Highlights Director of Public Improved access to dental Staff immunisation - are Health consulted on services you protected? licensing applications p3 p4-5 p8 Issue 7: January / February 2012 Integrating Health and Social Care Services - Senior Appointments As from 1st April 2012, there will be a significant change to the management and co-ordination of some adult and children’s services in Northern Highland (ie the area covered by the Highland Council). NHS Highland will assume control of adult social care; and the Council will take over issues relating to children. This move will see around 1,400 Council employees coming across to be employed by NHS Highland; and 208 going from NHS Highland to the Highland Council. NHS Highland and The Highland Council are very pleased to announce some key senior appointments to support the move to integration of health and social services in April. In addition to The Highland Council appointments of Bill Alexander to Director of Health and Social Care and Hugh Fraser, as Director of Education, Culture and Sport made earlier this month, the following appointments are confirmed: NHS Highland: Director of Operations North and West Highland (Remote and Rural) Operating Unit – Gill McVicar Director of Operations South and Mid Highland (Inner Moray Firth) Operating Unit – Nigel Small Head of Adult Social Care – Brian Robertson The Highland Council: Head of Health – Sheena MacLeod Head of Social Care – Fiona Palin Elaine Mead, Chief Executive for NHS Highland, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to appoint such experienced senior managers into these key posts. They will bring with them many years of local expertise and knowledge about the way services are delivered across Highland. Over and above this all of them have demonstrated significant commitment, leadership and enthusiasm to the integration of health and social care which will benefit people of the Highlands. I look forward to working with them all.” In making these new arrangements the Highlands are leading the way in Scotland to integrate care systems. It means that staff will no longer have to work across two agencies to make decisions or allocate resources. In doing so it will improve better planning, consistency, be more effective and help to keep support more people to live in their own homes. - - Minister for Public Health opens Cardiac and Interventional Radiology Suite Raigmore Hospital today welcomed Michael Matheson, Minister for Public Health, to officially open the new £5.1 million purpose built, Cardiac and Interventional Radiology Suite. Dr Peter Clarkson (pictured right with the Minister), Head of Service for Cardiology, explained that cardiology services being provided in Highland have increased over the past few years and the new unit brings a wide range of benefits to cardiology patients. He said: “We started to expand the cardiology service provided within Raigmore Hospital in preparation for the new facilities. Due to space constraints, a temporary unit was put in place which allowed us to develop services further. “Since the service was set up, as many as 400 patients a year no longer have to travel to Aberdeen for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) – widening a narrowed artery). In addition, many hundreds of in- patients are now able to have angiograms locally.” The new state of the art unit, which was one part of a three phase project that also included the refurbishing of staff changing rooms and a brand new medical records department, will house cardiology and interventional radiology services. The new theatre suite for interventional radiology brings an improvement for patients requiring minimally invasive surgery and the staff working in the x-ray department. Dr Helen Shannon, Head of Service for Radiology, explained that the work done in interventional radiology, providing a wide range of minimally invasive treatments guided by imaging. She said: “The facility has been designed to operating theatre standards allowing vascular surgeons to work more closely with interventional radiologists. Procedures, which previously involved open operations, can now be performed using keyhole techniques. It also allows emergency department staff to treat critically ill patients.” The new facilities are designed for greater patient comfort with dedicated preparation and recovery areas. The unit allows greater nursing efficiency and supervision by its well appointed design. The Minister also received a tour of the staff changing rooms and the medical records department. The staff changing rooms were refurbished, which not only reduced space but now also meets infection control needs. In addition, a brand new Medical Records department was built making it more spacious and efficient and allowing the Cardiac and Interventional Radiology Suite to go where the previous Medical Records department was. Public Health Minister, Michael Matheson, said: “The opening of the Cardiac and Interventional Radiology Suite at Raigmore Hospital is a huge step forward for patients and healthcare in the Highlands. “The facility fits with our vision of delivering more sustainable, high- quality and continually improving health services closer to home. “Patients will benefit from new surgical techniques as well as being treated in the best possible surroundings.” - 2 - Director of Public Health consulted on licensing applications NHS Highland’s Director or Public Health is now consulted on all licensing applications in the area covered by the Health Board. The Licensing Act (Scotland) 2005, which came into effect in 2009, introduced five core licensing objectives, one of which requires each licensing board to consider the impact of the availability of alcohol on public health. Another requirement of the act is that, from October 1 last year, all licensing applications in Scotland have to be sent to the relevant Director of Public Health for their opinion. Dr Margaret Somerville (pictured) said: “NHS Highland is working with The Highland Council Licensing Board to provide members with information on the health effects of alcohol. The public health department provided a report on rates of hospital admissions attributable to alcohol for all 22 wards within The Highland Council area. “At present, there is no single methodology for calculating overprovision, but NHS Highland believes that excessively high levels of alcohol related harm to health indicate harmful and high levels of alcohol consumption in those areas. “Such high levels of consumption occur because alcohol is both widely available and affordable in these areas. We therefore consider such areas to be overprovided.” The wards identified as being overprovided were Caol and Mallaig, Cromarty Firth, Dingwall and Seaforth, Eilean a' Chèo, Fort William and Ardnamurchan, Inverness Regularly drinking too much can seriously impact on your health. In the Central, Inverness, Millburn, short term, you may have disturbed sleep, feel sluggish the next day, start to Inverness Ness-Side, Inverness gain a bulging waistline and suffer brittle hair and nails, as well as looking older and speeding up the ageing process unnecessarily. West, Landward Caithness, Thurso and Wick. Over the long term regularly exceeding the sensible drinking guidelines can Dr Somerville said: “NHS add years to our faces. Once the lines are there it’s very difficult to get rid of Highland is keen for the them. It’s much easier and a lot less painful to take a preventative approach licensing board to consider the to ageing and reduce alcohol amounts before the lines appear than wait to see the effects then cut down. potential effect on the health of local people when granting In addition regularly drinking more than the sensible drinking guidelines licenses in these areas. could have much more serious effects on our health like an increased risk of high blood pressure, chronic liver disease and even breast cancer. “And we can all do our bit to help change the drinking culture You can see how regularly overindulging could be affecting your health and in the Highlands by keeping looks by downloading a new free ‘drinking time machine’ app, which shows within the sensible drinking just how much that extra glass could be affecting your face. The app can be limits. downloaded from www.drinksmarter.org “Drinking sensibly means you’re Sensible Drinking Limits likely to sleep better, feel happier, have more energy, save Women: 2-3 units per day and no more than 14 units per week. Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. money, feel more positive, have less accidents and injuries and Men: 3-4 units per day and no more than 21 units per week. argue less.” Everyone should have at least two alcohol free days per week. - 3 - Working Group to examine Cowal Out of Hours GP Services As part of the NHS Highland Better Health, Better Care, Better Value process, a Working Group ‘Cowal 24/7’ has been convened to examine and develop potential options for the sustainable provision of GP out of hours services for the Cowal peninsula and medical cover within Cowal Community Hospital. The group, which held its fifth meeting on Thursday January 26, is co-chaired by a member of the public (Heather Grier) and Dr Brian McLachlan (Clinical Lead for Helensburgh & Lomond). Membership also includes GPs, councillors, public and community council representatives, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS 24, nursing staff and other health professionals. Heather Grier said: “I would like to thank all the members of the Cowal 24/7 Working Group for their hard work and commitment in examining and developing future plans for the delivery of out of hours GP services in Cowal. “There are already a number of community representatives on the working group who are working closely with other stakeholders to keep the public informed of our plans so far. However, we are always looking for more public representatives to become involved.” The group agreed that work would start on putting together a broad list of service options and, once this is completed, to further engage with the public across Cowal to explain the options in more detail.