Lothian Labour MSP, Sarah Boyack, has criticised the Scottish Government’s failure to address woeful waiting times at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The latest figures published by Public Health Scotland, show that only 46% of A&E Patients at the Royal Infirmary, are seen within 4 hours. This is compared to 62% across the whole of NHS Lothian Health Board, and 68% across the whole of Scotland.
The number of patients seen within 4 hours, has plummeted almost 10% since July – falling from 55%.
The Royal Infirmary figures are well short of the Scottish Government’s target of 95% of people seen and discharged within 4 hours of arrival in A&E.
Commenting on the statistics, Sarah Boyack said:“The latest A&E wait time figures illustrate that patients at Edinburgh’s largest hospital are left waiting by the SNP/Green Government.
“Royal Infirmary staff work incredibly hard to deliver services for patients, but the Scottish Government has not provided the resources to ensure local hospitals can deliver the care and treatment local residents deserve.
“Edinburgh residents need the Scottish Government to step up its game and provide the Royal Infirmary with the support it needs reduce waiting times rapidly.”
Join us for the NHS Facilities Information Event, where you can meet some of the hiring managers from various departments.
The event will be held on Wednesday 6 December 2023 and is your chance to discover a range of roles available within NHS Facilities.
We look forward to seeing you there. Please note you must have tickets for the event as we are limited to how many people we can accommodate at each session.
A dedicated Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Ward has been established at East Lothian Community Hospital helping to support individuals across Lothian to get ‘back on their feet’ following orthopaedic surgery at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary.
The development of the in-patient orthopaedic rehabilitation provision in East Lothian is part of NHS Lothian’s Orthopaedic Recovery Plan to reduce waiting times for elective surgical cases.
The pandemic significantly impacted waiting lists across NHS Scotland due to postponements and cancellations. By ring-fencing dedicated orthopaedic recovery beds at East Lothian Community Hospital, NHS Lothian can increase the number of elective arthroplasty surgeries (hips and knees) that can be performed at the Royal Infirmary, knowing there is ample post-surgery and rehabilitation care available for patients.
Reducing waiting times helps to prevent patients’ conditions deteriorating and health and social care needs escalating whilst awaiting surgery. As a result, this delivers better outcomes for individuals, as well as preventing further growth of pressure on community resources, including care at home services.
It also enables East Lothian patients to benefit from post operative in-patient rehabilitation closer to home, making access and visiting, easier, and supporting local planning and provision for discharge.
Aris Tyrothoulakis, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Site Director, said: “We are delighted that East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP) has been able to extend their provision and create this dedicated rehabilitation ward to support Lothian residents following orthopaedic surgery.
“With the Haddington-based hospital featuring an extensive rehabilitation service, it was the obvious venue of choice for this service provision, and it is very much hoped this initiative will pave the way for the hospital to become a ‘centre for excellence’ in orthopaedic rehabilitation.”
Patients who have spent time within the dedicated ward have only praise for the staff and quality of care: “It’s so lovely, it doesn’t feel like a hospital. I’m already well on my way to recovery. The staff are always on hand, to back you up and give you confidence. It’s a very special place, and everyone in it is special.”
Fiona Wilson, Chief Officer for ELHSCP, added: “We were incredibly grateful to NHS Lothian for the opportunity to establish this dedicated service and support the people of East Lothian and beyond to receive post-surgery rehabilitation.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to pass on my thanks, admiration and appreciation to the incredible teams within the East Lothian Community Hospital, the Rehabilitation Service, and our colleagues at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for the extensive planning and organisation that has gone into the set-up of this dedicated ward.
“It has been an amazing team effort, delivered in a very short timescale, and I’m incredibly proud of what has been achieved to date. I’m sure this will pave the way for further success to come.”
One of NHS Lothian’s healthcare heroes was celebrated at this year’s Scottish Health Awards 2023, scooping the Care for Mental Health Award.
Claire Bashford, who works in the Mental Health Team at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Major Trauma unit was named the winner of the Care for Mental Health Award.
Described as providing invaluable care through her training and support, Claire is known to support patients long after their initial injuries as her dedication to helping recovery is second to none.
As well as leading the Mental Health Team as part of the Major Trauma Service during the Covid pandemic, Claire developed an initiative for patients in Critical Care which is still used to this day. She is said to have ‘established a support network for staff and ensure co-ordinated, exceptional care is always available’.
Run by the Daily Record and in partnership with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, the annual awards celebrate the NHS staff, support workers, volunteers and specialist teams who go above and beyond to provide exceptional care and support to patients and their families.
Patients, families, work colleagues and members of the public were invited to nominate a local hero across one of the sixteen award categories with over 900 nominations and 51 finalists named.
David Dick, editor in chief of Daily Record and Sunday Mail, said: “Congratulations to Claire for winning the Care for Mental Health Award. With over 900 nominations, the judging panel had a difficult task in picking the winner for each category this year.
“Every winner should be extremely proud of their hard work and dedication in making a difference to their patients, families and communities. It’s with their support that we are able to celebrate 75 years of our National Health Service as a country and it is an honour for us to continue running these awards.”
Winners were named at an awards ceremony at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh on 2 November.
The Cancer Navigation Hub, based in Edinburgh Cancer Centre at the Western General Hospital, recently celebrated one year of the service launching.
The team helps patients and healthcare professionals to navigate cancer pathways, ensuring enquiries are directed to the appropriate care team in a timely and efficient way.
The team is made up of Cancer Pathway Coordinators and acts as a single point of contact for patients who’ve received a cancer diagnosis. Coordinators are also trained to assist healthcare professionals and helps to alleviate the pressure on clinical teams.
Katie Seville, Assistant Service Manager in Cancer Performance, said: “In just one year we’ve seen the hub make such a difference to the ease with which patients and staff can access the information and support they need.
“The team is in high demand and we’re looking to further expand and grow the service into new areas, providing more personalised and holistic support for patients throughout their diagnosis and treatment.”
The Cancer Navigation Hub initially served five tumour groups – lung, melanoma, head and neck, gynaecology, and urology. In April 2023, the hub expanded to cover the neuroendocrine tumour group followed by breast in August 2023.
During the first five months of the service (October 2022 to February 2023) the team handled on average over 1,100 calls per month, 38% of which were administrative queries or issues that could be resolved by the Cancer Pathway Coordinators.
In the month after incorporating the breast service, the team handled just over 1,900 calls across all tumour groups, with 44% of all calls being dealt with by the coordinators.
Since January 2023, the Cancer Navigation Hub has also been proactively calling newly diagnosed patients to introduce the hub and direct patients to support services.
In June 2023, during the launch of the new Cancer Strategy, the team was among those to meet Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care.
Congratulations to the team for a brilliant first year.
Scotland is set to receive its first total-body scanner in a boost to clinical research that aims to improve the detection, diagnosis and treatment of complex, multi-organ diseases.
The Total-Body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) facility, due to be operational in 2024, will capture images of patients’ entire bodies quicker, in more detail and use less radiation than existing scanners.
In combination with data from the other new scanner in London, the Scotland scanner forms part of a new National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) which experts believe will accelerate the development of new drugs and diagnostics.
The platform, a partnership between Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Innovate UK, aims to advance healthcare research and clinical trials, and unlock new treatments for complex diseases like cancer as well as cardiovascular and neurological diseases.
The NPIP Scotland Total-Body PET facility will allow academics to connect to the new platform to share data and collaborate on research.
The scanners are part of a £32 million investment intothe ground-breaking technology by the UK Government, through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund.
The facility, based at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, will be jointly managed by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
NPIP’s Total-Body PET scanners have higher sensitivity than current technology and will reveal new insights into biology and disease.
PET scanning is a non-invasive imaging technique that can detect diseases’ early onset.
Current PET technology leaves large sections of the human body out of the field of view, requiring the patient to be repositioned multiple times to achieve a full-body view.
Supplied by Siemens Healthineers, the two Total-Body PET scanners will capture superior images of a patient’s entire body in near real-time.
The new scanners are also faster, exposing patients to much lower doses of radiation, meaning more patients – including children – can participate in clinical trials to improve understanding of diseases.
The speed of Total-Body PET scanners mean that NPIP will be able to facilitate more patient scans, enhancing the scale and impact of clinical research projects.
This richer picture of human health will help researchers to develop new diagnostics, improve the quality and speed of drug discovery, and bring them to market quicker to benefit patients.
NPIP’s network of infrastructure and intelligence will provide a complete picture of patients and how they respond to new drugs and treatments.
Uniquely, it will also connect insights from many research programmes and trials. In doing so, it will begin to build a rich bank of data that the PET community can access for the benefit of patients.
Professor David Newby, The University of Edinburgh, Co-Director of the NPIP Scotland Centre, said: “The Scotland Total-Body PET facility will bring together academics, industry and clinicians to create an integrated and accessible national PET facility for the benefit of patients across Scotland and the north of England.
“The Total-Body PET scanner will allow us to examine patients in ways that haven’t been possible before, propelling medical innovation and discovery, and ultimately improving the detection, diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases, including cancer.”
Dr David Lewis, University of Glasgow, Co-Director of the NPIP Scotland Centre, said: “Total-Body PET scanners are a quantum leap forward in the technology of body scanning, and we are proud that a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow will jointly manage one of the first of these cutting-edge scanners in the UK.
“The Scotland Total-Body PET scanner will be a catalyst for innovative new research and cross-sector collaboration, ultimately benefitting patients by improving our understanding of complex diseases.”
Dr Juliana Maynard, Director of Operations and Engagement for the National PET Imaging Platform and Head of Translational Imaging at Medicines Discovery Catapult, said: “PET scanning is nothing short of transformational for patients who need it the most.
“Total-Body PET scanners can detect serious diseases with unprecedented speed and accuracy. NPIP will allow the kind of collaboration in imaging research the likes of which the UK has never seen before. It means that, collectively, we can power forward drug discovery with renewed confidence and drive world-leading capabilities in detection, diagnosis, and treatment.”
Eight projects supporting people with neurological conditions are receiving a total of almost £440,000 to enable them to enhance and expand the services they provide.
NHS Lothian is one of the recipients. They have been awarded £58,763 to fund a Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) clinical network for NHS Lothian.
The project will establish an FND network which will: create an integrated clinical network for people with FND; provide education, training and support to health professionals involved in FND; and to provide a relapse service for people with to ensure a consistent point of contact for patients.
The Scottish Government funding is the fourth round of awards made as part of a five-year action plan to improve support for people living with neurological conditions.
A joint initiative by the Care Inspectorate and NHS Ayrshire & Arran is one of the successful bids – £35,000 will be used to develop a national care network for care at home staff who would use it to share their experiences of looking after people with different neurological conditions and how best to meet their needs.
Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health Jenni Minto said: “One million people in Scotland live with a neurological condition which is why we are committed to the neurological action plan as it supports various organisations to help these people to live well and on their own terms regardless of where they stay.
“The Framework contains £4.5 million investment over five years, and this latest allocation of funding will benefit a wide range of projects helping those living with a number of conditions including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, and Functional Neurological Disorder.
“All of these innovative projects seek to ensure seamless access to high-quality and co-ordinated health, social care and third sector support in the right place at the right time.”
Care Inspectorate Allied Health Professional Consultant Heather Edwards said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding to establish a neurological care network for people experiencing care at home.
“This collaboration in Ayrshire and Arran will provide a co-ordinated approach to enable opportunities for shared discussions and learning for staff across health and social care and importantly with people and their families”
NHS Lothian yesterday (Thursday) said it would make amends for its historical links with slavery, following publication of new research.
Although the health board cannot provide any traditional financial reparation, it has agreed to raise awareness, provide education and forge new relationships as part of a bid to begin acknowledging its legacy and making amends for the past.
Board members have agreed to implement a series of recommendations provided by an independent advisory group following a two-year research project.
The research, which was funded and conducted by the NHS Lothian Charity following engagement with staff and local public, began investigating historical links, particularly with the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Initial research found that an estimated modern-day equivalent of £39.1m in funding provided to the RIE came from its ownership of an estate in Jamaica and the enslaved people of African descent attached to it, and from donations from people with connections to slavery.
Calum Campbell, Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, said: “This important work was carried out to help give us a greater understanding of the history that has shaped our society and institutions.
“Tackling racism helps us reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for our diverse population and ensures a better experience for everyone who works with and for us. This work is vital to delivering this ambition.
“We have a duty to use this understanding to take action that will create meaningful change.
“We will now begin work to plan how we will implement the recommendations to ensure they have an impact.
“The timing of this research is particularly important as we, in NHS Lothian, recognise Black History Month to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture. It is an opportunity for Black and Minority Ethnic staff and their allies to share their experiences and to collaboratively bring change to the organisation.
“It also provides us with a further opportunity to reflect on the past, as well as look forward and opens up conversations about how we tackle racism, rising health inequalities and modern slavery.”
The research, which began in 2021, was presented to board members of NHS Lothian at a meeting on October 4, alongside a series of eight recommendations.
It found that in 1750, 39 enslaved people of African descent on Red Hill pen, a small estate in St-Thomas-in-the-East in Jamaica, came into the ownership of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh through the will of a Scottish surgeon in Jamaica, Dr Archibald Kerr.
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh owned Red Hill pen for 143 years. For almost 90 of those years, the exploited labour of the people who worked on Red Hill pen – generations of enslaved people – provided considerable wealth for the Infirmary.
The hospital relied on this money to enable it to buy medicines, construct a new building, employ staff, and heal Edinburgh’s ‘sick poor,’ and did so for longer than the NHS has currently existed.
The recommendations accepted by the board said NHS Lothian should publish an apology and create an Implementation Group to deliver anti-racist interventions to tackle current racial inequalities in employment and health.
It is also proposed that commemorative works should be commissioned, via the NHS Lothian Charity, a review of its current arts and culture activity be carried out and work to share the findings of the research.
The recommendations urged NHS Lothian to explore partnerships with organisations in Jamaica and West Africa and undertake further research into the health board’s connections with slavery.
Finally, NHS Lothian should also encourage research partnerships on the impact of slavery on British medicine and healthcare systems.
Work is now underway to develop the recommendations into a work programme.
NHS Lothian is encouraging the public to get involved ahead of the Health Board’s Annual Review, by submitting questions relating to healthcare in Lothian.
The Annual Review is the formal process through which the Scottish Government assesses the performance of each Health Board. NHS Lothian’s annual review will be held on 18 October, with the public invited to attend the public session from 1-2pm, either online or at the Carrington Suite, Inverleith Building, Western General Hospital, EH4 2LF.
The review is an opportunity for a Government minister to meet clinicians, colleagues, and representatives of patients, carers and communities, and to hear about the work and performance of NHS Lothian over the past 12 months. This year the Review will be chaired by Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health & Social Care.
NHS Lothian Chair John Connaghan said, “We are delighted to be able to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to NHS Lothian, and to invite the public to join us either in person or virtually.
“This will be an opportunity for us to set out the progress we have made in developing our strategy in the aftermath of the pandemic, and to outline some of the challenges faced by NHS Lothian as we plan our services for the future Please send in your questions for NHS Lothian. The Minister will ask a selection of these at the public meeting.”
Alternatively, you can post your questions to NHS Lothian using the following address:
FAO Georgia Sherratt Chair and Chief Executive’s Office NHS Lothian Waverley Gate 2-4 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3EG
If you are able, please let us know if you wish to attend the Annual Review in person and if you require any additional support. You can do this using the email address above.
Local healthcare workers at the Western General Hospital (WGH) in Edinburgh have been honoured for their exceptional work at a prestigious ceremony.
The annual NHS Lothian Celebrating Success Awards 2023 are nominated by staff working across the healthcare system.
Among the winners are the Same Day Emergency Care Team (SDEC) who scooped the coveted Team of the Year Award for the work they do helping patients get the right care in the right place.
The team are helping to reduce waiting times and pressure on the front doors by assessing, diagnosing, treating and discharging patients with specific conditions without admission to a ward.
Michael Shek, Lead Advance Nurse Practitioner for SDEC said: “We’ve put in so much work to make SDEC a successful service and we continue to expand.
“It’s not just the SDEC team but everyone wider. None of this would have been possible without everyone in NHS Lothian’s help. This award is recognition of that hard work and it will help drive the team forward to provide even better care.”
Kirsten Smith,a Senior Charge Nurse for Acute Medicine who won the cherished Lynn Jackson Nurse of the Year Award in memory of the former Chief Nurse for Edinburgh Cancer Centre.
Kirsten was recognised for leading her team on a huge change journey from specialising in Medicine for the Elderly to providing care to acute medical admissions and her commitment to working with student nurses.
Finally, Zakariya Vansoh (18), won the Voluntary Service Award for the hundreds of hours he’s clocked up connecting with patients, helping to entertain, comfort and reassure them, or just lend a friendly ear.
Celebrating with his Gran at the ceremony Zak said: “I’m speechless, I had my granny record it, but I didn’t think I was going to win so speechless!
“The fact that I was even nominated for the award is already more than I could ever have imagined. Events like this one today are so important to let people feel really appreciated. It’s simple but so valuable.”
Professor John Connaghan CBE, Chair of NHS Lothian Board said: “It’s been a very special year as we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the NHS. We’re incredibly proud of our staff achievements over the decades and their commitment to caring for others.
“These awards ensure we recognise those who’re not just upholding the NHS values but also helping us evolve and transform for the future.”
The awards were presented on Thursday 7 September at a special Ceremony at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, sponsored by NHS Lothian Charity.
“I want to thank all our finalists for their hard work, resilience and professionalism and extend a warm congratulations to them all for their achievements.”
The NHS Lothian awards are also supported by Ernst & Young, Intersystems, RMF Health (a partnership between Robertson and FES Group), Royal College of Nursing Scotland, Unison and NHS Staff Benefits.
For the full list of all of NHS Lothian’s award winners please visit:
