Medics against Violence, a charity founded and led by senior clinicians, are partnering with NHS Lothian and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation to deliver Youth Navigator, a Youth work based community outreach service which will be based in the Acute Receiving Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and St John’s Hospital, Livingston.
Youth Navigator aims to support young people through a joined-up hospital and community youth work approach with some of the life challenges they face that can bring them into contact with health services.
Presentation to hospital at a time of crisis is known to be a ‘reachable moment’. This is when people are more open to accepting support. The Youth Navigator will work alongside the medical and nursing staff to make sure that those important opportunities are not missed.
Dr Christine Goodall, Director of Medics against Violence said: “We are really looking forward to being able to offer the Navigator service to younger people.
“We will also have the opportunity, with the adult and youth Navigator services co-located in Lothian, to offer holistic support to the whole family should they need it.”
Tam Begbie National Co-Ordinator for the Navigator service said: “Starting up a Youth Navigator service just makes sense to us, we’ve seen many people within the adult service who would really have benefitted from this had it been available to them when they were younger.
“We hope it will give the young people who are supported by the service the connections and tools for a happier and healthier future.”
Sanjay Singh, Head of Funding Programmes at Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NHS Lothian and Medics against Violence to provide match funding for this innovative programme.
“Having the Youth Navigator service available at such a critical point will really benefit vulnerable young people, particularly during these times of increased stress and anxiety.”
Dr Alison McLuckie, Lead Clinician for Youth Navigator in NHS Lothian said: “We are really excited to be able to offer this new service to our adolescent patients which will build on the success of the adult Navigator service and be based around the ethos of one trusted adult and community based outreach to provide the right care at the right time.”
Nine NHS hospital brain tumour centres across the UK have been recognised as a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence following the first round of rigorous expert-led assessments by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission – and one of them is NHS Lothian’s Edinburgh Neuro-Oncology Centre.
The Edinburgh Centre for Neuro-oncology is based in two locations: the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and DCN (Department of Clinical Neurosciences) in Little France as well as at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre at the Western General Hospital.
With more than 12,000 people diagnosed every year with a primary brain tumour in the UK1, the award has been introduced to recognise hospitals for their excellence in patient care. It represents a step change in the neuro-oncology landscape across the UK.
Centres were measured on a range of criteria including excellent clinical practice and training opportunities; emphasis on patient quality of life; providing clinical trialsand offering a high standard of research opportunities.
Led by a committee of experts in the field and virtual site visits, the assessments were backed up by patient feedback collected by The Brain Tumour Charity about the care they received in these centres.
At least 88,000 British people are currently living with a brain tumour and over 5,000 people a year will lose their lives to it2. The “Excellence” status provides reassurance about the availability of excellent care within the NHS and positive recognition for its staff who, despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, continue to go above and beyond for their patients.
As a result, centres are increasingly adapting to the challenges of Covid-19 and are now offering virtual clinics for their patients.
Founded to design a new national strategy for brain tumours, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission is committed to helping as many hospitals as possible achieve “Excellence” status in the future.
To achieve this, themission is launching the Tessa Jowell Academy, a national platform allowinghospitals to share best-practice to improve their services, as well as one-year fellowships for doctors to further specialise in brain tumours.
It is hoped that with the support of the Academy more centres will qualify for excellence status in the future, extending the reassurance of excellent NHS care more broadly and ensuring no patient is left behind.
JessMills,Co-FounderoftheTessaJowellBrainCancerMissionandTessa’sdaughter,said:“Mum’s mission throughout 50 years of her political life was to tackle systemic inequality.
“So, it was tragic whilst fitting, that her final campaign was a call to arms to create universal equality in access to excellence in cancer care throughout the NHS. It is with immeasurable pride that just 3 years later, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission has begun the real-world translation of that vision into reality.
“We are thrilled to have awarded nine centres for their excellent ongoing work for patients and commitment to support other centres in reaching the same level of Excellence.
“Shockingly, the UK still has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe, but in time, the Tessa Jowell Centres will make the UK a global leader in the treatment and care of brain tumour patients. We have a long way to go until the cutting edge of science is delivered to every patient, but this is a huge and transformational first step.”
TessaJowellCentresofExcellence:
1. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
2. Edinburgh Centre for Neuro-oncology
3. King’s Health Partners / King’s College Hospital & Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals
4. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
5. Salford Royal Foundation Trust and The Christie
6. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
7. Nottingham University Hospitals
8. St George’s University Hospital, Royal Marsden Hospital and Royal Surrey County Hospital
9. University College Hospital London NHS Foundation Trust
Over £700M is spent on cancer research in the UK every year, yet less than 2% of that is dedicated to brain tumours. The Mission, which will be supported by the All-Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours chaired by Derek Thomas MP, is calling upon further support for NHS centres to enable more of them to achieve “Excellence” status in the future.
To kick-start additional monetary support, the Tessa Jowell Foundation, the charity set-up by Tessa’s family to lead the delivery of her legacy, has announced a fundraising appeal to raise £4M to enable the centres to excel after the network is launched.
ProfessorRichardGilbertson,ChairoftheMission,highlights:“When we put out a call to apply, we received an overwhelming and enthusiastic response from the community.
“There was a real sense of pride from NHS staff about the service they have been providing and how they strive to provide the very best care for patients, even in the midst of a pandemic.
“All applying hospitals were working to provide best care and we will be supporting those not yet ready for Centre of Excellence status to enact best practice across all areas. We will use the evidence collected from the applications forms to make a strong case to further equip these centres.”
Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, said: “NHS Lothian is delighted our neuro-oncology centre has been awarded Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission Centre designation.
“The service will join a new network of UK centres of excellence in neuro-oncology that provide the highest levels of patient-centred care for people with glioma, bringing innovation, research and clinical trials to advance treatment and quality of life for our patients.
“Sharing expertise and models of care within the Tessa Jowell Academy will allow patients across the UK to benefit from the complementary strengths of the different centres.”
NHS Lothian today opened the doors to a new mass vaccination centre which will help provide thousands more doses of the lifesaving vaccine.The new centre has been created in the former Royal Bank of Scotland Younger building at the Gyle.
The centre will open with eight stations, capable of providing 480 appointments every day, but will have the capability to double in size.
Pat Wynne, Director of Nursing for Primary and Community Care, NHS Lothian, said: “A significant amount of effort has gone into the preparation of the site to ensure that it runs as quickly and smoothly as possible.
“I am extremely proud of the work undertaken by our staff and our Royal Bank of Scotland partners to get this site up and running and ready to receive patients.
“We are moving through our vaccination programme as fast as the vaccine supply allows. When you do receive an appointment, we would urge you to keep it, even if it is at a centre that seems far away from your home.
“In order for the programme to be successful we need to vaccinate as many people as possible. This will help save lives and provide protection to all our communities across Lothian.”
NHS Lothian has been working with councils, health and social care partnerships and other partners in recent weeks to deliver the mass vaccination programme.
Smaller community clinics will deliver vaccinations in the local area for people with complex needs or who, for other reasons, absolutely cannot and would not be expected to travel to a mass centre.
The opening of the Younger building follows closely on the heels of other mass vaccination sites, following the EICC, Pyramids Business Park, the Royal Highland Centre and the drive-through at Queen Margaret University.
Malcolm Buchanan, chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Throughout our 300-year history, Royal Bank of Scotland has been focused on supporting and helping our customers and communities through the challenges of everyday life.
“The last 12 months have been some of the most challenging in living memory and today we are proud to play our part in supporting the biggest mass vaccination programme our country has ever undertaken.
“This is just one of many ways in which Royal Bank of Scotland has been supporting the response to COVID-19. The generosity and care of colleagues and customers has helped us support charities helping individuals and families affected directly and indirectly by the pandemic.
“Covid-19 has been one of the worst things we have ever experienced but it has also brought out the best in the people we live with and work beside. Everyone wants to make life better.
“We are delighted at Royal Bank of Scotland to be able to partner with NHS Scotland and transform our Younger Building into a vaccination centre. These actions today will lead to a happier and more positive tomorrow for so many.”
Paul McGirk, Chief Executive of Hub South East, NHS Lothian’s Development Partner, said: “We are delighted to be working with NHS Lothian in the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccination centres across the region – surely one of the most important infrastructure developments in recent times.
“Our contractor, Morrison Construction, our designers and the rest of our supply chain partners pulled out all the stops to ensure that the QMU site was handed over safely, to a high quality and on time for its first patients to receive vaccines today. Following the opening of the EICC Centre last week, and with more set to open in the coming weeks, this has been a fantastic partnership effort by everyone involved.”
If patients absolutely cannot keep the appointment they have been given, they are being asked to call the COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013 or visit https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine to rearrange their appointment. If they are aged 75 and over, they should phone their GP practice to rearrange their appointment.
To ensure the maximum safety of patient and staff pedestrians, access to Hospital Main Drive from Entrance A (Crewe Road South) will be closed to vehicular traffic through to August 2022.
From Monday 15th March, Hospital Main Drive and car parks (listed below) will only be accessible to vehicles entering the hospital via the Telford Road entrance (Entrance D). No vehicular access will be available to Cancer Services or patient car parks from Crewe Road South.
As part of this closure, a new pedestrian footpath will be constructed to the south side of Hospital Main Drive, from Turner House to the junction between Ward 1 and Car Park 4a, and a shared cycle/ pedestrian lane constructed from Ward 1 to Crewe Road South. Details of these new paths are attached to this communication.
Pedestrians and cyclists will now be safely segregated from construction activity on the north side of Hospital Main Drive, notably from the LINAC construction site and Infrastructure improvement works. All diverted routes into buildings will be signposted accordingly.
Construction traffic will continue to use the temporary construction site access to the south of the SHSC on Crewe Road South and will access the LINAC site across Hospital Main Drive. Pedestrians and cyclists will be assisted by Traffic Marshalls when crossing in this vicinity.
The following car parks will now only be accessible from Telford Road:
Car Park 6
Car Park 4
2 x blue badge spaces at SHSC
Entrance to the hospital from Porterfield Road will remain unaffected by these works.
One of them will open on the 25th of February in at the Jack Kane Centre car park in Niddrie: 208 Niddrie Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH16 4ND. The centre will open from 8am – 8pm every day.
Another walk-through testing centre will open at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre car park, 92 Pilton Drive, Edinburgh EH5 2HF on the Saturday 27 February.
NHS Lothian has announced that, as part of a commitment to the #youngpersonsguarantee, they will be the first Health Board in Scotland to go live with #kickstart opportunities throughout 2021.
The Kickstart Scheme is a 6 month paid job with a local employer, funded by the Government. It provides a fully funded opportunity for young people to gain experience of working in one of Britain’s most exciting companies.
The Kickstart Scheme was announced by the Chancellor in the Summer, and will offer hundreds of thousands of job opportunities over the next two years. A £2 billion pot is available to fully fund exciting positions with businesses across Britain.
Jobs from the Kickstart Scheme are open to 16-24 year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit, and are at risk of long term unemployment. If you have a work coach they will talk to you about the Kickstart Scheme and whether it’s right for you.
We have roles on offer in many different types of businesses, and across England, Scotland and Wales. Plus if you take on a Kickstart placement you might be able to progress to an apprenticeship within the same company.
More than one million people at greatest risk from Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland have had their first dose of the vaccine.
The landmark of one million was reached on Wednesday 10 February. 69 year old John Loch from Bearsden was among those vaccinated on the day the milestone was reached. The retired businessman received his first dose at NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow.
The programme has now reached more than a fifth (22%) of the 4.5 million people who will be offered a vaccine.
The biggest vaccination programme ever undertaken is now moving at pace through the 70-79 age group following the opening of new mass vaccination centres at Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) and P&J Live in Aberdeen and other large sites across the country.
The programme remains on track to complete first doses for all those in this age group by the end of this week. Those aged 65 and over are also receiving invitations for their appointment.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This is an important milestone in the biggest vaccination programme ever delivered in Scotland and I would like to thank everyone involved and all those who have taken up their offer of a vaccine.
“We have now given first doses to more than a million people in the groups which were prioritised to address 99 per cent of preventable deaths associated with COVID-19. These include elderly care home residents and staff, frontline health and social care workers and those who are at risk of serious harm and death from this virus.
“Scotland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is delivering ahead of our expectations. Our aim is to vaccinate as many people as possible with both their first and second doses as quickly as possible but the speed at which we can do this depends on supply and we expect a dip in supplies UK wide towards the end of this month.
“We hope to see a significant drop in the disease due to the vaccination programme, however this will take a number of months to evaluate fully. In the shorter term, we are monitoring the uptake rate but we also have a comprehensive surveillance system in place to monitor outcome of vaccine efficacy and disease reduction.
“Each health board is working hard to get the vaccine into people’s arms as quickly as possible, and everyone eligible will be offered the vaccine as we work our way through the priority groups.”
“We continue to urge everyone to take up their appointment when they are offered one. The vaccination programme is one of three key ways we are working to beat this virus, along with our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission and the important lockdown restrictions everyone in Scotland must follow. All these measures work to greatest effect when they work together.”
John Loch said: “I am delighted to have received my vaccine, particularly on the day Scotland reached a million doses. It is exciting to be a part of this milestone moment.
“I would like to thank all the staff at the Louisa Jordan for being so reassuring and making the process so simple and straightforward.”
NHS LOTHIAN VACCINATION FIGURES
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said yesterday: “It is positive that we have seen the number of people vaccinated increase by over 50% since the introduction of mass vaccinations centres last week.
“There are some concerns that NHS Lothian is behind other health boards in the percentage of people vaccinated, but it is important that we keep up the momentum.
“The sooner the people who are most vulnerable to Covid-19 are vaccinated the sooner we can get pupils back to school and reopen the economy with confidence.
“A huge thank you to all NHS Lothian staff working tirelessly in getting the vaccine rolled out and to members of the public for keeping social distanced to suppress the virus, whilst vaccines are rolled out.”
Since January this year, Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) have been using our minibuses to deliver PPE to vaccination centres.
Last week PEP took on an important new role – transporting nurses to administer the vaccine to homebound individuals. We will continue working with the NHS over the coming months to ensure hundreds of vulnerable people are vaccinated against COVID-19.
The City of Edinburgh Council have also been working with us to coordinate the transportation of nurses. We’re really proud of this role.
Thank you and well done to all of our drivers and to our community transport partners at ECTOG who are also providing this valuable service across the city.
NHS Lothian is putting the final preparations in place for NHS Lothian’s only drive-through mass vaccination centre before it goes live this week.
The drive-through centre at Queen Margaret University (QMU) in East Lothian, will become the first of its kind in Lothian when it opens to thousands of patients on Wednesday (Feb 10).
Teams of vaccinators will be able to deliver the life-saving vaccinations to patients while they remain in their own car.
QMU is the third mass vaccination centre to open in Lothian, following the EICC and the Royal Highland Centre. It will initially be capable of vaccinating approximately 720 people per day at 12 stations.
Colin Briggs, Director of Strategic Planning, NHS Lothian, said: “The opening of our third mass vaccination centre and our only drive through is a significant moment for NHS Lothian and for East Lothian.
“A lot of planning has gone into the preparation of the QMU site to ensure that the venue runs as smoothly as possible. It has taken a lot of work, in a short time to get us to this point and I’m really proud of all of the work and effort from all of our teams.
“We have now vaccinated the vast majority of our first priority groups, including frontline health and social care staff; care home staff and residents and people over the age of 80.”
This has been a landmark week for NHS Lothian after it reached the milestone of delivering the vaccine to more than 100,000 people.
Lothian GPs have delivered a quarter (25%) of all vaccines given in surgeries across Scotland and some practices have had a 99% uptake of vaccine in offer in the over 80s.
Mr Briggs added: “We have reached a major milestone this week in the programme, with over 100,000 people vaccinated across Lothian, along with thousands more expected in the coming weeks.
“It is due to the hard work undertaken by our staff and partners that this has been achieved and we thank them for their efforts.
“Our message has been clear from the start – if we wish our lives to return to normal we need to vaccinate as many people as possible. This will help save lives and provide protection to all our communities.
“When you do receive an appointment, we really would urge you to keep it, even if it is at a centre which is not closest to your home. We need to move fast to provide protection to as many people as possible and the easiest way to do that is for people to keep their original appointment where possible.”
People aged between 75-79 and those most clinically vulnerable will continue to be given appointments to be vaccinated by their GP, while those aged between 70-74 and 65 to 69 are now being invited to mass vaccination sites and smaller community venues for their injections, depending on their need.
Sir Paul Grice, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said the university was proud to join forces to help in the battle against COVID-19.
He added: “Throughout our history, the University has been focused on tackling some of the most pressing issues facing society. We are proud to play our part in supporting the biggest mass vaccination programme our country has ever undertaken.”
Paul McGirk, Chief Executive of Hub South East, NHS Lothian’s Development Partner, said: “We are delighted to be working with NHS Lothian in the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccination centres across the region – surely one of the most important infrastructure developments in recent times.
“Our contractor, Morrison Construction, our designers and the rest of our supply chain partners are making excellent progress, pulling out all the stops to ensure that the QMU site is handed over safely, to a high quality and on time for its first patients to receive vaccines this week.
“Following the opening of the EICC Centre last week, and with more set to open in the coming weeks, this has been a fantastic partnership effort by everyone involved. From sourcing appropriate venues, to contract negotiation, design and construction on site, this demonstrates the spectrum of services available through the Hub programme and shows just what can be achieved by working together. Hub South East is delighted to be playing its part in this vital national effort.”
NHS Lothian has been working with councils, health and social care partnerships and other partners in recent weeks.
On February 15, a vaccination centre with 32 stations will be created at Edinburgh Park in the former Royal Bank of Scotland building, followed by another site at the Royal Highland Centre which is expected in March.
Smaller community clinics will deliver vaccinations in the local area for people with complex needs or who, for other reasons, absolutely cannot and would not be expected to travel to a mass centre.
If patients absolutely cannot keep the appointment they have been given, they are being asked to call the COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013 to rearrange their appointment. If they are aged 75 and over, they should phone their GP practice to rearrange their appointment.
Local vaccination figures show that 80,066 people have been vaccinated in NHS Lothian, equivalent to 10.6% of the population over the age of 16.
Last week NHS Lothian said the Scottish Government vaccination figures were invalid, because they did not include vaccinations that had happened at GP practices in NHS Lothian.
At the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday Health Secretary Jeane Freeman admitted that “we do need to vaccinate faster in Scotland than we have been doing.”
Scotland is lagging behind the rest of the UK in the number of people vaccinated so far, with SNP Ministers rearranging their target for all over 70s to receive a letter to be vaccinated by the end of last week, to end of this week.
The delivery of vaccines to GP practices has been highlighted as a crucial area where the delivery of the vaccines is being held up, with GP practices limited to 100 vaccines doses a week.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“It is worrying that SNP Ministers are lagging behind other parts of the United Kingdom in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
“An efficient vaccination rollout is vital for protecting elderly and at risk people from Covid-19, but also so that our schools can fully reopen and businesses get going again.
“Every day that the vaccinations rollout is delayed is another day where pupils aren’t able to get back to school and businesses won’t be making any income.
“In NHS Lothian it is not clear whether GP practice vaccination numbers have been included in the total, and it is very concerning that SNP Ministers don’t know how many people have been vaccinated.”
The Conservative Lothians list MSP also expressed concern over Accident and Emergency waiting times figures released on Tuesday.
They revealed that 83.4% of patients were seen within the 4 hour waiting time target at A&E departments in Lothian, for the December 2020, the latest figures available.
The figure seen within 4 hours is comparable to December 2019, when 80.4% of patients were seen within the 4 hour standard in NHS Lothian, despite attendance dropping from 23,724 to 16,916.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine warned that staff had been working relentlessly for 11 months and “Studies have shown many have face psychological distress, stress and even PTSD as a result of the pandemic.
Lothian MSP has called on SNP Ministers to step up their efforts to support NHS Lothian frontline staff, and said they that SNP Ministers have not done enough, despite unprecedented funding from the UK government to overcome Covid-19.
Mr Briggs said that members of the public also have a role to play in alleviating pressure on NHS services.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“NHS Lothian frontline staff have been working flat out to overcome Covid-19 for almost a year and we must all do everything we can to alleviate pressure on them as the Covid-19 vaccines is rolled out.
“It is important that people still go to A&E if they have an emergency, and not be put off by Covid-19, but people must make an appointment with their GP if they have a condition which doesn’t need immediate medical attention.”
“SNP Ministers have not done enough to support NHS Lothian frontline staff, despite record funding from the UK Government, with waiting times growing for A&E despite fewer people attending.
“Keeping socially distanced and following Covid-19 rules is crucial for a bit longer, as the vaccines is rolled out, so that our NHS doesn’t get overwhelmed.”
The highest number of vaccinations in one day was recorded on Wednesday: 45,085 people had a jab, taking the total of those who have had a first injection to 694,347.
