Western General Hospital – Page 8 – The NEN

Have you seen Ian?

Police are appealing for information to help trace a man reported missing since Monday (9 March).

Ian Nelson, also known as Ian Copeland, who is 38-year-old, was last seen around 1.30pm in the Western General Hospital where he was receiving treatment. Staff are concerned that he has missed the dose of the medicine he needs and his health could be affected.

Ian is described as a white male, 5 ft 10, slim build with short ginger hair and a fair complexion. He is believed to be wearing a grey top and dark trousers.

Officers are now urging anyone who can assist with their enquiries to come forward. Inspector Allan Symington said: “We are concerned for Ian’s health and welfare and are keen to speak to anyone who can help us trace him. Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101.”

Another patient tested for Ebola

A patient is being tested for Ebola at the Western General Hospital after feeling unwell on returning from West Africa. The patient, who has not been named, was admitted to the specialist unit at the Western earlier today.

The test results are likely to be known later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

NHS Lothian Nurse Director Melanie Johnson said: “A patient who recently returned to Scotland from West Africa has been admitted to our Regional Infectious Diseases Unit (RIDU) at the Western General Hospital after reporting a raised temperature.

“The patient will be screened for possible infections and as a precaution will be kept in isolation. We have robust systems in place to manage patients with suspected infectious diseases and follow agreed and tested national guidelines.”

Pauline Cafferkey went out to Africa to assist in the Ebola aid effort and became the first Scot to be diagnosed with the disease when she returned to Glasgow in December. Transferred from the Western to London’s Royal Free Hospital after tests proved positive, the nurse was in a critical condition at one point but has since made a strong recovery.

‘Simply unacceptable’: Western’s cleanliness standards slammed

Standards of cleanliness at The Western General Hospital have been severely criticized in a report (see below) by official watchdog The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI). NHS Lothian chiefs have said they have already acted to respond to concerns.

Chief Inspector Susan Brimelow said: “We carried out an unannounced inspection to the Western General Hospital on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November 2014. Due to significant concerns about the cleanliness of patient equipment and the environment, we escalated our findings to senior management in the hospital.

“We requested that NHS Lothian take immediate action to address these issues and produce an improvement action plan. We returned unannounced on Thursday 27 November 2014 to assess progress against the improvement action plan and found that significant improvements had been made. NHS Lothian must address the requirements and make the necessary improvements as a matter of priority.”

In a full statement issued earlier today the HEI said:

We previously inspected the Western General Hospital in February 2013. That inspection resulted in four requirements and five recommendations. The inspection report is available on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.

We carried out an unannounced inspection to the Western General Hospital on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November 2014. Due to significant concerns about the cleanliness of patient equipment and environmental cleanliness within the Western General Hospital, we escalated our concerns to senior management in NHS Lothian on 18 November and then again on 19 November 2014. On ward 52/53, we also raised concerns about the lack of working macerators and the procedures in place to reduce the risk of cross-infection to patients, staff and visitors. Macerators break human waste down into slurry so it can be sluiced effectively. We requested that immediate action be taken on these issues and an improvement action plan produced to show how these issues would be rectified.

We returned unannounced on Thursday 27 November 2014 to assess progress against the improvement action plan at ward and departmental level. Significant improvements had been made although we still noted some issues with the cleanliness of patient equipment and the environment.

We assessed the hospital against the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) healthcare associated infection (HAI) standards and inspected the following areas:

ward 2 (oncology)
ward 4 (oncology)
ward 15 (winter ward)
ward 20 (ICU)
ward 26 (general medicine)
ward 27 (colorectal)
ward 43 (regional infectious diseases unit)
ward 50 (stroke unit), and
ward 52/53 (gastroenterology).

Overall, we found evidence that NHS Lothian is not complying with the NHS QIS HAI standards to protect patients, staff and visitors from the risk of acquiring and infection.

In particular we found:

the standard of cleanliness of the patient environment was poor
the standard of cleanliness of patient equipment was poor, and
a lack of appropriate risk assessments, for example for out-of-order macerators.

The report highlights areas of strength and weakness as well as areas for further improvement, including requirements and recommendations.

This inspection resulted in eight requirements and one recommendation.
NHS Lothian must address the requirements and make the necessary improvements within the stated timescales.

Responding to the report, Melanie Johnson, executive nurse director at NHS Lothian, said staff had acted on the inspectors’ findings as ‘a matter of urgency’.

Ms Johnson said: “We recognise that some standards were below those we would expect and I apologise to any patients who may have been affected. I would also like to reassure them that those areas have been rectified – since the first of the visits in November, immediate changes were put in place to address all areas that were singled out for improvement.

“A detailed action plan was drawn up and all points have been completed. Many of these significant improvements were proven during the subsequent unannounced visit by inspectors as is detailed in the report.”

Commenting on the ‘extremely disappointing’ findings, Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “The report shows that standards have fallen well short of what the public and patients expect. The inspectors have uncovered simply unacceptable levels of cleanliness and infection control in certain wards, and I will be meeting the chair of NHS Lothian to reiterate my desire to see standards immediately improve. The improvement plan in place must be delivered urgently.”

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Western General patient’s Ebola test clear

Tests for Ebola on a Fife woman who recently returned from west Africa have proved NEGATIVE.

The woman was admitted to the Western General Hospital yesterday after developing a fever and she is now being treated in an isolation unit at the hospital’s Regional Infectious Diseases Unit (RIDU).

Melanie Johnson, Director of Unscheduled Care at NHS Lothian, said last night: “A patient who recently returned to Scotland from west Africa has been admitted to our at the Western General Hospital after they reported a raised temperature.

“As a precautionary measure, and in line with agreed procedures, the patient will be screened for possible infections and will be kept in isolation. We have robust systems in place to manage patients with suspected infectious diseases and follow agreed and tested national guidelines.”

It has since been confirmed that the patient, who lives in Fife, does NOT have the Ebola virus.

Red Dot Radio open day

Red Dot radio, the ‘on-air’ name of the Edinburgh Hospital Broadcasting Service, was founded as Forth Radio Network in 1962 and it’s been entertaining patients in Edinburgh hospitals ever since!

Originally serving over 16 hospitals in the early days, the main audience is now in the Western General Hospital and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

On the air 365 days of the year, they provide programmes from 7pm until 10pm every evening except for Christmas Day when they broadcast from 10am until midday.

The mainstay of their programmes is ‘Request Time’ – the patients’ own choice of music. The volunteers visit the wards each evening to speak to the patients, check that the bedside radio is working and then find out what they would like to hear, before returning to the studio to prepare and present the show.

On Wednesday 12 November, Red Dot Radio are throwing open their doors to let staff and patients, their relatives and friends see how the service operates, and visit the studio ‘live’ on air.

The organisation’s chairman, Malcolm Kirby, says: “it’s very rewarding work and we look forward to meeting as many people as possible and showing them our studios.”

If you are interested in seeing this fascinating organisation at work, go along to the Western General Hospital between 5.30 and 9 pm on Wednesday (12 November). Visitors will be met at the entrance to the Anne Ferguson Building.

Support your local hospital broadcasting service!

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NHS Lothian: Looking after our visitors

Western’s Minor Injuries Clinic: help for holidaymakers

They say Edinburgh’s population more than doubles at this time of year, and NHS Lothian is in the middle of another busy August as thousands of tourists have arrived in the city for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Festival Practice has been created to treat the influx of tourists who are not registered with a GP in the city and is designed to ensure they receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Dr Sian Tucker, Clinical Director, Lothian Unscheduled Care Service, said: “Visitors should contact NHS 24 on 111 if they feel unwell. This phone number is available 24 hours a day. Patients will be directed to the most appropriate place for their medical needs. The NHS Inform website also provides advice and information on a range of medical conditions.

“Patients may be directed to a pharmacy, dentist, the out of hours GP service or a local GP practice and can treat a range of non-emergency conditions. This will help to relieve some of the pressure on our A&E departments which are normally busier at this time of year.”

NHS Lothian is also encouraging more people to visit the Minor Injuries Clinic, rather than attending the Emergency Department.

The clinic, based at the Western General Hospital, offers assessment and treatment as required and patients with less serious injuries can often be seen quicker, without an appointment.

If patients require non-emergency medical treatment, such as a sprain, cut or burn then they can receive swift treatment in the clinic, which is open seven days at week from 8.00am to 9.00pm.

A week on Ward 72: new exhibition at Western General

LOCAL arts and disability organisation, Artlink, is pleased to present an exhibition of drawings by Mark Kirkham – ‘The Edinburgh Sketcher’- documenting his observations as an artist-in-residence at the Royal Victoria Building at the Western General on Ward 72. The exhibition also shows Mark’s perspective – as a parent – of time spent in Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Mark is an Edinburgh-based illustrator who produces an almost daily sketch blog of life in and around Scotland’s beautiful capital; an online sketchbook of scribbles and observations of daily life.

Impressed with his work, Artlink invited Mark in to become an artist in residence in the care of the elderly wards, documenting situations and stories from patients and staff on the ward. These observational drawings begin to explore how we communicate different healthcare experiences and contribute to a growing body of work which explores the positive relationship between the arts and healthcare in supporting recovery.

Mark said: “I would like to thank all the staff and patients for making me feel so welcome during my week on Ward 72. I drifted in and out, sketched from the corners of the room and tried to stay out of the way of the busy staff’. In the patients rooms it was a different experience, I was in their personal space and was welcomed in and given time and an insight into their lives. Through our chats and my drawing we connected and shared our individual stories and discussed what brings people into hospital.”

Over many years Artlink has worked with patients and staff to encourage their involvement in cultural and arts activity throughout NHS Lothian. We realise that this work not only creates positive involvement, we also know that it supports better communication and contributes positively to recovery. We are delighted with the response to Mark’s drawings so far.

Kirsten Smith, senior charge nurse, said: “It was great having Mark on the wards it was a positive experience for staff and patients. The patients were happy to talk about something else other than their illness and other routine matters for a while. Mark through his sketches has captured the person not the patient, you really see a person that is valued and respected and their story.”

A patient from North Berwick added: “I really enjoyed meeting Mark he came across as a very intelligent and interesting young man who obviously loves to draw. I liked his drawings and the amount of detail he has put, he’s captured North Berwick beautifully although he’s aged me by one year as i’m 90 not 91 but I am in my 91st year so I will let him off. I’ve showed it to some friends and they really like it too. I ended up being in hospital for three months and it was lovely to chat to Mark about other things and for someone from outside to come in to the ward.”

“I’m pretty sure we both benefited, I know how long days can be when in hospital and to have a friendly visit, which some of these patients aren’t lucky enough to have daily, it can be a great lift emotionally – which hopefully leads to a lift physically too,” said Mark.

The other part of the exhibition features Mark’s observations at the Sick Kids Hospital.

In 2011, Mark’s wife gave birth to twins, James and Zoe. James has Haemophilia A and consequently the family have had several visits to Edinburgh’s Sick Children’s Hospital. Whilst there, Mark continued to draw and most of the sketches shown here were made during the time James was in hospital. For Mark, drawing was a welcome distraction from all the things he was powerless to help with, and they have become a visual diary of a most terrifying, depressing and uplifting and amazing time in their lives, something that is being replayed many times over in a hospital ward right now.

We all have different ways in which we document our experiences. Some of us – like Mark – will draw, others write, and many of us will take pictures and now more often than not we will share these on Facebook or Twitter. In essence the arts are a tool of communication, both in terms of what we can make sense of and what we can’t. The arts can give us a new perspective on our experiences and provide new opportunities for understanding. Over many years Artlink have worked with patients and staff to encourage their involvement in cultural and arts activity throughout NHS Lothian. We realise that this work not only creates positive involvement, we also know that it supports better communication and contributes positively to recovery.

‘The twins were born on 9th March 2011 at just past 10pm at the Simpsons Memorial ward at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary. James arrived first weighing 4lb 15.5oz with his sister Zoe (5lb 5oz) following close behind”, said Mark. “We discovered James had Haemophilia A early, thankfully, when a routine heel prick on the maternity ward failed to stop bleeding. A genetic disorder which impairs the body’s ability to control blood clotting, Haemophilia A can cause even minor injuries to result in a severe bleed, either externally or internally. Such a bleed can last much longer and frequently require medication to stop.”

The Edinburgh Sketcher exhibition can be viewed from 1 August –November 2014 at

The Western General Gallery

Link Corridor between Alexander Donald building and Anne Ferguson Building

Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South.

You can see more examples of Mark’s work at www.edinburghsketcher.com

Arts and disability organisation Artlink celebrate their thirtieth anniversary this year. For more information about Artlink visit www.artlinkedinburgh.co.uk

Valuable ring recovered following Western theft

Local Police have recovered a valuable gold ring as part of the ongoing Operation Wolf. The ring was stolen at the Western General Hospital but was tracked down to a local second-hand shop and has now been returned to it’s delighted owner.

A 73-year-old man was visiting the hospital on 1 May and washed his hands in a restroom. As he did so he removed his 18ct gold signet ring, which was etched with his family crest. He then left the building – but forgot to pick up the ring. The man returned a short time later but found that the item had been stolen and contacted police.

Officers from the Search and Recovery Team (SART) carried out local enquiries and spoke to local second-hand retailers. The investigation proved successful as police were contacted by one of the stores on Saturday 24 May after the ring was brought in for sale.

Police are now following a positive line of enquiry to identify those responsible for this theft, and the ring has since been returned to its rightful owner.

Superintendent Matt Richards said: “This ring was made by the victim’s brother and while it is worth a significant sum of money, it is of greater sentimental value.

“As a result of Operation Wolf activities carried out by the SART, police in Edinburgh were able recover the item from a second-hand store and are actively hunting for the thieves.

“I would like to thank all of the retail premises we work alongside for their continued support in tackling acquisitive crime.

“Operation Wolf continues to address the crimes and issues affecting our various local communities and will relentlessly pursue those responsible for these offences.”

Six supsended at Western following drink allegations

Six Western General Hospital porters have been suspended following allegations they were drinking while on duty on New Year’s Day. NHS Lothian has initiated an investigation and says it is treating the incident “extremely seriously”.

It is understood that a nurse found the porters drinking in a staff room and alerted management.

George Curley, NHS Lothian’s director of operations, said: “We are investigating allegations into a small number of portering staff drinking alcohol whilst on duty at the Western General Hospital on Wednesday.

“NHS Lothian takes any instances of this nature extremely seriously and as a result of this incident six members of staff have been suspended, and a full investigation is under way. These suspensions had no impact on patients within the hospital and the work of the individuals involved was carried out by other colleagues.”

Duchess of York opens teenage cancer centre at Western

Sarah, Duchess of York has opened a £1.35m facility at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital for young people with cancer. The Duchess chatted to some of the first young patients to benefit from the new facilities at the Western.

About 200 young people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland every year.

This new, state-of-the-art facility created in partnership with NHS Lothian offers young cancer patients from the Lothians, Borders, Fife and Dumfries and Galloway a place to receive treatment where they can feel at home.

The facility also offers young cancer patients the best possible care and support as well as the best possible access to treatment options via the specialist team of nursing and support staff, all experts in teenager and young adult cancer care. The additional support local patients will now be able to receive from each other is also an invaluable part of this new service.

Bethany Millar-Gourlay, 19, was diagnosed with Leukaemia last summer and is one of the first patients to use the new facilities. Bethany said: “I used to come to the adult ward for treatment and I was the youngest there. Although the other patients were very kind to me I did miss people my own age and having things to do. I’m now having my maintenance chemotherapy at this new unit and it so different. It looks great and there’s a lot to do.”

The new unit that is vibrant and colourful, decorated in purple, green and blue with eye-catching wall designs featuring the Edinburgh skyline. It has four single patient bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. It also boasts a large open-plan activity and social room which includes a kitchen and dining area, as well as an area to watch TV, a jukebox, and a gaming area.

There’s also a day care room for outpatient treatment and a quiet room where young people and their families can spend time. Wi-fi throughout the unit also allows young patients to keep in touch with friends and family in the outside world.

Dawn Crosby, Teenage Cancer Trust head of service strategy in Scotland said: “This unit looks amazing but more than that, it will significantly improve young cancer patients experience, helping them and their families feel less alone.

“All of the money has been raised locally in a really difficult financial climate. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has given generously and helped make this happen.”