The Pulse September / October 2009 - NHS Lanarkshire

NEWS FOR NHS LANARKSHIRE STAFF • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

Page 6 Page 13 

DIDN’T THEY 

NEW ROLES FOR 

DO WELL! 

VOLUNTEERS 

This little 

lady has 

surgery in 

her sights 

LITTLE Alex is only eight years old but 

she has already set her sights on 

becoming a paediatric surgeon with 

NHS Lanarkshire. 

During the summer, the Newfield 

Primary School pupil, from 

Stonehouse, took the chance to meet 

Dermot Murphy, clinical director for 

general surgery, and consultant 

oncoplastic and general surgeon at 

Monkland’s Hospital. 

He showed where he worked, 

talked her through intubation and 

advised her on what to do to realise 

her ambition. Dermot is a perfect role 

model for Alex – he wanted to be a 

surgeon from the age of six. 

SAFETY FIRST 

Swine flu jabs for frontline health staff 

FRONTLINE health staff will be among the 

first to be vaccinated against swine flu. 

NHS Lanarkshire is well prepared to deliver 

the Influenza A(H1N1) “swine flu” vaccination 

programme, expected to begin this autumn, 

with additional nursing staff lined up. 

Dr Harpreet Kohli, NHS Lanarkshire’s 

director of public health, said: “We are encouraging 

all frontline NHS Lanarkshire staff to 

take up the offer of the swine flu vaccination 

when it becomes available. 

“It is important for health staff to be 

vaccinated as they are at increased risk of 

infection and of transmitting that infection to 

susceptible patients.” 

Safety is a key consideration and the vaccination 

programme will not begin until the 

vaccine is licensed by the European Medicines 

Agency, which has strict rules in place for 

pandemic vaccines. No vaccine will be used 

without scientific and medical advice that it 

is safe to do so. 

The Scottish and UK Governments have 

identified priority groups of people who are 

most at risk of contracting the virus or developing 

complications. 

They will be offered the swine flu vaccine 

in the following order: 

q Those aged over six months and up to 

65 years in current seasonal flu vaccine 

clinical at-risk groups 

q All pregnant women, subject to licensing 

considerations 

q Household contacts of people with 

compromised immune systems, e.g. people in 

regular close contact with patients on 

treatment for cancer 

q People aged 65 and over in the current 

seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups. 

This does not include otherwise healthy over 

65s, since they appear to have more immunity 

to the virus compared with other people. 

Frontline health and social care workers will 

begin to be vaccinated at the same time as 

the first of these priority groups. Frontline 

healthcare workers eligible for the swine flu 

vaccination programme are also eligible for 

the usual seasonal influenza vaccination. The 

swine flu vaccination involves two doses for 

each person given at least three weeks apart. 

Paul Wilson, NHS Lanarkshire’s director 

of nursing, midwifery and allied health 

professions, said: “Delivering the vaccination 

programme will be a major operation. 

Thanks to the commitment already shown 

by NHS Lanarkshire staff and our partners 

TURN TO PAGE 2, 

ALSO INSIDE 

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE DIVISIONS • RETIREMENTS • YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS • TRAINING UPDATE

2 

thePulse GENERAL NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

CHAMPIONS: Smiling 

volunteers at the 

heart of NHS 

Lanarkshire’s bowel 

screening programme. 

See page 4. 

Contents 

4-9 GENERAL NEWS 

Plans are afoot to relocate the Medical 

Rehabilitation Unit; Scotland’s only consultant 

allied health professional in rehabilitation joins 

NHS Lanarkshire; a national children’s wellbeing 

initiative gets a new member. 

10-11 SPECIAL FEATURE 

Examining the role of Leading Better Care, one of 

a range of initiatives, and exploring some of the 

work going on in wards in Lanarkshire. 

12-14 LOCAL, DISTRICT, PARTNERSHIP NEWS 

Volunteering service to get better; help is at hand 

from the Independent Advice and Support Service. 

16 PEOPLE NEWS 

Staff say farewell to work and hello to retirement. 

19 TRAINING 

Essential guide to training dates for your diary. 

20 ACHIEVEMENTS 

A game with a twist and a run for an anaesthetist. 

Got a story? 

If you have any ideas, 

stories or features you 

would like to see included, or 

would just like to tell us what you 

think of The Pulse, please get in 

touch with a member of the 

editorial team... 

Martin Stirling 

01698 245069 

Michelle Nobes 

(Hairmyres) 

01355 585325 

Editorial policy 

As the staff newspaper of NHS Lanarkshire, The Pulse aims to celebrate 

the work and achievements of staff and services. It also shares 

information about the changes and issues that affect staff at work. We 

would like to hear your thoughts and suggestions about the kind of 

stories you would like to see in The Pulse. Contact the team (below) with 

your stories, comments and ideas. 

Christine McNeill 

(Monklands) 

01236 713065 

Yvonne Ross 

(Wishaw General) 

01698 366558 

The deadline for 

contributions to 

the next edition 

9 October 

All part of 

the plan... 

EVERY member of staff in NHS 

Lanarkshire now has a personal 

development plan (PDP). 

This was one of the Health 

improvement, Efficiency, Access and 

Treatment (HEAT) targets set by 

the Scottish Government last year – 

for all staff to have a PDP by 

31 March 2009. 

It was thanks to the hard work by 

all concerned that NHS Lanarkshire 

was able to achieve this target. 

However, the hard work does not 

stop there as the next HEAT target 

states that all staff should have an 

annual review against the Knowledge 

and Skills Framework (KSF) post 

outline for their position and a PDP. 

This review/PDP must be recorded, 

agreed and signed off on the 

electronic Knowledge and Skills 

Framework (e-KSF) System. 

Hugh Sweeney, employee director, 

said: “This is a great opportunity for 

all employees to have the chance to 

meet with their manager at least once 

a year to discuss how they have been 

working in relation to their KSF post 

outline and to agree a plan for their 

continued development.” 

Currently, more than 7000 staff 

have been trained on using the e-KSF 

system. Training sessions will 

continue throughout the year – dates 

for these can be found on FirstPort 

under KSF information. 

To help NHS Lanarkshire achieve 

this HEAT target, a new process is 

being introduced. Staff that are 

Safety first in swine flu plans 

FROM PAGE 1, 

we have robust arrangements in 

place and are well prepared. 

“Many nursing staff who have 

moved on from clinical roles but 

still hold the necessary registration 

have undergone additional 

training so that they can assist 

with the vaccination and help 

EMBEDDING GOOD PRACTICE: 

the KSF sub-group at Law House 

unable to attend training are now able 

to get their user name and password 

to allow them to access their e-KSF 

account on their own. 

Anyone with an NHS email 

account who wishes to access 

their e-KSF account on their own 

should email Jill Earlie at 

jill.earlie@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

Jill will activate the account and 

you will receive an automated systemgenerated 

email containing a 

username and password. 

She will also email the relevant 

training materials for the system. 

Managers with staff who do not 

have their own email account should 

email Jill with a list of the people who 

require access. 

Safer and easier for blood transfusions 

BLOOD transfusion services in NHS 

Lanarkshire have experienced an 

intense 12 months of activity. 

Several key changes have been 

introduced to improve blood 

transfusion and patient safety. 

A new website, available at the 

bottom of the laboratories section of 

FirstPort, has been launched with 

documents including: 

q Revised transfusion manual 

q Revised blood transfusion record 

q Scottish National Blood 

Transfusion Scotland (SNBTS) 

patient information leaflet 

q Jehovah’s Witness protocol 

q Emergency blood management 

arrangements 

q Major haemorrhage protocol. 

The revised manual reflects 

national guidelines and includes 

local policies and procedures. The 

revised Blood Transfusion Record 

has been updated with an improved 

way of recording special transfusion 

requirements and a new section 

for consent. 

All patients should be offered the 

new SNBTS patient information 

leaflet and the new sticky label for 

consent within the leaflet should be 

completed and placed securely in the 

“Alert” section inside of the cover of 

the patient’s notes. 

Staff will be kept up to date 

through the Staff Briefing and in 

future issues of The Pulse. 

For more information, email 

pauline.stewart@lanarkshire. 

scot.nhs.uk or heather.daniels@ 

lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

us manage the extra workload.” 

All staff are reminded to maintain 

good infection control practice 

and hand hygiene practice to help 

prevent the spread of swine flu: 

eUse a tissue to cover your mouth 

and nose when coughing 

or sneezing 

eDispose of the tissue promptly 

and then wash your hands 

Did you 

know? 

As reviews and PDPs are 

being recorded electronically, 

a system is being introduced 

to make it easier for all staff 

to access the e-KSF 

system 

Confidential envelopes, addressed 

to the member of staff, containing the 

login details and training materials 

will be prepared. 

These can either be hand delivered 

to the manager, where possible, or, if 

required urgently, can be picked up 

from the KSF team at Law House. 

Kenny Small, director of organisational 

development, said: “I would like 

to thank everyone who has, and 

continues to, work hard to ensure we 

are on track to another successful 

year with KSF.” 

The KSF team and the KSF subgroup 

will continue to support the 

organisation throughout the 

process of embedding KSF/e-KSF in 

the organisation.” 

eAvoid touching your mouth, 

eyes and nose unless you have 

recently decontaminated 

your hands. 

For more information, go to 

www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk/ 

influenza or the Influenza A(H1N1) 

section on FirstPort.

thePulse 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 GENERAL NEWS 

3 

NHS Lanarkshire is 

undertaking a number of 

construction schemes to 

improve local healthcare by 

providing modern facilities and 

services closer to where people live. 

Ian Ross, NHS Lanarkshire director 

of strategic implementation planning 

and performance, said: “These 

developments will bring together 

modern and innovative design 

principles with the aim of delivering 

appropriate care in the right place, by 

the right staff, to ensure that people 

have access to state-of-the-art facilities 

and services in their communities. 

“We aim to provide facilities that 

enable us to provide the best quality 

of care and a positive experience for 

our patients.” 

Building 

a better 

CAIRD HOUSE: how the mental 

health residential care centre on 

the site of Beckford Lodge will look 

future for everyone 

Coatbridge 

THE £13.66-million development 

in Main Street, Coatbridge, is 

celebrating the latest milestone as 

the tower crane is removed from 

the site. 

The new 8,000m 2 facility – due for 

completion next spring – is a joint 

venture between NHS Lanarkshire 

and North Lanarkshire Council. 

The development will 

incorporate two dental practices, 

a dental outreach centre, two GP 

surgeries and a community health 

department. 

It will also provide a one-stop 

shop for a number of North 

Lanarkshire Council’s agencies, 

including a public library and a 

registrar’s office. 

Ian Ross, NHS Lanarkshire 

director of strategic implementation 

planning and performance, said: 

“This centre will be a tremendous 

addition to the town centre allowing 

people to access a wide range of 

health and council services in 

one location.” 

Airdrie 

PLANS to develop a £27-million 

state-of-the-art health centre, 

offices and retail properties in 

Airdrie’s town centre were given the 

go-ahead by North Lanarkshire 

Council’s planning department. 

Permission was granted to 

develop the vacant Somerfield 

CENTRAL SERVICES: the Coatbridge 

development is due for completion 

next spring 

supermarket site and adjoining sixstorey 

office block on Graham Street 

in the town centre. Councillors 

agreed that the busy new health 

centre would contribute to the 

success of the town centre. 

The ground floor will house four 

retail units, including a pharmacy 

and social work offices, while the 

upper three floors will be used by 

nine different GP practices and a 

number of primary care services, 

serving almost 30,000 patients from 

across the town. 

Ian Ross said: “This marks a 

significant step forward in the 

development of the new health 

NHS community health 

educators have launched a DVD 

to highlight the importance of 

breast and cervical screening 

among women in South Asian 

communities. 

It explains how breast and 

cervical screening is organised, 

what is involved and the benefits 

associated with screening. 

centre which will provide access to a 

wider range of health services in a 

modern, purpose-built facility, for 

the people of Airdrie. 

“This demonstrates the ongoing 

investment by NHS Lanarkshire in 

local health care services.” 

Learning Disabilities Assessment 

and Treatment Centre 

CONSTRUCTION of the Learning 

Disabilities Assessment and 

Treatment Centre at Kirklands is 

under way. 

The £7.3-million development, 

which will open next summer, 

will provide a modern 12 bed 

Anila Ansari, community 

health educator, said: “The idea 

for the DVD came about 

following a recommendation 

from a focus group of Asian 

women. It is often the case that 

issues such as breast and 

cervical screening are not 

discussed among Asian women 

and families.” 

inpatient facility and outpatient 

therapies and clinics, as part of an 

integrated Learning Disabilities 

Community Service. 

The development was planned 

and designed with input from 

service users, relatives and staff and 

will be a flagship development 

within NHS Lanarkshire, giving the 

opportunity to develop new models 

of care. 

Caird House 

WORK is progressing well with the 

new Caird House metal health 

residential care centre in Hamilton. 

It is being created on the site 

The DVD, which is in Urdu, 

was developed in conjunction 

with, and stars, women from the 

focus group. 

It has English subtitles so that 

the information is accessible to 

English-speaking women. 

Anila added: “The DVD aims to 

overcome the communication 

barriers and myths that surround 

of Beckford Lodge, in Caird 

Street, next to the existing Caird 

House building. 

The new centre will have a total of 

27 beds – 12 complex needs beds 

and 15 low secure care beds. 

This total includes 10 beds 

currently in the existing Caird 

House building, which has 

provided assessment, treatment 

and rehabilitation for adults with 

a wide range of complex mental 

health needs service since 1998. 

The old Beckford Lodge building 

has now been demolished and work 

has begun on the new development. 

All design development work is now 

completed and the project is 

currently ahead of schedule. 

The new facility is a key part of 

the Lanarkshire Mental Health 

Strategy which has been developed 

in partnership with South 

Lanarkshire Council, voluntary 

organisations and other 

stakeholders. 

The strategy focuses on recovery, 

recognising that most people with 

mental health problems can and do 

get better. 

The development at the Beckford 

Lodge site is due to open in 

December 2010. 

Further updates on all the capital 

development projects will appear 

in future issues of The Pulse, so watch 

this space. 

Women get the message on DVD 

screening for Asian women and 

have a positive impact in 

screening uptakes.” 

To request a copy of the DVD, or 

for more general information 

about the community health 

educators, contact Anila Ansari on 

01698 744220.

4 


In brief… 

Checks for 

cleanliness 

UNANNOUNCED inspections 

teams could soon be visiting 

Lanarkshire’s hospitals to check 

infection control and cleanliness. 

The new Healthcare 

Environment Inspectorate, which 

will operate independently of 

the Scottish Government and 

NHS Boards, will begin its 

programme in September. 

Every acute hospital will 

receive at least one planned and 

one announced visit over three 

years. The visit will focus on: 

q Infection control practice 

q Hygiene and cleanliness 

standards 

q Waste management 

q The fabric of the building and 

accommodation 

q Standards of essential 

equipment 

q Access arrangements for 

visitors. 

The public will be able to 

contact the inspectorate directly 

to report concerns. 

Kirklands staff 

parking advice 

WITH the ongoing construction 

of the Learning Disabilities 

Assessment and Treatment 

Centre at Kirklands, staff are 

advised to use the main car park 

and the car park in front of 

Kirklands House. 

To ensure safety on site, a 

temporary road has been made 

to allow access for patients who 

require transport to the cottage. 

Good practice 

guidelines out 

NHS Lanarkshire’s Recruitment 

and Selection Policy has now 

been ratified. 

This policy is designed to 

promote good practice in the 

process of attracting and 

selecting staff, ensuring all 

applicants are treated fairly and 

courteously in a nondiscriminatory 

fashion. 

This new policy further aims 

to provide the governance 

framework for recruitment to 

the organisation. 

The detailed recruitment 

and selection procedure 

supporting this policy is 

contained within the General 

Recruitment and Selection 

Process Guidance Pack, which is 

available on FirstPort. 

System will help 

recruitment 

A NEW system is being 

introduced to assist with 

recruitment. 

Empower will allow the 

administration team to process 

approximately 200 vacancies 

each month. 

The system will allow online 

applications, further enhancing 

the delivery of recruitment. 

SCREEN STARS! 

READY FOR ACTION: NHS Lanarkshire’s bowel screening champions at the launch on the Lanarkshire programme with (back row, from left) Lanarkshire 

MSP Linda Fabiani, director of acute services Rosemary Lyness, NHS Lanarkshire chairman Ken Corsar and (middle row, far right) Dr Jennifer Darnborough 

VOLUNTEERS were at the centre of the 

launch of NHS Lanarkshire’s bowel screening 

programme in August. 

Nine bowel screen champions will take the 

message that bowel screening could save 

lives into their own community, with seven 

of them present at the official launch of the 

screening programme in Hamilton 

Caledonian Bowling Club. 

NHS Lanarkshire chairman Ken Corsar praised 

the efforts of the nine who will visit local 

community groups – such as community councils, 

bowling clubs, churches and tenants groups – to 

explain why taking the test is so important and 

how they can do it. 

NHS Lanarkshire’s Bowel Screening 

Programme started on 1 August and will see all 

50 to 74-year-olds sent a bowel screening kit to 

their home to allow them to be checked for early 

signs of bowel cancer. 

Bowel cancer affects around 350 people in 

Lanarkshire every year and is the second biggest 

cancer killer in Scotland. 

HEALTHY eating is now the easy 

choice for staff, patients and 

visitors at NHS Lanarkshire. 

A series of initiatives have 

significantly increased the healthy 

foods available within the health 

board’s hospitals and community 

health sites – including from 

vending machines. 

Karen McGuigan, public health 

specialist, said: “NHS Lanarkshire 

is focused on improving the health 

of our local community and 

healthy eating is central to this. 

“It’s vital our own restaurants, 

As kits are sent out to all 

50 to 74 year olds, local 

champions are ready to 

take the bowel screening 

message into communities 

The champions will make a five-minute presentation 

to groups and answer basic questions 

about the screening. They will also be accompanied 

by a specialist NHS Lanarkshire colorectal 

nurse who will be able to answer medical questions 

in relation to the process. 

Ken Corsar said: “I want to thank the 

champions for doing this. 

“The presentation made to us by one of the 

bistros and vending machines 

provide people with opportunities 

to eat and drink healthily. 

“We’re delighted with the 

progress. Making the healthy 

choice is now an easy choice for 

NHS Lanarkshire’s staff, patients 

and visitors.” 

All of NHS Lanarkshire’s restaurants 

and bistros have achieved 

national recognition for their 

efforts in improving the healthy 

options available by winning the 

NHS Health Scotland Healthy 

Living Award. 

In addition, 75 per cent of the 

products available in drinks 

vending machines within NHS 

Lanarkshire are now healthier 

options – such as still water. 

Fifty per cent of the products in 

food vending machines in NHS 

Lanarkshire’s acute hospitals are 

healthier options. 

Catering staff will also benefit 

from a new training programme 

being developed which will give 

them the skills to advise customers 

on healthy food choices and to 

encourage healthy eating. 

champions, Jack Ferguson, on the day was 

excellent and I’m sure they will help us 

encourage as many people as possible to take 

part in bowel screening.” 

NHS Lanarkshire consultant in Public Health 

Dr Jennifer Darnborough is overseeing the 

project in Lanarkshire. 

She said: “We want everyone who is sent the 

test kit to complete it and send it back to the 

national screening centre in Dundee. 

“One of the ways we can help do this is to break 

through the barriers which prevent some people 

discussing bowel issues, which is where the 

champions come in. 

“By taking the screening message into the 

community, they are helping to raise bowel 

cancer awareness and encouraging people to 

do the test.” 

To find out more about bowel cancer, visit 

www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk 

For more information on the screening initiative, 

visit www.bowelscreening.scot.nhs.uk 

We’ve made healthy eating easy 

NHS Lanarkshire is also 

currently updating its Healthy 

Eating Policy. 

Karen said: “Eating a diet rich 

in fruits and vegetables, high in 

dietary fibre and low in fats, sugar 

and salt makes a significant 

contribution to good health and 

preventing disease. 

“The healthy eating policy 

aims to promote and improve 

the nutritional health of staff, 

patients and visitors by 

providing healthy eating and 

drinking choices.”



5 

An oral health programme to smile about 

BRUSHING UP: Dental nurses Kay Reid, second left, and Anne 

O’Neill, second right, with staff from ward 20 at Wishaw Hospital 

and, centre, young patient Jaik Mitchell and play specialist Eileen 

Gibb demonstrate the oral health teaching resource 

CHILDREN will enjoy learning about 

the importance of good oral health 

through games and quizzes as part of 

a new NHS Lanarkshire initiative. 

Members of the special care oral 

health team, part of NHS Lanarkshire’s 

salaried primary care dental service, 

recently delivered their newly created 

educational resource box to the 

children’s ward 20 at Wishaw General. 

The box contains games, books, 

puppets, DVDs, a set of giant teeth 

and toothbrush, educational toys, 

work sheets, a mini uniform and other 

fun items designed to promote the 

importance of brushing teeth correctly, 

eating healthy foods and drinks and 

visiting the dentist regularly. 

Oral health educator Kay Reid said: 

“The resource box will help children 

learn about the importance of looking 

after their mouths, but have fun at the 

same time. 

“This is the first time this idea 

has been tried and, hopefully, if it’s 

successful, we can deliver more of 

these boxes to other sites. 

“We will evaluate this initiative to 

assess its suitability and success. 

“This will allow us to develop 

Uddingston services to transfer to the new Douglas Street development 

the resource in the future.” 

Oral health educator Anne O’Neill 

said: “Our role is to raise awareness 

and promote all aspects of good 

oral health. 

“The health of your mouth can 

affect other aspects of your health, so 

it’s important patients are encouraged 

to practise good oral health while in 

hospital and continue when they leave. 

“These resource boxes are another 

means of promoting the importance 

of good oral health to both staff and 

younger patients.” 

Wishaw General’s play specialist 

Eileen Gibb said: “The reaction to this 

resource has been excellent. 

“The staff have enjoyed using the 

games and props to entertain and 

teach the children. 

“The children themselves have 

really responded to the toys and 

games and have enjoyed learning why 

it’s important to look after your teeth.” 

Jaik Mitchell, 15, from Bellshill, a 

Brannock High School pupil, said: 

“It’s a good idea for younger people 

to learn things in a fun way instead 

of just being told to do something 

or learning from a book.” 

MRU is 

MODERN FACILITIES: Phase 

two of the new Douglas Street 

Community Health Clinic is 

due for completion in October 

on the 

move 

NHS Lanarkshire is planning to 

relocate services at the Medical 

Rehabilitation Unit (MRU) in 

Uddingston to new high-quality 

accommodation. 

The services currently provided 

at the MRU are planned to move to 

Douglas Street Community Health 

Clinic in Hamilton. 

NHS Lanarkshire opened the 

first phase of Douglas Street 

Community Health Clinic in April 

this year. 

The £4.6-million development, 

on the site of the former social 

security office at 19 Douglas Street, 

provides modern, high-quality 

facilities for a range of primary 

care services. 

Phase two of the Douglas Street 

development will be completed 

around October this year. 

The finished development will 

have a total of 2,322m 2 of accommodation 

over three floors. This 

will provide additional room for 

Patients 

can receive 

health services 

in modern, 

fit-for-purpose 

surroundings” 

improved accommodation for other 

local health services. 

NHS Lanarkshire is planning 

to take this opportunity to 

relocate the services currently 

provided at the MRU. 

Alan Lawrie, director of South 

Lanarkshire Community Health 

Partnership, NHS Lanarkshire, 

said: “Douglas Street has provided 

us with a fantastic opportunity to 

provide local health services in 

greatly improved premises. 

“This development opportunity 

allowed us to bring forward plans 

to provide new community 

healthcare premises for Hamilton 

and the surrounding area by up to 

10 years. 

“It means patients can receive 

health services in modern, fit-forpurpose 

surroundings – something 

that unfortunately the MRU can no 

longer provide.” 

The MRU provides podiatry and 

adult physiotherapy outpatient 

services primarily to people in 

Bothwell and Uddingston, as 

well as some people from 

other areas. 

It also provides the following 

outpatient services to people from 

throughout Lanarkshire: 

e Paediatric physiotherapy 

e Orthotic clinic – adult and 

paediatric 

e Wheelchair clinic 

e Bioengineering clinic 

(for example, providing 

walking aids) 

e Staff physiotherapy 

service. 

Alan Lawrie said: “There are 

real benefits from moving to 

Douglas Street. 

“The move will allow services to 

modernise and work in new ways 

that are not possible in the current, 

outdated accommodation at 

the MRU. 

“Douglas Street is 

also served by nearby 

£4.6m 

development 

parking and good 

public transport links.” 

After services move 

to Douglas Street, NHS 

Lanarkshire intends to market the 

MRU site for sale as it will no 

longer be required for health 

service provision.

6 


FLYING Start NHS is for all newly qualified nurses, 

midwives and allied health professionals 

(NMAHPs) in NHSScotland. It helps their 

transition from student to qualified health 

professionals by supporting their learning through 

a range of learning activities assisted by workbased 

mentors. 

The Flying Start awards are given to those newly 

qualified staff who have excelled in various projects 

they have been working on. 

There are four award categories: 

q Using an audit to improve service delivery 

q Improving information for patients/carers 

q Improving the patient experience 

q Improving inter-professional team working and/ 

or communication 

TAKE 

From the initial 350 projects, these were reduced 

to a final 19 – with NHS Lanarkshire having four 

finalists. Only NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had 

more with five finalists. 

NHS Lanarkshire chairman Ken Corsar was joined 

by Paul Wilson, executive director of NMAHPs, 

Rosemary Lyness, director of acute services, and Peter 

McCrossan, associate director for AHPs and lead AHP, 

in congratulating award winners Lee Samuel and 

Hannah Weir at a celebration tea in Udston Hospital. 

Ken said: “The Board places a great emphasis on 

the personal development of all staff as the real 

beneficiaries are the patients who receive 

improved care. 

“For NHS Lanarkshire to have had four finalists 

is a fantastic achievement.” 

Better procedures 

HANNAH Weir’s project will 

help improve the care and safety 

of patients who need nasogastric 

tubes. 

These are inserted through the 

nose and into the stomach to help 

patients who cannot eat orally. 

Hannah carried out the audit in 

surgical, medical and care of the 

elderly wards in Wishaw General 

to discover if inconsistencies were 

being practised. 

In addition to a questionnaire for 

nursing staff, her audit included a 

checklist to establish which nursing 

staff were documenting the care and 

positioning of the feeding tubes. 

Hannah’s audit will allow any 

training needs to be identified and 

help ensure patients receive the best 

possible care. 

The Wishaw General dietitian 

said: “The audit established there 

were some inconsistencies. 

I also discovered some of the 

documentation being used 

was outdated. 

“We can now arrange awareness 

sessions to ensure everyone knows 

the correct procedures and 

paperwork to use so that patients 

are receiving the best care possible.” 

ABOW 

LADIES 

TWO NHS Lanarkshire 

colleagues received prestigious 

national awards from Cabinet 

Secretary for Health and well 

being Nicola Sturgeon for their 

work in improving patient care. 

Innovative projects by Lee 

Samuel and Hannah Weir won two 

out of the five categories of awards 

within the Flying Start NHS 

national development programme. 

NHS Lanarkshire chairman Ken 

Corsar praised the pair: “On behalf 

of the board I would like to 

congratulate Lee and Hannah for 

their tremendous achievement in 

coming out on top in the whole of 

Scotland for their projects. 

“I’m also very pleased Lee and 

Hannah received their awards from 

Nicola Sturgeon, as this again 

emphasises the ongoing success of 

NHS Lanarkshire in staff 

development and improving 

patient care.” 

Lee, an occupational therapist 

with the community mental health 

team, won in the Improving the 

Patient Experience category. 

Her project helps men and 

women improve their daily living 

skills, confidence and motivation 

through the creation of a soup 

group, ‘Simply Soup’, within 

Pather Occupational Therapy 

Clinic (see article, right). 

Lee, from Motherwell, said: 

“It was great to have the success 

of the project recognised in 

this way. 

“Simply Soup has helped these 

individuals improve their communication 

skills and motivation and 

increase their confidence to try 

new foods. 

“I’d like to thank my specialist 

occupational therapist Maureen 

Black and my technical 

instructor Gill Hunter for all 

their support.” 

Meanwhile, Hannah, a dietician 

at Wishaw General Hospital, won 

in the Using an Audit to Improve 

Service Delivery category. 

Her audit in the surgical, 

medical and care of the elderly 

wards at Wishaw will improve the 

feeding of patients through 

naso-gastric tubes (see article, 

above right). 

Hannah, who returned from 

her honeymoon in Crete on the 

day of the award ceremony, said: 

“I didn’t even know there were 

awards. 

“I only found out when I was 

shortlisted. So it was a complete 

surprise to then learn I’d won. 

“There was a lot of extra work 

involved on top of my duties, but 

I really enjoyed it and I’m glad it 

will help improve patient care. 

“It’s nice to get the recognition 

for doing the work and it also 

helps show that dietitians are an 

important part of the medical team 

who want to contribute to 

improving the care of patients.” 

Simple ideas are often the best 

LEE Samuel’s ‘Simply Soup’ project 

helps people with a mental health 

problem to develop skills necessary 

for everyday living. 

Before the project started, the 

individuals lacked confidence and 

motivation and struggled to 

perform routine daily tasks. 

However, from coming up with 

the idea for Simply Soup, the group 

progressed to setting up the 

business, promoting it and 

eventually running it at the Pather 

Occupational Therapy Clinic. 

HIGH ACHIEVERS: Lee Samuel, 

left, and Hannah Weir (née 

Easton) with their certificates 

Lee, an occupational therapist 

based at the Airbles Road Centre in 

Motherwell, said: “I thought setting 

up a business would encompass 

every part of an individual’s life. 

“It required organisation, taking 

on new responsibilities, good 

communication, and built on 

transferable cooking skills. 

“Setting up this group has 

provided these individuals with 

structure and routine to their week, 

and they feel ownership in the 

development of Simply Soup.” 

She went on: “During the project, 

they delegated specific tasks to 

each other, chose and modified 

recipes, planned what ingredients 

were needed and where to get 

them, promoted and advertised the 

shop, cooked the soups and served 

them to fellow patients at the 

Occupational Therapy Clinic. 

“The skills they have used and 

developed have led to increased 

confidence and motivation and 

improved communication skills. 

“They can also now cook 

healthy meals for themselves and 

their families. 

“They have learned a wide range 

of skills which they can use in their 

daily lives and the progress of these 

men and women has been amazing.” 

Simply Soup operates on a 

Thursday morning from 10.30am to 

12.30pm, serving soups to other 

clients of the community mental 

health team in Pather. 

Lee is hoping the project will be 

a stepping stone to voluntary work 

and paid employment.



7 

In brief… 

e 

PLASMA screens displaying 

health-related messages are 

to be piloted in NHS Lanarkshire 

as part of a Scottish Governmentfunded 

initiative. 

Five state-of-the-art screens 

will show key information, such 

as health promotion videos, 

waiting times, local news and 

transport information. 

Two screens will be located at 

Wishaw General, one in the 

accident and emergency 

department and the other in the 

coffee shop. 

At Monklands Hospital, one 

screen will be located in A&E and 

another in the outpatients. 

There will also be a screen in 

the waiting area at Douglas Street 

Community Health Clinic. 

All screens will be operational 

by early September. 

For further information on 

the initiative, call Alison 

McCutcheon on 01698 245299 or 

email alison.mccutcheon@ 


e 

REVISED NHS pension 

arrangements were 

introduced on 1 April this year. If 

you were a member before April 

2008, over the coming months, 

you will be given the opportunity 

to transfer all of your membership 

to the new 2008 scheme – known 

as the Choice Exercise. 

This will not start before 

1 October. Information packs will 

be sent out to home addresses. 

Staff must ensure their addresses 

are up to date. 

The pack will allow you to make 

an informed decision and include 

comparison pension benefit 

statements for both schemes, 

information on both options and 

lump figures available in both. 

You will have four months to 

reply. If you do not reply the 

Scottish Public Pensions Agency 

(SPPA) will assume that you wish 

to remain in the 1995 section. 

A factsheet is available on the 

SPPA website. You can check 

the SPPA website for regular 

updates at www.sppa.gov.uk/nhs 

choice.htm or email nhschoice 

exercise@scotland.gsi.gov.uk 

or call 01896 893002. In addition, a 

telephone helpline will be 

introduced. 

e 

PEOPLE with dementia 

benefited from an arts 

therapy project piloted by NHS 

Lanarkshire in Coatbridge. 

The Community Mental Health 

Team for Older People (CMHTOP), 

based at Coathill Hospital, 

launched the 12-week initiative. 

Two groups were set up, one in 

the community for people with 

mild to moderate dementia, and 

one at the East Stewart Gardens 

Day Centre for people with 

moderate to severe dementia. 

In addition to members of the 

CMHTOP team, art therapist Claire 

Coleman-Smith was recruited. 

Claire said: “Not only did 

people enjoy the sessions, their 

confidence and motivation also 

increased and they developed 

closer relationships.” 

Helping people get 

on with their lives 

REHABILITATION is not something 

which only begins after surgery. 

This is just one of the messages 

Claire Ritchie is keen to 

emphasise after joining NHS 

Lanarkshire as Scotland’s only 

consultant allied health professional 

in rehabilitation. 

She took up the innovative new 

post with NHS Lanarkshire in June. 

And Claire is determined to 

change attitudes towards rehabilitation 

services to help improve 

patient care in the local area. 

She said: “My role will look to 

change people’s thoughts about 

rehabilitation, enhance communitybased 

services and promote the 

services available. 

“Rehabilitation isn’t just 

something that starts farther down 

the line after you’ve had surgery and 

ends when you go home. 

“Planning a person’s recovery, and 

putting these plans into action, 

should begin before a person comes 

in for surgery or treatment – which 

can even prevent their admission – 

and continues in the community. 

“It’s vital we promote independence 

rather than dependence, and 

enable people to take control in 

their lives.” 

Claire’s two-year post is in partnership 

with the two local authorities, 

North Lanarkshire Council 

and South Lanarkshire Council. 

Her key goal will be to integrate 

the objectives of NHSScotland’s 

national framework for rehabilitation, 

Co-ordinated, integrated 

and fit for purpose – delivery 

framework for adult rehabilitation, 

within Lanarkshire. 

Claire qualified as an occupational 

therapist from Glasgow University 

and worked in various clinical roles 

within NHS Greater Glasgow and 

FLOURISHING: Back row: Kevin O’Neill, NHS 

Lanarkshire, Bobby Miller, Social Work Services, 

North Lanarkshire Council, Colin Sloey, NHS 

Lanarkshire, and Dr Lynne Friedli, Mental Health 

Improvement Services. Front Row: Wendy Halliday, 

NHS Health Scotland, and Mairi Brackenridge, 

Social Work Resources, South Lanarkshire Council 

Clyde before being a lead of service 

for occupational therapists. 

She also took up the post of a 

clinical services manager for 

stroke services. 

Claire’s final post at NHS Greater 

Glasgow and Clyde, before moving 

to Lanarkshire, was as allied health 

professional consultant for stroke. 

Claire went on: “Rehabilitation is 

a team approach that includes 

medical, nursing, allied health 

professionals and social work staff 

and it’s important these professions 

work closely together. 

“Establishing close working 

relationships will be key to ensuring 

we provide the best possible quality 

of rehabilitation services in our 

community.” 

Claire told how rehabilitation 

can help improve patient care, 

saying: “Rehabilitation is about 

helping and supporting people 

who have experienced a challenge 

to their physical or mental 

wellbeing which has affected their 

quality of life. 

“People can be helped, through 

rehabilitation, to get back to coping 

with everyday life and to reach their 

full potential. 

“Proactive and accessible 

vocational rehabilitation and 

employment services can help 

people return to work.” 

Claire added: “I’ll be working with 

a Lanarkshire team to improve the 

care provided to patients with longterm 

conditions and trying to 

prevent unnecessary admissions 

to hospitals. 

“We’ll also be aiming to improve 

rehabilitation services in the 

community to enable people to live 

independently at home, and to 

establish a single point of access for 

these services.” 

Rehabilitation priorities 

THE priority for NHS boards and 

local authorities under the national 

framework will be to: 

q Transform rehabilitation services 

to put rehabilitation at the heart of 

service delivery 

q Adopt a whole-systems approach 

to rehabilitation services 

NHS Lanarkshire, North 

Lanarkshire Council and South 

Lanarkshire Council are working 

together to help Lanarkshire 

“mentally flourish”. 

Together, they held an event 

at Larkhall Leisure Centre to 

mark the launch of Towards a 

Mentally Flourishing Scotland: 

Policy and Action Plan 2009- 

2011 and to discuss promoting 

and supporting mental health 

and wellbeing in Lanarkshire. 

The event was attended by 100 

service users, carers and other 

stakeholders. 

Towards a Mentally Flourishing 

Scotland focuses on promoting 

wellbeing, preventing mental 

q Give a single point of access to 

rehabilitation services 

q Promote accessible vocational 

rehabilitation services 

q Support older people and 

people with long-term 

conditions to live in their 

local communities. 

Action plan to 

mentally flourish 

illness and supporting improvements 

in the quality of life, 

social inclusion, and recovery 

of people who experience 

mental health problems or 

mental illness. 

Towards a Mentally Flourishing 

Scotland: Policy and Action Plan 2009- 

2011 is available at www.scotland.gov.uk 

For mental health information visit 

www.lanarkshirementalhealth.org.uk 

Help and support can be found by 

contacting Breathing Space on 0800 

838587 or visiting www.breathing 

spacescotland.co.uk or by contacting the 

Samaritans on 08457 909090 or visiting 

www.samaritans.org.uk

8 


KEN WELCOMES 

ANOTHER TERM 

KEN Corsar has been reappointed 

as NHS Lanarkshire’s chairman 

for a further four years. 

The announcement was made by 

Nicola Sturgeon in August, when she 

also announced the reappointment 

of the chairs for NHS Ayrshire and 

Arran, NHS Grampian and 

NHS Orkney. 

Ms Sturgeon, the Cabinet 

Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, 

said: “I am very pleased to announce 

these re-appointments. 

“All of the chairs concerned are 

extremely committed to public 

service and have demonstrated a 

clear understanding of the issues 

being faced within NHSScotland. 

“Their wealth of experience and 

knowledge have been invaluable to 

their boards and I look forward to 

continuing to work together with 

them in improving the health of the 

people of Scotland.” 

Ken is looking forward to 

continuing to help NHS Lanarkshire 

provide first-class patient care. 

He said: “I am delighted to have 

been reappointed. Over the past 

four years, the health board has 

made remarkable progress in 

improving patient care, improving 

and increasing the services offered 

in the community, reducing the 

health inequality gap and cutting 

waiting times. 

“There will be many more 

challenges to face in the next four 

years. However, I am confident that 

with NHS Lanarkshire’s dedicated 

and motivated staff, along with our 

local authority partners, we will 

continue to improve the health of the 

people in Lanarkshire.” 

Ken joined the Lanarkshire 

NHS Board as a non-executive 

member in 2003 and became 

chairman in 2005. 

A graduate of St Andrews 

University and Glasgow University, 

he taught in several secondary 

schools. Ken joined the education 

directorate of Strathclyde Regional 

Council in 1975 and was apponted 

as director of education for Glasgow 

City Council in 1995 where he 

worked until 2002. 

Ken Corsar: “Delighted” 

In brief… 

Equality 

programme 

A NEW equality programme to 

improve the way NHS Lanarkshire 

handles discrimination in 

healthcare is being developed. 

The new Single Equality 

Scheme (SES) will mean moving 

from the three existing equality 

schemes – Disability, Gender and 

Race – by December 2009. 

While the SES will continue to 

cover disability, gender and race, 

it will also include age, gender 

reassignment, marriage or civil 

partnership, religion or belief, 

pregnancy and maternity, and 

sexual orientation. 

Hina Sheikh, equality and 

diversity officer, said: “To inform 

the SES, NHS Lanarkshire will be 

carrying out stakeholders’ 

engagement exercises in 

September with staff and service 

users. We want to know what else 

should be included in a scheme to 

make sure we are treating 

everyone fairly, and we also want 

to know if people have suffered 

any discrimination, whether as a 

patient or as a member of staff.” 

Staff will receive a leaflet 

explaining the scheme with their 

August payslips and are asked to 

return the questionnaire by the 

end of September. 

Patients, visitors and carers are 

also being asked to complete a 

similar questionnaire. Staff will 

be provided with a supply of 

leaflets for public distribution. 

Completed forms need to be put 

in the self-addressed envelope 

and returned through internal 

post. Clear instruction and 

guidance for staff will be included 

in all packs sent out. 

MRSA screening 

HR team 

signs up 

for new 

deal to 

improve 

service 

NHS Lanarkshire’s Human 

Resource service has recently 

been involved in a number of 

new developments. 

The service, which is led by 

John White, head of resourcing, 

delivers employee services 

including recruitment, HR, 

administration, job evaluation, 

workforce planning and 

the management of the HR 

system Empower. 

The HR resourcing team has 

signed up to full participation in 

a Local Employment Partnership 

with JobCentre Plus. 

John said: “Local Employment 

Partnerships aim to tackle the 

increasing recruitment and skills 

challenges of the labour market 

and economy. 

“Thousands of employers across 

the country have signed up to 

these partnerships to open 

up employment and training 

opportunities to disadvantaged 

jobseekers and realise the 

untapped potential of those whose 

ability is often overlooked.” 

The primary objectives of this 

agreement are: 

q To offer work trials 

q To offer opportunities for New 

Deal participants 

q Develop pre-employment skills 

training programmes 

q Providing opportunities to 

existing employees to mentor 

people who wish to return to work 

q Participating in new ways to 

assist people back into work. 

The resourcing team have also 

introduced a 24-hour recruitment 

line. By calling 01698 377740 (the 

NEW DEVELOPMENTS: 

the HR team is all set to 

take up the challenge 

internal number is 733 7740), 

callers will be provided with 

four options: 

q Request an application pack for 

a specific vacancy 

q Request to join the staff bank 

q Request a call back for a 

general employment enquiry 

q Request to speak to a member 

of the recruitment team. 

John added: “The introduction of 

the hotline and email address 

offers a wider range of application 

routes, encourages online 

recruitment and enables enquiries 

to be handled more effectively.” 

A recruitment email account – 

recruitment@lanarkshire. 

scot.nhs.uk – is also available to request 

the same details electronically. 

NON-EMERGENCY admissions to 

Lanarkshire’s acute hospitals will 

be screened for MRSA from 

November. 

This will be followed by 

screening from January 2010 of 

the following emergency 

admissions: care of elderly, renal, 

vascular surgery and 

dermatology. 

It is part of a national 

screening programme, which all 

NHS boards will be participating 

in, to reduce the risk of patients 

contracting MRSA. 

A small percentage of patients 

who are admitted to hospital 

have the MRSA bacterium on 

their skin or in their nose already, 

even though they may feel well. 

The MRSA bacterium is more 

likely to cause an infection in 

people who are unwell, so it is 

important to identify patients in 

hospital who are carrying it 

before it can infect them or 

spread to other patients. 

The screening process involves 

a simple nasal swab as part of 

the pre-admission procedures. 

For patients carrying MRSA, 

decolonisation involves an 

antibiotic ointment in the nose 

and anti-bacterial body wash 

before they are admitted 

to hospital.



9 

SUPPORTERS: John McPhelim flanked by Lynn Irvine 

and Kirsty Bridges 

Launch of a ‘much needed service’ 

A NEW support group for people affected 

by lung cancer has been launched by 


The health board’s lung cancer clinical 

nurse specialists, supported by Maggie’s 

Lanarkshire, are aiming to improve the 

support available to patients and carers. 

In August, they launched the Lung Cancer 

Information and Support Group at Maggie’s 

Lanarkshire centre at Wishaw General. 

Lynn Irvine, lung cancer nurse 

specialist at Monklands, said: “We hope 

people affected by lung cancer will come 

along for a chat and meet people in the 

same situation.” 

John McPhelim, lead lung cancer nurse 

specialist, said: “The group will mean 

people have access to professional support 

and advice without going to a clinic or 

hospital. They can also access the excellent 

services and support provided by Maggie’s.” 

At the open day were Carluke couple 

Marilyn Mooney and husband Arthur, who 

was diagnosed with lung cancer in January. 

Marilyn said: “This is a great idea. It’s 

important that families and carers can also 

come. This is a much-needed service.” 

The first meeting will be on 9 September 

and will then run on the second Wednesday 

of every month. They will cover areas such as: 

q Understanding treatments 

q Symptom management 

q Managing breathlessness 

q Finance/benefits 

q Nutrition 

q Exercise. 

For more information, call Lynn Irvine on 

01236 713091. 

NEW APPROACH 

IS GETTING IT 

RIGHT FOR KIDS 

CHILDREN’S wellbeing is the 

priority for NHS Lanarkshire 

and its partners who have signed 

up for a new national initiative. 

Lanarkshire was the first “learning 

partner” in Scotland for “Getting it 

right for every child”. 

This programme aims to improve 

outcomes for all children and young 

people. It will encourage closer 

working between the different 

agencies – the two local authorities, 

NHS Lanarkshire, North and South 

Divisions of Strathclyde Police and 

the Scottish Children’s Reporters 

Administration. This will mean 

changes in the approach to working 

with children and families. 

Mairi Tulbure, Lanarkshire’s 

programme manager for the project, 

said: “At the moment, there are 

countless examples where teachers, 

public health nurses, midwives, 

youth workers, social workers and 

housing officers realise there’s a 

problem and go out of their way 

to get the right help for children 

and families. This makes a huge 

difference to the children’s lives. 

“This programme aims to make the 

best of our practice the norm, and 

provides a number of tools agencies 

can use to make this more likely 

to happen.” 

Getting it right for every child 

encourages all practitioners to take 

a more holistic approach to consider 

children’s wellbeing, rather than 

focusing on a single issue. 

As part of the programme, practitioners 

must consider Wellbeing 

CONVERSATION PIECE: some of the 

colleagues who completed the walk 

RIGHT PROGRAMME: 

the welfare of children 

is the priority of a new 

initiative 

Indicators when working with 

children. Are they: healthy, achieving, 

nurtured, active, respected, responsible, 

included and safe? 

All professionals have a responsibility 

to take further action if any of 

these are not being met. 

Mairi added: “Those seeing 

children every day are best placed to 

identify any issues. With a lead 

professional to help co-ordinate 

multi-agency working, the 

programme encourages professionals 

to seek help but to stay 

involved with a family – rather than 

making referrals.” 

Another key feature is the ability 

for the family and agencies involved 

to share information where appropriate 

and cut down on red-tape. 

At a recent two day event on the 

programme, Lanarkshire employees 

who work with children and families 

identified up to 165 different pieces 

of paper and numerous processes 

used by the various agencies. One 

aim is to streamline this. 

Within Lanarkshire, Mairi and the 

two practice development officers, 

Diane Langley and Margot McLean 

appreciate the efforts of everyone to 

turn the vision into a reality. 

Mairi said: “Localities will soon be 

working on the testing phase 

of the core components to help us 

learn what works and what needs 

to change.” 

For more information on the 

programme, email louise.young@ 

southlanarkshire.gov.uk 

NHS Lanarkshire’s representatives on the 

programme board can be emailed at: 

richard.burgon@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

janice.longford@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

kathy.shilliday@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

margaret.brown4@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

WINNING POSTER: 

Pasna with Dr Kevin 

Woods, chief executive 

of NHSScotland 

Pasna paints a true 

picture of services 

A POSTER designed by NHS 

Lanarkshire’s Pasna Sallis was 

selected for this year’s 

NHSScotland Event – Working 

Together for a Healthier Scotland. 

Approximately 1000 NHS 

workers attended the event that is 

held over two days. 

Occupational therapist 

Pasna’s poster outlined some of 

the tools, techniques and good 

practices of NHS Lanarkshire’s 

older people’s community 

mental health team, based at 

Coathill Hospital, Coatbridge 

locality. 

She was thrilled her poster was 

chosen to be displayed at the 

event’s exhibition. 

Pasna said: “The poster 

exhibition helps NHS staff to 

discuss and share good practice 

and helps promote the delivery of 

high-quality services. Having the 

poster chosen provided a great 

opportunity to promote the good 

work being done in Lanarkshire.” 

She added: “There was a real 

buzz and energy felt during the 

presentations and sessions on 

the day. 

“This year’s theme was 

of embedding leadership at 

every level of the organisation 

to shift the culture towards 

innovative practice and 

partnership working.” 

“The importance of 

conversations with the person 

receiving care, as well as 

managers’ conversations with 

NHS workers, were highlighted 

as key to achieving this.” 

For more information, visit 

www.nhsscotlandevent.com 

Hospice cash is a step in the right direction 

WELL done to this team of NHS 

Lanarkshire colleagues who raised 

£2000 by completing the St Andrew’s 

Hospice midnight walk and talk. 

The female team who completed 

the 13-mile route around Hamilton, 

Bothwell and Uddingston were: Ruth 

Campbell, Yvonne Chalmers, Lena 

Collins, Maureen Lees, Kerri Todd, 

Anne Marie Lee, Gillian Lindsay, 

Heather Harrison, Trish Tougher, 

Fiona McIntyre, Stephanie Campbell, 

Elspeth Russell, Maria Reid and 

Geraldine Queen. 

Also walking with the team was 

lone male Alan Lawrie, executive 

director of South Lanarkshire 

community health partnership, who 

was nicknamed ‘the bodyguard’ by 

the team. 

Maria Reid, assistant health 

promotion manager, said: “Well done 

to everyone who took part. It was 

hard going but I enjoyed the walk 

and talk with a group of great 

colleagues and friends. 

“Thanks to everyone who made 

donations for their generosity.” 

The money will be donated to the 

St Andrew’s Hospice, which provides 

palliative care for terminally ill 

patients in Lanarkshire. 

People can still donate at 

www.justgiving.com/ 

walkandtalkforhealthnhsl


10 SPECIAL FEATURE 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

SPECIAL FEATURE thePulse 11 

IMPROVING patient care is at the heart of everything 

we do across NHS Lanarkshire. There is a range of 

initiatives which are all designed to make sure we 

are providing the best possible service. 

The Lean programme, 18 Weeks and the Patient 

Safety Initiative are just three of the projects looking at 

how we deliver care. 

Our diagram on the right shows how they all share 

the aim of improving care and, over the next few 

editions, The Pulse will look at each project in turn and 

will highlight some of the work already undertaken. 

As you can see from the diagram, understanding how 

they all fit together is child’s play! 

This edition examines the role of Leading Better Care 

and explores some of the work that has been going on 

in wards in Lanarkshire... 

Taking the next steps 

LEADING Better Care and Releasing Time 

to Care are now rolling out in mental 

health and community care. 

Work began in Lockhart Hospital in 

May. Staff at Lockhart have already identified 

that they have similar process and 

environmental concerns as those of 

Hairmyres, and through the use of tools 

and modular process work, changes are 

already proving successful. 

Environmental changes have included 

improved shelving and cupboard de-cluttering. 

A great improvement has been the 

reorganisation of moving and handling 

equipment, allowing for an improved 

access and maintenance regime. 

The first process module of patient 

observations has now been completed, 

introducing a standard operating 

procedure that includes qualitative steps. 

Have your say... 

Staff are enjoying the experience and 

are excited to see their improving 

outcomes. 

Work is now also under way within 

mental health services. 

Following consultation with the Mental 

Health Collaborative and Mental Health 

Facilitators, Releasing Time to Care 

Mental Health has now begun within the 

three acute sites. This programme links 

very closely with other initiatives 

currently under way within mental health. 

Work is already under way with facilitators 

and senior charge nurses from the 

six wards attending a four-day modular 

training course which is being delivered 

over several months. 

The first three modules, Knowing How 

We Are Doing, Well Organised Ward and 

Patient Status at a Glance, have started. 

Elderly 

ward 

first to 

improve 

We asked the frontline staff on ward 15 at 

Hairmyres Hospital how they have found the 

Releasing Time to Care experience… 

Morale was lifted and 

you can now spend 

more time with the patients” 

Ellen McDonald, clinical support worker, ward 15, Hairmyres 

This has given my staff 

a chance to voice their 

concerns, raise any issues 

and actually see action 

being taken. Our 

pharmacist has said that 

our ward is now a pleasure 

to come into” 

Margaret Gibney, charge nurse, ward 15, Hairmyres 

HAIRMYRES Hospital began 

its implementation of Leading 

Better Care in December last 

year in ward 15. 

The first step for staff in the 

care of the elderly ward was to see 

photos and watch a video 

recording of their ward to look at 

how they worked. 

Karen Morrow, practice scholar, 

said: “The great thing about the 

initial part of the exercise is that 

while you are working, you don’t 

always see what is in front of you 

and even if you do, you may not 

have the time to do anything 

about it. 

“But even sitting down and 

having the opportunity to discuss 

how you work can identify 

small changes that can save a lot 

of time. 

“It is vital to ensure that every 

member of staff on the ward 

is able to have input into raising 

concerns and identifying 

solutions. 

“This means that by working as 

team, they can find the best 

solutions to problems.” 

One of the key elements of the 

programme was to make sure 

that all staff were aware of the 

changes and were told what was 

happening and when. Over a 

12-week period, the group 

worked with many tools, such as 

route by walking about (RBWA), 

spaghetti diagrams, process 

and value stream mapping, 

3Cs (concern, cause and 

counter measure) and 5S (sort, 

set, shine, standarise and 

sustain) to identify concerns 

and frustrations on the ward. 

Karen added: “Staff were then 

able to organise their own ward, 

providing them with an 

improved ‘fit for purpose’ area 

that not only reduced their 

amount of motion in any 

one procedure, but also enabled 

them to want to make decisions 

that affect their daily 

working routines.” 

One key improvement 

involved escorting patients to 

X-ray, which had been identified 

as a four-hour process. 

Not only did this affect the 

patient’s experience, but it 

meant that the ward was short of 

a member of staff throughout 

this process. 

By working together with 

portering and medical, ward 

and X-ray staff, this is now a 

streamlined 40-minute process. 

LEADING THE WAY: divisional nurse 

director Joan James (centre) visited 

staff at Hairmyres to see how they had 

implemented Leading Better Care 

It is 

vital to 

ensure every 

member of 

staff on the 

ward is able 

to have input 

into raising 

concerns and 

identifying 

solutions” 

We are working in a 

much more organised 

ward, which saves a lot of 

time” Kate Blake, staff nurse, ward 15, Hairmyres 

Real benefits for all 

LEADING Better Care is 

one of the initiatives NHS 

Lanarkshire is using to 

improve patient care. 

The project includes 

reviewing the role of the 

senior charge nurse and 

Releasing Time to Care. 

Work has been 

ongoing within different 

sites and results are 

already showing that 

staff and patients have 

seen real improvements 

in how care is delivered. 

Initial evaluation has 

also demonstrated that 

implementing Releasing 

Time to Care has improved 

staff morale. 

Releasing Time to Care 

is about making sure that 

patient care is: 

q safe 

q effective 

q patient-centred 

q timely 

q efficient 

q equitable. 

And it makes sure that 

senior charge nurses are 

“guardians of quality”. 

Using the productive 

ward programme it makes 

sure that the ward is 

organised to free up staff 

so they can spend as 

much time as possible 

with patients. 

Early indicators show 

that both staff and patients 

are seeing the benefits of 

the programme. 

Leading Better Care is 

being led by a steering 

group with four separate 

sub-groups delivering 

elements of the 

programme. 

The sub groups are 

education, data to 

improve quality, 

implementation and 

communication.

12 

thePulse LOCAL/DISTRICT/PARTNERSHIP SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

EVEN MORE HELP 

FOR NEW MUMS 

Wishaw General’s breastfeeding support team is 

helping mothers give their babies the best start in life 

– and it doesn’t stop once they leave the hospital. 

Advice is just a phone call away, any time, day or night 

SUPPORT: Wishaw General 

Hospital’s breastfeeding 

support worker Margaret 

Thompson, with Mandy 

McIlvaney and her new born 

son Kaiden James McIlvaney 

NEW mums and visitors to 

Wishaw General Hospital who 

want to breastfeed can expect 

even more support. 

A new breastfeeding support 

team has been working in 

Wishaw’s maternity unit since 

March this year. 

The team aims to support 

anyone who wants to breastfeed 

through a number of measures, 

including making people aware of 

the breastfeeding rooms 

throughout the hospital, along 

with its established baby 

changing facilities. 

The facilities are available to 

anyone who wants a comfortable, 

quiet and private place to 

breastfeed or for a staff member 

who has returned to work and 

needs to express their breastmilk. 

Steps are being taken to give 

extra support to mums who wish 

to breastfeed and they auger well 

as the hospital works towards 

stage two of the UNICEF Baby 

Friendly Initiative Award. 

New breastfeeding support 

worker Margaret Thompson said: 

“I work under the supervision of 

midwives and support them to 

provide care for breastfeeding 

mothers. 

“This ensures that each woman 

who chooses to breastfeed has an 

individual plan of care and is given 

consistent advice and support. 

“This provides new mums and 

babies with some extra support 

and assistance while they are 

learning to breastfeed. 

“The breastfeeding support team 

also provides a 24/7 helpline that 

Make mothers 

feel welcome 

THERE are a number of baby changing and 

baby feeding facilities in NHS Lanarkshire’s 

three acute hospitals (see right). 

Should any member of the public ask a staff 

member the whereabouts of baby changing or 

breastfeeding rooms, they should be: 

q Made to feel welcome and told that they 

are welcome to breastfeed anywhere in 

the hospital 

q If they wish a private area, be directed to 

this area 

q Directed to any of the baby changing 

facilities listed on the right, if they request this. 

women can contact after they are 

transferred home.” 

New mum Mandy McIlvaney 

from Lanark welcomed the breastfeeding 

rooms and the new 

support worker position. 

She said: “I think breastfeeding 

rooms are a really good idea 

because some people do prefer 

some privacy when they’re 

breastfeeding and this gives them 

that option. 

“A support worker like Margaret 

is also very useful as she is able 

to give new mums such as myself 

good advice just at the time you 

need it.” 

Wendy Drysdale, infant feeding 

development midwife, said: “We 

welcome women to breastfeed 

their child, when required, at any 

of NHS Lanarkshire’s premises, 

but we recognise that some 

women in the early days when 

learning to breastfeed may require 

a more private place. 

“Any mother wishing to 

breastfeed her child in private 

should be directed to the designated 

private facility by a member 

of staff.” 

She added: “Like Wishaw, 

Hairmyres Hospital also provides 

the facility to breastfeed in private 

and Monklands is in the process of 

identifying an area. 

“These two sites also plan to 

alert patients and visitors to their 

availability.” 

The breastfeeding support 

team’s 24-hour helpline number is 

01698 361100, or you can page 139. 

Baby rooms at acute hospitals 

MONKLANDS 

q Main Entrance 

Baby Changing – Female Disabled WC 

q Main Entrance 

Baby Changing – Male Disabled WC 

q Outpatients 

Baby Changing – Female WC 

q X-Ray 

Baby Changing – Unisex WC 

q A&E 


q Ward 3 


WISHAW 

q Adjacent to main stairs, next to 

Spiritual Sanctuary 

Baby Changing Room Level 1 

q Adjacent to A&E Reception 

Baby Changing Room Level 1 

q Adjacent to Outpatient B waiting area 

Baby Changing and Feeding Room Level 1 

q Maternity Scan Level 2 

Baby Changing Room 

q Ward 23 Level 2 

Baby Feeding Room – Staff, Patients, Public 

q Neonatal Unit Level 2 

Baby Feeding Room – Mothers 

HAIRMYRES 

q Adjacent to A&E 

Reception 

Baby Changing/ 

Feeding Room 

q Adjacent to 

Radiology Reception 

Baby Changing Room at Atrium 

q Adjacent to Radiology Reception 

Baby Feeding Room at Atrium 

q Adjacent to Day Surgery Reception 

Baby Changing Room 

q Adjacent to Maternity Day Assessment 

Baby Changing Room


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 LOCAL/DISTRICT/PARTNERSHIP 

13 

In brief… 

Huge thanks for 

TV donation 

PATIENTS at Coathill Hospital 

are enjoying their favourite films 

and sporting events on state-ofthe-art 

screens thanks to the 

Airdrie and District Round Table. 

The group donated £1000 to 

the hospital’s Glenmore Unit. 

This money was used for three 

top-of-the-range televisions, 

which have delighted patients. 

Ward manager Lesley 

McCreaddie, from Wishaw, 

said: “This was an absolutely 

brilliant gesture.” 

Colin Williams, chairman of 

the Airdrie and District Round 

Table (ADRT), said: “We’ve a long 

history of working with the NHS 

and were delighted we could 

help Coathill Hospital.” 

Brief ways to get 

the point across 

EVERY healthcare contact is a 

health improvement opportunity. 

You can make the most of 

this chance through brief 

intervention training. 

Brief interventions are short, 

structured conversations which 

seek to empower people to 

improve their own health. 

Trainer Sarah Welsh will 

provide generic brief 

intervention training for 

community planning partners, 

including voluntary sector and 

NHS Lanarkshire staff. 

She said: “Brief intervention is 

a process that can be learned 

and used by practitioners to 

identify readiness for change 

in individuals and to help 

motivate and support health 

behaviour change. 

“It can also help address 

health behaviour problems at an 

early stage and facilitate referral 

of more serious cases.” 

Generic brief intervention 

training is now available for 

NHS staff and community 

planning partners. 

To find out more, visit the 

brief intervention training 

page on FirstPort (quick links) or 

call 01698 377651. 

HAPPY TO HELP: Volunteers Derek Howie 

and Phyllis Robertson provide an essential 

service helping people travel to and from 

the Kilbryde Hospice in East Kilbride 

Rewarding work 

Volunteers set to help patients and staff in a range of new ways 

VOLUNTEERING in Lanarkshire 

is getting bigger and better, and 

staff are being asked to suggest 

new areas where volunteers 

could participate. 

Volunteers have been helping 

patients and staff in the NHS for 

years, but in Lanarkshire their roles 

have been limited to community care. 

Part of Lanarkshire’s new action 

plan for volunteering includes identifying 

suitable opportunities for 

volunteers in the acute hospitals. 

This could mean ensuring visitors 

wash their hands before entering a 

ward area or simply sitting with 

patients and chatting to them while 

they are in hospital. 

Katrina Murray, volunteer services 

manager, said: “This is a new development 

for volunteering in 

Lanarkshire and we hope it will 

generate a lot of interest. 

“We would be really keen to hear 

from staff in the acute hospitals 

about where volunteers would be 

useful. It is really important to get 

the roles right so volunteers find the 

work rewarding and they are able to 

support both staff and patients.” 

For example, Lanarkshire is 

looking for volunteers to become flu 

buddies, which are an important part 

of the pandemic flu plan. Volunteers 

would help isolated people by 

making sure that they have medicine 

and food while they are ill. 

As part of the development of 

volunteering, Lanarkshire is also 

working towards Investing In 

Volunteers. 

NHS Lanarkshire has already met 

most of the 10 standards, but we are 

still working on: 

q Developing a handbook for 

volunteers 

q Developing a range of policies for 

volunteers 

q Developing risk assessments for 

volunteer roles. 

The assessment process has been 

ongoing throughout August with 

staff and volunteers being 

interviewed by assessors. The results 

of the final assessment will be 

known later in the year. 

If you have any suggestions for 

areas where volunteers could help 

patients, particularly within the acute 

hospitals, contact Katrina Murray on 

01236 707796/707797 or email 

katrina.murray@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk 

TOP TOILETRIES: Charge nurse Jan Miller (far right) with (from left) colleague 

Allison McKenna, and Christine Harris and Lisa McShane of Women’s Aid 

Designer donations delight Women’s Aid 

A WOMEN’S Aid group issued a big 

thank you to the accident and emergency 

(A&E) staff at Wishaw 

General Hospital. 

The Motherwell and District 

group paid tribute to the staff after 

they filled a basket with items 

such as toiletries, perfume and 

handbags to give to the women who 

the group helps. 

The basket was left out by 

Wishaw General A&E charge nurse 

Jan Miller after she learned of the 

desperate plight faced by many of 

the women who seek refuge from 

violent and aggressive partners. 

Jan said: “We have a domestic 

violence group within the A&E 

department, which aims to raise 

awareness of the issue among staff 

to help us identify and support 

women who may be in A&E as the 

result of abuse. 

“At a recent meeting a Women’s 

Aid worker told us how many of the 

women who turn to them for help 

often have absolutely nothing when 

they arrive as they’ve been forced 

to flee at short notice. I put an old 

basket I had in the staff room and 

asked staff to make a donation. 

“The response was absolutely 

fantastic and in only two weeks, the 

basket was overflowing with 

donations. As well as toilet bags and 

toiletries, there were also items 

such as designer perfume, hair dye 

and hair clasps.” 

Christine Harris from Motherwell 

and District Women’s Aid said: “I 

really want to thank the staff for this. 

“It’s good to be able to give the 

women some basic toiletries and 

cosmetics to help them get back on 

their feet. It also helps them rebuild 

their self-esteem, which for some 

can be very low after they’ve 

suffered years of abuse.” 

One in four women will be 

victims of physical, verbal or mental 

abuse at some stage in their lives. 

Motherwell and District Women’s 

Aid is on 01698 321000.

14 

thePulse LOCAL/DISTRICT/PARTNERSHIP SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

Project 

targets 

young 

smokers 

A NEW project aims to reduce the 

number of young people smoking in 

Lanarkshire. 

The Bellshill locality launched its 

new Youth Smoking Cessation/ 

Education and Prevention initiative 

in August. 

Maureen Allan, public health nurse 

and the project’s lead, said: “The idea 

is to work with local youth groups, 

such as the YMCA, Focus Youth Project 

(Viewpark), and schools to reduce the 

number of young people smoking. 

“These groups already engage with 

young people and are ideally placed 

to discuss with them the realities of 

what smoking can do to your health. 

“The project will equip all multiagency 

staff who are in contact with 

young people with the necessary skills 

and knowledge for delivering 

information on smoking cessation. 

“We received funding from the 

Queens Nursing Institute, and the 

project will help build closer 

relationships with these local groups.” 

The key aims of the project are to: 

q Provide a confidential service 

q Stimulate and enable young people 

to challenge their own perception 

of health 

q Provide health information 

about smoking 

q Provide a holistic approach 

q To find out young people’s 

views on smoking, drugs, alcohol, 

physical activity, mental health 

and nutrition 

q To reduce the number of young 

people smoking. 

Attending a launch event at 

the Bellshill Community Health 

Clinic were representatives 

from the local YMCA, Focus 

Youth Project, Community 

Learning Development, and 

school-based community workers. 

The Queen’s Nursing Institute’s 

funding was also used to buy three 

fully equipped resource boxes 

containing smoking visual aids and 

professionally printed diaries. 

These were given to the local youth 

partners to aid the delivery of their 

smoking prevention/education group 

work within Bellshill locality. 

Making us better 

Meet Valerie and Evelyn, two people using 

patient feedback to improve our services 

COMMUNICATORS: 

Valerie Costello, left, 

and Evelyn Anderson 

provide support for 

patients who want to 

raise issues about the 

care they received 

from NHS Lanarkshire 

PERFECT patient care is always 

the aim of NHS Lanarkshire 

staff, but help is at hand when 

things do not go to plan. 

Valerie Costello and Evelyn 

Anderson work with the 

Independent Advice and Support 

Service (IASS), which is part of 

the Lanarkshire Citizens 

Advice Bureaux. 

They provide support and advice 

for patients who feel the care they 

received fell short of the high 

standards NHS Lanarkshire set. 

Valerie said: “NHS Lanarkshire 

wants to hear feedback from 

patients so it can ensure it’s 

providing the best possible care. 

“If patients don’t engage in that 

communication, then it’s difficult 

for the health board to change 

anything. 

“People need to be active in their 

own healthcare and learn that it’s 

okay to question what their doctor 

or nurse tells them.” 

IASS can also help people 

access local health services and 

provide advice on issues such as 

housing, benefits, employment 

and debt. 

Evelyn added: “We provide 

support to people to raise 

issues they have with NHS 


“Not only does this help 

patients, it helps NHS 

Lanarkshire identify any areas 

where improvements can be 

made, where extra training may 

be required or when processes 

should be changed.” 

The IASS aims to resolve issues 

locally and many concerns are 

resolved by Valerie and Evelyn 

simply making staff aware of them. 

However, they also offer advice 

and assistance in making more 

formal complaints and work closely 

with NHS Lanarkshire’s complaints 

managers to resolve problems 

positively. 

Shona Welton, NHS 

Lanarkshire’s head of patient 

affairs, said: “The IASS service is 

completely independent of the 

health board but we work closely 

together to answer people’s questions 

as best we can.” 

Evelyn said: “We’re not on 

anybody’s side. If a patient wants 

to raise an issue with the NHS, then 

we will help them do that. 

“But we will also advise 

someone if their expectations 

are unrealistic. 

“Often just by finding out why 

something was done or why they 

received or didn’t receive a 

particular treatment puts the 

patient’s worries at ease.” 

Valerie added: “NHS Lanarkshire 

staff can also refer patients to 

ourselves or to the citizens advice 

bureaux for help on benefits.” 

People can access the IASS through 

their local citizens advice bureau, 

or by contacting Valerie on 01555 664301 

or valcostello@clydesdalecab.cas 

online.org.uk or Evelyn on 01236 429338, 

or evelynanderson@coatbridgecab. 

casonline.org.uk 

It was a marvellous night for a MoonWalk! 

COLLEAGUES from across NHS Lanarkshire 

pulled on their walking boots to raise 

thousands of pounds through the 

Edinburgh MoonWalk. 

Walking 26.2 miles, the teams raised 

tremendous sums to help the fight 

against breast cancer. 

Pictured (far right) are the team from 

Wishaw Health Centre, who raised £2000. 

Also pictured are staff from the 

Community Mental Health Team for Older 

Adults in Hamilton and ward staff from 

Udston Hospital who completed the 

MoonWalk and raised £3000. 

Both teams thanked their colleagues, 

friends and family for their support and 

generous donations. 

£3000 

raised! 

PRETTY IN PINK: Community Mental Health Team for Older 

Adults in Hamilton and ward staff from Udston Hospital joined 

forces for the walk. The team members were: Ann Michelle Skilling, Elizabeth Leavy, 

Rosie McKenzie, Emma Main, Kay Mullen, Christine Johnston, Geraldine Martin, 

Helen McTear, Sheila Robertson, Dianne Clifton, Gillian Leavy, Maureen Dunn, Lynn 

Dunsmuir, Stephanie Alexander, Debbie McMillan and Dianne Alexander 

£2000 

raised! 

EVENING GLAMOUR: (from left) Jackie McDonald, Sharon Clark, Jennifer 

Rutherford, Ellen Chalmers and Janet Bow from Wishaw Health Centre


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 TOP HEALTH ISSUES 

15 

Media Watch 

The Pulse takes a look at 

NHS Lanarkshire in the headlines… 

REDUCING RISKS 

YOUR health and safety is 

a key priority for NHS 

Lanarkshire – make sure it is 

a priority for you too. 

NHS Lanarkshire is looking 

to build on existing health and 

safety initiatives to further 

improve our practices. 

To do so, it is vital all staff 

ensure they are aware of the 

relevant policies and that they 

occupational health, said: 

“Health and safety within 

NHS Lanarkshire has been 

improved over the last few 

years and we wish this trend 

to continue. 

“The key to ensuring the 

health and safety of everyone 

within NHS Lanarkshire is to 

make sure staff know how to 

minimise their own and 

policies, should also be easily 

available.” 

Various health and safety 

policies are on FirstPort. 

These include policies on 

moving and handling, 

Prevention and Management 

of Violence and Aggression 

(PaMoVA), employee bloodborne 

virus infection, stress at 

work and working alone. 

take advantage of the health patients’ risks.” 

and safety training opportunities 

“Details on how to access To assess these policies, go to 

available. 

Dr Ewan Macdonald, NHS 

Lanarkshire’s director of 

relevant training, and information 

on the health board’s 

various health and safety 

the quick links section of 

FirstPort and choose Ratified 

NHSL HR Policies. 

How to stay safe 

Violence and aggression 

Violence and aggression 

towards any healthcare staff is 

unacceptable. 

NHS Lanarkshire has a 

Prevention and Management of 

Violence and Aggression 

(PaMoVA) Policy to keep all 

staff as safe as possible. 

Under the policy, managers 

are required to carry out risk 

assessments in all work areas 

to identify any risks to staff. 

Staff are responsible for 

reporting all incidents, 

including near misses, to 

their line manager. 

Training in the prevention and 

management of violence and 

aggression is also available. 

Visit the PAMOVA page of 

FirstPort, within the 

Corporate Services section. 

Fire safety 

Fire safety is the responsibility 

of everyone within NHS 


Every premise must have a 

Fire Risk Assessment carried 

out and any hazards identified. 

Measures must then be 

taken to remove or minimise 

the risks identified. 

All employees should be 

given relevant information of 

these risks and sufficient 

instruction and training on 

how to ensure their own safety 

and the safety of others in 

the building. 

NHS Lanarkshire’s Fire Policy 

is available on First Port, under 

Staff Information/ 

Miscellaneous Items. 

For more information on fire 

safety and training, visit the 

Fire Safety section within the 

SALUS page on FirstPort or call 

01236 438179. 

Needlesticks/accidental 

exposure to blood/body fluids 

Anyone accidentally exposed to 

blood or body fluids, including 

needlestick, should follow the 

guidelines in Section G of the 

Control of Infection manual. 

First Aid should be carried out 

and appropriate action taken. 

When using sharps, never 

leave them lying around; walk 

about with unguarded sharps; 

or keep syringes with needles 

attached in your pocket. 

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: our health 

and safety record is improving 

Always request assistance 

with uncooperative patients; 

and take a sharps’ container 

to the place you use the 

sharp and dispose of sharps 

immediately after use into 

the approved container. 

The guidelines are available 

at the bottom of the 

Healthcare Associated Infections’ 

page on FirstPort, which can be 

found under the links section. 

Control books 

The Control Book is the system 

used within NHS Lanarkshire to 

control health and safety. 

The book is maintained by all 

relevant line managers and 

should provide information on 

the risks and control measures 

associated with work activities. 

All staff should make 

themselves aware of the 

information contained in 

the Control Book as soon 

as possible. 

You have a responsibility 

to ensure you take reasonable 

care of yourself and others 

who may be affected by 

your actions.Currently, one 

third of books are audited 

annually but it is proposed 

that all books will be audited 

each year. 

Pharmacy in award win 

for speedy service 

New health 

centre is in 

great shape 

e 

Airdrie and Coatbridge 

Advertiser 

BBC Radio Scotland was just one 

of the many media outlets 

that highlighted NHS Lanarkshire’s 

innovative bowel screening campaign, 

launched in August. 

The health board signed up members 

of the public to become volunteer 

champions who will visit local 

community groups and explain why 

taking the test is so important. 

The national radio station broadcast 

interviews from the launch event, held at 

a Hamilton Bowling Club. 

The Evening Times and East Kilbride 

News were among the newspapers also 

reporting the campaign. 

e 

TWO new policies were launched to 

improve the public’s experience 

when contacting NHS Lanarkshire. 

The Lanarkshire Extra, Wishaw Press, 

East Kilbride News and Airdrie and 

Coatbridge Advertiser were among the 

newspapers that reported the 

introduction of the health board’s 

Customer Care Policy and Standards, and 

a Guide to Written Communications. 

SHARE YOUR STORIES 

Evening Times 

Cancer 

support 

group 

set up 

e 

Wishaw Press 

NHS Lanarkshire launched a 

new support group for people 

with lung cancer. 

The Evening Times, Wishaw Press, 

Hamilton Advertiser, Lanarkshire World 

and the other local newspapers 

celebrated this new initiative. 

e 

The Evening Times, Wishaw 

Press and The Extra reported 

that Wishaw General’s pharmacy 

dispensary won a national award 

after slashing the time it takes to 

issue prescriptions. 

e 

The progress of Coatbridge’s new 

health and community centre was 

celebrated on the pages of the Airdrie 

and Coatbridge Advertiser. 

e 

The Wishaw Press reported on NHS 

Lanarkshire’s Wishaw locality’s 

new anti-smoking initiative. 

All parents and guardians of primary 

school pupils will be asked to sign a 

pledge that they will not smoke around 

their kids. 

q Has a patient or visitor gone out of their way to praise you? 

q Is there a new service in your department you are proud of? 

Contact the communications department on 01698 245069/245077 and help us 

reflect the good news stories that happen within NHS Lanarkshire every day.

16 

thePulse PEOPLE NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

Julian is booking out 

ALL THE BEST: Carol 

holding grandson Ollie, 

and with daughter Julie 

and husband Jim, right, 

surrounded by friends 

and colleagues 

TRIBUTE TO CAROL 

AFTER 40 YEARS 

CHIEF dietitian Carol Anderson 

has retired after 40 years with the 

NHS in Lanarkshire. 

Carol, who began her career at 

Law Hospital in 1969, played a key 

role in increasing the role of 

dietetics in mental health services 

within Lanarkshire. 

Colleagues wished her good 

luck at a farewell bash in 

Hartwoodhill Hospital. 

Carol, chief dietitian in mental 

health, based at the Wishaw 

Resource Network, said: “It’s been a 

privilege to work with so many great 

people. They’re not just colleagues, 

they’re my friends and they’ve made 

my work very enjoyable.” 

Carol began as a basic grade 

dietitian at Law before being 

promoted to senior II dietitian, 

covering Law and the William 

Smellie Unit. In 1989, she took up 

a post at Hartwood Hospital to 

develop a specialist dietetic service 

for mental health. 

During this time she became 

involved in the Getting Better Together 

and Huntington’s Association Advisory 

and Carers groups. 

In 2000, Carol moved to Wishaw, 

when mental health services were 

further expanded into the community. 

She has had many successes with 

her clients and particularly enjoyed her 

role working with eating disorders. 

Lis Lawson, service development 

manager mental health, Bellshill 

locality, said: “Carol has played a 

major part in increasing the profile 

of dietetics in mental health and 

developing the service. 

“Those of us who know her will be 

well aware of her dedication and 

enthusiasm for her patients, her 

profession, mental health, NHS 

Lanarkshire and life in general. It 

has been a privilege to work with 

Carol and we wish her all the best.” 

Carol will be spending more time 

with her family, including grandson 

Ollie, daughter Julie and husband Jim, 

as well as cooking, gardening 

and socialising. 

She will certainly not be stuck for 

things to do in her spare time with 

plans to build an eco-house. 

FAREWELL: from left, 

Maureen Graham, 

Amanda Minns, 

Julian Hodgson, 

Grant Donaghy, Jim 

Rae and Lisa Mclaren 

LIBRARIAN Julian Hodgson will 

be sadly missed by colleagues 

following his retirement after 

27 years with NHS Lanarkshire. 

Having joined the health service 

in 1982 as a part-time medical 

librarian, covering Law and 

Hartwood, Julian’s most recent 

post was at the Alistair MacKenzie 

Library at Wishaw General. 

Amanda Minns, library services 

manager, said: “Julian is 

synonymous with the library 

service in Lanarkshire. 

“Many staff, past and present, 

automatically link Julian’s friendly 

Mike shall have music 

CONSULTANT Anaesthetist Dr Mike 

Inglis is retiring from Monklands 

Hospital on 1 November. 

To celebrate his time with NHS 

Lanarkshire, and to wish him well 

for the future, a dinner is being held 

on Saturday 24 October in the 

private dining room at the Abode 

Hotel in Bath Street, Glasgow. 

A drinks reception at 7pm will 

be followed by dinner at 8pm, and 

face and excellent service with the 

library department.” 

Prior to joining the health 

service, Julian, from Lesmahagow, 

worked in librarian posts in 

Westminster Council, London 

School of Economics and 

Lambeth Council. 

In his most recent post, one of 

Julian’s major achievements was 

his contribution to the implementation 

of the NHSScotland unified 

library management system. 

Julian, married to Pat with two 

daughters, thanked everyone for 

their kind wishes. 

then musical entertainment will 

be provided. 

The cost for the evening will be 

£50 per person with partners very 

welcome. Tickets must be paid for 

by 8 October. 

For more details, contact Linda 

Cameron, anaesthetic secretary 

or Vimty Muir, consultant anaesthetist, 

on 01236 712000. 

The 

world 

awaits... 

SPEECH and language therapy 

specialist Morag McDade is off to 

see the world after retiring from 


The mum of four daughters, 

three stepdaughters and grandmother 

to 14, will be visiting 

family in California and Australia. 

Morag, who was the clinical lead 

in learning impairment for 

Lanarkshire since 2000, retired 

after 16 years at Motherwell 

Health Centre. 

The Motherwell woman, who is 

married to Brian, said: “I’ve very 

mixed feelings about retiring. 

“I’m looking forward to having 

more time to spend with my family 

but I’ll also miss my colleagues and 

friends here at the health centre 

hugely. It never fails to amaze me 

that so many lovely and genuine 

people work in the same place. 

“I’ll be dropping back in as often 

as I can to see them all.” 

Everyone in the speech and 

language therapy department wishes 

Morag good luck for the future. 

She is pictured cutting her celebratory 

cake next to husband 

Brian and friends and colleagues. 

It never fails 

to amaze 

me that so many 

lovely and genuine 

people work in the 

same place. I’ll be 

dropping back in 

to see them all” 

The garden 

beckons 

for Roger 

ROGER Reid brought 37 years with the 

NHS in Lanarkshire to an end when 

he took early retirement. 

Based at Coathill Hospital, Roger, a 

property and support services 

department (PSSD) porter/driver, 

enjoyed a farewell tea on 30 June. 

He had worked at Law Hospital for 

19 years, followed by 14 years at 

Strathclyde Hospital, before moving 

to Coathill. 

Roger, pictured above fourth from 

right with his colleagues, is married 

with two girls and will be looking to 

spend more time enjoying his 

favourite hobby – gardening. 

Bert McNaughton, transport 

manager at Law Hospital, said: “We 

all wish Roger and his family a long 

and happy retirement.”


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 COMPETITIONS/PUZZLES 

17 

Here comes 

Spinawina! 

Marilyn, who works in the South Lanarkshire 

psychotherapy department, has helped 

invent a new game – and you can win it! 

A FANTASTIC new board game 

“Spinawina”, has been invented 

by NHS Lanarkshire’s Marilyn 

Neil with husband Douglas. 

Marilyn, from Carluke, works 

in the South Lanarkshire 

psychotherapy department at 

Torrance House, Motherwell. 

The ingenious duo have created a 

revolutionary general knowledge 

board game which is sure to be a big 

hit this Christmas. 

And The Pulse has teamed up with 

Douglas and Marilyn to offer readers 

the chance to win two of these 

fantastic quiz games. 

Secretary Marilyn said: “It has 

been a long hard road developing 

the game, however, we’ve had a lot 

of fun on the way and hope people 

will love playing it. 

“Now that we’ve managed to 

produce it, we’re hoping the bigger 

manufacturers can take it to the next 

level under licence. 

“In this economic climate, board 

games are continuing to be popular 

with people looking for group entertainment 

at home, and at low cost.” 

Based on a travel theme, 

Spinawina’s patented idea, the 

spinner, replaces the use of dice and 

provides a novel and exciting way of 

playing the game. 

The idea is to use your transport 

peg on the spinner to reach your 

destination – the centre of the 

board – first. 

To do this, you need to answer 

questions correctly and collect your 

four tokens on route. 

There are 14 question categories 

including music, films, science and 

nature, history, true or false, sport 

and TV. 

A kids’ section is also included so 

they can join in as well. 

Two special categories, “guys” and 

“dolls”, have also been included to 

add some fun and banter between 

the sexes. 

This means all the family have a 

chance to answer questions from 

their favourite category. 

Patents have been granted 

in Great Britain and the USA. 

It is available to buy online at 

www.Spinawina.com for £29.99, 

excluding postage and packaging. 

For a chance to win one of the 

two Spinawina games, answer this 

simple question: 

What replaces 

dice in the 

game Spinawina? 

Send your answers to Martin 

Stirling at Communications 

Department, Strathclyde Hospital, 

Airbles Road, Motherwell ML1 3BW 

by Friday 2 October. Alternatively 

email your answer to martin.stirling@ 

lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk with 

“Spinawina” as the subject. 

Remember to include your job title, 

place of work and a contact number. 

Big grin 

with a 

win! 

THREE lucky staff members got 

their hands on £100 of Boots 

vouchers after winning an oral 

health quiz. 

Morag Torrance, Orchard 

Medical Centre, won £50, while 

Pamela Warrington, Modyrvale 

Medical Centre, and Pamela 

TWO lucky Pulse readers enjoyed a 

day at the races after winning 

competitions in the last edition. 

q Amanda Shewan, charge nurse on 

ward 17 at Wishaw General Hospital, 

was able to take along nine of her 

SMILE: Pamela Warrington, 

Morag Torrance and Pamela 

Caldwell receive their prizes 

from Clare Malone 

Caldwell, Strathclyde Hospital, 

won £25 each. 

The quiz had been organised by 

Motherwell locality’s Health 

Working Lives Group to raise 

awareness of National Smile 

Month – which ran from 17 May- 

17 June. 

friends to Ayr race course for their 

famous Ladies’ Night on Saturday 

8 August. 

She correctly answered that 

William Hill sponsors the Ayr 

Gold Cup. 

Clare Malone, health promotion 

officer, said: “The group would 

like to thank all staff who took 

part and for our colleagues in oral 

health for supplying the quiz. 

“Look out for our next quiz 

coming soon with some more 

great prizes.” 

Ladies were winners at the races 

q Lesley Allison, a specialist 

paediatric dietician, based at 

Strathclyde Hospital, was the winner 

of our Hamilton Park Racecourse 

competition. She won two tickets to 

Ladies’ Night on 1 August. 

Pulse Sudoku 

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one 

of each digit. So must every column, and every 3x3 square. 

Get the solution on FirstPort. 

8 2 4 

6 8 5 

8 1 5 

9 5 7 6 

7 4 9 6 5 

6 8 7 3 

1 6 3 

6 9 2 

7 4 8

18 


Spotlight on care for older people 

ALMOST 200 people attended an 

event aimed at improving care for 

older people in Lanarkshire. 

Rising to the Challenge: 

Developing 21st Century Care for 

Older People was held in the 

Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie. 

Professionals from a variety of 

backgrounds, including health, social 

care and private care home services, 

attended the conference. 

The event was jointly supported 

by the older people’s directorate, 

the managed care network for 

older people and the practice 

development practitioner for 

older people. 

The main aims of the conference 

were to: 

q Improve the profile of older 

people’s services across Lanarkshire 

q Showcase innovative practice in 

older peoples’ care 

q Highlight shared challenges and 

opportunities 

q Improve practice of staff providing 

care to older people 

q Develop networks of care across 

older people’s services 

q Improve staff knowledge. 

The day included some key 

presentations from expert speakers 

as well as workshops, market stalls 

and poster presentations. 

Key speakers on the day included 

Dr Marie Cerinus, NHS Lanarkshire’s 

director of nurses, midwives and 

allied health professionals, Professor 

Alasdair MacLullich, Royal College 

of Surgeons and Geriatricians, and 

Dr Sarah Mitchell, project manager, 

Scottish Government. 

Trudi Marshall, practice 

development practitioner for older 

adults, said: “The purpose of this 

POSITIVE FEEDBACK: delegates listened to speakers and attended workshops 

event was to provide a learning and 

networking opportunity for people 

with an interest in older people’s care 

across Lanarkshire. 

“There was a fantastic turnout and 

the feedback we received was 

extremely positive. 

“I would like to thank the Ronald 

Miller Endowment Fund and its 

trustees for the support provided.” 

Boost for wellbeing 

TWO NHS Lanarkshire projects 

which aim to improve the health, 

safety and wellbeing of staff 

have been awarded funding of 

almost £180,000. 

An initiative to develop an online 

training package for the prevention 

and management of violence and 

aggression (PaMoVA) received 

£25,000 from the Scottish 

Government’s Working Well 

Challenge Fund. 

In addition, a project to help 

improve staff health and encourage 

personal development and lifelong 

learning received £152,800. 

In total, £1.5 million of funding for 

projects aimed at improving the 

health, safety and wellbeing of staff 

working in the NHS in Scotland 

were announced by Minister for 

Public Health Shona Robison 

during a speech at the NHSScotland 

Event in June. 

Hugh Sweeney, NHS Lanarkshire’s 

employee director, believes the 

funding will benefit the health board, 

staff and patients. 

He said: “NHS Lanarkshire puts a 

great emphasis on encouraging staff 

to continue their lifelong learning. 

“This brings benefits not just to 

the individuals themselves, but to the 

organisation as a whole and our 

patients who reap the benefits of a 

highly skilled, motivated and dedicated 

team of professional staff.” 

Jan Shand, PaMoVA manager, 

added: “Receiving this money will be 

a tremendous boost. 

“An online training system will 

provide another option for staff. It 

will help us provide refresher 

training and has the potential to 

provide basic training to some staff 

in the low-risk category. 

“The new system will help maximise 

the safety of staff and service users 

by offering flexible training options in 

the prevention and management of 

violence and aggression. 

“We’re hoping to implement the 

new system as soon as possible.” 

At the NHSScotland Event, 

Ms Robison also paid tribute to the 

efforts of NHS staff throughout the 

recent H1N1 outbreak. 

She said: “The importance of 

public health has been brought into 

sharp focus by the recent outbreak 

of the H1N1 strain of flu and I would 

like to thank NHS staff in Scotland 

for their effective and swift response. 

“I am hugely encouraged by the 

work that is taking place to improve 

the health of Scotland’s people. 

“A healthier Scotland is a better 

Scotland and NHS staff are 

working on the front line in order to 

deliver this. 

“I am also delighted to be 

announcing the successful projects 

set to receive funding from the 

Working Well Challenge Fund. 

“Alongside existing initiatives, 

these will help to ensure that staff 

can continue to work towards our 

shared goal of improving the 

nation’s health in a safe working 

environment.” 

For a full list of the successful bids 

in the Working Well Challenge, 

visit: www.scotland.gov.uk 

Learning 

for life 

MORE than 160 staff attended NHS 

Lanarkshire’s fifth annual Learning at Work 

Day in June. 

The event, held in the Ronald Miller 

Education Centre, highlights the advice, 

support and training opportunities available to 

the health board’s employees. 

Training manager Agnes Robb was pleased 

with the success of the day. 

She said: “The aim of the Learning at Work 

Day is to promote life-long learning, whether 

through academic courses or summer courses 

in various leisure pursuits, and to show NHS 

Lanarkshire staff the opportunities and support 

available to them. 

“In addition to the information stalls, we had 

taster sessions – including one in sign 

language – and the feedback was very positive. 

“The day has grown over the previous five 

years and we’re already looking forward to an 

even bigger and better event next year.” 

Stalls for the Practice Development Centre, 

the library service, IT, SALUS and the Dalziel 

Centre were joined by external organisations, 

including the University of the West of 

Scotland, the Open University and Motherwell 

Football Club. 

Congratulations to the Learning at Work Day 

winners – Sheona Everett, who won the word 

search competition and £50 of Matalan 

vouchers, and raffle prize winners Catrina 

McQueen and Sam Hannah, who both won a 

basket of fruit courtesy of Serco. 

IN THE SLING OF IT: June Lee, moving 

and handling advisor, demonstrates the 

patient hoist to Jan Shand, Prevention 

and Management of Violence and 

Aggression (PaMoVA) manager, during 

the Learning at Work Day 

In brief… 

Discounts, offers 

and prizes at 

NHS247.com 

NHS Lanarkshire staff can 

benefit from big discounts and 

great offers on NHS247.com 

Launched in July 2008, the site 

is the first online healthcare 

community for all NHS staff. 

NHS247 hosts the popular 

NHS Staff Discount scheme from 

hundreds of local and national 

businesses. 

You can let the NHS247 

team know if you want your 

favourite local businesses to 

be included by logging on 

to nhs247.com 

There is also an NHS 

employee of the month 

competition, where any 

member of staff can nominate 

a colleague. 

The winner receives a prize – 

typically a break for two in a four 

or five-star hotel. 

New competition prizes 

include a brand new car. 

NHS247 also carries a latest 

NHS news board which includes 

blogs, petitions and forums. 

To take advantage of these 

exclusive offers, NHS 

employees need to register on 

www.nhs247.com which is 

completely free of charge.


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 TRAINING 

19 

Famous five 

In 

Nurses are first in Scotland to graduate in advanced critical care 

FIVE NHS Lanarkshire staff are 

in line to become the first in 

Scotland to complete a new 

advanced nursing practice course. 

The advanced nurse practitioners 

in critical care (ANPC) will be the 

first critical care practitioners in 

Scotland to graduate with the award 

of postgraduate certificate in acute 

care at the University of the West 

of Scotland. 

The quintet was also present 

along with NHS Lanarkshire 

anaesthetic practitioners and 

members of the hospital emergency 

care teams from the three acute 

sites, at an Anatomy Study Day held 

in Glasgow University’s anatomy 

department. 

Here the group met Dr Quentin 

Fogg, lecturer in anatomy and were 

accompanied by mentor and 

consultant anaesthetist Dr Veronica 

Watson. 

Martin Carberry, NHS 

Lanarkshire’s nurse consultant in 

critical care, said: “It’s a fantastic 

achievement by the staff members. 

“We’re really proud that not only 

are we the first board in NHS 

Scotland to invest in these innovative 

new roles, but they’ll be the first in 

Scotland to complete this postgraduate 

certificate too.” 

For further infomation, including 

the next available dates for the 

postgraduate certificate in acute care, 

contact Ann McQuarrie at the 

University of the West of Scotland 

on anne.mcquarrie@uws.ac.uk 

THE FIRST: (from left) Dr Veronica Watson, Christine Growney, Laura Armstrong, 

Dr Quentin Fogg, Audrey Jackson, Sara Elliott, Johan Campbell and Donna Ferraioli 

brief… 

e 

NHS Lanarkshire offers 

courses in moving and 

handling. 

The moving and handling 

advisors provide an advisory and 

training service to all employees 

of NHS Lanarkshire, for patient 

and non-patient handlers. 

Training courses are from three 

hours to two days in duration 

and content depends on the 

needs of the staff group. 

For further information, 

contact Sandra Sweeney, training 

co-ordinator at Coathill Hospital, 

on 01236 707721. 

e 

IT is essential for all staff 

working in the health 

service to take care of their 

personal safety and be aware of 

the safety of others. To reduce 

the risk of being a victim of 

unwanted aggression or violent 

behaviour, NHS Lanarkshire 

provides Management of 

Aggression training for all staff. 

Please contact PaMoVA 

advisors on 01501 824547. 

Training Planner 

ORGANISATIONAL 

DEVELOPMENT 

q Induction Training 

Corporate Induction continues 

to be delivered each week 

around the four main training 

sites. Contact: Lorna Galloway 

01698 366765. 

OCTOBER 

q Equality and 

Diversity Programme 

A one-day course (9.30am- 

4.30pm) for supervisors, team 

leaders and managers. Various 

dates from September to 

December 2009. Contact: Linda 

Firstbrook 01355 585485. 

q How Can I Help You? 

The half-day course covers the 

content of the Customer Care 

Policy and Standards, attitudes 

and behaviours, methods of 

communication, skills used in 

delivering a quality service, 

data protection and tips on 

de-escalating difficult 

situations. 

The training will be 

delivered on a phased basis 

within the organisation, and 

will be ongoing throughout 

the year. Contact: Elaine 

McGuinness 01698 366763. 

q Minute-Taking Skills 

The half-day course, morning 

or afternoon, will look at the 

theory and practice of taking 

effective and concise minutes. 

Contact: Agnes Robb 01698 

377790 or Sue Devine 

01698 377807. 

NOVEMBER 

q Facilitation Skills 

The one-day course (9.30am- 

4.30pm) is for anyone who 

facilitates groups and who 

needs to understand what 

facilitation is and what 

facilitators need to do to bring 

clarity to group tasks. Contact: 

Agnes Robb 01698 377790. 

q Management of 

Sickness Absence 

A training programme is 

currently being produced. 

Dates and times will be 

advertised on FirstPort. 

Contact: Elaine McGuinness 

01698 366763. 

q Recruitment and 

Selection Skills Programme 

A one-day course (9.30am- 

4.30pm) for supervisors, team 

leaders and managers working 

at Level 3 of the KSF G6 People 

Management Dimension. 

Various dates from September 

to December 2009. Contact: 

Elaine Logan 01236 713281. 

MEDICAL EDUCATION 

Contact: Tracey Murtagh 01698 

366521 or tracey.murtagh@ 


OCTOBER 

q Senior Doctors: 

Microsoft Project 

2 Oct (full day), ITEC 

Integrations, Blantyre. 

q Basic Life Support 

21 Oct (2hrs in morning), Resus 

Training Room, Corporate 

Services Building, Monklands. 

q Assertiveness 

30 Oct, John Seymour Assoc, 

Ronald Miller Education 

Centre, Wishaw General. 

q Trainees FY2 Clinical 

Skills Training Week 

Week commencing 5 Oct. 

Training co-ordinator will 

contact trainees direct. 

q FY2 Generic Teaching 

Programme – Tutorial 1 

Dates TBC. Training 

co-ordinator will contact 

trainees direct. 

NOVEMBER 

q Senior Doctors: 

Equality & Diversity 

12 Nov (half day in morning). 

Training Room, Law House. 

The Cumulative Index of 

Nursing and Allied Health 

database has moved from 

OVID to EBSCO suppliers on 

the e-library. Each library is 

able to offer all staff affected 

by this change a one-hour 

refresher course on using this 

database. Contact your local 

librarian for booking. 

Library staff are happy to 

give group and one-to-one 

guidance on literature 

searching, using the e-library 

and reference works. 

Contacts: Amanda Minns 

(Hairmyres) 01355 585488/7 

Lisa McLaren (Wishaw 

General) 01698 366316 

Paul Herbert (Monklands) 

01236 712005 

Carol Hallesy (Law House) 

01698 377600/01 

Grant Donaghy (NHS 

Lanarkshire HQ) 01698 281313. 

q Trainees: FY2 Clinical 

Skills Training Week 

16 Nov. Training co-ordinator 

will contact trainees direct. 

q FY2 Generic Teaching 

Programme – Tutorial 1 

Dates TBC. Training co-ordinator 

will contact trainees direct. 

HEALTH PROMOTION 

Contact: Ann Moss 01698 

245268 or ann.moss@ 


OCTOBER 

q Smoking Cessation 

29 Oct, 9.30am-4.30pm, 

Law House. 

NOVEMBER 

q Smoking Cessation 

26 Nov, 9.30am-4.30pm, 

Law House. 

OCTOBER 

q Introduction to 

the e-library 

7 Oct, 2pm-4pm, Monklands. 

Contact: Paul Herbert. 


the e-library 

16 Oct, 9am-12pm, Wishaw 

General. Contact: 

Lisa McLaren. 

q Searching CINAHL 

13 Oct, 10am-noon, 

Monklands. Contact: 

Paul Herbert. 


14 Oct, 3pm-5pm, Wishaw 


Lisa McLaren. 

q Using RefWorks 

22 Oct, 2pm-4pm, Monklands. 



6 Oct, 9am-11am, Wishaw 

General. Contact: Lisa McLaren. 

HEALTH & SAFETY 

Contact: Sandra Sweeney 01236 

707721 or sandra.sweeney@ 


OCTOBER 

q Control Book 

9 Oct, 9.30am-4.30pm, Main 

Training Room, Corporate 

Services, Monklands. 

q DSE Assessor 

14 Oct, 1.30pm-4.30pm, 

Training Room 1, Law House. 

q IOSH 

All four days: 1, 8, 15 & 22 Oct, 

9.30am-4.30pm, Training Room 

1, Law House. 

NOVEMBER 

q IOSH 

Four days: 4, 11, 18 & 25 Nov, 

9.30am-4.30pm, Training 

Room 1, Law House. 

LIBRARIES 

q Searching Medicine 

29 October, 3pm-5pm, 

Wishaw General. Contact: 

Lisa McLaren. 

NOVEMBER 


4 Nov, 10am-noon, 


Paul Herbert. 


6 Nov, 11am-1pm, Wishaw 

General. Contact: Lisa 

McLaren. 


10 Nov, 2pm-4pm, Monklands. 



12 Nov, 9am-11am, Wishaw 

General. 

Contact: Lisa 

McLaren. 

PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT 

Contacts: Rita Cloughley 01698 

366581, Morag Downie 

01698 366575. 

OCTOBER 

q IV Drugs 

Various dates. Contact: 

Rita Cloughley. 

q Calculations Support 



q Calculations Exam Only 



q Anaphylaxis 

13 Oct, 10am-noon. Lecture 

Theatre, Monklands. Contact: 

Morag Downie. 

q Paeds ILS 

15 Oct, 9am-4pm, Wishaw 


Morag Downie. 


the e-library 

18 Nov, 9am-noon, Wishaw 


Lisa McLaren. 


the e-library 

19 Nov, 10am-noon, 


Paul Herbert. 

q Searching Medicine 

20 Nov, 3pm-5pm, Wishaw 


Lisa McLaren. 

q Using the Cochrane 

Library 

6 Nov, 9am-11am, Wishaw 


Lisa McLaren. 

q Paeds BLS 

28 Oct, 2pm-4pm, Wishaw 

General. Contact: Morag 

Downie. 

NOVEMBER 

q IV Drugs 



q Calculations Support 



q Calculations Exam Only 



q Paeds BLS 

2 Nov, 2pm-4pm, Wishaw 


Morag Downie. 

q Anaphylaxis 

24 Nov, 10am-noon, Lecture 

Theatre, Wishaw General. 

Contact: Morag Downie.

20 

thePulse ACHIEVEMENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 

THEY’RE A GLASS ACT 

Monklands 

theatre 

group has 

a vital 

message to 

get across 

TALENTED mental health nurses 

at Monklands have written and 

produced a fascinating play which 

will feature during the Mental 

Health Arts Festival in October. 

As if that was not enough, the NHS 

Lanarkshire colleagues will also act 

in the play, Alice Through the Shot 

Glass, along with local drama 

students and graduates recruited for 

their theatre group. 

Writer and secretary of the Spiked 

Theatre Group Gerry Hessan 

explained more about the play – 

which is a modern adaptation of 

Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s 

Adventures in Wonderland. 

The mental health staff nurse said: 

“It stays faithful to the original story 

but with an underlying 

drug and personal safety theme. 

“The story is simple: a trusting girl 

is slipped an unknown substance 

and falls into a coma. 

“What happens during the coma, 

depends on one’s life, lifestyle and 

recent experiences. 

“The last thing that the girl sees 

before going into the coma is a 

Batman strippogram. 

“The traditional characters take on 

CURTAIN UP: top, from left, Sean Curran, Garry Curran, Gerry Hessan, 

Martin Hannigan, Graham Kane and Patrick Stratford. Bottom row, from 

left, June Copeland, Carine Lamb, Karen Collins, Stacey Bradley and 

Nichola McKeown. Due to work commitments Margaret Bradley, Darren 

Bradley, Philip Spencer and Katie Currie are not in the photograph 

a bat-twist with the Cheshire cat 

becoming catwoman and all of the 

well known Batman characters, 

including the Riddler, the Joker, the 

Queen of Diamonds and the 

Mad Hatter and Two-face making 

an appearance. 

“There’s a shock ending but you’ll 

have to come and see the play to find 

out what happens to Alice and 

her companions.” 

The Spiked Theatre group has 

been formed especially for the 

Mental Health Arts Festival and 

consists of local health care 

professionals and local actors. 

Gerry and the group are hoping 

to put on a dramatic performance 

Anaesthetist shows what can be done with dedication... 

each year with a mental health 

issue portrayed. 

The play will be performed on 

20 and 21 October in the At Home 

Centre, Airdrie. 

For further details, email Gerry at 

locutus@borgcollective.plus.com 

The Scottish Mental Health 

Arts and Film Festival, led by 

The Mental Health Foundation and 

partners, runs from 1-22 October. 

Details of the festival can be found 

at www.mhfestival.com and 

www.lanarkshirementalhealth.org.uk 

WATER RELIEF: Bill completing 

the Edinburgh Marathon last May 

‘Seniors’ can follow 

Bill’s fast footsteps 

A HAIRMYRES anaesthetist is 

proving that life really can 

begin at 50. 

Consultant anaesthetist Bill 

McCulloch, 56, only donned 

his running shoes three years 

ago, but has already completed 

a marathon in under five hours. 

Now Bill is encouraging 

other NHS Lanarkshire 

“seniors” to follow his lead. 

He said: “I took up running 

for health reasons as I was 

pretty horrified by my own and 

the general health level of 

men my age. 

“I then decided to run my 

first 10k in 2007, and then a 

half marathon in 2008 and I 

completed my first marathon in 

Edinburgh at the end of May 

this year.” 

Bill finished in four hours 51 

minutes, not bad for someone 

running in a blazing hot day, 

the last seven miles of which 

were completed without water 

after some Edinburgh scallies 

sabotaged water stations along 

the final part of the course. 

He continued: “Running has 

given me a new lease of life, 

and nothing would please me 

more than finding out other 

middle-aged men had followed 

my example and dusted down 

their training shoes.” 

Bill is now planning to run 

another marathon, although he 

was forced to pull out of 

the monstrous Loch Ness 

marathon in October, due 

to injury. 

He said: “I wanted to run the 

Loch Ness Marathon on behalf 

of Macmillan Cancer Support 

and hoped to raise £1000. 

“It’s a shame I can’t now but 

I do intend to run another 

and would really appreciate 

any sponsorship.” 

Find out about Bill’s planned 

run in future editions of 

The Pulse. 

High way to 

get in shape 

A HILLWALKING group is 

looking to encourage NHS 

Lanarkshire colleagues to get 

in shape in time for Christmas. 

The Strathclyde Hillwalking 

and Activity Group is a 

Lanarkshire-based group that 

promotes the health, 

environmental and social 

benefits of hillwalking and 

other outdoor pursuits. 

The group has a selection 

of walks running up to 

Christmas – with distances 

from seven to 11 miles. 

For more details, visit 

the group’s website at 

www.strathclydehillwalking 

group.co.uk or call 01698 833383.

The Pulse September / October 2009 - NHS Lanarkshire

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