Tag: NHS Lothian

New service to support expectant parents’ emotional wellbeing

A new service to help expectant parents with their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy has been launched in NHS Lothian by NSPCC Scotland this Maternal Mental Health Week (4-10 May).

Pregnancy in Mind (PiM) is an online group service that supports parents, who are expecting a baby, with complicated feelings that can arise during pregnancy. It is designed to create a safe and reassuring space for parents in weeks 12-26 of pregnancy so they can reflect on any concerns, worries, or low mood they may be experiencing. 

PiM encourages them to reflect on their pregnancy as it progresses and their connection to their growing baby, encourages social support with other parents-to-be, and builds confidence for when their baby is born. 

The programme has eight online group sessions, usually delivered weekly (for 90-120 minutes), from the start of the second trimester (12 weeks) plus two one-to-one online post-birth sessions.

The service is delivered by practitioners who are experienced in creating a warm, safe and supportive space where expectant parents can build confidence, develop helpful ways of coping, and connect with others as they navigate pregnancy and prepare for the arrival of their new baby. 

The service brings together a range of evidence informed approaches, including mindfulness, relaxation, coping strategies, building confidence in understanding emotional wellbeing and developing supportive social connections.

Parents do not need to be experiencing severe symptoms to take part, the service is open to those who feel they would benefit from extra support during pregnancy. Introductions by health and social care workers to the service can be made at any point up to 26 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant person, their partner, support person or the baby’s other parent can take part in the programme.

Alison MacDonald, Executive Nurse Director for NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the NSPCC to add this programme to the range of support available to expectant parents.

“Mental health is just as important as physical health and this service offers early, practical support to parents who need it most, helping them to give their babies and children the best possible start in life.” 

Jen Dixon, Team Manager at NSPCC Scotland, said: “Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us of the importance of emotional wellbeing during pregnancy.  

When parents are finding things difficult, offering support to them as early as possible, can help them feel less alone as they prepare to meet their baby. 

“Often parents join Pregnancy in Mind feeling uncertain, isolated or overwhelmed. Through the sessions, they connect with other parents who are experiencing similar feelings. The programme supports them to develop ways to improve their own wellbeing, leading them to feel more hopeful, confident and less overwhelmed when their baby is born.  

“This supports their ability to create nurturing foundations and connections with their babies from the very beginning, including during pregnancy.”   

For further information about PiM contact NSPCC Scotland by email: 

scotland1@nspcc.org.uk

NHS Lothian: Perinatal mental health sympton checker

Not sure if what you’re feeling is normal? This perinatal mental health symptom checker highlights signs you shouldn’t ignore.

Trust yourself, reach out early, and ask for help.

Visit: https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/about-maternal-mental-health/perinatal-mental-health-symptom-checker/ to learn more.

NSPCC Scotland launches new service to support expectant parents’ emotional wellbeing

A new service to help expectant parents with their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy is being launched by NSPCC Scotland as the UK marks Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (May 4 to 10).

Pregnancy in Mind (PiM), which is being delivered by the charity in partnership with NHS Lothian, is an online group service that supports parents, who are expecting a baby, with complicated feelings that can arise during pregnancy.

It is designed to create a safe and reassuring space for parents in weeks 12-26 of pregnancy so they can reflect on any concerns, worries, or low mood they may be experiencing. 

PiM encourages them to reflect on their pregnancy as it progresses and their connection to their growing baby, encourages social support with other parents-to-be, and builds confidence for when their baby is born. 

The programme has eight online group sessions, usually delivered weekly (for 90-120 minutes), from the start of the second trimester (12 weeks) plus two one-to-one online post-birth sessions.

The service is delivered by practitioners who are experienced in creating a warm, safe and supportive space where expectant parents can build confidence, develop helpful ways of coping, and connect with others as they navigate pregnancy and prepare for the arrival of their new baby. 

The service brings together a range of evidence informed approaches, including mindfulness, relaxation, coping strategies, building confidence in understanding emotional wellbeing and developing supportive social connections.

Parents do not need to be experiencing severe symptoms to take part, the service is open to those who feel they would benefit from extra support during pregnancy. Introductions by health and social care workers to the service can be made at any point up to 26 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant person, their partner, support person or the baby’s other parent can take part in the programme.

Jen Dixon, Team Manager at NSPCC Scotland, said: “Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us of the importance of emotional wellbeing during pregnancy.  

“When parents are finding things difficult, offering support to them as early as possible, can help them feel less alone as they prepare to meet their baby. 

“Often parents join Pregnancy in Mind feeling uncertain, isolated or overwhelmed. Through the sessions, they connect with other parents who are experiencing similar feelings. The programme supports them to develop ways to improve their own wellbeing, leading them to feel more hopeful, confident and less overwhelmed when their baby is born.  

“This supports their ability to create nurturing foundations and connections with their babies from the very beginning, including during pregnancy.”  

Alison MacDonald, Executive Nurse Director for NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the NSPCC to add this programme to the range of support available to expectant parents.

“Mental health is just as important as physical health and this service offers early, practical support to parents who need it most, helping them to give their babies and children the best possible start in life.” 

For further information about PiM contact NSPCC Scotland by email: 

scotland1@nspcc.org.uk

NHS Lothian: Collect your prescription before May Bank Holiday

A quick reminder: On Monday 4 May 2026, GP practices and many community pharmacies will be closed.

If you need a prescription, please arrange to collect soon.

Visit our website: https://services.nhslothian.scot/rightcare/public-holidays/

NHS Lothian: Living Kidney Donation Information Event next month

THE EXCEPTIONAL GIFT

Interested in learning about living kidney donation?

Join our free information event on Thursday 14 May, 6–8pm at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Register here:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=veDvEDCgykuAnLXmdF5JmoXJUGMRHstGh8MBdz6Av8BUOUJOU1pNM0U2V05UM0NGSkZDRjZUUlZCMi4u

For more information, email: Loth.LivingKidneyDonation@nhs.scot.

Charity warns lives are at risk as specialist funding withdrawn

Deaf Action says EIJB decision has left some people in dire situations

The lives of deaf people have been put at risk by Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s (EIJB) decision to withdraw specialist social work funding, according to Scotland’s leading deaf-led charity.

Deaf Action is urging Edinburgh’s health and social care body to reinstate the services, including social work support, specialist equipment and preventative, community-based assistance with immediate effect.

The organisation argues that the EIJB’s decision contradicts council leader Jane Meagher’s claim that a four percent rise in Council Tax will see it “protecting frontline services for those most in need of our support”.

Deaf Action has highlighted numerous examples of how the decision has affected the deaf community in the city, including one of a woman who had a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) order added to her medical records after a stroke because staff thought she couldn’t communicate.

In fact, as a British Sign Language (BSL) user she needed an interpreter and it was only an ad hoc welfare visit to the woman in hospital by a BSL-using Community Care Assistant that identified the problem. The woman involved was too unwell to be interviewed for this press release.

Deaf Action’s campaign has won the support of several MPs and MSPs, including the deputy first minister, Kate Forbes.

Philip Gerrard MBE, chief executive of Deaf Action, said: “Edinburgh once had specialist, deaf-led BSL-first services that helped people navigate daily life in their own language. Those services have been dismantled, one after another, and the result is that deaf people are now being pushed into generic systems that are not designed for BSL users.

“When you take away that language provision, you take away accessibility. It increases the risk of people being misunderstood, left isolated or falling through safeguarding gaps. The Council must restore these services as a matter of urgency.”

Jennifer Staples, who was born deaf and has lived in Edinburgh all her life, relied on Deaf Action’s specialist BSL-led support for more than four decades.

Through regular access to a dedicated social worker and later community-based services, she was able to manage everyday tasks, understand important correspondence and live independently with confidence.

Since the withdrawal of these services, Jennifer says she has been left struggling to navigate basic aspects of daily life, facing increasing isolation and uncertainty.

Jennifer said: “Every Thursday I knew that there was a two-hour slot, I could see a social worker, a person I knew, and I would go regularly. They could sign fluently and we communicated directly. But then the contract was changed and I was lost. It’s so different going through an interpreter. There were barriers everywhere.

“For example, I had a problem with my gas meter. The company stopped sending me printed bills and sent emails instead. They put on my account that I was deaf, but they kept trying to call me and I obviously can’t take a phone call.

“Nowadays I have to ask my family for help, but they don’t have any time, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It’s really stressful. I’m worrying about it all the time and I don’t sleep well because of it.

“I really hope that the Council brings something back for deaf people in Edinburgh – we need support.”

Deaf Action points to a further example of a deaf man with special educational needs who went without heating for four months over the winter due to communication failures within generic social care services.

Despite raising concerns, he did not fully understand the advice given by a visiting social worker about arranging an engineer, leaving the problem unresolved from November until February.

Deaf Action argues that the replacement of specialist provision with generic services is a false economy. The charity produced a cost analysis study which concludes that removing specialist deaf-led support does not eliminate need or reduce public spending; instead, it shifts demand into far more expensive crisis services.

Three key services have been cut in sequence over the past 18 months:

  • Deaf Social Worker (cut September 2024) – specialist, deaf-aware support with cultural understanding and BSL-first assessment and safeguarding
  • Specialist Equipment (March 2025) – deaf-specific equipment such as alerting systems, with repairs, replacements and specialist advice
  • Community Care Assistant Service (November 2025) – deaf-led, preventative support helping deaf people navigate health, care and day-to-day life

Philip Gerrard added: “The cuts contradict Scotland’s stated ambition under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act, passed a decade ago, to be the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, learn and visit,

“And this all comes just a few months after a UK Government report (link below [1] ) called for the reintroduction and strengthening of the role of specialist social workers and sensory teams across local authorities”.

As well as calling for the reintroduction of the specialist services, Deaf Action wants the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership to publish a full equality and social impact assessment that considers the cumulative effect of the cuts.

Philip Gerrard, who has met with the City of Edinburgh’s leader, Jane Meagher, and Connor Savage, the Chair of its Integration Board, said he hopes constructive discussions can continue.

REPORT: Locked out: Exclusion of deaf and deafblind BSL users from health and social care in the UK (full report – BSL and English versions)

NHS Lothian neurosurgeon featured on CNN for pioneering live brain tissue donation initiative

The Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Little France recently welcomed a news crew from CNN International to highlight a world‑leading partnership between the neurosurgery team and researchers at the University of Edinburgh.

Spearheaded by neurosurgeon Paul Brennan and Race Against Dementia Fellow Dr Claire Durrant, the programme involves keeping living human brain tissue – removed during routine neurosurgery – alive for study in the laboratory.

This pioneering research has enabled scientists to show, for the first time, how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s can attach to and damage the connections between brain cells.

The team hopes the discovery will help identify medications with the greatest potential to prevent the loss of synapses—the vital connections that allow messages to flow between brain cells and support healthy brain function.

Paul Brennan said: “During neurosurgery, there is always a small amount of healthy brain tissue that must be removed in order to reach, for example, a tumour and typically that tissue would be thrown away. Our partnership with Claire and her team means we can package up that healthy, living tissue and send it to the lab for testing.

“Even the tiniest piece “contains thousands of cells, and we can learn a great deal from it. Research of this type has been underway for some time, but this collaboration allows us to study living human brain tissue in a way that hasn’t routinely been possible before.”

The tissue is collected with the patient’s consent, in a process similar to organ donation. Aidan McAllister (28) chose to donate his healthy brain tissue during an operation to remove a tumour. He said: “My grandad passed away from Alzheimer’s a few years ago. We were really close – he lived just across the road and we saw each other every day. His dementia became so severe that he didn’t know who he was or who we were.

“It’s a really brutal disease. When Paul asked if I’d consider donating some of my brain tissue during surgery, I thought if it could help people like my grandad, then I wanted to do it.”

Dr Claire Durrant said: “We believe this research could accelerate the journey from lab findings to patient treatments, bringing us one step closer to a world free from the heartbreak of dementia.

“It was fantastic to be able to show the CNN team what we do and to highlight the vital, world-leading research taking place in Edinburgh.”

NHS Lothian provides update on hot water issue in maternity services

NHS Lothian has put a series of temporary, proactive measures in place within maternity services at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) following the identification of an issue with hot water quality in the department.

Medical and infection prevention and control teams have assessed that any risk to mothers, babies, visitors or staff is very low and maternity services continue to operate with some short-term precautions in place.

NHS Lothian’s maternity services operate over two hospital sites and, as per the usual process, patients may be treated at either the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or St John’s Hospital depending upon clinical need and capacity.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, discolouration was identified in hot water at a number of outlets within the maternity unit and investigations are currently underway to confirm the cause. Cold and drinking water is not affected.

Precautionary safety measures were quickly introduced and will remain in place while further assessments and actions are carried out. Following a risk assessment, the neonatal unit has temporarily paused external admissions and the birthing pools are currently out of use. These measures follow nationally recognised best practice.

Existing infection prevention and control measures – already standard across all maternity departments – remain firmly in place.

Michelle Carr, Chief Officer – Acute Services, NHS Lothian said: “We understand that this situation may cause concern and want to reassure patients, families and staff that health and safety is our highest priority and we are taking a highly precautionary approach while we work through this issue.

“Both NHS Lothian and our estates contractor are working hard to resolve the issue swiftly and the situation is being closely monitored. Enhanced infection prevention and control measures are also in place.

“We are grateful to our patients and visitors for their understanding and cooperation.”

An expert multi-disciplinary Incident Management Team – made up of infection control, water engineers, microbiological and clinical teams – has been established to oversee the investigation and ensure prompt resolution.

NHS Lothian: Investigation works in ward at New Sick Kids

Investigations are underway in a ward of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh after a defect was identified in some patient bathrooms.

An environmental review identified the presence of mould behind a wallcovering in bathrooms in the Lochranza ward, which looks after oncology and haematology patients.

As a result, immediate precautionary measures were put in place to protect those patients who are more vulnerable to infections because of weakened immune systems while investigative works take place.

A works update meeting held on Monday heard that other bathrooms are currently being checked to ensure that no more are affected.

The ward has a number of rooms which are not used routinely, meaning the available cubicles have not been reduced, allowing the ward to function as normal and remain open.

It must be stressed that no patients are unwell as a result, and patients and families have been made aware.

There are also no concerns about the way the ward ventilation is functioning or maintained. It is believed the mould was caused by a defective join between wall and floor coverings, which allowed shower water ingress.

Walls in the bedrooms and bathrooms are intact, and the waterproof wall covering has provided a physical barrier between patients and the water damage.

Other aspects of the ward environment are also in place help to protect vulnerable patients from infection, including the provision of filtered ultraclean air into the room.

Alison Macdonald, Nurse Director, NHS Lothian, said on Tuesday: “We know this will be worrying for some families. We need to reassure them that our clinical, microbiological and infection control teams have assessed the situation as “low” risk.

“Nevertheless, this is being treated extremely seriously. Infection control measures have been enhanced and the situation is being monitored very closely.

“Patients may need to be moved into a new room while the investigation and remedial work is carried out, but families are being kept up to date.”

An expert multi-disciplinary Incident Management Team, made up of infection control, microbiological and clinical teams, has been established to oversee and direct the urgent programme of investigation and remedial works which will be carried out by the maintenance contractor.

NHS Lothian: Building a modern travel health service

International travel has changed significantly over the past decade, increasing the need for accessible, high-quality travel health advice and vaccination services. In NHS Lothian, we have worked to develop a modern service that provides safe, comprehensive care before people travel abroad.

As part of Scotland’s Vaccination Transformation Programme, which came into effect in 2022, responsibility for travel vaccinations moved from GP practices to health boards. In Lothian, we used this opportunity not simply to replace the previous system, but to create a more comprehensive service.

Our model brings together NHS travel vaccinations, expert travel health advice, private vaccinations, antimalarial prescriptions and an individual travel health assessment in one place. Previously, many patients received NHS vaccines from their GP but then had to attend other providers for additional vaccines or malaria prevention. By offering a more holistic service, we can reduce the number of places patients need to visit and help them prepare more effectively for their travels.

A travel clinic has existed within the Regional Infectious Diseases Unit for more than three decades, but the service has expanded significantly in recent years. Activity has risen from around 1,600 new appointments each year to around 12,000 annually, reflecting both growing demand and the value patients place on a comprehensive service.

With such high demand on the service, we know that access to appointments has sometimes been challenging. We have listened carefully to feedback and introduced an online booking system to improve accessibility, although we recognise there have been some issues as the new system is being embedded. As an NHS service, our digital systems meet strict standards for IT governance and patient data protection.

Feedback from patients who attend the clinic has been extremely positive. Our team works incredibly hard to deliver high-quality care and expert advice, and we are proud of the service that has been built.

We also want people to know there are other travel health providers across Lothian. Most travel vaccines and antimalarial medicines are not funded by the NHS and can also be accessed privately through pharmacies and travel clinics. Travellers can also check in advance what they may need by visiting TravelHealthPro: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk

We want the NHS Lothian Travel Health Service to continue evolving so that we can provide accessible, high-quality and comprehensive care. We are grateful for the patience, support and feedback of the public as we continue to improve the service.

If you need to arrange an appointment with our Travel Clinic go to: 

https://services.nhslothian.scot/travelclinics/find-an-nhs-lothian-travel-clinic/ and select ‘Book Online’