Healthcare on the Small Isles What’s WINTER 2015 inside... Small Isles model may Isles’ ‘new’ be adopted elsewhere

The way health and social care services are being delivered on the Small Isles is attracting interest in other parts of the country. centre to See page 2

January meeting on isles’ boat service open soon

NHS Highland is hold- ing a series of meetings THE new model of health and NHS Highland is looking at with Sandaig Marine to social care on the Small Isles, Formal what will take place at the look at the boat service which was introduced at the health fair – likely to be held in which brings health beginning of the year, repre- event may the café at the pier and in the board employees to the sented a significant change for community centre – but has islands. the islanders. be held repeated its call to islanders for See page 2 And another big change will ideas. take place in the spring when “This will be an event for the former doctor’s house on on day of islanders and we would urge Would you Eigg opens as a community them to help us plan it,” said health and wellbeing centre. health fair Gill McVicar, director of opera- prefer to be NHS Highland staff have tions for NHS Highland’s north been working on converting the and NHS Highland looks for- and west operational unit. “If seen by a premises, and the health board ward to working with them anyone has any ideas, please is now looking to purchase when the weather improves in pass them on to Sheena Kean, female GP? equipment and furniture. the spring to further improve the practice administrator on The internal layout of the the garden area. Eigg, any of the health and social Small Isles residents building will be markedly differ- The board hopes to get the care support workers, or either have been seen by male ent from when it was a home, new health and wellbeing centre of the GPs who serve the is- GPs over the past year. and some changes have been open for use as soon as possible lands.” But it is appreciated made to the original plans but it is planned to hold an offi- Meanwhile, NHS Highland is that some patients may drawn up for the centre. cial opening in the spring. continuing to consider options prefer to be seen by a As has previously been re- The intention is to hold the for making the existing surgery female doctor. ported, volunteers have done a formal opening on the day of available for community use See page 3 great job clearing overgrown the island’s first community when it is vacated. shrubbery around the house, health fair, probably in May. Internal plan: Page 3.

Produced by NHS Highland’s North and West Operational Unit, Larachan House, Dingwall Healthcare on the Small Isles Small Isles model may be adopted in other communities

THE way health and social care services are How have remote communities retaining GPs, in remote and rural communi- being delivered on the Small Isles is attract- solved healthcare challenges? ties. ing interest in other parts of the country … What role might technology play in The Small Isles is part of one of the four and it may well catch the eye of some over- providing healthcare in remote locations? test areas in which NHS Highland is deliver- seas healthcare providers too. In what innovative ways can health- ing its ‘Being Here’ work. NHS Highland management in Argyll and care workers or first responders be sup- That work has already seen a small Bute plan to see if the Small Isles model may ported to provide better care in remote group from NHS Highland visit Alaska to see be applicable in, for example, Coll, Colonsay, locations? how indigenous people deliver healthcare Jura and Islay. Can innovation in education and through the Southcentral Foundation. It was And what’s happening in the Small Isles is training make a difference to remote health- that fact-finding trip that in part inspired the sure to be of interest to delegates attending care? creation of the Small Isles’ rural health and a major conference to be held in Inverness These are all questions that NHS High- social care support workers. on 23th and 24th May. land has already considered in its work for It’s now hoped that two representatives The ‘Rethinking Remote: Innovative Solu- the ‘Being Here’ initiative, in which the from the Alaskan foundation will attend the tions in Remote Healthcare’ conference, to health board is fulfilling a Scottish Govern- Inverness conference and, although nothing be staged in Eden Court, will attract a range ment brief to devise and test innovative ways has yet been organised, it may well be that of speakers who will consider: of delivering healthcare, and recruiting and they visit Eigg while in the Highlands. January meeting planned to review islands’ boat service

BECAUSE of the weather, the boat which brings NHS been solved. Previously, it was occasionally not possible Highland’s doctors to the islands hasn’t always been able to dock the boat at the pier in Armadale. However, to sail – a situation that is being constantly reviewed. Caledonian MacBrayne have kindly agreed that Sandaig NHS Highland is holding regular contract manage- Marine can now dock the boat, free of charge, at the ment meetings with Sandaig Marine, with the last held linkspan. on 29th October and the next to be held on 29th January, And on the subject of video-conferencing, NHS High- to monitor how the service is operating. land is looking at how and when telehealth facilities can The decision not to sail on any given day is never be provided for residents of Rum, Muck and Canna. taken lightly. Ultimately, it’s Sandaig’s call, but the deci- The health board is also considering the provision of sion is taken after consultation with the GP due to travel a laptop computer or tablet so that people on the islands to the islands and Sheena Kean, the practice administra- can communicate remotely with a doctor via a secure tor on Eigg. network. Should the boat service be cancelled, islanders are It’s a system that’s been working well on Eigg, facili- offered appointments with a GP by telephone or by tated by Sheena Kean or one of the island’s three rural video-conferencing from the surgery on Eigg. health and social care support workers: Clare Miller, However, one problem with the boat service has Mairi Mackinnon and Berni McCoy. Healthcare on the Small Isles ALL CHANGE: What the former doctor’s house will look like

A revised floor plan of the new community health and wellbeing centre on Eigg Would you prefer to be seen by a female GP?

SINCE NHS Highland’s new model for the Small Isles started at the Applecross GP Dr Kirsten Duffy has agreed to help out on the beginning of the year, the islands’ visiting GPs have both been male: Small Isles, and when she does, her work will be covered by Drs Geoff Boyes and Angus Venters. neighbouring GPs in her area. However, the health board appreciates that there are occasions The intention is that Dr Claire Whitney, who is based at Broad- when people would prefer to be seen by a female general practitio- ford, will also be available to practise on the islands when she returns ner. to work from maternity leave. Anyone who wishes to be seen by a female doctor should let The issue of female GPs was raised with Dr Venters when he practice manager Sheena Kean know, and NHS Highland will do its attended a meeting of the Isle of Eigg Residents Association a few best to make it happen. months ago. Healthcare on the Small Isles Who to call if you need help Doctors grateful SMALL Isles resi- dents should by now be clear what to do if they feel they need out-of-hours healthcare. to new patients For the avoid- ance of doubt, they SEEING a new doctor for the up a good rapport with the for the islanders’ response to should call NHS 24 first time isn’t always a comfort- islanders, and I appreciate that.” the rural health and social care on 111, who will able experience – a fact recog- Appointments average support workers. assess needs and nised by Drs Angus Venters and around eight per visit to Eigg, “The support workers refer appropriately. Geoff Boyes, the two GPs who and obviously fewer on the clearly have a very important For emergencies, have been visiting the Small Isles other islands. While on Eigg, the role to play, and it’s good to see they should dial 999. throughout the year. GPs do telephone consultations them settle into their new For in-hours help “It’s important that as doc- with patients on the other is- roles,” said Dr Boyes. or enquiries, they tors we establish a good rela- lands, as well as doing referrals Three of the support work- should call Sheena tionship with our patients,” said and catching up on some admin ers live on Eigg and the fourth, Kean, the practice Dr Venters. “We’re both very work. Julie McFadzean, lives on Muck. administrator on grateful to our patients for mak- “The GPs are kept pretty Any resident of Canna or Rum Eigg. If she is not ing that process an easy one for busy on the islands,” said who would like to be consid- available, the call us. Sheena, “but they also deal with ered for a support worker’s will be diverted to “There will also be hiccups, Small Isles patients remotely post should get in touch with Broadford. such as when the boat can’t sail, when they are back in Skye.” Sheena Kean, the practice ad- but I do feel that we are building There has also been praise ministrator on Eigg. Training FLYING VISIT: Islanders’ on mission to airport sessions NHS Highland re- grets that its plans to hold Scottish Mental Health First Aid Training in No- vember had to be put on hold because of the weather. It’s now hoped to hold these and other training ses- sions for interested islanders in the spring. Further in- formation will be made available when a programme has been organised.

Rum calls FOR health and safety reasons, NHS Highland’s GPs can no longer use a room at Kinloch Castle on Rum as a surgery. THE Small Isles’ health and social care support workers and members of NHS Highland’s They now have rural support team enjoyed a fact-finding trip to Inverness Airport on 19th November, when to see patients in they were given an insight into the air ambulance service. their own homes on the island.