Health and wellbeing – Page 209 – The NEN

New Centre for Blood Cancer Patients at Western General

Philanthropy opens doors for Haematology patients

A £13 million investment has transformed services for blood cancer patients across South East Scotland at the newly opened Edinburgh Haematology Centre.

Located at the Western General Hospital, the centre has been rebuilt, expanding and improving day ward facilities, and enabling a major service redesign to enhance the range of treatments on offer.

Now patients can benefit from intensive chemotherapies and innovative treatments, such as outpatient bone marrow transplants saving them up to a three week stay in hospital. A new relatives’ suite and buddy beds also help to better support inpatients.

The majority of funding (£12.3 million) was gifted by a private donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, to significantly improve the experience at the centre for patients, carers and staff.

“This was an amazingly generous donation which will benefit patients and staff for many years to come”, explains Dr Peter Johnson, a Consultant Haematologist who led on the refurbishment.

“The vision was to create a welcoming, calm, clinically excellent and aesthetically pleasing environment that would help patient wellbeing and was representative of the quality of healthcare being delivered. We are extremely grateful to the donor for this exceptional donation.”

NHS Lothian, and its official charity – Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation (ELHF), worked with patients and staff on the redesign and to develop an inspirational arts and therapeutic design programme.

A series of bespoke artworks and installations made by specialist artists and makers are displayed throughout the centre, helping to create a sense of calm and visual interest.

Jane Ferguson, Director of Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation explains: “We can’t thank the donor enough for their generous charitable donation, which has enabled us to take forward creative and innovative techniques to enhance and really elevate the space.

“Being diagnosed with a serious illness is a traumatic experience so we wanted to create an environment that was warm and comforting and would help reduce some of that anxiety and stress. The end result is truly beautiful and the difference in experience for patients now and in the future will be transformational.”

Fiona Smith, Senior Charge Nurse of Haematology Day Treatment added: “The changes have really made a huge difference. Care is much more than treatments and medicines.

“Being able to provide privacy and a calming environment helps to relax patients and having more space and cutting-edge equipment helps us to do our job even better.”

Neil Clifton is one of the patients benefitting from the new centre. He recently received a stem cell transplant as an outpatient for treatment of Myeloma. He says: “It really doesn’t feel like going into a hospital anymore. The centre is much brighter and more pleasant.

“Having a private room for my treatment in the day unit really helped to make me feel safe and comfortable and being able to receive it as an outpatient is much more convenient.”

The Edinburgh Haematology Centre forms part of a wider masterplan at the Western General Hospital site to improve patient services including significant investment in cancer care and facilities.

NHS Lothian also has a vision to build a new Regional Cancer Centre at the hospital site designed to be a world leader for cancer research and innovation.

Conifox Adventure Park gifts Christmas tree to ECHC to light up festive season for children and families in hospital

Edinburgh’s Conifox Adventure Park is putting the sparkle into Christmas with a magnificent 20ft tree taking pride of place at the city’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.

The popular visitor attraction on the outskirts of Kirkliston supplies Christmas trees across Edinburgh and the Lothians and was delighted to donate the inaugural evergreen to Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) for the new hospital’s first festive season.

It is now providing a dazzling Yuletide welcome for visitors and patients, having been illuminated by little Joey Sharp, 11 months, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at just 12 days old. He pressed the button, helped by big sister Carly, three, to light up the 20ft Nordmann fir and surrounding area at a special Christmas lights switch-on ceremony on Sunday, November 28.

Victoria Buchanan, from ECHC, said: “This is our first year in our new home at Little France, so we are determined to make it the biggest and best Christmas yet. We are enormously grateful to Conifox for this amazing tree donation.

“Although we have lit up the building, we still need help to Light Up Christmas and make sure no child or young person in hospital misses out on the joy of the festive season. We rely solely on donations to do this. Please help by making a donation to ECHC this Christmas.”

James Gammell, Managing Director of Conifox Adventure Park, says: “As a father to two young children it’s a real honour to donate the tree as it is such a lovely symbol of light and we hope it brings a little bit of festive cheer to those facing a tough time at the hospital over Christmas.”

Conifox Adventure Park has also supplied Edinburgh’s spectacular 60ft Christmas tree at The Mound – gifted annually by Hordaland County, Norway to thank Scotland for its help during World War II – and is a popular destination for locals and commercial businesses seeking a real Christmas spruce or fir.

In addition to its range of trees, Conifox Adventure Park is running its Christmas Experience where visitors can enjoy a walk-about winter wonderland, meet Christmas characters and the man of the moment himself – Santa Claus – and his elves.

There are also four magical shows, the chance to write and post a letter in the North Pole Post Room or visit the Toy Workshop and Reindeer Flying School. And outside there is an Elf Disco Village plus new this year is Conifox Christmas Market with plenty of stalls selling crafts, food and other goodies from local traders.

To find out more and to book tickets, visit the Conifox Adventure Park Facebook page @conifoxadventurepark or www.conifox.co.uk.

To donate now to ECHC’s Light Up Christmas appeal, visit www.echcharity.org/christmas

Gift yourself 12 Days of Fitness

Throughout the COVID-19 response, renewal and recovery physical activity has and continues to be recognised as fundamental to physical and mental health and wellbeing. So why not boost your immunity, manage stress, and put yourself first for a change by gifting yourself 12 days of fitness?

Available to buy online only from 1^st – 31^st December, Edinburgh Leisure, a charity dedicated to creating opportunities for everyone to lead more active and healthy lives, has launched its seasonal promotion, 12 days of fitness, with the aim of encouraging people to stay active in December.

The 12 days of fitness promotion offers 12 consecutive days of membership, from the moment you buy, for only £12 and give access to Edinburgh Leisure’s climb and fitness facilities (with the exception of the Turkish Baths at Portobello), subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

And if you get the fitness bug, you’re not restricted to one pass per person either – if you wish to buy a second pass after your first pass expires, it’ll mean you’re doubly on the way to reaching those fitness goals ahead of New Year.

Edinburgh Leisure’s facilities are second to none and offer choice and great value, across various city locations.

Their gyms feature some of the latest fitness equipment and while things are a little different from before with physical distancing measures in place, and the need to book your gym, swim and climb sessions in advance, you will be assured a warm welcome, with helpful staff ready to help you reach your fitness goals.

They also have numerous swimming pools across the city, from historic baths to the famous Olympic-sized Royal Commonwealth Pool and Europe’s largest climbing arena at Ratho.

For further information about Edinburgh Leisure venues and services and the 12 Days of Fitness Promotion visit:

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/12-days-of-fitness

LEAP of Faith

£11 million for two drugs projects

More than £11 million has been awarded to two drugs projects to enable them to expand their residential rehabilitation service as part of a commitment to increase the number of beds in Scotland by 50% to 650 by 2026.

River Garden Auchincruive in South Ayrshire will use the funding over the next five years to increase capacity from seven to 56 residents and build a unit to meet the specific needs of women.

NHS Lothian will receive around £5 million to create capacity to support around 600 additional placements over five years at Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme (LEAP) and increase capacity at the Ritson detoxification clinic from eight beds to 12. This will enable the board to develop a pathway to rehab for those using complex polysubstances and illicit benzodiazepines.

The funding is part of the additional £100 million announced as part of the National Mission to improve access to residential rehabilitation.

In a statement to Parliament on progress with Residential Rehabilitation, Minister for Drugs Policy Angela Constance outlined plans to ensure that by 2026, at least 1000 people are publically funded to go to rehab every year – a 300% increase on the number prior to the launch of the National Mission.

Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “While there is much to be done to address our drug deaths crisis we are making changes to support people to access the treatment and recovery that is right for them.

“Our commitment to increase the number of publically funded places by 300% and the number of beds by 50% will provide options for those who can safely access and who want to access residential rehab.

“The funding announced for these latest projects comes from the additional £100 million we are investing in residential rehabilitation over the next five and we are determined every penny of that will make a difference.”

General Manager of Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services David Pickering-Gummer said: “The grant will allow the LEAP service to increase capacity by 40% and increase bed numbers in the Ritson Clinic by 50%, to allow for stabilisation and detoxification prior to transfer to LEAP.

“There will be a greater focus on vulnerable groups and we will employ peers with lived experience to act as ‘bridges’ between community services and rehab. We will also focus on strengthening aftercare provision.

“The team are particularly thrilled to see the ‘Peer Bridge Project’ being funded, which will open the doors a bit more widely to vulnerable groups in keeping with Scottish Government priorities.

“We are grateful to the Scottish Government and to the local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships for having the vision to fund plans which will make a real difference to the lives of patients and their families who are struggling with addiction.”

River Garden Chair William Smith said: “All at River Garden are enormously grateful for the funding support from the Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme.

“This funding will enable the significant expansion of our residential capacity to create additional space for residents, and new staffing resource and facilities that specifically meet the needs of women.

“Existing residents come from across Scotland and we very much look forward to having the opportunity to help many more people sustainably recover from addiction in the beautiful setting and community of River Garden Auchincruive.”

Lothian MSP concerned at record number of patients – 17,432 – waiting for a key diagnostic test

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has raised concerns about the number of people waiting on key diagnostic tests in NHS Lothian.

Diagnostic tests give doctors more information about a patient, so that they can confirm or rule out conditions and diseases. Key diagnostic tests include endoscopy and radiology. Endoscopy is where a long flexible tube with a light and camera shows images of a patients organs on a television screen. Radiology is the science of x-rays for taking images to diagnose a patient.

The eight key tests and investigation are upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy (excl. colonoscopy), colonoscopy, cystoscopy, CT scan, MRI scan, barium studies and non-obstetric ultrasound.

In NHS Lothian a record 17,432 patients were waiting to be seen for a key diagnostic test at the end of September 2021. This is an increase of 790 from the end of June 2021 when 16,631 patients were waiting, an increase of 4.75%.

The number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test in NHS Lothian has risen by 2,989 in the last year from 14,443 at the end of September 2020, an increase of 21%.

Over the last two years the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test has risen from 10,657 at the end of September 2019 by 6,775 patients, 64%.

Across Scotland 125,557 patients were waiting to be seen for the eight key diagnostic tests, an increase of 8.9% (+10,304) from 30 June 2021 and 22.2% higher than at 30 September 2020.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “We are seeing a very concerning increase in the number of patients waiting for a key diagnostic test in NHS Lothian over the last two years.

“The number of patients waiting over 6 weeks has more than tripled over the last two years.

“Diagnostic tests are vital for doctors to be able to diagnose and treat patient’s diseases.

“The quicker a patient’s illness is diagnosed the sooner they can get treatment, which improves their chance of recovery.

“The pandemic will inevitably have impacted diagnostic tests in NHS Lothian, however consistent underfunding for the health board by SNP Ministers had made diagnostic waiting times very long even before Covid-19.”

Diagnostic waiting times – Waits for key diagnostic tests 30 November 2021 – NHS waiting times – diagnostics – Publications – Public Health Scotland

Diagnostic Test & Investigation

Indicator

31-Mar-19

30-Apr-19

31-May-19

30-Jun-19

31-Jul-19

31-Aug-19

30-Sep-19

31-Oct-19

30-Nov-19

31-Dec-19

31-Jan-20

29-Feb-20

31-Mar-20

30-Apr-20

31-May-20

30-Jun-20

31-Jul-20

31-Aug-20

30-Sep-20

31-Oct-20

30-Nov-20

31-Dec-20

31-Jan-21

28-Feb-21

31-Mar-21

30-Apr-21

31-May-21

30-Jun-21

31-Jul-21

31-Aug-21

30-Sep-21

8 Key Diagnostic Tests & Investigations

Number on List

13,156

12,092

11,304

10,791

10,261

10,087

10,657

11,638

12,248

12,621

12,968

13,361

12,844

13,840

14,637

14,277

13,349

13,815

14,443

14,370

14,391

15,248

15,306

15,109

15,864

16,434

16,925

16,631

16,321

16,642

17,432

Number Waiting > 4 Weeks

4,884

4,525

3,528

3,179

3,100

2,920

2,995

3,675

3,854

4,755

4,427

4,866

6,345

11,640

11,232

9,895

8,211

7,469

7,680

7,547

6,936

8,356

8,151

7,985

7,803

8,381

8,510

8,815

9,206

9,449

9,541

Number Waiting > 6 Weeks

3,926

3,484

2,825

2,423

2,171

2,070

1,913

2,299

2,597

3,098

3,793

3,250

3,814

10,333

10,530

8,835

7,090

6,246

6,265

6,273

5,526

6,189

7,012

6,243

5,959

6,107

6,251

6,502

6,965

7,252

7,220

Upper Endoscopy

Number on List

2,186

1,868

1,429

1,334

1,079

1,153

1,021

1,116

1,255

1,544

1,673

1,826

1,917

2,016

2,090

2,186

2,206

2,265

2,331

2,309

2,244

2,297

2,268

2,186

2,171

2,342

2,404

2,312

2,307

2,333

2,385

Number Waiting > 4 Weeks

1,634

1,282

868

777

704

643

554

627

735

969

1,089

1,250

1,508

1,921

1,950

1,933

1,854

1,900

1,979

1,955

1,838

1,883

1,905

1,852

1,759

1,892

1,958

1,921

1,938

1,941

1,926

Number Waiting > 6 Weeks

1,427

1,117

759

£30 million to support more face-to-face GP appointments

The Scottish Government is to provide funding of £30 million to support GP practices to continue providing a high level of care to patients through winter and into next year.

The funding will help with the provision of existing GP services, including:

supporting more face-to-face appointments
extra GP sessions, practice nurse time and non-core hours covering all appointments
more administrative time and practice manager time
organised cover for reflection, learning and innovation
external GP locum sessions

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The contribution general practice makes to the health and wellbeing of communities, through continuity of care and meaningful relationships with patients, is invaluable.

“We recognise that, as face-to-face appointments have resumed and demand is increasing, surgeries are working overtime to meet patient needs.

“This support package will allow practices to target investment where it is most required to sustain the high levels of care they have always provided through what is likely to be the most challenging period in the history of the NHS.”

Chair of the BMA’s Scottish GP Committee Dr Andrew Buist said: “BMA Scotland has consistently sought a greater level of support for GPs and we are pleased that the Scottish Government has listened and taken this step in the face of the huge challenges of this winter and beyond.

“With demand continuing to outstrip capacity, this will help support practices in the coming months and plug some of the gaps caused by difficulties in recruiting to practice teams.

“It is particularly good GPs have flexibility to focus funding on what will make the most difference to their practice and their patients. As we look ahead to next year and the ongoing threat to the sustainability of practices, this is a welcome addition we have secured in negotiation with the Government.”

The support package will be given in two instalments of £15 million, in December 2021 and April 2022.

200,000 Baby Boxes delivered

The number of Baby Boxes delivered to expectant parents has reached 200,000. The milestone comes after independent evaluation showed overwhelming backing for the box and its contents.

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “We are proud that the 200,000th Baby Box has been delivered to a family preparing to welcome their wee one. It means that 200,000 newborns and their parents have now benefitted from a range of essential items.

“The Baby Box is part of our commitment to making sure that every child, no matter what their circumstances, has the best start in life. Deliveries of the boxes have continued throughout the pandemic, supporting parents at a time when many may be facing additional financial worries or having to cope without as much face-to-face support from family and friends.

“Last year, a record 98% of expectant parents requested a Baby Box, a big rise on the 85% when they were first launched in 2017.

“This is a further vote of confidence for the scheme following the independent evaluation that showed how much parents value the Baby Box and its contents.”

One Parent Families Scotland CEO Satwat Rehman said: “The fact that all babies in Scotland are gifted a box full of essential items means that as a society we want every child, regardless of their circumstances, to get the best start in life.

“We fully support this positive public health initiative that has the potential, through its universal approach, to make a contribution to the reduction of inequalities at the start of a baby’s life.

“Parents have told us that receiving the box made them feel the Government ‘cares about families’.”

A Baby Box is offered to all newborns in Scotland.

It provides families with a range of essential items for their first six months, delivered in a sturdy cardboard box, which can be used as a safe sleeping space during the early months of a baby’s life. The contents of the Baby Box are designed to inform and support positive parenting behaviours.

In an independent evaluation, 97% of parents who took part in research rated the box and its contents as good. Parents highlighted benefits of the box, including saving them money on essential items for newborns and helping with information on child health and development.

baby-box-evaluation-research-findings Download

Baby Box Evaluation: research findings

Baby Box Evaluation – full report

Letters: Switch the salt and reduce your risk of stroke

Dear Editor

Around 776,579 people adults in Scotland have been diagnosed with high blood pressure in Scotland, with many more remaining undiagnosed and unaware.

That’s extremely worrying to our charity as high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of stroke.

One of the ways to reduce blood pressure is to reduce your sodium intake. Most of this sodium is in the salt we eat and that’s why we’re proud to support Season with Sense, a public health campaign which aims to drive down consumer sodium intake.

The good news is that by making small changes to our diet – such as cutting the amount or type of salt – we can greatly reduce our risk of serious health issues.

If you find it hard to cut out salt completely, there are alternatives to regular table, sea and rock salts such as LoSalt® which has two thirds less sodium without any taste compromise.

Find out more at www.seasonwithsense.com.

When you’re out shopping, watch out for the special tubs of LoSalt® on sale in supermarkets. For every tub sold a 20p donation will be made to help fund the vital work we do to support stroke survivors and carers.

The tubs will also have information attached to help shoppers understand the FAST test. Face, Arms, Speech, are the most common signs that someone is having a stroke. Time tells you that Stroke is a medical emergency and you must phone 999 straight away. We are thrilled that this vital information will be getting into the hands of 150,000 people.

Please do note that if you take some types of medication that affect potassium levels, LoSalt® and other reduced sodium salt alternatives may not be suitable for you. This includes people receiving medication for diabetes, heart or kidney disorders. Check with your GP for advice.

John Watson

Associate Director Scotland, The Stroke Association

Pilton Community Health Project’s AGM: 9th December

All welcome to come along to our AGM on Zoom on 9 December.

Email admin@pchp.org.uk to let us know you are coming and we can send you a zoom link.

Health organisations warn of mounting patient safety crisis in Urgent and Emergency Care

Nearly two thirds of A&Es across the UK had ambulances waiting to transfer patients every day in the past week, according to a new survey from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

The latest RCEM survey covers the period 8 November to 14 November 2021 and was sent to Clinical Leads in Emergency Departments across the UK and received 70 responses.

The NHS mandates that ambulance handovers ought to be reliably completed within 15 minutes of arrival, but 61% of Emergency Departments in the survey were struggling to meet this standard every day.

The survey also found that over half of Emergency Departments had provided care to patients in non-designated areas such as corridors every day in the past week.

These findings come following a report by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) which found that 160,000 patients may be coming to harm annually as a result of ambulance handover delays.

While a separate report by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, ‘Crowding and its Consequences’, found that at least 4,519 patients have died as a result of dangerous crowding in Emergency Departments in England in 2020-2021.

The Royal College’s survey also found:

14% of respondents stated that the longest stay they had had in their Emergency Department was between 48 and 72 hours
- 36% of respondents stated the longest stay in their Emergency Department was 24 to 48 hours
- 39% of respondents stated the longest stay in their Emergency Department was 12 to 24 hours
14% of respondents stated that there was no effective Same Day Emergency Care available in their Emergency Department
- 50% of respondents stated that Same Day Emergency Care had limited availability, less than 12 hours a day or weekdays only in their Emergency Department
71% of respondents stated that they were unable to maintain social distancing for patients in their Emergency Department in the past week

Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “These results show the serious state that our urgent and emergency care system is in.

“None of us want to have patients held in ambulances, treated in corridors, or waiting very long times to go up to a ward bed. Sadly, these findings support our stark report on crowding and the AACE’s shocking report on ambulance handovers.

“We all need to work together to solve this acute patient safety problem. We believe enacting many of the suggestions we have made in RCEM CARES: The Next Phase will help. We want patients to feel confident that their Emergency Care system is there for them, but this winter is going to be a huge challenge unless we can get flow back into the system.

“RCEM CARES: The Next Phase details our system-wide plan to tackle the current crisis and improve patient care as well as staff wellbeing. In the short-term, to promote flow and to reduce handover delays, capacity must be expanded in a safe way. Same Day Emergency Care must be made available at all Trusts and they must expand its provision, so it is available 12 hours a day, seven days a week. While maximising the service Discharge to Assess will allow patients to be discharged in a timely and supported way.

“In the long-term, we urge the government to publish a long-term workforce plan, this must include actions to retain existing staff as well as recruit new staff. Across the UK there is a shortfall of 2,000-2,500 WTE Emergency Medicine consultants, and crucially, there are also widespread shortages of Emergency Medicine nurses and both junior and supporting staff. At the same time capacity is severely depleted across the UK. The government must restore bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels, this requires an additional 7,170 beds across the UK.

“This is only the beginning of winter and of what may come. We are facing a crisis in urgent and emergency care and a crisis of patient safety. The Secretary of State in the House of Commons spoke of ‘a duty to avoid preventable harm of everyone working in health and social care’, we urge him to act on his own words and prevent avoidable harm and ensure the safety of patients.”

Managing Director of AACE Martin Flaherty OBE QAM said: “These alarming new figures from RCEM underline once again the unprecedented pressures facing the entire urgent and emergency care system.

“We now know that excessive handover delays and crowding in A&E departments are routinely harming patients, some very severely. To resolve this, we need system leaders to further toughen their resolve to deal with this problem once and for all and as a matter of priority and we await details of progress being made in this area, while underlining our commitment to work as part of the solution to this complex issue.”

Tracy Nicholls, Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics, said: “We must not forget that behind all these mounting figures are real people, both staff and patients, who are bearing the brunt of this continuing strain on services.

“Reform must happen to alleviate the intolerable pressure and reduce the guilt many paramedics and Emergency Department staff feel about dealing with patients who are waiting outside Emergency Departments or, more worryingly, in the community.

“We support any efforts to deal with the here and now, but we commit to working with stakeholders and partners to make real change happen.”