The Pulse September / October 2009 - NHS Lanarkshire

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8 thePulse GENERAL NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 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.
thePulse SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 GENERAL NEWS 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 NHS Lanarkshire. 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
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The Pulse September / October 2009 - NHS Lanarkshire

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