Memo to staff: board will heed your views - NHS Highland

- -

NOVEMBER 2015

THE results of the NHSScotland staff

survey, conducted in the autumn to

give employees the opportunity to pro-

vide feedback on their experience of

working for the organisation, were an-

nounced last week.

And, as far as NHS Highland is con-

cerned, the findings reflected very little sta-

tistical change from those published after the

2014 survey.

A total of 3,275 NHS Highland staff (33

per cent) responded to the survey, one per-

centage point higher than last year and two

points higher than in 2013.

And that, said NHS Highland quality im-

provement lead Ray Stewart, was particularly

welcomed.

He said: “The board values its staff, and

appreciates the fact that employees took the

time to express their views through this sur-

vey.

“I would like to thank them for partici-

pating, and for their honesty.”

He added: “This survey came on the back

of what was a challenging year for the NHS

in Highland and throughout the country and

gives us a wealth of useful data that we can

use as we strive to make improvements

throughout the organisation and to embed

Highlights THE NHS HIGHLAND STAFF NEWSPAPER December 2015

SURVEY

Continued on page 2

NHS Highland district

manager Rhiannon

Pitt (front right) talks

about her unusual in-

terest in ‘Other Lives’

on page 37.

Memo to staff: board

will heed your views

The pulling

power of

the bells...

- 2 -

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Contents

Board’s new chair

Highland Quality Award

Commuters’ corner:

New health centre opens

Lung cancer campaign

New Craigs saved my life!

Refugees welcomed

Elective care centre plans

Department profile

Review of the Year

Other Lives: Rhiannon Pitt

Q&A: Tom Davison

Staff survey findings

the Highland Quality Approach in all

that we do.”

Deborah Jones, chief operating

officer, added: “We will continue to

work in partnership with profes-

sional bodies and trade unions to

discuss how we can work more effi-

ciently and further improve the ex-

perience of staff working for NHS

Highland.”

The survey's findings, which will

be considered by both the partner-

ship forum and the

staff governance com-

mittee, are available on

the NHS Highland

intranet for staff to

view.

They show that in

all but two questions

there has been no sig-

nificant improvement

or deterioration in

responses this year

compared to 2014.

The two key differ-

ences were that 40 per

cent of respondents

felt they were kept

well informed about

what was happening in

NHS Highland, com-

pared with 47 per cent

in 2014; and that 67

per cent said that they

had a Knowledge and

Skills Framework de-

velopment review,

performance review,

appraisal, personal

development plan

meeting or equivalent

– down four percent-

age points.

Among the other negatives were

that 60 per cent of respondents felt

that care of patients/service users

was NHS Highland's top priority,

compared to 63 per cent in 2014; 75

per cent said they still intended to be

working within NHS Highland in 12

months time, down from 78 per

cent; 52 per cent felt they had suffi-

cient opportunities to put forward

new ideas or suggestions for im-

provements in their workplace, com-

pared with 55 per cent in 2013.

There were also three per cent

drops in the proportion of staff who

would recommend their workplace

as a good place to work; who still

intended to be working with NHS

Highland in 12 months time; and who

believed it was safe to challenge the

way things are done if they had con-

cerns about quality, negligence or

wrongdoing by staff.

Among the posi-

tives were increases in

the proportion of re-

spondents who felt

that NHS Highland

acted fairly and of-

fered equality of op-

portunity with regard

to their career pro-

gression/promotion; in

the percentage of staff

who felt they could

meet conflicting de-

mands on their time at

work.

Eighty-nine per cent

of NHS Highland staff

said they were pre-

pared to go the 'extra

mile' at work when

required, the same

proportion as nation-

ally.

Maimie Thompson,

the board's head of PR

and engagement, said:

“The fact that these

findings suggest that,

by and large, things

appear to be 'as you

were' in terms of staff

satisfaction levels does not blind us

to the task ahead.

“The Highland Quality Approach

is giving us the momentum to im-

prove what we do for our patients,

or services users and our staff, and

we look forward to working with

them to make NHS Highland a more

efficient and effective organisation,

and a great one to work for.”

‘

The HQA

is giving

us the

momen-

tum to

improve

what

we do

’

Continued from front

- 3 -

As you’re tucking into your festive

fare, opening that last present or

pinching ‘just one more chocolate

before dinner’ this Christmas, a

small but dedicated team at Raig-

more Hospital will be working

away as they do every day of the

year.

You won’t know them to see but

everyone who has cause to call the hos-

pital will have had contact with the

women who staff the switchboard.

As a department they operate 24/7

so Christmas can be just like any other

day for them but for those working they

do try to still have a little bit of Christ-

mas on the day.

Joan Connor has been working in

switchboard for the past 14 years. Re-

cently promoted to assistant telecoms

supervisor, she is no longer on the rota

but she has worked Christmas before.

She explained that three shifts are

covered on the day: 7am-3pm and 3-

11.30pm are covered by two people and

the 11.30pm-7am shift by one person.

Joan said: “If you’re on the early shift

it’s not too bad. You just have to make

sure you have everything prepared on

the day and you can have your Christ-

mas dinner later on when you get

home.

“One year the two of us who were

working decided we’d do it differently

and we ordered in a takeaway for our

lunch. It took three hours to arrive and,

as if that wasn’t bad enough, it tasted

horrible! We didn’t do it again!”

Joan’s colleague Maggie Cowan has

also been working on the hospital

switchboard for the past 14 years and

has worked on Christmas for the past

six.

She said: “It’s just the way the rota

falls. Someone has to be here, and you

work your life around it.

“My Christmas is all planned this

year though. It’s a big one as I’ll have

grandkids staying and my mother is visit-

ing so I’ll make sure everything is pre-

pared and we can have our Christmas

when I get home. Mind you, with the

grandkids staying I’m sure we’ll all be up

early anyway watching them open their

presents!”

The hospital’s switchboard gets

about 3,000 calls a day and although on

Christmas it can sometimes be quieter

it isn’t always the case and it can just be

like any other day.

Maggie said: “It’s still a working hos-

pital. Patients will be here and people

will still want to find out how they are

or speak to staff. I would say calls aren’t

as ‘Merry Christmas’ as they used to be.

Callers are all pleasant but it is very

businesslike now.

“Most of the duty managers who are

on over the festive period will pop in to

say hello and see who is in. It’s nice to

be remembered as sometimes because

of where we are in the building we

sometimes think we’ve been forgotten

but the staff here are very generous and

the department gets lots of gifts.”

The general consensus in the depart-

ment is that the worst shift to work on

Christmas Day is the 3-11.30pm one

which this year falls to Kate Stewart.

Kate has been working on the

switchboard for 10 years and it is clear

that she loves her job.

She said: “I can have bad days like

everyone else but I work with great

people and I have a great job. I really

like it here.

“My shift is considered one of the

worst, as it’s too early to have your

dinner, and it’s too early to go see any-

one so I think my Christmas morning

will be spent pottering about waiting to

go into work.”

Kate explained that part of their role

on the switchboard was to alert on-call

teams to any of the alarms going off in

the hospital.

She said: “As well as our standard

patient and ward calls we deal with the

fire calls which mean we’ve to ‘999’ the

fire service and notify the hospital fire

team. We also get notified of the alarms

going off in the hospital which can in-

clude boiler alarms, medical gases,

doors being breached at night and the

2222 medical emergency alarm.

“We have a long list of people on

call as obviously Christmas is a public

holiday – this can include estates staff,

duty managers, the press office, public

health, and the on-call executive.

“You don’t like having to call people

at Christmas or anytime out of hours to

be honest but everyone is so nice about

it. Particularly if you call them by mis-

take, the relief when they realise they’re

not actually on call is apparent!

“It’s no different to any other day

really. We work in a hospital; it doesn’t

stop and neither do we.”

FEATURE

Christmas? It’s just

another day for our

switchboard team Kate Stewart at work

Maggie Cowan on the switchboard

- 4 -

THE next chair of NHS Highland,

Dr David Alston, has spoken of the

opportunities and challenges he

faces when he takes over from the

current incumbent, Garry Coutts,

on 1st April 2016.

Dr Alston, whose appointment was

announced earlier this month by the

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing

and Sport, Shona Robison, is a long-

serving non-executive director of NHS

Highland. He first joined the board in

2003, and ended his second term as a

member in his own right in 2011. After

a gap of almost a year he returned to

the board as a Highland Council nomi-

nee, and has served on it since.

He said: “My time on the board has

been enormously fulfilling and I look

forward to continuing my work with it,

albeit in what will undoubtedly be a

more challenging and demanding capac-

ity.

“Garry Coutts has been a fantastic

servant to the board and to the High-

land community and his will be ex-

tremely difficult shoes to fill.

“However, he is leaving an organisa-

tion that is in extremely good shape.

Undoubtedly, there are challenges, not

least financial, that the board is working

hard to meet but there are also very

real opportunities to develop health and

social care for the people we serve.

“For example, I have been very im-

pressed by the improvement work

that’s been carried out under the ban-

ner of the Highland Quality Approach,

and I am confident that will continue to

deliver real and lasting benefits for eve-

ryone in NHS Highland’s area, including

our staff.”

Dr Alston was born in Inverness,

raised in Golspie and also spent some of

his early years in Boat of Garten and

Rosehall in Sutherland. He went to

school in both Golspie and Grantown-

on-Spey and in 1970 he went to Aber-

deen University to study Philosophy,

graduating with a first-class honours

degree five years later.

He has worked as a play leader in

Toxteth, Liverpool, and taught English in

a school in Wallsend near Newcastle.

He went on to be the Workers Educa-

tional Association’s first organiser in the

Highlands and subsequently worked as

curator/manager of Cromarty Court-

house Museum.

In 1999, he successfully stood as an

independent candidate for The Highland

Council, winning the Black Isle North

seat. He is now a Liberal Democrat

councillor for the multi-member Black

Isle ward, became the council’s deputy

leader in 2012, and recently relin-

quished his post as leader of the Liberal

Democrat group on the council.

With NHS Highland, Dr Alston has a

particular interest in quality improve-

ment work and in the integration of

health and adult social care.

In a Highlights article in 2013, Dr

Alston explained: “One of the chal-

lenges we have is making the integration

of health an adult social services work.

But we have another challenge around

integration. The NHS is not really a

single organisation; it has lots of inde-

pendent parts. Not all GPs are our em-

ployees, there’s an issue of autonomy

among consultants, and so on. The chal-

lenge we face is making system changes

to ensure that all these elements work

together effectively.

“And, of course, we have a challenge

with our budget. It’s something I try not

to view negatively. I think I am prepared

to think out of the box. As someone

once said: ‘Recession is the mother of

invention’.”

Outside his professional interests Dr

Alston is a keen historian whose recent

publications have brought to light Scot-

land’s extensive involvement in the slave

plantations of the Caribbean. He has a

website on the subject: Slaves & High-

landers (http://www.spanglefish.com/

slavesandhighlanders)

Dr Alston is a member of the Uni-

versity of the Highlands and Islands

board, the Gaelic Society of Inverness

and Cromarty History Society. He also

holds trusteeships of Cromarty Har-

bour Trust, Craigie Urquhart Trust and

Nigg Old Trust.

The position of chair of NHS High-

land is a part-time one and attracts a

remuneration of £29,936 for a time

commitment of three days per week.

APPOINTMENT

Board’s next chair

looks forward to

challenges ...

and opportunities

- 5 -

A PILOT project which ran for

three months at Raigmore Hospi-

tal is the winner of the latest High-

land Quality Approach Award.

The bed cleaning team, manned by

domestics Alan Fitzgerald and Stephen

Halpin, have been commended for their

attitude towards the pilot and for their

flexibility and work ethic.

During the pilot the team worked

across three ward areas and had sole

responsibility to clean the bed and bed

space before a new patient could be

admitted to that area. Previously it had

been a joint task involving domestics

and nursing staff.

Just one week into the pilot the

team was found to be turning round

bed spaces much more efficiently, help-

ing to improve patient flow across the

hospital.

Called “amazing” in the nomination,

the team was praised for helping to free

up nursing time allowing them to deliver

direct patient care and enhancing the

HQA values of teamwork, excellence,

integrity and caring.

Iona McGauran, the then interim

lead nurse for Raigmore Hospital, said:

“Both Alan and Stephen worked excel-

lently within all teams.

“They had a good understanding of

hospital flow, allowing them to prioritise

workload, and it was clear how willing

they were to make the pilot project

work.”

The pilot, which ended in Septem-

ber, has been evaluated and deemed a

success.

Plans are now being implemented to

allow the bed cleaning team to become

a permanent feature within the hospital.

HIGHLAND QUALITY APPROACH

Beds team

cleans up

HQA award Alan Fitzgerald (left) and Stephen Halpin (right) are

seen receiving their award from chair Garry Coutts

NESS Bridge in Inverness went purple during Crohn's and

Colitis Awareness Week (1st-7th December) to help raise

awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Thanks

to The Highland Council for their support of

# PurpleFriday

Pictured by the bridge on a windswept and wet night

are Lisa Ann Macleman, gastroenterology specialist dieti-

tian; Susan Maniquiz, one of the co-ordinators of the

Highland CCUK group; David Armour, lead IBD clinical

nurse specialist; and Mhairi Fraser, IBD clinical nurse spe-

cialist.

More information on inflammatory bowel disease

can be found by checking out this website:

www.crohnsandcolitisuk.org

COLOURFUL CAMPAIGN

- 6 -

ON a good day, it’s hard to

imagine anyone having a better

commute than Geoff Boyes. On

a bad day, you really wouldn’t

envy Geoff his journey to and

from work.

Dr Boyes is a salaried GP who

lives in Sconser, on the shores of

Loch Sligachan midway between

Broadford and Portree.

Most days, his journey to work is

a pleasant 14-mile one down the

coast to the medical centre in Broad-

ford. On a clear day, the views are

stunning, making the 20-minute drive

a delight.

But a key part Geoff’s job is pro-

viding GP provision on the Small Isles

of Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna – and

that involves a 30-mile drive to Ar-

madale in the south of Skye and then

a sea crossing to whichever island

he’ll be practising on. If it’s Eigg, it’s a

70-minute trip, while being ferried to

Canna involves a 100-minute crossing.

And when the sea swell was such

that the boat NHS Highland charters

for the Small Isles run couldn’t safely

berth at Armadale, Geoff’s island trip

involved travelling from Skye to Mal-

laig to catch the Calmac ferry to Eigg.

“The crossing can be a bit lumpy

and bumpy,” said Geoff, “but when

the weather’s good it can be fabulous.

The seabird life I encounter is fantas-

tic. I regularly see Manx shearwaters,

puffins, gannets and various ducks.

There’s also a little pod of minke

whales in the area, along with dol-

phins and porpoises. And, though I

haven’t seen one yet, I know that

basking sharks have been seen on the

crossing.”

Dr Boyes started work with NHS

Highland in February, having previ-

ously served as senior partner in a

large GP practice in semi-rural Hamp-

shire. He lived in Bordon, not far

from Guildford, and had one-mile

commute from his home to his work.

“It was a pretty straightforward

drive: not much traffic and not very

exciting,” he said. “Now, though, my

commute really is special. It adds a

different dimension to my day. I travel

through stunningly beautiful scenery

and there is no doubt that there is

something very uplifting about my

journey to work.

“Obviously, the boat will only ven-

ture out to the islands if the weather

permits but if it does, and it’s a clear

day, I sometimes feel as if I am on

holiday. Honestly, I have to pinch my-

self and wonder that I am being paid

to do this!”

To make his journey even more

out of the ordinary, when he arrives

on Rum he is picked up by a golf

buggy and driven around to patients’

homes. On Eigg, he uses a first re-

sponder’s vehicle that is left on the

pier to get around. And on Canna and

Muck he is often collected by patients

in their cars and driven around.

Dr Boyes delivers GP services on

the Small Isles under a new model

introduced by NHS Highland at the

beginning of the year. Islanders had

grown used to being seen by a suc-

cession of GPs, and the health board

recognised that a more sustainable

model was required.

Now, Geoff and fellow Skye-based

GP Dr Angus Venters take turns to

travel to the islands, visiting Eigg

every Tuesday and, on alternate

Thursdays, Canna and Rum, and Eigg

and Muck.

Geoff decided to move to the

Highlands at the age of 58 for a life-

style change, and says he and his wife

Karin, a textile artist, have no regrets.

“It’s been great,” he said. “The

work is varied and always interesting,

and my life is certainly now very dif-

ferent to what it was.”

And his daily commute couldn’t be

more different too.

We continue our new series about how our staff

travel to work. This month, GP Dr Geoff Boyes

talks about his extraordinary commute.

I’m

being

paid to do this!

COMMUTERS’ CORNER

- 7 -

Spreading

the word…

STAFF in Lorn and Islands

Hospital in Oban marked

European Antibiotic

Awareness Day on 18th

November by erecting an

information display in the

reception area of the hos-

pital and discussing the is-

sue with the public and

health and social care

workers.

Infection prevention and control

nurse Susan Cameron attended the

Scottish Infection Prevention Society

Conference on 28th October at which

she was reminded of the importance of

promoting European Antibiotic Aware-

ness Day.

She said: “The rise of infections that

are resistant to antibiotic drugs is some-

thing that the Scottish Government has

said must be tackled in Scotland and it

was therefore important that we played

a part in this by raising awareness in

Oban.”

Susan continued: “We erected an

information display in the reception of

the hospital and handed out leaflets to

members of the public and health and

social care staff outlining what we can all

do to reduce the unnecessary use of

antibiotics.

ANTIBIOTICS

THE health benefits of simple

child’s play are so crucial a Scottish

Government seminar-led road-

show designed to change attitudes

to play held two events in NHS

Highlands’ area earlier this month.

On the back of the recent decision

by Aberdeen City Council to com-

pletely remove ‘no ball games’ signs

from its parks, the key concept that

barriers should be removed to allow

children to play more is rapidly gaining

ground.

And free seminars were held in In-

verness and Oban as part of a six-venue

roadshow to further support the right

of children and young people to play.

Dan Jenkins, health promotion spe-

cialist with NHS Highland, commented:

“The benefits of play for children in the

Highlands cannot be over emphasised.

Here the rural nature of the region, the

long dark winters and the low popula-

tion levels mean that many children

have less chance to socialise with

friends than their urban counterparts.

Wherever people are, and whatever

their family structure is, participating in

informal, and family, play is an important

aspect of children’s development and

relationship skills.”

“The Government’s strategy is to

promote a child’s right to play and to

encourage the removal of barriers to

play,” said Rachel Cowper from Inspir-

ing Scotland, a charity involved in the

presentations at both seminars and de-

livering Scottish Government’s Go2Play

programme. “It is to make children and

their parents comfortable and happy to

go outside and play, and for parents to

understand the much wider benefits

their children can gain through play.

“Play is central to all aspects of chil-

dren and young people’s wellbeing and

development – physical, cognitive and

social.”

“And investment in high-quality play

can deliver significant returns to indi-

viduals, families and wider communities.

However, with limited resources, we

need to invest smarter and ensure our

planning for play delivers results for all

children.”

Irene Miller, development manager –

play and health, NHS Health Scotland,

added: “It is crucial at any time of a child

or young person’s development that

they have the opportunity, the time and

the space to play in a safe environment.

This includes opportunities for young

people to engage in activities that chal-

lenge them, helps them to assess and

manage risk and engages them positively

within their local community.

“By increasing this opportunity to

play, and importantly providing the right

encouragement and supervision, you do

get tangible benefits. For instance, you

can actually reduce anti-social behaviour

in the community, through participation

in positive recreational activities.”

Government seminars aimed

to change attitudes to play

CHILDREN

- 8 -

THE Highlands' newest healthcare

facility, the £1.5 million Drumna-

drochit Health Centre, was offi-

cially opened this month by a

member of the community who

has done much to turn a vision

into a reality.

David Fraser (right), of Glen Urqu-

hart Community Council, unveiled a

plaque in the centre's reception area to

applause from invited guests.

Representatives of NHS Highland,

contractors and sub-contractors, Drum-

nadrochit Medical Practise and its pa-

tient participation group, and of the

community at large gathered in the cen-

tre to mark what was described as a

“memorable occasion”.

Jean-Pierre Sieczkarek, NHS High-

land’s area manager (south), welcomed

guests to a facility which, he said,

“belonged to Drumnadrochit”.

And before inviting Mr Fraser to

officially open the building, he offered

particular thanks to NHS Highland ar-

chitect Heather Cameron, the project

manager, who helped to deliver the

centre.

“The amount of thought that she has

put into this building is an exemplar to

us all,” he said.

Mr Fraser described the occasion as

a “fabulous day” for Drumnadrochit and

Glenurquhart.

He added: “It marks the opening not

of a new surgery but an integrated

health centre where GPs, nurses, social

workers and other health professionals

can work together in the heart of our

community.”

Mr Fraser told guests that the story

of the new building began on 2nd Febru-

ary 2012 at a community-led workshop.

Those attending subsequently worked in

small groups to develop the blueprint

for the health and social care services

they felt could and should be delivered

locally. The meeting also agreed that the

community should take an active part in

the project delivery team.

Within weeks, a project group was

set up, with NHS Highland as the lead

agency but including representatives of

Highland Council and the community.

“The vision,” Mr Fraser added, “was

to create a high-quality health centre

based at the heart of the community. It

was also important that the centre was

physically close to the nursery, the

schools and care centre in order to help

del iver an integrated service .”

Looking ahead, Mr Fraser said that plan-

ning permission was in place for a dental

unit and pharmacy beside the new cen-

tre.

“Hopefully, these will progress

soon,” he said.

Mr Fraser added that only one week

earlier Glenurquhart Care Project was

awarded a major grant to secure land

for amenity housing.

“When complete, this range of care

options, delivered by a community com-

pany working with NHS Highland, will

be a huge step forward in enabling inde-

pendent living and helping people get

back into our community after stays in

hospital,” he said.

Turning to Mr Sieczkarek, he added:

“You have said that Drumnadrochit is a

good place to live. I can confirm that

you have helped to make it even bet-

ter.”

The new centre is just a few yards

away from the ageing health centre it

has replaced. As well as five GP consult-

ing rooms, a dedicated nurse and

healthcare assistant consulting room

and two treatment rooms, it has a facil-

ity for local first responders and well as

a hot-desking office for use by visiting

health and social care workers. Its spa-

cious waiting room area can be secured

from the rest of the building for out-of-

hours use by various groups.

Work on Bronze Age artefacts

found on site: See next page.

DRUMNADROCHIT

New health centre

is officially opened

NHS Highland has produced a video

on the opening of the centre. You

can find it on the NHS Highland

facebook page or at this link: http://

tinyurl.com/j9d6d9x

- 9 -

A SUBSTANTIAL amount of spe-

cialist work has been undertaken

on the recovered remains of a

Bronze Aid burial cist and beaker

pit found during the construction

of the new Drumnadrochit Health

Centre.

The cist contained the poorly-

preserved skeletal remains of an adult.

It's not been possible to estimate the

age of the individual, or determine its

sex, but a sample of bone is to be sub-

jected to radiocarbon dating to help

judge its date of death. Isotope analysis

will look at the diet of the individual,

which could offer an insight into his or

her lifestyle.

However, perhaps the most signifi-

cant find was an oval pit next to the cist

which probably also contained a body.

A beaker pot and stone wrist guard

were found in this pit. The pot was

decorated using a comb, producing de-

signs of horizontal bands and a fringe of

vertical lines at the rim and towards the

base.

This type of design is consistent with

those found in north-east Scotland and

a type that generally dates to around

2250 to 1950 BC.

Conservation work has allowed for

the refitting of the vessel and an assess-

ment of its contents.

Specialists believe that the pot

probably contained some form of liquid

but further specialist work is being un-

dertaken to get a clearer picture of

what was in it.

Analysis of the wrist guard has re-

vealed that there are traces of organic

material, possibly animal fur or hide

fibres, on the back of it. The impression

of a winged inset and several impres-

sions of pupa cases have also been iden-

tified.

It's felt that specialist analysis on the

possible animal fur or hide could identify

what the individual was wearing or was

buried with.

Work is also being undertaken to

determine the exact origin of the stone

used to make the wrist guard.

DRUMNADROCHIT

Work continues on

Bronze Age artefacts

The Bronze Age

cist which was

found on the site

of the new cen-

tre during

ground clear-

ance work

MEN’S Shed In-

verness have

supplied more

paintings and

photographs for

the cath lab at

Raigmore Hospi-

tal.

The group

had previously

provided pictures

to help decorate

the department’s

quiet room and

the latest dona-

tion can now be

seen in the wait-

ing room.

Pictured with

some of the paintings are,

from left, Rob-

bie Smart, Alison

Howie, Allan

Beattie, Sabrine

Kelly and Mhairi

Mcpherson.

RAIGMORE

- 10 -

NOVEMBER was Lung Cancer

Awareness Month, which aimed to

improve understanding of one of

the most common cancers in Scot-

land.

In 2012 and 2013, over 300 Highland

residents developed lung cancer – and

over 4,000 people across Scotland die

every year from the disease.

To raise awareness in the north of

Scotland, NHS Highland teamed up with

Stagecoach and placed adverts on over

100 of their buses throughout the

board’s area.

NHS Highland lead cancer clinician

Dr Stephen Thomas said: “It is vitally

important we get the message out there

that lung cancer isn’t what it used to be.

“More people than ever in Scotland

are surviving lung cancer – 1,300 more a

year when compared to 25 years ago.

This is down to advancements in treat-

ments and more people getting checked

earlier. The earlier that lung cancer is

diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

“Hopefully, these adverts on Stage-

coach buses which ran across Inverness,

Tain, Caithness and Fort William will

encourage people to contact their GP

should they have any concerns.”

NHS Highland lead cancer GP Dr

Sian Jones explained what signs and

symptoms you should look out for.

“If you’ve had a cough for three

weeks or more, it’s worth getting

checked out with your GP,” she said.

“Chances are it’s nothing to worry

about, but it could be a sign of lung can-

cer. Other things to look out for in-

clude a cough you’ve had for a while

that changes or gets worse, feeling

breathless for no reason, a chest infec-

tion that doesn’t clear up or coughing

up blood.

“If you have any of these symptoms I

would urge you to make an appoint-

ment with your GP. Early detection of

lung cancer is crucial in increasing sur-

vival rates. Lung cancer isn’t just a

smoker’s disease, which is important to

remember.

“Other factors such as passive

smoking can play a part – and I would

encourage everyone to bear that in

mind. Remember, an early detection of

lung cancer can save your life.”

Drive to

raise

profile

of lung

cancer

Board makes it easier

to make donations NHS HIGHLAND is to add the Virgin Money giving site on its donation page, making giving money to the board’s endowment funds and other charities a simple, one-click operation.

The board’s endowment fund is a registered charity which holds the money in trust for specific hospital wards, centres or departments. These monies can be used to purchase equipment, provide additional comforts and amenities for patients and staff – purchases which were only possible because someone made a gift to the endowment funds.

The online donation page, accessed via the NHS Highland website, al-ready has a link to a site called Just Giving which allows contributors to raise monies for one charity at a time. However, it is also possible to make a one-off donation on this site to a specific fund or the Endowments fund generally.

The board’s new endowment support officer, Donald Mackenzie, said: “Just Giving will pay all monies raised to one charity. However, a relative who has previously raised monies for us wanted to split donated funds be-tween the one of the funds in the board’s endowment fund as well as a cou-ple of other charities.

“They mentioned that the Virgin site allows the splitting of donations raised on someone’s webpage to various registered charities, so we have decided to set it up.”

CAMPAIGN

ENDOWMENTS

- 11 -

NHS HIGHLAND has missed a key

infection control target, the board

was told at its meeting earlier this

month.

There is a target of 32 cases of

Clostridium difficile (C.diff) per

100,000 acute occupied bed days

(OBDs). However, in the period

from April to June NHS Highland

had 47.94 and, according to figures

that have yet to be validated, re-

corded a figure of 42.98 in the pe-

riod from July to September.

The situation regarding another

key performance target, for Staphy-

lococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB),

was better, NHS Highland having

recorded 20.69 cases per 100,000 in

the period from April to June, as

against a target of 24. However,

again according to unvalidated fig-

ures, the figure slipped to 25.47 in

the period from July to September. A report to the board explained

that NHS Highland’s position as of

1st November was that there were

66 patient cases of C.diff as against

the proposed target of 78 by the

end of March 2016. However, the

board was on track to meets its

SAB target by the end of March. 1

Changes due

NHS HIGHLAND board members

were told at their meeting this

month that a review of hospital

signs and signposts had identified

inconsistencies both in terms of the

types of signs and the fact that the

signs do not always accurately re-

flect the service provided.

It was reported that changes were required at four sites: Nairn

Town and County Hospital, Portree

Hospital, Ian Charles Hospital in

Grantown-on-Spey and Dunbar

Hospital in Thurso.

It was recognised that in the

case of Portree Hospital this had

emerged as a contentious point

during the public consultation on

the redesign of health and social

care services in that area.

Moving to new terminology was

wrongly taken by some people as a

perceived downgrading.

Funding

awarded to

partnership

ARGYLL AND BUTE

THE Scottish Government is pro-

viding health and social care part-

nerships (HSCPs) across Scotland

with a source of funding over the

next three years through the Inte-

grated Care Fund (ICF).

The Government has highlighted that

this funding should be used by HSCPs to

improve the health and wellbeing of indi-

viduals through a more preventative ap-

proach to healthcare, supporting adults

who may have more than one health

condition and ensuring that the appro-

priate care is provided to tackle inequali-

ties.

Argyll and Bute Health and Social

Care Partnership has received £1.84

million through the Integrated Care Fund

for this year and of this £1.04 million has

been directed towards building on health

and social care services across Argyll and

Bute.

These include:

management and prevention of falls:

falls are more likely as we age, however

exercise can improve strength and bal-

ance, keeping people fit and active and

avoiding admissions to hospital

telehealthcare: using new technology

to help with health-related issues

self-management: assisting and

empowering patients to manage their

illness

reablement: helping people to regain

the ability to look after themselves

Integrated equipment store/care and

repair team: enhancing the scale and

range of equipment and response time

to support people in their own homes

and facilitate safe discharge from hospi-

tal.

The remaining £800,000 from the

ICF was directed to local communities

across Argyll and Bute with £200,000

allocated to Mid Argyll, Kintyre & Islay;

Cowal and Bute; Helensburgh & Lo-

mond; and Oban, Lorn & the Isles.

The HSCP invited applications to

apply for locality funding and in total 90

bids were received totalling £2.6 million

for the £800,000 funding that was avail-

able.

Argyll and Bute HSCP now has a

wide range of exciting work emanating

from the locality ICF bids.

Some examples include:

Increased availability of health tech-

nology to support people to live at home

safely through the installation of an alarm

as part of their anticipatory care plan.

This will enable more people to receive

an appropriate response in an emer-

gency from the integrated health and

social care team.

An initiative to seek feedback from

those people who use our services to

capture what is really important to them

to help us deliver services.

Increased opportunities for exercise

classes to improve health and wellbeing

and support independent living.

These initiatives are aimed at

supporting and delivering the HSCP

vision’s that “people in Argyll and Bute

will live longer, healthier, independent

lives”.

INFECTIONS

Off target

SIGNAGE

- 12 -

MENTAL HEALTH

Depression: New Craigs

honestly saved my life...

A few weeks ago, Inverness Courier reporter Ellie House wrote in her

newspaper of her experience of being admitted to New Craigs Hospital.

Here, she writes once again, this time exclusively for Highlights, about

what happened when she “hit rock bottom”.

WHEN I first wrote about mental health

it was with great trepidation, for fear I

would be judged both as a person and as

a journalist.

My concerns were unfounded in that I re-

ceived an outpouring of love and support from

complete strangers, who perhaps recognised

their own struggle in my story.

That desperate spark of recognition is pre-

cisely why we need to discuss mental health

more and in much greater depth.

It is overwhelmingly positive that depression

is no longer a dirty word, but we still don’t

seem able to openly talk about treatment. In

the age of oversharing every detail of our lives,

mental health remains silent despite the fact

that one in four people will suffer a mental

health issue. From anti-depressants to therapy,

what happens when you hit rock bottom?

In my own search for people with similar

experiences, I found stories where people tri-

umphantly recovered. No-one spoke of the

really awful moments, perhaps because it is

hard to find the words. I certainly didn’t hear

psychiatric hospitals talked about, outside of ill-

informed jokes and uncomfortable remarks.

I walked into New Craigs Hospital having

left my home in the middle of the night, unsure

if I wanted to live. It may sound dramatic but

that is the simplest way of explaining it. I had

carried on for months ignoring how I felt, and

became even chirpier in the office to disguise

any suggestion that I might not be OK. I might

not be coping with a big move, home sickness,

elderly parents, and the many insecurities that

come with being in your twenties.

By the time I finally sought help I had

reached a stage where I couldn’t function.

Thankfully, I came out the other side but I

didn’t feel I could talk about New Craigs. It’s

almost the unspeakable, the building perched

high on a hill completely separate from society.

The days of asylums in the Victorian era are

long gone, but we haven’t left behind the

stereotype of ‘crazy’ people. I wasn’t ‘crazy’; I

was washed up and so terribly sad. I barely

spoke for two days, I cried and then I sat in

silence and let myself hurt. It is the most sensi-

ble thing I have ever done, and yet I feared peo-

ple would judge me on my admittance. I would

be considered unbalanced, not ‘all there’.

New Craigs honestly saved my life and

started off the healing process, but friends were

still nervous to visit me. It is only some months

on that they were able to admit their assump-

tions; judgements that were previously held by

me. Would insane people roam the corridors?

Would all doors be locked? I felt so ashamed

when I was first shown my room because I

viewed New Craigs as taboo. In reality, it be-

came a sanctuary where I could begin to proc-

ess the pain of the past few months and even

years.

I was scared to be in such a facility – but the

thought of walking out that door and not re-

ceiving help held far more terror.

There were several other young girls on the

same ward, and we didn’t even look each other

in the eye. Not once did we reach out to each

other, because the very fact we were there was

overwhelming. What would people think, and

how would I explain my absence from work and

social groups?

We shouldn’t have to fear judgement from

society, but more importantly we shouldn’t

judge ourselves. My time at New Craigs is now

just something that happened, a fleeting chapter

‘

’

I had

carried

on for

months

ignoring

how I felt

Continued on next page

- 13 -

MENTAL HEALTH

THE range of psychological sup-

port offered to staff with mental

health problems in NHS Highland

is unique and has been recognised

by the Scottish Government.

Occupational health’s lead psycho-

logical therapist, Fiona Macaulay, and

psychological therapist Allan

Mackenzie make up a small team that

can see on average about 40 employ-

ees a month.

Fiona, who is also on the Scottish

Government Advisory Trauma Group

representing NHS employees mental

health needs, explained that there was

a failure to understand that NHS em-

ployees worked with an increased risk

of a mental health problem and were

more likely to uncover a vulnerability

than someone in another job.

She said: “NHS employees are very

resilient in holding down jobs but we

need to remember that they are ordi-

nary people responding to extraordi-

nary circumstances. When we experi-

ence adversity it can build up and the

nervous system can be overwhelmed.

This is not weakness but a case of our

nervous systems being overwhelmed.

Dr Mark Hilditch, lead consultant

in occupational health, and Professor

Malcolm Laing, lead in student support

at the Aberdeen School of Medicine,

presented the psychological service’s

first five years’ experience in managing

NHS medical staff at an international

conference on physician health at BMA

Headquarters in London last year.

Fiona said: “As NHS staff we can

come across significant distress and

suffering that can trigger vulnerability

in us. Events can trigger unprocessed

memories which can lead to a range of

reactions to events. It can also be the

case that without an adequate life

work balance, compassion fatigue can

occur. Research clearly identifies that if

we are self compassionate we are then

able to be more compassionate to-

wards those we care for.”

She added that as a society we

have become intolerant to expecting

and experiencing difficult emotions,

When mistakes are made there is too

often a blame/shame culture – which

can result in ‘second victims’ who can

then develop signs and symptoms of

‘post-traumatic stress disorder’.

“One of the biggest problems can

be isolation – people start to withdraw

and disengage. Depression can still be

seen as a weakness. Mental health

problems are not a failure; it’s the

nervous systems inability to cope any

longer with adversity.”

The service offers one-to-one cog-

nitive behavioural therapy (CBT), CBT

courses for stress, EMDR (Eye Move-

ment Desensitisation Reprocessing)

for life event trauma, life enhancement

courses based on self-compassion and

mindfulness courses, held in the eve-

ning to make them more accessible.

Fiona said: “The goal of EMDR is to

reduce the long-lasting effects of dis-

tressing memories by developing more

adaptive coping mechanisms. It was

originally developed to treat adults

with PTSD; however, it is also used to

treat other conditions and children

and has been very successful.”

Fiona added that implementation of

EMDR in Highland had been helped by

the support of Therese McGoldrick,

head of behavioural psychotherapy

with NHS Forth Valley, who has

trained Fiona to consultant level and

has worked for more than 20 years

with trauma sufferers from disasters

including the Lockerbie bombing, the

Dunblane massacre and the Piper Al-

pha explosion. She has treated veter-

ans from combat zones, as well as vic-

tims of serious crimes, and has offered

humanitarian aid in developing coun-

tries following natural disasters.

The WHO and UNITAR now rec-

ognise that adverse life events such as

divorce, bereavement, bullying, as-

saults, suspension and all forms of

abuse including medical trauma can

result in the same post-trauma reac-

tions as the more overtly life-

threatening ones such as highly publi-

cised disasters.

Fiona said: “Her research into

EMDR won her and colleagues interna-

tional recognition and we could not

have done it here without her support,

which she has offered voluntarily. Our

manager, Linda Rawlinson, has also

been incredibly supportive with the

development of the service.

“Occupational health is also work-

ing with chaplaincy and NES to bring in

a more productive way to address

critical incidents, conflict and interper-

sonal conflict within staff teams.

“We are a small team and recog-

nise our limitations but we do refer

directly to crisis services, alcohol or

eating disorder teams and to psychia-

try services.”

Managers can refer staff or staff can

self-refer. For information see the

intranet;, under occupational health.

Continued from previous page

Psychological support for NHS Highland staff

that passed as all things come to pass. I didn’t

leave to fanfare of trumpets, miraculously

healed and ready to join the real world again. I

signed the forms quietly and knew only that I

wanted to live. I wanted to breath and laugh

again. I wanted to make plans and yet more

mistakes, in the knowledge that I had once sat

in a room in complete silence.

I had once sobbed as a mental health nurse

held me, and swallowed tablets that finally

helped me sleep. And despite it all, I was and

am OK. We all tread a fine line between life’s

tribulations and our ability to work through

them; it’s what makes us human.

Having once valued my life so little, I now

feel very much alive.

And that, above everything, is worth talking

about.

‘

’

Having once

valued my life so

little, I now feel

very much alive

- 14 -

A TEAM from NHS Highland was

at Glasgow Airport earlier this

month to welcome 15 families – 28

adults and 31 children – who ar-

rived in Scotland from Syria.

The refugees spent the night in Glas-

gow before travelling to Bute, where

they are being accommodated.

The NHS Highland representatives

at the airport included two Cowal GPs,

and it had been planned that any initial

health needs the refugees may have

would be immediately identified and

managed.

Immunisation status had been ad-

dressed prior to arrival.

A report to NHS Highland’s board

meeting earlier this month explained

that two translators would be present

at the airport and were to travel to

Bute with the families and stay for two

weeks to assist.

It is understood there are two Eng-

lish speakers among the refugee families,

one of whom is trained as an English

teacher.

Funding from the Home Office of

£130,000 for health needs has been

confirmed based on £200 per person

for primary healthcare and £2,000 per

person for acute healthcare. Argyll and

Bute Council also has an allocation for

education and social care. A review of

staffing has taken place to ensure that

any additional workload can be managed

and any required actions have been

identified.

From experience of elsewhere, the

board was told, it was anticipated that

physiotherapy, mental health and dental

may be the first services required by the

families.

However, it was planned that a fur-

ther review of requirements and any

necessary resources would be deter-

mined once everyone had been as-

sessed. Medical records would be deliv-

ered to the Bute GPs.

Leaflets on health and dental ser-

vices for the families were to be trans-

lated into Arabic, the board was told.

Similar steps have been taken by the

council to ensure that services and sup-

port is in place, such as schools, adult

learning, housing, starter packs, commu-

nity support, dietary requirements and a

welcome pack in Arabic.

There have been discussions with

the local community and there is a Face-

book page. 'Bute welcomes Syrian refu-

gees'.

BOARD BRIEFING

Highland welcome

for Syrian refugees

Changing attitudes to

counter fraud threats

OVER the past 18 months, NHSScotland Counter Fraud Services (CFS) has

implemented a successful media campaign to raise staff and public awareness

of the threats from fraud.

The most recent initiative to attract media attention is a project aiming

to reduce fraud and error in dental patient tax credit exemption claims, po-

tentially saving the health service more than £3 million per year.

The project was featured in a recent BBC ‘Saints and Scroungers’ TV pro-

gramme and also attracted national, local and specialist press interest.

The campaign, which focuses on prevention rather than detection, high-

lights the need for patients to have a valid tax credit exemption certificate at

the time of their treatment.

Fraser Paterson, national fraud prevention manager for CFS, said: “If you

hold a valid certificate then you’re entitled to receive free treatment, if you

don’t you’re not – it’s as simple as that. When you think that every fourth

person who claimed under this category last year wasn’t entitled to do so,

you can understand why reducing this type of misclaiming is so important”.

The ‘Saints and Scroungers’ broadcast, viewed nationally by 1.1 million

people, is just one example of numerous, high-profile media features high-

lighting CFS in the last 18 months. The work of the fraud investigation team

has also featured in BBC Panorama and BBC Scotland Investigates pro-

grammes, and a recent Channel 5 programme highlighted the issue of NHS

‘sick pay’ fraud, where employees fraudulently claim to be unfit to work.

Recent BBC TV, STV and BBC Radio Scotland news programmes have

also featured Counter Fraud Services investigations and subsequent success-ful prosecution of individuals, who have been found guilty of committing fraud

against the NHS. This broadcast coverage has been augmented by the exten-

sive interest of national newspaper titles, which have covered individual cases.

“If we are going to reduce fraud to a minimum, it’s vital that we change

attitudes and behaviours to this type of crime,” Fraser said. “People who

defraud the NHS hurt all of us, because it’s our money that funds it and it's us

who rely on it being there when we need it.”

CAMPAIGN

- 15 -

NHS HIGHLAND’S emphasis on

improving the quality of the ser-

vices it provides was underlined in

a report to board members ear-

lier this month.

Updating the board on the Highland

Quality Approach, a management sys-

tem designed to deliver better health,

care and value, director of human re-

sources Anne Gent explained that qual-

ity improvement work has been con-

tinuing throughout the organisation.

Staff are being trained to run im-

provement events and what are known

as rapid process improvement work-

shops have been taking place are show-

ing positive results.

In 2016/17, the board was told,

improvement work will be focused on

three areas: out-patient, out-of-hours

and adult health and social care ser-

vices.

The report to the board featured a

dictionary of some of the words and

terms used in quality improvement

work, many of which originated in Ja-

pan or the United States. For example,

kaizen – a word now frequently used

throughout NHS Highland – means

continuous improvement; hoshin kanri

is a management system that aligns ac-

tions with priorities; and gemba can be

used to refer to any location in which

activities are carried out.

PROPOSALS to build a £16 mil-

lion elective care centre in Inver-

ness were presented to the NHS

Highland board earlier this month.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon an-

nounced plans for the new centre in

October, but at their December meet-

ing board members were given further

details of the proposed development.

The facility will have 30 beds, three

theatres and day care and out-patient

facilities; will accommodate services for

both orthopaedics and opthalmology

and will serve the populations of North

NHS Highland, Western Isles and West

Grampian.

The orthopaedic facility will provide

capacity for 1,800 procedures a year,

while the ophthalmology day case facil-

ity will provide capacity for 4,200 cata-

ract cases a year and 45,000 out-patient

attendance.

It’s proposed to build the elective

care centre close to Raigmore Hospital

and the ‘Golden Bridge’ on the Inver-

ness Campus, and it is understood that

it is expected to be ready for use in

2021.

Do you know your kaizen from your gemba?

DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

Board briefed

on plans for

new elective

care centre

APPOINTMENTS

DR HUMA AYAZ has joined NHS Highland substantively as consult-ant in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Dr Ayaz, having previously trained in obstetrics and gynaecol-ogy within the North of Scotland Deanery, worked as a locum con-sultant at NHS Grampian before joining NHS Highland as a locum consultant in April.

She enjoys oil painting and travel in her spare time.

Also joining the team is Dr Jona-than Watt, who this month takes up the post of consultant interventional cardiologist.

Dr Watt completed an Interven-tional Cardiology Fellowship in Hali-fax, Canada, in 2014 and has since been working as a locum consultant in Freeman Hospital, Newcastle.

DR HUMA AYAZ

DR JONATHAN WATT HIGHLAND QUALITY APPROACH

- 16 -

Lab survey

NHS HIGHLAND’S area labora-

tory service is conducting an

online survey to assess the level

of satisfaction it provides.

The core of the survey is one

screen of questions with tick-box

answers. It is designed to deliver

a numeric key performance indi-

cator to assist commissioners and

others to judge the quality of the

service, and how it changes over

time.

Respondents will also be given

the option to provide free text

comments on how our service

could be improved.

To take part, visit https://

w w w . sur v e y m o nk e y . c o m / s /

RCPathusersurvey and, when

prompted, enter the password

RCPath*UserSurvey1 (the pass-

word is case sensitive). Then en-

ter the laboratory code B362

(four digits) so that the level of

satisfaction delivered by the labo-

ratory service can be identified

and compared to the perform-

ance of other laboratories.

Group working

A ‘WORKING with Groups’

training course from 9.30am-

4.30pm on 28th January at Smith-

ton Church in Inverness.

This course is intended to pro-

vide participants with the basic

knowledge and skills to work ef-

fectively with groups.

More details, including a book-

ing form, are available on the

intranet.

Behaviour charge

A TWO-DAY course is to be held

in the spring on combined behav-

iour change.

It’s planned to hold the course

on 15th March and 19th April in

either Fort William or Kyle, de-

pending on numbers.

More details are available on

the intranet.

NEWS IN BRIEF

WORK is continuing in the ongo-

ing review of health and care ser-

vices on Mull and Iona.

A meeting of the review group on

19th November was told that the first

community first responders group had

gone live in the Ross of Mull with the

other schemes set to follow.

The review group was told that the

Scottish Ambulance Service had con-

firmed that plans continued to be devel-

oped to achieve 24/7 paramedic cover

based on Mull and Iona, and that the

service’s option appraisal process

would be finalised at the next meeting.

A Protected Learning event was

held on Mull on 17th November which

involved all staff from the Mull and Iona

Medical Group, community and hospital

staff and GPs. Topics covered included

chronic respiratory disease, clinical tri-

age for trained and non-trained staff

and a development session on the new

Practice.

The review group was also told that

the rota for GP out-of-hours cover for

Mull and Iona was covered until the end

of March 2016, including locum cover

for in-hours. GP recruitment is continu-

ing, the meeting heard.

DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

Services review continues

Care work

over for

students TWO student dietitians from

Robert Gordon University have

completed a unique and innova-

tive placement with Highland

Home Carers.

Andrea Cox and Catriona Begg

spent five weeks working with care at

home as part of their final dietetic

placement with NHS Highland. They

each worked with separate carer teams

in either Kirkhill, near Inverness, or in

the city centre itself.

And they both believe the experi-

ence has been extremely beneficial.

“We were able to gain a useful in-

sight into the close working relation-

ships of carers with clients and the

challenges associated with providing

food and fluids,” said Andrea.

“We were able to work with pa-

tients who had a wide variety of condi-

tions such as visual impairment, re-

duced mobility, dementia and Hunting-

ton’s disease.”

Catriona said: “This placement

helped identify the possible challenges

which can be faced in achieving ade-

quate nutrition and hydration with

those relying on support from carers.”

Evelyn Newman, nutrition and die-

tetics advisor for care homes, is carry-

ing out a formal evaluation of the place-

ment.

“The work carried out by the two

students has been excellent,” she said.

“They have shared their experiences,

insights and reflections with dietitians,

social work and Highland Home Carers

staff.

“Service users enjoyed getting to

know them and carers couldn’t have

been more helpful in making this a real

success to continue to build on.”

Catriona Begg and Andrea Cox

DIETETICS

- 17 -

ALMOST three-quarters of young

people in Highland have drunk al-

cohol by the time they are 15 and,

although there has been a 10 per

cent reduction since 2010, High-

land remains above the national

average despite recommendations

that those under the age of 15 re-

frain from drinking.

Deborah Stewart, co-ordinator for

Highland Alcohol and Drugs Partner-

ship, explained that families played an

important part in helping reduce the

level of underage drinking.

She said: “Underage drinking re-

mains a concern as it contributes to a

range of negative health and social out-

comes. There is also evidence that

shows early alcohol use is associated

with increased risk of dependency in

adulthood and chronic diseases associ-

ated with excessive drinking in adults.

“By reducing underage drinking we

can reduce the risk of alcohol problems

developing in adulthood and families can

play a part in that by modelling sensible

drinking, communicating risks associated

with drinking and participating in posi-

tive activities. That’s why we would like

families to ‘Meet the MacPhersons’.”

‘Meet the MacPhersons’ is a local

media campaign that takes a family ap-

proach to tackling underage drinking. It

is based on insight gathered from over

200 young people and 20 parents on the

types of dilemmas families with teenag-

ers are often faced with in relation to

alcohol.

Ms Stewart said: “Meet the

MacPhersons raises awareness of the

influence that parental influence, peer

pressure and taking part in organised

activities can have on a young person's

decision to either drink or not drink.

“It also looks at the adverse effects

that underage drinking can have on the

performance and health of young people

as well as the detrimental impact that

parents can have on their life if they

drink too much.”

Elspeth Lee, health improvement

specialist with NHS Highland, said “We

are very grateful to all those in our part-

ner agencies who helped us access the

opinions of young people and parents,

and of course to all the young people

and parents themselves. Without them

this would not have been possible.”

The campaign encourages families to

consider the benefits of making positive

choices that are less pro-alcohol. It pro-

vides lots of useful resources on ways

to prevent and discuss drinking with

teenagers and where to get help in the

local area.

ALCOHOL

A family approach

to underage drinking

RADIOTHERAPY bid a

fond farewell to radiother-

apy helper Susan Miller this

month as she retired after

36 years of working within

NHS Highland.

Susan, who became the

first radiotherapy helper in

Highland 15 years ago, will

be sorely missed by col-

leagues and patients alike

who will miss her profes-

sionalism, kindness, sup-

port and friendship.

Susan is pictured left with

her colleagues in the mid-

dle row, third from the

right.

RETIRAL

Fond farewell

- 18 -

DEPARTMENT PROFILE

MOST people associate the Health Informa-

tion and Resources Service (HIRS) with leaf-

lets, which is an essential part of the service’s

work, but it also provides a lot more:

Online Health Promotion Access Cata-

logue (HPAC)

Resources Lending Library

Patient-Friendly Health Information Leaf-

lets and Telephone Support

Highland Smoking Cessation Telephone

Referral Service

Smoke-Free Homes and Cars Project Tele-

phone Assistance

NHS 24 Highland Updates

Monthly HIRS Newsletter

HIRS Customer Survey On 20th April 2015 a link to SurveyMonkey

was distributed electronically to over 1,200

clients registered with HIRS giving them the

opportunity to feedback on the service. The

survey was promoted twice in HIRS monthly

newsletters, followed by a survey reminder

emailed to all clients. The survey closed at

noon on 11th May with a return rate of 10.77

per cent.

The majority of feedback received was

very positive regarding HIRS HPAC website,

staff, resources stocked and the NHS internal

mail delivery system but it is acknowledged

that there is always room for improvement.

Taking on board all clients’ comments and

suggestions, a timescale action plan which

details key points raised by service users and

action taken by HIRS has been created.

A customer survey feedback report was

also produced and both documents are avail-

able to view at: http://

healthyhighlanders.co.uk/HPAC under the

Home Page New Resources section.

HIRS HPAC Website Statistics Details of HPAC statistics from website at

http://healthyhighlanders.co.uk/HPAC during

the six-month period from 1st April to 30th

September 2015:

10,000 visits to HIRS HPAC’s website

Visitors spent an average of three minutes

and 36 seconds on website

69,000 pages viewed

65% of visitors were new HIRS clients

9,727 resource downloads

149,309 leaflets and posters ordered

The HPAC system is currently used by six

NHS health boards in Scotland, two social

Meet the NHS Highland Health

Information and Resources Service enterprise agencies and 12 health improve-

ment libraries within England.

During the six-month period detailed

above HIRS had the second highest number of

visits to their website, just below NHS

Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is also believed

that HIRS have the most populated website;

resource images, PDFs, website links and re-

source descriptions are all checked and up-

dated on a rolling weekly basis.

Health Promotion Access Catalogue

(HPAC) What is HPAC?

HPAC is an online library catalogue that

enables visitors to search for and request re-

sources from the Health Information and Re-

sources Service (HIRS) at any time from

home or work base. There is no charge for using the library, which is part of NHS High-

land's Health Improvement Department, Pub-

lic Health Directorate.

What does the library contain?

The library stocks DVDs, training packs,

games, instruments, models, displays, equip-

ment and other resources available for loan.

Leaflets and posters can also be ordered from

HIRS. Registered users can keep up to date

with the latest resources in the library by sign-

ing up for a new resource alert on the subject

(s) of your choice. There is more information

on our resource alerts and how they work on

HPAC’s home page.

How to collect and return resources

Resources can be collected from NHS

Highland Reception, Assynt House, Beech-

wood Park, Inverness, IV2 3BW or sent via

NHS internal mail to your nearest hospital or

GP surgery. Resources can be returned in the

same way i.e. GP surgery/hospital: marking

the package clearly for the Health Informa-

tion and Resources Service, NHS Highland,

Assynt House, Beechwood Park, Inverness or

by handing them back to us at Assynt House.

How many leaflets and posters can I order?

The maximum order of each leaflet is 25

and two of each poster unless otherwise

agreed with the health information and re-

sources service manager. Please do not re-

quest more than two leaflet/poster orders per

calendar month.

Who can use the library?

Anyone working or living within the NHS

Continued on next page

‘

The vast

majority

of

feedback

received

was very

positive

’

- 19 -

NHS Highland Health Information and Resources Service

Highland geography: this includes Highland

Council and Argyll and Bute Council areas.

You can browse the library and download

without registering for the service. However,

to request resources you will need to register.

Users of the library include NHS staff, youth

workers, teachers, students, community and

voluntary organisations, along with the gen-

eral public.

How do I register?

You can register with HIRS online at:

http://healthyhighlanders.co.uk/HPAC by

completing the online registration form.

Once details have been verified by HIRS staff,

clients will receive an email informing them

their accounts are activated enabling them to

Continued from facing page

NHS HIGHLAND public health network co-

ordinator Jane Groves retires at the end of Decem-

ber after over 30 years’ service with health authori-

ties in Scotland and England.

Having worked with NHS Highland for 20 years, Jane

has made a significant contribution to health improvement

through workforce development and partnership working.

After graduating from Edinburgh University with a de-

gree in Psychology Jane spent two years working for Volun-

tary Service Overseas in Nigeria.

She said: “It was while in Africa that I took an interest in

public health and the politics surrounding it. I returned to

Scotland where I worked for the Commonwealth Institute

Scotland, Scottish Education and Action for Development

on development education issues for three years, exploring

links between Scotland and developing countries.”

She then worked in a variety of roles with NHS Lothian

for six years before moving to Cambridge, where she spent

three years as head of health improvement with the Cam-

bridge health authority.

Jane then took on a role lecturing in health improvement

at Glasgow Caledonian University before moving north to

Aberdeen to get married and work in health promotion.

Her husband’s job then took him to Highland 20 years ago.

“I have worked in a number of roles with NHS Highland

in that time, including reviewing maternity services, taking a

strategic role in sexual health, children and young people

and in breastfeeding,” Jane said.

“I also provided health improvement input to the north

and west operational unit, and through all my roles I have

always had the task of training and developing the compe-

tence and capacity of the wider and specialist public health

workforce. I have also worked as a freelance trainer during

this time, mainly at a national level.”

Although she is calling time on her public health career,

she isn’t quite ready to put her feet up.

“I’m sorry to leave and I will miss my NHS Highland

colleagues, but I have plans to keep me busy,” said Jane. “I

do want to carry on with my freelance training business and

I have a silversmithing workshop – I may even start to sell

my silver jewellery.”

order materials or borrow returnable re-

sources: e.g. DVDs, games, etc. HPAC User

Quick Guide will also be emailed to clients to

help them navigate the website and assist with

the ordering process.

HIRS contact details If you would like to find out more information

about any aspect of HIRS please do not hesi-

tate to contact any member of HIRS team.

Contact details:

HIRS manager — 01463 704989 or email:

[email protected]

HIRS library staff — 01463 704647 or

email: [email protected]

Opening hours — Monday to Friday,9 am

– 4 pm; closed for lunch between 1 pm and 2

pm.

Goodbye to Jane

‘

’

It is believed

that HIRS have

the most

populated

website

- 20 -

NHS HIGHLAND'S director of

public health says he's taken a

“balanced approach” to the sub-

ject of alcohol in his annual re-

port.

On one hand, Dr Hugo van Woer-

den recognises that alcohol consump-

tion is a “normal part of a healthy soci-

ety” and that there are positive asso-

ciations between controlled alcohol

intake and some conditions, such as

cardiovascular disease.

But on the other hand, Dr van Wo-

erden highlights the “significant burden

of harm” associated with excessive

alcohol intake.

And, in advance of presenting his

report to the board earlier this

month , Dr van Woerden said that,

while there were still some positive

trends, the problem of alcohol abuse in

Highland remained “extremely worry-

ing”.

He said: “We still have a major

problem across NHS Highland in that

40 per cent of the population regularly

drink more than the recommended

limit.”

And his report revealed: “Over the

five-year period 2009 to 2013, there

were on average 80 deaths per year

from alcohol-related conditions

amongst the population of NHS High-

land.”

In 2013/14, his report also shows,

there were around six hospital stays

per day among the population of NHS

Highland's area due to the affects of

alcohol.

Dr van Woerden's report graphi-

cally sets the content for a number of

recommendations and aspirations, such

as several relating to prevention and

recovery.

It also covers alcohol as it relates

to children and young people, and the

role of the NHS and the public, pri-

vate, voluntary and third sectors.

Dr van Woerden also considers

the role of industry and the business

sector in a section which touches on

the issue of minimum pricing.

He points out that alcohol is now

60 per cent more affordable in the UK

than it was in 1980, and that it's possi-

ble in Scotland for people to exceed

the minimum weekly recommended

alcohol intake for less than £5.

Among other facts contained in the

report are:

Across Highland 9.4 per cent of

men and 7.2 per cent of women are

classed as problem drinkers.

There has been a rise in alcohol

intake by women aged 16-24.

Children as young as three can rec-

ognise the smell associated with alco-

holic drinks.

The director also uses his report to

“strongly recommend” the use of mo-

bile phone apps that support people to

develop and maintain healthy drinking

habits.

Highlands’ drink

problem ‘worrying’

ANNUAL REPORT

NHS Highland will need to draw up a

contingency plan – once again – if it

is to balance the books by the end of

the year.

In a report to the NHS Highland

board earlier this month, director of

finance Nick Kenton pointed out that

the board has clocked up a £3.1 mil-

lion overspend in the first seven months of this financial year.

What’s more, Mr Kenton told the

board, around £1.9 million of

“further financial risks” may well

crystallise in the remainder of the

financial year.

“My view is therefore that contin-

gency plans totalling around £5.1

million are required in order to be

confident of breaking even on reve-

nue,” Mr Kenton’s report to the

board read.

The board has already signed off

contingency plans of £2.6 million –

so, Mr Kenton explained, a further

£2.5 million was required.

“With five accounting months

remaining in the financial year this is

clearly achievable and at this stage I

am therefore content to forecast a

break-even outturn,” the director

stated. “However, contingency plans

need to be drawn up to mitigate the

risk of not achieving £2.5 million.”

While the board’s revenue situa-

tion remains challenging, the board

meeting was told that NHS Highland

had underspent its capital budget by

£0.056 million in the first seven

months of the financial year.

The board is not allowed to

transfer funds from capital to reve-

nue unless in very specific circum-

stances.

FINANCE

Further contingencies

needed to break even

- 21 -

RETIRAL

MACMILLAN nurse Louise Shake-

speare is to scale back her role this

month after 24 years of commu-

nity service in Caithness.

The specialist advanced practitioner

based at Wick’s Caithness General Hos-

pital is officially retiring at the end of

November, at the same time calling a

halt to her globetrotting fundraising for

the cancer care charity.

But Louise, who began working with

Macmillan in 1991, still plans to help

out. She intends to carry on working

two days a week to help ensure conti-

nuity as new staff are recruited and

trained up.

“It’s just through circumstances,”

said Louise. ”There is a current short-

age in nurse-led chemotherapy in Caith-

ness, so I shall be helping out two days a

week.”

Louise, who was at the forefront of

the development of cancer and palliative

care in the Caithness area, moved to

the Highlands in 1984.

She said: “I had a cancer nursing

background and came to the Highlands

to be a community nursing sister. There

wasn’t much in the way of community

cancer services around in the Highlands

at that time. It was just starting to de-

velop. With my background I saw there

was a need for it in Caithness.”

After seven years, Louise became a

Macmillan nurse, working for a charity

which aims to make life for people with

cancer as easy and comfortable as possi-

ble with practical support for patients,

their families and carers.

Macmillan’s head of services in Scot-

land, Janice Preston, said: “We are in-

credibly grateful to Louise for the years

of dedication and the tremendous differ-

ence she has made to the lives of people

affected by cancer, both professional

and personally.

“She has played a big role in devel-

oping and improving the care offered to

people locally and will be greatly missed.

We are so lucky and thankful to work

with passionate and inspiring Macmillan

nurses, like Louise, who work tirelessly

in a tough climate to help make sure

that no one has to face cancer alone.”

Talking about her time in Caithness,

Louise said: “I’ve been very lucky to

help develop services that are not avail-

able elsewhere in the Highlands. and

that the nursing staff in Caithness were

interested in cancer and palliative care.

I’ve worked with lots of interesting and

committed staff over the years.”

And when she wasn’t doing that,

Louise was a serious fundraiser for the

charity. Over the years, she raised

around £70,000 for Macmillan Cancer

Support, doing sponsored treks that

took her around the world from Machu

Picchu in the Andes of South America

to the Himalayas in Asia.

“I suppose my favourite place was

Nepal,” she said. “I’ve been on a few

sponsored walks there. And I have been

to the Mount Everest base camp.”

Yet while Louise said her fundraising

days for Macmillan were now over, she

will miss her work with people with

cancer.

“It’s been a privilege to be part of

their lives for a time,” she said.

Macmillan nurse

Louise calls it a day

Louise pictured on a fund-raising

trek at Petra in Jordan

THE Cabinet Secretary for Health

and Wellbeing, Shona Robison, has

formally recognised the “excellent

work” that has been taking place

in NHS Highland.

In September, she led the annual

review into NHS Highland at an event

held in Wick, and her feedback on the

occasion will be reported to board

members.

In a letter to board chair Garry

Coutts, Ms Robison thanked him for the

“significant contribution” he had made

during his tenure, for the benefit of local

health services and communities.

And she added: “I want to recognise

that there is some excellent work going

on in NHS Highland. Whilst there will

always be improvements that can be

made – which the health board accepts

– we should also recognise that the

hardworking and committed staff in

NHS Highland have achieved a great

deal for the benefit of local people in

the last 12 months.”

She added: “I am confident that the

board understands the need to maintain

the quality of frontline services whilst

demonstrating best value for taxpayers’

investment.”

ANNUAL REVIEW

‘Committed’ staff commended

- 22 -

A SENIOR pharmacist at NHS

Highland has completed her post-

graduate degree at Robert Gordon

University (RGU) and developed

her career in the field.

Jane Wylie (31) graduated with an

MSc in Clinical Pharmacy Practice

(Hospital) at a ceremony in Aberdeen

Music Hall earlier this month.

Jane, who grew up in Shetland and is

a former pupil from Anderson High

School in Lerwick, also graduated from

RGU with an undergraduate MPharm

degree in 2006.

She now works as the lead pharma-

cist, surgery and anaesthetics, at Raig-

more Hospital – a role she was offered

during her postgraduate studies.

Jane said: “I am delighted with the

achievement as it hasn't always been

easy combining working full-time with

studying, especially as I started my new

job during the course.

“I'm also relieved though as it will be

nice having evenings and weekends back

again for a little while, at least until I

start my next course at RGU in Janu-

ary.

“However, I'm working to get my

results published and produce a poster

so that will keep me busy in the mean-

time.”

Keen to further develop her skills,

Jane has also applied to complete her

Independent Prescribing Qualification

through RGU. This work will begin in

the New Year and will compliment her

recent completion of the MSc.

She said: “The taught diploma part

of the MSc was really useful in support-

ing my clinical skills and knowledge. At

the time I was based on different wards

as part of a clinical rotation, and the

different topics covered, including cardi-

ology, gastroenterology and renal medi-

cine, were really useful in updating my

knowledge and making sure it was evi-

dence based.

“The thesis research component of

the MSc has been useful in providing me

with research skills, and in my current

job I've identified a number of different

projects I'd like to pursue and the skills

I've gained will be invaluable in support-

ing me with these.”

Jane married her husband Steven

midway through completing her thesis

in July 2014 and was able to take a

break from her studies with agreement

from her tutor.

She said: “I believe in a healthy

work/life balance and it was important

to me to have some time off studying as

I was so busy with wedding prepara-

tions.

“However, just after we came back

from our wedding in Cyprus I was of-

fered a secondment position as lead

pharmacist for surgery and anaesthetics

and I extended the study break for a

few more months to allow myself to

settle into the new role.

“Studying at RGU has helped me

gain the skills needed to develop my

career and I feel the MSc provided me

with the knowledge and confidence I

needed to take on this new opportu-

nity.”

Questionnaires

… and answers A COURSE on questionnaire design is

to be held in the Centre for Health

Science, Inverness, on 20th January.

To run from 10am-4pm, the

course will be presented by senior

researcher Dr David Heaney and has

been designed to help provide medi-

cal staff, nurses, pharmacists, allied

health professionals and health ser-

vice researchers.

It will help to identify where the

use of questionnaires is appropriate in

research, to design questionnaires to

obtain the best results, to select effec-

tive questions for inclusion, to use

appropriate scales of measurement

for questions, and to consider how the

data generated by the questionnaires may be most effectively processed

and analysed.

The course will include a discus-

sion on the important practical ele-

ments of sampling, survey distribution

and how to achieve the best possible

return rate.

To book a place complete the ap-

plication form can be found on the

NHS Highland intranet under the

heading Staff > Research and Devel-

opment. Those who do not have ac-

cess to the intranet should email

[email protected]

Health and

homelessness IN partnership with the North of Scot-land Housing Hub and North of Scot-land NHS boards, NHS Health Scot-land is to run a health and homeless-ness event on 25th January in High-land Council’s NH in Inverness.

The event will provide the oppor-tunity to learn and share practice around health and homelessness in a remote and rural environment.

As well as covering national de-velopments and local approaches, it will provide the opportunity to make connections across various disci-plines and with other remote and rural areas.

To register, go to: https://h e a l t h h o m l e s s n e s s -rural.eventbrite.co.uk.

COURSE

SHARING PRACTICE

GRADUATION

Raigmore

pharmacist

celebrates

post-grad

degree

success

- 23 -

WORK by a cognitive behavioural

therapist in Argyll and Bute has

been featured in the NHS Educa-

tion for Scotland annual report.

Fiona Johnstone (right), of the multi-

professional adult psychotherapy service

at Argyll and Bute Hospital, undertook

NES training to become trainers in an

evidence-based psychological interven-

tion for depression, Behavioural Activa-

tion.

Since then she has delivered training

to multi-discipilanry staff and supported

them in introducing the new skills within

their clinical practice.

Fiona’s experience is related as a

case study in the full NES annual report,

which can be accessed at

www.annualreport.nes.scot.nhs.uk

A SOCIAL enterprise project in

the Merkinch area of Inverness

involving local people has created

pottery items which are now for

sale.

Clay, which is run from the Clay

Studio and is part of Arts in Merkinch,

has been working with potter Allison

Weightman to create pottery items

which can be handmade in volume for

sale.

Sandra MacAllister, community

health co-ordinator for NHS Highland,

explained that the health board had

supported the enterprise with funding

which helped to pay for tutor time, de-

velopment materials and most recently

a study tour.

She said: “The tour proved a real

inspiration to the group members and

actually resulted in their first sale of

items, to another social enterprise in

Ullapool.

“One group member who has been

involved since the beginning of the so-

cial enterprise development has gained

so many skills and so much confidence

that she has been teaching classes to

others, which was something she could

previously have never envisaged doing.”

Items are for sale directly from the

Clay Studio at 33 Grant Street.

The Clay Studio is not manned full

time so it’s safer to call in advance on

01463 719712 or drop email alli-

[email protected]

Board-backed

project has been

going to pot!

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INITIATIVE

Case study

on training

work in NES

annual report

- 24 -

WHAT becomes of your NHSmail address if you’re

off work for a protracted period?

When members of staff are absent for more than six

months the process is to delete the NHSmail address after

this time.

However, this may not be appropriate when staff are on

long-term leave with an eventual intention to return, such as if

they are on sick or maternity leave. In such cases, employees

are asked let the eHealth access management team know as

soon as possible.

The team will then ensure the NHSmail address is sus-

pended for the length of absence from the time of notifica-

tion.

In the absence of such notification, any addresses that are

not used within six months will be deleted by NHSmail.

Any delegate access will not be available when accounts

are suspended, but will resume when account is reactivated.

For more informat ion emai l NHSHigh-

[email protected] or call the NHS Highland

service desk on 01463 704999.

NHS Highland has joined an inno-

vative NHSScotland and Scottish

Government scheme designed to

help disabled graduates find work.

And the health board has made its

first appointment under the scheme,

having recruited a visually-impaired for-

mer journalist to its small communica-

tions team.

Mark Scruton (57) joined the profes-

sional careers trainee scheme for dis-

abled graduates involving almost all the

health boards in Scotland as well the

Scottish Government. Administered by

the Glasgow-based Equality Academy,

the two-year placements are designed

to help disabled graduates overcome

barriers to entering or returning to the

job market.

Run in partnership with both

NHSScotland and the Scottish Govern-

ment, the programme was officially

launched by NHS Scotland’s chief ex-

ecutive Paul Gray in Edinburgh earlier

this month.

Maimie Thompson, NHS Highland’s

head of public relations and engage-

ment, said: “This is a great programme,

and we are happy to be involved in it.”

Supported by the Big Lottery Fund,

the Equality Academy also works to

break down barriers between graduates

and potential employers through sup-

porting employers with disability-

friendly training and organisational de-

velopment.

“The idea behind the programme is

to provide meaningful relevant work

experience for disabled graduates like

me and complement my skills, knowl-

edge and experience to help me return

to the job market,” said Mark, who has

previously worked on local daily news-

papers and for an American magazine

publishing group.

As the largest employer in Scotland

with over 160,000 full and part-time

staff, NHSScotland has the capacity to

offer a wide range of opportunities

across a spectrum of vocational special-

isms.

The graduate placement opportuni-

ties will be tailored to the career aspira-

tions of the graduates like Mark within

one or a variety of departments across

NHSScotland including finance, human

resources, communications, IT, market-

ing and project management.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INITIATIVE

Email addresses deleted after six months’ absence

Mark joins team in

new jobs initiative

EMPLOYMENT

Charity drop-in

THE CHARITY Heart & Stroke

Scotland, in partnership with NHS Highland’s cardiac support services,

is inviting people to drop in to see

them for an informal gathering in

Caithness Horizons’ premises in

High Street, Thurso, on 28th January.

The event, to run from 10am-12

noon, will provide an opportunity for

people to access information, sup-

port and some company.

CHSS

- 25 -

The way people in Highland accessed physiotherapy ser-

vices was about to change, the board announced. The NHS

Highland musculoskeletal (MSK) service was undergoing a

redesign process and was introducing a new musculoskele-

tal advice and triage service (MATS).

NHS Highland issued an assurance that it was work-

ing “with urgency” towards developing a safe and

sustainable model for the delivery of surgical ser-

vices at Caithness General Hospital. And it stressed

that it was determined that more and not less

planned surgery would take place at the hospital.

The board was working with partner organisations to im-

plement plans to ensure patient safety and service continu-

ity in response to severe weather experienced in Highland.

A number of places in the board’s area had been hit by

power cuts.

NHS Highland held a showcase

event, ‘Reaching High’, to high-

light its vision for the delivery

of high-quality health and social

care services in Highland.

Badenoch and Strathspey Commu-

nity Transport Company had been

awarded £485,047 through the Big

Lottery Fund. Along with some

other bodies, the company was

playing a role in the Badenoch

and Strathspey Transport and Ac-

cess Group, which was set up as

part of the redesign of NHS High-

land’s services in the area – work

which would mean the eventual

closure of Ian Charles Hospital in

Grantown-on-Spey and St Vincent

Hospital in Kingussie and the provi-

sion of a new hospital in Aviemore.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle supported NHS High-

land in promoting SHARE – the Scottish Health Re-

search Register – and called on fans to do the same.

SHARE was created to establish a register of people

interested in participating in health research.

NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead welcomed a

statement from the Scottish Government outlining the

award of an additional £9.4 million to the board for the

financial year 2015/16. The increase was made up of £6.5

million to bring the board closer to one per cent of parity,

under the NHS funding formula, a year earlier than planned.

The board would also receive an additional £2.9 million to

offset anticipated rising costs of new drugs and treatments.

Patients at Raigmore would be able to clearly iden-

tify the nurse in charge of their ward in a pilot run

by the hospital, the board revealed. The nurse-in-

charge of each shift was to wear a distinctive red

badge identifying themselves as the nurse-in-charge.

Highlights reported that patients who would have previ-

ously travelled to Edinburgh for kidney stone treatment

could be treated at Raigmore thanks to a £39,000 donation

by the Friends of Raigmore. The money paid for a urology

stone laser for the hospital.

The level of charitable donations made to NHS

Highland continued to grow, the board reported. In

2014, the board received donations totalling

£767,000 – £5,000 more than in the previous year.

Kelly Dallas, NHS Highland’s endowment support

officer at the time, said: “We

are extremely grateful to eve-

ryone who has donated

money, and wish to assure

them that it’s being put to

good use.”

Raigmore received a belated

Christmas gift from Sainsburys in

Nairn after the store donated all

their 2014 Christmas decorations

to the hospital.

The Highland GP who joined a

team of volunteer medics

tackling the Ebola crisis in

West Africa vowed to return

there. Dr Chris Mair returned

to his Sutherland home

shortly before New Year, hav-

ing spent five weeks working

in the Ebola treatment centre

in Kerry Town near Freetown, the capital of Sierra

Leone. He said he was so shocked by what he saw

that he was determined to return and to help raise

funds to develop healthcare in West Africa. He sub-

sequently announced plans to launch a charity to

fund medical training there.

The NHS Retirement Fellowship was investigating the possi-

bility of setting up new groups in the Highland area, includ-

ing in Oban, Fort William, Skye and Caithness.

NHS Highland’s latest dementia champions were

part of a group of 100 health and social services pro-

fessionals from across the country who graduated

and became the latest additions to Scotland’s pio-

neering dementia champions programme.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: JANUARY

A sod-cutting ceremony was held by NHS

Highland at the site of the replacement

£1.5 million Drumnadrochit Health Cen-

tre. Joanne Sutherland, widow of the late

Dr Peter Sutherland, cut the turf.

- 26 -

‘Citizen science’, state-of-the-art technol-

ogy and funding from the European Space

Agency combined in a pioneering Scottish

Highlands project to tackle tick bites and

Lyme disease. The space agency awarded

€250,000 to a collaboration of bodies,

including NHS Highland, to test the feasi-

bility of LymeMap, a phone app and web-

based system that will help to identify tick

hot-spots. Through LymeMap, informa-

tion and advice on ticks and Lyme disease

will be available to members of the public,

healthcare professionals, tourist organisa-

tions and bodies working outdoors or

pursuing leisure pursuits.

The NHS Highland board was told

at its February meeting that the

Capital Investment Group had in-

cluded a new-build replacement for

the Belford Hospital in Fort William

in its capital plan. A steering group

was being established to draw up

proposals.

Drumadrochit’s earliest-known resident,

who lived around 4,500 years ago, wore a

stone guard on his wrist when using a

bow and arrow and favoured geometric

designs on his kitchenware. Following the

discovery in January of a Bronze Age bur-

ial cist on the site of NHS Highland’s new

Drumnadrochit Health Centre, it was revealed that archae-

ologists had found shards of pottery and an archery wrist

guard on the same site.

Highlights reported that work was under way on

developing plans to maximise the potential thera-

peutic use of the grounds surrounding New Craigs

Hospital in Inverness. Funding of £500,000 had been

secured for the project.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing approved

NHS Highland’s “exciting proposals” for the modernisation

of its community and hospital services in Badenoch and

Strathspey. With approval having been granted, detailed

planning for the new services and facilities would now get

under way in earnest with a view to preparing the formal

business case.

The latest phase in a £30 million, three-year project

to upgrade Raigmore Hospital in Inverness was

completed with the transfer of patients from Ward

11 to refurbished wards on the main building’s sev-

enth floor. The move reflected a long-held ambition

to have the hospital’s respiratory

patients managed in the main tower

block, bringing them closer to other

specialities. Meanwhile, the ward

vacated was opened for temporary

use as a community ward.

A Sutherland resident joined the board of

NHS Highland as a non-executive direc-

tor. Ann Pascoe, of Portgower, was per-

haps best known in the Highlands for her

involvement in dementia-related matters.

Her husband Andrew was diagnosed with

vascular dementia in 2006 and she has

devoted much of her time since then to

caring for him and campaigning on behalf

of others affected by dementia.

The Cabinet Secretary approved

NHS Highland’s proposals for the

modernisation of its community and

hospital services in Skye, Lochalsh &

South West Ross. The go-ahead

would mean the construction of a

new hospital (known as a ‘hub’ facil-

ity) in Broadford and the provision

of a ‘spoke’ facility in Portree.

NHS Highland urged people to use the

Emergency Department at Raigmore for

emergencies only. The board was follow-

ing redirection guidance from the Scottish

Government aimed at ensuring that all patients were seen

in a timely manner when they presented at the department.

Ross County FC joined forces with See Me, the

Scottish anti-stigma campaign, the Mid Ross com-

munity mental health team and Ross-shire Game

Changers, an organisation of people with lived ex-

perience of mental health problems, to challenge

the stigma surrounding mental health problems.

NHS Highland publicised an initiative to improve the way

people are supported in care homes. ‘My Home Life’ is an

evidence-based approach to supporting and enabling manag-

ers to create homely environments in care homes.

A Mid Ross community mental health team project

which promotes healthy lifestyle activities won a

national award. The Branching Out pilot, a partner-

ship between NHS Highland and Abriachan Forest

Trust aimed at improving the physical and mental

health of service users through outdoor physical ac-

tivity, was recognised by the Mental Health Nursing

Forum Scotland.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: FEBUARY

One of the people leading NHS

Highland’s work on dementia

became the 5,000th person to

be awarded a Churchill Fellow-

ship. Set up 50 years ago as a

tribute to Sir Winston Chur-

chill, the fellowships are

awarded to people from all

walks of life to travel overseas

and bring back knowledge for

the benefit of others. To mark

its 50th anniversary, the

Winston Churchill Memorial

Trust awarded a travelling fel-

lowship to Ruth Mantle, Alz-

heimer Scotland dementia

nurse consultant for NHS High-

land, making her the 5,000th

recipient.

- 27 -

To improve the in-patient experience and help staff to plan

care reflecting individual needs, a four week trial was being

carried out by senior nurses at Raigmore. People going into

hospital for planned surgery were sent a questionnaire to

be completed before their admission asking them what their

‘Five Must Dos’ are when they were in hospital. It was

hoped that this approach would encourage people in hospi-

tal to be active participants in their hospital stay and lead to

an improved care experience.

A symposium and roadshow was held in Inverness

on ‘Challenges in Remote and Rural Healthcare’.

The event brought

together a wide

range of practitio-

ners who share a

common interest in

the delivery of

healthcare in remote

and rural environ-

ments.

NHS Highland con-

firmed that the land

between Dr MacKinnon

Memorial Hospital and

the health centre in

Broadford was the pre-

ferred site for the pro-

posed new hospital and

resource centre. But

the board stressed that

this view was based only

on quality factors and

that a final site selection

would be subject to

other considerations.

Highlights reported

on the retiral of

Cathy Lush who, as NHS Highland’s clinical dental

director, had steered the board’s dental services for

the 15 years.

Highlights reported that a Ross-shire resident had joined

the board of NHS Highland as a non-executive director.

Originally from Norfolk, Melanie Newdick moved to Scot-

land 10 years ago. Highlights explained that she worked

both as a business coach, specialising in helping small busi-

nesses, and as a freelance travel rep. She also presented a

weekly business show on the online radio channel North

Highland Radio.

NHS Highland reported that it was working up

plans for a multi-million revamp of Caithness Gen-

eral Hospital in Wick. The board was costing a

range of options as part of the business plan process

that’s a necessary part of such a large infrastructure

project. It was hoped that, if it secured the esti-

mated £5 million it needed for the project from the

Scottish Government, work on upgrading the 74-

bed rural general hospital would get under way next

year and be completed within two years.

The importance of developing community services and the

provision of a sustainable model of care in Caithness Gen-

eral Hospital were key points for discussion at a meeting in

Thurso, organised by

NHS Highland. One of

the items for discussion

was an update on the

redesign of hospital

services, and particu-

larly those at Caithness

General.

Dr Kirstin McQuil-

lan, an NHS High-

land salaried GP at

Morvern Medical

Practice in

Lochaber, returned

from a month-long

voluntary language

teaching assignment

in the West Bank.

German national Dr

McQuillan and her

Scottish husband

Paul, a former

teacher, taught Eng-

lish and German to

children and adults

in the city of Nablus.

Dr Owl – a wise character from a national health campaign

– took to the skies to urge people in Highland to take a few

simple steps to look after their health over Easter. It was

part of a campaign to remind people that by making sure

they had a supply of over the counter medicines, knowing

when their GP surgery was open and checking their repeat

prescriptions, they could ensure they made the most of the

Easter holiday weekend.

Members of the NHS Highland board found out first

-hand how they could make a difference for people

living with dementia. Directors took time to learn

about dementia and the little things that can be

done to help those living with the condition. In do-

ing so, they became ‘dementia friends’.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: MARCH

Staff at NHS Highland were encouraged to be less sedentary at

work. A campaign by occupational health physiotherapists at the

board urged employees to ‘Beware of the Chair’, pointing out

that inactivity is the fourth biggest killer in Britain. Through

short, fun presentations and internal communications, staff were

advised that they should move about more while at work. Among

the suggestions were holding standing meetings, standing up

three times every hour, using standing desks, going for a walk at

lunchtime and standing up when on the phone, having a coffee or

eating lunch.

- 28 -

An exhibition shedding light on nursing in the Highlands was

held in Inverness. Using documents, photographs and other

records from the NHS Highland archive, the Highland

Council’s historic collections and elsewhere, the exhibition

was intended for people with an interest in or association

with nursing or nurse training.

NHS Highland employees’ pension arrangements

changed from a ‘final salary’ scheme to a ‘career

average’ one.

After 19 years of service as the single-handed general prac-

titioner in Durness, Dr Alan Belbin announced that he

planned to retire. It would mean that as from 1st July it

would be the responsibility of NHS Highland to ensure

that the 294 patients registered in Durness had access to

medical services. Representatives of NHS Highland met

Durness Community Council to discuss what this might

mean for local services.

It was announced that a pilot project carried out at

Raigmore which allowed patients to clearly identify

the nurse in charge of their ward would be adopted

across the hospital.

A retired NHS Highland HR director published a biography

of his great-great-grandfather Professor Matthew Forster

Heddle – Scotland’s greatest mineralogist. Hamish Johnston,

who retired in 2006 after 24 years working for Highland

Health Board, penned the book –

entitled Matthew Forster Heddle,

Mineralogist and Mountaineer –

after learning that no-one had previ-

ously written about Professor Hed-

dle, author of The Mineralogy of Scot-

land (1901).

A initiative at Raigmore involv-

ing partnership working be-

tween patient and hospital staff

had improved recovery times

and surgery outcomes, the

board reported. The national

Enhanced Recovery Pro-

gramme aims to get the pa-

tient to be an active participant

in their recovery. In Highland,

Highlights reported, this was

carried out in orthopaedic and

colorectal surgery.

A Raigmore consultant paediatrician

was honoured with a Long Service

Volunteer Award from Diabetes

UK, Highlights reported. Dr George

Farmer, who had volunteered with the charity for over 24

years, was recognised for his continuing contribution to

care events, which provide respite, support and advice to

families living with diabetes.

The NHS Highland Mid Ross community mental

health team walked away with a clean sweep of hon-

ours at this year’s Mental Health Nursing Forum

Scotland awards. Having been informed that their

Branching Out pilot had already secured one prac-

tice excellence award, the team was named the

Practice of the Year for 2015.

NHS Highland advised members of the public to beware of

cold callers claiming to be from the National Health Service.

Laura Gillies, lead adviser for adult support and protection

for NHS Highland, asked everyone to be vigilant and to re-

port it if they received this type of calls. There had been

reports from local GP surgeries and a local hospital of a

company cold calling older people in the area claiming to be

from the NHS.

A new programme providing post-diagnostic sup-

port to families with children on the autism spec-

trum was launched across Argyll and Bute. The ‘Get

Set 4 Autism’ project, delivered in partnership with

Scottish Autism and Autism Argyll, aimed to reduce

the feelings of isolation experienced by families liv-

ing with autism in rural areas.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: APRIL

An NHS Highland biomedi-

cal scientist maintained

that a bowel screening test

kit saved his life – and en-

abled him to sign up for

one of the largest humani-

tarian efforts in history.

Neil Spence, from Farr just

outside Inverness, com-

pleted a home bowel

screening test kit after be-

ing prompted by the Scot-

tish Government’s Detect

Cancer Early publicity cam-

paign. His test came back

as positive and further in-

vestigation found a tumour

in his bowel. After a suc-

cessful operation, Mr

Spence was able to spend five weeks volunteering in

Sierra Leone contributing

to efforts to tackle the

Ebola outbreak – and he

was urging others to take

part in bowel screening.

- 29 -

NHS Highland took the unusual step of placing an advertise-

ment in a Dutch newspaper in the hope of attracting medics

in a wide range of specialties. The board, in common with

others serving remote and rural communities, has long had

a problem filling some vacancies and believed the existence

of regular direct flights between Inverness and Amsterdam

would make working in the Highlands an attractive proposi-

tion to Dutch doctors.

NHS Highland appointed its lead nurse in Argyll and

Bute to the new post of deputy director of nursing

and midwifery. Pat Tyrrell was suc-

ceeded as lead nurse in Argyll and Bute

by the clinical services manager for Bute,

Liz Higgins.

An NHS Highland doctor helped Scotland to

become the first country in the world to intro-

duce standard guidelines for dealing with con-

cussion in sport. Dr Jonathan Hanson, a rural

practitioner based on Skye, served on the na-

tional working group which drew up the new

guidance, which was unveiled at an event in

Glasgow. Highlights reported that Dr Hanson

served on the working group as a representa-

tive of the Camanachd Association, of which

he was medical adviser.

Construction of the new dialysis unit in

Campeltown Hospital got under way.

Patients could be reminded about their out-

patient appointments by text message in a new service that

started on 1st May in NHS Highland. The patient reminder

service covers all hospital out-patient appointments, with

the some exceptions, and reminds patients about their ap-

pointment 24 hours in advance.

Staff from across Highland got together to share

expertise and discuss individual’s roles when treat-

ing patients with hip fractures. The Highland hip

fracture event in Inverness saw local healthcare pro-

fessionals talking about their roles in the care of pa-

tients.

A colourful wooden box covered with locks was set to pro-

vide a key activity for hospital patients with dementia. Dor-

noch Academy sixth-year pupils Luis Steven and Charlie-

Jack Meeres made the box as part of their work towards

obtaining a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Luis visited

Migdale Hospital in Bonar Bridge to present the 'box of lox'

to staff nurse Adele Gallagher.

NHS Highland asked members of the public to tell

them ‘what has a nurse done for you’, and responses

received were displayed within the hospital as part

of International Nurses Day.

Moves were in hand to transform an NHS Highland’s

Beachview Day Centre in Brora into a “health and wellbeing

hub”, serving people from throughout the area who have

dementia or mental health issues. Highlights revealed that,

in a pilot initiative, the day centre in Brora was to open

under a new guise, with Easter Ross-based community in-

terest company Engaging with Activity (EWA) offering a

range of services on NHS Highland’s behalf. NHS Highland

staff would continue to work at the centre,

and its service users would continue to re-

ceive the services and support they always

received, as well enhanced services provided

by EWA.

An innovative project challenging the

stigma attached to mental health and

self-harm among young people was tak-

ing place in two Highland schools, High-

lights reported. ‘Stigma’ used drama

and creative workshops to teach pupils

at Alness and Invergordon Academies

about the help available for those who

self-harmed, and the best way they

could support their friends through diffi-

cult times.

A new telephone helpline was launched to

help improve the delivery of care throughout

the Highlands and Islands for those living with

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The helpline was

established with support from Crohn’s and Colitis UK to

give rapid-access support and advice to help patients better

manage their condition.

Work on Raigmore’s critical care upgrade took a

big step forward with the Scottish Government ap-

proving the outline business case submitted by NHS

Highland. The upgrade will bring all critical care ser-

vices, which includes the Acute Medical Assessment

Unit, the Intensive Care Unit, SHDU, theatre and

the admissions area, into one area over two floors.

The operating theatres will be refurbished and an

additional theatre will be added to bring the total

number within the theatre unit to 10.

Highlights reported that NHS Highland was making available

a new service to support and guide those employees who

were considering what retirement might mean to them. The

service would be provided through workshops to raise

awareness of the key issues employees would need to con-

sider, and decisions they would need to make, in the run-up

to retiring.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: MAY

Highlights reported

that Fort William GP

Jim Douglas was set-

ting up a group of in-

terested bodies in

Lochaber to feed in-

formation into the

LymeMap project,

which was launched at

a seminar in in Inver-

ness (see February).

- 30 -

A flash mob highlighting ‘workout at work’ reached more

than 100,000 people after a video of it was posted on to

NHS Highland's Facebook page. NHS Highland staff, pa-

tients and members of the public were treated to the dis-

play over their lunch in the Raigmore Hospital can-

teen. Entertaining the crowd were the musuloskeletal and

occupational health physiotherapists who chose the flash

mob as a way of highlighting national Workout at Work

Day.

NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead encour-

aged businesses and communities in Inverness to

become ‘dementia friends’ and commit to support

people living with dementia to continue to remain a

part of their community.

An NHS Highland patient safety initiative was to be rolled

out across Scotland, Highlights reported. ‘Medicine Sick Day

Rules’ cards explain which long-term medicines should be

stopped temporarily if a patient develops a dehydrating ill-

ness such as vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. Following a suc-

cessful evaluation of the cards in NHS Highland, NHSScot-

land and the Scottish Patient Safety Programme decided to

make them cads available across Scotland. The national

cards were launched at the NHSScotland event in Glasgow.

The Scottish Parliament gave formal statutory ap-

proval for the scheme to integrate health and adult

social care in Argyll and Bute.

People were asked to think of others when using Raig-

more’s main car park. It was recognised that the car park

was very busy and it could be difficult trying to find a space

in it. However, it was reported that there had been exam-

ples of cars being blocked in, access roads being blocked

and the disabled bays being used by people who do not

have blue badges displayed on their car.

A nurse who touched the lives of many people re-

tired after working continuously in Sutherland for

30 years. Colleagues gathered in the Lawson Memo-

rial Hospital to say good-bye to Marion Mackay,

Macmillan nurse for East Sutherland.

NHS Highland’s desire to pioneer ground-breaking tech-

nologies sparked plans by the board’s research, develop-

ment and innovation department to stage a series of road-

shows for staff. The department used the roadshows to

meet staff members who had ideas for new products or

services, with a view to helping to turn them into reality.

An NHS Highland research nurse spoke about her

experiences in Sierra Leone working with a team

conducting an Ebola treatment intervention trial.

Gig (Georgina) Simpson, lead Highland cancer trials

research nurse, had responded to an Oxford Univer-

sity appeal for volunteers to support the trial.

The Highland Alcohol and Drug Partnership hosted a Face-

book chat on the four ‘As’ of alcohol: availability, afforda-

bility, accessibility and acceptance – and how we as a soci-

ety needed to promote that prevention was better than

cure when came to reducing the harm caused by alcohol.

The Scottish Government began its quest for a new

non-executive chair of NHS Highland to replace

Garry Coutts, who will next year stand down as the

board’s chair, having served in the post for the

statutory maximum of three consecutive four-year

terms.

Scotland’s oldest person, Rene Chapman, celebrated her

109th birthday in Telford Centre, Fort Augustus, where she

was a resident. Friends, family and staff gathered for a birth-

day tea party in the NHS Highland care home and, as a dog-

lover, Rene enjoyed a specially made birthday cake in the

shape of a Pekinese, her favourite breed.

More than 300 members of staff from across NHS

Highland were thanked for their years of service at

ceremonies held throughout the area. The awards,

in their seventh year in Highland, marked 20, 30 and

40 years’ service with the NHS, with employees re-

ceiving a certificate and vouchers.

NHS Highland hosted a party of around 20 senior Norwe-

gian officials who were touring Scotland. The visitors were

keen to share challenges around the delivery of rural health

and social care, and were particularly interested in pre-

hospital care, community hospitals and recruitment.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: JUNE Two Highland public

health dietitians cre-

ated a board game

aimed at improving

people’s understand-

ing of healthy

weight. The Food,

Mood and Health

game is a thoughtful

and fun learning re-

source for children,

young people and

adults that provides

an informal context

for learning about

important food and health topics. NHS Highland

health improvement dietitian Fiona Clarke

worked with Highland Council dietitian David Rex

to create the game.

- 31 -

A new bed cleaning team was introduced at Raigmore as

part of a three-month pilot across three wards. The team of

two, part of the hospital’s domestic team, were to have the

sole responsibility for cleaning beds and bed spaces a new

patient could be admitted to the area.

The renal unit at Raigmore embraced the ‘#hello

my name is’ initiative with all staff pledging commit-

ment to this very patient-centred campaign. The

campaign was started by hospital consultant Dr

Kate Granger, who wanted to improve patient ex-

perience after being a patient in hospital following a

cancer diagnosis.

The project board established to oversee the preparation of

the business case for the redesign of NHS Highland services

in Badenoch and Strathspey held its first meeting, Highlights

reported.

Inverness resident John Davidson presented a

cheque for over £1,300 to the Special Care Baby

Unit at Raigmore Hospital after he and his father

Alex cycled from Land’s End and John O’Groats to

raise money for the unit which had cared for both of

John’s children.

Highlights reported that employment services manager

Brenda Munro was retiring after a long career with NHS

Highland. Brenda began her career with NHS Highland in

1974, and held a variety of positions in the pay unit before

making the switch to the board’s human resources team in

1999.

Highlights reported that the Vocational Support

Team had held two launch events to introduce its

service to health professionals in Inverness and

Caithness. The service had been established to help

adults with mental ill-health remain in or find new

employment. Teams would be based in Wick and

Inverness and would offer one-to-one support to

help people achieve their goals, and offer a tailored

approach to suit individual needs.

Health professionals and patient groups in Highland gave

their views on a national review of primary care out-of-

hours services. At an engagement event, the chair of the

review, Professor Sir Lewis Ritchie, met patient representa-

tives, practitioners, service providers and policy makers to

discuss issues facing out-of-hours services.

GMB Union Highland and Islands donated a number

of portable DVD players, along with some DVDs, to

the children’s ward at Raigmore Hospital, Highlights

reported.

Derek Ritchie, who was NHS Highland’s prosthetics ser-

vices manager, based in Raigmore Hospital. retired after 11

years working for the board.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: JULY

Four student nurses from Israel were in Inver-

ness to take part in a student exchange visit ar-

ranged by the Highland Campus of University of

Stirling in partnership with NHS Highland. This

was the third year in a row that Israeli nursing

students had visited the Highlands.

After 42 years of working at Raigmore Hospital,

chargehand painter John Douglas retired.

- 32 -

The first of a series of events to look at the future shape of

adult health and social care services on the north coast

took place in Strathy, Sutherland. The meeting included

representatives of community councils and other local

groups, councillors, staff and interested parties from across

the area. Topics that participants raised included looking

after people in their own home, developing a community

‘hub’, promoting general wellbeing, transport, recruitment,

inward investment and supporting community resilience.

The Mid Ross District Partnership hosted a celebra-

tory event to showcase all that is great about ser-

vices and opportunities in health and social care in

the area. Members of the public, service providers,

community members, elected members and practi-

tioners attended the Dingwall event.

NHS Highland’s head of eHealth infrastructure services, Iain

Ross, who won the Scottish NHS Golf Classic in July, repre-

sented NHSScotland in the NHS Four Nations

Golf Tournament in August. Iain and Jim Do-

cherty, consultant colorectal and general sur-

geon for NHS Highland, who also qualified,

helped NHS Scotland to second place behind

the Northern Irish team. However, Iain was the

top-scoring Scottish player, only four points

behind the overall winner.

The first formal meeting of the new Inte-

gration Joint Board (IJB) in Argyll and

Bute was held in Oban. The IJB will plan

and manage services from 1st April 2016

when the Argyll and Bute Health and So-

cial Care Partnership takes over responsi-

bility for all health and social care ser-

vices from Argyll and Bute Council and

NHS Highland.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing

and Sport, Shona Robison, visited Lochbroom care home in

Ullapool to learn more about the integration of health and

adult social care. She met staff, residents and members of

the community who had felt the benefits of integrated

health and adult social care in Highland.

Highlights reported that a survey of patients across

Highland hospitals about their experience of chap-

laincy services showed that the service provided had

helped contribute to quality person-centred care.

Most of the patients surveyed advised that they

were satisfied or very satisfied with the service and

comments illustrated that, for some people, being

visited by the chaplain improved their hospital stay.

In-depth research by trainee clinical psychologists working

with NHS Highland was put under the spotlight at a major

conference in Inverness. The Highland Trainee Clinical Psy-

chologists Research Conference provided a forum for train-

ees to talk about their work.

Harm reduction staff in Highland held events to

mark International Overdose Awareness Day. Staff

from the Inverness-based harm reduction service

and the Caithness-based drug and alcohol service

offered drop-in sessions for clients or agencies who

dealt with people at risk of opiate overdose.

Highlights reported that NHS Highland was working with

Care Farming Scotland in a bid to increase the availability of

social farming in the north of Scotland. Social farms provide

health, social or educational services for a range of vulner-

able groups, including people will mental ill-health, autism

and learning disabilities.

Highlights revealed that new clinical director for

eHealth for NHS Highland was to be Jim

Docherty, a consultant colorectal surgeon

at Raigmore.

Staff and volunteers at a recently re-opened

care home in Mallaig served up a very special

treat to residents and locals. The Mackintosh

Centre laid on a slap-up evening dinner, giving

residents and guests the opportunity to dress

up and enjoy some fine dining. The event was

part of a programme of community engagement

events at the centre.

The senior charge nurse role at Lawson

Memorial Hospital in Golspie was been

filled following the retiral of the Allison

Mackay, Highlights reported. Joanne

Gemmill and Ashley Thompson took over

the post on a job-share basis.

A former NHS Highland general practice trainee raised

more than £1,600 for the Special Care Baby Unit in Raig-

more Hospital after completing the Fort William marathon.

Dr Esther Wilson signed up for her fund-raising run after

being impressed by the level of care her friend’s daughter

received in the unit.

Managers in NHS Highland were urged to encour-

age employees to complete the annual staff survey,

conducted by NHSScotland. Last year, probably for

the first time, the response rate to the survey in

NHS Highland was, at 32 per cent, below the

NHSScotland average. And with the message that

the survey was important, and can prompt positive

change, the push was on to encourage maximum

participation in 2015.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: AUGUST

Highlights re-

ported that

Helen Sikora had

been appointed

NHS Highland’s

principal officer

for health ine-

qualities, equal-

ity and diversity.

- 33 -

NHS Highland was in a strong position despite facing a num-

ber of outstanding concerns, the health board’s annual re-

view heard this week. Board chair Garry Coutts said that

2013/14 had been a “tough year” for NHS Highland and he

described 2014/15 as a year of improvements to systems

and outcomes. The next year, he said, could be character-

ised as one of “stability and confidence”, reflecting the

strong position he said the board was now in. The annual

review, held in Wick, was attended by the Cabinet Secre-

tary for Health and Wellbeing, Shona Robison.

The stroke unit at Raigmore and Chest Heart and

Stroke Scotland (CHSS) held a joint celebration at

the hospital to launch Strokeness, a new support

group for stroke survivors, and to also celebrate 10

years of the Stroke Patient and Carer Group.

‘The Possibilities are Endless’, a film about incredible story

of lyricist Edwyn Collins’ recovery from a stroke, was

shown at Eden Court, Inverness, in an event held by NHS

Highland and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS). The

joint event was organised to raise awareness of stroke and

to act as a networking opportunity.

An internationally-renowned expert on health ine-

qualities aging gave the keynote speech at an event

on the subject in Inverness. The event was organ-

ised by NHS Highland to look at ‘Inequalities and

Older People’ and featured a presentation by Pro-

fessor James Nazroo, a leading researcher in the

field. He talked about inequalities in later life, and

their consequences and how they could be tackled.

The Scottish Government extended its quest for a new non

-executive chair of NHS Highland. Having failed to identify a

suitable candidate to replace Garry Coutts, who will stand

down next year, it was decided to re-advertise the position.

NHS Highland said it was delighted at the contribu-

tion from members of the public to an ongoing re-

view of health and social care services across the

north coast of Sutherland. A total of 35 people at-

tended what the health board described as an

“extremely useful” workshop in Tongue which con-

sidered the development of services in the area.

A donation to the cardiac unit lead to improve-

ments to the quiet room in the cath lab at Raig-

more Hospital. Mrs Ishbel Clarkson, from Brora,

made the donation in memory of her husband John.

Staff in the cardiac unit at Raigmore received over £2,000

from the Heartbeat Challenge. It paid for monitoring equip-

ment that can be used in hospital and in GP surgeries to

help diagnose people who have palpitations.

The Special Care Baby Unit at Raigmore Hospital

received £12,000 from a little girl who wanted to say

thank-you for the care she received there. Amelia Jo

Kelly, from Inverness, was eight weeks premature

when she was born in September 2014 and she

spent four weeks in SCBU.

A diamond wedding anniversary provided a welcome boost

for the children’s ward at Raigmore Hospital. Ken and Peggy

Watson, from Easter Kinkell, had celebrated 60 years of

marriage but instead of gifts they asked for donations for

the ward and were able to donate £1,000.

NHS Highland staff were being urged to make use

of the network of paths and cycleways on the new

Inverness Campus. With more than 30 acres of

parkland, the campus was designed as a facility for

everybody: a gathering place in which people can

enjoy their leisure time.

The cardio physiology department at Raigmore received an

award from Medtronic in recognition of their use of the

Carelink system. The department is responsible for provid-

ing a service to patients Highland-wide, including the West-

ern Isles, in looking after patients with implantable devices

such as pacemakers, ICDs and monitoring devices.

Chron’s and Colitis UK Highlands and Islands Group

donated money to the IBD team at Raigmore Hos-

pital, allowing them to buy a new set of weighing

scales.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: SEPTEMBER

Highlights reported that NHS Highland therapy radiographer Adesh Jutton (above) had returned from Kenya after spending 10 days there raising awareness of cancer among the local population. Raigmore-based Adesh was there as part of a group of volunteers with the charity Cancel Can-cer Africa.

- 34 -

The Belford Hospital celebrated its 150th birthday – and a

very special event was held in Fort William to mark the

occasion. A host of distinguished guests, including the chair

of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,

Professor David Haslam CBE; Professor Derek Bell, presi-

dent of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and

NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead, attended a four-

day conference featuring a host of internationally renowned

speakers, many of whom had trained and worked at the

hospital.

NHS Highland’s sleep service held an event in Inver-

ness to raise awareness of Obstructive Sleep Ap-

noea Syndrome, and to advise on what support was

available locally.

A dedication and memorial service for nurse Edith Cavell

was held at Cavell Gardens War Memorial, Inverness, on

the 100th anniversary of her death. She was tried in secret

by the German military authorities during the First World

War and, despite efforts to save her by the American and

Spanish ambassadors to Belgium, was

executed by firing squad at a rifle range

just outside Brussels at dawn on 12th

October 1915.

Fort Augustus Health Centre suf-

fered extensive damage in a major

weekend blaze.

The Scottish Government confirmed that

NHS Highland could submit an outline

business case for the redesign of services

in Badenoch and Strathspey. The an-

nouncement followed the approval by the

Scottish Government Health Director-

ate’s Capital Investment Group of NHS

Highland’s Initial Agreement document.

Highlights reported that only 25 per

cent of those who had attended

NHS Highland stress control classes

in Lochaber were men – but the

proportion was still seen by the

course organisers as “remarkably

high”. NHS Highland had run four

six-week stress control courses since

the beginning 2014, and were due to

hold another – again over six weeks

– in Corpach.

NHS Highland published details of some of the progress it

has made in a three-year initiative to find new ways of deliv-

ering sustainable health and care services in remote and

rural areas. In 2013, NHS Highland received funding total-

ling £1.5 million from the Scottish Government under its

‘Being Here’ programme to devise and test innovative ways

of recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals – and

particularly GPs – in some of its more isolated communities.

News of some of the work carried out under the ‘Being

Here’ project featured in an NHS Highland newsletter

which was distributed to interested parties.

Adult social work services in East Caithness trans-

ferred to the medical centre in Wick in a move

which brought the local district nursing and social

work service teams into the same base.

Doctors at the annual conference of the Royal College of

General Practitioners, held in Glasgow, were given an in-

sight into practising in remote and rural parts of Highland

and Argyll and Bute. NHS Highland, along with NHS Shet-

land and NHS Dumfries and Galloway, mounted a stall pro-

moting remote and rural working.

Two of NHS Highland’s operational units – Raig-

more and South & Mid – had

merged, Highlights reported.

Staff, patients and volunteers at two Ar-

gyll and Bute hospitals were celebrating

after receiving a prestigious national

award. The chemotherapy day services

and a room for relatives of in-patients

approaching end of life at the hospital in

Lochgilphead and the Macmillan day bed

unit at Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban

were awarded a Macmillan Quality Envi-

ronment Mark. The awards recognise and

reward good practice and high standards

within the physical environment of a can-

cer care building.

Moves were in hand to establish a

closer working relationship between

NHS Highland and the University of

the Highlands and Islands. NHS

Highland’s board approved a Memo-

randum of Understanding between

the two organisations which will

form the basis of developing areas of

common interest.

Highlights reported that an innovative

sharing portal named Warp It had been

introduced in Highland to help employees

share equipment – and help reduce the health board’s car-

bon footprint. It enabled staff to arrange for equipment to

be shared and saved via one website, which has been

dubbed an ‘internal eBay’.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: OCTOBER

A striking image of a snow-

covered Highland moun-

tain won an award for an

NHS Highland employee in

Argyll and Bute. Linda

Kerr, NHS Highland li-

brary services manager at

Lorn and Islands Hospital

in Oban, won the adult

category in the stills pho-

tography competition held

as part of the Scottish

Mental Health Arts and

Film Festival.

- 35 -

Two NHS Highland staff were recognised at the Scottish

Health Awards in Edinburgh for their outstanding contribu-

tion to healthcare in the north of Scotland. Gavin Hookway,

NHS Highland senior quality improvement, lead picked up

the Quality Champion of the Year Award thanks to his

commitment to raising standards across the board’s area.

Pauline Jespersen, a practice nurse partner and integrated

team leader, received the Nurse Award for her work at the

Lorn Medical Centre in Oban, where she has been based

for the past 15 years.

Health professionals from across the country were

in Inverness for NHS Highland’s annual ‘Heart of

the Matter’ cardiology symposium. The event fea-

tured a range of speakers and poster presentations

giving delegates the opportunity to share learning

on all things cardiology.

NHS Highland hosted its annual research, development and

innovation conference at the Centre for Health Science in

Inverness. The event highlighted featured key-

note speakers, breakout sessions, exhibition

stands and networking opportunities. The

theme for the conference was ‘Whole Health’

and focused on the ‘5Ps’ of total care: public

health, prevention, primary care, patient hospi-

tal care and the patient (self care).

The Highland Health Board Carol Con-

cert Choir held its annual concert in

Eden Court, Inverness.

Encouraging people to share their experience

of living with diabetes and have their say on the

diabetes service in Highland was the theme of

this year’s Highland Diabetes Conference, held

in Inverness on World Diabetes Day, 14th No-

vember.

Following rigorous reassessment High-

land’s Health and Social Care Partner-

ship maintained Baby Friendly status,

demonstrating that recognised best prac-

tice standards and high quality support is

provided to mothers and babies.

Raigmore Hospital’s dining room, main cafe and out-

patients’ tea bar, as well as the cafe at the nearby Centre

for Health Science, maintained their ‘healthy living plus’

status following a recent reassessment, Highlights reported.

The award is given to those who can demonstrate a greater

commitment to supporting healthier eating.

NHS Highland staff were offering breathing tests to

the public at the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inver-

ness on 18th November. The tests were offered as

part of World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Dis-

ease Day.

Highlights reported that NHS Highland has launched a ma-

jor project to tackle what it described as a “key priority”

for the board – addressing mental health needs. The board

was undertaking a wide-ranging review to determine unmet

mental health need throughout its area. The project in-

volves gathering information on existing mental health ser-

vices, ascertaining the prevalence of common mental health

disorders and mapping service provision according to popu-

lation need.

A service in Argyll and Bute for people with multi-

ple sclerosis won a major award. When physiothera-

pist Derek Laidler started working with NHS High-

land, he was frustrated that there was no rehabilita-

tion service in his area for people with neurological

conditions – so he decided to do something about it.

And five years later, the service he

helped to set up in Oban was named a

winner in the first QuDoS (Recognising

Quality in the Delivery of Services)

Awards, which recognise quality in the

delivery of services for people with mul-

tiple sclerosis. Derek and Andrea James,

who helped him to develop the service

when she worked as project manager

with the community enterprise initiative

Lorn and Oban Healthy Options, won

the award scheme’s ‘Innovation in Prac-

tice’ category.

Alcohol Awareness Week, which kicked off on

16th November, aimed to encourage people to

think about the impact of alcohol use in their

community. The theme for the week was ‘the

impact of alcohol on health and society’.

It was reported that pharmacy teams

from four health boards in north Scot-

land were working together to develop

and promote innovative services in re-

mote and rural areas. The announce-

ment of the new collaboration was made at NHS

Highland’s annual Research, Development and Inno-

vation Conference in Inverness. Teams from NHS

Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS

Western Isles had come together in collaboration

with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, to form

a ‘Pharmacy on the Edge’ group. The name was

chosen to symbolise the leading-edge approach the

teams take, and the remote and rural areas in which

they worked.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR: NOVEMBER

Gig (Georgina)

Simpson, lead

Highland cancer

clinical trials re-

search nurse, was

named as a run-

ner-up for the

clinical research

nurse of the year

by the Scottish

Research Nurse

and Co-

ordinators Net-

work.

- 36 -

THE origins of the National Health Ser-

vice in the UK can be traced back to the

north of Scotland where many of the for-

mative ideas were developed and tested.

This tradition has continued with the High-

land Health Sciences Library being one of the

key instigators in the development of the

Knowledge Network – arguing that electronic

access to materials was the most effective way

to increase access to information especially in

remote and rural areas.

The Highland Health Sciences Library con-

tinues to be in the forefront of health informa-

tion developments in the NHS in Scotland. We

are proud to be helping pilot the National Evi-

dence Search and Summary Service. This is a

new service from NHS Education Scotland

(NES) which aims to support your decisions in

frontline care, management and improvement

work.

By using the service you can request a pro-

fessional search and summary of evidence,

choosing from a summary digest, evidence re-

view, or an organised and filtered collection of

references.

The National Evidence Search and Summary

Service is a pan Scotland resource which means

that librarians across boards (including NHS

Highland) will be collaborating to produce the

results.

The National Evidence Search and Summary

Service can be found at:

http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/

helpandtraining/help-and-training/the-national-

evidence-search--summary-service.aspx

Remember, whatever your needs the High-

land Health Sciences Library exists to help you.

Save time and money. Don’t spend more than

10 minutes on a problem you may be having –

contact the library instead.

To find out more about the library call

01463 255600 (x7600).

Rob Polson, Subject Librarian

HIGHLAND HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY

We are proud to be helping

pilot the National Evidence

Search and Summary Service

’

‘

Old meets new: the NHS, the

library and new developments

in the Knowledge Network

- 37 -

OTHER LIVES

Area

manager

and the

ap-peal

of heavy

metal

WHAT do campanologists think of the festive season? After all, you’ll no doubt hear more than enough of ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’ at this time of year and chances are you’ll be bringing in the bells in a few days’ time.

But bells aren’t just for Christmas and New Year as far as Rhiannon Pitt is con-cerned; they’re a year-round passion.

For when she’s not working as NHS Highland area manager Rhiannon likes nothing better than to tug on the bell ropes at Inverness Cathedral.

Rhiannon was brought up in Hertford-shire, a part of the world where most churches have belltowers. Her next-door neighbour was a church warden and, with bellringers in the family, she took up the interest at the age of 13 – and has been bells crazy ever since.

“I’ve been doing it for 30-odd years and have loved every minute of it,” said Rhian-non. “It’s one of those interests that can really grip you.”

Rhiannon is one of around 25 people who ring the bells of Inverness Cathedral, which has the most northerly belltower in the world. The cathedral has 10 bells, rang-ing in weight from 400 to 1,600 hundred-weight, and at least six bells are used at any one time.

Ask Rhiannon about the technicalities of bellringing and you'll probably wish you hadn't – expressions such as 'sally', 'plain hunting' and 'quarter peals' tend to glaze the eyes of the uninitiated.

“There's a lot to learn,” said Rhiannon. “There is a skill to controlling a bell and al-though I have been bellringing for 33 years I'm still learning.”

The bells of Inverness Cathedral are rung twice on Sundays: at around 10.30am, before the morning service, and at around 5.30pm, in advance of the evening service. They are also rung for special occasions, such as weddings, but Inverness residents will also hear them on Thursday evenings, when the group meets to practise.

“Practice nights are important, not just to keep our skill levels up but from a social point of view,” said Rhiannon. “It's one of the things I like about bellringing: it's great to get together with people who share the same interest.”

Ever wondered what our staff do in their spare time?

‘Other Lives’ reports on colleagues’ outside interests

‘

It’s one

of those

interests

that can

really

grip you

’

But don't the good folk of Inverness ob-ject to bellringers inflicting their practice sessions on them?

“You have to have a very good relation-ship with your immediate neighbours,” joked Rhiannon. “But seriously, we have recently invested in a computer with software which muffles to sound of the bells so that we can hear them but people outside can't.”

The cathedral may have the only bell-tower in the area – the nearest is in Dunkeld – but Rhiannon is nevertheless part of a community of people throughout the country who share her interest.

“It's a small world, really,” she said. “We tend to know each other, not least through the Scottish Association of Change Ringers, which meets regularly and holds an annual 'striking' competition.

Rhiannon attends as many practice ses-sions as she can but, as she lives in Gol-spie, she won't be joining her colleagues to ring the bells for the Christmas midnight service or to ring the old year out and the new year in.

After all, it's not as if she is under-occupied. For besides having a full-on role with NHS Highland and being a mum, Rhiannon has been fostering children for the past couple of years. She currently has a seven-year-old girl in her care, and says she gets a great deal from supporting chil-dren when they are often most vulnerable.

“It's about trying to improve someone's life,” she said. “The last child we fostered went on to be adopted with her sibling, from whom she had been separated. It was hard to see her go but it was a very positive out-come.”

- 38 -

What does your job involve?

Dealing with media enquiries, gen-

erating media releases, producing

NHS Highland News, throwing High-

lights together every month and

various other sundry tasks. Gener-

ally, trying to ensure that, through

the media, NHS Highland is seen in

a good light. I know, I’m a failure!

Describe yourself.

Left wing and sadly cynical.

Do you have any hobbies and

interests?

Hillwalking, forever re-writing my

novel, trying to paint, classical music

and imagining I can still run mara-

thons competitively.

What was the first single you

ever bought?

Don’t remember ever buying a sin-

gle, but I guess my first album was

by Led Zeppelin or Taste, a band few will remember.

What is your favourite food?

I’ve always been partial to haggis and coconut. Never tried

them together though.

Do you have a favourite film?

I must have seen Zulu around 50 times. I’ve no idea why.

What about your favourite TV programme?

University Challenge. Keep the grey cells active, that’s what

I say.

And your favourite book?

I keep Neil Munro’s ‘Tales of Para Handy’ by my bedside.

Try it for going to sleep with a smile on your face.

If you won £10 million in the lottery, what would you

spend it on?

I’d see my family alright, give a

chunk to a wee charity for which a

modest sum of money would make

a massive difference, and hole up in

New Zealand and re-invent myself

as an eccentric degenerate.

What about a smaller sum,

say £1,000?

Either pay for my grand-daughter’s

riding lessons or buy a new bike

for myself. Sorry Charlotte, but I

think I’ll go for the bike.

What are you pet hates?

How much space do I have? I can’t

decide if 1 hate is racism or pack-

aging most. Have you ever bought

a pair of scissors that required scis-

sors to penetrate the plastic wrap-

ping? I’m also not very keen on

motorists who don’t indicate, Sat-

urday-evening television, rap

‘music’, persistent sales staff, almost all politicians, organised

religion, being called ‘Mate’, Jeremy Clarkson, People Who

Capitalise Their Job Titles Because They Are Very Impor-

tant, and aubergines.

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or

alive, who would they be and what would you cook

them?

George Best, Jim Baxter and Gazza. I don’t think we’d

bother with food.

What are the best and worst parts of your job?

Getting a lot of newspaper space for a really positive, uplift-

ing story gives me a rare frisson of delight. I was a newspa-

per editor for 20-odd years and I’m the only person I know

who really loves newspapers and enjoys the company of

journalists but I can’t abide it when the press slags us off

without foundation.

THIS MONTH: Inverness-based media manager

Tom Davison

A & Q