‘Simply unacceptable’: Western’s cleanliness standards slammed

Standards of cleanliness at The Western General Hospital have been severely criticized in a report (see below) by official watchdog The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI). NHS Lothian chiefs have said they have already acted to respond to concerns.

Chief Inspector Susan Brimelow said: “We carried out an unannounced inspection to the Western General Hospital on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November 2014. Due to significant concerns about the cleanliness of patient equipment and the environment, we escalated our findings to senior management in the hospital.

“We requested that NHS Lothian take immediate action to address these issues and produce an improvement action plan. We returned unannounced on Thursday 27 November 2014 to assess progress against the improvement action plan and found that significant improvements had been made. NHS Lothian must address the requirements and make the necessary improvements as a matter of priority.”

In a full statement issued earlier today the HEI said:

We previously inspected the Western General Hospital in February 2013. That inspection resulted in four requirements and five recommendations. The inspection report is available on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.

We carried out an unannounced inspection to the Western General Hospital on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November 2014. Due to significant concerns about the cleanliness of patient equipment and environmental cleanliness within the Western General Hospital, we escalated our concerns to senior management in NHS Lothian on 18 November and then again on 19 November 2014. On ward 52/53, we also raised concerns about the lack of working macerators and the procedures in place to reduce the risk of cross-infection to patients, staff and visitors. Macerators break human waste down into slurry so it can be sluiced effectively. We requested that immediate action be taken on these issues and an improvement action plan produced to show how these issues would be rectified.

We returned unannounced on Thursday 27 November 2014 to assess progress against the improvement action plan at ward and departmental level. Significant improvements had been made although we still noted some issues with the cleanliness of patient equipment and the environment.

We assessed the hospital against the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) healthcare associated infection (HAI) standards and inspected the following areas:

ward 2 (oncology)
ward 4 (oncology)
ward 15 (winter ward)
ward 20 (ICU)
ward 26 (general medicine)
ward 27 (colorectal)
ward 43 (regional infectious diseases unit)
ward 50 (stroke unit), and
ward 52/53 (gastroenterology).

Overall, we found evidence that NHS Lothian is not complying with the NHS QIS HAI standards to protect patients, staff and visitors from the risk of acquiring and infection.

In particular we found:

the standard of cleanliness of the patient environment was poor
the standard of cleanliness of patient equipment was poor, and
a lack of appropriate risk assessments, for example for out-of-order macerators.

The report highlights areas of strength and weakness as well as areas for further improvement, including requirements and recommendations.

This inspection resulted in eight requirements and one recommendation.
NHS Lothian must address the requirements and make the necessary improvements within the stated timescales.

Responding to the report, Melanie Johnson, executive nurse director at NHS Lothian, said staff had acted on the inspectors’ findings as ‘a matter of urgency’.

Ms Johnson said: “We recognise that some standards were below those we would expect and I apologise to any patients who may have been affected. I would also like to reassure them that those areas have been rectified – since the first of the visits in November, immediate changes were put in place to address all areas that were singled out for improvement.

“A detailed action plan was drawn up and all points have been completed. Many of these significant improvements were proven during the subsequent unannounced visit by inspectors as is detailed in the report.”

Commenting on the ‘extremely disappointing’ findings, Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “The report shows that standards have fallen well short of what the public and patients expect. The inspectors have uncovered simply unacceptable levels of cleanliness and infection control in certain wards, and I will be meeting the chair of NHS Lothian to reiterate my desire to see standards immediately improve. The improvement plan in place must be delivered urgently.”

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Lazarowicz: Fast-track benefits for terminally ill

‘long delays risk leaving terminally ill people destitute in the last months of their life’ – Mark Lazarowicz MP

Mark Lazarowicz MP is backing Gordon Aikman’s MND campaign and has called on the Government to fast track benefits for people like Gordon with terminal conditions.

Speaking in a debate in Parliament yesterday, the Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith called on the Government to fast track benefit claims from people with terminal conditions like Motor Neurone Disease and intervened to tell the Minister that the prolonged delays, in some cases of up to 18 months, could mean the outcome comes too late for some people with limited life expectancy.

He said later: “I strongly support Gordon Aikman’s campaign to fast track benefit claims from people with terminal conditions like MND: people are waiting 6 months and in some cases 3 times that just to have an assessment.

“Claims can be fast tracked where someone is not expected to live longer than 6 months but where does that leave someone with MND where the average life expectancy after diagnosis is 14 months?

“The Government should offer financial support to people suffering as a result of the delays caused by its own incompetence but first and foremost it should make sure that their claims are fast tracked.

“The Minister’s response in the debate was not acceptable: it’s shameful that people who are so ill should spend the last months or year of their life in financial hardship having to fight so hard for the benefits they are entitled to.”

He was speaking in a debate on the introduction of the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the disability benefit that is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which is designed to help seriously ill or disabled people with the extra costs their condition entails.

It was announced on Thursday that responsibility for PIP is to be devolved in future and Mark has called for the roll-out of the new benefit to existing DLA claimants to be stopped until it is because of the huge backlog of assessments.

That was also the conclusion of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee: it reported last March that even where someone did have their claim fast tracked because they were not expected to live more than 6 months, the time taken to process their claim had increased from typically 8 days with DLA to 8 weeks with PIP.

Mark Lazarowicz says the Government has moved the goalposts: its original target was for the whole process from claim to decision to be completed within 16 weeks, now it is that all assessments should be completed within that time and it is even failing that target.

Gordon Aikman’s story

I’m dying. And fast.

That – in short – was what my doctor told me just a few weeks ago when I was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

It’s not the news you expect when you are 29 years old.

MND is a rare, progressive and debilitating disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. It leads to weakness and muscle wasting and will affect how I walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe.

There is no cure.

That’s why I am doing all I can to raise money for MND Scotland – a great charity that funds and promotes research into the disease and provides support to people affected by Motor Neurone Disease.

It’ll be too late for me, but we must find a cure for the next generation.

With your help I can turn a negative into a positive. Please dig deep and donate what you can today.

100% of the money you donate will be spent on trying to find a cure.

Thank you

Gordon

P.S. Please visit www.gordonsfightback.com to tell your your MP and MSPs to back my campaign to double MND research funding.

To date Gordon has raised £216,683.88 of his £250,000.00 target. 3,690 individual donations have been made.

https://www.justgiving.com/gordonaikman/

Balancing Act

Council strategy aims to balance safe drinking with economic development

A report that highlights the need to reduce alcohol-related harm in Edinburgh while supporting economic development will be presented to councillors next week.

The report to the City of Edinburgh Council’s Health, Social Care and Housing Committee on January 27 2015 will state that in the capital:

• the cost of alcohol-related harm to the Council’s social care services is £29 million;
• the impact on economic productivity is an estimated £85m;
• alcohol-related deaths doubled between 1991 and 2004;
• 47% of adults drink more than recommended guidelines;
• 26% of serious assaults committed in public places are aggravated by alcohol;
• Edinburgh’s alcohol-related hospital admission rate is higher than the Scottish average.

The report highlights a proposal to develop a local strategy on alcohol that reduces related harmful impacts while, at the same time, supports the capital’s aspiration for continued economic development. If approved, it will be developed through the Edinburgh Partnership.

It will also highlight ongoing work to deal with these issues by officers from the public and third sectors within planning, economic development, social work, licensing, public health, the police and the fire service.

Committee members will be asked to note the harm caused across the city, note that effective interventions need to focus on reducing harm across the population, and support further talks between Council services, Police Scotland, NHS Lothian and the third sector to develop the strategy.

A presentation on alcohol-related harm within the city will be made to Committee members by the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, the NHS and the police.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, said: “The negative effects of the misuse of alcohol, on the city as well as on individuals is laid bare in this report. It is clear that these issues have a far-reaching effect on people of all ages and social backgrounds.

“The Council has a duty to promote citizens’ health and well-being, but at the same time, a desire to encourage business development and to support financial growth of the city as a whole.

“Talks are at the early stages between services within the Council about how we reduce alcohol-related harm and support the economic development of our city at the same time.”

Western General patient’s Ebola test clear

Tests for Ebola on a Fife woman who recently returned from west Africa have proved NEGATIVE.

The woman was admitted to the Western General Hospital yesterday after developing a fever and she is now being treated in an isolation unit at the hospital’s Regional Infectious Diseases Unit (RIDU).

Melanie Johnson, Director of Unscheduled Care at NHS Lothian, said last night: “A patient who recently returned to Scotland from west Africa has been admitted to our at the Western General Hospital after they reported a raised temperature.

“As a precautionary measure, and in line with agreed procedures, the patient will be screened for possible infections and will be kept in isolation. We have robust systems in place to manage patients with suspected infectious diseases and follow agreed and tested national guidelines.”

It has since been confirmed that the patient, who lives in Fife, does NOT have the Ebola virus.

Charity appeals for daffodil volunteers

Marie Curie is appealing for people in Edinburgh and Lothians to donate their time to collect for the charity’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal this March.

The appeal is Marie Curie’s biggest fundraiser and the charity needs volunteers to encourage people in the local community to give a donation and wear a daffodil pin. The money raised from the Great Daffodil Appeal will help Marie Curie Nurses care for people with a terminal illness in their own home or at the Marie Curie Hospice in Edinburgh so they can spend more time with the people they love.

Fiona Beaton, Marie Curie Community Fundraiser for Edinburgh and Lothians, said: “We need over 500 people from Edinburgh and Lothians to help with our collections this February and March. Donating just one or two hours of your time to the appeal will allow Marie Curie Nurses to provide more free care to terminally ill people and their families at the time when they most need support, both through care in their own homes and in the Marie Curie Hospice Edinburgh.”

Di Shakspeare, Volunteer Collector from East Lothian said: “I was previously a Marie Curie Registered Nurse for twenty nine years so I know the difference that Marie Curie can make to local families, allowing them to rest knowing that their loved ones are in safe hands. On my retirement, I decided I wanted to help with the charity as a volunteer. In my experience, being a collector is a lot of fun and a great way to meet new folk, some with their stories to tell, while also raising funds and awareness for this wonderful cause.”

To volunteer to collect for Marie Curie and support the Great Daffodil Appeal call Fiona on 0131 470 2291, email fiona.beaton@mariecurie.org.uk or visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil.

More money for Scotland’s health boards

NHS in Scotland to receive additional £65 million

The Scottish Government has today announced that an extra £65m will be made available to NHS in the next financial year. The funding boost for 2015/16 will ensure that all health boards will receive uplifts next year which are at least 1% above the rate of inflation.

This will bring all health boards to within one per cent of parity under the NHS funding formula, NRAC, a year earlier than planned.

Health Secretary Shona Robison (pictured above) said the funding increase demonstrates the Scottish Government’s commitment to protecting the NHS. She said: “This Government has not only protected the NHS budget, but increased it.

“Our NHS services faces challenges as a result of the increase in patients, with more complex illnesses, and the rising costs of expensive new drugs.

“This £65m additional investment increases the resources available to health boards will help alleviate these pressures and ensure our NHS can continue to deliver effective and sustainable care to all patients across Scotland.”

“We’re clear that all patients in Scotland should be treated as quickly and as effectively as possible, with the right care, in the right place, at the right time. With this increase in funding, health boards are being given more support to achieve this.

“Despite Scotland’s fiscal resource budget being slashed in real terms by 10 per cent by Westminster since 2010, we’ve increased the health resource budget by 4.6 per cent in real terms.”

Health Boards publish holiday A & E figures

More than 90% of Lothian A & E patients seen within four hours

Scotland’s core accident and emergency departments saw 88.8 per cent of patients within four hours over the challenging Christmas and New Year period. NHS Lothian outperformed the national average, recording a 93.4% figure.

The figures which have been reported to the Government by NHS boards, outline performance at A&E departments between December 22 to January 4.

Boards have also reported one of the key challenges over this period has been the number of admissions to hospital, reflecting the fact that more seriously ill people are presenting at A&E.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said:

“The winter months bring increased pressure on the heath service and these figures show that this year’s Christmas period was a particularly challenging time for our A&E services and across our NHS.

“It is clear we must improve our performance – both in winter and year round – which is why we’ll go on increasing investment, improving systems and protecting staffing levels.

“Health board staff across Scotland have been working extremely hard to meet this demand and ensure long waits in A&E are minimised – and for this they have our thanks.

“However, across many health boards, delayed discharge is having a significant impact on the flow of patients through hospital and boards have informed us there has been an increase in seriously ill people presenting at A&E, who need admitted to hospital.

“I have already stated that reducing delayed discharge is a top priority for this government and we are continuing to work with health boards and local authorities to ensure effective co-ordination so that these patients, who are often very frail, can either get home or into a homely setting as quickly as possible.

“While we have significantly reduced by two-thirds the number of patients who are delayed for longer than four weeks, we recognise that we must go further to ensure all patients are safely discharged as quickly as possible when they’re judged clinically fit enough.

“To help deliver this we’ve already legislated for the integration of health and social care from this April.

“Of course, more must be done to deliver sustainable change and we are working with partners to make sure this happens.

“We have also recently made £28 million available to support boards experiencing an increase in demand over the winter and ensure local plans are in place across Scotland, supported by this extra investment.

“This investment is enabling the creation of an extra 200 intermediate care beds across Scotland, expanding community capacity substantially. That means fewer people will be unnecessarily delayed in hospital, freeing up beds and easing the pressure on A&E.”

NHS England and NHS Scotland A&E core site/Type 1 performance Christmas period figures are:

4 Hour A&E Performance:

Country (2 Weeks Ending the 4th January 2015)

England (Type One Sites) 82.8%

Scotland (Core Sites) 88.8%

NHS Scotland A&E core site Performance Christmas period (unvalidated) figures are:

Scotland NHS Boards (Core Sites) – 2 Weeks Ending the 4th January 2015

Ayrshire & Arran 89.6%

Borders 89.0%

Dumfries & Galloway 96.3%

Fife 87.3%

Forth Valley 83.1%

Grampian 90.6%

Greater Glasgow & Clyde 82.6%

Highland 95.9%

Lanarkshire 89.4%

Lothian 93.4%

Shetland 97.5%

Tayside 98.1%

Western Isles 99.2%

Scotland (Core Sites) 88.8%

Minister chooses North Edinburgh to launch health initiative

National healthy eating campaign launched at Pilton Community Health Project

The Scottish Government launched a new healthy eating initiative at Pilton Community Health Project on Boswall Parkway this morning. The ‘Eat Better Feel Better’ campaign will help Scotland’s families make simple changes to the way they shop, cook and eat.

Home cooking in Scotland is declining, according to a new survey commissioned by the Scottish Government, which shows that more families are turning to convenience foods and takeaways due to the pressures of family life.

The research accompanies a new campaign from the Scottish Government which was launched today to inspire and support families with practical tips, advice and tools to help them make simple, quick and cheap changes to how they shop, cook and eat.

The research shows that less than half of Scotland’s mums (47 per cent) consider themselves as very capable cooks and are happy to cook a meal using fresh or frozen ingredients, without the use of a recipe. However, more than a third of families (35 per cent) are eating takeaway food at least once a week and around one third of families (32 per cent) are eating ready meals at least three times a week.

Kirsty Day (left) with Public Health Minister Maureen Watt

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt launched the Eat Better Feel Better campaign at Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) – the first community health project in Scotland – which supports local people to eat more healthily through cooking skills, budgeting and meal planning.

PCHP’s Food team works with volunteers and local partners to help local people develop their understanding and knowledge to eat well on a budget, including cooking skills, budgeting, meal planning and wider food issues.

It does this by running cooking sessions, lots of ‘cook and taste’ sessions in the community, delivering ‘bite size’ sessions on eating well and much more. People can also get involved by joining one of the groups, becoming a volunteer or attending Food for Thought Forum meetings.

For many mums, the reluctance to cook from scratch is down to a number of obstacles which they see as prohibitive to making healthier meals for their families. Four in ten (42 per cent) think that it costs too much money to shop for and cook healthier family meals, a third (33 per cent) think that it takes too much time, around the same number (31 per cent) say that they’re too busy. A quarter (24 per cent) say that their kids are too fussy.

Speaking at the launch Ms Watt said: “For many families across Scotland, buying, cooking and eating healthy food can be a real challenge. However, there are many quick and cheap changes that we can make which can lead to significant improvements in our daily diets. From dealing with fussy eaters and shopping on a budget to planning your meals and finding time to cook, Eat Better Feel Better aims to address the various challenges faced by families by providing lots of practical hints, tips and recipes to help families eat more healthily.

“We know that helping children to eat healthier from a young age can help them avoid major illnesses later in life. That’s why we’re working together with retailers and community groups from across the country in getting behind Scotland’s families – to provide the support, encouragement and advice which will help them eat better and ultimately feel better.”

Anita Aggarwal, Community Development Manager at Pilton Community Health Project, said: “It’s great to have a Scottish Government campaign that complements and supports the work that community food and health projects like us are already doing. Pilton has a wealth of local community food projects that link together through the Food for Thought Forum. Because of the dedication and skills of these local residents and agencies, eating well in the area is easier. This campaign should help all these groups reach more local residents.”

PCHP also gives the local community access to food related training courses to develop their skills, and can now support others to deliver quick and easy healthy eating sessions using a new nutrition toolkit:

http://pchp.org.uk/projects/food

Through PCHP’s work, local people tell them that although they do want to eat better, the barriers they face can make it difficult. Often people who attend the cooking groups lack basic equipment like cookers and fridges. Budgets are tight; we find that while locals are good at making small amounts of money go a long way, this often means they cannot afford healthier food options, or the fuel to cook them.

At their December ‘Good Food for All’ event local people told PCHP that low income is the most significant barrier to eating healthily. Austerity measures, increasingly insecure employment and low wages (below Living Wage) mean that increasing numbers are resorting to food banks. The Poverty Alliance told PCHP about the shame people feel when they need to use food banks. While local food projects are working hard to support people with their cooking and budgeting skills, these financial barriers also need to be tackled at a policy level.

Kirsty Day, a 21 year-old student from Edinburgh and a mum of one, was a big fast food fan but following the birth of her son Kelvin almost three years ago, she decided that she didn’t want him to be brought up with bad food habits and leading an unhealthy lifestyle. She was put in touch with Pilton Community Health Project.

Kirsty said: “I was eating a typical student diet, but as a mum I wanted to be able to set a good example for my son. The changes in my lifestyle over the past two years have been huge. I’m happier, I feel less tired and have more energy, and Kelvin is happier too.

“With my new knowledge of food and the cooking skills I have learned, I find it really easy to make healthy meals with fresh ingredients now. Over the course of the week it’s affordable to eat and cook with fresh ingredients instead of pre-packed products and it definitely feels better eating fresh food. Some of my dishes actually work out cheaper than buying ready meal equivalents. I definitely feel better by eating better.”

Eat Better Feel Better will be working alongside supermarkets and the convenience sector, as well as stakeholders and community groups from across Scotland’s food and health industry, to provide ongoing support for families. From practical cooking classes at community groups to special offers on healthy ingredients in-store, the campaign will aim to provide advice and practical help in places and at times which suit them.

A new website – eatbetterfeelbetter.co.uk – provides recipes, tips from parents and healthier offers available from Scotland’s food retailers. The site will also host a series of cook-along videos to provide practical, easy to follow guides to cooking healthier family favourites such as spaghetti Bolognese, home-made burgers and chicken curry.

A key strand of the campaign will be directing families across Scotland towards local events and support in their community, such as that provided by Pilton Community Health Project.

The campaign contributes to the Scottish Government’s food and drink policy and aspiration for Scotland to become a Good Food Nation, a nation where it is second nature to serve, sell and eat fresh, healthy food.

It is also part of a co-ordinated Scottish Government programme of measures to support healthier choices in Scotland, including the Supporting Healthy Choices Voluntary Framework, launched in 2013, which sets out specific voluntary action for the food industry, including retailers, manufacturers, caterers and the public sector to support healthier diets in Scotland.

Students’ photshoots help families smile

Two Edinburgh College photography students have teamed up with Leith-based charity CCLASP (Children with Cancer and Leukaemia, Advice and Support for Parents) to give children affected by cancer a reason to smile by offering free family photoshoots to provide lasting memories.

The chance to carry out the shoots started after student Derek got chatting to his neighbour and founder of CCLASP, Valerie Simpson. As a way of helping the charity as well as furthering his photography skills, Derek offered to take pictures for the families that the charity supported. He then started carrying out photo sessions with his friend and fellow photography student, David Anderson.

One woman who is forever grateful to Derek and David is Claire Tasker from Kirkcaldy in Fife. After her little girl Jessica was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), Claire says that CCLASP was a ‘godsend’.

While Jessica, now 6, has been in remission for the last two years Claire’s mum Kay was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer last February. With the family knowing that her mum didn’t have long after her diagnosis, Claire called on Derek and David to bring the family together for a shoot they would always remember.

Claire says that David and Derek were extremely good at making everyone feel relaxed and the pictures now decorate her house and have been given out as gifts to provide lasting memories of her mum, who sadly passed away in April at the age of 53.

Claire said: “It’s the last photos that we got of us all as a family. I was pregnant at the time so to be able to share that as a family just meant the world. It’s amazing to be able to look back and have those photos with my mum and with my daughter.”

While studies for their BA in Photography continue, David and Derek remain committed to working with CCLASP, photographing events and days out put on by the charity for children who are undergoing treatment or whose condition may be terminal. For the photographers, the family photo-shoots were a moving experience.

“It was a great opportunity to meet all the families, who are fantastically strong considering what they’re going through,” said David, 40, from East Lothian.
Derek, 35, from Leith, said: “We’ve met families from different areas, different walks of life. Their experience is very inspiring.”

CCLASP was set up by Valerie and Bill Simpson after their son Robert was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of six. They started up the Edinburgh based children’s charity in 1994 to help support children and groups of families, to express and share the feelings, anxieties and the horror of having a child with a life threatening illness.

Hogmanay was busiest night of year for ambulance service

Edinburgh emergency calls slightly down on last year

Hogmanay was the busiest night of the year for the Scottish Ambulance Service, which dealt with 2,394 calls to its 999 centres across Scotland. Call volumes were 2% lower than last year’s total of 2,443 but the service experienced intense periods of high demand, managing over 250 calls per hour between midnight and 7am.

Additional call handlers, dispatchers and ambulance crews were on duty to deal with the surge in demand across the country, and Cardonald – which covers the West and South West of the country – was the busiest of the three Ambulance Control Centres (ACC). Inverness experienced a 16% increase in call volumes in the north of Scotland.

Between midnight and 7am demand was particularly high across Scotland and during that time ambulance control rooms dealt with 1,829 emergency calls, which was 76% of total demand.

Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service said: “As always, Hogmanay was our busiest night of the year and our teams dealt with a high volume of calls across the country. While there were slightly fewer calls overall than last year, the activity at times was intense, with 76% of the workload occurring between midnight and 7am.

“All of the teams in our control rooms and out on the streets demonstrated their professionalism and commitment, doing a fantastic job of delivering care to those in need.”

Totals for each of the three Ambulance Control Centres between 7pm on 31 December and 7am on 1 January were:

(Previous year totals in brackets)

Edinburgh – 971 calls (1019)
Cardonald – 983 calls (1045)
Inverness – 440 calls (379)