Highland HealthVOICES July 2010 Issue 52 Highland HealthVOICES G U T H S l à i n t e n a G a i d h e a l t a c h d Network News Inside this issue: 1. Forthcoming meetings........................................................................ 1 2. Future health services in West Caithness ........................................ 2 3. New cardiology service for Highland patients.................................. 3 4. Second MRI Scanner introduced at Raigmore Hospital .................. 3 5. Redesign of East Sutherland Midwifery Services ............................ 4 6. Member committee reports ................................................................ 4 7. First Scottish Dementia Strategy launch .......................................... 5 8. Guide dogs change your life .............................................................. 5 9. Nature as a healer................................................................................ 6 10. Improvement work for Ross Memorial Hospital............................ 6 11. Work starts on Action Plan for Skye and Lochalsh...................... 7 12. Breastfeeding Awareness ............................................................... 8 13. On line Stroke Carers Information Project .................................... 8 14. Support needs for patients.............................................................. 8 15. X Programme .................................................................................... 9 16. Falls prevention plan ..................................................................... 10 17. A right blether................................................................................. 10 18. Scotland’s Top Healthcare Manager 2010 ................................... 11 19. Newsletters and reports ................................................................ 11 20. Events.............................................................................................. 12 Produced by Public Engagement Team, Freepost RLUC-KBCH-KKHC, NHS Highland, Assynt House, Inverness IV2 3BW: Gill Keel, Head of Public Engagement 01463 704775, Email: [email protected] Karen Burnett, HHVN Coordinator 01463 704702, Email: [email protected] Lynda Gilfillan, (mornings Mon-Thurs), Administration Assistant 01463 704903, Email [email protected] Fax: 01463 235189 General email: [email protected] Website: NHS Highland Get Involved 1. Forthcoming meetings The programme below gives the next dates for each committee or Board meeting. The NHS Highland Board, Community Health Partnership and Raigmore meetings are all held in public, so you are very welcome to attend (but the staff contact would appreciate a call in advance so they can prepare anything if required). The meetings are also attended by the local Public Partnership Forum members so feel free to contact them if you want an issue raised or need more information. Date Committee or Venue/Time Contact for details HHVN member contact Group Tues 10th NHS Highland Board Room, Lorraine Power, Board [Not applicable] August Board Assynt Services Administrator, Agenda and papers House, Assynt House, available on NHS Inverness Beechwood Park, Highland website a week Inverness prior to meeting Tues 17th North Highland 2.00pm, Kay Oswald, CHP Liz Smith, Primary Aug CHP Marine Hotel, Support Manager, North Committee Member Committee Brora Highland Community Tel: 01847 893423 Health Partnership, Email: Caithness General [email protected] Hospital, Bankhead Road, Wick, KW1 5NS Allan Tubb, Deputy Tel: 01955 880246 Committee Member E mail: Tel: 0845 458 9261 [email protected] Tuesday A&B Public 10am in Mid Gail McGeachy Robin Creelman, Chair 17th Partnership Argyll Secretary to Planning A&B PPF and CHP August Forum Community Contracting & Committee Member Hospital & Performance, NHS 01369 820222 Integrated Highland, Aros, [email protected] Care Centre Lochgilphead PA31 8LB Evelyn Hide, Vice Chair Tel: 01546 605681 A&B PPF and CHP Email: Committee Member [email protected] [email protected] m Thurs South East 2.00pm in Sue Blackhurst, Hamish Wood, Primary 19th Aug Highland CHP Board Room, Committee Committee Member Committee Assynt Administrator, South Email: House East Highland [email protected] Community health Tel: 0845 0956158 Partnership, Alder Dr Kate Adamson, Deputy House, Cradlehall Committee Member Business Park, Email: Inverness IV2 5GH [email protected] Tel: 01463 706984 m [email protected] 1 Date Committee or Venue/Time Contact for details HHVN member contact Group Mon 23rd Raigmore 10.30 – Lynn Lawrence, Jim Fry, Committee Aug Hospital 1.00pm Business Support Member Committee TBA Manager, General Tel: 01847 892045 Manager’s Office, A member of the Raigmore Hospital, Old Raigmore Patients’ Perth Road, Inverness, Council is also on this IV2 3UJ Tel: 01463 committee – contact 705152 Lynda if you’d like to get in [email protected] touch with them Wed 25th Argyll & Bute 1.00pm in Margaret Johnston, Robin Creelman, Chair Aug CHP Campbelltown General Manager’s A&B PPF and CHP Committee Aqualibirium Office, Argyll & Bute Committee Member CHP, Aros, 01369 820222 Lochgilphead, Argyll [email protected] PA31 8LB Evelyn Hide, Vice Chair Tel: 01546 605682 A&B PPF and CHP Email: Committee Member [email protected] [email protected] Fri 27th Mid Highland 10.00am in Jackie Jefferson, Mid Isobel Macdonald and Annie Aug CHP Training CHP Committee MacLeod - through Jackie Committee Room, CCH, Administrator, Larachan Jefferson Invergordon House, 9 Docharty Road, Dingwall IV15 9UG Tel: 01349 869200 [email protected] 2. Future health services in West Caithness At the end of June local people got involved with a reference group to help start shaping sustainable health services for West Caithness. The group was given information on the health needs of local people to help them consider the best way to meet these needs in the future within the resources available. Initially, a stakeholder group was set up, involving members of the North Highland Community Health Partnership Management Team, staff, local GPs, Highland Council Social Work and patient and public representatives. The stakeholder group has been looking at the issues and challenges and has done some work on outlining potential options for the future. This work was fed back to the new reference group, which has been set up as part of a wider public engagement exercise. The new reference group includes members of the former stakeholder group, more members of the local community and representatives of other groups and partner organisations. Feedback from the meeting has been very helpful. Caithness Locality General Manager, Pauline Craw, said: “The aim of the exercise is to ensure that we are providing good quality, effective and efficient healthcare in the most appropriate setting and that this is based on the needs of our patients.” 2 “The reference group looked at existing services and the changing health needs of the community to help us redesign services to make the best use of the resources available to us and we are looking forward to continuing to work with staff, patients, carers, the local community and other interested parties to ensure this is achieved.” If you would like more information on the project or the reference group you should contact Tracy Overton on 01955 880221 or at [email protected] . 3. New cardiology service for Highland patients An expansion to the cardiology service at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness means as many as 400 patients a year will no longer need to travel outwith the Highland area for cardiac treatment. Patients requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) – the balloons and stents into patient’s arteries to open up narrowings that can cause a heart attack or angina – can now be treated in Inverness following the setting up of the PCI service in Inverness. Professor Steve Leslie is one of two interventional cardiologists working for NHS Highland. He said: “This is great news for the patients in Highland. By having this service here in Inverness our patients won’t have to travel to another centre such as Aberdeen or Edinburgh. They’ll be treated locally, be seen more quickly and they will get the procedure done by doctors who they know and are familiar with. The service will run during normal working hours throughout the week so some patients will still have to travel if they need to be treated at weekends or out of hours but for the majority they can be treated closer to home. 4. Second MRI Scanner introduced at Raigmore Hospital Patients in NHS Highland now have access to updated MRI imaging following the introduction of a second MRI Scanner at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. MRI is a safe and highly sophisticated imaging method with no radiation. The new scanner, which was delivered in March and operational from April, is of high specification meaning it will offer the most up-to-date MRI scanning available, offering improved imaging on a wide number of treatments for patients and help continue the work in further reducing waiting times Dr Helen Shannon is Head of Service for Radiology at Raigmore Hospital. She said: “We scan an average of 450 patients in the MRI department each month. The state of the art technology of the new scanner will improve diagnosis in many areas from scans of joints and orthopaedic conditions to abdominal diseases to assessment of cancer. Some patients will now benefit from MRI scans in place of other scans using potentially