Slainte (Autumn '11) - NHS Western Isles

Debra’s the 

cover girl! 

page 7 

Slàinte NHS Western Isles Staff Magazine – Autumn 2011 

Babies 

revealed! 

page 5 

Walk the Walk! 

page 16 

best 

at what 

we do! 

Investing in revolutionary life-saving equipment 

Pictured with the new 

AutoPulse are Emma-Jane 

Trayner, Resuscitation and 

Clinical Skills Facilitator; 

Gordon Jamieson, Chief 

Executive of NHS Western 

Isles; and Lucy Parker, 

Northern Territory Manager of 

ZOLL Medical, who delivered 

training to staff (see page 4 for 

the full story). 

etter Health Better Care Better Here

Slàinte 

Editorial Team 

EDITOR 

Maggie Fraser 

maggie.fraser1@nhs.net 

01851 708060 (x.3060) 

UISTS 

Katherine Mathis 

hpuist@nhs.net 

01870 603241 

Alicia Campbell 

alicia.campbell@nhs.net 

01870 603600 

BARRA 

Clare Macneil 

clare.macneil@nhs.net 

01871 810465 

PUBLIC HEALTH/ 

HEALTH PROMOTION 

Marissa Maclennan 

marissa.maclennan@nhs.net 

01851 701545 

Angela Grant 

angelagrant1@nhs.net 

01851 708033 (x.3033) 

WESTERN ISLES HOSPITAL 

Diana Shearer 

diana.shearer@nhs.net 

01851 704704 (x.2278) 

Mike Hutchison 

mikehutchison@nhs.net 

01851 704704 (x.2410) 

HEALTH BOARD OFFICES 

Joanna Kelly 

joanna.kelly1@nhs.net 

01851 708063 (x.3063) 

CHaSCP 

Lorraine Macritchie 

lorraine.macritchie@nhs.net 

01851 708057 

If you are interested in joining the 

Editorial Team please contact Maggie 

Fraser. Membership involves submitting 

articles, photos and ideas for content for 

issues of Slainte. 

CONTACT US 

Email: Slainte@nhs.net 

Tel: 01851 708060 (x.3060) 

SUBMISSIONS 

Please send items for the next issue no 

later than 11th November 2011. 

(Due to space limitations, late 

submissions may be saved and 

used in a future edition) 

The Editor reserves the right to adapt as 

appropriate any contributions. 

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2 

Sl àinte 

NHS Western Isles Staff Magazine – Autumn 2011 

Chief Executive’s Open Staff Meetings 

Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson will be holding Open Staff Meetings 

throughout the year, to which all staff are invited to attend. The meetings 

for the remainder of the year will be held as follows: 

22nd September 2011, 2.00-3.00, Clinical Skills, Western Isles Hospital 

6th October 2011, 2.00-3.00, St Brendan’s Hospital (via videolink) 

13th October 2011, 4.00-5.00, CHaSCP Meeting Room, Health Centre 

28th October 2011, 2.00-3.00, Meeting Room 2, Health Board Offi ces 

3rd November 2011, 2.00-3.00, Uist and Barra Hospital (via videolink) 

7th November 2011, 2.00-3.00, Clinical Skills, Western Isles Hospital 

21st November 2011, 4.00-5.00, St Brendan’s Hospital (via videolink) 

15th December 2011, 2.00-3.00, CHaSCP Meeting Room, Health Centre 

16th December 2011, 2.00-3.00, Meeting Room 2, Health Board Offi ces 

19th December 2011, 2.00-3.00, Uist and Barra Hospital (via videolink) 

Emergency Medical 

Retrieval Service 

1pm—5.30pm 

5th October 2011 

Education around overdose, pneumonia and head injuries, including 

case presentations, scenarios and an update on Western Isles Cases. 

This session is aimed at: All consultants, Junior Doctors, Clinical 

Support Nuses, Emergency Nurse Practitioners, Operating 

Department Practitioners, Theatre, Emergency and High Dependency 

Unit staff. 

For further information or to book a place please contact Claire 

Mackenzie (Professional Practice Administrator) on 01851 708146 or 

by email on claire.mackenzie1@nhs.net 

COURSE TO BE HELD IN CLINCIAL SKILLS AREA, 

WESTERN ISLES HOSPITAL, STORNOWAY

Foreword from 

the 

Chair 

The Health Board’s Annual 

Review is scheduled for October 

5 2011 and I hope that many of 

the public and staff will take the 

opportunity to come along and 

participate in the occasion. There 

is now a signifi cant change to 

the Boards’ review system in that 

the Cabinet Secretary, from this 

year onwards, will be conducting 

reviews on a biennial basis and 

thus will not be present in person 

at the NHS Western Isles event 

in 2011. A representative from 

the Scottish Government Health 

Department will attend on behalf 

of the Cabinet Secretary and in 

the capacity of an observer. 

While the presence of the 

Cabinet Secretary at a review 

meeting is an obvious attraction 

for the public and the staff, 

the new system allows Health 

Boards whose reviews are 

not being conducted by the 

Cabinet Secretary, to consider 

the opportunities for making 

changes in the format of 

presentation along with the 

Life after the Staff Survey! 

Our track record as an 

organisation speaks for itself 

over the last four to fi ve years, 

as we have increased in our 

capacity, capability and our 

general optimism for the 

future. It is fair to say that 

looking at the organisation 

objectively, it has not been 

in such a strong position for 

almost a decade. Our staff 

must take credit for that, at all 

levels, as we have continually 

worked to raise the standards 

of care and services that we 

provide for the people of the 

Western Isles. 

Every two years, we take 

the temperature of the 

organisation by means of 

the National Staff Survey. 

It is extremely important as 

we plan for the future and 

the modernisation of our 

services that we understand 

the views and feelings of 

the staff that work within 

the organisation. The Staff 

Survey has been a very 

helpful means of measuring 

progress, acknowledging 

and recognising our areas 

of success and highlighting 

the areas on which we clearly 

need to focus to improve 

the working environment 

and conditions for staff and 

patients. The last Staff Survey 

possibilities of opening the 

ways for more public and staff 

engagement at the review 

meeting. The attendance by 

staff in the past has always 

been good and I hope that this 

will continue. The attendance 

by the public in the past has 

been sparse and we will 

consider ways of attracting 

more people to the offi cial 

meeting. 

It is probably fair to say that 

the description of an event as 

an Annual Review, given that it 

is a look at the past, does not 

commend itself instantly to the 

conscious mind as an occasion 

of either major information or 

entertainment. However, from 

the Board’s point of view it is 

an occasion for formally taking 

stock of what we have done 

over the previous year and 

reporting as a public body to 

the public which we serve, it is a 

time for scrutiny and a time for 

staff and public to ask questions 

of the Board and thus hold it 

to account. Having access to 

Health Boards as public bodies 

and having the citizen’s right to 

seek and receive responses on 

aspects of the Health Service 

are not unimportant features of 

a democratic and accountable 

society. 

The Western Isles Health Board 

has a good story to tell of the 

year 2010-2011, with information 

about the challenges faced and 

details of the achievements 

of the Health Service. These 

achievements refl ect the major 

efforts made by all sections of 

the Health Service to meet the 

targets, aims and objectives 

Message from the 

Chief Executive 

results were published in 

January 2011 and, as always, 

we took the time to carry out a 

detailed analysis of the fi ndings 

for NHS Western Isles. 

It is fair to say that the results 

charted steady and substantial 

progress in many areas and we 

should acknowledge and be 

pleased about that. However, 

the Staff Survey is not only 

about celebrating what is 

good; it is about highlighting 

areas where further work can 

be done. In response to the 

fi ndings, I undertook to Chair 

the Staff Survey Working Group 

whose role and remit is to 

take forward specifi c issues 

that have arisen and to deliver 

tangible progress in each of 

these areas. I thought I would 

take this opportunity to let 

you know of the main areas of 

work, all of which are important 

and all of which are well 

underway; some approaching, 

if not already having reached 

conclusion. 

Achieving Progress 

One of the fi rst areas that we 

Last year’s Annual Review in An Lanntair, Stornoway. 

are dealing with is the very 

important area of physical 

violence/ emotional and verbal 

abuse. We are working at the 

moment to reemphasise the 

position of the organisation, 

which remains that of zero 

tolerance towards such 

behaviour by members of the 

public or indeed staff. There 

are a number of initiatives 

underway for, example, a 

revised Employee Code of 

Conduct and some visible 

material which will be displayed 

to ensure that the message is 

clear. 

Reinvigorating the ‘Give 

Respect, Get Respect’ 

message will also result in 

very clear guidance for staff on 

the ‘ground rules’ regarding 

acceptable and unacceptable 

behaviour. 

Confi dentiality was also raised 

via the Staff Survey, highlighting 

a perception that it may not 

be as strong as it should be. 

There is no question about 

the consequences of a proven 

breach of confi dentiality and 

for the year. The Health Board 

members are conscious that the 

foundation of all that has been 

achieved is the commitment 

of staff to the people in their 

care, whether that is front-line 

staff or those providing the 

infrastructure support in the 

background. On behalf of the 

Board I would wish to register 

my thanks for their dedication to 

the community of the Western 

Isles and I hope that the details 

of the Annual Review report 

fully convey to the public the 

exceptional calibre of the local 

Health Service. 

Neil R Galbraith 

we are working at present on 

a confi dentiality agreement 

which, will be a requirement 

for employees to sign up to. 

It is very important for staff 

to be able to have the 

opportunity to put forward 

their ideas, to be heard 

and, where appropriate, to 

speak out where practices 

are of concern to them. 

Work is currently underway 

on identifying the channels 

available to staff to have their 

views heard, and also on an 

updated whistleblowing policy 

and guidance. 

As you may also be aware, 

a security group has been 

established for NHS Western 

Isles and that group will 

be taking forward the very 

important issues of access 

and egress to our buildings, 

further advancing modern 

proximity access sensors and 

the issue of both internal and 

external CCTV; all of which are 

important in providing a safe 

environment for patients and 

staff. 

These are just a range of the 

issues that the Group has 

taken on board and you will 

be kept updated as progress 

is achieved. These are clearly 

important areas for all of us. 

Gordon G. Jamieson 

3

Slàinte Autumn 2011 

Investing in 

revolutionary 

life-saving 

equipment 

NHS Western Isles has become 

the fi rst Health Board in Scotland 

to invest in new equipment to 

help save the lives of victims of 

sudden cardiac arrest. 

An AutoPulse non invasive 

cardiac support pump has 

been purchased for Western 

Isles Hospital. The device 

delivers continuous high 

quality chest compressions to 

victims of cardiac arrest much 

more effectively than manual 

compressions, which means 

improved blood fl ow to the heart 

and brain during sudden cardiac 

arrest. Additionally, it offers the 

benefi t of freeing up clinicians 

to focus on other life-saving 

interventions. 

NHS Western Isles Resuscitation 

and Clinical Skills Facilitator, 

Emma-Jane Trayner, explained: 

“AutoPulse allows rescuers 

to provide compressions in 

a ‘hands free’ manner while 

performing other life-saving 

activities. It delivers improved 

blood fl ow (by squeezing the 

entire chest) without interruptions 

of fatigue, and provides hospital 

caregivers better access to the 

patient, resulting in the possibility 

of improved survival for cardiac 

arrest victims.” 

NHS Western Isles Chief 

Executive, Gordon Jamieson, 

added: “NHS Western Isles 

recognises the contribution 

that this new equipment can 

make to improving patient 

care and survival rates from 

sudden cardiac arrest in certain 

situations, and this is why we 

took the decision to become the 

fi rst Board in Scotland to invest 

in an AutoPulse. The importance 

of being able to provide 

continuous, high quality chest 

compressions during emergency 

situations - whilst also freeing 

up clinical and medical staff to 

attend to the critical needs of 

patients - is immeasurable when 

every second counts.” 

Appropriate clinical staff have 

been trained in the use of the 

AutoPulse and the device is 

situated in the Accident and 

Emergency Department for 

use as required. NHS Western 

Isles will be considering the 

appropriate citing of this type of 

equipment in additional areas to 

further support emergency care 

services in the Western Isles. 

4 

The Babies Revealed! 

Prize 

Winners! 

Congratulations to Joan 

Macarthur, Senior Charge 

Nurse (Community), and 

Jane Montgomery, Infection 

Control Administrator, who 

both correctly identifi ed all 

the babies in the ‘Guess the 

Babies’ competition in the 

last issue of Slàinte. 

Thanks to everybody who 

entered the competition. 

We had a good number 

of entries (but very few 

managed to guess all our 

babies correctly!). 

Joan won an Archos 8GB 

MP4 player with built in video 

camera, and Jane won a 

Goodman CD Micro System 

with IPod Dock. The IPod 

Dock was kindly donated by 

WeeW. 

NHS Western Isles Chaplains, 

Calum Russell and TK 

Shadakshari, recently attended 

an event in Stornoway to 

welcome Cardinal O’ Brien to 

the Western Isles. 

The event marked the fi rst 

Pictured are Jane Montgomery 

(left) and Joan Macarthur 

(second from right) receiving 

their prizes from Slàinte 

Editorial Team members Diana 

Shearer and Joanna Kelly 

(right). 

Cardinal visits Stornoway 

time that a Cardinal has visited 

Stornoway, and also marked 

the 50 th Anniversary of the 

Parish of Ar Fear-Saoraidh 

Naomh, Our Holy Redeemer, 

Stornoway, when Mass was 

held in a local café. 

Cardinal O’Brien, the Bishop 

of Argyll and the Isles Joseph 

Toal, and Parish Priest 

Father Roddy Johnston are 

pictured having afternoon tea 

with Church Ministers and 

Chaplains in the Parish House.

The Babies Revealed! 

1 2 3 

4 5 6 

7 8 

9 


1 Agnes Munro 

2 Angus McCormack 

3 Lachlan Macpherson 

4 Sheila Nicolson 

5 Jon Harris 

6 Jim Ward 

7 Maggie Fraser 

8 Phil Tilley 

9 Denise Wilson 

10 Mairi Murray 

11 Janice Mackay 

12 Martin Jones 

13 Jenny Porteous 

14 Diana Shearer 

10 

11 

12 13 14 

5


Wireless 

internet access 

installed at NHS 

residences 

Wireless internet access is now 

available to all NHS staff living 

in the residences at Laxdale 

Court. 

Around 60 people will benefi t 

from the development, which 

will enable residents to access 

training materials without 

having to come to the hospital, 

as well as having access to 

communication tools such as 

Skype without having to use 

the NHS network. 

NHS Western Isles IT Manager 

Jon Harris explained: “The 

main driver was to enable 

access to training materials 

for medical and nursing 

staff without requiring them 

to be in the main hospital 

site. Previously there had 

been no internet access at 

the residences, but it is now 

available to all staff and visitors 

staying there.” 

The development was 

possible thanks to the North 

of Scotland Deanery, which 

contributed £1,000 towards 

installing a wireless network, 

and the NHS Western Isles IT 

Department, which managed 

the development. 

Confi dential Contacts 

Updated ‘Confi dential Contact’ 

posters have been issued to 

departments and locations 

throughout NHS Western Isles. 

An updated intranet site is 

now also available at http:// 

wihbweb/KSF/cc.html 

Confi dential Contacts 

are available to staff to 

contact independently and 

confi dentially in order to 

discuss any situation in 

which they may feel bullied 

or harassed, or for those who 

have been accused of bullying, 

to seek support in making a 

decision about how they wish 

the matter to be dealt with. 

It is important to be clear 

that it is not the role of the 

Confi dential Contact to make 

the decision on the way 

forward. The Confi dential 

Contacts have no formal role 

within the Board’s disciplinary 

procedure. They provide a 

‘listening ear’. 

Three leafl ets have been 

developed to assist with both 

the Dignity at Work Policy 

and explain the role of the 

Confi dential Contacts. 

6 

Pictured are Dr Achar and his secretary Cathy Chisholm. 

Digital Dictation introduced 

in NHS Western Isles 

NHS Western Isles has 

introduced Digital Dictation 

for consultant-led services, 

and feedback from staff using 

the new equipment has been 

extremely positive. 

The system went live in April 

of this year using WinScribe 

Digital Dictation software, 

with associated services and 

hardware provided by Voice 

Technologies Ltd. Building 

on work previously carried 

out by Voice Technologies 

in conjunction with NHS 

Tayside and NHS Dumfries 

and Galloway, WinScribe is 

connected to TOPAS and 

SCI Store for retrieval of 

demographic and episode 

information, and to SCI 

Gateway for the electronic 

transmission of clinical 

documents to GPs and other 

NHS locations. 

NHS Western Isles eHealth 

Project Offi cer, Christine Chlad, 

who led the project, explained: 

“Digital Dictation and 

transcription replaces the use 

of tapes. As soon as a letter is 

dictated by a consultant, and 

the dictation device placed 

in its cradle, the voice fi le is 

immediately available in the 

secretary’s work list. For 

example, during an outpatient 

clinic, the secretary could see 

the voice fi les as soon as they 

are created, and if necessary 

have the letters typed by the 

end of the clinic. Production 

of letters could be tied to 

availability of outcome codes, 

thus ensuring completeness of 

recording for 18 week referralto-treatment 

management.” 

She added: “When secretarial 

staff are absent, or there is an 

exceptional peak in the typing 

required by one department, 

a system administrator can 

allocate work to different 

secretaries.” 

Clinicians no longer have to 

see the printed letters before 

they can sign them off. Once 

transcription is completed, 

the letters can be viewed on 

any suitably confi gured Health 

Board computer (along with 

the ability to listen again to the 

dictated fi le). The letter can 

then be electronically signed 

off or returned to the secretary 

for amendment. A clinician 

carrying out a clinic in Uist, for 

example, would have access 

to letters typed that day in 

Stornoway. Visiting consultants 

from Highland, who have 

their letters typed in Western 

Isles Hospital, can access the 

system from their home Health 

Board. 

When completed, letters can 

be sent via a variety of means 

– SCI Gateway, NHS Mail, or 

by hard copy. Signifi cantly, all 

clinic letters from NHS Western 

Isles consultant-led services 

are now being delivered to GP 

Practices via SCI Gateway. 

Other clinical letters such as 

discharges will continue to 

be sent by post in the short 

term, moving to SCI Gateway 

as soon as development work 

by the supplier is completed, 

which will speed up the 

production and delivery of 

clinical letters to the GP 

practices. 

Digital clinical document 

management will provide a 

more effi cient service and 

support plans for an electronic 

case note or virtual health 

record, and this shift in 

practice supports delivery of 

some HEAT (governmental) 

targets, particularly 18 week 

referral to treatment. 

Electronic transfer of letters to 

GPs will mean safer outcomes 

for patients as a consequence 

of contemporaneous 

information being available.

Debra’s our 

cover girl! 

Lead Nurse, Cardiac 

Services, Debra Vickers, has 

made the front page of the 

latest issue of British Heart 

Foundation magazine, ‘Heart 

Matters’. 

In a ‘day in the life’ piece 

in the August/September 

issue, Debra is featured in a 

four-page spread as well as 

being the fi rst nurse to make 

the publication’s front page! 

The feature describes a 

typical day for Debra, as 

well as comments from three 

of the patients she cares for. 

Except from the feature: 

The team has built 

relationships with every 

one of its 300 patients. “You 

get very close to them, and 

you get involved in their 

lives and the lives of their 

families,” she [Debra] says. 

“Depression and anxiety 

are common in heart failure 

patients, so there is a lot of 

emotional support given. 

Yesterday I visited an elderly 

patient who is bedridden 

and living in a remote croft. 

Then I went to see an 89year-old 

lady who has severe 

heart failure but is caring 

for 150 new lambs.” Today, 

Debra’s home visits include 

83-year-old Iain MacDonald 

and 78-year-old Alistair 

Beaton. 

Since she’s been in the post, 

Debra’s had the satisfaction 

of seeing a reduction in 

the number of unnecessary 

hospital admissions for heart 

failure patients, helping to 

convince the Western Isles 

Health Board to take over 

the team’s funding. But the 

BHF still plays a crucial 

role, “Keeping up with the 

latest advances in drugs 

and other treatment would 

be impossible without BHF 

funding my professional 

development,” she says. 

Debra’s working day is 

drawing to a close and she 

drives home with husband 

Jim. “Since we moved here, 

we’ve hardly left the island, 

except for visiting family and 

friends. In many ways, I’m 

much busier than I have ever 

been before, but I’m also 

happier.” 

Feedback from patients 

about the service provided 

by Debra and her team is 

also very positive in the 

feature, as illustrated in a 

case study of Alistair Beaton, 

a retired butcher: 

Alistair is a retired butcher 

who has lived with a heart 

condition for more than 

20 years, since he had 

bypass surgery in his 50s. 

Although he lives fairly near 

the hospital at Stornoway, 

he’s one of the patients that 

Debra visits at home. “It was 

such a relief when Debra 

suggested home visits,” he 

says. “I don’t feel at ease 

in hospitals. Debra can do 

a full check-up at home, 

including any blood tests if I 

need them, but we can also 

talk about any worries. She 

always puts my mind at rest.” 

Amnesty period 

for mandatory 

training 

Staff were informed in November 

2010 of a one year amnesty 

period for staff to ‘catch up’ with 

their mandatory training. 

The Area Partnership Forum 

recently agreed that the amnesty 

period should be extended until 

August 1 2012. 

Staff are reminded that it is 

their individual responsibility to 

ensure that they are compliant 

with mandatory training 

requirements. Staff should, 

however, not be expected to 

have to complete mandatory 

training in their own time, and 

therefore managers must ensure 

that staff are able to attend 

sessions within working hours. 

atters_Layout 1 13/07/2011 13:01 Page 1 

Health visitors in the Western 

Isles started immunising girls 

in the Western Isles again 

from August/September, to 

help protect them against 

the two main types of 

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) 

that can cause cervical cancer. 

This year the campaign is 

focusing on girls in S2, and the 

programme will be delivered 

by the Health Visiting team in 

schools across the Western 

Isles. 

Older girls under the age of 

18 years are also still eligible 

for the programme. Those 

attending school can still be 

vaccinated in school if they have 

not previously been immunised 


Protecting girls against 

cervical cancer 

or if they need to complete the 

course (three doses). 

The HPV vaccine does not 

protect against all other types 

of HPV, so girls will still need to 

start going for regular cervical 

screening when they are 20 

years old. 

Girls under the age of 18 who 

have left school who have not 

previously been vaccinated 

or any girls who have not 

completed the course should 

contact Sheila Macleod on 

01851 703545 (Lewis and 

Harris) or Isabel Macinnes on 

01870 602266 (Uist and Barra) 

for further information or to 

arrange an appointment with a 

Health Visitor for vaccination. 

7


Western Isles Dental Centre 

hosts Cambodian dental 

nurses for work experience 

Pictured are Ratana (left) and Srey Ny, outside Western Isles 

Dental Centre. 

The Western Isles Dental 

Centre is hosting two 

Cambodian Dental Nurses for 

a month’s work experience 

during August/September. 

Srey Ny and Ratana both 

attended a course for dental 

nurses in Phnom Penh in 

Cambodia which was run 

by local dentist Kenneth 

MacDonald and senior nurse 

Carolyn MacDonald. Srey Ny 

and Ratana both work in a 

large modern dental clinic run 

by Dr Tith, and such was the 

competition to visit Stornoway 

for work experience that 

30 staff had to take an 

examination to test their 

knowledge and language to 

select the best two for further 

training. 

Kenneth MacDonald explained 

that the clinic in Phnom Penh 

where the girls work was the 

best managed practice he 

had seen as they have ‘ISO 

9000’ quality management 

accreditation, use the same 

computer software as we 

do in the Western Isles, and 

provide the full range of dental 

treatments from oral surgery 

and implants to the latest 

cosmetic treatment. 

Dr Tith realised the benefi ts 

of well trained staff and has 

sent most of his staff on the 

courses Mr MacDonald has 

been running in Cambodia. 

More recently, he decided to 

8 

develop his senior nurses to 

be able to train their new staff. 

Mr MacDonald said: “The 

two nurses are watching the 

procedures in the surgery 

and following the role of our 

senior dental nurses in the new 

Western Isles Dental Clinic. 

“Srey Ny and Ratana are really 

enjoying the experience of 

working in the Western Isles 

Dental Clinic and are keeping 

a diary of everything they learn 

to take back to Cambodia. 

They fi nd the temperature and 

food a bit harder to get used 

to but they tell their family and 

friends they are really happy in 

Stornoway.” 

Kenneth MacDonald initially 

went out to Cambodia to 

work in a Rotary sponsored 

clinic that provided care for 

orphans in Phnom Penh but 

as he is the chief examiner 

with SQA and City & Guild for 

dental nurses he has more 

recently been asked to provide 

a training and mentoring role 

for dental staff and students 

providing care for orphans 

and the poor of Cambodia. 

With the use of Skype and the 

internet, Kenneth is almost 

in daily contact with the staff 

at the charity’s clinics and is 

able to give help and advice. 

He returns to Cambodia in 

November for four weeks to do 

further training and clinics. 

Improving hand hygiene standards 

further at Western Isles hospitals 

NHS Western Isles is taking 

steps to ensure that all hand 

hygiene gel dispensers are 

located as close to the point 

of care as possible, in line with 

best practice guidelines. 

National research has 

demonstrated that hand 

hygiene on entry to hospitals 

does not effectively protect 

patients from infection. 

Dispensers at entry points to 

hospitals can also potentially 

result in people not using the 

dispensers within or outside 

ward areas, as people think 

that when they have used it on 

entry to the hospital, they do 

not need to wash their hands 

again. This can place patients 

at an unnecessary risk of 

exposure to infection. 

The decision has therefore 

been taken to locate all gel 

Following consultation with 

managers and staffside, a 

new Annual Leave Policy 

was approved by the Area 

Partnership Forum. 

The policy applies to all 

NHS Western Isles staff who 

are employed on Agenda 

for Change Terms and 

Conditions, and sets out 

the responsibilities of both 

employees and managers. The 

policy includes information 

on annual leave entitlement; 

carry over of annual leave; the 

process for booking annual 

leave; and sickness during 

annual leave. 

Key areas of the policy that 

staff should be familiar with 

include the following: 

It is the responsibility of 

all employees to obtain 

management approval 

for annual leave prior to 

committing themselves to 

holiday plans. 

Staff should ensure that their 

full annual leave entitlement 

is taken within the leave year, 

where possible, across the 

dispensers within Western Isles 

hospitals at the closest point 

of contact to the patient (i.e. 

outside all of the wards/bays 

and at each bedside). Hand 

hygiene gel dispensers will 

no longer be located at any of 

the entry points to hospitals, in 

line with good practice and to 

ensure patients are protected 

at all times. 

NHS Western Isles Nurse 

Director/Chief Operating 

Offi cer Nigel Hobson stated: 

“Good hand hygiene is widely 

recognised as the single most 

important factor in reducing 

the spread of healthcare 

associated infection. By 

ensuring that our staff, patients 

and visitors are aware of 

what they can do to help 

will hopefully get across the 

message that infection control 

is everyone’s business.” 

Annual Leave Policy Launched 

52-week period. 

Only in exceptional 

circumstances can a 

maximum of fi ve days (pro 

rata for part-time employees) 

be carried to the following 

year’s annual leave 

entitlement. These are: 

a) where the staff member 

has been off sick and 

accrued an entitlement; or 

b) where the staff member 

has had a request for 

annual leave refused (in 

writing) and there has 

not been suffi cient time 

remaining in the year to 

take the annual leave. 

The NHS Western Isles 

Annual Leave Request 

Form must be used by all 

departments and staff within 

NHSWI to request, record 

and monitor annual leave. 

Staff should ensure that 

they are familiar with the 

Annual Leave Policy, which 

is available on the Intranet or 

from the Human Resources 

Department. 

If you have an article or photograph 

you think would interest the Slàinte 

readers please send it to 

slainte@nhs.net 

before 11 November 2011

Helping patients on bisphosphonates 

prevent BONJ: New Guidance 

focusing on the prevention of 

BONJ. 

However, part of the guidance 

is specifi cally aimed at 

doctors and pharmacists 

who prescribe or dispense 

bisphosphonates because it 

is particularly important that 

patients receiving these drugs 

are encouraged to attend for 

appropriate dental care. 

BONJ or bisphosphonaterelated 

osteonecrosis of the jaw 

is an extremely rare but very 

serious condition in which the 

bone of the maxilla or mandible 

becomes irreversibly damaged. 

Bisphosphonates have 

an important role in the 

prophylaxis and treatment 

of osteoporosis and 

corticosteroid-induced 

osteoporosis. They are also 

used in the treatment of Paget’s 

disease, hypercalcaemia 

of malignancy and in bone 

metastases in breast cancer. 

However, due to their effect 

on bone turnover, a patient 

taking a bisphosphonate 

is at increased risk of oral 

health complications, namely 

BONJ. Concern over the lack 

of clarity about providing 

dental care for patients 

taking bisphosphonates has 

prompted the development of 

new guidance by the Scottish 

Dental Clinical Effectiveness 

Programme (SDCEP). 

Maintaining good oral health 

helps to minimise the risk 

of BONJ developing. Being 

primarily directed towards 

primary care dentists, the new 

guidance provides clear and 

practical advice on how to 

advise and care for patients 

prescribed these drugs, 

The guidance for anyone 

who prescribes or dispenses 

bisphosphonates is 

straightforward: 

“Advise the patient: 

that the medication they 

have just been given is a 

bisphosphonate and it is 

associated with a very small 

risk of BONJ 

to make an appointment with 

a dentist as soon as possible to 

ensure they are dentally fi t (this 

includes patients who have 

dentures) 

to tell their dentist that they 

are taking a bisphosphonate”. 

By following this guidance, 

patient awareness of the 

potential oral health implications 

of taking bisphosphonates 

will be raised and preventive 

dental care is more likely to be 

provided at an early stage. That 

said, BONJ is an extremely 

rare condition and so it is very 

important that patients are not 

discouraged from taking their 

bisphosphonate drugs or from 

undergoing dental treatment. 

The new guidance, entitled 

‘Oral Health Management 

of Patients Prescribed 

Bisphosphonates’, can be 

viewed at the SDCEP website 

(www.sdcep.org.uk/index. 

aspx?o=3017). 

Flexitime Policy launched 

A new Flexitime Policy has 

been approved by the Board’s 

Area Partnership Forum (APF). 

The aim of the policy is 

to provide staff with the 

opportunity to, within 

predetermined limits, arrange 

their individual work pattern 

by choosing the starting and 

fi nishing times of each working 

day in agreement with their line 

manager and dependant on 

the needs of the service. 

It will be the responsibility of 

each Head of Department to 

determine if participation in this 

scheme is practical, workable 

and therefore appropriate for 

that department. The nature 

and requirements of each 

individual job will dictate 

the suitability, practicality 

and reasonableness or not 

regarding participation in the 

scheme. 

The new Policy sets out the 

basic principles of fl exible 

working, as well as how the 

scheme operates (including 

key information about 

accounting periods, time 

credits, and applications for 

fl exi-leave). 

The Flexible Working Hours 

(Flexitime) Policy is available 

on the Intranet. 


Pictured are Hannah Metcalfe, Manager of the Children’s Contact 

Centre - Western Isles; Emelin Collier, Western Isles Child Health 

Commissioner; and Gordon Jamieson, Chief Executive, NHS 


Dedicated Play Therapy 

Room developed 

The Children’s Contact 

Centre - Western Isles has 

offi cially developed a new Play 

Therapy Room thanks to a 

recent capital grant from NHS 


The counselling and family 

mediation service supports 

children suffering from 

emotional issues; from 

children whose parents have 

separated, to young people 

who have experienced a more 

serious traumatic event or are 

suffering from mental health 

disorders. 

The development, which 

received a grant from NHS 

Western Isles of £5,580, 

involves the extension of the 

current premises on Church 

Street to provide three new 

rooms – a Play Therapy 

Room, a reception/waiting 

area and a ‘chill-out’ room for 

children following Play Therapy 

sessions. 

Western Isles Child Health 

Commissioner Emelin Collier 

said: “The emotional health 

of children and young people 

has a direct impact on the 

wellbeing of our community. 

Research supports the 

effectiveness of Play Therapy 

for children experiencing a 

variety of problems, including 

conduct disorder, social skills 

problems and attachment 

disorders, and the Board is 

delighted to be able to support 

this important development.” 

Hannah Metcalfe, Manager of 

the Children’s Contact Centre - 

Western Isles, explained: “The 

majority of young children do 

not benefi t greatly from direct 

talking therapy; however Play 

Therapy is particularly effective 

with children who cannot, or 

do not want to talk about their 

problems. It offers a dynamic 

process between the child and 

the Play Therapist in which 

the child explores, at his or 

her own pace, any issues 

– past and current, conscious 

and unconscious – that are 

affecting the child’s life in the 

present. Play Therapy is child 

centred, in which play is the 

primary medium and speech is 

the secondary medium.” 

9


Locals congregate to attend the makeshift clinic. 

A ‘maternity unit’ out in the bush. 

10 

Justin Busbridge, (formerly 

a practice nurse in Tarbert) 

and his wife Laura Marshall 

(formerly a GP in North 

Lochs) recently left the 

Western Isles to start a new 

life ‘Down Under’, where 

they joined a small medical 

team serving in an Aboriginal 

community. Justin wrote the 

following account of a work 

experience placement in 

Alice Springs, Australia – a 

placement which sparked 

his desire to make the 

move to the other side of 

the world, where providing 

care presents a number of 

challenges … 

It’s been a long, hot week 

here in which the remote area 

nurses have deployed all their 

skills. It starts with the birth of a 

baby in the clinic. The mother 

should have been fl own away 

the 300km to the big town, but 

the two nurses are alerted by a 

5am phonecall to be told that 

it’s all happening a bit faster, 

and one of the treatment rooms 

is quickly turned into a labour 

suite. It all goes well, and by 

11am a new life arrives to 

much happiness. But such is 

existence in this harsh, remote 

environment, that by nightfall 

we are trying to save a toddler 

Laura and Justin. 

A week in the life of a 

remote area nurse in 

the third world 

who’s drowned in a paddling 

pool. 

Driving the Toyota 4x4 

Landcruiser ‘Troopie’ adapted 

as an ambulance, we meet the 

family’s car en-route and stop 

there in the middle of the dirt 

highway and for half an hour 

try by the light of torches to 

resuscitate her in the back of 

the vehicle. But we all know it’s 

futile as it has taken us nearly 

40 minutes of driving in the 

dark to even reach this far. By 

the time we get back to the 

clinic and have met with the 

police and undertakers, it’s 

after midnight. 

There’s no rest though as 

the two nurses support a 

population of 2,000 scattered in 

small townships throughout the 

bush, with the nearest doctor 

at the end of a long-distance 

telephone. We won’t be able 

to use the ambulance for a few 

days yet as the local people will 

have to perform a ceremony 

to cleanse it of any spirits from 

that little girl. Until then, we take 

another 4x4 Troopie, load it up 

with equipment and medicines, 

and drive about 100km down 

dirt roads to run a clinic in one 

of those small townships. The 

scenery is awesome but the 

vast cloudless sky provides

no respite from a harsh sun 

pushing up the temperature to 

a punishing 42 degrees today. 

This is third-world nursing 

and there, in the shade of a 

ramshackle verandah, whilst 

sitting cross-legged on the 

ground in a 30mph wind, the 

air as hot as from your oven 

door, we set up our ‘clinic’. 

There’s a crowd of women, 

babies, toddlers, mothers, 

aunts and grandmothers (the 

men will come along later) – ten 

or twenty people in all milling 

around. 

The local language is Alyawarr 

not English, and I’m completely 

lost. Yet somewhere someone 

is keeping tabs on what’s 

happening and our recall list is 

slowly ticked off – haemoglobin 

levels here, vaccinations 

there, baby progress checks 

to do, mangy dogs to shoo 

away, bloods to take, repeat 

medication to dispense, fl ies 

to wave off, blood pressures to 

monitor, a pneumonia to followup, 

or dehydrated sick child to 

see. 

The healthcare given is 

remarkably good, despite these 

conditions, with good follow-up 

of patients and pretty effective 

pathology services, despite the 

obvious issues of over-heating 

blood samples and the like. 

A Fatigue Management 

Programme for patients 

throughout the Western Isles 

was recently launched by the 

local Occupational Therapy 

Department. 

The aim of the programme is 

to enable people with fatigue 

to explore the reasons for their 

fatigue and to give them tools and 

techniques to help them manage 

the problem better. 

The programme will run for fi ve 

2-hour sessions. The fi rst four 

sessions will be held weekly at 

Western Isles Hospital with videolink 

to Uist and Barra Hospital 

if required. The fi fth and fi nal 

session will be held six weeks 

afterwards. The programme will 

run on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Topics covered in the programme 

include the following, but will be 

extended depending on what is 

needed by those that attend: 

What is fatigue, what causes it 

and what impact does it have on 

people? 

Tools to enable each individual 

to explore the specifi c causes of 

their fatigue 

And they have a computer 

system with lap-top PCs that 

out-performs much of what I’ve 

seen in the NHS. 

That, coupled with sat-phones, 

and it’s pretty high-tech. 

Sometimes however we could 

do with a few more prosaic 

items, such as a table and 

chair! 

This is challenging nursing, a 

midwife one moment, running 

routine bumps and lumps 

clinics the next, managing the 

care of patients with chronic 

diseases (diabetes and kidney 

disease are a huge problem 

here), and on top of it all, 

emergency nurse. Just as 

we’re heading out the door at 

the end of the day, there’s a 

call to a village down the road. 

This one’s only 20km away, but 

there’s a man there having a 

fi t. He’s a known alcoholic and 

has been on the grog for two 

weeks, and is now fi tting. He’s 

scooped up into the fl at bed of 

a 4x4 whilst the nurse straps 

into the back and crouches 

over him with oxygen and 

suction. When he arrives at 

the clinic we take him into the 

resuscitation room and it’s like 

being in a modern western A&E 

department, except perhaps 

the equipment is a bit bashed 

round the edges, most things 

are stained with red dust, and 

there are fi ve of his family 

members in the room at the 

same time. 

He’s stabilised after four hours 

and kept in the clinic overnight 

– his wife sleeping on a dirty 

old mattress on the fl oor beside 

him. Evacuation to the town 

would only enable him to hit 

the bottle again so he’s safer 

discharged with his wife to 

be followed up at home on a 

detox regime. So, at the end 

of that next day we drive to his 

village and in the terribly poor 

surroundings of his home put 

up an IV infusion, hanging the 

fl uid bag from a nail in the wall. 

Driving in the dark has its 

hazards however as the nighttime 

wildlife comes out onto the 

roads, and on our way back 

we hit one animal, but it seems 

to bounce off unhurt from 

the metal bars welded to the 

bonnet for just this reason. And 

far from being a smooth return, 

we arrive into a mob of people 

in a state of tense excitement. 

They’re bringing in a woman 

who’s been assaulted. I can’t 

make it out but it seems to be 

part of the ritualised payback 

to do with the drowning of that 

young child, whereby someone 

must take a punishment for 

what has happened, even if it 


was an accident. A traditional 

weapon here is a large 

clubbing stick with pointed 

ends, and this woman has 

sustained nasty bruises all over 

her body, and maybe a fracture. 

We settle her with analgesia 

and ice packs, and thankfully 

are eventually able to assess 

her injuries and discount any 

broken bones. She’s relieved 

she doesn’t have to be airevacuated 

and can go home, 

but by the time we clear up it’s 

again nearly midnight. 

As I said, this is third world 

nursing, working with living 

conditions and health disorders 

that are some of the worst in 

the world. The healthcare here 

is incredibly challenging, and 

the remote area nurses are a 

breed apart. Yet it has huge 

rewards in the diversity and 

scope of the skills required and 

the conditions encountered 

amongst this Aboriginal 

population. And, on top of that, 

when you do get home you can 

sit out on the verandah, in a 

cooling 25’C wind, looking up 

at night sky unbroken by any 

artifi cial light and with a canopy 

of stars that really does touch 

the ground, and slowly unwind 

to the sound of cicadas. Not 

bad really. 

Justin Busbridge 

Fatigue Management Programme launched 

Information on self 

management techniques to help 

people regain control of activities 

of daily living 

Setting goals throughout the 

programme to enable people to 

manage their fatigue 

Occupational Therapist Rhoda 

MacKay said: “Fatigue can be 

caused by many long term 

conditions such as rheumatoid 

arthritis, multiple sclerosis and 

fi bromyalgia. There is evidence 

that suggests that fatigue can 

have a signifi cant impact on a 

person’s ability to do their normal 

activity. This programme sets out 

to help them to overcome some 

of the restrictions imposed by 

their fatigue. 

“Before the programme starts, 

a one-to-one appointment will 

be given to those interested in 

attending the programme to 

assess their needs and answer 

any questions.” 

For further information on the 

programme, please contact 

Elaine Smith, Occupational 

Therapy Department (01851 

708287 or email elaine.smith1@ 

nhs.net) for an application form. 

�� 

11


RETIREMENTS AND DEPARTURES 

A great night out was had by the Group 

Practice recently to say farewell to sisters 

Karen MacLean and Morag MacLeod. 

The team organised a ‘school sports 

night’ at Sandwick Hall and hired local 

events organisers Pursuit Hebrides to 

take them through their paces, which 

A fond farewell to Karen Moir, who was 

a receptionist in Western Isles Hospital 

for around three and a half years. 

Karen, always smiling and friendly, will 

be very much missed from the hospital. 

Karen left in August and is starting up 

her own bed and breakfast. We would 

all like to wish Karen all the best in her 

new venture! 

12 

Farewell Sisters! 

included the sack race, three-legged 

race, egg and spoon race, and tug of 

war. 

Karen (pictured far bottom left) is now 

employed at Hillcrest Children’s Home, 

and Morag (pictured fi fth from top left) is 

opening a new local business venture 

A fond farewell to the 

following members of staff: 

Denise Wilson, Infection Control 

Manager; Mary MacNeill, Healthcare 

Assistant A&E; Janice Barker, Staff 

Nurse, U&B Hospital; Robert Shirkie, 

Assistant Storekeeper, OT; Catriona 

Maclennan, Dermatology Nurse, 

OPD; Katherine Mace, Healthcare 

Assistant, Medical 1; Andrew Sim, 

Consultant Surgeon; Anna Kalbarcyzk- 

Sobul, Domestic Assistant; Donella 

Campbell, CHD & Stroke Co-ordinator; 

Christeen Mackay, RGN Clisham; 

Alison Maccoll, RGN, Surgical; Dolina 

Macleod, Domestic Assistant; Alison 

MacIver, MS Co-ordinator; Shona 

Maclean, OT Specialist; Amy Collier, 

RGN, Clisham; Juanita Macleod, GP; 

Laura Macleod, Catering Assistant; 

Murdo Macaskill, Catering Assistant; 

Jenny McKean, Medical Lab Assistant; 

Richard Wood, BMS; Susan Kitchin, 

Senior Physiotherapist; Melissa 

Mohammed, Catering Assistant; 

Michael Hanley, S&LT Assistant; 

Donalda Martin, Domestic Assistant; 

of a children’s play and crèche facility in 

Stornoway. 

Everyone at the Group Practice would 

like to wish the sisters well - it certainly 

will be a lot quieter in the building 

without them! 

Alison Maccoll recently left her 

position as a staff nurse in Surgical 

Ward. 

Rebecca Moores, Staff Nurse, Medical 

1; Karen Moir, Receptionist; Angela 

Reid, VT Dentist; and Nedahl Swessi, 

VT Dentist.

A fond farewell to Amy Collier who 

recently left her position as a staff nurse 

in Clisham Ward, to move to Malta. 

We would like to wish Amy all the best 

in her new venture. 

Catriona Maclennan, Dermatology 

Nurse, recently left NHS Western Isles. 

Susan Kitchin, Senior Physiotherapist, 

recently left NHS Western Isles to move 

back to the mainland. 

Janice Barker, formerly a Staff Nurse in 

Uist and Barra Hospital, has now moved 

on to start a new post in Lochmaddy 

Surgery. 

Farewell to two staff within the Laboratory department, Richard Wood and Jenny 

McKean. Richard was a Biomedical Scientist within the department and Jenny was a 

Medical laboratory Assistant. 


Michael Hanley, Admin Support to 

the Speech and Language Therapy 

Department in Uist, recently left the 

department. 

Farewell to Melissa Mohammed who 

recently left the Catering Department of 

Western Isles Hospital. 

Welcome 

Johanna Durning, Assistant 

Storekeeper, OT; Helen Whyte, 

Catering Assistant; Alasdair Morrison, 

Culling Clerk; Ian Jackson, Domestic 

Assistant; Donald Morrison, Culling 

Clerk; Noelle Deplano, Dietitian; 

Kristy Smith, Receptionist; Liam 

Callaghan, Antimicrobial Pharmacist; 

Mairi Macsween, Trainee Dental 

Nurse; Suzanne Winter, Dental Nurse; 

Kirsty Macarthur, Admin Assistant 

A&E; Kerry Jo Downes, Trainee 

Dental Nurse; Victoria Henderson, 

CMT; Christine Macleod, Domestic 

Assistant; Laura Nicolson, Student 

Radiographer; Lorraine Maclean, OYG 

Staff Nurse; Marie Daly, OYG Staff 

Nurse; Paula Johnstone, Catering 

Assistant; Irene Macleod, Theatre 

Porter; Phil Rogers, Paediatric OT; 

Jennifer Urquhart, VT Dentist; Martin 

McCormack, VT Dentist; Neringa 

Jankauskaite, VT Dentist; and Julie 

Gibson, Salaried Dentist. 

13


Dr Donald Cook was recently 

appointed by the Western Isles Health 

Board as the Consultant in Occupational 

Health Medicine. 

Donald completed his secondary 

schooling in The Nicolson Institute and 

read Medicine at Aberdeen University 

between 1974 and 1979. He completed 

a Medical House Offi cer post in The 

Lewis Hospital in 1979. He subsequently 

joined the Royal Air Force, completed 

training in General Practice and worked 

on a number of RAF Stations as a 

Station Medical Offi cer caring for the 

servicemen and their families; he also 

spent a three month spell living under 

canvas in the Falkland Islands in 1982. 

After taking a permanent commission, 

he trained in Aviation Medicine at 

Farnborough and spent four years as 

an instructor and later Chief Instructor 

at the RAF Aviation Medicine Training 

Centre. At the end of this tour he 

14 

WELCOME - NEW RECRUITS 

Welcome to Eilidh Ferguson, who 

recently started work in the Human 

Resources Department as an HR 

Assistant (temporary). 

Eilidh previously worked as a Business 

Administrator in Aberdeen. 

completed a Flight Medical Offi cer Course 

of fl ying training. In 1993 he completed a 

Masters Degree in Occupational Health at 

Birmingham University and subsequently 

worked as the Adviser in Radiation 

Medicine to the RAF Director General 

Medical Services and as a member of 

MoD Nuclear Accident Organisation. 

In 1997 he left the RAF and joined the 

Health and Safety Executive as a Medical 

Factory Inspector. During this period he 

held the post of Senior Medical Inspector 

in the Home Counties and also held 

the HSE Radiation Medicine and Diving 

Medicine Portfolios. He was accredited as 

a Consultant in Occupational Medicine in 

1998. 

He has worked in commercial 

Occupational Health since 2000, 

working initially in a consultancy in the 

Home Counties and more recently as 

an independent specialist. He currently 

provides occupational health services 

to a wide variety of companies, from the 

Channel Islands to the Hebrides. 

Dr Cook currently makes monthly visits 

to the Hebrides to provide Occupational 

Health support to the Western Isles 

Hospital and Health Board; he has been 

providing a similar service to Comhairle 

Nan Eilean Siar since 2008. 

He is married; he and his wife Christine 

have seven children between them, 

although only the youngest remains in 

secondary education and living at home. 

They live in North Hampshire and enjoy 

the regular family visits to Lewis, where 

Agnes his mother still lives. He has a yacht 

(Eala Bhan) in the Hamble and hopes to 

sail in the Hebrides at some point in the 

future. He also enjoys skiing, gardening, 

photography and woodwork. 

Welcome back to Noelle Deplano. 

Noelle joined the Dietetic Department on 

a fi xed term contract in November 2009 

and left last winter when her contract 

came to an end. She recently returned 

to the organisation as a Dietitian. 

Welcome to Marie Daly and 

Lorraine Maclean, who are two of 

the newly qualifi ed nurses working 

in the Western Isles on the One Year 

Guarantee Scheme. 

Welcome to Kirsty Macarthur, who 

recently started work in the Emergency 

Department in Western Isles Hospital as 

an Administrative Assistant.

Welcome to Alasdair Morrison (left) and Donald Morrison who joined the Medical 

Records Department in May as Culling Clerks. Both Alasdair and Donald are on six 

month fi xed term contracts. 


Welcome to Johanna Durning who 

recently joined the Occupational 

Therapy Department as an Assistant 

Storekeeper. 

MOVING ON UP / CONGRATULATIONS 

Sisters celebrate new sons on the same day! 

Two sisters – who both work for NHS Western Isles – both recently celebrated the 

birth of new sons on the same day! 

Administrative Assistant in the Emergency Department, Ann-Marie Macleod, and 

Physiotherapist, Johan MacRitchie, both gave birth to new sons on August 23. 

Ann-Marie is pictured (right) with baby Adam James Macleod, who was born at 

11.03am, weighing 8lbs.2oz. 

Johan is pictured with baby John Dunlop MacRitchie, who was born at 5.52am, 

weighing 6lbs.15oz. 

Not only was it a particularly special occasion for Johan and Ann-Marie, it was also 

a double celebration for the baby boys’ granny, Norma Dunlop, who also works for 

NHS Western Isles as an Auxiliary Nurse! 

Congratulations to Ann-Marie and her husband Calum and to Johan and her husband 

William, and to their families. 

Congratulations to Anne Maclean 

from HR and her husband Johnny who 

recently celebrated the birth of baby 

John Kenneth Maclean on June 8. 

Congratulations to Louisa Reid 

(Dietetics Department) and her 

husband David Reid (Western Isles 

Dental Centre) who celebrated the 

birth of their daughter, Alice Sophie, on 

August 5. 

Congratulations also to the couple’s 

son Daniel who now has a new baby 

sister! 

15



Lewis Chestwomen 

Walk the Walk! 

Well done to The Lewis Chestwomen, 

who raised £3,357 for Walk the 

Walk Breast Cancer Charity after 

completing the Edinburgh Moonwalk. 

Judith Wood (podiatry), Elaine 

Macmillan (community nursing), 

Karen France (dietetics), Donna 

Mackinnon (health visiting) and their 

friend Johanna Marshall are pictured 

at the start line of the Edinburgh 

Monnwalk on June 12. 

The MoonWalk is organised by Walk 

the Walk. This is a unique event as 

not only do all the participants power 

walk a marathon (26.2 miles) or half 

marathon (13.1 miles) depending on 

which distance they have chosen, but 

they all wear decorated bras to raise 

awareness for breast cancer. 

The ladies said: “All members of The 

Lewis Chestwomen are absolutely 

delighted to have raised £3,357.00 for 

Well done Jenny 

and Catriona! 

Two staff from Ospadal Uibhist agus 

Bharraigh (OUaB) completed the 

Edinburgh Moonwalk in June. 

Jenny MacKinnon, Hotel Services 

Supervisor, and Catriona MacDonald, 

Admin Assistant, managed to raise 

a grand total of £667 between them 

which will go to Walk the Walk (www. 

walkthewalk.org). 

It had been a wet and windy day, but 

luckily the rain had stopped just before 

they set off. Jenny completed the route 

in eight hours 10 minutes and Catriona 

in nine hours 15 minutes. 

Jenny and Catriona would like to 

thank all their family, friends and work 

colleagues who sponsored them. 

16 

Walk the Walk Breast Cancer Awareness 

which is such a worthy cause. We are 

so thankful to everyone that supported 

us through kind sponsorship and good 

wishes and encouragement, it was 

an amazing experience and such an 

achievement. 

Sponsored cycle for Linda 

Norgrove Foundation 

Deputy Director of Finance Martin Jones and a friend set off on a challenging cycle at 

the end of August to raise funds for The Linda Norgrove Foundation. 

Martin and his friend Don Catterall cycled from Dungeness in Kent (the most southeasterly 

point in the British Isles) to Gallan Head on the Isle of Lewis (the most northwesterly 

point). 

Martin explained: “We are raising funds for the Linda Norgrove Foundation, set up 

in memory of Linda Norgrove, who was brought up in the Western Isles. As you 

may remember, Linda was kidnapped in Afghanistan last year and tragically died 

during an attempted rescue. If you’d like to support this cause, you can make an 

online donation at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/ 

showFundraiserProfi lePage.action?userUrl=northwestpassage&isTeam=true 

Martin Jones 

martinjones3@nhs.net 

NHS Candidates from Western Isles Hospital 

who have successfully completed an SVQ 

qualifi cation since last the last issue of 

Slàinte are as follows: 

Henrietta McHale (Health Care Assistant) - 

Health and social care (Adults) SVQ level 2. 

Rebecca Cook (Health Care Assistant) - 

Health and social care (Adults) SVQ Level 2. 

Elizabeth Murray (Health Care Assistant) - 

Health and social care (Adults) SVQ level 2. 

Jo Oliphant (Health Care Assistant) - Health 

and social care (Adults) SVQ Level 2. 

Anna MacFarlane CDU - A1 Assessors 

Award. 

The Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) 

Accredited SVQ Centre will be holding 

two SVQ presentation events in September 

2011 to present candidates from CnES 

and NHS Western Isles (NHSWI) with SVQ 

SVQ successes 

“It’s excellent to know that the money 

raised really makes a difference - that’s 

what kept us going at 24 miles with tired 

feet and still another 2.2 miles to go! If 

ever you get the opportunity to attend the 

Moonwalk, give it a go! If we can do it, 

anyone can!” 

certifi cates completed. SVQs are delivered 

as part of the joint working Partnership 

agreement between CnES and NHSWI 

supported by European Social Funding. 

The events will take place as follows: 

Lewis and Harris SVQ Presentation – 26 th 

September 2011 

Uist and Barra SVQ Presentation – 30 th 

September 2011 

MSP Alasdair Allan will present certifi cates 

to candidates for both events and 

invitations are currently being sent out to all 

completed candidates, their assessors and 

contributors. 

Any SVQ training queries should be directed 

to: Marion MacInnes (SVQ Training Offi cer) 

01851 701874, 

m.macinnes@cne-siar.gov.uk or marion. 

macinnes@nhs.net



Heart Failure Nurse 

achieves top mark! 

Congratulations to Heart Failure Specialist 

Nurse Margaret Paterson who recently 

completed an extremely challenging 

course with a top mark! 

Margaret completed the ‘3+1+1’ ECG 

Interpretation Course run by Professor 

Derek Rowlands in Manchester with 

a mark of 91 per cent. The course is 

extremely challenging and in depth, 

so Margaret did extremely well to have 

achieved such a high mark. 

The prime objectives of the course are 

to facilitate the understanding of, and 

to permit the reliable recognition of the 

normal ECG, morphological abnormalities 

of the ECG and rhythm abnormalities. 

The ‘3+1+1’ course has been specifi cally 

designed to facilitate understanding, 

learning, retention and subsequent clinical 

reliability. The fi rst three days of the 

course run consecutively and sequentially 

deal with the normal ECG (day 1), 

morphological abnormalities of the ECG 

(day 2) and abnormalities of the cardiac 

rhythm (day 3). 

The emphasis is on explanation of the 

way in which the normal and abnormal 

appearances arise, in order to facilitate 

understanding and retention. After an 

interval of about six weeks (during which 

time delegates are encouraged to read 

records taken on their own patients 

following the interpretation algorithm 

provided) a further one-day course 

revises the morphological aspects 

of the normal ECG and the common 

morphological abnormalities and gives 

each delegate the opportunity personally 

to interpret 45 12-lead ECG recordings. 

After a further interval of four-six weeks, 

a further one-day course revises the 

normal cardiac rhythm and the common 

arrhythmias and presents 55 ECGs 

for interpretation. Hence the course 

is ‘3+1+1’ (days). In days four and 

fi ve, the emphasis is on learning the 

relevant criteria and applying these in 

practical ECG interpretation. 

Medical Administration graduates 

Four NHS Western Isles staff graduated at the end of August with a PDA in Medical 

Administration. 

Mary Mackay, Surgical Secretary; Catriona MacDonald, Orthopaedic Secretary; Karen 

Macleod, Surgical Secretary; and Catherine Morrison, Personal Assistant to the Head of 

Mental Health and Learning Disability Services, were all presented with their certifi cates 

at a graduation ceremony in Lews Castle College, Stornoway. 

Areas covered in the course included medical terminology, hospital patient 

administration, IT in business, hospital patient administration, and creating a culture of 

customer care. 

Well done to all four graduates! 

Personal study pays off for Chris Ann 

Well done to NHS Western Isles Datix 

System Manager, Chris Ann Munro, 

who recently completed courses with 

the Open University. 

The courses, which were self funded 

by Chris Ann, were a Professional 

Certifi cate in Management (Cert 

Mgmt) and Professional Diploma in 

Management (PgDip Mgmt). 

The Professional Certifi cate in 

Management provides a broad-based, 

practical introduction to the key ideas, 

techniques and overall competencies 

you need in order to manage 

effectively and productively in modern 

organisations in any part of the world. 

The Professional Diploma in 

Management affords the opportunity to 

stand back from your current situation 

in order to concentrate on themes 

of understanding and improving 

performance, managing projects and 

change. The emphasis is on your own 

professional development. 

Congratulations Chris Ann on completing 

your studies, and good luck in achieving 

your ultimate goal of an MBA (Masters of 

Business Administration). 

17



Senior Nurse 

(Acute Services) 

appointed 

Jimmy Myles was recently 

appointed as Senior Nurse 

(Acute Services). 

Jimmy has been employed 

as a Practice Education 

Facilitator with NHS 

Western Isles for the past 

four years, having joined 

the Board with extensive 

clinical experience in his 

previous role in critical care. 

In his new role, Jimmy will 

be responsible for leading 

the development of nursing 

services within the Western 

Isles Hospital. 

Jimmy will take up his new 

role in mid-September. 

Raising funds for CLIC Sargent 

Lead Biomedical Scientist in 

the Microbiology Department, 

Ian Pritchard, was set to 

compete in his fi rst triathlon 

with his 12-year-old son, Rhys, 

on September 4. 

The triathlon which is being 

held in Grantown on Spey, 

comprises of a 300m swim, 

16 km (10 mile) cycle and a 

4.8km (3 mile) run. 

Ian (50) will be competing as 

a Super Veteran and Rhys as 

a junior to raise money for 

CLIC Sargent. CLIC Sargent 

helps children and young 

people with cancer and their 

families with the trauma of 

diagnosis, the often long 

journey through treatment 

and continues to support 

them afterwards. Every day 10 

families are told that their child 

has cancer. Diagnosis often 

comes as a shock. Treatment 

usually starts straightaway 

and can last up to three 

18 

Western Isles nurses celebrate 

good mentorship practice 

Nursing students from the University of Stirling’s Western Isles Campus showed their 

appreciation to their mentors from NHS Western Isles at a special event held at the end 

of August. 

The celebration of mentorship, which took place in Western Isles Hospital, gave students 

an opportunity to thank their mentors for all the support, advice and guidance. 

This is the second such event organised by Gill McCannon, Teaching Fellow and Practice 

Placement Co-ordinator. The students on the nursing programme nominated a mentor 

who has contributed to their learning and the nominated mentors were invited to attend 

the special event. 

years. CLIC Sargent is there 

with clinical, practical and 

emotional support, every step 

of the way. 

Ian said: “We are supporting 

CLIC Sargent because a 

friend’s daughter has recently 

spent six months at Yorkhill 

Hospital in Glasgow, being 

treated for Acute Myeloid 

Leukaemia. They also live on 

the Isle of Lewis and without 

CLIC Sargent life would have 

been even more diffi cult. 

CLIC Sargent provides 

accommodation for families 

who are away from home 

having treatment for childhood 

cancers, this is close to 

the hospital and free! They 

also fund specialist nurses 

and give advice and post 

treatment support. 

“Please go to http://www. 

virginmoneygiving.com/team/ 

stornowaydragons to see my 

fundraising page and sponsor 

me online.” 

If you would prefer to use 

a sponsor form, they are 

available on the staffroom 

notice board in the laboratory 

at Western Isles Hospital.

After the success last year, 

the local Cancer Research 

Committee again decided to 

have another ‘Here Come the 

Girls 2011’ fundraising event 

at the Caberfeidh Hotel on 

May 14. Once again there 

was a good number of ladies 

representing the Western Isles 

Hospital. 

The day started at 12 noon, 

when 200 ladies took their 

seats for a three course lunch. 

With such a large group of 

ladies in attendance there was 

a hub of excited anticipation 

in the air and we were not 

disappointed. Our lunch 

course intervals were fi lled 

with dancing and games. The 

master of ceremonies kept the 

room fi lled with laughs and 

entertainment. 

On a serious note, to remind 

us of the very important 

reason behind this fundraising 

event for cancer research, we 

had a very entertaining and 

inspiring presentation on the 

signifi cance of the work of the 

charity. 

The afternoon concluded 

with a ‘slave auction’, where 

some fi ne males were brave 

enough to enter the room and 

offer their skills for sale. This 

included a wide range of skills 

including painters, handymen 

and cooking (amongst many 

others). This was very popular 

and there was some very 

competitive bidding amongst 

the ladies, resulting in some 

high sums of money being 

offered. The ladies from the 

Western Isles Hospital, in a 

state of excitement (or perhaps 

it was the glass of wine) were 

not left out and successfully 

bid for a ‘kickboxing session’ 

- not your usual purchase on a 

Saturday afternoon! 

You might think by tea time, we 

would be ready to conclude 

our afternoon at lunch and 

make our way home. This was 

not to be. After a brief interval, 

the ladies put on their dancing 

shoes and danced the evening 

away to fi ne music from Abba 


The slave auction was particularly popular with the ladies! 

Here come the girls! 

tribute band ‘Swede Dreamz’. 

This event was not merely 

lunch, but a stylish, 

entertaining and fun fi lled 

12 hours and most of all for 

a good cause. In today’s 

economic climate, charities 

have an increasing challenge 

to fi nd ways in which to raise 

much needed funds. The 

Cancer Research Committee 

NHS Western Isles 

launches substance 

misuse open access clinic 

To further improve services in 

Lewis and Harris for people 

affected by drug and alcohol 

use, NHS Western Isles has 

developed an open access 

clinic, to offer advice and 

support to individuals affected 

by substance misuse. 

The clinic is for people who 

have an addiction to alcohol or 

drugs and also for people who 

are affected by someone else’s 

substance use. The purpose 

of the clinic is to offer advice 

to people who are affected 

by substances and who are 

not already supported by 

substance misuse services. 

The clinic takes place every 

Tuesday between 11am and 

1pm at Springfi eld Road 

Health Centre and is manned 

by Alcohol and Mental Health 

Nurse, Elizabeth Shelby and 

of Lewis and Harris are to be 

congratulated on what was 

a very well organised event, 

which was both entertaining 

and excellent value for money, 

but most importantly a very 

successful fundraiser. We 

ladies look forward to ‘Here 

come the girls 2012’. 

Susan Macaulay 

Emergency Department 

Louise Smith from the Emergency Department with her friend 

Christine Munro, and Elaine Macleod from the Emergency 

Department. 

Community Alcohol Nurse, 

Chris Mina Morrison. 

Information leafl ets with further 

details are available from local 

GP surgeries. 

For further up to date 

information on other substance 

misuse services please visit 

the HI website or contact the 

Alcohol & Drug Partnership on 

01851 708923. 

Sarann MacPhee 

was recently 

appointed Podiatry 

Manager for NHS 


Sarann previously 

held the position on 

an interim basis. 

19


The Role of the 

Infection Control 

Link Nurse 

Our role as Infection control 

link persons is to raise 

awareness of infection 

prevention and control. 

We also encourage staff, 

patients and visitors to 

decontaminate hands before 

and after visiting and contact 

with patients and hospital 

environment. 

We work closely with the 

Infection Control Team to 

improve standards of infection 

prevention and control. We 

also attend update meetings 

and share information with 

colleagues, as well as carrying 

out audits to assess practice 

against policies and address 

non-compliance in order to 

improve standards in practice. 

Infection Control Link 

Nurses 

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy study event 

The Physiotherapy team, 

NHS Western Isles, invited 

two representatives from their 

professional organisation, 

The Chartered Society of 

Physiotherapy, to come 

to Stornoway and meet 

physiotherapists working in a 

remote and rural location. 

Ceri Sedgley, Professional 

Adviser and Project Manager 

‘Updating the Standards’ and 

Sue Hayward-Giles, Assistant 

Director, Practice Development 

Unit, agreed to attend and lead 

a two day event on June 14 

and 15 2011. 

The overall aim of the 

event was to update local 

physiotherapy staff on key 

20 

national issues and relevant 

resources, and to explore 

some of the issues faced by 

UK physiotherapists delivering 

contemporary healthcare. 

It was also an opportunity 

for all NHS Western Isles 

physiotherapy staff to meet 

together as a group. 

Discussions were held 

around physiotherapists’ 

scope of practice and key 

professional issues such as 

record keeping, consent and 

capability, confi dentiality and 

lone working. Ceri was able to 

update the team on progress 

surrounding new professional 

standards, which are yet to 

be published. Sue discussed 

professionalism, including 

ethics, consent and regulation. 

The Chartered Society of 

Physiotherapy representatives 

enjoyed their visit to the 

islands; both are based in 

London and had never been 

this far north in the UK before. 

It was useful for them to take 

back to headquarters a little 

knowledge of what living and 

working in an island setting 

is like, whilst maintaining 

up to date knowledge, skills 

and suffi cient continuing 

professional development to 

ensure continuing registration. 

Sheila Nicolson 

Physiotherapy Manager 

Draft Healthcare 

Quality 

Standards 

The draft Healthcare Quality 

Standard is the new core 

clinical governance and 

risk management standard. 

A copy can be viewed 

or downloaded from the 

Healthcare Improvement 

Scotland website. http://www. 

healthcareimprovement 

scotland.org/home.aspx 


Scotland would welcome 

your views on the draft 

standard and has developed 

a questionnaire which can be 

found on the HIS website. Your 

views and comments can also 

be submitted by post, phone, 

fax or e-mail to the details 

below by September 30 2011. 

When submitting feedback, 

please ensure that you clarify 

that responses are your own 

and not on behalf of NHS 


We would encourage you to 

discuss the draft standards at 

your departmental meetings 

and committees. 

Contact details: 

Jim Smith 

Project Offi cer 


Scotland 

Delta House, 50 West Nile 

Street, Glasgow G1 2NP 

Tel: 0141 225 6875 

Fax: 0141 248 9746 

e-mail: james.smith11@nhs. 

net

Falling into Place 

NHS Western Isles launched 

our new Falls Policy at a recent 

event - with a little help from 

our friends! 

The development of a Falls 

Policy was a long time in 

coming, but we are now 

delighted to report that the 

Policy is in place and widely 

available. 

The launch of the Policy, 

however, could not have been 

achieved without support 

from Jacqui Lunday, the Chief 

Health Professions Offi cer at 

the Scottish Government, who 

encouraged the formation of 

a Falls Prevention Group and 

provided funding for a short 

term project offi cer post. 

We were delighted when 

Aline Macaulay, Occupational 

Therapist, who has also 

worked with the Care 

Commission, agreed to 

undertake this role, and after 

four months of very hard work 

by Aline, the new Falls Policy 

was born. The Falls Policy was 

given a further boost with the 

appointment of a rehabilitation 

physiotherapist, Allison Martin, 

who will cover falls as part of 

her role. 

The Policy was formally 

launched at a Falls, Fractures 

and Osteoporosis Study Day, 

held in Clinical Skills on June 

22. This event was jointly 

hosted by NHS Western Isles 

and the National Osteoporosis 

Society, which is celebrating 

its 25 th anniversary this year. 

Forty-two delegates packed 

the lecture theatre to hear 

speakers, including Carol 

McQuillian, Osteoporosis 

A comprehensive directory of 

groups, day clubs and services 

for older people in the Western 

Isles is currently being compiled 

by the Health Information and 

Resources Service, on behalf of 

the Western Isles Older People’s 

Partnership. 

The directory, which 

also contains useful contact 

details (both local and national) 

and has been split into island 

and community areas for easier 

reference, comes in response 

to a recent Scottish survey 

funded by Community Food 

and Health (Scotland) on the 

wide range of community and 

voluntary sector activities in 

the Western Isles. With 23 

Specialist Nurse from NHS 

Greater Glasgow and Clyde; 

Edith Macintosh, Rehabilitation 

Consultant for Social Care 

and Social Work Improvement 

Scotland (formerly the 

Care Commission); 

Anne Simpson, Scottish 

Development Manager, 

National Osteoporosis Society; 

and Derek Spark from the 

Scottish Ambulance Service 

(not to mention our own Dr 

David Rigby who was the 

Chairperson for the day). 

Information stands were 

provided by Western Isles 

Safetywise, Promedics, Faire, 

the Occupational Therapy 

Service and Ossur UK. 

Evaluations from the event 

indicated that everyone found 

the day enjoyable and very 

worthwhile. 

Physiotherapy Manager, 

Sheila Nicolson, said: “I am 

delighted that we now have a 

Falls Policy in place and the 

Falls event was so successful. 

I would really like to record my 

thanks to the Falls Prevention 

Group, Jacqui Lunday and of 

course, our very own Aline. 

Our challenge now is taking 

the Policy forward so that 

we can provide the very best 

service for our patients. Falls 

are everyone’s business, and 

anyone who would like to fi nd 

out more can visit our new 

Falls website at www.wihb. 

scot.nhs.uk/falls. If you would 

like to be involved with our 

Falls Prevention work, please 

contact the Physiotherapy 

Department with your details, 

including an email address.” 

per cent of the population 

over pensionable age and the 

variety of groups and clubs that 

provide valuable services for 

our older population, the survey 

acknowledged the number of 

volunteers committing time and 

energy and also providing a 

continuing source of friendship 

and kinship to older people. 

Tina Burgess, Senior Health 

Promotion Offi cer, commented: 

“Information has already been 

sought from a wide number 

of known older people groups 


for inclusion, but with new 

groups always forming, we are 

asking their members to contact 

us so they can also be included 


Pictured are local GP, Dr Dave Rigby; Physiotherapy Manager, 

Sheila Nicolson; Derek Spark from the Scottish Ambulance 

Service; Edith Macintosh, Social Care and Social Work 

Improvement Scotland (SCWIS); Anne Simpson, National 

Osteoporosis Society; and Carol McQuillian, NHS Greater 

Glasgow and Clyde, at the Falls and Bone Health Study day on 

June 22. 

Pictured are Carol McQuillian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 

and Physiotherapy Manager Sheila Nicolson. The cake was 

donated by Promedics to celebrate the anniversary of the National 

Osteoporosis Society. 

Older People’s Partnership Directory 

in the directory. 

“Details required are the name 

of the group, the day, time 

and venue it’s held, contact 

details and telephone number, 

and a brief description of the 

group. For example, this is an 

afternoon club which offers chat, 

refreshments and home-baking, 

as well as occasional guest 

speakers, days out and events.” 

Information should be emailed 

to: Alasdair.macleod@nhs. 

net or tel. 01851 702712, and 

for further information please 

contact Tina Burgess, Senior 

Health Promotion Offi cer, tel. 

01851 702712 or email tina. 

burgess@nhs.net 

�� 

�� 

�� 

Page 1 

Marissa MacLennan 

Health Information & 

Resources Offi cer 

21


Attendees of The Change Plan event in August. 

The Change Plan - Providing 

a Strategy for the Future 

On the afternoon of August 

10, representatives from 

voluntary organisations, third 

and independent sectors 

across the Western Isles, 

together with members of 

the local Change Plan Team, 

met in Western Isles Hospital 

for the second of two 

Change Plan events. 

The fi rst event in June, which 

was supported by David 

Piggott and Chris Bruce 

from the Joint Improvement 

Team, had already set the 

scene with presentations 

on the national perspective 

and background to the 

Change Fund. Those in 

attendance were also given 

the opportunity to discuss 

pressures and priorities 

faced by health and social 

care providers at a local 

level. 

What is the Change Fund? 

The Change Fund is a 

fi nancial allocation which 

has been received by 

NHS Western Isles from 

the Scottish Government 

to support the shift in the 

balance of care from acute 

to primary and community 

settings. This is to enable 

health and social care 

partners to implement local 

plans for making better use 

of their combined resources 

for older people’s services. 

Key priorities within the 

Western Isles include: 

Reduction of hospital 

admissions and improved 

22 

patient discharge processes 

Development of reablement 

model of care 

Effective shared planning 

and use of resources 

Maximising Telehealth care 

developments 

Supporting carers 

Engagement with the 

voluntary and third sector is 

crucial for the implementation 

of the Change Fund 

programme and the main aim 

of the workshop in August 

was to explore a range 

of approaches to ensure 

effective engagement and 

involvement of third sector 

and independent sector 

partners. Both Change 

Plan events were very well 

attended and those who 

came along enjoyed the 

opportunity to interact and 

engage with representatives 

from such a wide range of 

organisations. 

Change Plan Event – August 

2011 

John Edward, Head 

of Community Care at 

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, 

welcomed participants to 

the event and encouraged 

meaningful discussion and 

participation. Ella MacBain, 

Interim Service Manager, 

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, 

provided an overview of 

the fi rst workshop and 

summarised the key themes 

from previous discussions. 

Stephen Moore, Associate 

Chief Operating Offi cer 

(Community Services), 

NHS Western Isles, gave 

an update on the progress 

that has been made to date, 

namely the development of a 

Change Plan Team which is 

meeting regularly to progress 

the various work streams. 

Martin Malcolm, Head 

of Public Health Intelligence 

and Information Services, 

NHS Western Isles, gave 

an interesting presentation 

on logic modelling and how 

improved outcomes for 

patients, service users and 

carers can be measured in a 

meaningful way. 

Two workshops were held 

during the course of the 

afternoon; one was based 

on ‘How can we facilitate 

your engagement and 

participation?’ and the 

second around ‘Shifting 

the Balance of Care – what 

success looks like’. 

Very positive feedback 

has been received from 

representatives of voluntary 

organisations who said they 

gained from meeting others, 

participating together in 

Engagement between the local authority, NHS, third sector and voluntary organisations to plan for the 

future.

workshops and gaining 

awareness of what is going 

on in their own sector. 

Chrissie Macleod from 

Crossroads Lewis, said: 

“There are many challenges 

in this process for statutory, 

voluntary and independent 

sectors, but a positive 

attitude seemed to emerge 

– an acceptance that change 

is inevitable but that we 

all have the opportunity 

to contribute to ensure 

the best outcomes for all 

communities in the Western 

Isles.” 

Morag Munro, Harris 

Voluntary Service, 

commented: “There have 

been two very useful 

meetings with the voluntary 

and independent care 

providers, which has 

resulted in a great deal 

of grassroots information 

on care needs being 

gathered. The sector 

has also been invited to 

appoint representatives to 

the Change Team which 

will draw up detailed 

proposals. There is 

general recognition of the 

challenging times ahead 

with our ageing population 

and the continuing increase 

in the volume and the level 

of need. We are looking 

forward to the Change Plan 

providing a strategy for the 

future, which will ensure 

that the care available to our 

elderly can be sustained.” 

John Maclean from the 

Western Isles Community 

Care Forum also 

commented: “The Change 

Fund events were useful for 

the purpose of raising 

awareness of the demands 

which lie ahead. From 

the voluntary care sector 

point of view, it was an 

opportunity to inform the 

other representatives of the 

range of services which can 

be provided. Confi rmation 

that the sector is to be 

regarded as an equal partner 

in developing, planning and 

delivering change is to be 

welcomed, but it is clear 

that the overall challenge is 

enormous.” 

As a result of the workshops 

there was much enthusiasm 

and appetite for involvement 

and change and a decision 

made for representation 

from third sector and 

voluntary organisations to 

be members of the Local 

Change Plan Team. 

Lorraine MacRitchie 

Discussing some of the challenges which lie ahead. 

Staff who attended the fi rst session. 


Training in the Stroke Competency Toolkit 

A wide range of NHS Western 

Isles staff attended training 

sessions in the use of the 

Stroke Competency Toolkit, 

held in August 2011. 

Several training sessions 

were held locally by Heather 

Bryceland, Project Manager 

with Chest Heart and Stroke 

Scotland, who developed the 

Stroke Competency Toolkit 

along with NHS Education for 

Scotland (NES). 

Forty staff in Barra, Benbecula, 

Lewis, Harris and the Uists 

attended the sessions, either 

face to face or by videolink. 

NES provided funding to 

NHS Boards to disseminate 

the toolkit, which was initially 

piloted over a two year period 

in NHS Lanarkshire. 

The toolkit is designed to 

support the learning needs of 

staff involved in stroke care. 

There are two versions of the 

toolkit; one for Allied Health 

Professionals, Health Care 

Assistants and Rehabilitation 

Assistants, and the other 

is more specialised for 

Registered Nurses working 

in Stoke Units. The toolkit is 

designed to be user friendly, 

and to accompany staff 

throughout their careers. 

The toolkit comprises 

of two parts: the stroke 

competencies, which outline 

the knowledge and skills 

required, and the evidence 

sheet, where the development 

activities undertaken can be 

recorded. This evidence can 

then be used for personal 

development. 

Completing the toolkit 

demonstrates that an individual 

has the relevant knowledge 

and skills and has applied 

them to clinical practice. This 

ensures that people who 

experience a stroke in the 

Western Isles can receive the 

best possible care. 

Pat Welsh 

CHD and Stroke MCN 

Co-ordinator 

23


Media 

Policy 

approved 

A reviewed Media Policy 

was approved by Western 

Isles Health Board in June. 

The Media Policy is 

relevant to all staff as 

it outlines how the 

organisation interacts with 

the media to ensure that 

appropriate information is 

communicated proactively 

to the public. Staff should 

ensure that they are 

familiar with the policy. 

The Media Policy covers 

areas including: 

The preparation and 

distribution of Press 

Releases 

The protocol and 

approval process for 

media interviews 

Contributions by staff to 

external publications/fi lms/ 

DVDs 

Media enquiries 

The protocol for general 

advertising in the press 

Protocol for 

photography/fi lming of 

patients, and interviews 

with patients 

News management 

during election campaigns 

and major emergencies. 

The Media Policy is 

available on the Intranet. 

Credit Union 

promotes new 

scheme for staff 

Duncan MacIntyre, Community 

Engagement Offi cer for HI- 

Scot Credit Union, is pictured 

with Mairead MacIntyre, 

Administration Supervisor 

from Ospadal Uibhist agus 

Bharraigh on a recent visit to 

Uist to promote the new payroll 

deduction scheme to staff. 

The payroll deduction scheme 

will allow staff to pay money 

directly from their salary to 

their credit union account. 

The new agreement is already 

very popular with staff and 

the Credit Union has seen a 

number of staff already take 

advantage of this opportunity 

to save and borrow. 

For more information call 

01851-709858 or visit the 

website at www.hi-scot.com 

24 

Pictured are some of the pupils participating in the parachute games. 

Dementia Awareness Day for pupils at Iochdar School 

Members of the Uist Dementia 

Working Group delivered a 

Dementia Awareness Day for 

all pupils attending Iochdar 

School on Friday June 24. 

The aim of the event was to 

raise awareness of dementia 

to children and to help 

them to understand about 

the condition and how it 

could affect their families or 

themselves later in life. 

The pupils attended eight 

different work stations over 

the course of the day. Each 

station was designed to teach 

them a little bit more about 

dementia and what we as a 

community and individuals 

can do to help encourage 

people affected by dementia 

- or help prevent the early 

onset of dementia by doing 

activities such as crosswords, 

card games, hand and eye 

co-ordination games, etc. The 

pupils were also introduced to 

the sensory room which made 

them aware of what our senses 

are and what happens to 

people’s senses when they are 

diagnosed with dementia. 

The day ended with a small 

raffl e and evaluation, and 

pupils were given goodie 

bags to take with them, 

which included leafl ets and 

information about dementia 

to be passed on to family 

members. The children fed 

back to say that they now 

knew what the word dementia 

meant and that they would be 

more aware of the things they 

could do to support family 

members with the condition, 

using simple games and 

exercises. They also said they 

understood the importance of 

doing exercises and playing 

games to stimulate the brain 

to further reduce the risk of 

dementia in later life. 

Katherine Mathis

Cycling from Glasgow 

to Uist to raise 

awareness of suicide 

After tragically losing a friend 

to suicide last year, fi ve young 

men from Uist set off on a 

244-mile cycle from Glasgow 

to Uist at the end of August, 

to raise awareness of suicide 

and the potentially tragic 

consequences of depression. 

Steven Morrison (21) from 

Carinish, Peter Macnab 

(21) from Locheport, Lewis 

Maclean (21) from LochMaddy, 

Gordon Kennedy (18) from 

Lochmaddy, and Pol Kennedy 

(22) from Benbecula, but now 

based in Glasgow, set off on 

their journey on August 29 

from George Square, Glasgow. 

The Chairman of NHS Western 

Isles, Neil Galbraith, met the 

boys before they set off, to 

commend them on their efforts 

to raise awareness of this 

important issue. Health Board 

members also met the boys 

when they arrived in Uist on 

September 2, just one week 

before Suicide Prevention 

Week kicks off. 

Peter MacNab explained: 

“After losing our dear friend 

Steven (Kennedy) late last 

year, when he lost his battle 

with depression and took his 

own life, I wondered if there 

was some way in which we 

could remember him and 

possibly give the situation 

some form of closure. I use 

the word ‘closure’ lightly as 

we don’t want to forget him, 

but only want to try and make 

the situation easier to deal 

with. Words can’t explain the 

feelings you get when you lose 

a friend in such a way.” 

The boys, who were school 

friends in Uist, covered roughly 

60 miles per day; cycling 60 

miles on day one (Monday, 

August 29), 70 miles on days 

two and three (Tuesday and 

Wednesday August 30 and 

31), and then 40 miles on day 

four (Thursday September 1). 

The cyclists are raising money 

for CALM - ‘the campaign 

against living miserably’. It was 

set up in response to the high 

suicide rate amongst young 

men. It is a campaign and 

charity set up for and on behalf 

of young men. 

“We have set up a Justgiving 

page - http://www.justgiving. 

com/teams/SAK,” said Peter. 

“This allows people to donate 

online. We would like to say 

a very big ‘thank you’ to 

everyone who has donated 

and supported us so far. 

Your kindness is extremely 

heart warming and gratefully 

appreciated. Even if we meet 

our target of £2,500, we 

would still encourage people 

to donate – as every penny 

raised is essential money for 

the cause. If anyone wishes 

to donate, they can do so by 

donating online at the above 

link.” 

On their arrival back in Uist on 

September 2, the cyclists held 

a ceilidh, where information 

about Suicide Prevention Week 

was available. 

Whilst there was clearly a 

lot of excitement around the 

cycle, the boys stressed that 

the ultimate goal of the cycle 

was to remember their school 

friend, Steven, whilst raising 

awareness of depression and 

suicide in young men. 

“Until we lost Steven, we never 

knew that suicide was the 

biggest killer of men under 

35,” said Peter. “None of his 

friends or family knew he was 

suffering from depression. All 

we really want is to help make 

people more aware of this 

silent killer and prevent other 

families having to deal with the 

issues that Steven’s family had 

to.” 

Chair of NHS Western Isles 


Pictured are the Uist cyclists with NHS Western Isles Chairman Neil Galbraith and Kenna MacInnes, 

Senior Health Promotion Offi cer. 

“every penny 

raised is 

essential 

money for the 

cause” 

Neil Galbraith said: “Steven, 

Peter, Lewis, Gordon and Pol 

are to be commended for 

taking the initiative to raise 

awareness of suicide; an issue 

it is not always easy to talk 

about. By talking about suicide 

openly and responsibly, 

people at risk feel more 

comfortable about asking for, 

and responding to, the help 

they need.” 

He added: “We need to 

continue to tackle the stigma 

that surrounds suicide to make 

people more comfortable 

about seeking help. Lifting 

the lid on our emotions 

can help prevent everyday 

problems building up that 

may overwhelm us. Ultimately, 

talking can save lives. Suicide 

Prevention Week this year 

took place from September 

10-16 and NHS Western Isles 

used the week to raise public 

awareness, and spread the 

message about the tragedy of 

suicide and what can be done 

to prevent it.” 

If you are feeling suicidal or 

suspect that someone you 

know is considering suicide, 

there are a number of helplines 

to contact: 

Samaritans: 08457 90 90 

90 

Breathing Space: 0800 83 

85 87 (Mon – Thurs 6pm- 

2am; Weekends: Fri 6pm 

– Mon 6am) 

ChildLine: 0800 11 11 

National Debt line: 0808 

808 4000 (Mon – Fri 9am 

– 9pm, Sat 9.30 – 1pm) 

25


National Men’s Health Week 

took place on June 13-19, 

2011, when Men’s Health 

Forums in the Western Isles 

held a series of sporting events 

arranged for men, together with 

health advice during the week. 

• Men’s health is unnecessarily 

poor. 40% of men still die 

prematurely (before the age of 

75). 

• Life expectancy for men is 

much lower than women. 

• A man can expect to be 

seriously or chronically ill for 14 

years of his life. 

• Men visit their GP 20% less 

frequently than women and are 

also much less likely to use 

pharmacy, smoking cessation, 

weight management and health 

trainer services. 

• Men are 60% more likely to 

develop cancer and are 70% 

more likely to die from the 

disease. 

• 75% of people who kill 

themselves are men. 

• One in eight men is 

dependent on alcohol and men 

are three times more likely to 

26 

Men’s Health Week 2011 

become dependent on alcohol. 

• By 2015, 36% of men will be 

obese. 

Men’s Health Week is 

organised to encourage men 

to focus on physical activity 

and their health, and to provide 

them with opportunities to try 

out new activities. 

In Stornoway, an array of 

events were held including a 

sailing taster at Cuddy Point, 

and a golf texas scramble 

at Stornoway Golf Club 

followed by a quiz in the 

Stornoway Golf Club. One 

of the highlights during the 

week was a seven-a-side 

Works and Trades Football 

competition on the all weather 

pitch in Stornoway, A total of 

16 teams took part, and this 

year’s competition was split into 

four leagues with the winners 

from each league reaching the 

Semi Final. This year’s fi nal was 

between ‘The Services’ and ‘ND 

Macleod’s’ with ‘The Services’ 

taking away the trophy. Thanks 

to the Men’s Health Forum, 

Lewis and Harris Sports 

Council, Sport and Health, all 

Lewis golfers. 

the teams that entered and 

players who took part. 

There were free gym 

inductions for men in 

Harris all week, as well as 

golf (supervised play and 

competition), and an hour-long 

spinning class in Harris Sports 

Centre. Again in Harris, one 

of the highlights of the week 

was an 11-a-side old fi rm fans 

football match on Tarbert Pitch, 

when Celtic beat Rangers 4-0. 

Goal scorers are listed below 

(a hat-trick from Mikey and a 

late goal from Kieran): 

Mikey Paton 20, 36, 58 

Kieran Mulhern 84 

The seven-a-side Works and Trades Football competition on the all weather pitch. 

Men’s Health Combined Teams, Harris. 

Uist events during the week 

included a fi shing fl y casting 

instruction night at Amhor, a 

Team Rowing Challenge at 

Liniclate Sports Centre, and a 

Golf Stableford Points Game 

at Askernish Golf Course. 

Winners of the most improved 

fl y caster at the fi shing 

competition in Uist were Paul 

MacLean (Grimsay) and his 

fi ancée Fiona MacKay. Eight 

men took part in this event at 

Amhor, North Uist, and they 

had a barbecue afterwards. 

Barra, meanwhile, offered free 

gym inductions to men all 

week.

Golfers in Harris. 

The Joint Carbon Management Plan 

A Joint Carbon Management 

Plan between NHS Western 

Isles and Comhairle nan Eilean 

Siar is currently being fi nalised. 

The plan is the culmination of 

nine months of work, which 

has taken NHS Western Isles 

from having carbon reduction 

listed as a departmental 

objective, to the production 

of a comprehensive fi ve year 

plan. The purpose of the plan 

is to deliver a three per cent 

on-year reduction in our carbon 

emissions by 2015. The plan 

also identifi es potential energy 

consumption savings, which 

in today’s (and the future) 

economic climate, is important 

to reducing the fi nancial 

pressure on our front line 

services. 

A team has been set up to 

manage and drive forward the 

programme and a timetable will 

be set up for implementation. 

This will include: 

The introduction of carbon 

reduction initiatives into the 

service planning process 

A strong focus on carbon 

reduction measures in our 

annual property maintenance 

programme 

A fl eet strategy which focuses 

on carbon reduction: i.e. 

reduction in numbers, journey 

reduction, needs analysis 

of vehicle provision, a high 

emphasis on the most effi cient 

vehicles during procurement 

and an education programme 

for our drivers 

The introduction of a staff 

awareness campaign on energy 

reduction measures. 

Over the fi ve year programme, 

the intention is to embed carbon 

management into the normal 

activities of the organisation. 

This will be achieved by 

including carbon saving and 

investment into the short and 

medium term fi nancial plan; 

making managers responsible 

for delivering environmental 

improvement. 

Complementary projects will 

also be introduced in support 

of wider environmental 

improvements to NHS Western 

Isles - i.e. introducing an 

environmental element into the 

induction and appraisal systems 

for staff (eKSF). This will mean 

that carbon reduction is just 

one strand of a co-ordinated 

improvement in environmental 

performance, as outlined in 

the Board’s Interim Property 

Strategy. 

Governance of the programme 

will be the responsibility of the 

Nurse Director/Chief Operating 

Offi cer, and implementation 

of the plan/programme 

will be led by the General 

Manager, Non-Clinical Support 

Services, through the Carbon 

Management Team. 

Strategic Themes 

NHS Western Isles will be 

implementing a range of 

measures to reduce our carbon 

emissions. These fall into the 

following four strategic themes: 

Behaviour 

We shall roll out a behavioural 

change campaign which 

will tie in to the contribution 

management process and shall 

be designed to encourage 

energy saving. 

Our energy performance 

fi gures will be published to 

benchmark the effectiveness of 


FMP Project Manager Jim McNally presenting Celtic Captain 

Peter Macdonald with the Men’s Health Week Trophy. 

our initiatives and our collective 

energy saving efforts. Our staff 

will be encouraged to share 

journeys, both to and from work 

and whilst at work, through 

implementation of the Board’s 

Travel Plan. Increased usage of 

IT teleconferencing is a crucial 

element of the overall plan. 

Working Practices 

We shall further develop the 

‘Carbon Champions’ through 

the Carbon Management Team 

to work with managers and to 

encourage good practice in 

Wards and Departments. 

Our various departments 

will be required to review their 

working practices to identify 

opportunities to make savings in 

energy/waste and also vehicle 

journeys, where opportunistic. 

Buildings 

Any new business initiatives or 

capital bid proposals initiated by 

departments must be assessed 

for their potential impact upon 

our carbon and energy targets. 

Carbon assessments will 

be required and these must 

be analysed and approved 

by the Property and Asset 

Management Group (PAG). 

The partnership with the 

UHI, Stornoway, ‘Greenspace’ 

will assist the development of 

energy audits to be carried out 

on our buildings; from these 

audits will come the future 

projects for carbon reduction. 

We will review the temperature 

at which our buildings are 

kept, and review where major 

heat loss occurs with initiatives 

to reduce or remove this 

unnecessary waste. 

Fleet 

The type and number of 

our fl eet will continue to be 

examined with the intent on 

both reduction and effi cient 

replacements. 

Physiotherapy 

clients urged 

to remember 

to return items 

of loaned 

equipment 

Physiotherapy clients who 

have been loaned small items 

of equipment in the past 

are being asked to return 

the items to Western Isles 

Hospital and Ospadal Uibhist 

agus Bharraigh to ensure that 

the equipment can continue 

to be used to benefi t other 

clients. 

Clients are often loaned small 

items of equipment to aid 

their rehabilitation, such as 

shoulder pulleys and TENS 

machines (for pain relief), 

and are asked to return 

them to the Physiotherapy 

Department after a specifi ed 

period of time. 


Physiotherapy Manager 

Sheila Nicolson said: “Often 

clients forget to return 

items of equipment or feel 

embarrassed to return them 

as they have kept them for 

longer than advised. We 

would encourage clients to 

return them to ensure that 

others can benefi t from their 

use in the future. We would 

prefer items returned late 

than not being returned at 

all, so if you have an item of 

equipment that has been lent 

to you that you no longer use, 

we would appreciate it if you 

could return it to us as soon 

as possible.” 

Returned items can be 

dropped off anonymously 

in the Reception areas 

of Western Isles Hospital 

or Ospadal Uibhist agus 

Bharraigh. 

27


It’s Offi cial – Physio Department 

Offers ‘A First Rate Service’ 

The Physiotherapy 

Department recently 

undertook customer 

satisfaction surveys for their 

pre-op service for elective hip 

and knee patients, the Drop-in 

Clinic, ‘Back To Fitness’ class 

and knee class. Staff were 

delighted with the results, 

which gave the department a 

resounding vote of approval. 

Of the 31 patients surveyed 

prior to an elective hip or knee 

replacement operation, 26 

returned the questionnaire 

– an impressive 84%. 96% of 

respondents felt that the preop 

visit really helped them to 

prepare for the operation and 

helped them recover more 

quickly. They looked forward 

to seeing Sue Kitchin, the 

community physiotherapist, as 

she helped them so much. 

Indeed, as one patient 

remarked, ‘she changed my 

life’. Very sadly for us, Sue left 

the Western Isles to return to 

her home in the Lake District 

in August and will be missed 

not only by her colleagues but 

her many community patients 

too. 

The knee class and Back 

to Fitness class, run by 

physiotherapy assistant 

Sandra Campbell, 

demonstrated even higher 

levels of satisfaction, with 

100% of respondents for both 

classes saying that they found 

them benefi cial. Patients said 

that they felt ‘empowered’ 

and that they would be able 

to deal effectively with future 

episodes of back and knee 

pain. Classes were described 

as professional and friendly, 

and fl exible with achievable 

goals tailored to meet 

patients’ needs. 

A delighted Sandra said: “I 

am over the moon that my 

patients found the classes so 

helpful. Many of them have 

struggled with back or knee 

pain for quite some time and 

it’s great that they feel so 

much better after attending. 

I really enjoy leading the 

classes and the atmosphere is 

always positive and upbeat.” 

Drop-in Clinic patients were 

also surveyed: 100 patients 

were sent a questionnaire, of 

which 51 were completed and 

returned to the department. 

Fifty patients said the 

28 

service at the clinic met 

their expectations, and 49 

of the 51 were happy with 

the consultation and advice 

received. Patients described 

the service as ‘excellent’ and 

said they felt fortunate to have 

18 

16 

14 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

27 

26 

25 

24 

23 

22 

21 

20 

26 

Did you find the 

advice booklets 

given to you by the 

physio useful? 

17 

Did you enjoy the 

programme and 

was it beneficial? 

20 

Did you enjoy the 

programme and 

was it beneficial? 

16 

Did the programme 

meet your 

expectations? 

20 

Did the 

programme meet 

your expectations? 

access to a drop-in clinic. 

Physiotherapy Manager, 

Sheila Nicolson, said: “I am 

absolutely delighted that our 

patients are happy with what 

we do. We are always striving 

to provide the best services 

Pre-Operative Patients - 26 responded 

23 

25 

Did you practice the Do y ou think that the 

exercises show n to advice and 

you before your exercises given to 

operation 

you helped to 

prepare you for the 

operation? 

17 

Overall, were you 

happy with the 

co n su lta tio n a n d 

advice you 

re c e ive d ? 

K n e e C l a s s - fr o m 1 7 r e s p o n s e s 

16 

Do you feel that the W a s th e tim e 

advice and 

between your 

knowledge you referral and starting 

have gained will 

the class 

enable you to deal 

with fu tu re e p isod e s 

of knee pain? 

appropriate? 

B ack to F itn es s - P atien t Au dit J u ly 11 

20 

19 

1 1 

1 

Overall, were you 

happy with the 

consultation and 

advice you 

received? 

Do you feel that the 

advice and 

knowledge you 

have gained will 

enable you to deal 

with future 

episodes of back 

pain? 

13 

19 

Was the time and 

the pace of the 

class appropriate? 

possible to our patients – to 

be the best at what we do 

- and the physiotherapy staff 

are always very proactive and 

happy to try out new ideas. 

I really can’t praise my staff 

highly enough.” 

22 

Did you feel able to 

ask the physio any 

questions you had 

about your 

forthcoming 

operation? 

16 

W as the time and 

th e p a ce o f th e 

class appropriate? 

18 

2 

Did you find our 

waiting area 

comfortable? 

17 

Did you find our 

waiting a rea 

co m fo rta b le ? 

Yes 

Possibly 

Didn't say

Heather Maciver, a Laxdale School pupil, opened this year’s British Heart Foundation Walk in 

Stornoway for the second year in a row. 

Having grown in popularity 

over the past few years, the 

British Heart Foundation (BHF) 

walks have become one of the 

regular features of summer in 

the Western Isles. 

This year, to mark the British 

Heart Foundation’s 50 th 

anniversary, walks were held 


on June 11, to raise vital funds 

for the BHF. This year’s walks 

were organised by the Health 

Promotion Department and a 

total of £436 was raised. 

Walks took place in four 

locations: Stornoway Castle 

Grounds, Northton Harris, 

Howmore Uist and Vatersay 

on Barra. Walks attracted 

individuals of all ages with up 

to 100 taking part. 

The funds raised will go 

towards the BHF’s 50 th 

anniversary appeal called 

Mending Broken Hearts. 

The aim is raise £50,000,000 

nationally to fi nd a cure for 

heart disease. Right now heart 

and circulatory problems are 

the UK’s biggest killer and a 

cure could save hundreds of 

lives. A cure for heart disease 

is an achievable goal but there 

needs to be investment in 

research. 

Local man, Charlie Nicolson, 

spoke before the start of the 

walk in Stornoway, telling 

participants about his own 

experience of suffering a heart 

attack in 2010. In the past 

year, he has received support 

from medical staff both on the 

mainland and on the island. He 

specifi cally praised the local 

Heart Failure Nurses for the 

excellent work they do. 

Vital funds raised at this 

year’s BHF Walks 

Mr Nicolson said that heart 

disease was something 

which affects the majority 

of families and that he was 

honoured to give a speech 

before the walk. He also 

thanked the Health Promotion 

Department for their work in 

organising events such as the 

BHF walks, to raise awareness 

and much needed funds. 

Some of the Stornoway 

participants. 

Heather Maciver (8), who led 

last year’s BHF walk, cut the 

ribbon this year and started the 

walk. Heather was paralysed 

by a rare autoimmune disorder 

as a toddler and suffered 

ascending paralysis, leading 

to a loss of mobility. Against 

the odds, she battled to regain 

her mobility and now regularly 

undertakes sponsored walks. 

Walkers in Harris. 


Have you tried 

to fi nd 

information on a 

health matter? 

Are you interested 

in your own or your 

family’s health? 

Do you fi nd health 

information diffi cult 

to understand? 

If your answer is ‘yes’ to 

any of the above then NHS 

Western Isles’ HI (Health 

Information) is for you, with 

easy-to-use, reliable and 

accurate health information 

available at the touch of a 

button. 

Since 2004, HI has offered 

information on medical 

conditions and illnesses, 

surgical operations and 

procedures, travel health 

and immunisations, healthy 

living, and local and 

national support groups and 

agencies… just some of the 

examples of what is on offer. 

A sketched diagram relating 

to certain conditions is also 

available to help increase 

understanding of the subject. 

As well as enabling patients 

and carers to access to a 

wide range of comprehensive 

information on conditions 

and surgical procedures, the 

information can also be used 

in a variety of ways. 

Assisting pupils and students 

with health-related projects 

and research, employers 

and employees obtaining 

information on health matters 

and enabling access to local 

and national websites and 

support groups are some 

examples of the variety of 

information available. 

The Health Information 

Project can be accessed 

throughout the Western 

Isles via your Public Library, 

community Internet facility, 

workplace (if available) 

or through your personal 

computer by accessing the 

website at: 

www.wihb.scot.nhs.uk/HI/ 

For further information on 

the HI Project or to fi nd your 

nearest access point please 

contact Marissa MacLennan, 

Health Information and 

Resources Offi cer, tel. 01851 

701545. 


29


Popular weight management class returns! 

The popular weight 

management class, Healthy 

Weighs, started back again 

on Wednesday September 

7, at 5pm, in Ionad Spòrs 

Leòdhais. 

The sessions are held by 

a dietitian and a fi tness 

instructor from the sports 

centre so you can be sure that 

you will receive expert advice 

to help you achieve your goals. 

It follows a six week cycle 

which looks at a different topic 

every week, however it is also 

fl exible to meet the needs of 

the people in the group. After 

the six weeks are over you 

can continue to attend the full 

session and take part in the 

discussions again or choose 

to attend the weigh-in session 

only. The group is for you and 

you can use it as you need it. 

The discussion session 

offers the opportunity to ask 

questions, get specifi c advice, 

receive written information 

and learn about things like 

healthy eating, food labelling, 

making healthier choices in 

your daily life, faddy diets, food 

and mood, exercise advice, 

etc. It is useful to attend these 

sessions so that you have the 

additional knowledge to help 

you maintain any changes you 

make and also to identify any 

diffi culties you might be having 

and seek help at this time. 

We encourage sustainable 

lifestyle changes so that you 

can achieve your goal weight 

and maintain it long term. The 

problem with many fad or 

quick fi x diets is that you lose 

weight quickly but once you 

return to your normal habits it 

all goes back on and this can 

cause health problems later in 

life, so we actively discourage 

this. 

The weigh-in only sessions 

are useful for those who feel 

that they need someone to 

monitor their weight on a 

regular basis. Again you can 

come as often as you require. 

This runs from 5.45pm – 6pm. 

Your weight will never be 

given out to the rest of the 

group, you can be assured of 

confi dentiality, unless you want 

to share your success with 

everyone! 

We have had some inspiring 

success stories and people 

of all ages attend. We have 

had men and women, and age 

ranges from 18-80, anyone 

who wants help to improve 

their health by losing a few 

30 

pounds to a few stone is 

welcome. 

Karen France 

Nutrition and Dietetic Manager 

Clients’ Success Stories 

Sarah’s Story – 

A mum’s success! 

“I joined Healthy Weighs 18 

months ago as I had put on an 

incredible amount of weight 

within a few years. I was 

miserable and very aware of how 

my weight was affecting me, not 

just physically but socially too. 

My self confi dence was rocked 

and I just wanted to hide away 

at every opportunity, especially 

in social situations. It sounds like 

a cliché but its something that 

is a very real struggle for many 

of us. 

I was very aware that as a 

busy working mum I was not 

only losing my confi dence 

and enjoyment of life but I was 

also putting myself at risk of 

many more serious illnesses 

and diseases. The realisation 

of just how much I needed 

to change things for the long 

term encouraged me on to join 

Healthy Weighs. I was already 

very aware of what I should 

and shouldn’t eat but help with 

portion sizes and increasing the 

amounts of certain food groups 

really helped me eat incredibly 

well and start to feel so much 

more healthy and satisfi ed. 

Healthy Weighs has been more 

than just eating well. The 

importance of exercise was 

stressed from day one. There 

was so much guidance, support 

and opportunity to learn more 

about how to exercise according 

to your own needs and situation. 

I can honestly say that eating 

well and exercising has been the 

key to my success in getting my 

weight down and maintaining 

it. The two cannot be done 

separately. 

Healthy Weighs is my 

life long approach, very 

simple, achievable and easy 

to fi t in - which as a busy mum 

it had to be. Eighteen months 

later I have lost 2½ stone and 

although I have still a little bit to 

go I have been able to maintain 

that loss for a good length of 

time before starting to tackle 

the rest of my weight loss. 

These days I don’t diet, instead 

I eat extremely well, eating the 

same as my family and exercise 

regularly. Sometimes we may 

over indulge but even that’s 

ok if you learn how to balance 

your life. It’s been invaluable the 

support and encouragement 

Healthy Weighs has provided 

and hopefully others will be 

encouraged to come along and 

really go for it once and for all.” 

Mairi’s Story 

“I fi rst started Healthy Weighs 

in March 2009. Due to studying 

and changing jobs, which was 

a lot more sedentary than I was 

used to, the weight had crept 

right up and seeing a photo of 

myself made me realise that I 

had to make some signifi cant 

changes, so I braved Healthy 

Weighs with a colleague/friend. 

I have tried various diets and 

diet classes over the years 

but this is the fi rst one that has 

given me long-term results. The 

healthy eating plan is so easy 

to follow and if you do follow 

it correctly you certainly won’t 

starve - in fact some days I was 

having to force myself to eat all 

that I was being asked to! The 

second half of the class focuses 

on your fi tness and exercises 

to suit your lifestyle. With the 

encouragement and enthusiasm 

from Janet Macleod (Fitness 

Instructor) we were soon in the 

gym, attending various classes, 

and I’m now doing some 

form of exercise, from running 

to zumba, fi ve times a week and 

I completed my fi rst 10km run 

earlier in the year. 

Since starting Healthy Weighs in 

January 2010 I have achieved 

the main goal of losing weight, 

but along with this, I have been 

re-educated in lifestyle changes 

like healthy eating and fi tness 

as well as enjoying the social 

aspect of meeting new people, 

all with the help and support 

from Karen France (Dietitian) 

and Janet. 

Although I haven’t reached 

my ideal target weight (yet), I 

have lost 3 ½ stone (22.4kg) 

and 36.7inches (89.5cm) in total 

off my body, with an amazing 7.1 

inches from my waist, resulting 

in me being within a healthy 

BMI range. However I am not 

so focused on weight now but 

enjoying feeling healthy by 

eating right, exercising and fi tting 

into clothes that are three sizes 

smaller! 

It is a lot of hard work but 

Karen and Janet offer fantastic 

advice and support and really 

encourage you to keep going, 

even if one week you gain some 

weight. If I can manage to make 

these healthy eating changes 

and make time to fi t in some 

exercise anyone can!”

Healthy Start Vitamin Drops 

NHS Western Isles has 

agreed to continue providing 

the Healthy Start Vitamin 

Drops free of charge over the 

forthcoming winter period, 

to help ensure that children 

aged between six months and 

four years are taking suffi cient 

vitamins. 

With Vitamin A important for 

growth, good eyesight, healthy 

skin and immunity, Vitamin C 

important for general health 

and the immune system and 

Vitamin D needed to grow 

strong bones and teeth, 

children need a variety of 

vitamins to help them grow up 

strong and healthy. It is also 

acknowledged that those living 

in the Western Isles may be at 

risk of defi ciency of Vitamin D 

Vitamin D levels are known to 

be low in the general population 

and recent research has found 

that knowledge is low regarding 

vitamin D requirements for 

health, whether from sunlight, 

diet or supplementation. 

Health Scotland was therefore 

asked by Chief Medical Offi cer Dr 

Harry Burns, to produce advice 

to help health professionals and 

the public understand the issues 

surrounding vitamin D. Advisory 

leafl ets have been produced 

for staff with information about 

due to lack of sunlight in winter 

months. 

The Vitamin Drops, which 

should be administered fi ve 

times a day (and have a 

pleasant banana fl avour), are 

provided in a small bottle with 

enough to last each child two 

months. They should be stored 

in a cool, dry place, preferably 

in a fridge. When the drops 

begin to run out, parents can 

simply collect replacements 

from their family Health Visitor, 

GP Practice, or local Health 

Centre/Clinic. 

Publicity will shortly take 

place within NHS Western 

Isles premises, nurseries, 

croileagans and other 

childcare locations within 

Starts back on Wednesday 7 September 2011 

Do you want some help to lose 

weight, get fitter and feel healthier? 

This group will give you the 

support you need to change your 

diet and increase your activity 

levels to achieve your goals. 

Sessions are run by a registered 

dietitian and a fitness instructor so 

you will receive quality advice and 

tips each week. 

This is a six week rolling 

programme, looking at a different 

topic each Wednesday from 5pm - 

5.45pm. Once you have completed 

this programme you can attend 

from 5.45pm - 6pm for our weekly 

weigh-in session for as long as you 

need the support. 

We have had some great success 

stories, and are always keen to 

welcome new faces, male or 

female, from age 16 upwards. 

the importance of vitamin D 

- http://www.healthscotland. 

com/documents/5273.aspx 

and for the general public, to 

be distributed to at-risk patients 

- http://www.healthscotland. 

com/documents/5274.aspx 

Distribution of these leafl ets 

has now been completed and 

copies have been disseminated 

to GP Practices, Maternity Units, 

Pharmacies, Dieticians, Assisted 

Conception Clinics, Family 

Planning and Resource Centres. 

the Western Isles to raise the 

profi le of the campaign and 

distribution points. 

NHS Western Isles staff are 

asked to note that the Vitamin 

Drops will now be stored and 

despatched by the Health 

Information & Resources 

Service at the Stornoway 

Health Centre, and additional 

supplies can be requested/ 

ordered in the same way as 

leafl ets and other resources. 

For further information or to 

order further supplies please 


Health Information & 


701545 or email marissa. 

maclennan@nhs.net 


Vitamin D 

an essential nutrient for all... 

but who is at risk 

of vitamin D deficiency? 


Vitamin D – Advice on Groups at Risk of Defi ciency 

Dr Burns states: “Whilst there 

is good evidence of the effects 

on bone health of vitamin D 

defi ciency, there is emerging 

evidence of its role in other 

conditions. The current Scientifi c 

Advisory Committee on Nutrition 

(SACN) recommendations 

are for amounts to prevent 

defi ciency and for bone health, 

and do not relate to any other 

conditions. SACN has recently 

commenced a review of the 

most up to date evidence and 

will review the Dietary Reference 

Values for vitamin D intake. 

Further information on this will be 

available in the coming year. 

“Given the current concern 

about bone health in older 

adults and some populations 

of children, there is a need to 

increase professional awareness 

and encourage behaviour 

change, amongst the public. It is 

acknowledged widely that dietary 

sources of vitamin D are unlikely 

to be suffi cient. We will of course 

continue to address that issue.” 

Important information for 

healthcare professionals 

31


Learn Pro is NHS Western Isles online system for delivering 

e-learning courses in a wide range of subject areas including 

statutory/mandatory training and continuous professional 

development. The Learn Pro system is web based and can be 

accessed on any computer with internet access, whether at work 

or at home. 

The Learn Pro system is constantly in development with new 

courses being added and locally authored learning being 

created. 

New additions to Learn Pro 

NHS Western Isles Falls Module 

NHS Western Isles Adult Protection 

NES Urinary Catheterisation 

NES Infections in the Older Person 

NES Microbiology 

NES Multi-resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli (MRGNB) 

NHS Elite 

NES Care of the Acutely Ill/Injured Child/Young Person 

Courses in development locally 

Coming Soon!! 

NHS Western Isles IRMER for referrers – Radiology 

NHS Western Isles Nutritional Care 

NHS Western Isles Management of Violence & Aggression 

NHS Western Isles Child Protection 

NHS Western Isles DIF (1) 

Courses in Resuscitation & 

Clinical Skills 

ILS COURSES 

PILS COURSES 

BLS COURSES 

2 HOUR SESSIONS 

Head Injury 

Acute Renal Failure 

Acute Coronary Syndrome 

Sepsis 

Seizures 

Rhythm Recognition 

BASICS SCOTLAND 

ALS 

EPLS 

VENEUNCURE & 

CANNULATION 

IV DRUG ADMINISTRATION 

MALE CATHETERISATION 

12 LEAD ECG 

TAKING BLOOD CULTURES 

LOOK OUT FOR DATES ON 

THE LEARNING EVENTS 

CALENDAR, EMAIL ALERTS 

OR ON OUR POSTERS! 

32 

OUR POSTERS LOOK LIKE 

THIS! 

LOOK OUT FOR US! 

Norrie MacDonald in front of an 

information display. 

Local Area Co-ordination 

Open Day 

The Local Area Co-ordinator 

(LAC), Learning Disabilities, 

held an open day recently 

for all staff within Comhairle 

nan Eilean Siar (CnES), 

Council Members and other 

agencies to update them on 

the changes to Local Area Coordination 

which moved from 

Advocacy Western Isles on 

September 1 2010. 

The open day focused on the 

transfer of the service into 

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and 

the future direction of LAC 

Lewis and Harris. 

LAC is based on a vision of 

a society where people who 

have a learning disability and 

their carers are valued as full 

and equal members of the 

community. 

The LAC is one of 14 individuals 

throughout Scotland taking 

part in a new pilot project, 

working towards a professional 

development award for LACs 

based on level 7 of The Scottish 

Qualifi cation Award (SQA) 

framework. It is hoped that, if 

successful, this course will be 

rolled out to other community 

workers working in the areas 

of health, social care and 

community work. 

During the fi rst six months back 

at CnES and working from the 

new base – Grianan Centre, 

Westview Terrace, Stornoway 

- the LAC has had a busy 

period, which has included 

meeting with agencies within 

and out with CnES that link into 

the LAC role. The LAC has also 

continued to support 45 clients 

who have learning disabilities, 

autism or aspergers within 

Lewis and Harris. 

Pictured are Jen Ellis and Anne 

Sobey from the Hebridean 

Chocolate Factory (Third Sector 

Hebrides). 

One new work area is the 

increased focus on the 

transition of young people who 

have learning disabilities from 

secondary school to college, 

adult services, volunteer 

placements, etc. 

The role of Local Area Coordination 

in Scotland is further 

supported by the new ‘Values 

into Practice Framework’. This 

has been produced by the 

National Development Team 

for Local Area Co-ordination in 

partnership with the national 

reference group (NRG) and 

members of the LAC framework 

development group. The 

framework can be used by 

individual practitioners, service 

managers and people who use 

a LAC service to help support 

the delivery of improved 

outcomes. 

For further information please 

contact: 

Norrie MacDonald at the 

Grianan Centre (01851 822 

755/07766118844) 

norrie.macdonald@cne-siar. 

gov.uk

All great adventures must 

come to an end… or at least a 

modest pause 

(The fi nal instalment in Stephen 

Moore’s journeys across the 

world) 

Without planning, ironically 

my adventure started and 

fi nished in remote parts of north 

America - exploring, kayaking 

and camping in these remote 

wild landscapes; the domain of 

bears (Polar and Grizzly). 

Let’s pick up from my previous 

episode. I had just fi nished my 

epic adventure in Antarctica, 

awesome South Georgia and 

a life changing interaction with 

humpback whales curiously 

and gently playing with me and 

my kayak. From there, I took 

the long journey from Ushuaia 

to Buenos Aires, to Madrid to 

London. 

Then from London to friends in 

Gothenburg, Sweden; to Oslo 

and Bodo in Norway. Here I 

completed a fabulous kayak 

trip along the Lofoten islands 

in northern Norway. These are 

wonderful small islands where 

the mountains sink steeply into 

the sea, colourful small houses 

on stilts, cod drying on racks 

in every village. Here I caught 

my very fi rst fi sh from a kayak. 

In the village of Sund, I met 

a blacksmith who made the 

exquisite statues of penguins 

I had seen in the museum in 

Grytviken, South Georgia (what 

an amazingly small world it is at 

times) he made me an iron sea 

horse as a memento of our link. 

From the Lofoten islands I 

travelled up into the Arctic, 

to Longyearbien, Svalbard 

(Spitsbergen), to rendezvous 

with my Antarctic expedition 

leader Rupert (who lives 

there). I Joined RV Akademic 

Vavilov (an ice strengthen 

expedition ship and sister ship 

of RV Iloffe which I sailed on 

in Antarctica) to explore the 

coast of Svalbard, its glaciers, 

sea ice, millions of sea birds, 

elusive walrus and of course 

polar bears! 

Returning to Longyearbien 

I joined RV Iloffe to sail to 

Greenland and Iceland. The 

staff and crew greeted me like 

a long lost friend. My room had 

been up-graded and eyebrows 

were raised by fellow travellers 

as the bar man Max shouted 

across the welcome party and 

was heard to say; “Hi Stephen, 

Happy hour, same time, same 

place, see you there!” 

We headed out in search of 

polar bears. This trip would 

take me to northern Svalbard, 

Greenland and deliver me to 

Iceland. 

Greenland deserves a ‘book’ 

all to itself. What a landscape, 

people, culture and complex 

future. My ship left food at one 

village as their supply ship 

hadn’t arrived and was several 

months late. (In the Western 

Isles we panic when the ferry 

doesn’t sail for a day or so, 

shame on us!) The locals here 

were surviving on seal meat 

and polar bear. Greenland is 

the only place where polar 

bears can be hunted, but now 

on a strict quota basis. 

Then Iceland – the land of fi re, 

ice and water. First stop was 

Westman Island – volcanoes, 

Orcas and hundreds of 

puffi ns. Then on to mainland 

Iceland, camping, hiking, 

whale watching, rafting and 

walking up, around and inside 

volcanoes (I even went for a 

swim in one volcano). 

And then off to Alaska. A small 

group comprising of two local 

guides (both called Aaron!) and 

three other travellers who were 

all from the UK. We drove from 

Anchorage to Homer, where 

we packed all our gear into two 

fl oat planes and headed off 

for 12 days kayaking and wild 

camping in the wilderness with 

just a satellite phone for back 

up. After a 90 minute long fl ight 

we arrived at our starting point. 

We built our kayaks (fabric 

kayaks with a metal frame), put 

the tents up and explored our 

fi rst bay. The next 12 days were 

simply incredible. 

We and the guides were 

blown away (which makes 

it even more special when 

you see professional guides 

excited, like small children!). 

We encountered not two or 

three bears at a distance, we 

were surrounded by bears! We 


Ice, Bears and Special Moments 

counted some 43 direct bear 

encounters (close enough 

so you could hear them 

breathing!) and up to another 

20 bears at a distance! One 

bear walked straight through 

camp; we watched a mother 

and three cubs fi shing. She 

was magnifi cent; no bears 

came near her cubs, she saw 

to that! Then there was ‘Stan’, 

Stan doesn’t share his river 

with anyone! We watched him 

chase off other bears and then 

quietly, but very purposely 

‘walk’ us off his river too! No 

aggression just his presence 

and fi xed determination. Stan 

was not a bear to argue with! A 

lasting memory of Alaska and 

the majesty of bears. 

On this 16 month journey of 

a life time there were many 

highs. The highs were powerful, 

refreshing and I think life 

changing. Although far too 

many to mention, they would 

have to include; the Inuit 

people, Labrador, Greenland, 

the ‘Bungle Bungle’, mountains, 

volcanoes, glaciers, icebergs, 

the ocean, polar bears, ‘my’ 

humpback whales, Orcas, 

leopard seals, penguins, 

Albatross, millions of sea birds, 

elephants, hippos, kayaking, 

white water rafting, horse riding 

- the wilderness, the people 

I met and new friends I have 

made would be just a few. 

Stephen Moore 

Associate Chief Operating 

Offi cer (Community Services) 

33


Pictured are members of the ‘Stand up for Yourself’ Self Advocacy Group with NHS Western Isles staff and local councillors. 

Learning Disability group provides 

valuable feedback to local NHS 

“We try to ensure our voice 

is heard on things that matter 

to us – as a group we have 

discussed health services.” 

This was one of the opening 

comments by a member of 

the ‘Stand up for Yourself’ Self 

Advocacy Group which visited 

Western Isles Hospital on two 

separate occasions recently 

to deliver presentations on 

experiences of accessing local 

health care services. 

The fi rst presentation was 

attended by a small group 

of staff (pictured) and an 

invitation was extended to all 

interested staff for the second 

presentation in August, which 

was extremely well attended. 

The Self Advocacy Group, 

which is made up of around 

15-18 people with learning 

disabilities, meets once a 

month to discuss how they 

can engage with changes that 

matter to them within the local 

community. 

One of the latest areas they 

discussed was healthcare 

services and issues that 

mattered to them including 

communication, visiting 

the hospital, doctors, 

confi dentiality, accident and 

emergency and medicine 

information. The group 

gathered feedback to present 

to NHS Western Isles staff and 

other local representatives. 

With regard to communication, 

the group stated that they liked 

receiving letters that they could 

make sense of themselves. 

34 

“Use big print and diagrams 

that help us to understand what 

you are trying to tell us,” the 

group fed back. 

Speaking about Western 

Isles Hospital, the group 

gave extremely constructive 

feedback, pointing out that if 

a colour code or number code 

was used on signs; this would 

help them to fi nd their way 

about much more easily. They 

added: “The hospital is very 

Conducting semi structured interviews 

NHS Western Isles Research 

Offi cer Gareth Davies recently 

hosted a number of one day 

short courses in conducting 

semi structured interviews. 

Participants were trained 

in how to design a semi 

structured interview in 

clean and that is important to 

us.” 

The group spoke about the 

diffi culty in telling doctors 

that they don’t know about 

their learning disabilities and 

therefore it helps to see the 

same doctor or a doctor that 

knows them. 

The group stressed the 

importance of healthcare staff 

speaking slowly to them and 

not to use big words, and also 

response to a question, and 

then how to conduct a semi 

structured interview and 

analyse the responses. 

The courses have been well 

attended and feedback from 

participants has been excellent 

to date. 

stressed that pictures and 

diagrams often help them to 

understand. 

Having a private place to 

talk with NHS staff was also 

highlighted as important to 

members of the group. 

The direct feedback from the 

group was both extremely 

useful and interesting to NHS 

staff, who will now take on 

board the points raised and 

take action where possible. 

Gareth commented: “These 

skills are particularly valuable 

to us as a remote and 

rural health board with a 

small population, and semi 

structured interviews can be 

used effectively as a service 

evaluation tool.”

Innovative rehab 

service launched 

Improving people’s quality 

of life and reducing hospital 

admission rates are just two 

of the anticipated benefi ts of 

a new service introduced by 

NHS Western Isles. 

The Board recently launched 

a new Chronic Obstructive 

Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 

Rehabilitation Service to 

proactively target COPD, which 

is one of the major causes 

of morbidity and mortality 

within Scotland and currently 

accounts for more than 10 

per cent of all acute hospital 

admissions and 30,000 deaths 

annually in Scotland and the 

UK. 

In the Western Isles there 

are over 400 people with 

COPD and 200 people who 

could potentially benefi t 

from COPD Rehabilitation. 

The fi rst phase of the new 

service development is the 

establishment of a COPD 

Rehabilitation ‘Hub’ at Western 

Isles Hospital in Stornoway, 

with telehealth links to NHS 

Tayside’s Rehabilitation Team 

for additional support. The 

intention is that ‘satellite’ 

services will be introduced in 

the Uists and Barra at a later 

date. 

Evidence Based 

Pulmonary Rehabilitation 

is essentially class based 

programmes which enable 

those with respiratory 

conditions to learn to manage 

their own health/ill health, 

day to day in their home 

environment, where possible. 

Classes are comprehensive 

multidisciplinary programmes 

of exercise and education. 

The demographic profi le in 

the Western Isles, coupled 

with the rising number of 

Long Term Conditions (one of 

which is COPD), indicates that 

the demand for Pulmonary 

Rehabilitation will continue to 

increase. 

Respiratory Liaison Nurse 

Pauline Morrison stated: “All 

the evidence strongly suggests 

that pulmonary rehabilitation 

is very benefi cial for 

appropriately referred patients. 

The benefi ts include clinical 

benefi ts, reduced admission 

to hospital rates and improved 

quality of life. It also empowers 

patients to manage their own 

conditions.” 

Six participants recently 

completed the programme. 

Clients can be referred through 

the Respiratory Consultant, 

their GP or through the 

Respiratory Liaison Nurse. 

Allison Martin, who was 

recently appointed as 

Rehabilitation Physiotherapist 

to support the new service, 

explained: “The programme 

takes place over eight weeks, 

and consists of two one-hour 

sessions a week, together with 

an hour of education/informal 

group chats over a cup of 

tea. The exercise programme 

is tailored to each client’s 

individual needs to improve 

symptoms and quality of life 

and help individuals to self 

manage their disease as 

effectively as possible.” 

Exercise classes start with 

stretches and a ‘warm up’, 

followed by light exercises in a 

‘circuit’ format to help develop 

functional exercise capacity, 

improve health status, and 

reduce breathlessness. 

The educational element 

is provided by a variety 

of professionals who are 

specialists in their area. 

Feedback from participants 

who have completed the 

course has been excellent, 

with some clients now 

members of the local gym. 

Cameron MacLeay, who 

recently completed the 

programme, commented: “It’s 

a very balanced programme 

and they have it very well 

worked out.” 

Phil Tilley, Deputy Head of 

Planning and Development 

and Chairman of the 

Respiratory Managed Clinical 

Network said; “A lot of hard 

work has been undertaken 

over the past year to ensure 

our readiness to deliver this 

new service. The successful 

launch is due to partnership 

working with other Boards 

in Scotland and with the 

involvement of the Scottish 

Centre for Telehealth. Much 

of the credit is due to our own 

staff who have undertaken 

new training over weeks and 

months, in some cases and 

to the determination of our 

Respiratory Liaison Nurse and 

Rehabilitation Physiotherapist.” 


Pictured are Respiratory Liaison Nurse Pauline Morrison; one 

of the fi rst clients on the programme, Cameron MacLeay; and 

Rehabilitation Physiotherapist, Allison Martin. 

MS Nurse to 

be appointed 

An MS Nurse will be 

appointed in the Western 

Isles after the Multiple 

Sclerosis (MS) Society and 

NHS Western Isles agreed 

funding arrangements for the 

post. 

The MS Society agreed to 

fund a full time MS Nurse 

for nine months, on the 

understanding that NHS 

Western Isles will continue to 

fund a post. 

NHS Western Isles Chief 

Executive Gordon Jamieson 

said: “With more than 80 

people in the Western Isles 

diagnosed with MS, NHS 

Western Isles recognises 

how benefi cial it will be 

for these individuals and 

their carers/families to 

have the support and care 

provided by a specialist 

nurse to promote symptom 

management, gain 

psychological support and 

to be empowered to self 

manage their condition. 

This will provide a timely 

and responsive service, 

enhancing continuity of 

care.” 

Local campaigner for an MS 

Nurse, and treasurer of the 

MS Society (Western Isles 

branch), Christine Stewart, 

said: “I am absolutely 

delighted for all the MS 

sufferers in the Western 

Isles. The difference this is 

going to make for all those 

people will be huge.” 

35


Modernising 

Children’s Health 

Services in the 

Western Isles 

NHS Western Isles will 

commence a recruitment 

process for a Consultant 

Paediatrician working across 

the community and hospital 

settings, after the Board 

agreed its preferred model 

for children’s services. 

At a Board meeting in 

August, members considered 

three options for children’s 

services. Option 1 was to 

continue with a consultant 

paediatrician model based 

within the hospital; option 2 

was to appoint a consultant 

paediatrician based across 

the hospital and community 

settings, working within a 

wider clinical network; and 

option 3 was to provide 

children’s services without 

a locally based consultant 

paediatrician. 

Board members considered 

the advantages and 

disadvantages of each of 

the options, and agreed that 

option 2, as recommended 

by the Board’s Medical 

Director, would provide 

the most sustainable and 

effective service for the local 

population. 

Whilst options 1 and 3 

were both feasible, the 

advantages of option 2 

included the provision of 

support for other clinicians, 

a comprehensive service 

both within and out with 

the hospital, and continuity 

of care both during acute 

illnesses and long-term care. 

The consultant paediatrician 

would also be supported in 

the delivery of unscheduled 

care by the Children’s on Call 

Doctors team, and supported 

externally by a peer network 

from NHS Greater Glasgow 

and Clyde. 

NHS Western Isles Medical 

Director Dr James Ward 

pointed out that an essential 

component of ensuring 

support to the consultant will 

be to position them within 

a wider clinical network for 

peer support. Work will now 

be undertaken to develop 

the wider child health team 

in partnership with NHS 

Greater Glasgow and 

Clyde, to further enhance 

the local service with 

specialist mainland support 

arrangements. 

36 

Launch of School of Nursing, 

Midwifery and Health 

The new School of Nursing, 

Midwifery and Health 

celebrated its launch at the 

Western Isles Campus earlier 

this year, to an audience of 

staff, students and partners. 

The School, formerly the 

Department of Nursing and 

Midwifery, has an expanding 

portfolio of innovative research 

and postgraduate courses. 

The name better refl ects the 

multi-professional nature of 

the School’s world-leading 

health activity, a key part of 

which will be to continue 

delivering professional nursing 

programmes. 

The efforts of NHS Western 

Isles staff to tackle Healthcare 

Associated Infection 

(HAI) are paying off, as the 

latest Infection Control update 

demonstrates. 

Key headlines in the August 

2011 report include the fact 

that there has only been one 

SAB (bacterial infection of the 

blood associated with devices 

which penetrate the skin) since 

January 2011. For the same 

period in 2010, eight SABs had 

been reported. 

Infection control measures 

taken within the community 

have resulted in a drop in the 

number of new MRSA cases 

Professor William Lauder, Head 

of School, described the name 

change as one which refl ects 

the diversity of the academic 

community within the School 

and the trend in the delivery of 

health and social care which 

requires a range of skills in 

health care and public health. 

In the most recent Research 

Assessment Exercise (RAE 

2008) Stirling’s nursing and 

midwifery research was 

recognised as world class, 

placing it top in Scotland. Since 

then, the School has gone from 

strength to strength, expanding 

its portfolio to include Public 

acquired outwith the hospital 

setting. Five cases were 

reported during August 2011, 

compared to 14 last year. 

The number of cases of MRSA 

acquired within the hospital 

setting has also continued to 

steadily decrease, with a clear 

downward trend emerging 

over the past two years. One 

case was reported in August 

2011, compared to three cases 

at the same time last year. 

As a result of the continued 

reduction in the number of 

cases acquired in hospital, the 

average number of cases has 

reduced from three to two. 

Blood culture contamination 

also remains low (within the 

Some of the attendees on the day. 

Health and Population Health, 

which covers the areas of 

Epidemiology, Occupational 

and Environmental Health, 

Physical Activity, Diet and 

Health and Substance Use and 

Addictions, and Education and 

Practice development. 

The School has almost doubled 

the number of research active 

staff since 2008 and contributes 

to local, national and 

international health services. 

This has an impact on patients, 

carers, the NHS and the health 

of wider communities, including 

within the Western Isles. 

Infection control measures reap 

positive results in the Western Isles 

3% target). 

Chief Executive Gordon 

Jamieson said: “Preventing 

infection is an extremely 

important area for the health 

service across Scotland. In 

the Western Isles, we have 

very low infection rates, and to 

demonstrate decreasing trends 

in infections such as MRSA 

is extremely encouraging, 

and down to the vigilance, 

motivation and very hard work 

of our staff. 

“Whilst there are always further 

improvements to be made, this 

recent report demonstrates 

that we are certainly heading in 

the right direction.”

New NHS Western Isles Research 

and Development Endowment Fund 

The NHS Western Isles 

Endowment Committee has 

agreed to the establishment 

of a new £20,000 Research 

and Development (R&D) 

Endowment Fund administered 

by the R&D Lead - Martin 

Malcolm, Head of Public Health 

Intelligence. 

The fund is in recognition of the 

important contribution original 

research makes to developing 

best healthcare practice and 

so benefi ting the patient. This 

is particularly so for locally 

originated research that can 

be best placed to improve 

understanding and potentially 

offer innovative solutions to 

the unique challenges of our 

healthcare system. 

The fund will provide an 

exciting opportunity for current 

or potential researchers 

working within the organisation 

to obtain fi nancial support in 

undertaking research activity 

relevant to the patient care 

needs of the Western Isles. 

Consideration will also be 

given to external researchers 

proposing to conduct approved 

research of particular relevance 

to NHS Western Isles. 

What is the fund for? 

The fund is intended to operate 

as pump priming support at a 

range of possible critical stages 

of developing new research 

activity. This may include the 

following: 

I) At the pre-protocol stage 

to assist in working research 

questions up to fully detailed 

research protocols suitable 

for peer review and ethical 

applications. 

II) At the initial research project 

stage, to assist with taking 

forward the fully worked up 

research project. This may 

assist projects in exploring 

further funding applications to 

research bodies. 

It is not intended to meet the 

ongoing funding requirements 

of established research 

projects. 

The R&D Lead hopes that this 

fund will encourage more staff 

to pursue research activity 

and build capacity across the 

organisation in this area which 

will lead to shared learning on 

range of research skills. 

An application process has 

been developed based around 

an initial proforma application 

to ensure fair access and 

robustness of applications. This 

is available from the R&D Lead. 

A few things to consider… 

Applications will be expected to 

demonstrate that the proposed 

area of research supports 

the corporate priorities of the 

organisation in providing new 

learning and understanding of 

areas of relevance to the health 

service in the Western Isles 

and other similar communities. 

Broad areas of likely research 

priority will be identifi ed in the 

annual NHS Western Isles R&D 

report and via intranet R&D 

pages in due course. 

Other key things to consider 

when making an application are 

that it should be accompanied 

by a copy of a full Research 

Proposal or, for pre-protocol 

stage applications, a project 

summary (2 x A4 sheets). 

Further details on what this 

should include can be obtained 

from the R&D Lead. Copies 

of peer reviews and any 

relevant ethical approvals will 

be required. Further guidance 

and support in producing these 

will be available from the R&D 

Lead. 

An important part of the 

process is that the fi ndings/ 

outcomes of supported 

research are shared across 

the organisation in order that 

learning is shared and where 

possible any arising potential 

improvements to service 

provision are capitalised upon. 

Applicants should then expect 

to provide dissemination of the 

research outputs through a 

range of methods. 

All those interested should 

contact the R&D Lead in 

the fi rst instance who will 

explain the process, including 

eligibility criteria, and issue 

an application form. Further 

detailed guidance will appear 

on the intranet in due course. 

The fi nancial support, 

together with the ongoing 

practical support offered by 

the Research Offi cer (see 

accompanying article), now 

provides ideal opportunity for 

staff to consider entering the 

interesting and rewarding area 

of health research. 

Martin Malcolm 

Head of Public Health 

Intelligence (R&D Lead) 

Tel: 01851 708055 

Email: martin.malcolm@nhs. 

net 

Practical Support 

for Researchers in 


The recently announced 

Research and Development 

Endowment Fund of £20,000, 

described in the article by 

the R&D Lead, adds an 

important element to the 

support already offered by 

NHS Western Isles to potential 

researchers. In addition 

researchers are reminded of 

the practical support offered 

by the organisation’s Research 

Offi cer. 

This includes advice and 

guidance on: 

organising and designing 

research projects 

development of research 

questions 

literature review 

ethical and R&D approval 

applications 

data gathering 

data analysis and 

presentation and 

preparation for dissemination 

of results 

making practical links with 


other research organisations 

Short courses are available 

in a wide range of research 

methods and techniques which 

can be delivered on a one-toone 

basis or to groups of staff 

who are engaged in the same 

or related research projects. 

NHS Western Isles now has a 

real chance to engage in high 

quality research focusing on 

the needs of our patients and 

staff. 

This support, together with 

the fi nancial support offered 

through the Endowment Fund 

can enable staff to successfully 

take that crucial fi rst step 

into the rewarding world of 

research. 

For more information and 

advice regarding above areas 

of practical research support 

contact the Research Offi cer: 

Gareth Davies 

Research Offi cer 

Tel: 01851 708047 

Email: garethdavies1@nhs.net 

ADULT SUPPORT AND PROTECTION (SCOTLAND) ACT 

2007 - AWARENESS EVENT FOR MANAGERS OF NHS, 

LOCAL AUTHORITY AND VOLUNTARY SERVICES IN THE 

WESTERN ISLES 

THE ADULT SUPPORT AND PROTECTION (SCOTLAND) 

ACT 2007 PLACES AN OBLIGATION ON ORGANISATIONS 

AND STAFF TO PROTECT ADULTS WHO ARE AT RISK. 

VARIOUS PEOPLE WITHIN ALL WESTERN ISLES 

ORGANISATIONS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAVING 

A KEY ROLE TO PLAY ENSURING THE PROTECTION OF 

ADULTS WHO MAY BE AT RISK. 

THE WESTERN ISLES ADULT PROTECTION COMMITTEE 

IS HOLDING AN EVENT TO ENSURE THAT STAFF WITHIN 

RELEVANT ORGANISATIONS ARE FULLY FAMILIAR WITH 

LOCAL PROCEDURES WHICH ARE IN LINE WITH THE 

NATIONAL REQUIREMENT AND STANDARDS. 

THE EVENTS (ONE ON UIST AND ONE ON LEWIS) ARE IN 

OCTOBER 

COPIES OF THE ADULT SUPPORT AND PROTECTION 

(SCOTLAND) ACT 2007 WESTERN ISLES MULTI- 

AGENCY PROCEDURES WILL SHORTLY BE AVAILABLE 

TO DOWNLOAD FROM THE COMHAIRLE WEBSITE. 

MEANWHILE, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT 

KAREN TOOVEY – LEAD OFFICER MENTAL HEALTH AND 

ADULT PROTECTION, WESTERN ISLES COUNCIL ON 

– 01851 701585. 

37


We’ve done the test. 

Have you? 

Almost 4,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in Scotland. 

The good news is bowel screening reduces bowel cancer deaths. 

Everyone between 50 and 74 will receive a test kit by post every two years. 

Take the test. You can do it at home – it’s quick, easy to do and it could be a lifesaver. 

To find out more call the Helpline on 0800 0121 833 

or visit www.bowelscreening.scot.nhs.uk 

Bowel Screening 

saves lives 

Community pharmacies 

across the Western Isles 

are, between August 15 and 

October 2 2011, joining the 

campaign to encourage 

people to consider taking 

the life saving bowel 

screening test. 

Large scale posters will be 

displayed in the windows 

of over 1,200 pharmacies 

across Scotland, telling 

people about the homebased 

test, featuring people 

asking ‘We’ve done the test. 

Have you?’ 

All those aged 50-74 in the 

Western Isles are eligible for 

screening and will be sent a 

home-based test kit through 

their letterbox every two 

years. 

As people often use 

community pharmacies to 

seek health advice as well 

as get their prescriptions, 

information on the screening 

programme will also be 

available through a ‘Know 

the Facts’ leafl et. 

38 

Professor Robert Steele, 

Director of the Scottish 

Bowel Screening Programme 

said: “95% of all cases of 

bowel cancer occur in those 

over 50, and the screening 

programme offers a real 

opportunity to identify and 

treat those at risk. 

“Pharmacy advertising is 

designed to help people to 

feel less awkward about this 

subject, seek information 

and ask questions they 

may have. Having this 

advertising at the heart of 

many communities in the 

Western Isles will, I hope, 

encourage more people here 

to consider taking the test. 

“Lots of information is 

provided with the test kit 

when it arrives through the 

letterbox and information can 

also be accessed whenever 

and wherever it is convenient 

at www.bowelscreening.scot. 

nhs.uk. This includes a short 

animated fi lm which explains 

more about the test and how 

to complete this.” 

2865 7/2011 © NHS Health Scotland, 2011 

Breastfeeding Support 

Group set up in 

Balivanich 

Due to considerable interest 

from breast feeding mothers in 

Uist and Benbecula, Uist Infant 

Support Team has set up a 

local service to provide advice, 

guidance and support. 

Through the new Balivanich 

Clinic Informal Breastfeeding 

Support group (aka ‘BIBS’), 

it is hoped that the numbers 

of mothers choosing and 

sustaining breastfeeding will 

continue to rise. 

Local Midwife, Emma 

MacKechnie, said: “BIBS 

is open to all breastfeeding 

Three options to modernise 

mental health services in the 

Western Isles were presented 

to Western Isles Health Board 

in August. 

Option 1 proposes no change 

to the current service, option 

2 focuses on maintaining 

people within the community 

with no local inpatient service, 

and option 3 proposes an 

investment in community 

services and partially 

disinvesting in inpatient 

services. 

Option 1 is considered to be an 

outdated model of service, with 

an emphasis on admission, 

and resources concentrated 

around the inpatient facility in 

Western Isles Hospital. 

Options 2 and 3 both offer 

the possibility to transfer staff 

into the community and also 

to consider resource transfer, 

if appropriate, to partner 

agencies. Option 2 would 

result in increased community 

capacity, but would also mean 

that acutely ill patients would 

have to travel to the mainland 

mothers as a source of 

support, encouragement and 

discussion with one another 

in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Refreshments will be provided 

and babies and toddlers are 

also welcome. A midwife 

and or health visitor will be 

available for help and advice 

as required.” 

The group meets on the 

second and fourth Wednesday 

of every month between 11am 

and 12noon at Balivanich 

Clinic. All are welcome! 

Health Board agrees to proceed 

to formal ‘option appraisal’ for 

Mental Health Services 

to access inpatient facilities. 

Option 3, which is based on the 

recommendations in previous 

mental health reports, the Watt 

Report and Clisham Report, 

would increase capacity in 

the community - ‘shifting 

the balance of care’ - whilst 

retaining an inpatient facility for 

acutely ill patients. 

The options were developed 

as a result of extensive 

consultation exercises through 

the Clinical Strategy process 

over the past four years, as 

well as through the Clisham 

Project and Watt Report. 

The Board agreed that a 

formal option appraisal process 

should now take place in the 

autumn, with the involvement 

of key stakeholders. This will 

enable members of the public, 

staff and other agencies to 

get involved in considering 

the pros and cons of the 

three options, to put forward 

other potential ideas for 

consideration and to potentially 

determine a preferred option 

for recommendation to Western 

Isles Health Board.

Information displays. 

New look for Health Centre waiting area 

Patients, carers, staff and visitors 

have been noticing the new 

layout of information within 

the Stornoway Health Centre 

waiting area. 

Displaying vast amounts 

of information on local and 

national services, events, 

campaigns and health 

topics can be very diffi cult 

when display space is tight. 

This results in information 

being ‘stacked’ and untidy and 

the majority of patients and 

carers were unable to see the 

information on display. 

To resolve this issue, the Health 

Information and Resources 

Service, in conjunction with the 

Group Practice and Community 

Health and Social Care 

Partnership (CHaSCP), has 

reorganised the Health Centre 

waiting area by removing all 

previously advertised and out 

of date materials, erecting new 

display boards, and moving 

existing boards and leafl et 

racks to make better use of the 

space available. Headers have 

also been added to boards 

to display specifi c information 

on NHS Western Isles services, 

national NHS information, 

local support groups, national 

support groups and forthcoming 

events. 

Each item of information 

displayed is now in a pre-set 

A5 postcard-sized coloured 

snapshot, and to date feedback 

has been very positive with staff 

noticing patients/carers now 

stopping to read the information 

‘postcards’ whilst waiting 

for their appointment, or in 

passing. Any information to be 

added must now be handed in 

to reception in the fi rst instance 

as anything added to boards 

before being placed into the 

‘postcards’ will be removed. 

New signage has also been 

erected to display the different 

areas of the waiting area 

such as the children’s corner, 

and the treatment room waiting 

area. Signage has also been 

erected to encourage patients/ 

carers and visitors to report to 

the appropriate reception area 

on arrival. 





701545 or email marissa. 




Resources Offi cer 

Revamped seating area. 


NHS Western Isles: 

‘complying with 

the majority’ of HEI 

standards 


Chief Executive 

Gordon Jamieson has 

acknowledged the hard 

work and dedication of 

staff in proactively tackling 

infection and maintaining 

high standards of cleaning. 

Efforts to tackle healthcare 

associated infection (HAI) 

were acknowledged in 

a recent report from the 

Healthcare Environment 

Inspectorate, following an 

unannounced inspection. 

An unannounced 

inspection visit to 

Western Isles Hospital 

took place during July. 

The HEI inspection team 

examined NHS Western 

Isles’ self-assessment 

information and then 

inspected the hospital to 

validate this information, 

meet patients and staff, 

and visit wards and 

departments to assess how 

clean the hospital was and 

if it was meeting national 

standards. 

Susan Brimelow, HEI 

Chief Inspector, said: 

“Overall, NHS Western 

Isles is complying with 

the majority of standards 

to protect patients, 

staff and visitors from 

the risk of acquiring an 

infection. The overall 

standard of cleaning 

continues to be good and 

a programme of regular 

staff training in infection 

prevention and control 

is maintained. However, 

we have also identifi ed 

areas for improvement 

including a need for more 

consistent use of cleaning 

schedules, and drug fridge 

temperature recording 

must be improved.” 

Gordon Jamieson said: 

“NHS Western Isles 

welcomes any and all 

external scrutiny that 

assists us to continually 

raise the standard of 

care, services and the 

environment in which 

patients receive care. 

“This report recognises the 

positive action that NHS 

Western Isles continues to 

take to reduce the risk of 

infection, which is down 

to the hard work and 

dedication of our staff. The 

areas for improvement 

highlighted will be the 

focus of very clear action 

to raise our standards even 

further.” 

Summary of 

Requirements 


must: 

1. Complete the review 

of the role of the infection 

control manager when the 

post is fi lled. 

2. Identify a timescale for 

the implementation of an 

improved fault repair and 

maintenance system. 

3. Ensure that drug fridge 

temperature records are 

consistently completed 

and that appropriate 

thermometers are in 

place to enable accurate 

recording. 

4. Identify a date for 

refurbishing the fl ooring in 

the outpatient department 

in order to comply with 

national guidance on 

infection prevention and 

control in the healthcare 

environment. 

5. Ensure there is 

collaboration between the 

Patient Focus and Public 

Involvement lead at Board 

level and local public 

engagement structures 

in relation to healthcare 

associated infection. 

The full HEI inspection 

report and an improvement 

action plan are available to 

view at 

www.healthcare 

improvementscotland. 

org/HEI.aspx 

39

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Facebook Pilot complete! 

The Facebook pilot of ‘Health 

Information and Resources 

Service Western Isles’ was 

recently completed, amassing 

a fantastic 37,073 views and 

127 fans in its six month pilot. 

Launched on January 18 

2011, the page was aimed 

at promoting the wide 

range of new and existing 

materials available from 

the Health Information and 

Resources Service (HIRS), 

based at Stornoway Health 

Centre. This included leafl ets 

and booklets, CDs and 

DVDs, Older People and 

Childminding project boxes, 

conference equipment, 

contraceptive supplies, 

anatomical charts and display 

models. 

In order to engage with as 

many visitors as possible, 

information was uploaded 

as a brief ‘snapshot’ 

accompanied by an image 

whenever possible, in easily 

understandable and nonjargon 

language. 

Facebook also proved 

a great promotional tool 

for a wide range of local 

and national events and 

campaigns, health-related 

groups, websites, services 

and general information. 

This included the Health 

Information (HI) Project, 

Be Inspired (Dietetics), 

Community Mental Health 

Team, No Smoking Day, 

Hebridean Men’s Cancer 

Support Group, Child Safety 

Week, Smokefree Hebrides, 

Men’s Health Week, Paths 

to Health, MS Society and 

Breastfeeding Awareness 

Week…. to name just a few. 

A ‘Did You Know’ box was 

introduced to raise the profi le 

of general information and 

statistics. This included 

cancer and the various 

warning signs to watch for, 

the increase in HIV and 

STI cases, and emergency 

contraception. 

A ‘Don’t Forget’ box was also 

introduced to raise awareness 

of general information. This 

included information/access 

to the local Family Planning 

Clinic, local contraceptive 

availability, awareness of 

HIRS as a drop-in service, or 

when HIRS would be closed 

due to staff leave/public 

holidays. 

In the fi rst instance, HIRS saw 

an increase in visitors from 

new and previously registered 

clients who had simply 

forgotten about the service. 

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Staff have also commented 

on local healthcare services 

which they were previously 

unaware of, but would now 

either make use of themselves 

or refer their clients to. 

It is hoped that HIRS Western 

Isles will continue to post 

information to promote and 

showcase various events/ 

campaigns and materials 

available in future, and that 

with the new academic year 

now in full swing, further 

promotion will take place 

within secondary schools, 

colleges and workplaces 

to promote the page with 

teenagers and young adults. 




Resources Offi cer, Stornoway 

Health Centre, tel. 01851 

701545, or email: marissa. 


(Nb. The pilot was originally 

intended to run for a six 

month period (18/1/11- 

18/7/11), but due to posting 

restrictions during the Scottish 

Election ‘Purdah’ period, 

was granted an additional 

month (to 18/08/11) by NHSWI 

Communications Group). 


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Better Health Better Care Better Here

Slainte (Autumn '11) - NHS Western Isles

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