This election could be the most unequal in 60 years, with people on low incomes being shut out of our democracy.
The #VoteYourValues campaign gives our members access to tools that can help people in their communities get vote-ready.
In a democracy, everyone’s voice matters equally.
So it’s completely unjust that so many people on lower incomes get shut out from using their vote. This General Election looks set to be the most unequal for more than six decades, due to a ballooning turnout gap at elections and the growing role of money in British politics, according to a recent report from IPPR.
NHS Lothian have announced that Sammy McKee has won the Helpforce Champion Volunteer of the Year Award.
The Helpforce Champions Awards are a national awards designed to celebrate the invaluable contributions made by volunteers across the UK during the past turbulent year, fundamentally defined by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head of Volunteering, Jane Greenacre, explains this is not just recognition of one person’s contribution but of all of the volunteers, past and present: “The contribution Sammy has made over the last 18+ months is incredible, and we are so pleased it has been recognised in these national awards.
“However, in the eyes of the Voluntary Services Team, all of the volunteers are winners. The roles that Sammy has taken on as Ward Helper, Vaccine Clinic Welcome Guide and at the Meaningful Activity Centre are really representative of support provided by 500+ volunteers so everyone can share in this success.”
“Sammy, like all of our volunteers, embodies NHS Lothian’s values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, quality, team work, and openness, honestly and responsibility.”
If you would like to volunteer, know more about NHS Lothian volunteer roles or if you work for NHS Lothian and want to know what support can be offered contact:
Sammy joined the volunteer team at NHS Lothian in March 2020, as he was keen to support his local community and the NHS during the pandemic.
Since then Sammy has given over 750 hours of his time volunteering twice a week (often three times a week) in a variety of roles and he has done all of this alongside family and other commitments and with continual professionalism and good humour.
From his first contact to date Sammy has embodied NHS Lothian’s values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, quality, team work, and openness, honestly and responsibility. Sammy has demonstrated his care and compassion for others as a volunteer in a care of the elderly ward where he supports patients (many of whom have complex needs) where he has volunteered since March 2020.
He has consistently treated the patients with dementia using the meaningful activity centre at St John’s Hospital with dignity and respect spending time getting to know patients, their likes and interests and planning activities to do with them one-to-one or in small groups.
Sammy has demonstrated his commitment to quality by actively participating in the Voluntary Services Team’s optional training programme giving up yet even more of his time to learn and develop his skills.
There is not a single person (staff or volunteer) who has worked alongside Sammy who would not agree that he is a team player. Sammy offering to change his usual volunteering site to support another volunteer who was lacking on confidence and his willingness to take on extra shifts to cover for colleagues unable to attend at the vaccination clinics are just two examples.
In addition Sammy is open to new ideas, honest about his experience and takes responsibly for the commitment he has made to those he supports. Sammy has two main roles with NHS Lothian as a Ward Helper in a Medicine of the Elderly ward In Findlay House and as an Activities Volunteer in the Meaningful Activity Centre at St John’s Hospital. Alongside these roles, he has also volunteered as a Vaccination Clinic Guide for 5 months.
In each of these roles, his volunteering was designed to achieve different things. The Ward Helper role aims to support positive health outcomes for patients by supporting day-to-day tasks and providing stimulation and to free staff time to allow them to focus on specialist tasks.
Many of the patients in this particular area have complex needs which can result in challenging behaviour or low mood. The support provided by the Ward Helpers enables patients to maintain their abilities and physical health, to improve mood and to support patients in the most difficult of circumstance to have the best possible experience. This support also helps families of patients by allowing them to take breaks from visiting safe in the knowledge that their loved one will not be alone.
The Meaningful Activity Centre was developed to provide a therapeutic environment for patients within the hospital. Patients with cognitive impairment can frequently become distressed in the hospital environment as not all their needs can be met on a ward through a medical model.
At the Meaningful Activity Centre, the volunteers aim to meet unmet needs that are related to boredom and lack of activity. However, it is not just playing some games to relieve boredom. By engaging in meaningful conversation and using excellent listening skills, the volunteers have been able to find ways to understand what is causing the distress of the person and to take steps to reduce distress.
As a Ward Helper Sammy completes many practical tasks including helping with meal distribution and the tea trolley (key to tackling issues with dehydration common in hospital settings) and the mealtime tidy up after eating, he will support patients to eat by providing company, encouragement and also practical assistance having been trained to safely feed patients who need assistance.
Outside mealtimes Sammy will help with practical takes such as answering the door to welcome visitors, top and up supplies like hand gel, masks. However, the key to Sammy’s Ward Helper role is the building of relationships with patients so that he can support them in a person centred way through small therapeutic interventions such as taking a patient in a wheelchair to spend time in the garden, taking short walks in the ward to maintain mobility, reminiscence and conversation to maintain mental stimulation and support good mood, sitting with a nonverbal patient listening to music to calm and relax them.
As a Vaccination Clinic Guide Sammy welcomes people to the clinics, guides them through the process giving explanations about what would happen next, how long things might take, giving directions, reassuring the nervous/making conversation with those who had been isolated often for months previously and supervising the post vaccination observation bay. Sammy’s cheerful manner and easy confidence help ensure that everyone feels valued and supported as they attend the clinic.
At the Meaningful Activity Centre Sammy supports patients one to one or in small groups through a range of person centred activities. There may be games or bingo to enjoy, looking at books and newspaper articles from yesteryear, listening to music or even karaoke to some old favourites, afternoon teas and the occasional dinner dance.
Whatever the activity Sammy is there leading the way and encouraging everyone to get involved, working at the understanding, confidence and enthusiasm level of the patient so that they feel comfortable and have a good time. contribution is invaluable.
While many of the patents Sammy supports are not able to articulate their gratitude verbally, it is obvious from the changes in their demeanour (not just while interacting with Sammy but following) that their time with Sammy has helped them to feel calmer, more settled and more at ease in the hospital.
World Suicide Prevention Day takes place next Friday – 10th September 2021. This year the international theme is ‘Creating Hope Through Action’.
NHS 24 are encouraging everybody to think about taking one simple action to create hope and support ourselves and people around us who might be struggling, before pressures become a crisis. NHS 24 are supporters of United to Prevent Suicide.
The short animation ‘Ask, Tell – A healthy conversation’ gives practical tips on how and when to have compassionate conversations with people who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts or mental distress.
Anyone in Scotland in need of urgent help with their mental health can contact the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub on 111. This service is available 24/7/365.
Many people who call are experiencing thoughts or worries about suicide. The teams are able to help in a number of ways with compassionate listening, strategies to stay safe, or referral to support services for practical help with problems such as money or relationships.
Some callers are referred to their GP or community mental health team. Occasionally they refer callers to emergency services. NHS 24 work closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland to offer a compassionate, appropriate, safe response to everyone calling.
The Breathing Space service is a confidential phone line for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16, feeling low, anxious or depressed.
Open Monday – Thursday 6pm to 2am, and all weekend Friday 6pm -Monday 6am.
Call free on 0800 83 85 87
Donald Macintyre, Associate Medical Director, NHS 24 said: “Taking care of our mental health has been so important during the pandemic.
“I would encourage everyone to take a small action to improve their own wellbeing and to learn about safe ways to have what might be a difficult conversation with someone who may be struggling. Often a brief, caring chat can have a major impact. Our mental health teams are here to offer a compassionate response to anyone who needs urgent help.”
An action could be as simple as trying out the new Mental Wellbeing Signposting tool on NHS inform, which helps users navigate to free online courses provided by the SilverCloud platform or to the most helpful mental wellbeing resources on NHSinform.
SilverCloud courses have been designed by clinical experts and provide support for a range of conditions including sleep problems, general mental wellbeing and stress.
A joint statement from NHS Lothian and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation:
We are aware that hospitals across Lothian have benefited from funds realised from the Atlantic slave trade.
With colonialism and slavery being central to the national economy from the 17th to the 19th centuries, both Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation and NHS Lothian can be considered as joint descendants of the legacies of these donations and endowments.
We do not believe that there is a limitation period on such contributions and have a responsibility to address this legacy of colonialism, racism and slavery and use this learning to help remove inequality and shape a positive future for all.
We have made a commitment to research, understand and acknowledge our history so that we can learn from it and act. We will:
create a consultative advisory group, with representation from staff, patient, and community groups, to help guide and shape the research, learning and related outputs.
fund a research post to review archive evidence and secondary sources to compile a thorough documented history of the links between the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the Atlantic slave trade. (Funded by Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation)
use the research to guide outcomes and outputs and make recommendations for action to the NHS Board
seek to work alongside other institutions (such as the University of Edinburgh) who are undertaking similar reflective exercises.
The impact of the roots of the slave trade is evident in the inequalities that we see today, with COVID-19 exacerbating and giving a public spotlight to these inequalities.
As an employer and healthcare provider we state without reservation that all staff and patients must be treated equally, irrespective of skin colour, culture, religion, sexuality, age, disability or gender.
We support the fundamental need for equality and inclusion at the heart of what we stand for. It is important that all staff and representatives of NHS Lothian, treat one another with care, compassion, dignity, and respect. These are a key part of our organisation values.
Working to embed diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do
We believe better health for all is within our reach and in no way condone the actions of historical donors. Acknowledging and understanding this history and using this learning to inform our corporate objectives will support us to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation and help us to tackle racism, discrimination and inequality.
Though we have much to learn and more work to do, ongoing reviews of our internal processes and systems have already led to positive, practical changes in the way we work.
The following examples outline work that is already taking place:
Staff Networks We have established four Equalities Staff Networks, and committed to increasing support for them, and potentially further networks in the coming year. At present we have vibrant groups as follows;
Black & Ethnic Minority Staff Network
Disabled Employee Network
LGBT+ Staff & Allies Network
Youth Staff Network
Corporate Objective and Workplans Our Corporate Objective 2021 – 22 on race ethnicity and diversity demonstrate our commitment to act now – starting with a facilitated series of one to one and group discussions involving our Corporate Management Team and Staff Network members
Our detailed Advancing Equality Action Plan 2021-22 was devised and agreed with members of all our staff networks over a series of workshops in Spring 2021
360 Visions – Managed by Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation’s Tonic Arts programme, 360 Visions uses theatre, storytelling, music and filmmaking to understand NHS Lothian BME staff experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic from an equalities perspective and explores the multi-faceted challenges faced not only by BME staff, but also by Disabled, LGBT+ and Youth staff members. The aim is to help open a door for all colleagues to gain awareness of the difficulties faced on a daily basis, both in and outside of work, and why change needs to happen. It bridges a gap to enable staff to further educate themselves about the daily struggles, in order to create a culture of inclusivity, diversity and acceptance which allows positive changes to be achieved. NHS Lothian has come a long way to improve culture and diversity, but COVID-19 has reinforced that there is still work to be done. As part of this ongoing work, the 360 Visions creative programme will help provide a platform for diverse viewpoints to be voiced and heard, celebrating the incredible work and diversity of NHS Lothian.
Reflecting Diversity in our Art Collection – Our Art Collection plays an important role in the improved health and wellbeing of staff, patients and visitors with over 2,750 artworks displayed across over 40 NHS Lothian sites. We have undertaken a review of our collection to ensure this is reflective of a wide and diverse culture.
Review of EDI practices within our funded programmes Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation’s Tonic Arts team is working with Knowledge Bridge to help embed EDI as a core part of the Tonic Arts programme. Knowledge Bridge is working with the Tonic Arts team to review the current programme and develop an inclusive strategy, advising on how to develop a more diverse and inclusive Arts in Health programme for NHS Lothian.
Don’t stand by is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2016.
The Holocaust and subsequent genocides took place because the local populations allowed insidious persecution to take root. Whilst some actively supported or facilitated state policies of persecution, the vast majority stood by silently – at best, afraid to speak out; at worst, indifferent. Bystanders enabled the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides.
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel has written powerfully about the impact of bystanders:
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor,never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
You can find out more about 2016’s theme in HMD’s theme vision.
