NUH News Summer edition
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5<br />
<strong>News</strong>Bites<br />
scan here<br />
to read on<br />
the go…<br />
<strong>NUH</strong> doctor<br />
joining Team GB<br />
Paralympic<br />
experts in<br />
Brazil<br />
A doctor from <strong>NUH</strong> has been<br />
selected to accompany Team<br />
GB athletes to the Paralympic<br />
Games in Rio de Janeiro.<br />
Sports and Exercise Medicine Consultant<br />
Dr Kate Strachan will serve as part of<br />
a three person medical team, working<br />
alongside physiotherapists, nutritionists<br />
and behavioural psychologists.<br />
Dr Strachan said: “My job is to look after<br />
the ‘superhumans’ and make sure they<br />
are all good to go for their respective<br />
competitions.<br />
“A lot of the work takes place behind the<br />
scenes, dealing with illnesses and injuries<br />
that the athletes sustain while competing,<br />
as well as any injuries or illnesses they<br />
might have ahead of the games.”<br />
Dr Strachan has been working as a<br />
consultant at <strong>NUH</strong> since 2006.<br />
She added: “It’s going to be a fantastic<br />
experience. All the athletes have trained<br />
hard and we go to Brazil with very high<br />
hopes. We are aiming to beat the 120<br />
medals we won in London 2012.”<br />
Outside of <strong>NUH</strong>, Dr Strachan works<br />
part-time for the English Institute of<br />
Sport as the Lead Sports Physician in the<br />
Midlands, where she works with a number<br />
of different Olympic sports including<br />
canoeing, para-canoe, swimming and<br />
triathlon. She was also part of the medical<br />
team at London 2012, supporting the<br />
canoe slalom team and supported the<br />
English gymnastics team at the 2010<br />
Commonwealth Games in Delhi.<br />
PALSinfo<br />
PALS office<br />
a 'safe place'<br />
The Patient Advice & Liaison Service<br />
(PALS) office at QMC has been set up as<br />
a 'safe place' for vulnerable people.<br />
The safe place scheme was set up by<br />
Learning Disability charity Mencap to<br />
ensure people with learning disabilities<br />
have a safe place they can go to if<br />
they are distressed or get into trouble<br />
whether they feel unsafe, scared, bullied<br />
or have experienced violence.<br />
Mencap gives out safe place cards to<br />
vulnerable people with contacts and<br />
pictures to ensure they can get the help<br />
they need, whether this is calling the<br />
police, a carer or transport.<br />
Debra Maddison, Senior PALS Officer,<br />
said: “This scheme is a great idea and<br />
can really make a difference. If someone<br />
needs help and they’re scared or unsure,<br />
they know they can come to us and get<br />
the help they need. The cards are good<br />
too as sometimes communications can<br />
be an issue. With the cards people can<br />
point to a picture describing the help<br />
they need and we have contact details<br />
for their carer or relative.”
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