- -

NOVEMBER 2015

W ORK representing the big-

gest single investment

Raigmore Hospital has had since it

was built got under way this

month.

Approval to upgrade the hospital’s

critical care service was given by the

Scottish Government in March, with an

investment of £28 million over the next

three years.

The upgrade, which will be carried

out by Graham Construction, will bring

all critical care services, which includes

the Acute Medical Assessment Unit, the

Intensive Care Unit, Surgical High De-

pendency Unit, Coronary Care Unit,

Cardiology and Theatre suite, adjacent

to each other over two floors.

The operating theatres will be refur-

bished and an additional theatre will be

added to bring the total number of

theatres in the suite to 10, seven of

which will be equipped with specialist

Highlights THE NHS HIGHLAND STAFF NEWSPAPER July 2016

RAIGMORE

Continued on page 2

Ward team receives board’s first

HQA merit award: Story on page 2

Work starts on

hospital upgrade

Pictured above: David McClure from

Graham Construction

- 2 -

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Contents

Being Here

Commuters’ corner

Exchange visit

At Your Service

Department profile

Rural fellowships

Comings & Goings

Doctors’ Olympic role

Highland Quality Award

Board finances

Other Lives: Catherine Fraser

Q&A: Jenny Liddell

Hospital upgrade Help us to fight loneliness and

social isolation. Check out: http://www.reachout.scot.nhs.uk

laminar flow, ensuring the air within

the theatre environment is at the

cleanest possible standard.

Doreen Bell, NHS Highland’s

clinical advisor for the tower block

upgrade, explained that the work

which began this month was the first

step in a three-year project.

She explained: “Grahams have

started an invasive drilling survey to

test how much noise and vibration

will be evident when the works get

under way.

“It’s a small part of this project

but it’s great to see this initial part of

the work begin and to know what’s

coming up in future months.

“Having critical care services over

the two floors will not only allow

best use of space and staff but it will

improve patient flow in the hospital

and the privacy and dignity of our

patients.”

The original building at Raigmore,

which services the population of the

Highlands as well as Moray and the

Western Isles for some specialities,

was constructed in 1980.

Some improvement works have

already been carried out including

refurbishment of some of the wards

and the provision of a new, state-of-

the-art endoscopy unit.

The next stage will see Ward GC,

which cares for oncology patients,

move from the ground floor to the

fifth floor into a newly-refurbished

ward.

Continued from front

A HIGHLAND Quality Ap-

proach Special Merit Award –

the first of its kind to be given –

has been presented to a Raig-

more Hospital ward.

The award recognises the dedica-

tion and drive shown by staff in mak-

ing improvements for patients.

Staff in Ward 7A, a respiratory

ward, have greatly impressed since

they took part in a rapid process

improvement workshop (RPIW) last

year, with their commitment to make

further improvements.

Their RPIW looked at the care of

patients with chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease (COPD) and how

their length of stay could be reduced.

The work they have done has

meant that the average stay for

COPD patient has now reduced

from eight days to five. All COPD

patients now have COPD passport

so they know what to expect during

their hospital journey, and a COPD

bundle which includes a self-

management plan and discharge fol-

low-up, to improve the quality of

care and patient experience.

Anne Gent, director of human

resources, presented the award,

which was accepted by Kay Cordiner

(front-page picture).

Anne said: “What the team have

done to improve their processes and

systems is an outstanding contribu-

tion to enable high-quality care to be

provided to their patients. The com-

mitment from them all to make these

improvements for their patients and

their families is second to none.

“The feedback we have received

from patients and families is very

positive and testament to the work

they have done and continue to do.

“They have demonstrated a high

level of team working and have aimed

for excellence in all that they do.

They have also worked to make con-

tinual and ongoing improve-

ments which they have shared with

others across the organisation. “

PRESENTATION

Ward team receives

special merit award

- 3 -

NEARLY nine out of 10 consult-

ants employed by NHS Highland

say taking a job with the health

board was a lifestyle choice.

And more than half say they were

attracted by NHS Highland’s clinical

reputation, having heard that it was “a

good place to work”.

NHS Highland recently surveyed its

consultants to get views and data to

help inform future recruitment tactics.

Ninety-four consultants – around

one-third of the total – from a range of

specialties responded to the survey,

more than two-thirds of whom were in

their first consultant post.

Asked what attracted them to work-

ing for NHS Highland, 88.9 per cent said

it was definitely or probably a lifestyle

choice. Three-quarters said it was a

matter of timing – they were looking for

a consultant post and one came up in

Highland – and 56.3 per cent cited the

board’s clinical reputation.

Other reasons included that they

had direct contact with a clinician at

NHS Highland (68.6 per cent), had pre-

vious positive experience of NHS High-

land (57.5 per cent), and head that it

was a good place to work (56.3 per

cent).

The consultants were also asked

what made them want to stay with NHS

Highland, and 61.8 per cent said life-

style, quality of life and the area’s attrac-

tions.

More than two-thirds of respon-

dents said their good relationships with

colleagues made them want to stay with

NHS Highland, with comments includ-

ing: “A good atmosphere in Raigmore

where people are less concerned with

their own promotion and really focused

on high-quality service delivery despite

the challenges to achieving this” and

“Close-knit group of colleagues who

work collaboratively”.

Not all responses were entirely

positive, however. Asked what aspects

of their life would make them less likely

to stay, 30.6 per cent said excessive

workload/stress/poor work-life balance,

and almost one in five cited disengaged/

critical/unresponsive management. And

asked what they would like to see im-

proved, 42 per cent said resourcing and

investment.

Finally, the consultants were asked

what approaches they felt were success-

ful in attracting interest in consultant

posts. Nearly nine in 10 said direct con-

tact from a clinician in NHS Highland,

while previous experience of working in

NHS Highland, where adverts are

placed and the quality of the job de-

scription and adverts also scored highly.

SURVEY

Consultants attracted

by Highland lifestyle

NEW TECHNOLOGY

NHS HIGHLAND’S Technology

Enabled Care (TEC) team is host-

ing a series of workshops for health

and social care professionals across

the Highlands to increase the use

of new technology to diagnose and

treat more patients in their own

homes.

The 'Digital Health - How can digital

health help you?' events - each consist-

ing of three workshops - will start in

Portree on the Isle of Skye on 30th Au-

gust and then move on to Wick, Ding-

wall, Inverness and Fort William during

September.

Participants can choose which of the

three workshops they would like to

attend or they can do all three.

The first workshop will focus on

Telehealth and how NHS Highland is

using Florence - an interactive text mes-

saging tool - to reduce clinical work-

loads and improve patient care.

The second workshop, called ‘Living

It Up’, will explore the range of online

interactive tools and services available

that can empower users to self-manage

and lead happier, healthier lives.

And the third workshop aims to

highlight how Telecare can help patients

live safely and independently in their

own homes. This latter workshop will

look at Telecare options and the refer-

ral process.

Attendees need to register for the

workshops and also select their pre-

ferred locations. After Portree, the

workshops will be held at Wick on 1st

September, Dingwall on 2nd September,

Inverness on 6th September and Fort

William on 8th September.

Tech team plans patient workshops

To book your place and

also be added to the Tech-

nology Enabled Care mail-

ing list to receive updates,

progress and information

about future events, email:

n h s h i g h -

land.technologyenabledcare

@nhs.net

- 4 -

BEING HERE … 1

WORK is ongoing to make NHS

Highland’s rural support team con-

cept – devised under the Being

Here programme as an innovative

method of delivering healthcare

along much of the board’s western

flank – even more responsive to

local needs and challenges.

Last year, Highlights reported on the

development of the

rural support team as a

pool of health and so-

cial care professionals

who provide cover

where it’s needed in

some of NHS High-

land’s more remote

and remote areas.

The idea was that

the team would oper-

ate flexibly across the

west coast as required

almost like an internal

locum agency.

However, as the

concept was further

discussed with existing

teams, it became apparent that the rural

branding was attractive to people and

that there was a desire to be part of

something bigger with a remote and

rural identity. Thinking therefore moved

on to having a wider team with more

locally-based sub-teams that incorpo-

rated existing staff.

Evan Beswick, NHS Highland out-of-

hours project manager, explained:

“Experience showed us that, rather than

have one team covering the whole area,

it would be much better to have smaller

sub-teams working on an area-by-area

basis, but providing cover elsewhere as

required.

“We want to create roles that are

enjoyable, rewarding and sustainable,

and part of that is en-

suring that people

have a good work/life

balance. It would have

been unrealistic to

expect people to

move constantly from

one area to another.

But we did want to

allow people to ex-

perience working in

different locations if

that was of interest to

them. Of course, they

cross-cover and rotate

to where they’re

needed, but they have

a main base,

“More than that, we have found that

giving people a base means they are part

of the local teams and can develop rela-

tionships between colleagues and the

local community.”

The result is that there are now ef-

fectively three local teams, one on Skye,

one on the Small Isles and one in Ardna-

murchan.

So what is

Being Here?

NHS HIGHLAND is involved

in a major initiative to find

different and innovative ways

of sustaining health and care

services in remote and rural

communities.

The three-year project

was launched in 2013 with

funding totalling £1.5 million

from the Scottish Govern-

ment as part of its 'Being

Here' programme, and NHS

Highland's brief was to devise

and test innovative ways of

recruiting and retaining

healthcare professionals –

and particularly GPs.

Since its launch, NHS

Highland has set up a specific

website, http://nhshighland-

rural.scot.nhs.uk/, detailing

GP vacancies and featuring

video testimonials by GPs

from overseas who have set-

tled in remote and rural

practices. A locum GP page

has been added to the web-

site and one for pharmacists

will soon follow.

NHS Highland is also

working with other organisa-

tions to enhance the image of

North Highland and Argyll

and Bute as a place to work,

and is looking at issues such

as accommodation, transport

and IT connectivity. It recog-

nises that training and career

development is important for healthcare professionals, and

through Being Here NHS

Highland is implementing a

programme of accredited

training, workshops and

awareness-raising. NHS

Highland is also working to

develop some common prin-

ciples about rural NHSScot-

land needs in the future.

Being Here has been

working in four test areas:

Kintyre and Islay in Argyll

and Bute, West Lochaber

and the Small Isles of Eigg,

Muck, Rum and Canna.

Innovative

team idea

takes hold

- 5 -

THE work of the Being Here

programme will be put under

the spotlight at the Royal Col-

lege of General Practitioners’

annual conference, to be held in

Harrogate in October.

An NHSScotland remote and

rural stand to be mounted at the

conference will feature the work of

Being Here as well as individual

boards working in some of the coun-

try’s most isolated areas.

The Being Here steering group

had a stand at both the 2014 confer-

ence in Liverpool and the 2015 event

in Glasgow.

The Liverpool stand coincided

with a large campaign which high-

lighted the Highlands and Argyll and

Bute as a great place to work, live

and train as a GP. This campaign in-

cluded advertising on buses, bill-

boards and vans, as well as the devel-

opment of a microsite.

During the Glasgow conference

an advertising van was driven around

with city.

An application for funding to

mount a stand at this year’s confer-

ence pointed out that eight GPs

were recruited to the Being Here

test site areas, and four more into

either the rural support team of else-

where in Highland.

The application observed that it

was hard to say that the RCGP con-

ference had a direct influence on

this.

However, it pointed out that the

number of visitors to the stand

helped to raise the profile of remote

and rural GP training, and the steer-

ing group agreed that having a stand

had proved its worth.

BEING HERE … 2

HEALTH boards operating in

some of Scotland’s most remote

and rural areas have been bene-

fiting from the experience of

people working to support the

delivery of health and adult so-

cial care in the Small Isles.

The islands’ health and social care

support workers recently partici-

pated in a fact-sharing meeting –

three of them by videoconference

and one by telephone – with repre-

sentatives of NHS Western Isles,

Orkney, Shetland and Grampian.

Organised by Pam Nicoll, pro-

gramme director with the Remote

and Rural Healthcare Educational

Alliance, the meeting gave support

workers an opportunity to explain

their role and share their experi-

ences with boards keen to come up

with their own ways of supporting

care in remote communities.

NHS Highland learning and devel-

opment facilitator Claire Savage ex-

plained: “The meeting helped people

identify the competencies for the

support worker role and provided

them with an overview of what is a

combined health and social care role.

“One of the things that came

across was how the Small Isles’ sup-

port workers have been successful

by engaging with the community in

developing community resilience.

“The people we chose for these

roles live in the community they

serve; they are part of the commu-

nity and work for it, which is very

important.”

Claire added that from the meet-

ing participating boards would be

looking to take from NHS Highland’s

experience in the Small Isles and

adapt it to suit their own circum-

stances.

Programme under spotlight

Neighbours learn from

board’s experience

ADULTS in Inverness with mental

ill health are being supported into

employment and training opportu-

nities thanks to a service funded by

NHS Highland.

The Vocational Support Team was

established in 2014 and offers one-to-

one support to help people to remain in

or find new employment or training.

And, according to service manager

Heather Jappy, it has been a very suc-

cessful two years for her team.

She said: “The ethos of our service is

to support adults with mental ill health

to work towards a better future and

improve the quality of their lives.

“In the two years since our founda-

tion we have helped over 100 people in

Inverness and the Inner Moray Firth

area into employment, training and edu-

cation with a number of people securing

full-time paid employment.

“This has been a great achievement

for the individuals concerned, some of

whom have lived with mental ill health

for a number of years and have not been

able to work.”

The Vocational Support Team offers

personal development plans which iden-

tify goals, barriers to achieving these

goals and what support can be put in

place to overcome these obstacles.

The service is split into two teams: a

north team based in Wick and a south

team based in the Highland capital.

Overall, they have helped over 170 peo-

ple across Highland achieve their goals.

Mrs Jappy added: “We have worked

across a number of employment sectors

including retail, social care and construc-

tion and have secured places at the Uni-

versity of the Highlands and Islands and

the Open University.

“However, our work is only getting

started. We are working on a number

of projects that will support even more

people in Highland who are living with

mental ill health to achieve their goals.”

MENTAL HEALTH

Team offers

employment

support aid

- 6 -

Home’s

platinum

couple

‘perfect

lovers’ A PLATINUM wedding anni-

versary card from the Queen

was the icing on the cake for

an Inverness couple who re-

cently celebrated 70 years of

married bliss.

One of Scotland’s longest married

couples, Hugh ‘Denny’ Ross and his

wife Meg were touched by the ‘lovely

card’ sent to mark their years together

at a party at NHS Highland’s Ach an Eas

care home in Inverness last week.

It was a family affair. As well as their

four daughters, two sons and their fami-

lies, all 23 residents of the Island Bank

Road home were invited, including

Denny’s two sisters, Florie and Marga-

ret, who also reside at Ach an Eas.

Sprightly Denny, aged 90, was prag-

matic about why he and Meg stayed

together all those years.

The great grandfather said: “I picked

this girl and I got her, and I’ve stood by

her ever since. That’s the secret. We

have our arguments but we never allow

them to get to a break-up situation.”

Meg, 88, agreed, adding: “We can

have arguments but do not get into any-

thing serious.

“We are perfect lovers.”

The couple have six children – four

girls and two boys – and 10 grandchil-

dren and seven great grandchildren.

A gardener since childhood, Denny

has been growing tomatoes and other

vegetables in the Ach an Eas’s green-

house since moving to the home.

He said: “I recently had a surprise

for the cook. I’ve been growing cour-

gettes and after I picked the first ones,

she told me they were her favourites to

cook.

“Her secret is that she always cooks

them with ginger.”

THE first ever Quality Improvement

Awards 2016, organised by the Scot-

tish Government and Healthcare Im-

provement Scotland, have attracted

146 submissions from teams across

Scotland.

The awards were launched in

May this year to celebrate the fantas-

tic improvement work being done

through the Maternity and Children’s

Quality Improvement Collaborative,

Early Years Collaborative and Raising

Attainment for All programmes.

Judging is now under way across

the 10 award categories, which focus

on a range of achievements from in-

novation and collaboration to leader-

ship and results. Judges are looking

for projects and services that demon-

strate positive impact and outcomes

for babies, children, young people and

their families.

The shortlisted entries will be

announced in early August and win-

ners will be announced at an awards

ceremony on 15th November.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AWARDS

Shortlist set to be announced

Platinum couple: Denny and Meg Ross with, inserted

left, their anniversary cake

70th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

- 7 -

Simple speech

SIGN AND SIGN, a programme

that teaches communication with

babies before speech using simple

gestures, joined breastfeeding sup-

port group Lochaber Baby Bistro in

the Salvation Army Hall, Fort Wil-

liam, earlier this month, and mums

and mum-to-be were encouraged to

go along and find out more about

the group.

Lochaber Baby Bistro is run by

NHS Highland infant feeding sup-

port worker Kim Grieve, and is one

of a number of such groups across

Highland.

Training transfer

WORK is continuing on the transfer

of pre-registration nurse training

from Stirling University to the Uni-

versity of the Highlands and Islands

(UHI).

Accredited Educational Institute

status is being recommended for

UHI – a requirement to provide pre-

registration nurse training. The

next step is to obtain the Pre-

registration Nurse Programme ap-

proval from the Nursing and Mid-

wifery Council.

Video to view

A VIDEO clip has been produced on

the admission, transfer and dis-

charge process for all hospitals

throughout NHS Highland. It can

be viewed on the NHS Highland

intranet.

Later breakfasts

THERE’S been a change to the

weekend opening hours at the dining

room at Raigmore Hospital. It’s now

open for breakfast at 8.30am as op-

posed to 7.30am.

Interests updated

THE formal Highland NHS Board

Register of members’ interests has

been updated.

The register is available at the

board’s offices for public inspection

and is also available on the NHS

Highland website.

NEWS IN BRIEF

DONATIONS given in memory of

a precious baby girl have bought a

second cuddle cot for Raigmore

Hospital.

Lily-Alexis Janet Aird was born to

Emma McAllister and David Aird on 5th

December last year and sadly passed

away the next day.

Emma and David, of Alness, wanted

to give something back to the maternity

unit and so set up a crowd funding page

which raised more than £1,500, allow-

ing them to buy a cuddle cot and a

Moses basket for the hospital.

Emma said: “We were told at 24

weeks that Lily had a diaphragmatic

hernia so we knew she would be very

poorly when she was born. But at 30

weeks we were given the news that she

also had Edwards syndrome and it was

very unlikely that she would survive the

birth.

“She weighed 4lb 10oz at birth,

which is actually quite big given how

poorly she was. We had hoped we

would get to spend a couple of minutes

with her but she was so strong and

brave that we got to spend 29 hours

with her at the hospital until she sadly

passed away.”

The couple presented the cuddle

cot - which allows parents time to say

goodbye to their stillborn babies - to

the hospital earlier this month. They

were also able to share their news that

they will become parents again in No-

vember as Emma is expecting a boy.

Caron Cruickshank, divisional mid-

wifery/nurse manager at Raigmore, said:

“We’ve the resources for looking after

women here, we have training for staff,

but we didn’t have anything for when

the parents go home and this extra cot

will make a huge difference to that.”

PARENTS’ GIFT

Cot donation

is Lily’s legacy

David and Emma with the cuddle cot and Moses basket with baby Lily-Alexis

Janet Aird (inserted)

- 8 -

Meeting to

be briefed

on redesign COMMUNITY representatives are

to be given an update on the wide range of activity that’s taken place

to improve NHS Highland’s services

in Caithness.

The health board is organising a

meeting of the reference group it

established some time ago to con-

sider the best way to redesign ser-

vices to meet future needs.

The meeting, to be held at 2pm

at the Pentland Hotel, Thurso, on 6th

September, will brief attendees on

what has been an extensive and con-

tinuous programme of redesign

work throughout the area, as well as

the ongoing work on a multi-million

pound revamp of Caithness General

Hospital in Wick.

Maimie Thompson, NHS High-

land’s head of PR and engagement,

said: “A huge amount of work has

taken place in Caithness to ensure

that all our health and adult social

care services in the area are fit for

purpose, safe and sustainable, and

best meet the present and future

needs of the population.

“This work has been progressing

over the last three years, and we feel

we are at the stage where we should

report to the reference group on

everything that has happened.”

There have been several strands

to the redesign work in Caithness,

which has looked at community ser-

vices and, for example, older adult

mental health and dementia, pallia-

tive and end-of-life care, care-at-

home services, care home capacity

and independent living.

The Town and County Hospital and the Dunbar Hospital are also

covered in the redesign, but there is

also a separate body of work relating

to Caithness General. As well as a

revamp of the hospital’s lay-out,

there has been an in-depth look at

the clinical staffing model, to ensure

that it complies with new care stan-

dards and pathways, and addresses

recruitment challenges.

CAITHNESS

AN ORGANISATION that pro-

vides free and confidential support

to people with hearing and sight

loss in Caithness and Sutherland

has been recognised for its volun-

tary work.

Hearing and Sight Care, which re-

cruits and trains volunteers to run clin-

ics and deliver practical help and advice,

was presented with an award by the

Lord Lieutenant of Caithness, Anne

Dunnett, in a ceremony organised by

the Caithness Voluntary Group.

Service manager Deirdre Aitken

said: “We were thrilled to be recog-

nised by the Caithness Voluntary

Group for our voluntary work across

north Highland.

“I would like to thank all of our

volunteers for the wonderful work they

do. Without their dedication the ser-

vice could not exist.”

Hearing and Sight Care, which is

part-funded NHS Highland, works in

partnership with the health board’s

audiology department, deaf services and

hearing support team as well as Sight

Action to deliver practical help on

hearing and sight loss at two drop-in

centres in Wick and Thurso.

The organisation provides routine

hearing aid upkeep and supply fitting,

tubing and batteries and offers advice,

support and information on hearing

and/or sight loss.

In addition, it provides demonstra-

tions of specialist equipment to aid daily

living and makes referrals to partner

agencies such as NHS Highland’s occu-

pational therapy, home care and tele-

care departments, Befriending Caith-

ness, Caithness Rural Transport and

the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

All its volunteers are trained to visit

nursing and care homes, hospitals and

people’s homes, and it also delivers

quarterly rural clinics in outreach areas

across Caithness and Sutherland.

VOLUNTARY WORK

Award for

sensory

loss group

Deirdre Aitken, left, and the Lord Lieu-

tenant of Caithness, Anne Dunnett

- 9 -

S ENIOR NHS manager Tracy

Ligema has an unusual com-

mute to work – she often cycles

the 50-mile round trip from

work at Larachan House in Ding-

wall to her home in Tain.

But there is a reason for this.

Tracy plans to undertake an ultra

challenge by cycling 969 miles from

Land’s End to John O’Groats in nine

days this September to help raise

money for British paralympic athletes.

Since Tracy, the board’s N&W

operational unit’s deputy director,

signed up for the Ride Across Britain

event – affectionately known as the

RAB – back in November/December

last year, she has done some serious

training including this commute.

She said: “Since I signed up for

RAB I’ve been trying to ride my bike a

lot. I have done a 100-mile ride be-

fore, which was tiring, and I’ve done

regular rides of 60 to 90 miles. My

cycling training does include doing

back-to-back rides, but working full-

time means I tend to take them at

weekends.”

So Tracy has regularly cycled

along the Old Evanton Road from

Dingwall, past the Skiach junction,

through Alness, Invergordon and on

to Tain.

“I have also done some one-off

events,” she said. “I participated in the

ETAPE Loch Ness in April and I did

way better than I did last year, so

some of the training I’ve been doing

must be paying off.”

Aside from cycling Tracy has been

hitting the gym to do a regular pro-

gramme of weight training and also

working with a personal trainer once

a week.

“He has been making me do things

like flipping over massive tractor

tyres. What with training on bike,

doing the weight training and having a

personal trainer, I am now stronger

than ever,” she said.

Diet has also played an important

part.

She explained: “I do not eat meat

anyway but I changed my diet further

this year because I decided that if I am

going to do this I need to be as

healthy as possible. And I think I’ve

achieved this. I haven’t had any re-

fined sugar since Christmas. The re-

sult is I’ve lost weight, certainly built

up my muscle mass and definitely lost

body fat.”

And on her commute, Tracy has

been trying out different equipment,

although one vital piece of kit still

eludes her.

She said: “I am also still looking for

the perfect saddle. Nothing seems to

be quite right at the moment. So up

until the event I’ll be trying different

ones.”

Curiously, on day eight of her

ultra challenge, Tracy will follow her

Dingwall/Tain commute for a consid-

erable distance.

“On the penultimate day the

route goes from Fort William to Fort

Augustus, then along the south side of

Loch Ness to Inverness, to Beauly,

Muir of Ord and then into Dingwall

up the Old Evanton Road. Then I’m

on my home commute. At the Skiach

junction it would be easier for me to

go home rather than to continue on

to the last base camp. I’ll only be 14

miles from home and the temptation

would be strong to do just that.

“I’ll be staying that night at the

base camp at Balblair Farm in Bonar

Bridge. To get there, I will have to go

up and over the Struie to Bonar

Bridge.”

Averaging more than 100 miles a

day, Tracy will take part in the

Deloitte’s Ride Across Britain ultra

cycling challenge that starts at Land’s

End on Saturday 10th September and

ends at John O’Groat on Sunday 18th

September.

So far, Tracy has already raised

over £200 in sponsorship.

“I’ve already paid Deloittes £500

towards it and I now have to raise

£2,000 for the British Paralympic As-

sociation,” she said.

We continue our regular series

about how our staff travel to

work. This month, N&W opera-

tional unit deputy director Tracy

Ligema explains why she’s been

getting on her bike.

COMMUTERS’ CORNER

To sponsor

Tracy in

her ultra

cycling

challenge

donate to:

mydo-

nate.bt.com/

fundraisers/

tracylige-

ma1

- 10 -

EXCHANGE VISIT

Israeli students get insight

into work in the Highlands FIVE student nurses from Israel

have been taking part in a three-

week exchange visit arranged by

the Highland campus of University

of Stirling in partnership with NHS

Highland.

This is the fourth year in a row that

pre-registration student nurses from the

Nazareth School of Nursing have visited

the Highlands.

NHS Highland’s senior nurse for

education and training, Stephen Loch,

said: “We are four years into an exciting

exchange project which offers partici-

pants a great opportunity to witness

nursing practice in a different country.

“The Nazareth students gained a

unique opportunity to learn about a

different system of healthcare. They also

observed how evidence-based practice

is implemented, how nursing is regu-

lated and how professionalism is ex-

pressed in Scotland. They are particu-

larly interested to learn about medical-

surgical nursing care in Scotland.

“The visit also offers us a helpful

insight and the opportunity to learn

from the culture and experience of the

visitors.”

The Nazareth Hospital, based in

Northern Galilee, is known locally as

the ‘English Hospital’ though it has

strong Scottish connections.

The Edinburgh Medical Missionary

Society, which trained medical person-

nel to work in needy areas, supported

its development and, under the operat-

ing name of the Nazareth Trust, runs

both the hospital and school of nursing.

The school, which opened in 1924,

is a distinctly Christian organisation,

although around 70 per cent of its fe-

male students are Muslim.

The Israeli exchange students and their teacher pictured with three nursing stu-

dents from the University of Stirling

REPORT TO BOARD

NHS HIGHLAND has shown an

improvement from last year in

meeting its Clostridium difficile

(C.diff) infection prevention and

control target.

A report to the July meeting of the

NHS Highland board by infection con-

trol manager Catherine Stokoe showed

that, despite the improvement, the

board had not met its C.diff target.

However, it did do so in the period

from January to March this year, the

latest for which figures are given. The

national target is 32 cases per 100,000

occupied bed days (OBDs), and in the

first three months of the year NHS

Highland achieved just 17.3 cases per

100,000 OBDs.

Data for Straphylococcus aureus bac-

teraemia (SAB) was also presented to

the board. The SAB target is 24 cases

per 100,000 OBDs, but in the period

from January to March the board re-

corded 26.8.

The report also showed that work-

load demands and priorities, as against

the current service provision, delivered

by the infection prevention and control

service across NHS Highland are under

review “to ensure the service is fit for

the future”.

And board members were advised

that a Healthcare Environment Inspec-

tions team undertook an unannounced

inspection visit to Raigmore Hospital on

25th and 26th May. As well as inspections

of the ward areas – including the A&E

and maternity departments – there was

a separate inspection of the operating

theatre.

The finalised report on the visit will

be published next month.

Board misses key infection control target

- 11 -

Going full tilt

to prevent

lung disease

STAFF in the intensive care unit at

Raigmore Hospital have tried a new

angle to reduce dramatically the

number of patients with ventilator

acquired pneumonia.

Research into the condition,

which occurs in people who are on

breathing machines in hospital, sug-

gested that the head of the bed

should be fixed at a 30 degree angle to prevent it developing.

With staff being unable to deter-

mine the desired angle by eyesight

alone, a special protractor has been

designed to help combat the lung

infection at the hospital.

Intensive care unit (ICU) charge

nurse Gwen Calder explained:

“While our beds are designed to

move up and down, they don’t have

a mechanism to highlight what an-

gle the head of the bed is sitting at.

The bio-engineers designed a pro-

tractor with a spirit level that we

were able to fix to the side of a pa-

tient’s bed and adjust the angle ac-

cordingly.

“The result has been a signifi-

cant decrease in the number of pa-

tients in our ward with ventilator

acquired pneumonia.”

Ventilator acquired pneumonia

(VAP) is a type of lung infection

that affects critically ill patients in

an intensive care unit. Patients who

contract the disease tend to stay in

ICU for longer.

The initial research was carried

out by the Scottish Patient Safety

Programme, a national strategy

that aims to improve the safety and

reliability of healthcare and reduce

harm wherever care is delivered.

PUBLIC HEALTH PATIENT SAFETY

A HIGHLAND doctor has filmed

himself removing a tick from his

arm in his ongoing campaign to

raise awareness of Lyme disease.

Dr James Douglas, of Tweeddale

Medical Practice in Fort William, demon-

strates how to remove a tick safely using

a special plastic tick removal device. He

advises to avoid using fingernails, tweez-

ers or Vaseline, which are the traditional

methods, as they risk squeezing infected

ticks and therefore transmission of the

Lyme disease bacteria.

The GP would like local shops, phar-

macies and petrol stations to

stock the plastic removal

cards or twisters. He also asks

B&Bs, hotels, campsites and

hostels to provide information

on tick removal and make sure

the removal devices – which

take the form of cards or twist-

ers – are available in first-aid

kits.

He explained: “I would encourage

everybody to continue to use the great

outdoors but just take some common-

sense precautions like having a tick re-

moval device in first-aid kits and ruck-

sacks.

“It is also important to check chil-

dren who can pick up ticks on the head

and neck from sitting on grass in gardens

and picnic sites.”

Dr Douglas’s message is to remove

ticks promptly within 12 hours with a

plastic tick removal device, which should

eliminate the risk of contracting Lyme

disease from ticks.

“Fortunately, very few ticks carry the

Lyme disease bacteria,” he said.

“However, if you develop a bull’s-eye

rash up to a week after a tick bite, take a

photo on your mobile phone and make

an appointment to see your GP or out-

of-hours service to discuss treatment.”

Dr Douglas’s video can be viewed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Highland doctor

produces ticks

awareness video

Above: Dr James

Douglas

Left: A tick re-

moval device

A STUDY day for health professionals on ‘SIGNing up

to Osteoporosis’ will be held in Jury Inn, Inverness, on

15th November.

NHS Highland medical director Dr Rod Harvey will wel-

come delegates and will be among the speakers, as will NHS

Highland consultant rheumatologist Dr John Harvie and Inver-

ness GP Dr Jamie Fraser, a member of the SIGN 142 best

practice guidelines group.

OSTEOPOROSIS

Inverness venue chosen for health professionals’ November study day

- 12 -

AT YOUR SERVICE

Christine Tait: Practice

manager, Thurso and Halkirk The Caithness Courier/John o’Groat Journal is running a series of articles by NHS Highland

which puts the spotlight on people who work in healthcare in Caithness. Answering the ques-

tions here is Christine Tait (55), practice manager at the Thurso and Halkirk Medical Practice.

Q. What does your job involve?

A. It’s like being the manager of any small busi-

ness. In a larger company I suppose managers

might specialise in one or two areas, whereas

for us or any smaller organisation, you need to

know a little bit about a lot of things! My job

involves everything from the day-to-day opera-

tion of the practice to finance, economics, mar-

keting; it’s a varied role where no two days are

ever the same.

Q. And do you enjoy working in that way?

A. I do. It can be challenging at times, but I love

my job and the variety it brings.

Q. What are your biggest challenges?

A. I’ve been doing this job now for 25 years

and one of the biggest challenges is the constant

change – you need to be able to adapt very

quickly. However, in recent times the national

shortage of GPs and the number of people who

do not attend appointments have become our

biggest challenges.

Q. How have you adapted to tackle these

challenges?

A. It has been a gradual process. I think we

have been far more aware of the issues around

recruitment and retention in the north of Scot-

land than elsewhere in the UK. We’ve been

quite fortunate as we have been able to recruit

a new GP who starts in April. However, we

realised that we need to focus on patient need

as opposed to demand. There is a wealth of

skills among other departments in a practice –

not just GPs. It’s about making the best use of

what we have and providing a better level of

service using different clinicians. We introduced

nurse triage at the beginning of last year, and it

has been successful. It has allowed us to direct

patients to the right service for whatever their

need is. In addition, we also have an advanced

nurse practitioner who is very skilled and ex-

perience in dealing with minor illness. This has

‘

’

It can be

challenging

at times, but

I love my job

and the

variety it

brings.

taken some of the pressure off our GPs. In rela-

tion to missed appointments, it’s important that

the patients play their part and work together

with the practice staff to improve the service

we provide. We had very positive feedback

from our Facebook post last year when we

highlighted the fact that on a monthly basis we

can have over 30 hours of wasted clinical time

because of this. If you cannot make your ap-

pointment for whatever reason, I urge you to

call and let us know. This can free-up GP time

and enable another patient to be seen. It is so

important when resources are scarce.

Q. What has been the biggest change in

your 25 years of working as a Practice

manager?

A. When I started here in 1990, there wasn’t a

single computer in the Practice! I know that

might be hard for some of your younger read-

ers to comprehend, but everything was paper-

based. We simply couldn’t manage without it

now as all of our notes, prescriptions and ap-

pointments are managed digitally.

Q. What would you say to anyone who is

interested in working in Caithness?

A. Come and have a look, it’s an excellent place

to live. Caithness is a wonderful place to bring

up a family with excellent schools and a low

crime rate, there is plenty to see and do and it

is not as remote as people might think. We like

to think that we are good at creating opportu-

nities from challenges in the far north.

Q. How do you manage to switch off?

A. I’m an avid reader of fiction as it does help

me to switch-off. I also enjoy music and watch-

ing box-sets, particularly political drama; I love

24 and House of Cards. I’ve recently started to

research my family history, and have traced it as

far back as the early 1700’s. I have two sons and

two grandchildren aged 10 and eight, and I en-

joy spending as much time with them as I can.

- 13 -

DEPARTMENT PROFILE: SHHELS

Working to overcome

the barriers faced by

people with sensory loss By Jenny Liddell,

manager, SHHELS

SEE HEAR Highland Education

and Learning Services (SHHELS)

is a specialist learning and devel-

opment department within NHS

Highland.

We help staff to understand the

barriers people with sight and hearing

loss face and how to change our be-

haviour and the environment to pro-

vide better support.

With a quarter of the Scottish

population having a hearing loss and/or

significant eye condition, there are

many more people with ‘sensory’ loss

than you may imagine. It’s a big con-

cern for the Scottish Government and

for us here in Highland.

Our learning is for the brave! We

ask learners to try on ‘simulation’

spectacles and listening devices, and

then try to undertake everyday tasks

like pouring liquids or writing down

what someone is saying to you. Need-

less to say, it can get a bit messy! But

the important thing is that people get

an inkling of what it might be like to

contend with sight and/or hearing loss

issues on a daily basis.

We look at how we can adapt the

environment and change how we in-

teract with people with a loss, to make

life easier and safer for them.

We cover assistive technologies

too – everyday gadgets for the home –

so there are plenty of flashing lights,

vibrating pads and ‘tactile’ devices to

explore. Sometimes, a simple wee

device can mean a big difference. A

‘flashing-light’ doorbell can mean deaf/

hard of hearing people can lock their

doors without fear of missing a visitor.

Deaf-friendly fire alarms save lives.

‘Talking’ devices and services allow

people with sight loss to do everything

from telling the time, making food or

keeping up with the local news. As

well as allowing people to live inde-

pendently and safely at home for

longer, these devices can save money.

Colleagues in Glasgow issued a ‘liquid

level indicator’ to a visually impaired

client, which meant staff didn’t need to

visit this individual so frequently, saving

thousands of pounds. Plus, the gentle-

man is now able to safely enjoy a cup

of tea whenever he wants!

If you want a taster of SHHELS

training, check out our Deaf Aware-

ness eLearning module on LearnPro.

It’s just 30 minutes long but will give

you a great grounding in deafness is-

sues. We’ll launch our updated Sight

Loss eLearning on LearnPro shortly

too, then a module on how to support

people with combined sight and hear-

ing loss. Face-to-face courses in sight/

hearing loss plus dementia, stroke or

learning disabilities are in the pipeline

too.

SHHELS also offers British Sign

Language courses, so if you’ve ever felt

like learning this fascinating language,

we’ve got beginners courses starting in

Inverness and Wick soon.

Would lipreading benefit you or

your clients? How about coming to a

support group for people with a sight

or hearing loss? Get in touch – if we

haven’t got a group or class in your

area, we’ll do our best to set one up.

Do you know NHS Highland and

Highland Council jointly fund a com-

munication service for deaf/hard of

hearing people? You can book a Brit-

ish Sign Language/English Interpreter,

Deafblind Guide/Communicator and

Electronic Note-taker, free, to ensure

deaf people can get equal access to

our services. Electronic Note-taking is

a fairly new service, which involves a

trained Note-taker typing up whatever

is being said in a situation, so it ap-

pears on screen in front of the deaf/

hard of hearing person. Note-takers

can provide this service in all sorts of

situations – from a GP visit, at a meet-

ing, in education – so deaf/hard of

hearing people don’t miss out.

If you want to know any more

about SHHELS courses or courses

offered through UNISON, email Jenny

at: jenny.liddell@nhs.net

Q&A: Back page ‘

’

We look at how we can adapt

the environment and change

how we interact with people

with a loss, to make life easier

and safer for them

- 14 -

ENDOWMENT FUNDS

NHS HIGHLAND’S research, de-

velopment and innovation (RD&I)

department is seeking applications

for endowment funding for 2016-

2017.

Altogether, £20,000 has been

granted for this year's endowment, with

individual projects being funded up to a

limit of £3,000.

Applicants should be from the NHS,

but collaborative projects with universi-

ties or other organisations are welcome

to apply for the funds. The endowment

aims is to support small-scale research

studies, pilot studies or feasibility stud-

ies that may have a direct impact for the

Highlands, and which are likely to result

in publications and submission for larger

funding. Funds can be granted to allow

attendance at a conference just as long

as a paper is presented and the delegate

is an NHS Highland employee.

The endowment is for research ac-

tivities and costs only. It is not intended

for payment of student fees, travel to

see academic supervisors, educational

training, training for service improve-

ment, backfill or other such activities.

Two peer reviews per application

are required otherwise it will not be

considered by the RD&I Committee.

Application forms and guidance notes

can be found on the RD&I page on the

Intranet under the heading staff, and

then research and development.

Applicants who do not have access

t o t h e i n t r a n e t c a n e m a i l

laura.mcilhatton@nhs.net.

All applications and peer reviews

must be submitted by 7th September.

Anyone who wants to discuss this

further or wants help in completing

their application form should contact

RD&I manager Frances Hines.

Board seeking

applicants for

research funds

NHS HIGHLAND’S board has ap-

proved one of the key documents

in the process to redesign health

and adult social care services in

Skye, Lochalsh and South West

Ross.

The document, known as the Initial

Agreement (IA), was produced to

clearly demonstrate the strategic case

for service change in the area.

Its approval will be followed by the

preparation of first an Outline Business

Case and then a Full Business Case,

both of which – like the IA itself – has

to be given the all-clear both by the

board and the Scottish Government

Capital Investment Group.

This will be the second time the IA

has been presented to the board for

approval.

It was approved by the board in Au-

gust last year but it was not formally

considered by the Capital Investment

Group, which, although overall suppor-

tive, felt that some elements of the

documents should be revised.

Part of this reflected that NHS High-

land’s unique arrangements relating to

the integration of health and adult social

care were not fully described or under-

stood.

It was also felt that some more de-

tails of the proposed future shape of

health care services in the area were

required.

A paper presented to the board

meeting also looked at progress with

the redesign of services in Badenoch

and Strathspey.

Services redesign approved SKYE, LOCHALSH & SOUTH WEST ROSS

Village GP

surgery to be

transferred

THE GP surgery in Cannich is

transferring from premises that are

no longer fit for purpose to the vil-

lage’s community hall.

And at its meeting on Tuesday

26th July, the NHS Highland board

declared the GP surgery and nurse’s

house to be surplus to require-

ments and agreed to its disposal.

In June, the board’s asset man-

agement group accepted a proposal

to relocate the surgery sessions – of

which there are two a week – to the

community hall and agree to the

disposal of the nurse’s house and

surgery, a move the board was

asked to endorse.

A paper to the board explained

that the damp and unoccupied for-

mer nurse’s house had not been

used since 2002, and the attached

surgery was no longer fit for pur-

pose.

This is primarily because there

are some pressing health and safety,

and infection prevention and con-

trol issues associated with the build-

ing.

PATIENT SAFETY

- 15 -

Ex-director

rallies to

organise

hospice

fund-raiser

NHS HIGHLAND’S former direc-

tor of public health, Dr Margaret

Somerville, is fundraising for the

Highland Hospice.

Dr Somerville, who retired from the

board in October 2014, is holding a

vintage tractor rally and a ceilidh in Sep-

tember for the Inverness-based charity.

The event is her way of saying thank

you for the support she has received

after being diagnosed with breast can-

cer.

“I’m recovering from breast cancer

which was diagnosed a year ago,” she

explained. “While it’s not been an easy

year, I have received wonderful care and

support from all the cancer services

which has made life a lot more bearable.

“I wanted to give something back

and so I’m supporting the Highland Hos-

pice, which provides vital care for peo-

ple with any terminal illness, not just

cancer, and is currently expanding their

services.

“The hospice is having a huge fund-

raising effort to finance the expansion,

and I am delighted to help out in any

way I can.”

Dr Somerville has teamed up with

Neil Macdonald, a tractor enthusiast

from Strathpeffer, who has held several

tractor rallies in the past, raising thou-

sands of pounds for charity in the proc-

ess.

The rally will take place on Saturday,

17th September and will travel around

the Black Isle and finish with a ceilidh in

Dingwall Town Hall, with music pro-

vided by Bob Massie and Friends.

Dr Somerville said: “Neil and I

would welcome anyone who wants to

come along to support the tractor rally

– or who has a vintage tractor and

would like to take part.

“We will set off from Dingwall and

have lunch at the Plough Inn in Rose-

markie before arriving in Beauly later in

the afternoon. I hope it will be a fantas-

tic day and we can raise a lot of money

for a fantastic cause.”

Tickets for the ceilidh can be pur-

chased at the door for £10 each. The

tractor rally will set-off from Dingwall

car park at 10am.

RURAL FELLOWSHIPS

THANKS have been expressed to

SiMBA (Simpson’s Memory Box

Appeal), for donating new equip-

ment to Raigmore’s maternity unit

so families can create lasting

memories.

SiMBA’s executive charity director,

Sara Fitzsimmons, left, presented a cam-

era, printer and cast-making kits which

were much appreciated by all involved.

SiMBA was formed in 2005 to re-

spond to the needs of those affected by

the loss of a baby.

A WORKSHOP on presentation

skills has been organised for 11th

January.

To be held in the John Dewar Build-

ing in Inverness, it will provide delegates

with the skills to carry out a basic pres-

entation with confidence. It will be suit-

able for anyone who requires some ba-

sic tips to make the experience of giving

workshops a little less scary.

To book, contact Margaret Wilson

(margaret.wilson1@nhs.net 01463

706880)

WORKSHOP

Presentation skills

DONATION

In loving memory...

- 16 -

CANCER

SHIRLEY BUCHANAN believes

that she is one of the 5,000 women

in the UK who do not develop cer-

vical cancer each year because

they take part in cervical screen-

ing.

The 44-year-old from Spean Bridge

has regularly attended cervical screen-

ing, which aims to pick up changes in

the cervix and treat them before they

develop into cancer.

She believes that doing so saved her

life, and is encouraging others to accept

their invitation to be screened.

She said: “I always made a point of

ensuring I attended my appointments

for cervical screening, and when I was

28 I was contacted by my GP to say that

something had shown up on one of my

routine screening tests.

“I attended an appointment at Raig-

more and the results showed that I had

pre-cancerous cells in my cervix. Fortu-

nately, I was able to undergo successful

treatment at an early stage. I dread to

think what the outcome would have

been had I not regularly attended cervi-

cal screening.”

Cervical screening, along with treat-

ment of any changes that are noticed,

prevents around eight out of 10 cervical

cancer from developing.

“The statistics don’t lie: early detec-

tion of changes in the cervix has the

potential to save your life,” said Shirley.

Changes to the Scottish Cervical

Screening Programme have recently

been introduced. Women aged 25-49

will be invited to take part every three

years, although women under 25 who

have already been invited for screening

many be invited again before they turn

25.

Women aged 50-64 will be invited

to be screened every five years.

Fifteen years on from her successful

treatment, Mrs Buchanan still attends

cervical screening – and encourages all

of her friends and family to do likewise.

She said: “No-one can force you to

attend, but it can save your life, or the

life or someone you love.”

NHS Highland has produced a

series of videos to encourage women to

consider taking part in cervical screen-

ing. They can be viewed on our Face-

book page at www.facebook.com/

NHSHighland

THESE TWO bedraggled scarecrows sitting

forlornly outside the Caithness General Hospi-

tal in Wick are all that are left of the staff entry

in the town gala’s scarecrow competition.

Every July local businesses and organisations put up

scarecrows on their premises around the town just

before the week-long gala celebrations begin.

Hospital staff made the scarecrows – highlighting

the hospital’s Queen Elizabeth assessment and reha-

bilitation unit – that have been looking down on Bank-

head Road since the gala week began on 23rd July.

After allowing the two scarecrows to watch the

world go by for three days, the gala committee toured

Wick on 25th July to judge each of the entrants. Unfor-

tunately, the hospital’s scarecrows didn’t win.

There’s always next year...

Follow my example

and get cervical

screening, says Shirley

WICK GALA WEEK

Hospital unit has a go

in scarecrow contest

- 17 -

A FTER almost 25 years of work-

ing within NHS Highland, Ray

Stewart retired from his role as qual-

ity improvement lead earlier this

month.

Ray, who previously worked in

medical physics and was also a for-

mer employee director, was bid a

fond farewell at a retiral tea.

Originally from Campbeltown,

Ray joined NHS Highland in 1991 and

worked as an electronic technician.

In 2004, having been heavily in-

volved in trade union affairs, he was elected by staff-side representatives

to be put forward as a candidate to

be the board’s second employee di-

rector.

In an interview for Highlights

three years ago, he recalled that he

had some reservations about becom-

ing a non-executive director of the

board.

“I wouldn’t say I was intimidated

but I kept having to remind myself

that I was equal to my colleagues on

the board,” he said.

Ray left the board in 2013 after

serving two four-year stints, and was

succeeded by Adam Palmer.

NHS Highland has appointed a na-

tive of Sutherland to be the new

Macmillan advanced nurse in can-

cer and palliative care to provide

support for cancer patients in the

area.

Avie Nicolson will be based in Mel-

vich where she was born and raised.

The 41-year-old will

use the experience she

has gained as a district

nurse to help cancer pa-

tients and develop ser-

vices across Sutherland.

Avie’s post is funded

by NHS Highland with full

Macmillan support in pro-

viding opportunities for

learning and development

and help with service

improvement.

Before taking up the

appointment Avie was

the lead district nurse in

North Sutherland, based

at Bettyhill for four years. During that

time she had a specific interest in pallia-

tive care and she gained experience in

working with patients and anticipating

care needs for palliative and end-of-life

care.

Before that Avie was based in

Thurso with the Caithness West com-

munity nursing service.

Avie did her initial RN nursing train-

ing at Foresterhill and Robert Gordon

University, in Aberdeen.

Prior to Avie taking up community

nursing, she specialised in ophthalmol-

ogy for nine years. During this time

Avie travelled extensively and worked in

Melrose, at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital

in Cambridge, in Auck-

land in New Zealand

and at the Moorfield

Eye Hospital in Lon-

don.

On returning to

Scotland, Avie became

the clinical lead of the

eye theatres at the

Princess Alexandra Eye

Pavilion in Edinburgh.

Family c ircum-

stances saw Avie re-

turn to Melvich with

her husband and saw

her change specialisms

at the same time.

She said: “I returned home to be

close to my mother who had been diag-

nosed with a palliative condition. This

also meant a change in nursing career

and further training.”

This retraining meant a return to

Aberdeen for Avie to do her district

nursing specialist qualification at the

Robert Gordon University.

COMINGS & GOINGS … 1

Karen joins Raigmore team KAREN McNICOLL will be joining

the Raigmore Hospital team in

August as clinical support division

general manager.

Karen comes to the post having

been employed as associate director of

Allied Health Professionals, which in-

volves both management of services and

professional governance in a joint post

between NHS Borders and Scottish

Borders Council.

She is also currently chair of the

Area Clinical Forum, which carries re-

sponsibility as a non-executive director

of NHS Borders.

Karen is an allied health professional

and has worked in a variety of clinical

and leadership roles in the NHS, local

authority and the voluntary sector.

She has held head of service roles in

performance and planning, communica-

tion and public involvement and clinical

governance and quality. She is a visiting

lecturer on health and social policy,

quality and leadership to under-graduate

and post-graduate students at Queen

Margaret University, Edinburgh.

Karen said she was “delighted to

have the opportunity to work in NHS

Highland and in this particular role to

work with staff and patients and to

jointly help provide the very best ser-

vices every day”.

Avie returns home

as Macmillan nurse

- 18 -

Farewell to senior

staff midwife after

41 years’ service

COMINGS & GOINGS … 2

NHS HIGHLAND senior staff mid-

wife Sharon Lawrence bid farewell

to the Special Care Baby Unit

(SCBU) this month as she retired

after working for 41 years at Raig-

more Hospital.

Sharon has seen a lot of changes in

her 41 years with the organisation.

She said: “I was in the maternity unit

initially and left the labour suite in 1981

to work in SCBU. I fell in love with the

department very quickly.”

When Sharon started in the unit it

was in the old Raigmore building but in

1987 she left to have a baby and when

she returned from maternity leave SCBU

had moved to the new Raigmore.

She said: “I’ve seen a lot over the

years; we’ve seen the fastest change in

neonatal care ever. I was around for the

advent of curosurf, an artificial surfactant

which can benefit some ventilated babies

with breathing difficulties. Raigmore was

involved in that trial.

“Advances in obstetric care have also

made so much difference as well as the

advances in screening and ventilation.

“It was also very satisfying to be in-

volved with the arrival of cooling. To see

the babies doing so well after cooling is

just huge.”

Sharon won’t be slowing down now

she has retired as she is a full-time carer

for her dad, who has Alzheimers, but she

will also be spending as much time as she

can in her garden.

She said: “My garden is my sanctuary.

I enjoy having my dad down when I’m

working in the garden but on the days

when the weather isn’t so good I’ve al-

ways got my baking and my crochet.

“I’ve also got four grandchildren who

keep me busy. Having time for my ex-

tended family is good and the support

from my husband Sam is great.

“I will miss Raigmore and I’d like to

thank the parents who have allowed me

the privilege of looking after their babies.

I’d also like to wish my colleagues every

success with any challenges they are go-

ing to face.”

SKYE midwife Natalie Scott is just

back from Africa after completing

a 257-mile cycle ride for charity.

Broadford-based Natalie completed

the gruelling Women V Cancer Bike

ride in Tanzania in four and a half days –

and didn’t have one puncture.

Natalie said: “Strictly speaking it was

not quite 257 miles, as there were times

when the sand, mud or water were too

deep to cycle through and I did get a

small push up a steep hill by some en-

thusiastic local children!”

She added: “It was one of the most

wonderful, challenging and exhausting

experiences of my life and I did it for all

those women who have experienced

breast, ovarian or cervical cancers.”

Now in complete remission after

having being diagnosed with cancer a

few years ago, Natalie said: “The sup-

port and information I received from

Jo’s Trust was invaluable. I am now a

helpline volunteer for Jo’s, taking

helpline calls for a few hours a couple of

times a month.”

“The Women V Cancer challenges

raise thousands of pounds for Jo’s trust,

Ovarian Cancer Action and Breast Can-

cer Care.

“So not only are these cycle rides a

personal challenge, they make a huge

difference to thousands of women every

year.”

And Natalie intends to continue her

cancer charity fundraising.

“I’m not intending to stop here,”

she said. “I’ve signed up for the Cycle

Brazil challenge in 2017 and have man-

aged to use gentle persuasion to enlist

my fellow midwife Mairi Milne to sign up

as well.”

The 350km Cycle Brazil challenge

will take place from 9th-19th October

next year. Anyone wishing to make a

d o n a t i o n s h o u l d g o t o :

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Natalie-

Scott20.

CHARITABLE EFFORT

Natalie completes African adventure

- 19 -

TWO NHS Highland doctors have been

selected to accompany the Team GB ath-

letes for the Olympic Games in Rio de

Janeiro.

Dr Jonathan Hanson and Dr Derick

Macleod have been chosen to serve as medical

officers for the performance services team dur-

ing the games, which will take place from 5th -

21st August.

The two doctors will primarily be based at

the Olympic Village in Barra de Tijuca as part of

a multi-disciplinary team made up of 44 health

professionals from all four home countries.

Dr Hanson, 43, is a qualified consultant in

sport and exercise medicine – one of only four

in Scotland – and works part-time as a rural

practitioner in Broadford on Skye. He combines

his time in Broadford with working at the

sportscotland Institute of Sport in Stirling and

for Scottish Rugby.

He said: “We all have specific roles depend-

ing on our skills and background. For my role,

working in a busy rural emergency environment

has provided me with valuable experience that

will help me and the team cope with any situa-

tion that arises.”

Dr Derick Macleod is a Culloden-based GP

who combines his day job with sports medicine.

Aside from his involvement with Team GB ath-

letes – he was their chief medical officer at the

European Games in Baku last year – he has

worked with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and

Team Sky in recent years.

NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead

said: “We are extremely proud that these two

talented and dedicated experts from NHS High-

land have been selected to support our Olym-

pic athletes in Brazil.

“Their participation with Team GB, along-

side their professional relationships with Scot-

tish Rugby, Team Sky and Inverness Caledonian

Thistle, highlights that not only are the High-

lands a beautiful place to work, but our staff

‘

hold prestigious positions, showing that working

in the north of Scotland provides outstanding

career opportunities and development.

“We wish them and all of Team GB’s athletes

the very best of luck for the Olympic Games this

summer.”

Highland doctors

picked for Rio role

OLYMPICS

Team GB doctors —

Jonathan Hanson (left, courtesy Physioinsport) and Derick Macleod

’

We are extremely proud

that these two talented and

dedicated experts from

NHS Highland have been

selected to support our

Olympic athletes

- 20 -

S TAFF from the Special Care

Baby Unit at Raigmore Hospital

received a special visit this month

from a little boy who wanted to say

‘thank you’ to them for looking after

him two years ago.

Two-year-old Alexander Mackenzie,

along with his dad Alan and mum Megan,

popped into the unit to thank the staff

and to hand over a donation of £3,230.

The family, who are from Skye, held a

ceilidh fundraiser and a raffle to raise

money for the unit which looked after

Alexander after he was born two months

early.

They raised a total of £4,230, with

£1,000 going towards the Ronald McDon-

ald House in Glasgow, where they spent

two weeks while Alexander had shunt

surgery.

Staff midwife Jane Elliot was on hand

to accept the donation and she remem-

bered the family from their time in the

unit.

She said: “It was great to see Alexan-

der again. This is a fantastic sum of money

which has been donated to the unit. We

are very grateful to them for thinking of

us and we really can’t thank them

enough.”

Free bowel

workshop

BOWEL health and screening is the

subject of a free, half-day workshop

to be held in the Lochalsh Hotel,

Kyle of Lochalsh, on 15th September. The event will provide detailed

information on the bowel screening

programme, bowel cancer signs and

symptoms and risk factors.

It will equip participants with the

knowledge, skills and resources to

cascade bowel cancer awareness

messages, and will boost the confi-

dence and knowledge of healthcare

professionals and community-based

staff to pass on potential life-saving

information on the subject.

The workshop will be suited to a

wide range of people who require

more in-depth knowledge about

bowel cancer and the screening pro-

gramme.

For further information, contact

health improvement specialist Jane

Chandler (jane.chandler3@nhs.net;

01463 704943).

Heart symposium

HEALTH professionals are being

encouraged to sign up for this year’s

‘Heart of the Matter’ Cardiology

Symposium.

The event, which will be held in

the Drumossie Hotel in Inverness on

9th November, will feature a range of

speakers and poster presentations

on all things cardiology.

Nicole Mearns, cardiac education

co-ordinator for NHS Highland, said:

“Presentations this year include im-

proving psychological care, cardiac

genetics and a view from our pri-

mary care colleagues.”

Other presentations include

looking at SIGN guidelines and

medical legal issues.

Nicole added: “We will also have

our regular ‘Consultant Question

Time’, where those attending can

ask our expert panel any questions

they may have on cardiology care

and treatment, this always proves to

be a popular event.”

More details can be found on the

intranet under events.

LEARNING

Staff midwife Jane Elliot pictured with Alexander, Megan and Alan Mackenzie

Little Alex says a

thousand thanks

for special care

DONATION

- 21 -

Manager Trish steadies

practice under pressure WORKING well against incredible

odds and being calm and approach-

able are just some of the reasons

behind why the latest recipient of a

Highland Quality Award was nomi-

nated.

Trish Bremner took on the role of

practice manager at Riverbank Practice

in Thurso just over a year ago, joining a

practice which had had no partners for

over two years and was manned by a

group of GP locums.

In just a year she has steadily and

skilfully built an excellent staff team and,

despite incredible odds, has managed to

keep a happy band of GP locums and

receptionists together.

Systems have been put in place that

have helped to lessen the incredible

workload that was present a year ago

and “her calmness and approachability

for all members of the team has been

exemplary”.

Having more structure has helped

reduce the stress levels amongst the

locums and Trish’s patient liaison group

is a very active assist to the practice

helping in keeping patients abreast of

the changes.

Not only has Trish brought a col-

laborative style to managing the prac-

tice, her nomination said it was “evident

from discussions surrounding the future

of the practice that she is committed to

further improvements”.

The nomination form makes clear

that Trish’s “ongoing involvement will

be invaluable in ensuring that the pro-

gress made so far is consolidated and

continued”.

Her work has brought “considerable

benefits for the patients and staff of the

practice” and in recognising her input

and the gains made so far is not only

testament to Trish but to the practice

as a whole.

HIGHLAND QUALITY AWARD

Trish

Bremner seen

left being pre-

sented with

her award by

David Alston,

chair of NHS

Highland

AN opportunity for up to four stu-

dents to study in Highland as part

of a physician associate pro-

gramme is being offered through

NHS Highland and the University

of Aberdeen. Course fees and a

cost of living bursary will be cov-

ered by NHS Highland.

In the full-time, two-year pro-

gramme students will complete 11 clini-

cal placements across a wide range of

specialties, including emergency medi-

cine, acute medicine, respiratory medi-

cine, cardiology, general surgery, ortho-

paedics, paediatrics and general practice.

Dr Emma Watson, director of medi-

cal education for NHS Highland, ex-

plained that the physician associate role

originated in the United States in the

1950s and has since been adopted in a

number of countries.

Dr Watson said: “Their role in-

cludes obtaining medical histories, con-

ducting physical examinations, request-

ing and interpreting tests, initiating care

and providing guidance on preventive

healthcare.”

STUDY CHANCE

Students offered physician associate opportunity

- 22 -

STAFF at the Highland Health Sci-

ences Library in Inverness are keen

to have feedback from NHS High-

land employees about the recent

redesign of the library.

A number of changes have been

made to the library, located at the Cen-

tre for Health Sciences, in the past year.

The installation of an automated self-

check-in/check-out system for books

has been completed and, in response to

customer demand, the entrance turn-

stile has been removed – making the

library much more accessible.

Along with the improved access,

more space has been made available for

visitors. Altogether the library space

consists of six main areas: a book stock/

computer area, a training room, a meet-

ing room, a quiet room, offices and a

store. The redesign has incorporated the

creation of a separate ‘quiet area’ to

facilitate study and research.

All NHS Highland/Highland Council

integrated care staff are eligible for

membership of the library as long as

they have a NHS Highland/Highland

Council identity card.

If people wish to use the computers

in the library these belong to a different

network to the NHS so additional iden-

tification such as recent photographic

driving licence or passport is required.

Registration, which is currently re-

newed annually, also provides access to

the services and support of the facility’s

librarians. Separate self-registration is

required for digital resources like the

NHS Educat ion for Scot land’s

‘Knowledge Network’.

The library is open from 8am-9pm

Monday to Friday and from 9.30am-5pm

on weekends. A librarian is available

from 10am-4pm Monday to Friday.

Subject librarian Rob Polson said:

“We would like know what NHS High-

land staff think of the redesign so far, as

we have specifically made the changes

to attract more health and social care

professionals here in the Highlands to

use our facilities.”

Rob added that NHS Highland staff

are welcome to use the library as a

place to do some work in a quiet re-

laxed environment.

A Wifi network is available so NHS

staff can use their own laptops. Wifi

user names and passwords are available

from the reception.

Anybody who wants to provide

feedback or find out more about the

library should contact Rob, Chris or

Ellen-Ann on: hhsl-inverness@stir.ac.uk

REACTION WANTED

Health sciences library seeks

feedback on new redesign

A NINE-STRONG group of NHS

Highland staff on Skye really em-

braced the idea of doing more ex-

ercise during the Health at Work

awareness week, which took place

last month.

And the members of the Broadford

Step Count Challenge enjoyed the

week-long event so much they ex-

tended by two weeks.

Based around the Dr MacKinnon

Memorial Hospital, each member car-

ried a pedometer around with them

and through simple changes to their

routines, they made a big difference to

how many steps they took each day.

The main change was going for

walks at lunchtime, but significant con-

tributions were made walking to visit

patients or to meetings or other work-

related destinations.

At the end of the three weeks,

seven of the team completed a ques-

tionnaire about their experiences.

Organiser Elisabeth Phillips said:

“Something that surprised most of the

team was how few steps they were

doing as part of their previous normal

working day.”

She said all the team made the ef-

fort to walk more and there was quite

a buzz about the place with everyone

comparing notes. Ultimately, everyone

set goals that suited them.

These individual efforts, buoyed by

team members’ encouragement, cer-

tainly paid off.

Elisabeth, a cancer nurse specialist

and community nurse, said: “When

asked ‘Are you walking more as a re-

sult of the Step Count Challenge?’ six

said yes and one said no.

“But it was pointed out that this

colleague already walks more steps

than the rest of us put together.”

One issue was finding the time to fit

the walks into busy schedules.

Elisabeth said: “Even with the time

they had available, the team did really

well in picking out opportunities to

increase the steps they took.”

Dan Jenkins, health promotion spe-

cialist who co-ordinated the previous

Health at Work week commented: “It’s

fantastic that the Broadford team took

up the challenge, made it their own,

and are having a lot of fun in the proc-

ess – that’s what it’s all about.”

Skye team step

up to challenge

EXERCISE

- 23 -

NHS HIGHLAND last month wel-

comed the first two groups of sec-

ondary school pupils for this year’s

Doctors at Work programme,

which is going from strength to

strength.

The programme is designed to give

pupils an insight into their chosen ca-

reer and an understanding of the reali-

ties of working within a hospital.

This is the fifth year the programme

has been running in Highland and, with a

record number of students applying, the

programme will now run five times

across the year.

Dr Emma Watson, director of medi-

cal education for NHS Highland, ex-

plained that the programme had in-

creased the number of students from

Highland being accepted to medical

schools.

She said: “This year we have 40 stu-

dents over the five weeks, most of

whom are from The Highland Council

region but we have also welcomed stu-

dents from the Western Isles.

“Those taking part get to experience

a variety of clinical settings, including

wards, theatres and clinics across a

range of specialities such as surgical,

orthopaedics, diagnostics and medicine.

“The students also have the oppor-

tunity to talk to medical students who

are working in the hospital and can give

them an insight on what their medical

school life will be like. This year, they

also got to hear from a student who

took part in NHS Grampian’s Doctors at

Work programme, allowing them to see

the direct link from what they are doing

now to where they could be in four

years’ time.”

Historically, Highland pupils have

been at a disadvantage when competing

for places in medicine and other health

care related careers but thanks to a

number of initiatives, including Doctors

at Work, this trend is beginning to

change.

Since 2012, 125 pupils have taken

part in the programme, not including

those taking part this year. A recent

survey showed that of those who did

apply for medical school 63 per cent got

in and are continuing their studies in

Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow

and St Andrews.

EDUCATION...2

A CARDIOLOGY vlog is being

tried out by NHS Highland con-

sultant cardiologist Steve Leslie to

help get key messages about best

practice across to other clinicians.

Using YouTube as a way to reach

colleagues Highland-wide, the first video

highlights some of the key recommenda-

tions in the updated SIGN 147 guideline:

Management of Chronic Heart Failure.

Steve explained: “I’ve watched stu-

dents use multiple media tools like apps,

animations and videos as learning aids

so I was keen to explore the potential

of YouTube and social media as an edu-

cational method.

“The aim is to summarise a compre-

hensive piece of guidance and make it

into a short, easily understood piece

that can be rewound and replayed as

often is necessary until people get the

key points and understand the concepts.

“YouTube has transformed the way

information is discovered. It can be a

powerful learning environment to find,

watch and share knowledge.

“If anyone has two or three minutes

to spare they can watch me run through

the key points in one of the SIGN guid-

ance updates. The video can be watched

whenever is convenient, even if you are

on the go you can still view it if you

have a smartphone or tablet.”

Steve added: “I’m looking for feed-

back. Vlogging won’t be for everybody

but if it provides another way for peo-

ple to learn and retain information then

a regular cardiology update could be on

its way. If clinicians find this useful the

intention is to produce more.

“If staff have any suggestions for fu-

ture topics then let me know by

emailing stephen.leslie@nhs.net”

Watch the video here: https://

youtu.be/rlRkttirjXI

EDUCATION...1

YouTube used

as teaching aid ALL staff in NHS Highland should

be able to use social media channels

such as YouTube. If you are experi-

encing viewing issues with Internet

Explorer as a web browser you can

ask eHealth to give you access to

Firefox although this must not be

used with NHS Scotland clinical

websites.

STEVE LESLIE

Pupils learn how docs work

- 24 -

A BOOKLET has been developed

in partnership with Alzheimer

Scotland to record important per-

sonal information about dementia

patients that helps hospital staff

provide better care and support.

The ‘Getting to Know Me’ booklet

gives patients the opportunity to tell

care staff what and who is important to

the person and what matters to them in

their everyday life.

The NHS Highland Alzheimer Scot-

land dementia nurse consultant, Ruth

Mantle, said: “Every person with demen-

tia is different and any care given needs

to be tailored to reflect this and

‘Getting to Know Me’ is a great way to

help communicate this to staff.

“The booklet helps staff to see be-

yond the dementia diagnosis and to get

to know the person; knowing about

what might seem like the smallest detail

can make all the difference to that per-

son.”

The booklet is especially useful to

inform care given in hospital but can be

applied across a range of care environ-

ments including care homes, day ser-

vices and primary care including the

person’s own home.

Although initially developed for peo-

ple with dementia, it is intended for

anyone who can benefit from its use.

For example, people with a learning

disability or communication impairment.

Ruth is keen that people are encour-

aged to complete their booklet before

they come to hospital.

She said: “It can help to reassure

families and carers that staff are taking

the time to get to know their loved

ones, and can support a more positive

care experience for the person with

dementia and help keep the family and

carer connected.

The ‘Getting to Know Me’ booklet

can be accessed through community or

hospital teams in NHS Highland or the

regional Alzheimer Scotland offices.

They can be contacted on: Highland

region 01463 711707 or Argyll & Clyde

0141 4105306.

CAIRNGORM National Park Au-

thority (CNPA) is looking for peo-

ple’s views on the key issues to be

addressed in the next National

Park Partnership Plan 2017-2022

And NHS Highland chief executive

Elaine Mead said she “greatly wel-

comed” the opportunity to work in

partnership with CNPA to improve the

wider health of all individuals and com-

munities who live, work or visit the

park.

She said: “The interplay between the

environment, individual behaviours and

how people feel about themselves are

all really important factors around what

‘healthy’ people are, how they feel and

their sense of wellbeing. These were all

important themes which came up when

we held our public consultation into the

redesign of health and social care across

Badenoch and Strathspey.

“The park boasts a magnificent envi-

ronment and strong communities. We

look forward to working together to

build on these strengths, and to ensure

we achieve inclusion and improved

health for all.”

CAIRNGORMS

Consultation welcomed

Booklet helps

to inform care

Call made for

more people

to give organs

PEOPLE across the Highlands are

being urged to consider joining the

NHS Organ Donor Register in a

bold new campaign to increase

registrations in Scotland.

The We Need Everybody cam-

paign shows people of all ages,

shapes, sizes and ethnicities baring

almost all to highlight that anyone

can be an organ donor.

Latest figures highlight there

are 540 people in Scotland waiting

on a life-saving transplant, and 44

per cent of people living in the

NHS Highland area are on the

NHS Organ Donor Register.

Dr Kevin Holliday, clinical lead

for organ donation for NHS High-

land, said: “The people of the Scot-tish Highlands understand that

organ transplantation is one of

medicine’s great success stories,

transforming thousands of lives

each year. And yet we know that

some people die because organs

are not available.

“Organ donation occurs at a

time of great emotional distress.

But donating organs after death

can not only bring an element of

solace to the families of the donors

but the lives of desperately ill peo-

ple can be saved, helped and trans-

formed.

“Organ donation is an amazing

gift that you can give to others and

I would encourage everyone to sign

up to the register and to also let

their families know their wishes."

The face of We Need Everybody

is Gordon Hutchison (26), from

East Kilbride, who underwent a

transplant aged just 13 after being

born with a congenital heart de-

fect.

Gordon, who stripped off for

the TV advert to reveal his trans-

plant scar on screen, delivers the

message that organ donation saves

lives, as someone who knows first-

hand.

To join the NHS Organ Donor

Register visit weneedevery-

body.org

APPEAL DEMENTIA

- 25 -

Willie calls for

volunteers to run

charity events

WILLIE CROWE – who was

awarded the British Empire Medal

last month for his charitable work –

is calling for volunteers to help run

charity Kiltwalk events around Scot-

land.

Willie, a driver/storeperson with

the integrated equipment store in

Helensburgh, wants to sign up volun-

teers – known as Kilties – to help run

the Glasgow-based charity’s spon-

sored walks.

He said: “The 26-mile, 13-mile

and six-mile challenges are very

tough for the walkers. The charity

needs Kilties to give support at the

events, keep the walkers’ spirits up,

and create the most enjoyable day

possible.”

With nine roles to choose from,

says there is something for everyone

to get involved said Willie, who has

been a Kiltie for two years.

“Every volunteer will play a cen-

tral part in helping the charity raise

as much money for children’s chari-

ties and causes as possible,” he said,

adding: “If you have knowledge, ex-

perience and enthusiasm to give,

then the Kiltwalk needs you! After

training you can apply to be a volun-teer at all Kiltwalk events.”

To learn more about becoming a

Kiltie, visit www.thekiltwalk.co.uk or

contact Willie on 07830457335 or

via Facebook.

KILTWALKS

Event to look at

other ways to

communicate

INFORMATION DAY

THE REDESIGN of NHS High-

land’s physiotherapy continence

service has won awards at two na-

tional conferences in the past year.

The service redesign has been an

ongoing project for the last seven years,

and four clinical specialist physiothera-

pists have been training staff in basic

continence awareness.

They have also developed a network

to enable women with straightforward

urinary incontinence and prolapse to

access care as close to their homes as

possible.

A poster outlining this work

scooped first prize at both the Pelvic

Obstetric and Gynaecological Physio-

therapy and the Association for Conti-

nence Advice conferences.

NHS Highland clinical specialist con-

tinence physiotherapist Alison Clarke

said: “We were delighted to be recog-

nised for our work that has enabled

women to access services closer to

home, minimising long journeys for

those with bladder problems.

“To date we have trained over 60

physios in basic continence awareness

and 13 have progressed to practitioner

with special interest training.”

PHYSIOTHERAPY CONTINENCE

Success at the double for redesign work

NHS HIGHLAND is asking people

who use alternative communica-

tion systems, known as Augmenta-

tive and Alternative Communica-

tion (AAC), to get involved and

have a say in the services they re-

ceived.

AAC is any method of communicat-

ing that supplements the ordinary meth-

ods of speech and handwriting, where

these are impaired.

They can include signing, symbol

systems, communication books and hi-

tech aids.

Morag Tait, AAC lead for Highland,

explained that NHS Highland was keen

for everyone who uses AAC to have a

say in the service they receive and to

have the opportunity to share ideas and

influence others.

She said: “We want to ensure that

people who need alternative communi-

cation systems, or their parents or car-

ers, are getting the best service possible

and that the service they get is the

same, no matter which part of our area

they live in.”

An information day to be held on

22nd August from 11am-3pm in Inver-

ness – the venue has yet to be con-

firmed – will provide an opportunity to

find out what users of the service think

about it and what they would like to see

happening in the future.

The information day will also include

hearing the latest news from the plan-

ning group, the chance to try out differ-

ent equipment and the opportunity to

meet other AAC users.

Morag added: “We are also working

with a new group which is looking to

improve the lives of AAC users.

“This is very much in the early

stages so we’re keen for users to get in

touch with us and tell us what matters

to them and what they would like to

see the group doing.”

Anyone who wishes to find out

more should email Karen at karen-

anne.lennox@nhs.net or call 01463

704780.

To find out more about the AAC

g r o u p c o n t a c t

cfletcher@spiritadvocacy.org.uk

- 26 -

- 27 -

NHS HIGHLAND risks missing its

target of breaking event at the end

of the financial year by around

£16.4 million – and the situation

could get worse.

In a report prepared for NHS High-

land’s board meeting on 26th July, direc-

tor of finance Nick Kenton stated that

the board had overspent its revenue

budgets by £4.3 million in the first quar-

ter of this financial year.

He added: “There is a risk that the

board may not meet its year-end target

of breaking even on revenue – this risk

has been currently quantified in the re-

gion of £16.4 million.

“In addition, there are around £6.1

million of further financial risks that may

crystallise in the remainder of the finan-

cial year.”

Mr Kenton asked the board to con-

firm that it is content that actions are

being taken to ensure that the target of

break-even is achieved.

The director’s report said the effec-

tive management of pay budgets was a

‘key challenge’. Locums or agency staff

were being used in number of hard-to-

fill vacancies, with costs tending to ex-

ceed the salary budgets available – often

by a “significant amount”. These exces-

sive costs meant that savings had to be

made elsewhere.

Mr Kenton assured the board that

efforts were continuing to achieve break

-even, and he listed a range of actions

being introduced. These include a re-

view of commitments in non-clinical

areas, which could save £2 million and

cost reduction programmes in north

Highland (£2.4 million) and Argyll and

Bute (£1.5 million).

Collectively, successfully applying

measures would still leave a £7 million

shortfall, which the organisation was

looking to address through “significant

improvement initiatives, changes in foot-

print and service delivery models”.

The board were also told that it

underspent its capital budgets by £0.65

million in the first quarter of the finan-

cial year.

FINANCE

Board risks

£16.4m

overspend

Work starts on

outdoor haven

PARKING at the Lawson Memorial

Hospital in Golspie is temporarily

restricted with the start of a new

construction project there.

Work on a new ‘outdoor space

patio’ around the hospital’s Cambu-

savie Unit began earlier this month.

Because of the work part of the car

park outside the unit will be cor-

doned off for six to eight weeks.

Disabled parking spaces are be-

ing made available immediately to

the right of the fence and a re-

stricted number of parking spaces

for other patients and visitors are

available to the right of that.

The project, which is funded by

the Lawson Cambusavie Memorial

Hospital Friends and Earl Cadogan,

a local resident, is designed to cre-

ate a haven for patients, families and

staff.

August courses

COURSES providing an introduction to Good Clinical Practice and an

update on the subject are to be held

in the Centre for Health Science,

Inverness, in August.

The introduction course will be

on the 24th and the update, for those

refreshing their knowledge every

two years, will be on the 31st.

The course presenters will be

NHS Highland’s research, develop-

ment and innovation manager, Fran-

ces Hines, and clinical research

nurse, Lesley Patience.

To book a place email

laura.mcilhatton@nhs.net

Sexual health day

A STUDY day on contraception and

sexual health is to be held in the

Highland Council Chambers in In-

verness, on 30th September.

The course is designed for nurses

and midwives who are new to con-

traception/sexual health care or who

would like to update their knowl-

edge of contraception methods and

STI screening and treatment.

Earlier in September, on the 1st,

the same venue will be used for

training for clinicians who undertake

cervical screening tests.

NEWS IN BRIEF

NICK KENTON

- 28 -

HIGHLAND HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY

Loneliness – why it’s

also a library issue

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

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

library call 01463 255600 (x7600).

COLDNESS, whiteness and white noise

awoke the Librarian. He wondered where

he was and what he was doing. It took a

while but it slowly dawned on him that he

was in fact on holiday in a tent being bat-

tered by wind and hailstones.

The Librarian is no stranger to the outdoors

and it is not well-known that he has spent time

in some of the colder, remoter parts of the

world. He has crossed the Gobi Desert, argued

with polar bears, barbecued penguins, sailed

icebergs and howled at the aurora.

Living and working in these remote areas

has given the Librarian a keen sense of how

disabling and soul-destroying the phenomena of

loneliness can be. Having also lived in towns/

cities he realises that loneliness is a problem no

matter where you are. He also appreciates that

sometimes loneliness is a situation that is

sought out by people.

The Librarian and his team have three

strategies for helping address these issues.

Firstly, they ensure that the library supports

current NHS Highland initiatives such as Reach

Out by stocking materials which can help staff to

‘

explore the issue and help them to assist any of

their clients who are suffering loneliness.

Secondly, regarding NHS Scotland, they help

develop and publicise the resources available on

topics such as loneliness on the Knowledge

Network for all staff.

Thirdly, they actively participate in loneli-

ness research. For example, the library has con-

tributed to a recent Chest, Heart and Stroke

Scotland report on the importance of social

support in heart failure: Evidence of the effective-

ness and patient experience of formalised social

support for people with a diagnosis of heart failure.

The Librarian – never a slouch when it

comes to technology – is using collaborative

communication tools such as Skype to support

loneliness research. He is currently helping a

remote PhD student who is working on a pro-

ject examining the linkages between loneliness

and other chronic disorders.

There is always someone around the library

so if you are lonely why not stop by – we

would be extremely glad to see you. If you

can’t come in, we can still chat by phone, e-mail

or by using tools such as Skype.

There is

always some-

one around

the library so

if you are

lonely why

not stop by

‘

Image courtesy: Stephen Hill

- 29 -

OTHER LIVES

Shooting star

Ever wondered what our staff do in their spare time?

‘Other Lives’ reports on colleagues’ outside interests

‘

‘

It takes quite a bit of commit-ment

“I’ve been shooting since 1994 and I made the

Scottish team in 1996. Since then I’ve had 20

continuous Scottish caps and I’m currently aiming

for number 21. I’ve got 18 Scottish championship

titles and have captained the ladies team eight

times.

"This year, in the space of a week we have

the Home Internationals and British Champion-

ships in Northern Ireland followed by the Euro-

pean and World Championships in Southern

Ireland."

In order to qualify, it is compulsory to com-

pete at the Scottish Championships, which take

place over a full two days towards the end of

June.

The two scores from the championships are

added to your five best scores, obtained

throughout the year and this determines your

team placing.

Participants shoot at 100 clay targets in four

groups of 25. The shotgun has two barrels; if you

hit the target with the first barrel, you gain three

points, and if you are required to use the second

barrel you only gain two points. The maximum

score available is 300.

Catherine said: "It takes quite a bit of com-

mitment. Shooting, like every sport, is expensive

and time consuming with the amount of travel

involved, but I have never lost my enthusiasm for

it.

“Working in the oncology department, in

particular, has made me realise how privileged I

am to be able to enjoy my sport.

"Shooting as a sport has taken a battering, but

it is making a comeback, which I am delighted

about. You can do it locally or at international

level and it is something you can do all year

round. I don't tend to travel too far in the win-

ter, but I enjoy taking part in the local club

shoots.

"It is like an extended family and the shoot-

ers are a great bunch of people. If anyone has an

interest, I would say look in to their local gun

club and give it a go."

A PASSING interest in visiting a local gun

club has turned into a lifelong passion for

Catherine Fraser, a medical secretary

based in oncology at Raigmore Hospital.

Since visiting the club Catherine has repre-

sented her country on numerous occasions and

has won no fewer than 18 Scottish champion-

ship titles.

She said: “There was a local gun club where

I stayed and I just fancied trying it. I got ad-

dicted and 22 years and a lot of money and

miles later I’m still doing it.

“I practise down the line clay pigeon shoot-

ing and I’m a member of Glenmoriston Gun

Club and the Highland Deephaven Clay Pigeon

Club.

- 30 -

How would you describe yourself?

I try to be happy – I’ve got a real inter-

est in positive psychology literature.

Life throws curve balls all the time –

how we react and how resilient we are

makes a huge difference to what we

can get from our ‘four score years and

ten’ (and hopefully a bit longer).

Do you have any hobbies and in-

terests?

My husband Alex and I have just pur-

chased a Grade-C listed lodge at Gol-

lanfield (think ‘derelict hovel’!), so

stripping it back and restoring it to its

former glory is going to be filling our

horizons for the next year or so. I’m

looking forward to establishing a pro-

ductive garden there too, in among

wild flowers and perennials that won’t

take too much work!

What was the first single you ever

bought?

I honestly can’t remember my first

single, but I do remember my eldest

brother bought Mouldy Old Dough by

Lieutenant Pigeon, and he played it

over and over and over. I still don’t

know what the attraction was.

What is your favourite food?

I’m a ‘salty’ tooth rather than a sweet

one. Salted peanuts are my guilty

pleasure.

Do you have a favourite film?

Gosford Park. The film is a bit of a

‘whodunnit’ but supposedly documents

the end of the class system. Nearly

100 years later we’ve got a wider rich-

poor gap than ever. Hmm.

Favourite TV programme?

I’ve just enjoyed Parade’s End with

Benedict Cumberbatch – I think

there’s a theme developing here!

How about a favourite book?

I’ve just finished studying (again!) so

I’m enjoying reading for pleasure at the

moment. Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy has

been enjoyable. For a non-

Leodhasach, May certainly has a sur-

prisingly insightful understanding of

Gaelic culture.

If you won £10 million in the lot-

tery, what would you spend it on?

After the usual, I’d set up a charitable

trust to fund causes and social enter-

prise start-ups in areas of interest to

me. I’d get British Sign Language onto

the school curriculum on an equal ba-

sis with other modern languages too.

What about a smaller sum, say

£1,000?

Blow it in the Milan shops when I visit

in October.

What are you pet hates?

Overly complex language. Have you

ever noticed the demise of that won-

derful wee word ‘use’? These days

people have to ‘utilise this’ or ‘utilise

that’. Drives me nuts.

If you could have dinner with

three people, dead or alive, who

would they be and what would

you cook them?

Give me three strong female leaders

any time. I’d go for Nicola Sturgeon,

whose value and ethos driven leader-

ship is an almost singular light in politi-

cal decency at the moment. I’d also

invite Sheryl Sandberg, CO at Face-

book and author of ‘Lean In’, and

Arianna Huffington, editor of the Pulit-

zer prize-winning Huffington Post.

The food and drink would be the very

best of local produce from Scotland’s

larder.

What are the best and worst

parts of your job?

The best part of my job has always

been seeing the difference that

SHHELS training makes to the individ-

ual learner and to the clients/patients

they serve. The worst part? When

learners reach the frustrating

‘conscious incompetence’ part of skills

learning and feel like throwing the

towel in. Learning can (and should!)

be challenging, so SHHELS provides a

wide range of support to see learners

through to the end and collecting their

well-deserved qualifications and certifi-

cates.

A & Q Answering the questions this month is Jenny

Liddell, manager of See Hear Highland Education and

Learning Services (SHHELS)