THE NHS HIGHLAND STAFF NEWSPAPER December 2018 HighNOVEMBERlights 2015 AWARD WINNERS Staff’s hard work and dedication pays off STAFF AND TEAMS working for NHS Highland have Two senior nurse practitioners, Lorraine Watson and won a bountiful number of awards in the run up to the Anne Campbell, based in East/Mid Ross Adult Community Festive Season this year. Mental Health team won two awards at the Mental Health Whether they were UK, national, or local, these awards help to show the level of dedication and commitment that staff Continued on page 2 make to provide the best possible delivery of health and social care to the communities they serve. And in Highlights, we have included stories in this Christ- Festive fun on ‘Christmas Jumper Day’! mas edition marking their achievements. Professor Angus Watson won the Innovation Award for his work in research, development and innovation and Lesley Blaikie, won the Nurse Award for her work to support people living with cystic fibrosis at the Scottish Health Awards in No- vember. Specialist pharmacists Liz Buist and Rebecca McLelland’s poster about the pilot to improve the wellbeing of patients with mental health issues in remote and rural practices won the Service Development Category at the College of Mental Health’s International Conference. The Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service team at Osprey House, Inverness were awarded an HQA for improving access for patient’s drug and alcohol support. Raigmore Hospital’s domestic services team also won an HQA for demonstrating their willingness for going ‘above and beyond’ to support patients, especially earlier this year after the clostridium difficile outbreak, the ‘Beast from the East’ the flu outbreak, and significant issues in the hospital’s theatres. Despite work pressures, big-hearted staff across NHS Highland took time to help raise money for Mr James Beastall, Trauma and Orthopaedic consultant at good causes. Find out more on page 7. Raigmore was recognised for his work with an Honorary Cita- tion from the College of Podiatry. - - Staff recognition Help us to fight loneliness and Continued from front social isolation. Check out: http://www.reachout.scot.nhs.uk Contents 4 Statement from David Alston 5 A&B’s Joanna Macdonald 6 Caithness Consultation 8 CarePortral goes ‘live’ 9 Specialist pharmacists Award 10 HQA awards 13 Award winner: Mandi Smith 14 Queen’s Nurses 16 Technology: Suicide app Above: Raigmore’s Domestic 17 Comings & Goings Services team receiving its 19 Smoke-free charter HQA from David Alston 21 Q&A: David Ross Keep us informed Below: Rebecca McLelland, Karen Macaskill and Liz Buist; Do you know of something you Lesley Blaikie; and Angus Wat- think should be featured in High- ton receiving their awards lights? An award, an achievement, The Osprey House, Drug and Alco- a piece of research, an appoint- hol Recovery team receiving their ment, a retiral … you name it, award from NHS Highland chair, Highlights has a place for it. Please David Alston. send your articles to mark. Nursing Forum Awards. They won [email protected] (01463 704876). both the ‘Dementia Care’ and ‘Practice of the Year’ awards at the annual event in Glasgow. Mandi Smith, lead specialist heart failure nurse, at Raigmore Hospital You can follow was one of five UK winners of the NHS Highland on... ‘You’re Simply Marvellous’ Award. Two nurses were awarded the WEBSITE prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse. www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk Cathanna Smith and Julie Lennon were both presented with a certifi- FACEBOOK cate and badge by Scotland’s chief https://www.facebook.com/ nursing officer Professor Fiona NHSHighland McQueen during the awards cere- TWITTER mony at The Principal Edinburgh on www.twitter.com/NHSHighland or George Street hotel (Thursday 29th @NHSHighland November 2018). And last, but not least, the On- cology Department at Raigmore won the Hospital Pharmacy Team of the Year Award at this year’s Scottish Pharmacy Awards. - 2 - CHRISTMAS MESSAGE Personal message from Elaine Mead, Chief executive, NHS Highland As we move into the last few hectic days I have been proud to be a part of the of the festive season, I want to take a mo- NHS Highland story. ment to thank you all for the work that I plan to stay living with my family in you do every day providing care to people my home in the Highlands, and look to all who quite literally trust you with their of you to continue the great work that lives and loved ones. I have been keeps us all safe. It is with mixed emotions that I come Thank you from the bottom of my to the end of my tenure as Chief Execu- proud to be heart. tive with this wonderful organisation, and extensive family. a part of There is no way to sum up the experi- ‘the NHS Elaine ences that I have had over the last thir- teen years, but I can reflect on the kind- H i g h l a n d “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself ness, compassion and professionalism that story in the service of others.” I have seen across every one of the hun- Mahatma Ghandi dreds of services that I have had the pleasure to visit. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to lead this organisation, and ’ REVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR taff at Wick’s Town & County Hospital had a fantastic re- S sponse to their Reverse Advent Calendar appeal to help local families and residents in need enjoy a Merry Christmas this year. Rather than receiving a treat each day as with traditional advent calendars, the big-hearted staff asked that colleagues and visitors donate a treat to someone who needs help instead. Pam Garbe, NHS Highland’s Rural General Hospitals man- ager for Caithness, said: “It was such a lovely thing to do, and something that reminds you what Christmas should really be all about.” Pictured right delivering the donations to Caithness Food- bank are (front row, left to right) - Michelle MacGregor, Cris- tian Neculau, Rachel Guy and Wendy Oag, and Caithness food- bank staff (back row left to right) volunteer Alexander Glasgow and chairman Grant Ramsay. - 3 - QC APPOINTED DOCTORS AT WORK Chair offers apology Pupils experience PUPILS TAKING part in this year’s ‘Doctors at Work’ pro- for ‘hurt and sorrow’ gramme have experienced for the first time what it is like to work as At the November Board meeting ried out by John Sturrock QC. As a a General Practitioner (GP). of NHS Highland we acknowledged QC he will bring a rigour to the The ‘Doctors at Work’ pro- that there is a great deal of hurt review and, more importantly, he gramme, which has been running and sorrow among our staff: for will bring his skill as an internation- in NHS Highland for seven years, those who have been the victims of ally recognised mediator. We must is a five day placement for secon- unacceptable behaviour; those who let him help us engage in better dary pupils in Highland who are feel they have been unjustly criti- conversations. Mr Sturrock has interested in studying medicine. cised; and for those who simply do commenced his work and has Dr Shona McClure, a GP at Culloden and a GP Teaching Fel- not recognise some of the ways in started meeting with staff. low with NHS Highland explained which NHS High- With his appoint- that pupils are given the opportu- land has been ment comes the nity to observe the work done by portrayed. There opportunity to doctors across a range of special- are different move forward and ties in a variety of medical and views but what is my appeal would surgical disciplines. However, until common to all is As the Board be that everyone this year the programme did not the hurt and sor- brings to this re- include any experience of general row. of NHS High- view both an open practice. She said: “It can be difficult for As the Board mind and a big land, and as pupils to arrange to shadow a GP of NHS Highland, heart: a mind open at work for a variety of reasons, and as chair of chair of the to hear things that including patient confidentiality the Board, we ‘ may be uncom- issues, especially for those pupils Board, we apologised sin- fortable, for what- living in remote and rural loca- cerely to anyone apologised sin- ever reason, and a tions. who has experi- cerely to any- big heart to em- “This year, building on the al- enced bullying, brace the solutions ready successful programme, NHS past or present. one who has and resolutions Highland’s Medical Education GP team introduced a session entitled I think it is needed to move experienced ‘what is a GP?’ which gave pupils a important that forward. Our chance to observe simulated GP you are all, as our bullying, past thanks to all those consultations followed by interac- staff, aware of or present. who have engaged tive discussions about the skills this acknowl- with the process they observed. They also had the edgement and so far. opportunity to talk to GPs about apology. The report pre- their careers. The Board of sented to the Feedback from the pupils tak- NHS Highland Board on 27th No- ing part in this new session was extremely positive with the major- has consistently vember by Adam ity reporting an increase in their recognised that there have been Palmer, Employee Director, and confidence in their knowledge of incidences of bullying within the myself, outlined the steps that the the role of a GP after the session.