NHS Lothian has warned patients not to attend A&E unless their condition was life-threatening.
It comes after statistics published this week have revealed the worst weekly A&E statistics on record.
Chief executive of NHS Lothian, Calum Campbell, said a request has been submitted for mutual aid from other health boards after services became caught in the grip of a “perfect storm” caused by staffing and bed pressures, combined with high volumes of patients presenting with complex and serious cases.
Lothian list Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury said: “Patients in the Lothians are being put in danger due to the SNP’s catastrophic failure to support A&E services.’’
‘’Lives are on the line and the Health Secretary’s current strategy is clearly not dealing whatsoever with this crisis.’’
‘’ The NHS is under-resourced, under-staffed and under pressure, and the Scottish Government must fund the NHS properly so that people can access care and treatment at A&E when they need it.’’
“If action is not taken now, we risk a winter of chaos in A&E departments across the Lothians.
New prostate cancer treatment available at Edinburgh Cancer Centre is first in Scotland
Men in the South East of Scotland may now be able to access a new treatment for prostate cancer, which is available at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital.
The Edinburgh Cancer Centre (ECC) is the first in Scotland to offer High–dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) for treatment of prostate cancer.
It was successfully introduced by NHS Lothian earlier this year and is now being made available to suitable patients across the South East of Scotland.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Scottish males affecting 1 in 10 men. With more than 3,000 men diagnosed every year this figure is only expected to increase.
But, with early detection and improved treatments, survival rates are also increasing. Radiotherapy is commonly used to cure prostate cancers and increasing the radiation dose in treatments has shown to improve long-term cancer control.
The HDR-BT service at the ECC offers an additional treatment approach to deal with aggressive but localised prostate cancer. It allows a higher dose of radiation to be targeted directly into the prostate gland in a safe and controlled way. This minimises radiation exposure to surrounding normal tissue and thereby reduces potential side effects.
The new treatment is being offered alongside existing radiotherapy treatments at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, expanding the range of treatment options on offer.
Dr Aravindhan Sundaramurthy, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre explains: “We have been successfully delivering low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) for prostate cancer with over 1000 men throughout Scotland benefitting from the service. However, men with more advanced or aggressive disease would not be eligible for LDR-BT on its own.”
“The start of the new HDR-BT service opens a very important therapeutic option for men with high-risk prostate cancer features. It brings together the skills and expertise of staff across our radiotherapy, oncology and anaesthetic teams to deliver another treatment option.”
He said: “I would strongly encourage anyone who is offered this treatment to go for it. It was a very smooth process and the care I received from the NHS was absolutely first class. I was looked after every step of the way and I knew that I was in the best possible hands for my treatment.”
This HDR-BT service is a collaborative effort involving radiotherapy nursing, prostate clinical oncologists, anaesthetics, therapeutic radiographers and oncology physicists. It is currently being offered at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre for suitable patients within the South-east Scotland Cancer Network with an aim to expand the service to other patients across Scotland.
We’d like to support Care Experienced Week by reaffirming our commitment and sharing our Care Experienced Pledge which was developed following discussions with the Edinburgh Champions Board on what we can do to better support those with care experience.
The Edinburgh City Division Care Experienced Pledge will guarantee the following:
Where it is identified to police that a care experienced young person has concern for their personal safety at home, we will guarantee a meeting to discuss a safety plan and offer advice should they wish to accept such an offer.
Where a care experienced young person is identified as wanting to join the police (as a constable, special constable or member of police staff) and meets the minimum criteria for application, we will: • facilitate a meeting with a serving probationer constable or member of police staff to discuss the practicalities and demands of the role, and • offer support with the recruitment process via the Divisional Training Sergeant or police staff equivalent, and • guarantee them a meeting with a member of the Local Area Command team should they wish support in the application process
Where it is identified that a care experienced young person has been successful in the recruitment process and wishes additional support, we will identify a mentor for them for the length of their probationary period.
We will actively promote the Police Scotland Youth Volunteers programme to care experienced young people.
Humza Yousaf: “This winter is likely to be the most challenging in the history of the NHS”
The Scottish Government is investing an additional £10 million to help patients avoid a hospital stay wherever possible – and to prevent delayed discharge for inpatients.
This is part of a range of actions included in the £300 million winter package of funding to health and social care services, and outlined in the health and social care winter plan, to take the pressure off hospitals and frontline staff.
Two new programmes – Interface Care and Discharge without Delay – will support NHS Boards to explore alternatives to hospital inpatient care where appropriate, and improve the discharge process for those who do need to be admitted to hospital.
Interface Care, backed by an additional £6 million this financial year, will deliver safe, high-quality care as an alternative to hospital admission, or will support early hospital discharge. The programme will be implemented by early winter.
Discharge without Delay, supported with a further £4 million, will improve pathways through hospital settings, reducing inpatient length of stay and building bed capacity. Working with patients, families and/or carers, it will ensure patients are treated in their home where appropriate.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This winter is likely to be the most challenging in the history of the NHS, and it’s important we take urgent action to ensure our hospitals and emergency frontline staff are not overwhelmed. That’s why these actions to improve the discharge process, and redirect patients who don’t need to be in hospital, are so important.
“I am confident that through our collective investment in people, capacity and systems to deliver the right care in the right setting, we can improve outcomes for those of us who need to use our health and social care services.”
The Scottish Government has invested more than £80 million this year to support the reduction in waiting times for people having elective procedures, which has been impacted by the pandemic. To minimise delays for those patients waiting on urgent hospital treatment within four weeks, including cancer patients, extra capacity is being provided through private hospitals over the winter period.
Discharge without Delay launches this month, with four early adopter sites to test the approach, with the aim of rolling the programme out nationally across all sites over the next 10 weeks.
The Interface Care Programme launched this month in two pathfinder sites – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Tayside. Roll out across all boards is planned over the winter.
People aged 60 to 69 and adults aged 16 and over with underlying health conditions have begun to receive invitations for their flu and COVID-19 booster vaccinations through the post.
Appointments for this group will take place at a local community clinic and will run from late October and throughout November.
Currently, as per JCVI advice, we are vaccinating people in the highest risk groups for both flu and COVID-19 including those who are aged 70 years and over, people in older adult care homes, those who are on the Highest Risk List and frontline health and social care workers.
In addition we are delivering flu vaccinations to children under 2 years old who have underlying health conditions, preschool children aged 2-5, all school pupils, pregnant women and all NHS healthcare workers.
The winter flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme is working together to reduce the risks for both types of illness. Wherever possible, those eligible for the booster jab will receive both the flu vaccine and COVID-19 boosters on the same day. This is safe and effective to do.
More than 1.5 million COVID-19 and flu vaccinations have been administered since September 6.
For those in the underlying health conditions group, the type of health condition will guide whether they will be given a flu jab, the COVID-19 booster, or both vaccines.
Details on who is eligible for these vaccinations and when they can expect an invitation are available on NHS Inform.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “For those eligible for the COVID-19 boosters, appointments can only take place six months (24 weeks) after your second dose. As such, it may take several weeks before you receive your invitation letter. We remain on track with Scotland’s booster programme prioritising those at the highest risk for both COVID-19 and flu.
“We started this as soon as possible following the JCVI advice – that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course. It is important to note that many people in the original early priority cohorts of the initial vaccination programme had already had a 6 month gap prior to this JCVI advice.
“In addition to delivering the COVID-19 vaccine boosters, this year we are offering a record number of free flu vaccines to help protect the people of Scotland. It is the biggest ever flu vaccination programme in Scotland reaching over 4 million people.
“Appointments for both vaccines are being scheduled based on clinical need and age and it will take until the middle of January for everyone to be offered their vaccines. Boosters will be offered to many of the groups who routinely have the flu vaccine to protect people from both illnesses. To support this, we are ensuring those most vulnerable are vaccinated first.
“But I would like to stress: everyone who is eligible will be offered a vaccination. If you haven’t received your appointment letter yet, please be patient. You do not have to do anything now – you will be contacted, notifying you of your appointment.
“The flu virus changes every year, so you need to get the vaccine every year to stay protected. The vaccine cannot give you flu, but it can help stop you catching it, or suffering severe symptoms. The COVID-19 vaccine does not offer any protection from flu, you need to get the separate flu vaccine.
“Flu can be extremely serious and is very infectious. With COVID-19 still circulating in the community we can best protect those most at risk as well as ease pressure on our National Health Service and social care services by encouraging everyone eligible to get vaccinated against flu.”
Scottish Labour said: “This is more proof that the SNP are failing to protect the most vulnerable this winter: They’ve shifted goalposts for booster jabs.
“Many will now have to wait at least another month for a third jag. Cases are spiralling and we need faster action from the Government.”
To find out more about vaccine eligibility and when you will be invited visit:
nhsinform.scot/fluandcovid19vaccsguide
For more information about the flu vaccine, visit:
nhsinform.scot/fluvaccine
For more information about the COVID-19 booster visit:
National Cholesterol Month: The benefits of a healthy diet
October is National Cholesterol Month. Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is needed in the cells of your body. Too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to a build-up in your arteries and this increases your risk of having a heart attack.
We provide simple dietary tips to help you keep your cholesterol levels in check.
Eat foods that are high in fibre
A diet that is high in fibre will reduce your risk of heart disease and help to keep your cholesterol healthy. Eat a minimum of five portions of fruit and veg each day and choose wholegrain versions of bread, pasta and rice.
Oats for breakfast
Oats contain a type of soluble fibre known as beta-glucan, which can lower your cholesterol. As the weather gets cooler, you could start your day with a bowl of porridge with healthy toppings such as mixed berries, chopped apple or banana and a sprinkling of toasted chopped nuts, seeds or cinnamon.
Eat healthier fats
Saturated fats can contribute to high cholesterol and these fats tend to come from animal sources (e.g. fatty meats, cheeses, cream and butter). Coconut oil is also high in saturated fats. Swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats, such as oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel), extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil and avocados, can help to increase your levels of good cholesterol.
To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some heart healthy recipes from our website:
Turn your small change into big changes when you join Edinburgh Leisure with a reduced joining fee of just 1p!
The offer is available from today, Monday 25th October, until Sunday, 7 November 2021 on any of their swim, gym, fitness classes and climb memberships and is available to buy online only.
As everyone is different and needs to find their own way to a healthy and active life, Edinburgh Leisure offers a range of different membership options to suit everyone including swim, gym and fitness class only to full monthly memberships. By offering different types of membership, people can match their activity preferences to their pocket.
With 30+ venues including 1 climbing centre, 8 swimming pools, 13 gyms, and 800+ fitness classes per week, Edinburgh Leisure is the ‘biggest club in town’ providing the widest range of fitness classes, state of the art facilities and community-based programmes across the capital.
87% of emergency responders believe more lives could be saved if the public were better prepared with trauma response training
Safeguard Medical is calling for the introduction of life-saving bleed kits across the UK and offering over 500 places on FREE bleed control training sessions for UK public to help support emergency responders to save more lives.
In a recent survey of UK Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Police commissioned by Safeguard Medical, 87% of respondents agreed that if the public were more aware of the immediate care required following major trauma, preventable deaths would decrease.
The majority of first responders (85%) believe that more lives could be saved with the introduction of bleeding control kits, placed alongside every public access defibrillator.
The UK Government has released statistics that over 41,000 knife crime offences occurred in 2020/21, of which 224 were homicides. Bleed kits contain lifesaving equipment including tourniquets to stop major bleeding and haemostatic bandages that can be ‘packed’ into a wound to stop haemorrhaging.
Safeguard Medical is appealing to raise greater awareness of the vital skills that help to preserve life following a trauma incident. During the COVID pandemic, emergency responders reported increased pressures, with 95% agreeing they have responded to an increased number of trauma incidents.
Almost half of those surveyed (48%) agreed that the public could be better prepared to respond while waiting for professional ambulance assistance to arrive on scene.
Emergency responders are also dealing with the mental health impact of witnessing and experiencing trauma, with 94% agreeing that their mental health had suffered because of the increased pressures placed on the emergency medical services during the pandemic.
Safeguard Medical believes that if the public were better prepared to deal with medical and trauma emergencies, this immediate support could help reduce mental health pressure on emergency medical responders, whilst also directly saving lives.
One of Safeguard Medical’s partners, the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, will host a training session on World Trauma Day at Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the West Midlands, delivered by Safeguard Medical’s training division, Prometheus Medical.
At this free, open event, the public can learn vital first aid skills that could save someone’s life. These include how to perform CPR, use a defibrillator and how to manage major bleeding.
Ian Jones, air operations manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “With more than 63% of the charity’s missions being trauma-related, it’s important to use this day to shine a light on the enhanced critical care our crews provide, and what bystanders can do to help the patient before medical expertise even arrives.
“In addition, the demand for advanced medicines and equipment coupled with specialist care on scene delivered by our critical care paramedics and flight doctors continues to rise annually, with a 1.3 per cent rise in trauma-related incidents compared to 2020, which was already an extraordinary year with additional Covid pressures.”
The emergency responders surveyed agreed that since the pandemic, certain trauma incidents have increased considerably. For example, as more people have been upgrading their homes, DIY accidents have increased (28%), as have falls from height and sporting incidents (25%).
Professor Richard Lyon MBE, Chief Medical Officer at Safeguard Medical and a practising NHS Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Pre-hospital Care, said: “Tragic incidents like the fatal attack on MP David Amess highlights that penetrating trauma incidents can occur anywhere, at any time.
“There is a real opportunity for better public access to life saving equipment, like bleed kit, in order to save more lives. Even with an air ambulance travelling in a straight line at over 130mph to an incident, patients can bleed out in under 5 minutes in some circumstances.
“Minutes are critical when you are bleeding. This is why a tourniquet or haemostatic trauma bandages in bleed kits give the public the chance to intervene and save a life.
“Our rapid response teams can then focus on keeping the patient stable and preparing them for medical intervention once at the hospital.”
Professor Lyon agreed that during the UK lockdowns, the number of callouts to incidents reduced but added: “There’s been a significant increase in recreational incidents following the lifting of lockdowns.
“Accident from sporting incidents, DIY, road traffic collisions, falls from heights, as well as an increase in mental health-related incidents and assault-related trauma – particularly knife crime – have all increased.”
Safeguard Medical is dedicated to equipping responders at every skill level to saving life, in any environment. Which is why its training arm, Prometheus Medical, is providing over 500 free places on its medical training courses across the UK to help prepare the public and businesses to respond better to medical emergencies by understanding bleed control.
Elite medical training company Prometheus Medical, is offering free training on trauma response and bleed control in Edinburgh on 15th and 16th February 2022
The Circuit: Charities and health organisations urge people to registertheir defibrillators on database to help save lives
A new campaign has been launched across Scotland to urge defibrillator owners to register their devices on a national database to help save more lives from cardiac arrests.
Leading charities and health organisations have come together calling for defibrillators to be registered on The Circuit – The national defibrillator network, which connects defibrillators to NHS ambulance services across the UK, so that in those crucial moments after a cardiac arrest they can be accessed quickly to help save lives.
There are around 3,200 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in Scotland, but only one in ten people survive.
Every minute that passes without CPR or defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by up to 10 per cent in some instances, but immediate CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.
It’s estimated that public-access defibrillators (PADs) are used in less than one in ten out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the UK – often because 999 call handlers aren’t always aware that a defibrillator is available nearby because the ambulance service hasn’t been told about it. If they don’t know it is there, they can’t direct someone at the scene to retrieve it while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
To help save more lives, The British Heart Foundation (BHF), Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) St John Ambulance and Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), are urging people who look after defibrillators in places such as offices, communities, shopping centres and leisure centres, as well as in public places, to register them on The Circuit.
James Jopling, Head of BHF Scotland, said: ““Every second counts when someone has a cardiac arrest and, alongside CPR, prompt use of a defibrillator is critical in giving them the best chance of survival.
“To put it simply, knowing where the nearest defibrillator is could be the difference between life and death.
“The Circuit is pioneering technology which will help emergency services direct bystanders more quickly to a defibrillator when someone collapses with a cardiac arrest. But for The Circuit to save lives, it is vital that unregistered defibrillators are put on the system. If you, or somebody you know is a defibrillator guardian, then we urge you to register your device on The Circuit. You could help save a life.”
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “When someone calls 999 to report a cardiac arrest, the call handlers in our control rooms are trained to provide the location of the nearest registered defibrillator within 500m of the call.
“Studies show that using a defibrillator within three minutes of collapse, along with starting CPR, can greatly increase chances of survival.
“This swift action can make a real difference, and The Circuit is a vital tool in helping increase bystander action to help someone in cardiac arrest. Over the last five years, the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) partnership which includes SAS, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has equipped over 640,000 people with CPR skills, and the survival rate after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has doubled to one in ten people.
“However, there’s more we can do, and to help save even more lives, we would urge everyone to register the defibrillators that they are responsible for on The Circuit, so that they can be easily located and accessed when needed.”
Dr James Cant, Chief Executive Officer at Resuscitation Council UK, said: “A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Not only is defibrillator use a crucial step in the Chain of Survival, the presence of defibrillators in public places can help raise awareness and stimulate people to think about what they would do in an emergency.
“Survival depends on all links in the Chain of Survival being carried out quickly. This means early recognition and calling for help, early CPR, early defibrillation and post resuscitation care – and The Circuit plays a vital role in giving people their best chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.”
While the 14 UK ambulance services have previously had their own regional databases, The Circuit will eventually replace these with a new national database that lets the ambulance services see defibrillators across the UK once it has been rolled out. This will allow them to direct people to the nearest defibrillator when somebody is having a cardiac arrest, wherever they are.
The Circuit, which is already live in 12 of the 14 ambulance service regions across the UK[1] and will become nationwide soon, could help to save thousands of lives – but it is vital that as many defibrillators as possible are registered on the database for it to work effectively.
It’s free to register your defibrillator onto The Circuit, and you only have to do it once. You can also register multiple defibrillators if you are the guardian to more than one.
Visit TheCircuit.UK for more information or to register your defibrillator.
