Tag: healthcare

James Morton’s new NHS role aims to ensure care is right for the patient – and right for the planet

Glasgow GP and former Bake Off contestant James Morton is on a campaign to save the planet – one patient at a time. James has a new role with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the lead organisation for improving the quality of healthcare in Scotland.

As part of his new role, James is keen to help tackle the issue of over-prescribing in the NHS – an issue that costs the health service £300 million in waste in the UK each year – by ensuring that clinical guidelines and advice put prevention and non-pharmacological treatments ahead of those medicines that don’t help improve the health of the patient in the long term. As a result, helping ensure that healthcare is right for the patient and right for the planet, while ensuring the NHS is fit for the future.

The GP is advising people who take medications regularly to consider having a review with their GP at their next visit to ensure their healthcare regime is the right one for them.

He said: “There are so many things we can all do to help our own health and to cut down on over reliance that might lead to waste in the NHS. I would ask people, particularly those who have been on medicines for a long time, to have a look at what they are taking and review it with their GP to ensure they’re not taking them unnecessarily.

“I want to emphasize that this is not about saving money, but about improving health and encouraging people to have more involvement in their own health.

“Traditionally, this time of year is when lots of people resolve to try to lead healthier lives in the new year. It would be good for all of us to think about our health, and our healthcare regimes in general, as part of those fitness and improvement commitments.”

James is also encouraging people to look again, particularly over the festive period, at the regular medication they take and ensure they’re not over-ordering on repeat prescriptions.

In his new role, James has been elected as the new vice-chair of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Council, part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland. SIGN develops guidelines, based on the most recent medical research, to help health and social care professionals make decisions, with their patients, about care, and make sure patients get the best care available, wherever they live.

James, who lives with his wife and two young children, practices sustainability in his own GP practice in the city’s southside, by cycling to see patients. He is a passionate campaigner for people to make positive lifestyle changes and have more ownership over their own health.

He said: “Sustainability is an issue for all of us as the vast majority of our carbon footprint is preventable. For GPs, like myself, we need to look at prescribing as at least half of medicines that we prescribe are not taken as prescribed. This is a huge waste.

“For example, we understand the messaging with regards to antibiotics, and not to over prescribe to cut down on antibiotic resistance, but we can certainly use the climate and sustainability argument to add some further emphasis to the good practices we already should be following.

“I want us to try to engage with patients to motivate them to improve their health and prevent illness in future where possible through social prescribing. That means sometimes rather than giving someone medicines, working in a garden or taking part in an exercise class can have greater benefits.”

Safia Qureshi, Director of Evidence and Digital at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “We are delighted that James is supporting us with our focus on sustainability.

“Our guidelines already have a keen focus on sustainability, for example, emphasising effective non-pharmacological treatments, such as our guideline on management of depression, and our forthcoming guideline on type 2 diabetes.

“We want our guidelines and advice to provide the best evidence that will empower people to be fully involved in decisions about their health and wellbeing.”

DFN celebrates decade of improving disability employment in Edinburgh

The DFN Charitable Foundation (DFN Foundation) is celebrating 10 years of tackling complex societal problems and delivering transformative outcomes for unheard voices in the UK and further afield. 

The DFN Foundation was set up in 2014 by David Forbes-Nixon OBE with a focus on working across four key pillars: education, employability, healthcare and wildlife conservation.  

Over the past decade, DFN Foundation has achieved incredible results in all these areas including setting up a school for pupils with special educational needs at Undershaw and establishing an employability charity, DFN Project SEARCH, which helps get young people with a learning disability and/or autism into jobs. 

Further work across the pillars has seen the UK charity supporting a Myeloma Research Programme improving survival rates in myeloma patients with high-risk myeloma and ensuring the survival of the British butterfly, through its work with the Big Butterfly Count.  

Founder and Chairman, David Forbes-Nixon said: “I was inspired to set up the DFN Foundation, to honour two of my personal heroes: my son Charlie who has learning and physical disabilities; and my mother who died of multiple myeloma. Over the past decade, our work has strived to create a better world in their legacy and for generations to come.”

The DFN Foundation has achieved a milestone of 10 years’ operating as an industry leading Strategic Commissioning Charity, partnering with the best-in-class charities or setting up its own to deliver the best results for some of the most pressing challenges facing society.  

Founded in 2014, the DFN Foundation has strived to make a difference by bringing together the right talent, operating with a business mindset, and staying laser focused on specific goals. 

The DFN Foundation was initially focused on improving Disability Employment, Special Needs Education and Healthcare, with these issues all affecting Founder and Chairman, David Forbes-Nixon on a personal level.  

David said: “At the start, I wanted the DFN Foundation to focus on the two main causes that I was passionate about: supporting education and employment opportunities for young disabled people; and finding a cure for multiple myeloma.  

“However, as we grew, we broadened our scope and we looked to take on some of the most pressing social challenges that often struggle to attract mainstream support because they are viewed as risky, difficult or simply impossible. 

“In order to achieve this, I assembled a high-quality board of trustees for the DFN Foundation and we agreed to focus on education, employment, healthcare and wildlife conservation alongside establishing four main goals for the first 10 years. “ 

Highlights for the DFN Foundation over the past decade include establishing a world class special needs school at Undershaw, and positively influencing best practice around disability employment through a separate employability charity, DFN Project SEARCH. 

DFN Project SEARCH was founded in 2018 by David Forbes-Nixon to ensure that young people with special educational needs and learning disabilities receive high quality work-related learning and improved access to long-term paid employment.  

70% of DFN Project SEARCH graduates achieve jobs, and 60% achieve full-time permanent roles, compared to the national average of 4.8% of people with a learning disability who are known to local authorities. Moreover, DFN Project SEARCH has got 2,200 young adults with a learning disability and/or autism into jobs so far. 

DFN Foundation’s work in healthcare has looked to improve survival rates of myeloma and advance cures through strategic funding of high-quality research which will benefit patients to live longer lives.  

As part of this funding, clinical trials of Optimum MUK9 saw 75% of the sample group in the trials still in remission 36 months after starting treatment: this makes it the most successful privately funded UK myeloma clinical trials ever. 

The DFN Foundation’s effort to improve wildlife conservation have seen it look to ensure the survival of the British butterfly, through increasing awareness and sponsoring the Big Butterfly Count, a UK-wide citizen science survey. 

David said: “On our tenth anniversary year, I think it is important that we take stock and look back on all the incredible achievements that we have had as a Foundation but also look forward to the next stage in our growth.  

“As part of this, we want to continue to support Undershaw so it becomes a world class special needs school rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted across all categories and commit additional financial support to DFN Project SEARCH to help get 20,000 young disabled people into jobs by 2034.  

“We also want to support securing a route to market for OPTIMUM (MUKnine) clinical trials so that as many myeloma patients as possible can benefit from this pioneering set of drug therapies and share results globally through publications and presentations by Dr Kaiser.  

“The DFN Foundation will continue our work in partnership with The Pangolin Project to ensure survival of the Giant Ground Pangolin in the Nyekweri Ecosystem in Kenya.   

“Finally, we want to make sure that the DFN Foundation has a lasting impact and as part of our policy work we will launch the DFN Scholars programme and continue to work with Disability Employment Charter and the Centre of Social Justice and lobby policymakers in Parliament with a goal of reducing the disability employment gap.” 

Trailblazing AI adopted by Edinburgh care home

Pain monitoring technology helps gives residents a voice

TWO FAMILY-run Edinburgh care homes are at the leading-edge of artificial intelligence (AI) – having implemented new technology that assesses tiny changes in expressions to understand residents’ pain and comfort levels.

One of Scotland’s top rated care home groups, Elder Homes Ltd has adopted PainChek’s technology across its two care homes in Edinburgh to assist staff in assessing pain levels for its 90+ residents.

PainChek uses AI facial recognition to analyse facial expressions from a smart device’s camera. It detects pain indicators like grimaces and winces and guides caregivers through observing other pain behaviours like vocalisations and movements resulting in an overall pain score to help monitor the effectiveness of pain management over time.

The app aims to improve the quality of life for those with cognitive difficulties who may struggle to communicate their discomfort, such as people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Residents and staff at Elder Homes have been using the app since July 2022, which has resulted in better pain detection and treatment, reduced reliance on pain medication as well as more accurate treatment plans.

Cheryl Henderson, Education and Dementia Coordinator at Elder Homes has been spearheading the implementation of PainChek, while ensuring relevant members of staff are trained to care for residents diagnosed with dementia.

Commenting on the success of PainChek, she said: “Treating our residents with dignity is one of our key aims. We want to ensure all residents feel at home, whilst receiving the highest standard of care.

“Using this technology, and other technologies across our homes has been extremely rewarding. We’re excited to see how the use of technology continues to develop and the benefits it can bring to care home residents across Scotland.”

The care home also utilises other innovative technologies including electronic medication system which assist in monitoring medication given to residents, and electronic charting.

PainChek is currently being used in 18 care homes across Scotland, as well as forming a pillar of the Care Inspectorate’s Quality Improvement Plan which sees a further 15 care homes trialling the tech.

PainChek’s Head of Business Development UK&I Tandeep Gill said: “Our latest figures reflect the value and impact of the PainChek technology in UK care homes and worldwide.

“Reaching over three million pain assessments is a real milestone for us – each one brings more objectivity and consistency to evaluating pain, whilst making a difference to care home residents and enhancing their quality of life.

“We’re delighted to see staff at Elder Homes leading the way in adopting PainChek and embracing innovation to improve pain assessment and deliver person-centered care.

“By achieving positive outcomes for care home residents and the care staff involved in the Care Inspectorate trial, we hope to gain the opportunity for a broader government-funded rollout across Scotland.”

Founded in Australia in 2016, PainChek is the world’s first regulatory cleared medical device for the assessment of pain, enabling best-practice pain management for people living with pain in any environment, from those who cannot reliably self-report their pain, to those who can, and for those whose ability to self-report their pain fluctuates.

Cluny Lodge was recently awarded top marks in a recent Care Inspectorate inspection for supporting its resident’s wellbeing.

The two Morningside care homes are currently home to 90 residents, who come from a range of backgrounds, all of which receive 24-hour care who according to the Care Inspectorate are receiving the best care possible.

Driven by a personal need for exceptional later in life care, Loren and Julie Hufstetler established the family-run Elder Homes in 1984. For almost 40 years, Elder Homes has provided individualised support and compassionate service to seniors requiring assistance with daily living.

To find out more about Elder Homes, please visit: 

https://www.carehomeedinburgh.co.uk/

No barriers to Scottish healthcare for fleeing Ukrainians

People who ordinarily live in Ukraine will be able to access NHS services at no charge on the same basis as people living in Scotland.

An amendment to current legislation will ensure that people who have fled Ukraine can access services such as maternity care, mental health services and treatment for specific conditions at no charge while they remain here.

This will also apply to people from Ukraine who were in Scotland on short-term visas when the conflict began and who apply to extend or switch visas because they cannot return home. 

Anyone in Scotland, regardless of their nationality, residence status or length of time they will be in the country, is already entitled to receive emergency treatment at an A&E or casualty department, and can register with a GP Practice to receive general medical services, at no charge.

In addition, emergency legislation which came into force on Tuesday 22 March will allow people coming to Scotland from Ukraine to meet residency conditions for Scottish social security benefits.

This means that those fleeing war in Ukraine, and who are eligible, will have immediate access to benefits such as Scottish Child Payment and Child Disability Payment.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are determined to do everything in our power to give displaced people from Ukraine the warmest welcome possible when they arrive and this includes offering healthcare to those who need it.

“We fully recognise that they may have been through very traumatic experiences and could require specialist treatment and care. Removing charges for healthcare and providing access to benefits is a practical step in ensuring those who have been forced to flee their homes and country can live safely and comfortably in Scotland for as long as they need to.”

Chief Medical Officer urges pregnant women to get vaccinated

“By far the best course of action for you and your baby is to get both doses of the vaccine”

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer is urging pregnant women to get the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to protect them and their baby.

Following a recent study showing evidence of increased hospitalisations, Dr Gregor Smith is encouraging all expectant mothers to discuss the vaccine with their healthcare professionals so they can make a fully informed choice.

The UK Obstetric Service (UKOSS) published research last month which showed the number of pregnant women being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 across the UK is increasing, with many experiencing acute symptoms.

The report also suggests the Delta variant is associated with an increased risk of severe illness among hospitalised pregnant women.

Dr Smith said: “Firstly I want to thank all our healthcare staff for everything they are doing across Scotland not just in relation to the wider vaccination programme but also for their efforts to ensure good outcomes for women, families and babies during the pandemic.

“We have written to heath boards and GPs to ensure they are aware of all the latest evidence-based advice and guidance to enable them to fully discuss the very clear positive benefits of the vaccine with their patients.

“Recent data shows the number of pregnant women being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 has risen, and that is concerning. Evidence suggests that the Delta variant may be associated with an increased risk of severe illness among hospitalised pregnant women.

“We want all pregnant women to have the information they need to make an informed choice, so if you have any concerns or questions, please speak to your midwife, GP, or go along to a drop-in clinic. By far the best course of action for you and your baby is to get both doses of the vaccine.”

UKOSS study

NOTE: 3,613 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Scotland yesterday. The trend is upwards – this pandemic is far from over.

Cole-Hamilton comments on Lothian’s A & E “crisis”

Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton has commented on the waiting times “crisis” that is emerging across Lothian A&E units.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health since 2016, made his comments following reports yesterday that the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is on the brink of having to declare a major incident.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Reports of Edinburgh patients waiting up to twelve hours for treatments are not just concerning, but they are potentially catastrophic for our healthcare service.

“The escalation of this so-called “ping-demic” is having devastating effects across our health services, and many of our hospitals are working at minimum staff capacity because of it. Of course, we must be vigilant, but our NHS simply cannot cope when faced with such reduced staffing measures.

“The Scottish Government need to come forward with concrete actions and urgent changes on isolation policies. That means a test and release system, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons and others.”

MSPs concern over hospital infections

Questions have been asked about the approach to and extent of surveillance and monitoring of infection within the NHS in a letter issued yesterday by the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee.  Noting its concern with the current system, the Committee have been unable to identify a proactive approach to either. Continue reading MSPs concern over hospital infections

Healthcare in Crisis: Four Seasons goes into administration

Four Seasons Health Care, one of the country’s biggest heath care organisations, has gone into administration.  The company, which has been struggling to tackle massive debt, says the move would not affect care arrangements or lead to the closure of homes.

Four Seasons employs around 20,000 staff who support approximately 17,000 patients and care home residents. It runs three care homes in Edinburgh: Gilmerton (above), North Merchiston and Guthrie House.

Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP said: “Residents in the five Edinburgh care homes and their families will be very concerned about Four Seasons going into administration and what this presents for the future provision of the care homes.

“This is yet another example of the care crisis engulfing Edinburgh. We need to see urgent steps taken to stabilise the situation and support find a future for the company.

“It is crucial that the Scottish Government ensures operations at these care homes continue.”

Responding to the announcement, GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Drew Duffy said: “This is yet another case in point of the crisis in our care sector.

“Our immediate priority is the safeguard of our members’ jobs and conditions across Four Seasons homes in Scotland and to help tackle any uncertainty for an estimated 1,800 service users and their families.

“That’s why we have asked for an urgent meeting with the Scottish Government and COSLA representatives. We will also continue to work with our union across the rest of the UK and in our engagements with the employer, administrators and the UK Government.

“Four Seasons is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a far wider debate that needs to be had about the sustainability of our care sector in its present form.

“Let’s be clear that the public purse is largely funding these failing providers and the financiers behind them, while the rights of workers at the coal face, mainly low paid women, are constantly under attack. This is a toxic mix for staff and service users alike.

“If we leave this unchallenged then we will only continue to revisit the problems we are facing today in Four Seasons elsewhere in the sector. This must stop and the sector must change.”