ‘Staff’. Otherwise,you can emaillaura.mcilhatton@nhs.net

ADVISORS from Home EnergyScotland advice provided a standfor visitors and staff in the OPDcafé at Raigmore Hospital duringthe week beginning 12th May.

Home Energy Scotland pro-vided impartial energy saving ad-vice, free thermometer cards forthe home and the opportunity toenter an easy transport quiz witha prize draw for £250 of shoppinggift vouchers.

The week proved highly suc-cessful with over 300 people ad-vised over the course of the weekand some return visits to the caféare already in the pipeline!

If you would like free impartialenergy saving, home renewables,fuel efficient driving or sustain-able transport advice call HomeEnergy Scotland, funded by theScottish Government, on 0808808 2282.

Home Energy Scotland advisorCath Bassett ready to meet herpublic at Raigmore’s Out-patients Café

Home EnergyScotland

spread theword during

visit toRaigmore

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SHARING tips on how to live withlymphoedema with others whohave the condition can help tomake life easier.

That’s the message in a videomade by members of the High-land Lymphoedema SupportGroup.

Two members of the group,Susan Appleby and SheenaStrachan, have joined forces withAngeline MacLeod, NHS High-land’s lymphoedema project co-ordinator, to create a short videoencouraging people who have thecondition to give the group a try.

As there is no ‘cure’ for lym-phoedema the group focuses onself-care and learning to managethe condition.

Angeline explained that themessage they wanted to getacross was that you did not haveto deal with the condition on yourown.

She said: “Previously the con-dition was not well recognised butsince the support group started inDecember 2012, as part of theHighland Lymphoedema Project,they have contributed to produc-ing clinical guidelines, educationvideos and provided the materialfor a series of cartoons highlight-

ing the condition.“We are delighted and grateful

that members of the group havebeen just as keen to help usspread the word about its benefitsby helping us make this video.”

Susan, a Highland Lymphoe-dema Support Group member,said: “Once you have lymphoe-dema it is for life and you have tolearn how to self-manage it to thebest of your ability.

“Discussing and sharing infor-mation on things such as exer-cises and management routineswith people who have had thecondition perhaps for a lifetime isinvaluable.”

Fellow group member Sheenaadded: “At the end of the clinicalside of treatment you can feelvery much like you are on yourown so having an opportunity toswap experiences with people inthe same position has been ex-tremely useful on both a practicaland emotional level.”

Nationally representatives ofthe group attended an awarenessevent at the Scottish Parliamentand locally they have been key inraising the profile of the under-recognised and under-diagnosedcondition with clinicians.

LYMPHOEDEMA: Sharing tips

Short videohelps make lifeeasier for thosewith condition

Trainingthe trainersin diabetes

projectSPECI AL I S T d i a be t e snurses, dietitians and podia-trists across NHS Highlandhave recently become ac-credited trainers by complet-ing the SVQ 3 in learningand development.

NHS Highland is the onlyhealth board to have accred-ited educators deliveringdiabetes education.

The diabetes teams rec-ognise that delivering effec-tive education requires quitea different set of skills fromthose required in clinicalpractice.

Initially 12 people partici-pated in the joint trainingwith teams joining fromThurso, Skye, Fort Williamand Oban. Nine people pro-gressed to a formal qualifi-cation.

Video-conferencing wasused to enable group work-ing with minimal impact onclinical service and travelcosts.

This project was fundedthrough a bid to the ScottishDiabetes Group, which has acommitment to supportinghealth boards to deliverquality assured structurededucation programmes topeople who have diabetes.

It was also presented atthe Diabetes Education inScotland conference in Feb-ruary 2014.

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Norwegians swapnotes on

study visitNHS HIGHLAND recently wel-comed a group of Norwegiandignitaries on their study visit togain insight into health and so-cial care services in our area.

Council leaders and chief ex-ecutives from the 24 districtcouncils in the County of Tromswere shown round a number ofour hospitals and day centresand were given an insight intothe successful integration ofhealth and adult social care ser-vices undertaken by the healthboard in 2012.

As part of what has beenhailed as a shared learning ex-

perience, members of the visit-ing party provided informationon the current developmentsrelated to provision and over-sight of health and social ser-

vices, education, environmentalissues and agriculture in Norwayand Troms County.

The Scandinavian visitorsarrived in Highland on 24th Apriland were treated to a presenta-tion by NHS Highland chief ex-ecutive Elaine Mead on integra-tion before they were split intogroups and shown around thefacilities in our area includingNairn Town and County Hospi-tal, Invergordon CommunityHospital and Mo-DhachaidhCare Home in Ullapool.

“It has been a fantastic tripand we have certainly gainedmuch from it,” said Fred Flak-stad, council leader from Tor-sken District Council. “There are

The visitors are briefed on their visit to Migdale Hospital,Bonar Bridge

Guests and visitors at Invergordon Community Hospital Continued on next page

- 15 -

Norwegians’ study visita lot of similarities between ourareas, especially in relation tothe delivery of efficient healthand social care services in a re-mote and rural location.

“We have heard that NHSHighland has had an issue withstaff recruitment and retentionand that is also the case for us.We’ve had over 70 doctors in a10-year period and it providesinstability for communities, par-ticularly among the elderly popu-lation.

“Another similarity is thatmany of the junior doctors aren’tprepared to move to such a rurallocation.

“It is reassuring to know thatthere are other areas that facethe same challenges we do, yetcontinue to deliver such a fan-tastic service.”

Øyvind Hilmarsen, the chiefcommissioner of the City Councilof Tromso said: “It’s been veryinteresting and useful learninghow you have integrated theservice and how the patient isthe main focus and not the sys-tems nor the staff.

“The patient or elderly personis the focus.

“We have started to work onbringing different professionstogether into multi-disciplinaryteams as well but it is good tosee how you have succeeded inhealth, social and child carethat’s is a trend we are seeingall over Europe. You have towork together. You can’t sit inoffice and try to solve problemsyourself – we all have to worktogether.

“Probably the biggest chal-lenge we have in Norway is thatwe have all these different sec-tors which we have to try to gettogether and integrate – weneed to do that better to providebetter services.

“When you transferred thesocial care service from thecouncil to the NHS – I was sur-

prised that you could actually dothat – it’s a big debate in Norwaywhere it’s not possible at pre-sent.

“We can’t do it on local levelas it has to be equal all overNorway but to see how you’veactually managed to make thetransfer it has been surprisingbut useful to see.”

The Mayor of Tromso, Jens Johan Hjort,pictured with former Inverness provost Allan Sellar

Continued from previous page

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CRAIG DUNAIN: 150th ANNIVERSARY

AN NHS Highland con-sultant says hewould have liked tohave looked into the

eyes of the very first patient tobe admitted to Craig Dunain,the Victorian “lunatic asylum”in Inverness.

On 19th May 1864, Invernessmariner Donald Donaldson be-came Craig Dunain’s first pa-tient. According to the hospital’s‘Register of Lunatics’, his bodilycondition was “insecure”, his dis-ease was “paralysis” and hisform of mental disorder was“dementia”.

He died just a few monthslater of what were described as“pecuniary losses”.

Now, on the 150th anniversaryof that first admission, an NHSHighland consultant in publichealth medicine, Dr CameronStark, has reviewed Donald’scase notes and said: “I’d haveliked a look at his pupils – syphi-lis might not have been a majorsurprise.”

The case notes on Craig

Dunain’s first patient, which arestored in the NHS Highland Ar-chive within the Highland Ar-chive Centre in Inverness, aretypical of those of many of thehospital’s earliest patients in thatthey reflect only a limited under-standing of mental illnesses.

Donald’s notes read: “Someyears ago it is stated he wastreated for delirium tremens andthat pecuniary difficulties fromthe loss of his vessel brought onthe present attack of insanitywhich is stated as having been

So what waswrong withThe Craig’sfirst patient?

Continued on next page

- 17 -

CRAIG DUNAIN: 150th ANNIVERSARY

characterised by violence, de-struction of furniture and verydirty habits.”

Only 10 days after his admit-tance, Donald had given up hisviolent ways and “has beenfound smiling, obedient, cheerfuland so far as he can manifesthis feelings gratified at everylittle service performed on hisbehalf, for he sleeps little, he iscontinually muttering, repeatingand shouting at the top of hisvoice the word ‘Pipe’.”

The notes state that Donaldsuffered from general paralysiswhich particularly affected thelimbs.

It was also difficult, if not im-possible, to ascertain what hewas speaking about. He wasprone to wetting his bed at night.

“This it is believed must bereferred to the partial paralysisrather than to his mental stateas he makes every effort duringthe day to preserve his personalcleanliness,” his notes read. “Itmay be remarked that the pa-ralysis is not looked upon as thatpeculiar to the insane and thatno information has been ob-tained regarding its progress.”

After his admission, Donaldsuffered frequently from“hemiplegic attacks of the rightside. He was extremely restless,rolled his head from side to side,shouted at the top of his voicefor days and assumed an aspectof perfect terror when ap-proached.

Though the paralysis at lastincreased to such an extent torender the patient perfectly help-less and to deprive him of thepower of articulating, the onlyword he appeared to remember‘Pipe’, the immediate cause of

death was a severe attack of …which had ultimately passed indysentery and carried off thepatient in little more than a fort-night.”

Speculating on Donald’s con-dition, Dr Stark suggested that,as he was a mariner, he maywell have had syphilis.

He said: “There are two mainpossibilities: an unremittingchronic mental illness or a pro-gressive neurological disorder. Itsounds most like tabes dorsalisand GPI (general paralysis ofthe insane). It would be interest-ing to know if his wife ever hadsymptoms.”

Craig Dunain was opened asthe Northern Counties District

Lunatic Asylum, with accommo-dation for 250-300 patients, andwas the third district asylum tobe opened in Scotland.

“It represented the very dawnof asylum life in Scotland,” saidDr Stark, “and for many peopleat the time it was a place ofgenuine hope.

“The treatment of the men-tally ill before asylums was trulyterrible.

“If you were poor, you werevery much better off in an asy-lum. Asylums offered a degreeof care – you were fed, you werewarm and you were given some-thing to do, such as work on thefarm or in the laundry.

“And while Victorians had alimited misunderstanding ofmental illness, I’d be fairly mod-est about our current under-standing. We still don’t knowwhat causes any of the majormental illnesses, although weknow a lot more about biologyand risk factors.”

Craig Dunain – known locallyas ‘The Craig’ – was closed in1999; a year later, New CraigsHospital opened.

Continued from previous page

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New fallsprogrammea success

A PROGRAMME de-vised in Lorn and Is-lands Hospital, Oban,has been credited as asuccess in keepingelderly people whomay be at risk of fallsout of hospital.

The programmewas created by a sen-ior physiotherapist atthe hospital last sum-mer and, following theend of its first year ofrunning, those attend-ing are impressed withthe results.

The class involvesstrength and balanceexercises, includingTai Chi.

The programmehas already provedpopular with those at-tending and seems tobe showing real bene-fits not just physicallybut also helping tobuild the confidence ofthe patient.

Gay men’shealth event

GAYCON 2014, thefifth national gaymen’s sexual healthand wellbeing confer-ence, will be held inthe Royal College ofPhysicians, QueenStreet, Edinburgh, on23rd and 24th October.

The free event isfor all involved in sex-ual health, HIV andgay men’s work.

THE chairman of Highland HealthSports and Social Club has spoken ofhis wish to see the social side of itsactivities developed.

Stephen Davison has chaired theclub for the past two years, duringwhich time much of the focus hasbeen on developing the gym, accom-modated in the Recreation Hall atRaigmore Hospital, Inverness.

Now, however, with some £12,500having been spent on new exerciseequipment for the gym, Stephen saidhe would like to devote more attentionto initiating more social activities.

He said: “The club has had a busysocial side in the past but that seemsto have waned a bit recently, and I’dlike to give to see it developed.

“Things are happening: we nowhave a new folk/traditional musicnight, which started on Tuesday 27th

May. It is being organised by JohnEvans, and will have a licensed bar.

“I know John is looking for ideas asto what people might like for futurenights. Similarly, I would also appreci-ate ideas as to what other activitiesthe club can get involved in.

“Anyone with any ideas, or anyonewho would like to get involved, cancontact me atstephen.davison@nhs.net.”

Stephen added that two exerciseclasses were running over the sum-mer: Zuma on Wednesdays at 6pm

and Body Balance on Thursdays at5.30pm. These are free for club mem-bers (membership costs just £4 amonth, or £2.50 a month without useof the gym), and there’s a smallcharge for non-members.

The club’s new-look gym, which isopen from 8am-8pm, is certainly prov-ing a major attraction, and is particu-larly popular in the early morning andin the hours after work.

“We now have around 400 mem-bers, of whom around 50 joined whenthe new gym equipment was pro-vided,” said Stephen. “It’s been greatfor the club.”

Meanwhile, Stephen announcedthe winners of the club’s May draw.They are: 1st prize (£50) - KatherineChristie, MRI; 2nd prize (£25) - LydiaLockwood, Medical illustration; 3rd

prize (£25) - Peter Hendry, X- Ray.

Club aimsto develop its

social side

- 19 -

HIGHLAND parents areto receive a freemagazine bag to helpthem store health in-

formation that is given to themthroughout pregnancy and untiltheir child is five years old.

The Highland Council andpartners NHS Highland, Every-thing Baby Highland and High-land Real Nappy Project intro-duced the new ‘Mag-Bag’ tomembers of the council’s educa-tion, children and adult servicescommittee earlier this month.

Children’s Champion, High-land Councillor Linda Munro,said: “For most parents everychild is different and it is impor-tant that when they need infor-mation on aspects of their child’shealth and well-being that theyhave it ready to hand. TheseMag-Bags will be a handy re-source for parents to keep safeall the information that is pre-sented to them during theirchild’s early years.

“I am also delighted that theinformation produced by High-land Council and NHS Highland– called ‘Highland InformationTrail’ – that will be stored in theMag-Bags has been adopted byNHS Health Scotland as a na-tional resource.”

Expectant mother AshleyCuthbert, of Inverness, was thefirst person to receive a Mag-Bag, which was presented to herby NHS Highland communitymidwife Effie Rowan, who worksin Nairn.

Sandra Harrington, HighlandCouncil’s midwifery develop-ment officer, said: “Much of thework of midwives and healthvisitors is based around healthimprovement, health promotion,screening and surveillance andinvolves conveying vast amountof information to parents thatcannot always be achieved inallotted clinic or contact time.

Parents are therefore given in-formation to take away withthem.

“The information that is pro-vided by the council and NHSHighland is structured into whatis called ‘The Highland Informa-tion Trail’. We are introducingthe Mag-Bag to help parentsstore the ‘Trail’ information thatthey receive.”

The Mag Bag will be gifted toall pregnant women acrossHighland at their booking ap-pointment with midwives. Thebag design has key messageswhich aim to promote the impor-tance of early positive relation-ships with babies and childreneven before birth. These keysmessages are part of a pilot pro-

ject called ‘Before Words’ that istaking place in Highland andwhich aims to encourage attach-ment between mother and child.

At first scan appointments,the key messages are discussedto encourage parents to speakto their babies from pregnancyonwards.

The key messages on theMag-Bag design state:‘Talk to me before I am born– I can already hear you’;‘Make your talking tunefuland I will listen’;‘Pause and wait – I needtime to talk back’; ‘Hold me and talk to me – itmakes me feel safe’; and‘I need quiet time every day’.

Karen Mackay, infant feedingadvisor for NHS Highland, said:"Women get so much informa-tion and the Mag Bag is an idealplace to keep it all, especiallywhen it endorses special mes-sages to help communicationwith babies both before and af-ter birth."

Pictured from left are: – back row: Sandra Harrington, HighlandCouncil’s midwifery development officer; Karen Mackay, infantfeeding advisor, NHS Highland; Katy Kitchingham, founder ofEverything Baby; Erica Atkinson, volunteer, Highland RealNappy Project. Front row: Children’s Champion, HighlandCouncillor Linda Munro; Effie Rowan, NHS Highland commu-nity midwife and expectant mother Ashley Cuthbert.

It’s inthe bag!

- 20 -

GOING to Dingwall for ameeting? Planning to‘hotdesk’ for a spell inLarachan House, one ofNHS Highland’s officesin the town? Then don’tforget to take your walk-ing shoes.

A walking group hasbeen set up there forstaff, with the groupmeeting at 1pm everyday, whatever the

weather.“There’s no pressure

to join and you cancome every day or justonce a week, the choiceis yours,” said groupmember Sarah Walker,an admin assistant atLarachan House.

She added: “As myjob is mainly sitting atthe computer I wantedto take full advantage

of ‘Healthy WorkingLives’ so when the newsabout a walking groupwas mentioned I thoughtthis was a great way toget 30 minutes of exer-cise without requiring avisit to the gym .”

Her colleague, man-agement accounts as-sistant Hollie Mowat,recently changed basedfrom Assynt House in

Inverness to LarachanHouse.

She said: “It hasbeen a great way for meto meet other peoplethat I would not normallyhave got to know, whilegetting some exerciseand fresh air.”

The walks, which last20-30 minutes, followroughly the same circuiteach day.

INFORMATION governance: it’sa phrase all NHS Highland em-ployees should be familiar withbut, it’s suspected, many are not.

And if you are one of those forwhom the expression is meaning-less, you really should read on.

For training in information gov-ernance – handling personal in-formation – is mandatory, with atraining package on the internet.

Aileen Fraser, NHS Highland’sarea information security man-ager in the eHealth Department,said many people did not realisethe importance of applying duecare when handling staff or pa-tient information.

“It really must be done withappropriate consideration givento confidentiality,” said Aileen,which is why it is important thatstaff members familiarise them-selves with the training that’savailable.

While training should be com-pleted online, Aileen said shewas happy personally to deliveradditional group training, depend-ing on availability and numbers.

She explained that foundation-level training was mandatory forall NHS employees and contrac-tors.

Training is also delivered attwo intermediate levels: the firstfor system and clinical adminis-trators, and administrators inhealth records services and inclinical coding; and Level 2 forstaff in clinical/professional roles,supervisory posts, middle manag-ers and health professionals.

There is also advanced leveltraining specifically for IG leadsand IG practitioners.

Aileen said: “All staff shouldhave completed their mandatorytraining at foundation level, andthe intermediate Level 1 module

is currently available and relevantstaff should arrange to completeit.

Access to these modules is viathe intranet on the NHS Highlandonline learning centre/LearnProwebsite.

Salaried general practitionerscan access this via their normalLearnPro NHS account or self-register, while non-salaried GPsbased on NHS Highland prem-ises can access it via their Learn-Pro Community site (those whodo not have access should con-tact high-uhb.learnpromailbox@nhs.net).

All other non-salaried prac-tices should contact NationalEducation for Scotland direct.

For further information aboutinformation governance, Aileencan be contacted ataileen.fraser2@nhs.net (tel.01463 706315).

Training on handlinginformation mandatory

Office colleagues set up walking group

INFORMATION GOVERNANCE: What employees should know...

- 21 -

Portal helps to turn agood idea into reality

DO you have an idea about a new technology orproduct that can help the NHS? Got an idea up yoursleeve that will improve patient care?

The new Health Innovation Procurement Portal(HIPP-Scotland) will provide information, guidanceand support to help you turn your idea into reality.

NHSScotland has designed this portal as a sin-gle-point resource to develop stronger partnershipswith industry. It provides potential suppliers with in-formation, guidance and support on how to developideas and innovations into products and technolo-gies that may be of use to NHSScotland, or to fur-ther develop established products.

NHS National Services Scotland’s Jim Miller,who helped develop the Innovation Portal, ex-plained: “There are thousands of people working inor supplying NHSScotland. Those on the front lineare often most likely to spot an idea for a new prod-uct or technology which can make it easier to do

our jobs, help patients or make savings.“But what’s been lacking in the past is a single

point where NHS Scotland and industry can feed-back and review new ideas and future requirements– that’s where the Innovation Portal comes in.”

After completing a simple registration process,each proposal will be assessed by experienced andqualified healthcare professionals who will be ableto provide constructive criticism and feedback onpotential technologies and innovations.

“They will assess the proposal and evaluate itscosts and benefits, including commercial aspects,how it fits with wider strategies, evidence and mar-ket readiness.

Jim continued: “If your proposal looks promising,the feedback from the portal will hopefully provide aplatform for further development and discussion.”

For more information, check out www.HIP-Scotland.org

PATIENTS, members ofthe public and staffwere invited to an infor-mation session on

heart failure to mark NationalHeart Failure Awareness Day,which took place earlier thismonth.

The aim of the day was toraise awareness of what heartfailure is and included informa-tion on recognising symptoms,the importance of early diagno-sis and what treatment is best tohelp improve your quality of life.

Pictured are Mandi Smith,BHF lead heart failure nurse forNHS Highland, and AnnaMetzler-Murray, heart failuresupport service co-ordinatorHighland for Chest Heart andStroke, who were on hand toanswer questions from patients,members of the public and staff.

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PRACTICE EDUCATION FACILITATORS: Their role explained

THE Practice Education Facilita-tor (PEF) role was celebrated at aNational ‘Quality in PracticeLearning’ event in Glasgow thismonth.

The PEF role emerged as partof the ‘Facing the Future’ nursingand midwifery recruitment andretention initiative in Scotlandduring the early 2000s.

In 2003 a partnership involvingthe then Scottish ExecutiveHealth Department, NHS Educa-tion for Scotland, NHS Scotlandorganisations and Higher Educa-tion Institutions (HEIs) was set upto take the project forward,backed by a ministerial commit-ment to fund 100 whole-timeequivalent PEF posts.

The first PEF posts came intobeing in 2004, initially as a three-year secondment, but followingreview they became substantivein 2007.

Building on the success of thePEF initiative a similar role forAllied Health Professions (AHPs)– that of AHP Practice EducationLead (AHP PEL) was introducedin 2006. This post provides sup-port and ongoing development forAllied Health Professions practiceeducators and AHP staff workingin both NHS Highland and TheHighland Council.

Further, in 2010 for an initialtwo-year period 14 Care Home

Education Facilitator (CHEF)posts were funded across Scot-land. These posts have subse-quently been extended and inNHS Highland we currently haveone such post.

Increasing the team even fur-ther is the Midwifery EducationFacilitator (MEF) who came intopost in 2013. This role is to sup-port midwifery students and theirmentors.

So, what may you ask doPEFs actually do? They have avaried role; however, they alsohave a ‘core role’ which is to:Provide support for mentorsto ensure effective supervision,assessment and informed deci-sion-making in relation to learn-ersAssist senior nurses to en-hance the quality of the clinicallearning environment through en-suring education and develop-ment needs of nursing and mid-wifery students and registeredpractitioners are addressed andsupported effectively within thepractice settingContribute towards cohesivepartnership working between theNHS board and HEIsMaximise the number of pre-registration nursing students sup-ported within clinical practice ar-eas while maintaining an effectivelearner experience

Ensure the development ofboth new and experienced men-torsContribute to the nursing andmidwifery workforce and policyagenda through facilitating qualitypractice learning opportunitieswhich demonstrate improvementsin patient outcomes and experi-enceProvide support for staff par-ticipating in education pro-grammes and continuing profes-sional development activities.

They are all registered practi-tioners, and are the ‘link’ not onlybetween the University and Prac-tice Learning Areas but betweenNES and NHS Highland and theUniversities of Stirling and Westof Scotland. Their role is firmlyembedded within NHS Highlandpractice education and develop-ment teams and they are commit-ted to the value of education inimproving clinical practice.

Over the years the role hasdeveloped considerably. Eachyear three national prioritieslinked to national policy or profes-sional regulation are agreed be-tween NES, NHS boards and HEIpractice education leads.

Key to the success of thePEFs’ role is this unique three-organisation infrastructure, which

Continued on next page

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Home well-regarded,says inspection report

A SUTHERLAND care home hasbeen described as “well re-garded” and as providing “goodcare and support” in a report bythe Care Inspectorate.

The inspectorate carried outan unannounced inspection ofMelvich Community Care Unit inMarch, and a report on the visithas highlighted improvementsmade at the NHS Highland facilitysince the previous review just twomonths earlier.

On that occasion, the care andsupport provided at the centrewere described as “adequate”and given a score of three, aswere the centre’s environmentand management and leadership.

The last report says the centreis “good” in both the quality ofcare and support it provides andin the quality of the environment,with each one getting a score offour. The quality of managementand leadership has been given a

score of three.Ross Mackenzie, NHS High-

land’s district manager in Suther-land, said: “It’s great to see thatthe Care Inspectorate has recog-nised the improvements made atthe centre since the previous un-announced visit, in January. Thelatest grades reflect a great dealof hard work on the part of man-agement and staff, and under-score our commitment to drive upquality and deliver the higheststandards of care.”

In its report, the Care Inspec-torate said: “The service providesa valuable resource for the localcommunities. It is a well regardedservice. People using the service,and the people who visit, speakhighly of it.”

The report goes on to ac-knowledge that the centre hadbeen through “a period of someturbulence”, with some staff hav-ing left, other staff taken on and a

new manager appointed.“This turbulence has stopped

the service improving as it shouldbut the new manager expressesa commitment to changing this,”says the report. “The staff havecontinued to show a devotion tothe care of service users who inturn speak highly of the staff andthe care they received.”

Among the recommendationsthe report makes for further im-provements are that the managerreviews how it provides informa-tion to service users, relativesand others so that they knowabout the choices available tothem, and that activities offeredto residents, particularly thosewho tend to spend long periods intheir rooms, be reviewed.

The centre is also required toensure that the dependencyanalysis for each service user isreviewed and updated at leastonce every four weeks.

Celebrating the success of PEFs

CARE INSPECTORATE: Improved grades at care unit welcomed

support their national network.Some examples of the pro-

jects in which we are and havebeen involved are:Leading Better CareMidwifery 2020Advanced Practice PathwaysAHP National Delivery PlanFlying Start NHS

Effective PractitionerNES Nursing and Midwifery ca-reer-long ePortfolioSupporting staff using work-force toolsNew generic nursing in-patient documentation project.One-year job guarantee fornurses and midwives.

The NHSH PEF team includ-ing our AHP PEL, CHEF and

MEF have an extremely variedrole, on a day-to-day basis and itis a great opportunity to increaseknowledge and skills both per-sonally and professionally.

To find out more about thePEF team, v is i t : h t tp : / /intranet.nhsh.scot.nhs.uk/Org/CorpServ/NursingDirectorate/PracticeEducationFacilitators/Pages/Default.aspx

Continued from previous page

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REWARDING, empowering,hard work, stress, emotionallychallenging, compassionate, un-predictable, paperwork and vo-cation were just some of thewords used by nursing staff atRaigmore Hospital when theywere asked to describe whatnursing meant to them.

Their words then formed partof a display being held in thehospital which was used to cele-brate International Nurses Day,which takes place every year onFlorence Nightingale’s birthday(12th May).

The display at Raigmore, justone of a number of events held

across Highland to mark the oc-casion, featured memorabiliawhich included a matron’s logbook from the RNI circa 1890s, abell which was used to signal theend of visiting hours in a ward,uniforms (modelled by our willingvolunteers) from the 1950s andthe 1960s and our patients in theChildren’s Ward even got in-volved by dedicating some art-work to International NursesDay.

Brendan Forman, assistantnurse manager for medical anddiagnostics at Raigmore, wantedthe day to be a celebration of allthings nurse across the ages.

He said: “It’s often worthwhilelooking to the past to focus onhow far nursing has come. Thetechnical aspects of nursing andthe acuity of care have ad-vanced beyond recognition fromthe era of the uniforms our mod-els are wearing. What hasstayed the same is the ethos ofcare and compas-sion, and combiningboth aspects to-gether in modern daynursing is possiblyone of the greatestchallenges we face.

“I think the feed-back notes on thedisplay sum that upperfectly; that nursessometimes feel frus-trated to achieve thatbalance but still feelimmensely passion-ate and proud aboutbeing a nurse.”

Display marks

Nurses Day

Rachel MacDonald, in a 1950suniform, with a visitors’ bell

Claire McCall in a uniform fromthe 60s

Artwork from the Children’s Ward

- 25 -

Clockwisefrom top: A setof old rules; aplaque from

Muirfield, OldEdinburgh

Road, Inver-ness; a collec-tion of nursingcertificates; anurse’s uni-

form from the1960s

- 26 -

THE Commonwealth Games willbe held in Glasgow this year from23rd July to 3rd August.

NHS Highland managers areasked to ensure that workforceplans are in place to ensure con-tinuity of service during Gamestime.

These plans should take intoaccount staff annual leave, in-cluding those submitted by staffintending to volunteer to providemedical services for G2014, andcontingency planning for indus-trial action by health service staff.

Business continuity plans arebeing drawn up which will takeinto account the expected largenumber of requests for annualleave and staff requests to volun-teer at the games. NHS Highland

will look at ways of pulling to-gether all staff requests with re-spect to volunteering.

Guidance on staff volunteeringhas been agreed at a nationallevel by the Scottish Terms andConditions Committee (STAC),which was issued in December.

Line managers are beingasked to forward any requestsreceived so far for volunteering atthe Games to John Burnside,business continuity manager.

Meanwhile, Highlights hascontinued to get feedback fromreaders who are getting involvedin the Games.

Dr Silke Bannuscher, a GP atthe Church Street Surgery inDunoon, got in touch to say thatshe would be volunteering at the

Games.She will be based at Hampden

Precinct during the athletics com-petition and said she was “veryexcited about it”.

She added: “Got my shift planand ‘holidays’ booked. Met lots offellow GPs from around Scotlandfor our role specific training dayat Hampden.”

Also from Argyll and Bute,Wendy O’Ryan, senior clinicalgovernance facilitator with theCHP, has been selected as a vol-unteer. Wendy will be based atthe SECC Precinct as part of thespectator services team.

Another participant will be Dor-noch-based community nurseElspeth Blyth, who will be a first-aider at the Games.

NHS Highland aims to continue cutting water bills

Commonwealth Games:guidance on volunteering

Are you taking part in the Commonwealth Games or do you know someone who is?Let Highlights know by contacting tom.davison@nhs.net (tel. 01463 704903).

NHS HIGHLAND has cut its an-nual water bill by £400,000 in justthree years after working withBusiness Stream, Scotland’slargest supplier of non-domesticwater and waste water services.

The figure equates to a third ofwhat the health board was previ-ously spending per year on itswater services, a total of £1.2 mil-lion. Through the implementationof efficiency measures andevaluation of its estate, BusinessStream hopes to help NHS High-land make even more savings.

Costs were cut significantlythrough the installation of auto-mated meter readers (AMRs)across its sites, which helped the

board monitor water use and iso-late anomalies in the system.This allowed NHS Highland toimplement efficiencies, align bill-ing with consumption and detectfaults in its pipe network.

A full plan of the healthboard’s underground networkwas also put together, a processreferred to as network mapping,helping it to understand the es-tate, plan for any extensions andmanage risk.

Gordon MacDonald, energyand sustainability manager atNHS Highland, said: “It’s abso-lutely essential that we manageour budget efficiently, given thepressure public finances are un-

der. Having meters installedacross our estate meant our billsmore accurately reflected whatwe were consuming and we werein a position to identify wheresavings could be made.

“By cutting our water con-sumption, we’re saving publicmoney that would be better spenton clinical activities and otherNHS services. Being able to fo-cus on our core services, andreduce the amount of time wespend on water and other utilities,is important in the health service.Working in partnership has madeit much easier for us to managecosts, risk and our water supplyoverall.”

- 27 -

SINCE its Highland launch atthe February NHS boardmeeting Living it Up has beenon the road across Highland

with a series of local roadshows aimedat members of the public and staff.

Living it Up has been working withseveral other organisations such asHighlife Highland, Highland Hospice,the Shirley project, LGOWiT, Paths ForAll, Senior Citizens Network, Age Scot-land and many more to showcase themany community services and organi-sations available across Highland.

One of the final roadshow eventsincluded a mini-launch workshop heldin Inverary on 24th April. The key aim ofthe event was to let staff experiencesome of the tools available on Living itUp and to link Living it Up to ongoingReshaping Care for Older People work-streams. The event was well attended

by staff from across our partner organi-sations 60 people attended with 14 dis-plays of related RCOP work displayed.

The very last roadshow event wasanother staff event held in Invernessover 50 staff dropped in with 13 dis-plays.

Staff attending were able to takepart in a series of demos on Living itUp and have a sneak preview of a digi-tal self management, staff were alsoable to give feedback on new develop-ments/services available soon on theLiving it Up website.

Both staff events were so well re-ceived that further workshops will beplanned in other areas of Highland overthe summer months. Look out for a fu-ture event near you

Visit www.livingitup.org.uk and clickon join us to be kept informed.

F O U N D A T I O Nc o u r s e s o n‘Effective Listeningfor Life, Health andCommunity’ are tobe held in InshesChurch, Inverness.

The courseaims to contributeto the QualityStrategy Ambitionof Safe and Effec-tive Person Cen-tred Care and tocomplement NHSKSF (Oct 2004)dimensions onc o m m u n ic a t i o nand promotion ofhealth and wellbe-ing.

The course willbenefit any staffm e m b e r w h owishes to improvetheir communica-tion skills throughbeing able to listenbetter with patientsor colleagues or intheir everydaylives.

If you are inter-ested in the Junecourse please re-turn your com-pleted applicationas soon as possi-ble and arrangepayment to bemade (places can-not be confirmeduntil payment hasbeen received).

You will find anapplication formand course pur-pose and outlineon the intranetChaplaincy site.

Effective

listening

- 28 -

Autisticpeople address

conferenceTHE Provost of Inverness, AlexGraham, was a special guest at arecent conference on autism witha twist: all the speakers were au-tistic.

Autism Rights Group Highland(ARGH) and the National AutisticSociety Scotland teamed up andproduced a line-up of guestspeakers to discuss autism andethics and lead a debate aroundpractical solutions on 16th May.

Over 120 people went along tolisten and engage with the speak-ers as they delivered presenta-tions on a variety of topics look-ing at the ethics and values asso-ciated with autistic spectrum con-ditions.

“It was a privilege to visit In-verness and meet autism expertsand campaigners whose work is

having such a significant, positiveimpact, both in Highland andacross the UK,” said NAS chiefexecutive Mark Lever.

“People with autism are ex-perts in their condition and it iscrucial we work together to helpcreate a world where people withthe condition can live the life theychoose.

“The Inverness Autism andEthics conference explored animportant aspect of how we canreach that goal. I look forward toHighland producing many moreinnovative autism events.”

The conference was openedby ARGH chairperson KabieBrook, who asked that autisticpeople be given a key role in dis-cussions about future plans forsupport, development and oppor-

tunities for employment.She said: “Autistic people

need allies to support and work inequal partnership with us. Puttingautistic people at the heart ofchange is the only way we cansuccessfully more forward to im-prove the lives of people livingwith autism in Highland.”

Speakers included Dr WendyLawson, who enthralled thecrowd with tales of social norms,sexual identity and gender; Dr YoDunn, who lectured on meaning-ful involvement in organising sup-port, and Dr Dinah Murray, whospoke on ethical ethics and howlots of small changes can makebig ones happen.

Pictured above are, from left,Kabie Brook, Mark Lever, ProvostGraham and Lisa Sturgess.

A COURSE designed for people who are looking togain and improve their abilities as a trainer is to beheld in Strathpeffer Community Centre from 7th-9th

October.‘Creating Imaginative Learning’ has been devel-

oped by NHS Health Scotland and is based aroundthe latest research into brain-friendly learning tech-niques and accelerated learning principles. Thecourse is designed to focus on the learner by pro-viding an enriching learning environment with prac-tical tools.

The trainers will be Public Health Network co-

ordinator Jane Groves and learning and develop-ment facilitator Michelle Jeans.

The course has been subsidised but there will bea cost of £70 per participant, which covers a coursebook and other materials.

NHS staff are encouraged to apply electronicallythrough the NHS Highland intranet using the AT-Learning booking system which is linked to eKSF.

For further information contact administratorTanzeela Bashir on 01463 704781 or tan-zeela.bashir@nhs.net or Jane Groves on 01463704960 or janes.groves2@nhs.net

Strathpeffer venue for three-daycourse on how to improve as a trainer

- 29 -

Helping to reducerisk of skin cancerIN summer 2013 a UV radiationmonitor was installed on the roofof Raigmore Hospital’s Emer-gency Department, making it oneof three sites located within Scot-land. Public Health England oper-ates a total of nine UV instru-ments across the UK.

The monitor has three sensorswhich detect the sun’s strength,intensity and duration. A websitepresenting this information hasrecently been made live, display-ing interactive UV index graphsfor the monitor on a daily basis.

The website not only adviseson exposure in areas but hasuseful links to public health mes-sages about UV exposure, skincancer and being sun smart.

Mr Andrew Hince, NHS High-land consultant physicist andhead of radiation protection, ex-plained that the information could

also be used to help monitor cli-mate change.

He said: “It is accepted thatUV radiation can cause skin can-cer and this monitor will allow sci-entists to follow patterns. Thepublic can use it when it comes tobeing safe while out in the sun. Itwill also help research into cli-mate change and ozone concen-tration in the area.

“The data recovered is dis-played as a UV index which is

now easily accessible to all bythe website. The UVI is a meas-ure of the level of UV radiation.The values of the index rangefrom zero upward – the higherthe UVI, the greater the potentialfor damage to the skin and eye,and the less time it takes forharm to occur.”

Cathy Steer, NHS Highland’shead of health improvement, ex-plained that by having this infor-mation, coupled with being sunsmart, could help reduce yourrisk of skin cancer.

She said: “Too much UV ra-diation from the sun or sunbedsis the main cause of skin cancer.

“By enjoying the sun safely,taking care not to burn and avoid-ing sunbeds, you can reduce therisk of developing skin cancer.The fairer your skin, the morecareful you need to be in the sun.If you have fair skin, red or fairhair, lots of moles or freckles or afamily history of skin cancer youmay be at higher risk.

“The UV monitor at RaigmoreHospital will allow people to ac-cess information about thestrength of the sun’s rays in In-verness and be able to take ap-propriate action to be sun smart.”

The website is hosted by De-fra as part of their AIR-UK web-site and can be accessed usingthe following link:

http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/uv-index-graphs

UV RADIATION: Monitor on hospital roof detects sun’s strength

THE conclusion of a three-year project to identify solutions to the chal-lenges of attracting and retaining high-quality staff into public sector-services in remote and rural areas was marked with a conference inNorthern Ireland this month.

The two-day conference, held in Enniskillen, was the closing eventfor the European Union’s Northern Periphery Programme project,‘Recruit and Retain’, which was led by NHS Western Isles and fundedby the European Regional Development Fund.

The main focus of the project has been on healthcare as well as thewider public -ervice sector.

The conference was organised by the cross-border health partner-ship Co-operation and Working Together, the University of Aberdeenand NHS Western Isles.

Conference looks at staff recruitment

- 30 -

- 31 -

AROUND 600 people in the High-lands have an acquired brain in-jury, the organisers of a majorevent on the subject have re-vealed.

The Head Injury InformationDay, staged in Eden Court, Inver-ness, on 13th May, was organ-ised by Digby Brown Solicitors forprofessionals and people affectedby brain and head injuries, includ-ing families and carers.

This was the second time in asmany years that the event hadbeen staged in the Highland capi-tal and the event coincided withAction for Brain Injury Week.

Among those who gave pres-entations were two NHS Highlandexperts, Dr Barbara Chandler, aconsultant in rehabilitation medi-cine, and consultant clinical neu-ropsychologist Dr Louise Black-more.

NHS Highland south and middirector of operations Nigel Small

also delivered a presentationbased on his involvement aschair of a group aimed at devel-oping the services the healthboard provides for adults withacquired brain injuries, with DrChandler giving a talk on the hid-den symptoms of such an injury.

Dr Blackmore said: “When aperson experiences a head in-jury, very often it can feel likethey have lost part of themselvesor that part of them has gonemissing.

“They have to get to know thenew them too. They may find thatthey have difficulty rememberingthings or difficulty planning andorganising and they may evenget stressed more easily.

“Some of these difficulties can-not be seen physically but theyhave a major impact on the wayin which a person functions inday-to-day life.”

Dr Blackmore added: “My goal

as a clinical neuropsychologist isto help people on this journey ofgetting to know the ‘new them’and if possible, to bring themcloser to liking that person. Itreally is a privilege to work withthe patients who come to see me.

“My presentation at the HeadInjury Information Day, ‘The Emo-tional Roller-Coaster’, reflectedthe work that I do and the experi-ences of the people and theirfamilies who come to see me.”

Helping to organise the infor-mation day was KathleenMcMonagle, of Digby Brown’sspecialist brain and spinal injurylegal department.

She said: “There are 600 peo-ple living with acquired brain in-jury in Highland.

“Yet brain injury is often de-scribed as a ‘hidden disability’,which is often misunderstood anddoes not always get the attentionit merits.”

Do you know of something you think

should be featured in Highlights? An

award, an achievement, a piece of

research, an appointment, a retiral

… you name it, Highlights has a

place for it. Please send your arti-

cles for Highlights to

tom.davison@nhs.net (01463 704903)

or visit the Staff Dropbox on the NHS

Highland intranet home page.

What’s your story? Keep Highlights informed

600 in Highlands have

acquired brain injury

EVENT: Consultants and director of operations address conference

- 32 -

It’s the simplethings that can

really makethe difference!

DONATION: Crohn’s and colitis group’s gift to hospital infusion suite

THE Highlands and IslandsGroup of Crohn’s and ColitisUK recently donated someequipment to the infusion suitein Raigmore Hospital.

The equipment, a fridge andan iPad, will improve and sup-port the experience of patientswho regularly use the facility.

Day-patients who attend theinfusion suite will have the usea dedicated fridge to store foodand drink items for their ownuse when in the unit.

“This might seem like a verybasic need,” said AlasdairJoyce, co-ordinator of the localgroup, “But it is relatively simplemeasures like these that canmake the experience for pa-

tients so much more bearable,and it is for exactly this sort ofpurpose that our group is hereto support patients.”

The iPad will be used by thesuite’s specialist nursing andother care staff to help to edu-cate and inform patients andtheir families about their condi-tion, and how their care is man-aged.

“Much of the work that thegroup carries out is targetedclosely to patients across thegroup’s area,” said Alasdair. “Itcovers from Moray in the eastacross to Caithness, the West-ern Isles and Lochaber and asfar south as Kingussie, a landarea equivalent to the whole of

Belgium.”David Armour, IBD clinical

nurse specialist based at Raig-more Hospital, said: “We areextremely grateful to the localCrohns and Colitis UK group fortheir kind and generous dona-tion which has allowed us tobuy a patient fridge for the Infu-sion suite which will allow ourpatients to store their food whilethey are in having treatment.

“We have also been able tobuy an ipad which will allow usto help with patient education.”

Pictured: Kenny Fraser, fromChrons and Colitis UK, withDavid Armour, IBD clinicalnurse specialist

Badenoch & Strathspey public consultation continuesNHS HIGHLAND has announcedthree more dates for the public tofind out more about the proposedmajor service changes in Bade-noch and Strathspey.

Public meetins will be held at7pm on 25th June in Talla NanRos, Kingussie; 1st July in Cairn-

gorm Hotel, Aviemore; and 2nd

July in Grant Arms, Grantown-on-Spey.

These are in addition to a widerange of events already underway, including attending commu-nity councils, drop-in events andother events.

The consultation, which waslaunched on 21st April, will rununtil 21st July.

A leaflet explaining whychanges are being proposed andhow people can make their viewsknow has been delivered tohouseholds in the area.

- 33 -

ARGYLL Community HousingAssociation (ACHA) has won aprestigious award from the Euro-pean Network for WorkplaceHealth Promotion for represent-ing a successful model of goodpractice in ‘Promoting HealthyWork for People with Chronic Ill-ness’.

The award recognised the as-sociation’s commitment to ensur-ing the health of its staff, particu-larly in relation to the manage-ment of those with chronic ill-nesses.

The award was part of an ini-tiative promoted by the ScottishCentre for Healthy Working Livesfor the European Network forWorkplace Health Promotion.

ACHA and its subsidiary com-pany Argyll Homes for All (AHFA)has 207 employees and operatesacross all areas of Argyll & Butewith offices in Helensburgh,Dunoon, Rothesay, Oban, Loch-gilphead, Campbeltown and Bow-more providing affordable social

housing across Argyll & Bute. Itis the landlord of approximately5,000 properties.

Steve Bell, strategic director ofthe Scottish Centre for HealthyWorking Lives at NHS HealthScotland, said: “With an ageingpopulation who are required towork longer and the increase inthe prevalence of chronic illness,it is important that managershave an awareness of how to ad-dress the associated issues withwhich employees present.

“People’s requirements at

work can alter over the course oftheir employment and it is impor-tant that they are supportedthrough their changing needs.

The association has recentlybeen awarded the Healthy Work-ing Lives Bronze Award and isworking towards Silvernow. This, along with their focuson early intervention aroundchronic illness, demonstrates aclear commitment to their staffboth in terms of health promotionand support for longer-termhealth.”

Housing association wins Euro health award

NATIONAL Smile Month recently came to Oban, asthe oral health improvement team from Argyll &Bute Community Health Partnership held a specialevent to back the UK’s biggest oral health cam-paign.

Taking place from 19th May to 19th June, Na-tional Smile Month aims to promote and raiseawareness of good oral health and the oral healthimprovement team is getting involved to do justthat.

Rockfield Pre 5 and Sgoil Araich Pre 5 had avisit from Parsnip the Puppet on 14th May.

Parsnip will stay with the children for four weeksand join in when they have their healthy snacks and

brush their teeth.The children are learning about the importance

of looking after their lovely smiles, along with keep-ing a diary of what they do at pre-school.

Parsnip will have a goodie bag for the childrenwhich includes a toothbrush, a ‘smiley’ sticker andcarrot seeds. They will also be reading storiesabout smiles and the children will make a displaythat will be shown in the window of Superdrug, inOban town centre from Monday 2nd June to Friday13th June.

Organisers hope that lots of people will see thechildren’s work, and the ways in which people canlook after their oral care.

Parsnip helps primary schoolpupils brush up on oral health

- 34 -

THERE are an estimated14,000 people across

Highland living with heart fail-ure.

Chronic heart failure is along-term condition which canbe associated with significantphysical disability, anxiety, de-pression and reduced quality oflife. Many people living with thecondition experience both isola-tion and loneliness.

In an effort to better supportthose living with the condition,the Chest Heart & Stroke HeartFailure Support Service (CHSS)began in the Highlands twoyears ago thanks to a partner-ship with LifeScan Scotland andNHS Highland.

The foundations of the ser-vice had been laid by the heartfailure specialist nurses and anNHS Highland heart expert,consultant cardiologist Profes-sor Steve Leslie.

Since then, the service hasblossomed in this rural, geo-graphically challenging area.The heart failure support ser-vice provides trained volunteerbefrienders who support clientsin their own homes or in thecommunity to offer support andhelp them regain some inde-pendence.

Anna Metzler-Murray, theHeart Failure Support Serviceco-ordinator, said: “Researchstates that befriending contrib-utes to supporting people with anew direction in life and opensup a range of activities leadingto increased self-esteem andself confidence, enabling peo-ple to live a fuller life.

“We now have 13 matchedpatient-volunteer partnershipsacross Highland.

“People who have been di-agnosed with heart failure facesignificant physical and emo-tional challenges and I’m al-

ways astonished how strongand determined they are.

“However, I’m usually moreastonished by the difference avolunteer befriender can make– all our patients talk about thedifference and benefit their vol-unteer makes and are so grate-ful for this service. Of course,none of this would happen with-out our brilliant volunteers!”

Becoming a Heart FailureSupport Service befriender isan opportunity to undertake a

satisfying and rewarding role,visiting clients in their homesand helping to address the so-cial isolation experienced by somany.

Full training is provided andall expenses are reimbursed.Volunteering is extremely re-warding and worthwhile andCHSS holds the prestigious‘Investing in Volunteers’ awardin recognition of the high levelof support and training the char-ity provides for its volunteers.

The service requires volun-teers to make a difference topeople in your community livingwith heart failure. People with adiagnosis of heart failure can bereferred by their health profes-sional, family member or selfrefer.

For further information aboutthe Heart Failure Support Ser-vice, please contact AnnaMetzler-Murray on 01463701196 or 07753 372 557, or ata n n a . m e t z l e r -murray@chss.org.uk .

Volunteerbefrienders

with patientsat heart...

‘People withheart failure

face significantphysical and

emotionalchallenges’

- 35 -

What’s your job?My role is primarily developing and delivering

training around SDS and the importance of work-ing in a person centred way.

Describe yourselfConscientious, compassionate, with a zest for life.

Hobbies and interests?I love cooking, listening to music, I enjoy longwalks with my tworescue dogs, watching Formula1 and visiting charity shops.

What was the first single you ever bought?It was “Carrie Anne” by the Hollies in 1969. TheHollies also had a massive hit with one of my all-time favourite songs, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s MyBrother”.

What is your favourite food?I love most foods as long as it is fresh and doesnot contain garlic. I have a violent reaction toGarlic. Scallops and venison are things I eatregularly.

What is your favourite film?Calamity Jane – I love Doris Day.

And TV programme?Masterchef – I live in hope of my husband learn-ing something from it.

Favourite book?Anything by Audrey Howard.

If you won £10 million on the lottery whatwould you spend it on?I would make large donations to Munlochy AnimalHome, The Dogs Trust and Breast Cancer U.K. Iwould invest large sums to secure the future ofmy children and five grandchildren. I would giveanonymous gifts to ordinary people who havebeen kind – e.g. people I have met on the train orin the shops.

What about a smaller sum, say £1000?I would be totally self-indulgent and spend it on aluxury break with my husband, Stuart.

What are your pet hates?Bad manners, insincerity and people who do notrespect differences and try to impose their viewson others.

If you could have dinner with three peopledead or alive, who would they be and whatwould you cook them?My husband, and the Obamas – I think they are aperfect match, as perfect as Stuart and I. I wouldcook them a traditional Scottish meal of Scotchbroth, venison with haggis in a cream and whiskysauce and cranachan.

What are the best and worst parts of your job?Best part – When the training I have deliveredmakes people look to the future with optimism.Worst part – When people are not forward think-ing and create unnecessary obstacles to movingforward.

Answering the questions this month is Linda

Ann Skinner, Inverness-based self-directed

support officer

- 36 -

NHS HIGHLAND midwivesplayed host for a day to a groupof four midwifery educators fromMalawi and gave them a taste ofwhat it is like to train, be trainedand work in NHS Highland.

The group also included amidwife from Palestinian currentlystudying for an MSc in Midwiferyat the University of Aberdeen.

The visit formed part of amonth long Commonwealth Pro-fessional Fellowship programme,hosted by the University of Aber-deen, in partnership with RobertGordon University and NHS part-ners.

The impetus to host four Com-monwealth Professional Fellowscame from an existing collabora-tive three year project beingjointly undertaken by these aca-demic partners. This project isaimed at supporting maternitycare providers in Malawi to en-hance and extend the provisionof skilled maternity care in a bidto reduce maternal and neo nataldeaths.

Increasing women’s access tohigh quality maternity care is themost effective way of reducingdeaths among women and ba-bies, and this is essential to Ma-lawi’s efforts to achieve Millen-nium Development Goal 5 – theimprovement of maternal health,specifically through reduction ofthe maternal mortality ratio.

During their visit the groupheard about services and trainingprovided in NHS Highland. Theyalso had a tour of the ClinicalSkills facility at the Centre forHealth Science as well as theMaternity Unit at Raigmore.

The group also had an oppor-tunity to talk to both the Caith-ness integrated midwifery teamand the community midwiferyteam based in Invergordon in or-der to gain insight into their differ-ent roles.

The group also had an oppor-tunity to visit Fort William Mid-wifery Unit the following day.

Sarah McLeod, lead midwifefor North and West OperationalUnit (West), hoped the visit wasbeneficial to our visiting overseascolleagues.

She said: “Although they wereonly with us for a short time itwas a very full programme andour overseas colleagues had theopportunity to link in with severaldifferent aspects of maternity ser-vices within NHS Highland.

“I hope that the knowledgeand skills shared with them dur-ing their visit will be of benefitback in Malawi and will help sup-port improving maternity care intheir own working environments.”

Sarah has had some experi-ence of working in Malawi as sheand several other colleaguesfrom NHS Highland along other

board’s areas in Scotland formedpart of another Scottish Govern-ment Project visiting the countrybetween` 2007-2010. The projectinvolved teaching Obstetric andNeonatal Emergencies to Mala-wian healthcare professionalsinvolved in the care of womenand babies.

She said: “We were given theopportunity to teach on both in-structor and provider courses inseveral parts of Malawi over thethree-year period of the project.

“The courses are similar tothose currently delivered in theUK, but tailored to meet theneeds of practice and facilities ina very a different working envi-ronment.

“They are designed to allowattendees to achieve competencyin managing emergencies withthe aim being to reduce the highfetal/maternal morbidity and mor-tality figures of the country.

“The ultimate aim of the pro-ject was to support Malawianhealthcare orofessionals project,to have enough trained instruc-tors to continue the roll outcourses. Essential training equip-ment was purchased to ensureinstructors were able to runcourses throughout Malawi.”

MIDWIFERY: Overseas colleagues get taste of work and training in Highland

NHS Highlandhosts studytour group

from Malawi

- 37 -

LIBRARIES play a strategic role in the Virginia Ma-son Medical Centre and ThedCare systems onwhich the Highland Quality Approach is built.

The Highland Health Sciences Library shouldthus be seen as a key resource for all NHS High-land staff as they strive for quality.

Here items are just a few of our selection of ma-terials dedicated to these aims: Value by Design:Developing Clinical Microsystems to Achieve Or-ganizational Excellence (W 84 NEL), Improving pa-tient Care: The Implementation of Change in HealthCare (W 84.7 GRO).

The library also holds material relating to qualitywithin specific healthcare areas; eg, Quality in Audi-ology: Design and Implementation of the PatientExperience (WV 270 TAY).

The Branching Out pilot being run by NHS High-land and Abriachan Forest Trust show the value ofgreenspaces to people. Gardening and horticulturealso have proven therapeutic benefit.

The library holds some material on this, such as:Health, Well-being and Social Inclusion: Therapeu-tic Horticulture in the UK (WM 450.5 SEM), andHorticultural Therapy Methods: Making Connectionsin Health Care, Human Service and CommunityPrograms (WB 555 HAL).

There are also general works on the importanceof social space - Mental Health and Social Space:Towards Inclusionary Geographies? (WM 31 PAR).

The innovative falls prevention programme inCaithness points up the need for information on thisaspect of health care. The library has a number ofresources relating to falls including: Falls in OlderPeople: Risk Factors and Strategies for prevention(WT 100 LOR) and Falls (WA 288 DAR).

If you are attending the hypothesis testing in sta-tistics course why not have a look at the followingitems? Munro's Statistical Methods for Health CareResearch (QA 200 KEL), Statistics Toolkit (QA 200PER), and Statistical Power Analysis: A SImple andGeneral Model for Traditional and Modern Hypothe-sis tests (QA 200 MUR).

Whatever your needs the Highland Health Sci-ences Library is there to help you.

Don’t spend more than 10 minutes on a problemyou may be having – contact the library.

To find out more about the library and our manyservices call 01463-255600 (x7600).

Rob Polson (rp5@stir.ac.uk)

Quality improvement, greenspace,falls and statistics – the Highland

Health Sciences holds it all

See ‘It’s in the bag’ - page 19

by Ian Thompson