Tag: NHS Lothian

Local healthcare heroes win prestigious NHS Lothian awards

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.”

“Even though we still face significant pressures across NHS Lothian, I continue to take pride in the work that our staff do 365 days a year. I want to extend my warm congratulations to all this year’s finalists for their achievements.”

Professor John Connaghan CBE, Chair of NHS Lothian Board added, “The resilience and dedication of staff over the course of last year and since the start of the pandemic has been remarkable. They have provided high quality care under the greatest pressure.”

“It is testament to the commitment of our staff that they continuously innovate in the delivery of care to our patients.”

“I’d like to say well done to all of our finalists as we celebrate success.”

For the full list of award winners, including some short winners film please visit the NHS Lothian Celebrating Success Winners page.

NHS Lothian: Winter Vaccinations

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.

For more information visit http://nhsinform.scot/wintervaccines

Winter vaccine appointment letters starting to land for those aged 5+ with underlying health conditions

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.

East Lothian E-Coli outbreak: All nurseries get green light to reopen

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:

https://news.nhslothian.scot/2022/08/26/faqs-further-update-on-ecoli/

Public holiday arrangements in NHS Lothian for Monday 19 September

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.

Eat Well for Oral Health programme at Pilton Community Health Project

We’re delighted to offer our Eat Well for Oral Health cooking, nutrition and oral health 8 week programme at @PiltonComHealth with LINKnet Mentoring.

These sessions will provide culturally appropriate nutritious food, recipes and support accessing an NHS Dentist

JCVI advises use of additional bivalent vaccine for autumn booster campaign

Following on from the previous advice on which vaccines should be used in this year’s autumn booster programme, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has updated its published advice to include an additional bivalent vaccine now approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Studies indicate the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine produces a marginally higher immune response against some variants than the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Original ‘wild-type’ vaccine. The clinical relevance of these small differences is uncertain.

‘Bivalent’ vaccines have been developed by global manufacturers since the emergence and dominance of the Omicron variant. These vaccines are targeted against antigens (substances that induce an immune response) from 2 different COVID-19 strains, or variants.

All of the available booster vaccines offer very good protection against severe illness from COVID-19. As more vaccines continue to be developed, the committee will consider their use in the autumn programme.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID-19 immunisation on the JCVI, said: “It is very encouraging that more vaccines continue to become available and we now have another option to add to the vaccines already advised for the autumn booster campaign.

“Winter is typically the time of greatest threat from respiratory infections. We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to have their booster vaccine this autumn when it is offered. This is our best defence against becoming severely ill from COVID-19.”

Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 booster approved by UK medicines regulator

A second, “bivalent” vaccine was yesterday approved as a booster by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after it was found to meet the UK regulator’s standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

The updated booster vaccine made by Pfizer/BioNTech, targeting two coronavirus variants, has been approved for use in individuals aged 12 years and above. This decision has been endorsed by the Commission on Human Medicines, after a careful review of the evidence.

In each dose of the booster vaccine, ‘Comirnaty bivalent Original/Omicron’, half of the vaccine (15 micrograms) targets the original virus strain and the other half (15 micrograms) targets Omicron (BA.1).

The MHRA’s decision is based on data from a clinical trial which showed that a booster dose with the bivalent Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine triggers a strong immune response against both Omicron and the original strain. Safety monitoring showed that the side effects observed were the same as those seen for the original Pfizer/BioNTech booster dose and were typically mild and self-resolving, and no new serious safety concerns were identified.

Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive said: I am pleased to announce that we now have a second approved vaccine for the UK Autumn booster programme. The clinical trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent vaccine showed a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant as well as the original strain.

“Bivalent vaccines are helping us to meet the challenge of an ever-evolving virus, to help protect people against COVID-19 variants.

“We have in place a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for all UK-approved COVID-19 vaccines, and this will include the updated booster we approved today.”

Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines said: “Following an independent review of the safety, quality and effectiveness of the vaccine, the Commission on Human Medicines and its COVID-19 Vaccines Expert Working Group supports the MHRA’s decision.

“As with any medicinal product, including vaccines, it is important to continually monitor effectiveness and safety when it is deployed, and we have the relevant processes and expertise in this country to do that.

“The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will advise on how this vaccine should be offered as part of the deployment programme.”