The Pulse September / October 2009 - NHS Lanarkshire

18
thePulse GENERAL NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009
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
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NHS247 hosts the popular
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You can let the NHS247
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There is also an NHS
employee of the month
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The winner receives a prize –
typically a break for two in a four
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New competition prizes
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NHS247 also carries a latest
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To take advantage of these
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employees need to register on
www.nhs247.com which is
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