Vaccine drop-in centres for the over 40s will be launched across NHS Lothian as part of the battle against COVID-19.
Clinics will be rolled-out in mass vaccination sites, from today (Wednesday 9 June), for people aged 40 and over, who require a first or second dose of the Astra Zeneca vaccine.
Anyone over the age of 40, who have not yet had their first dose – for whatever reason – can attend the clinic without an appointment, while those who are waiting for their second dose can turn up as long as they received their first injection of the Astra Zenaca vaccine at least eight weeks before.
The clinics will run at Lowland Hall (Ingliston) and West Lothian’s Pyramids Vaccination centres from tomorrow (Wednesday) through to Sunday 13 June. Starting from June 14, they will run at every centre except Lowland Hall.
People will be seen on a first come first served basis, and the centres will run for 10 hours every day.
NHS Lothian has joined up with the British Armed Forces as part of this key stage to accelerate the programme and provide increased protection for more people as quickly as possible.
A total of 36 Army personnel have been deployed into Lothian to help deliver vaccines across all of the centres.
That extra capacity – which equates to more than 3,500, appointments each day – will allow the vaccination team to target people who have not yet had the vaccine and may also speed up the process for those waiting for a second injection.
Pat Wynne, Nurse Director of Primary and Community Care, NHS Lothian, said the clinics, which will run for two weeks, were an important step. He said: “This is a really exciting step for us because it means we can reach a lot of people really quickly to help give them some protection, which is obviously vital to help beat new variants and keep people well.
“We are delighted to team up with the British Armed Forces again. Our teams have previously worked with them in two of our vaccination centres and we invited them to return to provide extra capacity across our centres as part of this race. They will join our teams at the routine appointment clinics and in the drop-in clinics.”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “This is an excellent idea and people in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s, who are aged 40 and over waiting on their first or second dose, will welcome this move.
“NHS Lothian have used their initiative to launch vaccine drop in centres and they will be an important part of the strategy to speed up the vaccination process.”
As the national vaccination programme continues to progress through younger age groups on the priority list, members of the Armed Forces have again been asked to help accelerate the roll-out.
The Scottish Government is working closely with NHS Boards to ensure the number of appointments can be increased in line with national guidance to help combat new variants and provide protection to as many people as possible.
This includes military support and NHS Lothian and NHS Lanarkshire have requested this to enable them to boost their capacity to administer second doses alongside the delivery of first doses to younger cohorts.
Military personnel will therefore assist with vaccinations from Monday 7 June in these areas for up to five weeks.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been involved in the vaccine rollout in Scotland, including the military, which has ensured more than 2 million people have received both doses.
“We remain on track to offer the vaccine to all adults by the end of July, but the emergence of the new variant shows that we cannot be complacent. That is why, as we have done previously, we have requested military support to complement our existing resources and to ensure we can get even more vaccinations into arms as quickly as possible.
“The vaccination programme is one of the main ways – along with restrictions and testing – that we are working to beat this virus and so it is crucial that everyone attends for their appointments when they are offered. That includes going for second doses as they are vital in providing greater and longer lasting protection against the virus.”
The Armed Forces have been working to support the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine programme with new deployments planned in Scotland and North West England.
Working together with local health boards and the NHS, personnel are part of Operation Rescript, the Armed Forces Covid-19 response. They are providing ongoing assistance to administer vaccines, provide logistics and planning support, as well as carrying out surge testing in response to variants of concern.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, said: The Armed Forces continue to show their incredible versatility and flexibility, deploying wherever and whenever they are needed in support of this national vaccination effort.
I am delighted to see that across all corners of the UK, military personnel are working side by side with their NHS counterparts to help get the British public vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “We have vaccinated over three quarters of UK adults with a first dose and half of adults with a second dose. That is a huge effort across the healthcare system and beyond – and I am incredibly grateful for the amazing role our armed forces have played in this.
“We know how effective the vaccine is, thousands of lives have been saved and thousands of hospitalisations prevented. These are not just numbers, these are our family, friends and loved ones who have all been protected. Each vaccine brings us one step closer to putting this pandemic behind us. So when you get the call, get the jab.”
Commander Standing Joint Command, General Tyrone Urch said: “I am incredibly proud of our servicemen and women who have deployed in support of the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS and Health Boards across the United Kingdom to help deliver the vaccination programme efficiently and at pace.
“We are delighted to be able to support and complement the incredible work done by health professionals and volunteers across the country and we will continue to deliver anything requested of us.”
As part of the UK Government’s response to variants of concern, 400 trained vaccinators from across the Armed Forces are available to be deploy when and wherever required. 4,300 service personnel also remain at high readiness and can be called upon to support with Covid-19 tasks across the UK.
This comes in addition to support the Armed Forces have provided around the world, including delivering vaccines to Ascension Island, Falklands, Gibraltar and Tristan da Cunha, and delivering other essential COVID supplies to India and Nepal.
63 members of the Armed Forces will deploy to Lanarkshire and Lothian from Monday 7 June for up to five weeks.
42 service personnel will provide support to NHS Lothian. This will be made up of 36 vaccinators, 4 registered health professionals and 2 command and control managers. They will be split into 4 vaccine support teams who can deploy across Lothian as required.
21 service personnel will also work alongside NHS Lanarkshire and will consist of 18 vaccinators, 2 registered health professionals and one command and control manager. They will form two vaccine support teams and will deploy across Lanarkshire as required.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “This support from the armed forces gives NHS Lothian a boost in the vaccination race against Covid-19, just when they need it.
“The armed forces played an important role in getting vaccination centres up and running and the extra support they are offering now is extremely welcome.
“The professionalism from NHS Lothian staff in the vaccination programme has been outstanding and if the momentum is kept up they’ll be on top of the second doses soon.”
You can change the date, time and location of your appointment online if still in the same health board area, or by calling the helpline if in a different health board area.
Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton has welcomed an announcement from the First Minister that the Scottish Government will save Edinburgh’s historic Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion.
This U-turn comes after a hard fought community and cross party campaign and after the Lib Dems secured a vital commitment towards a replacement facility from the Scottish Government, as part exchange for Liberal Democrat votes for the Scottish budget, earlier this year.
In those negotiations, the Lib Dems persuaded the Government to protect specialist eye services within the City of Edinburgh as well as securing a massive boost to mental health funding. In this afternoon’s announcement, the First Minister made good on that commitment and promised “the renewal and replacement of health facilities across Scotland – including the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion.”
Commenting, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:“This is a huge victory today, not just for the cross party MSPs who worked to save the Eye Pavilion, but also for everyone across Edinburgh and the Lothians who fought to see the promise of a replacement facility in the capital made real.
“The First Minister’s announcement is welcome, but it should have come much sooner. Even after securing the protection of specialist eye services, the Scottish Government was attempting to rail road a more casual set up, with different treatments and services dispersed across the Lothian region.”
“I know from both constituency correspondence, and conversations on the doorsteps throughout the recent election campaign that this was a major issue for local communities. The thought of losing the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion was genuinely upsetting for people, especially those who are affected by full or partial sight loss.”
“I am delighted that Edinburgh no longer risks being the only capital city in Europe without a dedicated eye care centre. This demonstrates what can be achieved when politicians seek to work productively, on a cross party basis, for meaningful change.”
This week NHS Lothian launched their biggest COVID-19 vaccination centre so far in a bid to deliver more lifesaving vaccinations. The first of thousands of patients have begun streaming through the Lowland Hall at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston.
Vaccination teams opened the doors to the huge centre which has 50 vaccination stations with the potential to increase, if required.By opening Lowland Hall, we will be able to more than triple our current capacity.
We will deliver 18,000 vaccines every day as the numbers of patients eligible for the jab increases in line with the population mix in Lothian.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Lowland Hall.
· This is the first time MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) will be available in Scotland
· The surgery is currently only available at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London or in Houston, Texas
· The current surgery choice in Edinburgh is open brain surgery, which is around seven hours and leaves an ear to ear scar. LITT will reduce this to two hours and is much less invasive
· Children and young people who will be referred for this surgery have refractory (medication resistant) epilepsy and can have up to 100 ‘drop down’ seizures a day
· In appropriately selected cases, LITT surgery can stop seizures entirely and cure the child’s epilepsy
Children and young people living with severe epilepsy in Scotland will have the life-changing chance to be seizure free, thanks to the funding of a world class laser coming to Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital.
A partnership between the Welch Trust, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) and NHS Lothian is bringing MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) – the first time this laser technology will be available in Scotland.
LITT is a new and proven, minimally invasive treatment which uses a laser to remove brain tissue that is causing seizures. Children and young people who will be referred for laser surgery are diagnosed with refractory (medication resistant) epilepsy; they may experience severe and frequent ‘drop down’ seizures, up to 100 in one day. In appropriately selected cases, laser surgery can stop seizures entirely and cure the child’s epilepsy.
LITT surgery treatment is currently only available at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and in Houston, Texas. The laser equipment will be part of the Scottish National Paediatric Epilepsy Surgery Service, based at the RHCYP in Edinburgh, meaning children will come to the capital from all over Scotland to have the surgery.
The current surgery choice practiced in Edinburgh is open brain surgery, which lasts around seven hours, has a longer recovery time and results in a scar across the top of the child’s head.
The LITT precision technology will reduce this surgery time to around two hours, is much less invasive and has a shorter recovery time. It is expected that up to six children a year could benefit from the laser surgery, aged from infants to adolescents, with a similar number of adults also benefitting annually.
Following a request from the National Epilepsy Surgery Service to ECHC to support this initiative, the charity identified the Welch Trust as the ideal funder and agreed a partnership to make this project a reality.
Victoria Welch, Trustee of the Welch Trust, said: “We are very proud to be able to gift this LITT technology to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. As a Paediatric Nurse, I understand the importance of having the best equipment in the hospital to expedite the curing of patients with complicated conditions and ultimately save lives.
“When we were made aware of this need, we didn’t have to think too long about it. Our focus continues to be to invest in high impact programmes that save lives or significantly improve the quality of life for very sick or terminally ill children. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and expanding our support across other areas of critical care.”
Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “With the new children’s hospital now open, we are thrilled to have partnered with the Welch Trust to bring the world-class LITT equipment to Scotland for the first time.
“It is always very satisfying for us to be able to join with another funder who have a similar desire to support the hospital with projects that will transform children’s health.
“Having the laser surgery available in Edinburgh gives families more choice in their place of care and means they will no longer need to endure the financial and emotional cost of national or international travel and separation at a very stressful time. It will also place Edinburgh and NHS Lothian on the map as a world-leading provider of epilepsy surgery and treatment.”
Dr Edward Doyle, Associate Medical Director, Women and Children’s Services, NHS Lothian said: “Across NHS Lothian, we continually look at new and emerging technology and treatments to see how they could benefit our patients.
“We are delighted that through the support of both the Welch Trust and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, we will be the first in Scotland and only the second location in the whole of the UK to offer LITT surgery.
“Severe epilepsy can be very difficult to live with and puts an enormous strain on families. Having a world-class cutting edge treatment option available here in Lothian, which is both less invasive and which reduces recovery time, will make a huge difference to lives of children and their families across Scotland.
“This treatment really does have the potential to transform lives and our teams at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are delighted that they will soon be able to offer it as a treatment option.”
The new laser equipment is compatible with the intra-operative MRI suite at the RHCYP. It is expected to arrive in summer 2021, followed by a period of intensive training prior to the first surgery taking place.
Celebrating the outstanding efforts of midwives and midwifery students across the UK:
Responding to the International Day of the Midwife, Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said: “Today is an important opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the incredible efforts of UK midwives and midwifery students who, despite facing uncertainty and adapting to new ways of working, have continued to provide safe, kind and effective care and support for women and their families throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“Babies didn’t stop for Covid-19 and midwives and midwifery students have made such an important contribution to the way the UK has responded. I’m glad we have this opportunity to celebrate their skill and professionalism and thank them for their positive impact on the women, new born infants and families they care for and support.”
Midwives have shown resilience and steadfast support for pregnant women and their babies this past year throughout NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s maternity services.
NHSGGC is celebrating the International Day of the Midwife, which always is a day of reflection of the valuable role that midwives play across the world, and especially important in the face of the pandemic.
And the Labour Ward staff team at the Princess Royal Maternity have shown the incredible contribution midwives make to the wider community too. 65 staff took part and raised £8,400 for Quarriers last month by walking an incredible 9850.88 miles – equivalent to walking to Australia from Glasgow!
The 6500-mile adventure was the brainchild of Charge Midwife Jen Johansson, who wanted to do something to help people who might be struggling in these difficult times.
Jen Johansson, Charge Midwife, Labour Ward, Princess Royal Maternity, commented: “Our role as midwives is to empower and support women during their pregnancy and birth to enable them to have a positive experience.
“It’s a very special and precious time for women. When we are with ladies in labour, that can be our full 12 hour shift – we have to ensure a safe outcome for mum and baby.
“I always wanted to be a midwife from the age of 14 and have now done it for 15 years. We get to spend a lot of time with women and their families getting to know them. Especially in the labour ward, we have a special rapport with women. We are ensuring the safe arrival of precious life, it’s amazing.”
The restrictions to hospital visiting across Scotland meant that midwives were often the only support for women other than their partners while in hospital.
Evelyn Frame, Chief Midwife, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,said: “the theme for this year’s International Day of the Midwife is ‘Follow the data: Invest in Midwives’ and we look forward to coming together as a global community to advocate for investment in quality midwifery care around the world”.
This year’s theme is timely as it will coincide with the launch of the 2021 State of the World’s Midwifery Report that provides an updated evidence base and detailed analysis on the impact of midwives on maternal and newborn health outcomes and the return on investment in midwives.
As Chief Midwife Evelyn is extremely proud to be part of such a wonderful midwifery family across NHS GGC and would like to pass on her personal thanks to each and every member of the team who have gone above and beyond over the past year, putting women and their families at the heart of the care they provide.
Dr Margaret McGuire, Director of Nursing, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Midwives always provide skilled, high quality care and understand what matters to the woman and her family.
“They put women first and this past year they have gone above and beyond to provide woman centred and safe care. At the core of everything they do is making the pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience as positive as possible for the woman and those who matter to her.
“My sincere thanks and praise goes out to every midwife in Greater Glasgow and Clyde on this the International Day of the Midwife.”
NHS Lothian is delighted to announce changes to its hospital visiting policy which will mean that every patient across Lothian will be able to have at least one visitor where circumstances allow.
The move, which is in line with Scottish Government guidance, recognises that family support plays a fundamental part of care for a person in hospital. The changes came into effect yesterday (Monday 26 April).
Professor Alex McMahon, Executive Director for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare Professionals, NHS Lothian said, “It is fantastic to see a change in visiting come into force across Scotland.
“Being in hospital at any time can be difficult, but being unable to see visitors can make the experience even more challenging. This change really will mean so much for our patients, as well as their families and friends.”
Each prospective visitor should speak to their relative or friend’s care team to establish a visiting plan. To help minimise overcrowding on sites and within wards, each visit must be planned in advance. To book a visit, you should speak to the ward staff in the first instance.
Please do not visit if you have symptoms of COVID-19, such as a new continuous cough, a high temperature and/or loss of taste or smell, or if you have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Each patient can have one designated visitor. In unique circumstances, more than one person may be permitted to visit, such as in situations where patients are nearing end of life, for patients with dementia, for children who want to visit, or for those who cannot visit independently.
In order to keep our patients as safe as possible, the guidance may need to be amended at short notice. If this is the case, we will tell you why and keep it under review where possible.
On arrival to our facilities, please check-in with a member of the ward team who will make sure that it is safe to visit. During your visit, you must wear a face covering and follow infection control guidance.
Social distancing of two meters must be adhered to in all communal areas of the hospital. To provide our patients with support, holding hands is permitted during your visit, but hand hygiene requirements must be followed prior to, during and after your visit.
Gillian McAuley added: “While this is a huge step forward, we would urge the public to please be patient with us, and to support this change by observing the different requirements such as wearing face coverings and practicing good hand hygiene. Our teams will be on hand to provide support and if you have any questions, please do speak to them.”
We encourage all visitors to take a voluntary Lateral Flow Test prior to visiting. Information on how to order Lateral Flow Tests is available on the Scottish Government’s website.
Tests can also be collected from COVID testing centres in the afternoon or early evenings. If you do not wish to have a test or are not able to, you will still be permitted to visit
The name and contact details of all visitors will be kept and given to the NHS Scotland Test and Protect Team to assist with contact tracing in the event of a possible case of COVID-19.
Young Scot has crowned a group of 16–25-year-olds from across the Lothians as the winners of the Volunteering Award at the prestigious Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2021.
The group have donated a combined total of 17,000 hours to support NHS Lothian throughout the pandemic, working across the health board to make a genuine difference to the lives of hospital patients throughout the pandemic.
The selfless young people help to ensure wards are sufficiently stocked with PPE, befriend patients by spending hours by their bedside to provide vital social interaction and distribute donations to those most in need.
The group’s commitment to supporting the NHS and its patients during an incredibly challenging period for the nation impressed the judges and saw them take home this year’s award.
The annual awards are now in their fifteenth year and aim to recognise and inspire the nation’s young people, celebrating their outstanding achievements across 13 categories including equality and diversity, entertainment, and the environment.
The winners were announced during a live online ceremony, with thousands of guests from across the country logging on to watch the virtual celebrations. Scottish TV Presenter Jean Johansson hosted the evening and was joined by famous faces including Gemma Cairney, Max George and Alesha Dixon to celebrate the nation’s young people in style.
This year’s award winners join an esteemed roll call of previous recipients including Sir Andy Murray, Olympian Laura Muir and Netflix star Ncuti Gatwa.
A spokesperson for the group said: “We’re all so honoured to win the Volunteering Award and have our efforts recognised.
“Although really challenging, it’s been rewarding to volunteer throughout the pandemic especially when the schools were closed and we needed to keep busy. We’ve all made friendships that I’m sure will last a lifetime.”
Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive, Young Scot, said: “The quality of entries this year was absolutely outstanding, and we were blown away by the incredible stories of our nominees, finalists and winners and the impact they have had in their local communities across Scotland.
“This year’s online ceremony was a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on Scotland’s young people, who have done so much to continue to inspire, support and motivate those around them despite the challenges of the past year.”
Award host, Jean Johansson, said:“It was an absolute honour to host this year’s Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards.
“I was inspired by listening to the winners’ stories and their commitment to helping others in their community during the pandemic is truly remarkable. Congratulations to our winners and finalists!”
