Are you ready for winter? NHSGG getting ready to deal with the challenges. See page 4
More Awards for the NH
NHSGGC has recently scooped up an array of awards, testimony to how hard our staff work right across the organisation.
The organisation was crowned winners in the GO Procurement Innovation or Initiative of the Year Award at the recent Government Opportunities (GO) Awards Scotland for the £110m laboratory contract for the new Southern General Campus. The Award recognises boldness, big ideas and creativity ñ showing procurement at its best.
Colleagues in facilities were presented with the Energy and Environment Award from Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) which acknowledged their work in sustainable development including delivering environmental improvement in a challenging environment, improvements in energy use and a reduction in greenhouse gases. We also won the HFS Design Award for West Centre, the new Drumchapel Families Centre, and the overall Paul Taylor award for the best submission out of each of the three
winners in the categories o and Innovation.
The New Stobhill Hospital with the ward extension gr Health Care Best Acute Ca Institute of Architectsí Desi award in the UK Rose Desi or Project section.
Glasgow Royal Infirmary als for its ICU in the same cate
Our ìflying doctorsî are also of the Emergency Medical R received £15,000 from the for creating an app which h patients in remote areas of
The money will be used to and further develop the app
Staff at Leverndale Hospital year’s No Smoking Dayís O the Best Picture category, w being helped into an ambula
HSGGC trophy cabinet!
Bronze success at Casualty Cup
of Design, Facilities
Communications picked up Gold and Bronze at the
is back to its winning ways, rabbing the Building Better are Design and Glasgow ign prizes, and the silver ign Awards Health Building
The Gold was for the various work streams that went
so received a bronze award egory.
o award winners. Members Retrieval Service have charitable Bupa Foundation elps clinicians reach and treat rural Scotland.
extend their research p.
l were runners-up in this Organiser of the Year Awards in with a picture of the Big Cig ance.
Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Awards. in to ìPutting The Pride Back In To Nursingî the
Chairmanís nursing awards, the history of nursing in
Glasgow portal, staff news, team brief, core brief and all
the other content including the interview with our nurse director shown on StaffNet to all our staff.
The Bronze was for the GlasGoals campaign, run with our media partners the Evening Times, to
encourage readers to set a goal to take part in regular physical activity.
And in the recent UK Association of Healthcare
Communicators Awards our communications team also won a Best Partnership Award for the health
improvement ìGlasGoalsî campaign and the Menís Sexual
Health team collected an award for Best Social Marketing Campaign – Make Your Position Clear.
Six teams from across the organisation took part in this yearís Casualty Cup - a football tournament which is open to all emergency departments and emergency ambulance crews in Scotland. A&E staff from Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Western Infirmary, the Victoria Infirmary, the Southern General, Yorkhill and the Western’s x-ray department all took part, with Glasgow Royal taking home the Bronze prize and the Western a close fourth.
Charlie McCarthy, who currently works as a staff nurse in Larbet A&E, established the Cup eight years ago, he said: ìI decided eight years ago there was a gap that could be filled to bring A&E and ambulance workers together and enjoy ourselves at the same time. Over the years it has grown and this year we had 16 teams competing. The feedback has been amazing, everyone seemed to have a fabulous time with a healthy competitive edge to keep us all on our feet.
If your emergency department is interested in taking part in next year’s tournament, email: charlie.mccarthy@nhs.net.
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Are you ready for winter? Winter is upon us once more and we are well under way with putting plans in place for this yearís busy season. Thereís no doubt that this year is going to be challenging for us all. However, staff should be assured that as an organisation we are prepared to deal with these challenges.
In addition to the organisations plans to be
Get ready for winter at home
• Know where your stop valve is and how to turn your water off • Know how to turn off your electricity supply at the mains • If cold weather if forecast and during a cold snap, keep your heating on at a lower temperature to help prevent pipes from freezing • If you canít heat all your rooms, make sure you keep your living warm during the day and heat your bedroom before going to bed • Wear the right type of clothes ñ layers are best • Make sure you clear your paths and drive way ñ itís a good idea to keep a shovel and some salt or grit at home • Stay active and talk to friends and family if you live alone
prepared, we are asking staff to get ready for winter at home, as well as being prepared for travelling during the winter months.
Neil Rogerson, head of civil contingencies, explains that the solutions to winter pressures are not just to be found in our hospitals. ìEveryone can do their part to prepare for severe weather this winter. Simple changes and putting plans in place can make a big difference. What to do encounter damage to your home this winter
• If your pipes freeze ñ turn off the stop valve immediately. Drain all your cold taps but do not turn on hot taps • Never attempt to thaw out frozen pipes by switching on your immersion heater or central heating boiler. Check for leaking joints or bursts in the pipes and if safe to do so, gently heat any frozen sections with a hairdryer or heated cloth wrapped around the pipe. Never apply a direct flame • Be aware that snow and ice could fall from roofs. Be prepared and try to predict where it might fall and donít park your car or bike in its path. If snow or ice has caused damage to property contact your household insurer.
ìWe are asking for everyone to take as many steps as possibly in advance of severe weather to ensure you, your family, friends and neighbours are safe and well.î
Below are some helpful hints and tips to keep safe and warm this winter, however, you can find more detailed information on the dedicated microsite see blue box for details. Prepare for travelling Pack a few essentials in your car to prepare for getting stuck while commuting, including: • An ice scraper • A can of de-icer • A torch with spare batteries • A shovel for snow • A Blanket • Some food and a hot drink • A first aid kit • Battery jump leads • A map for unplanned diversions You should also pay extra attention to planning your journey during periods of bad weather • Check the weather forecast and road conditions • Consider alternative routes • Consider alternative modes of transport • All extra time for your journey • Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged • Consider fitting winter tyres to your vehicle
For information on how to keep safe & warm as well as weather warnings, travel news and updates please visit: www.nhsggc.org.uk/staffwinterinfo
Remember to this winter 4 SN
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) experienced great difficulty maintaining essential blood supplies last winter due to the extreme adverse weather conditions. They are therefore asking that you please play your part in ensuring blood is available for our patients this year.
To register as a blood donor or to find out where to donate, visit: www.scotblood.co.uk tel: 0845 90 90 999 text BLOOD to 61611 or visit their facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ givebloodforscotland
Be alcohol aware this Christmas T h e f e s ti v e s e a s o n is h e r e a n d f o r s o m e o f u s it ’s a ti me to r e la x . Bu t h a v e y o u s t o p p e d t o c o u n t th e tr u e c o s t o f t h a t e x tr a w e e b e e r o r c he e k y gla s s o f w ine ? Drinking too much alcohol can lead to many health problems. One of the more immediate effects is unwanted weight gain. There are lots of empty calories in alcohol, coupled with the fact that you are already eating more at this time of year then you are more likely to gain weight.
Don’t believe it? Read for yourself:
• A litre bottle of cider contains the same calories as a cheese burger and you would need to do 30 minutes of aerobics to burn it off • By switching to regular strength lager instead of stronger lager, you could cut down on half a stone of extra calories a year • If you drank 75cl of Tonic Wine once a week on top of your daily calorie allowance, you could put on 9lbs of extra weight
• You would need to swim for 25 minutes to burn off one Alcopop.
So if you want to drink smarter this festive season here are a few tips:
• Stick to a small glass of wine and have non alcoholic spacers between drinks
• Stick to single measures of spirits with fruit juices or diet drinks as a mixer • Donít drink on an empty stomach.
Morning after the night before – time to wake up! Alcohol stays in your body for approx 48 hours and itís virtually impossible to calculate how much you can drink and still be under the limit. The best advice is to avoid alcohol altogether if you are driving.
If you’re not driving, current guidelines suggest that: • Men can drink 3-4 units per day
• Women can drink 2-3 units per day.
• Everyone should have at least two alcohol free days each week
But what is a unit? In Today’s strengths and measures, one unit of alcohol is:
• 25ml measure of spirits Half of a 175ml standard glass of wine (13% ABV) • Half a pint of beer/lager (4% ABV).
It takes approximately one hour for each unit of alcohol to be processed by your body. The following drinks will all take around 10 hours to leave your system: • One average bottle of wine
• Six bottles of premium beer or lager • Seven pub measures of spirits
Remember
• Any amount of alcohol will affect your ability to drive
• Many people wrongly believe that because they feel OK the morning after the night before that they are fit to drive • Strathclyde Police are planning a festive Drink Driving Crackdown during December 2011.
Don’t risk it - don’t drink and drive!
Clyde’s George Bowie supports pharmacy team’s fundraiser Top DJ George Bowie was the very special guest at a charity fundraising Christmas Fayre held on the Gartnavel Hospitalsí Campus. The Radio Clyde joker came along to the fayre, organised by the Public Health Pharmacy team, because the £603 raised went towards the stationís well-established ìCash for Kidsî annual appeal. Karen Carberry, from the pharmacy team, said: ìWe decided on Cash for Kids because itís a popular charity and we wanted to play our part to help them support projects which help vulnerable children and their families.î
A total of 28 stalls took part with gifts ranging from crafts, greeting cards and home baking to mini-makeovers from make-up artists. George said ìI was delighted to be invited to take part in this fantastic fundraising event for Glasgow and the westís favourite childrenís charity. We greatly appreciate all of the hard work Karen and the team at Gartnavel Royal Hospital have undertaken to generate much needed funds for Cash for Kids.î Pictured right: some of the pharmacy team staff with George Bowie and local school children
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Record take-up of seasonable flu vaccination
Record take-up of seasonal flu vaccination Record numbers of staff have had their seasonal flu vaccination and the campaign isnít over yet!
This year during the multiple site four week clinic sessions held between September and November, with a two week break during the school holidays, 9896 staff were vaccinated compared to 4100 for the first 4 weeks of the 2010/11 campaign (4-29 October 2010). And the peer immunisation rates have soared from 74 during the same period last year to an amazing 2450.
Scott Hanley, vaccination programme manager, said: ìThis has been a fantastic response from staff so far, and those who still havenít had a chance to have their vaccination can still contact either occupational health for an appointment or their peer immuniser.î
He went on to praise the team
effort behind this yearís vaccination programme which produced the current outstanding results: The Staff Flu Programme Planning Team devised the programme strategy and organised all operational aspects between April and September.
The team consists of Occupational Health, the Public Health Protection Unit, Communications, Pharmacy, Transport and Facilities colleagues.
From October onwards it was down to the hard work and dedication of Transport and the Pharmacy Distribution Centre, Occupational Health nurses and bank nurses, to deliver the programme, with the planning team maintaining a coordinating role,î said Scott. This team work, together with a determined marketing and communications strategy this year has, I believe, resulted in the increased uptake.î Rona Wall, occupational health
service manager, added: ìThe uptake from clinical staff has shown a significant increase and I hope we can build on this as the flu season continues into the New Year. I would like to thank all of my staff who ran the clinics and the bank nurses who were invaluable in this process. We are continuing to offer the vaccine at the occupational health clinics at the Victoria Infirmary, GRI, IRH, VOL and RAH.î
Appointments for staff vaccinations can now be made by contacting Occupational Health on 0141 201 5600 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Any department wishing to embark on a peer vaccination programme should contact Occupational Health to arrange this. And any further queries on seasonal influenza or the seasonal flu vaccine, contact the Public Health Protection Unit on 0141 201 4917 or email phpu@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Midwifery leaders of the future A team of six midwifery professionals and three assessors from Glasgow have taken part in the Midwifery Leadership Challenge event organised by NES.
The main focus of the event was ësuccession planningí for those faced with the challenges of healthcare delivery and is part of a wider approach to support leadership throughout the midwifery workforce. Our team was made up of Betty Adair, lead midwife; Elaine Christie, Senior Charge Midwife; Diana Clark, practice development midwife; Linda Fellows, midwife; Ailsa Fulton,
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midwife team leader and Victoria Mazzoni, senior charge midwife. Rory Farrelly, director of nursing; Debbie Forsyth, project manager, infection control and Eleanor Stenhouse, head of midwifery took on roles as assessors.
During the course of the day, each team had to deal with the sort of planned and unplanned issues and situations that midwifery leaders face on a day to day basis whilst delivering on four ongoing strategic challenges to address service redesign, workforce and financial planning and engaging services users. Very quickly, they had to operate as a team recognising and capitalising on individual strengths.
On top of these challenges, participants received a series of ënewflashesí outlining an emergency or critical event that required rapid decision making and urgent action such as tackling an outbreak of infection in the neonatal unit.
from real life to expose participants to the sort of high level challenges faced in delivering healthcare services are not only enjoyable and also give staff the opportunity to learn and prepare for such eventualities.
In the midst of all this, each team was unexpectedly visited by a real life journalist who put them through a mock interview about the choices and decisions they were making as they worked through the sequence of events. Rory Farrelly, director of nursing, said: ìThe day itself was a great success. Experimental learning events that use scenarios drawn
Pictured above: the Glasgow team
Sisters sponsored marathon a runaway success for WestMARC The Paisley duo completed the Chester marathon, a first for Donna, to raise the cash for WestMARC (West of Scotland Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre), based at the Southern General Hospital site.
This was where mum Moira McNicholas was fitted with a prosthetic arm and is going through rehabilitation following an industrial accident in 2004 which led to her left hand and part of her forearm being amputated.
Sisters Donna Airlie and Paula Laing did it for their mother when they raised more than £826 to say thank-you for her rehabilitation.
Donna said: ìThe accident had a huge impact on us as a family in more ways than one, however WestMARC not only provided the practical assistance my mum needed but also helped her deal with the psychological aspect as well.î
Moira, whose surgery took place at the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said: ìI am a strong person and this has helped my recovery, together with wonderful support from the staff at WestMARC. ìIím now working in the office of the company where I had my accident and when the girls decided to run in the marathon I took in sponsor sheets, and told everyone this is for WestMARC, where I came for my hand.î Thanks to her prosthetic limb Moira continues to carry out most housework, drives with the aid of a specially fitted handle to her steering wheel, and in the last couple of years has even learned to swim!
Handing over the cheque to David Morrison, WestMARCs lead prosthetist, Paula added: ìThis money is our way of saying a big ëthank-youí to WestMARC staff for everything they have done to help our mum adjust as best she can with everyday life.î
David said: ìWe are delighted to receive the money, which will be spent on equipment to benefit our patients, and I want to thank Moira and her daughters for thinking of us when it came to fundraising. Moira has responded extremely well to rehabilitation and everyone who has been working with her are very pleased with her progress.
Turning over a new leaf with our stationary Our green credentials have increased even further now that we are introducing 100 per cent recycled paper. We currently use approximately 36,000 boxes of paper per year, the equivalent of 90,000,000 sheets of paper. One of the most significant things we can do for the environment is to reduce paper use. The ecologically sound alternative is to switch to 100% recycled paper. This new move will save: •10,760 trees per year,
equivalent to all the trees in Mugdock Park near Milngavie •19.446 m≥ of water: The amount of water consumed by Paisley and Greenock in one year •3.468 MWh of total energy: This amount of energy is consumed by approx 890 typical family homes per year •286t CO2: an average car (140g CO2/km) can drive 50 times around the world (40.000 km) with this total emission. Gordon Beattie, head of procurement, said: ìStaff
will notice a colour change in the paper. The slightly ëoff whiteí hue is the paperís natural colour because the paper is made from discarded newspapers and magazines. It is not bleached nor does it contain optical brightening agents which are non biodegradable and harmful to ecology and human health. The use of recycled paper helps to reduce the volume of waste paper going to landfill, requires less energy to produce and saves forestry resources.î
The manufacturer of the paper, Steinbeis, has 100 years experience and are Europeís number one recycled copy paper manufacturer. Additionally the new contract will save approximately £30k pa for NHSGGC based on the range of stationery products we normally buy. More details of the sustainability characteristics of this new paper can be found on StaffNet on the Procurement Department pages. If you encounter any problems
with this paper please contact the Procurement Department helpline on 0141 211 1200. For more information on our ecosmart efforts, go to StaffNet > Corporate Services > Sustainability
Discounted gym membership available to staff
Activity Works is a physical activity initiative offering discounted gym membership for staff for a fixed period.
Run by Glasgow Life and The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, there are two options you can choose from; Activity Works Core or Activity Works Plus.
The Activity Works Core option offers staff a 50% discount (£25) to a Glasgow Club membership for a period of eight weeks, giving you
unlimited access to gym and swimming facilities plus access to classes.
Activity Works Plus offers the same as the Core offer with the inclusion of sports coaching sessions at a cost of £45 for eight weeks.
The initiative is aimed at staff who are considering joining a gym and should be considered as a trial to the Glasgow Club. Should staff which to have a longer term membership they can access the Glasgow Club 25% discount
through the corporate scheme.
Other options available under Activity Works include the Shape up healthy eating and weight management programme plus a range of outdoor team pursuits. For a full list of options ava i l ab le to staff v is i t : http://www.healthatwork.org.uk/pdf.pl?f ile=haw/files/Booklet FINAL1.pdf
already have a Glasgow Club gym subscription are not eligible for Activity Works.
Please note: payment for each option should be made on your first visit to your local Glasgow Club. Staff who
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A UK first for the Southern To mark this donation the brain tissue bank facility will be called ìCharlotteís Bank of Hope.î
Dr Willie Stewart, consultant neuropathologist at the Southern General, said: ìThe resource will provide a unique opportunity for provision of much needed material in brain tumour research.
With over 120 different types of tumour in the central nervous system, and more being recognised as research develops, having access to the highest quality tissue and as much clinical information to go with it is crucial to understanding how these tumours might arise and how novel treatments might be developed.î
The Southern General Hospital is soon to begin work to develop what is hoped to be one of the UK is most significant brain tumour tissue banks, an invaluable resource for the scientific, academic and industry research communities.
This initiative is a result of collaboration with the charity brainstrust through a generous donation from Mrs Anita Smith, whose daughter Charlotte died aged 16 from an aggressive brain tumour.
All of the tissue collected for this resource will be from surplus surgical tissue removed from patients for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. This acquisition and banking activity is carried out by Bio-repository.
Jane Hair, bio-repository manager, said: ìTo aim for the best outcomes for our patients we need research and good quality human tissue is a basic requirement to support that.î
Patients are asked for their permission to use any surplus surgical tissues in research prior to their surgery.
Jane went on: ìIn our experience the overwhelming majority of our patients are very happy to donated their surplus tissues and we appreciate their important contribution to medical research.
To work with this material, researchers can come to us and then we can assess the project to ensure that it meets the terms of the consent, and that it is a sound scientific study which meets NHS ethical requirements. We want Scotland to become known internationally as a centre of excellence for research and this repositor y will help attract researchers from around the world to come and work here.î
Core funding for the Bio-repository comes from NHS Research Scotland and our Boardís research and development budget.
Minister opens state-of-the-art dental centre at the RAH The state-of-the-art dental centre at the RAH has been officially opened by the Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson.
The centre treats people unable to attend a general dental practitioner, such as infirm older people, patients with long-term illnesses or people with special needs. It also accommodates some dental services previously provided at Glasgow Dental Hospital, reducing the need for approximately 3000 patients to travel to Glasgow.
Karen Murray, director of East Dunbartonshire CHP and Oral Health Directorate, said: ìThis facility is fitted with the very latest equipment in bright, modern accommodation, designed to reassure even the most nervous patients. ìIím particularly pleased that it also means that we can treat more patients locally by providing access to outreach
student clinics previously only available to Renfrewshire patients if they travelled to Glasgow and providing some treatments that were previously only provided at Glasgow Dental Hospital.
All surgeries in the centre are designed and equipped to deliver a broad range of dental treatments, from oral surgery to orthodontics. Two surgeries have been specifically designed to treat special care patients who may have additional requirements; there is a surgery for younger patients and a surgery for sedation/adult special care. Both surgeries are equipped with ceiling mounted hoists to aid moving and handling of patients who require assistance and have ample floor space for access. The centre also gives the opportunity for dental students from the University of Glasgow Dental Hospital and School to undertake outreach training under supervision of qualified dentists.