If you are travelling to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or Royal Hospital of Children and Young People for an appointment, please be aware of road works which are due to commence Monday 17 October 2022, for 24 Weeks as this will affect your travel time to your appointment.
The road works will result in 2-way Temporary Lights on Old Dalkeith Road near Little France Campus. The lights will move as work progresses from the campus up towards Shawfair Park and Ride/Train station. This will take a break for 2 weeks from Friday 23 December 2022 until Friday 6 January 2023.
We have been informed that this will result in a minimum of 20 minutes delay up to 50 minutes at peak times.
It has been suggested that people travelling to these sites should instead travel via Gilmerton Road, Edinburgh which runs parallel to Dalkeith Road, to access the Campus, as this may limit time impact.
A mum whose daughter fell into a scalding bath when she was just three-years-old has urged other parents to be aware of the dangers of burns.
Little Courtney, now seven, spent years battling back to full health after she suffered devastating burns to more than a quarter of her body.
The schoolgirl, from Kirkcaldy, had to undergo numerous painful procedures and physiotherapy at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) in Edinburgh following the accident.
Now on “Burns Awareness Day” (12th October), her mum, Chloe Abrahams, is warning other parents to be aware of potential burns hazards around the home.
Chloe said: “I would never have thought that tap water could burn so badly.
“The pain Courtney went through just from lifting her into a different position on the hospital bed still breaks my heart when I think about it. Seeing my daughter in that state was the worst thing I’ve ever been through.”
Courtney’s accident happened in 2018. She was reaching for a toy when she tumbled into a bath that was filling with scalding water.
Chloe said: “We heard horrendous screams and found that Courtney had fallen into a scalding hot bath. I quickly scooped her out of the bath, stripped her clothes off and wrapped her in a wet towel.She was covered in massive bulging blisters and we rushed her to hospital. But at this point, I didn’t realise how much damage had already been done.”
Courtney was immediately transferred to the high dependency unit in the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) where she was sent to theatre every few days to get her burns scrubbed and redressed to prevent any infections.
Her little thighs and feet received the worst damage as her socks and pants had held the scalding water close to her skin.
After being released from hospital, Courtney’s feet had to stay bandaged for over a month, meaning that she was struggling to walk for up to two months.
She received regular physiotherapy alongside numerous other appointments for over a year to aid her recovery and to help with the inevitable scarring.
Chloe added: “I honestly can’t thank all the amazing doctors and nurses at the RHCYP enough. Courtney is now seven and is doing great. She has lots of scars but she doesn’t let them define her.
“I would like other families to know that you can turn the water temperature down on your boiler. If we had known that – things might have been different for us.”
According to the Burns and Plastics Clinic at the RHCYP, burns are the most common household injury with over 7,000 children suffering serious burns or scalds in the UK in 2021.
As Halloween and bonfire night approaches Rosie Bainsfair, Burns & Plastics Nurse Specialist at the RHCYP, said: “Many of the children we see at the RHCYP in Edinburgh are injured in accidents around the house, involving very common things like hot drinks, irons or hair straighteners.
“If your child has a burn or scald, follow this simple ‘STOP’ first aid advice:
“Strip clothes, jewellery or nappies off (unless they are stuck to the skin).
“Turn on a cold tap or shower and run the burn under cool water for 20 minutes whilst keeping the child warm. Do not use ice.
“Organise medical assistance – attend A and E or dial 999.
“Protect the burn with cling film, provide painkillers and keep the child warm.”
To find out more about how you can prevent burns from happening at home, please visit the Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents website here.
Police Scotland is taking part in a multi-agency exercise in Edinburgh to test the response to a major incident.
The simulated exercise will take place from Monday 17 October to Thursday 20 October 2022.
It’s one of many pre-planned exercises that provides training and experience working with other agencies.
Exercises happen regularly at various levels with other emergency services and organisations. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the last exercise of a similar scale held in Scotland was October 2017.
This exercise will test the multi-agency response to a major incident involving hazardous materials.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams, head of Operational Support, said: “This is one of many pre-planned exercises and not in response to any specific threat.
“The public should rightly expect Police Scotland to practice and strengthen our response to a major incident alongside other organisations.
“We are part of a well-established multi-agency training programme that provides valuable training and learning.
“It’s important for exercises to be as realistic as possible however they are always planned proportionately in controlled settings and there will be limited disruption to people living nearby.”
There will be an increased presence of emergency services and military vehicles in Edinburgh during the exercise days.
The exercise is being organised by the Scottish Multi-Agency Resilience Training and Exercise Unit (SMARTEU). Other agencies involved in this particular exercise include NHS Lothian, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council.
Local healthcare workers at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh have been honoured for their exceptional work at a prestigious ceremony.
Sponsored by NHS Lothian Charity, the annual Celebrating Success Awards 2022 are nominated by fellow healthcare workers across the organisation.
Thomas Faulkner, Specialist Biomedical Scientist at the Western General Hospital won the Young Achiever award for going the extra mile in everything he does.
Although in the very early stages of his career, Thomas has played a huge part in the implementation of a new system and training in the laboratory. His team praised him for his dedication, commitment, energy, passion and enthusiasm.
Thomas said: “I’m very grateful to everyone who has nominated me. I was not expecting it so very happy that I’ve won.”
The Visible Haematuria One Stop Clinic Team at the Western General Hospital won the Best Example of Quality Innovation and Productivity Award.
The clinic is a collaboration between the Urology & Radiology department and Quality Improvement Support Team. It has greatly improved the patient experience and significantly reduced the time from referral to diagnosis for patients with urgent suspicion of cancer as well as the number of visits they make.
The Team said: “We’re very surprised but very thankful to have won this award.”
Calum Campbell, Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, said: “It is fantastic seeing staff being able to come together again and celebrate in person.”
If you are aged 50 to 64 with no additional risk factors, please wait to be contacted about your winter vaccination appointment. The flu and COVID-19 vaccines are being given to those most at risk first.
Appointment letters for winter vaccines inviting those aged 5 and over who are at higher risk of COVID-19 or flu are being sent out by NHS Lothian via post, e-mail or text over the next five weeks.
This includes those with certain underlying health conditions such as chronic respiratory, liver, kidney, heart or neurological disease, diabetes or with a severely weakened immune system.
More than two million people in Scotland will be offered vaccines over the next three months – with those most at risk the first to be vaccinated to protect themselves and help relieve pressure on the NHS.
Pat Wynne, Nurse Director for Primary and Community Care for NHS Lothian, who is overseeing the delivery of this year’s programme, said: “We strongly recommend those who are more vulnerable to serious complications from COVID-19 and flu get the vaccines. Both COVID-19 and flu can be serious even if you are healthy.
“Protection fades over time, so it’s important to restore it by having the vaccines when offered them. If you are unable to make the appointment time, please follow the instructions on your letter to rearrange it.”
Appointment letters will include information about how carers aged 16 and over and people aged 5 and over who live with someone with a weakened immune system can book an appointment.
If you have a condition and do not receive an appointment letter, you can check whether you are eligible and book an appointment at NHS Inform. Appointments for children under 16 must be booked by calling 0800 030 8013.
All people aged 65 or over should have received a scheduled appointment for COVID-19 and flu vaccinations by now. If you have not yet received this you can book an appointment at NHS Inform.
Those who are pregnant are also eligible and should speak to their midwife if they do not yet have an appointment.
If you are aged 50 to 64 with no additional risk factors, please wait to be contacted about your winter vaccination appointment.
Each of the five nurseries which were closed as a safety precaution during an E-coli outbreak in East Lothian have now been given the green light to re-open.
The Musselburgh Private Nursery chain has become the latest to welcome back staff and children, following final checks and inspection visits by East Lothian Council environmental health team, the Care Inspectorate and NHS Lothian Public Health team.
The Stoneybank nursery opened today (wed) while it’s sister company in Bridge Street is gearing up to re-open as soon as tomorrow (thurs).
Testing and the stringent E.coli clearance process has also been completed in both nurseries.
Dr Josie Murray, Consultant in Public Health Medicine and Chair of the multi-agency Incident Management Team (IMT), said: “We are really encouraged to see all of the nurseries open their doors once again and welcome back their staff and pupils.
“We know it has been a really difficult time for everyone involved, especially in accepting some of the control measures which were vital in containing the infection and stopping its spread within the community.
“On behalf of the IMT, I would like to thank everyone for working with us throughout this rapidly evolving and complex outbreak.”
Work is still continuing behind the scenes by the health care scientists in epidemiology and microbiology to try and identify the source of the infection.
Letters providing the most up to date information have been issued to families directly in some circumstances and via the nurseries distribution systems.
Church Street Pear Tree Nursery was originally closed on August 2 after a number of children fell ill and went on to test positive for E-coli.
The sister nursery Meadowpark Pear Tree Nursery was closed next, as well as West Road Pear Tree Nursery, Musselburgh Private Nursery, Bridge Street and Musselburgh Private Nursery, Stoneybank,.
In total, there have been 56 confirmed cases of E.coli. The infection was not confirmed at West Road Pear Tree Nursery.
The complex outbreak has evolved rapidly and a set of FAQs were developed to help answer questions from concerned families and carers and can be found on NHS Lothian’s website:
Public holiday arrangements were already in place for Monday 19 September 2022 prior to the announcement of Her Majesty’s funeral, due to the regional public holiday in Lothian.
This means that there are no further changes to our service plans this day. Elective surgeries have not been scheduled for Monday and the majority of outpatient clinics will be closed, as originally planned.
Any clinic appointments that were already scheduled with NHS Lothian will go ahead.
As per standard public holiday arrangements, GP practices and many community pharmacies will be closed. We’d encourage anyone who needs a prescription to make arrangements to collect this before the weekend.
If you’re booked in for a flu jab and/or a COVID-19 winter booster at a local pharmacy, the pharmacy should contact you directly if there are any changes to your appointment.
No winter vaccination appointments have been scheduled in community clinics for Monday, but some staff clinics will still be taking place on our sites.
If you need urgent medical care over the bank holiday weekend, please contact NHS 24 on 111 for advice and help us keep A&E free for critical emergencies. Thank you in advance.
