Posts Tagged ‘NHS’

NHS Western Isles chairman steps down

Jun 14th, 10 / 0 Comments

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson today (Monday) thanked Board Chair John Angus MacKay for his contribution to local health services over the past three and a half years. Mr MacKay will not be standing for a further term of office and will be moving to a new position as Chief Executive of Bòrd na Gàidhlig in September 2010.

Mr MacKay is in the fourth year of a four year term as Chair of NHS Western Isles, having taken up post on February 1 2007.

Mr MacKay will leave NHS Western Isles at the end of August, after chairing the Board’s 2009/10 Annual Review.

The achievements and progress made by the Board during Mr MacKay’s term as Chair were today acknowledged by the Board’s Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson and Vice Chair of the Board, Angus McCormack.

“Different organisation”

Mr McCormack commented: “I congratulate John Angus Mackay on his appointment as Chief Executive of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, and wish him all the best in his future role. He will bring to the post those skills which he has used to such good effect in turning round the fortunes of the Western Isles Health Board.

“From a position of real difficulty only four years ago, John Angus has led the Board to a position where its governance is strong, key post holders are in place, staff relations have improved, significant new initiatives are in operation, year on year financial balance is met and the Board is on course to securing its aspiration to offer the best rural health care in Scotland. This creates a firm foundation for the future, and should encourage a strong field of applicants to come forward to fill the Chair’s post when it is advertised.”

Mr Jamieson said: “We set ourselves the goal of being ‘the best at what we do’, and during John Angus MacKay’s term as Chair we have certainly progressed substantially on the journey towards delivering that vision in a number of areas across the organisation. Significant progress has been made under his chairmanship which has resulted in a very positive, confident and different organisation to what NHS Western Isles was only four years ago.

“Western Isles”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank John Angus, both on behalf of NHS Western Isles and personally, for his leadership, direction and support. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with him and I wish him every success in his new role as Chief Executive of Bòrd na Gàidhlig.”

He added: “Discussions are currently in hand with the Scottish Government Health Department to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities to Mr MacKay’s successor, when appointed.”

John Angus MacKay said: “No one person can claim the credit for the progress that NHS Western Isles has made in the past four years. The Board will need to continue to function well, and seek and earn the support, individually and collectively, of a wide range of stakeholders in the years to come, in order to give the people of the Western Isles the best possible health services.

“In my time in this post, I have been lucky to enjoy the support of the Board, staff, partner organisations in the Western Isles, other NHS Boards, the public and the Scottish Government Health Department.  In these circumstances it has been a privilege, and very often a pleasure, to tackle the challenges of the post.”

Mr MacKay added: “Working in the Health Service can often be a relay race against time at every level, but I am confident that this Board is now well placed in the field to run with the rest – and the best – and it is a good time to hand over the baton. My successor can look forward to working with a lot of good, committed people, focussed on delivering quality services to the people of the Western Isles.”

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles

Stornoway News

Paper-free NHS launched today

Mar 29th, 10 / 1 Comment

“Covering 70 per cent”

A new £44 million IT system which will pave the way for a paper-free NHS was today launched.

The Patient Management System (PMS) will be used to streamline in-patient and out-patient bookings, manage waiting lists, order tests and report test results.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said that PMS is the first system that can be used in any hospital in the NHS and will replace paper processes, improving security and freeing up time for staff to spend on other vital tasks.

It will enable staff to keep track of patient records much more easily and allow information to be communicated back to GPs.

Until now, health boards have had different patient management systems in place. Ensuring they are all using the same one will make it easier for information to be shared securely when a patient is being treated by more than one health board.

So far, six NHS boards across Scotland have signed up to the system, covering 70 per cent of Scotland’s population, with the rest set to join in the coming months.

The system was launched with a visit to Monklands Hospital in Airdrie to see how a trial of the new programme has benefited patients and staff in the renal ward.

“Quality of care”

Ms Sturgeon said:

“This is a major step towards a paper-free NHS.

“This new system will be much more efficient, faster and more secure than outdated paper-based systems. It also frees up money to be spent on front-line services and is better for environment.

“Benefits for patients and staff include improved security, faster test results, staff being able to share information more quickly, and having staff freed up to carry out other tasks.

“It will also reduce the number of times patients have to give repeat information, which I know can be incredibly frustrating.

“Communicating with patients is one of the areas that I am absolutely determined the NHS will improve on and this new system will help us achieve this.

“This is just one of a range of steps we are taking to put the quality of care patients receive at the heart of everything the NHS does.”

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles

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Power supply to Western Isles Hospital

Mar 2nd, 10 / 0 Comments

NHS Western Isles is currently working with electricity suppliers to resolve an issue which affects the power supply within Western Isles Hospital.

The issue relates to a fault with one of the hospital’s two circuit breakers, which was discovered during routine testing of the generator.

As a result of the fault, the circuit breaker is currently non-operational. Consequently, in the event of a mains power failure, the hospital would be unable to automatically switch immediately to the emergency generator.

Manual switching to the remaining circuit breaker to move to emergency power is however possible and technical staff are now on site 24/7 to conduct the switch-over, should that be necessary.

All necessary steps have been taken to resolve the situation and contingency plans have been agreed to minimise the impact on patient services, and to maintain clinical safety.

However, as a precautionary measure, some surgical procedures are being postponed.

Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson stated:

“NHS technical staff are urgently working to resolve the situation with expert support from Scottish and Southern Energy.  Patients can be assured that there is no cause for immediate concern and that there are robust contingency plans in plans to maintain clinical safety.  We will have to reschedule some surgical procedures as a precautionary measure, and we will be in touch with those patients who may be affected.”

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles
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Stornoway News

Green light for Stornoway Dental Centre

Feb 22nd, 10 / 0 Comments

Gordon Jamieson

A landmark new £4.7million Dental Teach and Treat Centre is set to go ahead in Stornoway after the development was granted planning permission.

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson has now also signed off the target price and contract with the main contractors, and building will commence on March 8, with the expected date of completion in December 2010.

The plans include seven general dental surgeries and five new modern training surgeries.

These will be utilised by NHS Education for Scotland in association with Scottish Universities and Colleges and will help to sustain the improved dental facilities on the islands by attracting promising dental students to the facility, year on year.

The new facility will be located within the grounds of the Western Isles Hospital, adjacent to the junction with Macaulay Road. The building has been positioned to enhance the sense of entrance to the campus whilst carefully retaining the existing visibility splay onto Macaulay Road.

Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson told Hebrides news Today: “We are delighted that the Teach and Treat Dental Centre has now reached this key stage. Building will commence in March and it is anticipated that the new Centre will be complete before the end of this year. Stornoway Teach and Treat Dental Centre aims to provide NHS Western Isles with a purpose built building that both patients and staff can be proud of. This will provide the islands of Lewis and Harris with modern dental facilities capable of improving the dental health of the local population, through the delivery of first class dental care and treatment.”

Chief Executive of NHS Education for Scotland, Malcolm Wright said: ”NHS Education for Scotland is delighted to learn that planning permission has been granted for the new dental ‘teach and treat’ centre on the Western Isles Hospital site in Stornoway.

“The centre will help teach dental students on outreach from Aberdeen University Dental School and it will support new graduates as they undertake their first post qualification year. In addition, links with the University for the Highlands and Islands (UHI) will allow Oral Health Therapists to be trained in the new centre.

“This is a very exciting time for service development and education and training for the dental team in the Western Isles and NHS Education for Scotland is pleased to be able to help deliver this new centre in partnership with key stakeholders.”

The building will be arranged over two storeys. Patients and staff will enter the building on the ground floor where they will be met with a main reception point and associated waiting space. The long and linear plan has a central corridor serving accommodation either side. General practitioner surgeries and patient areas will be located on the ground floor with training facilities and staff areas located on the first floor. Internally the vibrant, airy and welcoming atmosphere will attempt to de-stress and calm anxious patients. Internal spaces will be flooded with natural light through large window openings and strategically positioned roof lights where possible. The interior will provide NHS Western Isles with sufficient space to cope with current demands whilst incorporating scope for flexibility should this demand change in the future.

Associated car parking for the centre will be accommodated throughout the hospital campus with 21 dedicated patient only spaces located immediately adjacent to the centre on the northern edge of the site with controlled access. The Board hopes to create a further 88 car parking spaces on the Western Isles Hospital site and also alter the layout of the existing main car park to provide 32 barrier controlled patient only parking spaces all of which will remain free of charge.

A simple and elegant landscaping strategy has been incorporated into the proposals to help integrate the building on the site. A hard landscaped external plaza on the Eastern edge provides an active external space at the building entrance.  The western edge of the site incorporates tree planting to retain and continue the existing tree line onto Macaulay Road. Further tree planting on the southern edge aids privacy to the dental surgeries and provides solar shading in the summer. Hedge planting on the northern edge has been introduced to aid privacy to the adjacent residences.

It is the intention to reduce the carbon footprint of the building where possible through responsible design including passive measures. All occupied rooms can be naturally ventilated and day lit. Insulation levels will be increased and glazing specification to windows improved to reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain during summer.  The use of solar panels will be utilised as a renewable energy source for providing hot water to serve the building.

The Board has ensured that neighbouring residents have been kept up to date on the proposals from the early stages, with specific meetings being held for residents to discuss proposals. Points raised at meetings were taken into account as plans developed.

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles

Features, Lewis News, News Archives, Stornoway News

Cancer treatment targets surpassed

Feb 17th, 10 / 0 Comments

Nicola Sturgeon

Waiting times for people urgently referred and diagnosed with cancer have now surpassed their target for a year.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed the ISD Scotland figures, showing 96 per cent of patients who were urgently referred and subsequently diagnosed with cancer in June-September 2009 were treated within 62 days.

The national target is 95 per cent – and this has now been met each quarter since October- December 2008.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the figures indicated significant, sustained improvement within the NHS, with the comparable figure a year ago standing at 94.6 per cent and 84.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2007.

Ms Sturgeon said:

“These figures show that 96 per cent of people who are urgently referred and go on to be diagnosed with cancer are receiving treatment within two months – against a target of 95 per cent.

“This progress has now been sustained for a whole year and today’s figures show the average wait is 35 days, meaning the majority of patients urgently referred are actually treated within six weeks.

“Staff across the health service worked extremely hard to achieve this milestone for the first time at the end of 2008, and they have continued to work very hard indeed to keep this progress going.

“But we know there’s more to do and are working towards new targets by the end of 2011, including the ambitious goal to start treatment for all cancer patients within 31 days of their decision to treat.”

The Scottish Government’s cancer strategy, Better Cancer Care, introduces two new tougher targets by December 2011:

  • 62 days from referral to treatment for any patient urgently referred with a suspicion of cancer or through a national screening programme
  • 31 days from decision to treat to treatment for all cancer patients, whatever their route of referral
Lewis News, News Archives, Stornoway News, Uists

NHS Quality Strategy

Feb 8th, 10 / 0 Comments

Nicola Sturgeon

A blueprint for improving the quality of care patients receive from the NHS was announced today.

The Quality Strategy recognises that the patient’s experience of the NHS is about more than speedy treatment – it is the quality of care they get that matters most to them.

For the first time, the quality of care provided by the NHS will be measured through the experience of patients and the information will be used to drive up standards.

Patients will be encouraged to be partners in their own care and can expect to experience improvements in the things patients have said they want from their health service.

These are:

  • Caring and compassionate treatment
  • Clear communication and explanation
  • Effective collaboration with the clinician
  • Clean and safe care environment
  • Continuity of care Clinical excellence

The work of the Patient Safety Programme and the Healthcare Associated Infection taskforce will also be integrated into the Quality Strategy.

Over the coming months, all NHS boards will be expected to identify steps they can take to improve the quality of care they give.

The strategy was announced today at Drumchapel Health Centre in Glasgow, in a GP practice which actively involves patients in improving standards of care.

The practice uses the CARE measure, a patient questionnaire used to gather patients’ views and improve the quality of service it provides. It also has a patients’ representative group which meets regularly.

The CARE measure was developed by Professor Stewart Mercer of Glasgow University and is an approach which will now be considered for wider use throughout the NHS.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:

“The Quality Strategy will give the people of Scotland a new confidence in their NHS. Getting treated quickly is important, but the patient’s experience of their care and the outcome of the treatment they get is equally important. This is what the Quality Strategy recognises.

“We have always had some genuinely excellent care in the NHS. This strategy aims to ensure that this is provided to every person, every time.

“Patients may ask why this isn’t happening already. What I would say to them is that it is happening, but it needs to happen more reliably and consistently.

“For patients, the Quality Strategy means increasing dignity, being given the opportunity to be partners in their own care, the right to expect clean wards and decent food when you are in hospital. It also means that if a patient has an experience they do not feel was satisfactory, they will be able to make this known and they will see that it is being addressed.

“For staff, it gives them the opportunity to do the things that matter to them – provide care which is empathetic, compassionate and clinically excellent.

“Drumchapel Health Centre’s GP practice is a shining example of what we mean by high quality, person-centred care. The CARE measure and the patient representative group are the kinds of things that we will expect to see more of across Scotland under the Quality Strategy.”

CARE stands for Consultation and Relational Empathy and is a questionnaire used to measure communication and empathy during a consultation with a health professional.

The CARE measure asks ten questions which a patient is asked to fill in after their appointment.

Questions include: “How was the doctor /nurse at really listening?”

The questions have been designed using patients’ own words.

Completed questionnaires are fed back to staff to help encourage consideration of their skills in empathising with patients, which can lead to improvement in the quality of service provided.

The measure was developed with funding from the Chief Scientist Office and is free of charge.

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles

Lewis News, Stornoway News, Uists

Infection control measures in Western Isles Hospital

Jan 15th, 10 / 0 Comments

NHS Western Isles would like to advise members of the public that visiting hours in Western Isles Hospital are being restricted until further notice, as a small number of inpatients are currently experiencing symptoms common to the winter vomiting bug.

Whilst there have been no confirmed cases of Norovirus (winter vomiting bug) in the hospital to date, a small number of patients in Medical Wards 1 and 2 have recently experienced diarrhoea and vomiting.

Medical Ward 1 was yesterday closed to new admissions and the decision has been taken to restrict visiting hours in all wards to help prevent the spread of infection.

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson stated: “Visiting hours have now been restricted to between 3pm-4pm and 7pm-8pm and we would appreciate the cooperation of members of the public to help prevent the spread of infection within the hospital. Until further notice, we would also appreciate if visitors do not bring flowers or fruit to patients in the hospital, as a further infection control measure.”

Whilst there has been no laboratory confirmation of Norovirus in the Western Isles, Health Protection Scotland is currently reporting an increase in laboratory reports of the winter vomiting bug across Scotland. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting lasting 24 to 48 hours.

Dr Louise Scott, GP Health Protection Team NHS Western Isles, issued the following general health advice:

To minimise the spread of Norovirus within the home:

  • Wash your hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet – consider keeping separate towels to minimise the risk of cross-infection in the home.
  • Hand washing with soap and water, not just using the alcohol gels,  is important
  • Similarly clean and wash down any surfaces that have been contaminated with a bleach-based disinfectant. Take care to ensure that the disinfectant is used safely and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Don’t prepare food for other people as you may contaminate the food.

Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles

Features

Board must respond to NHS watchdog

Nov 10th, 09 / 0 Comments

Health chiefs have been ordered to explain why they have not shown they are acting on information provided by an NHS quality watchdog.

Western Isles Health Board is the only board not to have provided an “adequate” response to a project designed to improve the way health boards handle statistics, according to NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.

The board now has until December 11 to provide the watchdog with an update.

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