Issue 15 September – October 2005

www.nhsgg.org.uk

As NHSGG heads towards full singlesystem working, Staff News takes thisopportunity to tell you about the new

roles and positions of some of our managers.Chief Executive, Tom Divers; Director of Public

Health (until October 11 when he leaves to join theScottish Executive) Dr Harry Burns; Director ofHuman Resources, Ian Reid; and Director ofCommunications, Ally McLaws, remain the same.

However there are changes to the titles andpositions of other senior managers.

Former Director of Planning & Community Carefor the Board, Catriona Renfrew, takes on the newrole as NHSGG's Director of Corporate Planning andPolicy.

Douglas Griffin, former Finance Director for thePCD, is the new NHSGG Director of Finance(Corporate and Partnerships) and Dr Brian Cowanand Rosslyn Crocket are the Medical Director(Board) and Nurse Director (Board). Dr Cowan has adual role as Medical Director for Acute Services andMs Crocket is also the new Director of Women andChildren's Health.

Continued on page 2

First PhaseAppointmentsAnnouncedReorganisation of NHSGGmanagement structures meansnew posts for managers

Inside this issue

page 6 pages 8&9

Plus… Endoscope · Ruth Edwards · Carers

PCD's Terry Findlay is the new leadDirector for the Glasgow City CommunityHealth and Social Care Partnerships, whilecolleague Tony Curran is the new Head ofCapital Planning and Procurement for theAcute Services Strategy

pages 12&13

NewPharmacyrole

GoingforGold

FocusonAHP’s

Continued from page 1

Other key appointments at Board level include:• Associate Board Medical Director - Dr Bill Anderson• Medical Director, New Children's Hospital Project- Morgan Jamieson• Head of Human Resources (Partnerships)- Andy Carter• Head of Performance and Corporate Reporting- David Walker• Head of Inequalities and Health Improvement- Sue Laughlin• Head of Clinical Governance- Andrew Crawford

Top level appointments in the rest ofNHSGG are as follows.....

Acute Services• Chief Operating Officer- Robert Calderwood• Finance Director- Peter Gallagher• Head of Prescribing Policy- Kate McKean• Medical Director- Dr Brian Cowan• Nurse Director- Margaret Smith

Acute Services Strategy• Head of Service Planning- Pat Kilpatrick• Head of Capital Planning and Procurement- Tony Curran

Diagnostics Directorate• Director - Jim Crombie• General Manager Laboratory Medicine- Isabel Ferguson

Emergency Care and Medical Specialties Directorate• Associate Medical Director- David Stewart

New Appointments

Accidents can happen in all walks of life andthe NHS is no different.

The reporting of accidents and incidents thathappen in our hospitals, health centres, clinics ormanagement offices is an essential part of our healthand safety management system.

Whether an accident or incident has happened to amember of staff, a patient or a visitor, it should bereported. If accidents and incidents aren't reportedthe necessary steps can't be taken to prevent themhappening again.

Even near misses should be reported, especially ifan incident had the potential to cause injury ordamage to staff, patients, visitors or NHS equipmentand propert y.

The type of accidents and incidents that should bereported include:

• slips, trips and falls;• fires; • violent or aggressive behaviour; • needlestick injuries; • spillages;• and any exposure to harmful substances.As much information as possible should be

recorded on the appropriate forms (either an IR1 or anAR1) to enable Health and Safety advisors to monitorwhere accidents or incidents are occurring and tomake sure this doesn't happen again.

Please make sure that if an accident or incidenthappens in your place of work, it is properly reported.

Don't leave it- report it!

First Phase

2

General News

Having ProblemsSeeing StaffNet?In the last Staff News, we reported that StaffNetComms was going to become the new default pageyou see when you open your Web browser (InternetExplorer).

However, it has come to our attention that thisisn't the case for a small number of staff. If you're oneof them, do not despair! You can still access the siteby entering the following address into your Webbrowser:http://staffnetcomms

Once you're on the site, you may be able to set thisto your default homepage. If you're not sure how to dothis, then it's best to seek advice - log a call with theHelpdesk on #650 and your local IT department willhelp. Work is ongoing to change the homepages forthe remaining staff, but this will take time to complete.

Meet the newDirector of Facilities

Alex McIntyre

• Head of Nursing- Cath McFarlane• General Manager: North & East Sector General Medicine and City-wide Cardiologyand Renal Medicine- Alan Hunter

Facilities Directorate• Director - Alex McIntyre • General Manager Facilities- Alistair MacLean, William Hunter,Mary Ann Kane• General Manager, CHP Facilities- David Pace

Oral Health Directorate• Director - Kevin Hill• Head of Planning and Health Improvement- Anna Baxendale

Regional Services Directorate• Director - Jonathan Best• Head of Nursing - John Stuart

Rehabilitation and Assessment Directorate• Director - Anne Harkness• Head of Nursing - Ellen Hudson• General Manager (North)- Jane Arroll• General Manager (South)- Marie Farrell

Surgery and Anaesthetics Directorate• Director - Jane Grant• Associate Medical Director- Tim Cooke• Head of Nursing- Lesley Meikle• General Manager: City-wide General Surgeryand Urology North and East SectorCo-ordinating Role- Mary McGinley

Women and Children's Health• Director - Rosslyn Crocket• Associate Medical Director

3

New Appointments

Appointments Announced

Eleanor Stenhouseis the new Head of

Midwifery withWomen and

Children's Health

Mary McGinleytakes on the new

role as the GeneralManager, City-wide

General Surgery andUrology North and

East Sector

Ian Reid, Director of Human Resources, said: "Thislist represents the first tranche of key appointmentsin the new single system NHSGG. We are stillworking through the next level appointments and willinform staff of these new posts as soon as thatprocess is complete."

- Dr Iain Wallace• Head of Midwifery- Eleanor Stenhouse• General Manager Hospital Paediatrics- James Redfern

Community Health and Social Care Partnerships(CHSCPs)

• Glasgow City CHSCP Directors - Terry Findlay (Lead), Alex MacKenzie,Iona Colvin, Mark Feinmann • Glasgow City CHSCP Heads of Planningand Health Improvement- Evelyn Borland, Fiona Moss• East Dunbartonshire CHP- CHP Director - David Leese• East Dunbartonshire CHP- Head of Planning and Health Improvement- Lynda Hamilton• West Dunbartonshire CHP - CHP Director- Keith Redpath • West Dunbartonshire CHP- Head of Health and Community Care- Christine McNeill• Head of Health and Community Care- Lorna Dunipace, Sheena Wright

Mental Health Partnership• Head of Planning and Performance- Doug Adams• Nursing Director - Eileen Burns• Head of Mental Health withArea Responsibility- Calum MacLeod, Clive Travers• Head of Mental Health withoutArea Responsibility- James Crichton

Victoria from the outset. Funded bythe Scottish Arts Council, she'll beoverseeing arts projects within thenew hospitals.

"My job's to show investment ingood design at the beginning paysoff. I hope the new Victoria andStobhill will look and feel quitedifferent from what people are usedto and within a few years we'll beable to see the difference quiteclearly."

The new Stobhill andVictoria hospitals will becutting-edge in all sorts of

ways, but for the first time everin Glasgow, they will bedesigned with art in mind.

NHSGG's new Arts and HealthCo-ordinator, Jackie Sands, isleading the way and putting art anddesign at the forefront of the newhospitals and across NHSGG.

As an artist, a former artstudent, art teacher and theatredesigner, Jackie has years ofexperience taking art out to thepublic, including managing the roleof Art in the Health Service in EastLondon.

Now it's Glasgow's turn and, asJackie says, it is not a simplematter of putting pretty pictures onwalls.

She said: "Far from it! Art inhospitals can make a difference topatients' recovery. It's about all yoursenses; seeing pictures, listening tomusic, feeling and makingsculptures, performing in theatreand even smelling scented gardens.

"Participation is the biggestthing. It's not just the peoplemaking the art having all the fun!

Schools and other groups canproduce art, patients and staff cantake part and there are probably amillion more ways too!

"The thing is, it works. Studiesshow that having a garden view orplaying live music can reducepeople's perceptions of pain andeven cut the need for painkillers. It'salso been suggested laughter canboost your immune system."

Jackie wants to make art apriority at the new Stobhill and

NHS Greater Glasgow hasbecome the firsthealthcare organisation

in the UK to have staffqualified to City and Guildslevel to deliver ConflictManagement Training.

The 13 trainers have receivedtheir certificates and are nowtraining others in the techniquesto "de-escalate" situations beforethey develop into aggressivebehaviour and violence towardshospital staff.

Kenneth Fleming, Head ofHealth and Safety for NHSGG'sNorth Division, explained why hedecided to organise the training:"We looked at our incidentsstatistics and realised there wasa significant number of incidentsinvolving violence and aggressionto staff. We decided we had totrain people to deal with thesesituations and brought in anexternal company to carry out the

initial training and create our ownin-house trainers."

Volunteers for the trainingcame from all over the NorthDivision and Maybo, a companyspecialising in conflictmanagement, were brought in to

carry out the training sessions.Staff were taught to take

defensive measures such asmoving out of the other person'spersonal space, and also preparean 'exit strategy' by making surethey know how to leave in ahurry.

Art in mind at Stobhill and the Vicky

UK staff first in managing conflict

4

Artist In Residence

Art attack - Jackie Sands has an artistic vision forthe new Stobhill and Victoria hospitals.

Pictured: Some of the staff who took part in the course with Kenneth Fleming (far right).

Work is progressing todevelop the newCommunity Health

Partnerships (CHPs) which willimprove the way local healthservices are organised andmanaged.

Nine new CHPs are beingdeveloped across Greater Glasgow:

• five covering Glasgow City (East Glasgow, West Glasgow, North Glasgow, South East Glasgow and South West Glasgow)• one covering West Dunbartonshire• one covering East Dunbartonshire• one covering East Renfrewshire• one covering South Lanarkshire (including the Rutherglen and Cambuslang areaof Greater Glasgow)

Work Ongoingon CHPs

5

Latest on CHPs

The six CHPs being developedacross Glasgow City and EastRenfrewshire will also be responsiblefor a wide range of social careservices. These integrated CHPs willbe known as Community Health andSocial Care Partnerships andCommunity Health and CarePartnerships respectively.

The Scottish Executive hasapproved the Schemes ofEstablishment for eight of the nineCHPs. These documents set out howthe new Partnerships will bestructured and what services theywill manage.

The Scheme of Establishment forthe remaining South LanarkshireCHP will be considered by the NHSGreater Glasgow and NHSLanarkshire Boards in September2005 before being submitted to theScottish Executive for final approval.

Copies are available on the newCHP web-sites (www.chps.org.uk).

New introductory CHP leafletsand posters have also beendistributed to health centres, socialwork offices and community groupsacross Greater Glasgow.

Work is also underway todevelop corporate identity guidancefor the new CHPs and to developlocal communication plans to raiseawareness of these newPartnerships.

Phase 1 of the managementreorganisation of Greater Glasgow,which included the CHP Directorposts and some of their directreports, is complete. The fullmanagement teams for each of theCHPs will be established followingthe completion of Phase 2, whichwill run until the end of September2005.

The picture below shows how the five Glasgow CHPs will look.

prescribe themselves, albeit in

agreement with clinicians. Already

many pharmacists are taking this

step. Whatever happens in medicine

over the next few years, pharmacistswill certainly have a huge part toplay.

She said: "Initially pharmacistswere just thought to put pills inbottles. Now we are on the ward,working as part of multidisciplinaryteams. We are much more involvedand I think much more respected aspart of the team."

The next for pharmacists is theextra qualifications to enable them to

Can You Fill this Prescription

6

New Pharmacy Role

Many staff across NHSGGare finding their roles arechanging and this is

nowhere more evident than withclinical pharmacists based inhospitals.

Before, they waited for someoneto turn up with a prescription -usually in the basement of thehospital - and that would be their onlycontact with other staff and patients.

But, that has all changed andnow many clinical pharmacists areworking on wards as importantmembers of clinical teams.

Their role is much more publicand they are often seen chatting topatients up and down the wards inGlasgow's hospitals.

So what are their main duties?Clinical pharmacists have a variedrole to play on our wards. They willtake medication histories, checkwhat patients have been prescribedand what progress patients aremaking, as well as advise doctors onthe most effective medication.

Ysobel Gourlay has worked as apharmacist for 19 years and iscurrently based at Gartnavel RoyalHospital. She welcomes theincreased role for pharmacists in theNHS.

Ysobel Gourlay chats to a patient. Picture courtesy of Jamie Simpson, Society.

Mac Ball TimeThis year's Mac Ball takes place at

the Moat House Hotel, Glasgowon Saturday, October 1, 2005.

Details: www.themacball.com or call0141 632 3350 / 07866 775026.

Held in aid ofMarie Curie Cancer Care,

the event includes a four-coursedinner, ceilidh and disco.

Tickets are £45 per person.

Ysobel Gourlay chats to a patient. Picture courtesy of Jamie Simpson, Society.

The Royal College of Speech andLanguage Therapists is holding adedicated Speech and Language

Therapy Week to coincide with itssixtieth anniversary.

Look out for information stands andlocal events from October 10th-14th, 2005which aim to explain more about thebeginnings of the profession and highlightthe diverse range of clients and disorderswith which SLTs now work.

Speech and LanguageTherapy Week

The Endoscope

7

The diary that peers into the darkest recesses of the NHS

As most semi-alert stafferswill have noticed, RobertCalderwood (pictured) has

received the dubious honour ofbeing given the job as hospitalshead honcho along with theworst acronym in the long andtorrid history of health servicemanagement - COO - the ChiefOperating Officer. This, as youwill gather, will keep TheEndoscope supplied with cheapshots and jokes obvious even toBig Brother contestants foryears to come.

However, to delay the inevitable,the COO escapes theslaughterhouse this time only tomake room for other (real) acronymsthat do not bear close scrutiny.

The British Army is second onlyto the NHS in organisational lunacy

and so officers in Germany can lookforward to being appointed asDivisional Intelligence Liaison DutyOfficers. As always, the Navy bringup the rear with their FlagLieutenant to the Admiralty Board.

Acronyms are not restricted tojob titles and there are many inhealthcare which often appear in themargins of notes, hopefullyremaining unintelligible both topatients and their solicitors. You canfind a good selection from aroundthe world athttp://www.businessballs.com/acronyms.htm

Gems (see what I did there?)include: AGA - Acute Gravity Attack(patient fell over); BUNDY - ButUnfortunately Not Dead Yet; DTS -Danger To Shipping (obese patient);FLUF - Fat Little Ugly Fellow

(particularly popular in this part ofthe world); FOBIO - FrequentlyOutwitted by Inanimate Objects;LONI - Lights On, Nobody In; MEGO -My Eyes Glazed Over (popularexpression among 'caring' GPs);NQR - Not Quite Right; PITA - PainIn The A**e; SIG - Stroppy IgnorantGit; TOBASH - Take Out Back AndShoot; TUBE - Totally UnnecessaryBreast Examination; UBI -Unexplained Beer Injury, and;UNIVAC - Unusually Nasty Infection -Vultures Are Circling.

Casting ouchThe Endoscope

Socketand see

Bob-a-job

In the brave new world ofCommunity HealthPartnerships, NHS and local

authority staff will cometogether to work as one finelyhoned machine in the service ofthe people - without rivalry.Aye, right.

This joke posted on the internetby unnamed members of staff at ahospital in the north of Englandsuggests that it could be some timebefore there is a merging of minds.

How many social workers does ittake to change a light bulb?

They can't - they don't have theskills. But they would be able toprint a leaflet entitled 'Coping withDarkness'.

• Orthopaedics Department, Gartnavel General- This is Spinal Tap• Radiology, Victoria Infirmary- Weird Science• Dalian House - Unforgiven

News reaches TheEndoscope that NHSGGintends to set up a film

and tv service to scam a fewquid from production companieseager to find unusual locations -to wit; various used and disusedhospitals.

Perhaps this new effort willsecure some silver screen glorywhich amounts to more than the oddepisode of Taggart. Clearly there arelocations here that could've beencontenders for some of the classicsof yesteryear:

• Colorectal Surgery Department, the Royal- The Ring• Western Infirmary Christmas Party - Dr Strangelove• Glasgow Dental Hospitaland School - Jaws• Cowglen Hospital- The Vanishing• Southern General- The Sweet Smell of Success

Cowglen Hospital

Tang Soo For th

8

Focus on Ruth Edwards

As martial arts go, Tang Soo Do is not the best known. Butfor PCD's Ruth Edwards, it's been one of the best thingsshe's ever done.

For Ruth is the current Tang Soo Do World Champion for both theLadies 1st Dan Free Fighting and the Ladies 1st Dan Hyung.

Ruth (32), a Senior Prescribing & Information Analyst with theMedicines Management Team, was one of five women who were part of a25-strong British team competing in the 11th Tang Soo Do WorldChampionships.

Held this year in Watford, the Championships attract the very bestmartial artists - both men and women - from across the globe, including

Germany, USA, Sweden and Malaysia,and are held every two years. The

next competition is takingplace in Greece in 2007.

Ruth, who picked uptwo massive trophiesand medals in the

competition, said:"Taking part in theChampionships wasthe most nerve-wracking thing I'veever done, but I

really enjoyed it andI'm delighted tohave won. I've beenoverwhelmed by thereaction everyone's

been having to mywinning. Everyone - my

husband Paul, family,friends and workmates -have all been very excitedfor me. It's been lovely."

Ruth's boss, Dr AndrewPower said: "I can speak forall Ruth's colleagues in theMedicines ManagementTeam in saying how delightedI was to hear of her successin becoming World Championin Tang Soo Do. A moremodest and self effacingWorld Champion you areunlikely to meet. Ruth's

success is due to dedication totraining in a martial art that sheclearly has a great talent for.Fortunately she is also unusual inelite sportsmanship in that sheactively enjoys training itself andnot just the 'big match.' We areall looking forward to her furthersuccess in 2007."

So how did the former mathsteacher end up being a worldchampion in martial arts?

At the tender age of 14, Ruthwas persuaded to go along to herlocal Tang Soo Do lessons by aclose friend. She loved it somuch, she continued to practiseher art until 1995 when she hadto give it up because of work andother commitments.

Ruth started working forNHSGG three years ago afterworking as a maths teacher inGateshead and studying for anMSc in Operational Research.Based at the PCD HQ atGartnavel, her job involves dataanalysis for the MedicinesManagement Team, includinglooking at general prescribingtrends and prescribing data.

She had been in the job for ayear when she decided to take upTang Soo Do again afterdiscovering there were classes atthe Kelvin Hall in Glasgow.

She said: "Tang Soo Do is anancient Korean martial art of selfdefence. During training there isno contact and we don't useweapons. It's quite skilful. We dofight and block, but the ideabehind it is to stop the punch orkick about an inch away fromyour opponent."

Ruth also does hyung which is

9

Looking for an easy way

to start a savings

account or to obtain a

loan? Then why not join the

West of Scotland NHS

Employee Credit Union?

A financial cooperative, owned

and controlled by its members, the

Credit Union is easy to join and

open to all NHS employees

working in the West of Scotland.

Some benefits of joining the

Credit Union include:• Savings are made easy with payroll deduction;• Dividend Paid on Savings;• Loans are tailored to meet the needs of the individual and terms are flexible;• Loans at reasonable rates of interest;• Free life insurance on savings & loans (at no extra cost to the member);• No hidden charges or fees;• The Financial Services

Authority regulates Credit Unions:and • Members have access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

How to Join?For more information or amembership application packcall the Credit Union office on0141 886 7246, alternativelyyou can download a form fromtheir website:www.nhscreditunion.com

he TrophiesFocus on Ruth Edwards

An Easy Way to Save

the Tang Soo Do equivalent of

kata - an exercise demonstrating

the specific movements of a

martial art. She trains three to

four times a week, going up to

five or six times in the lead up to

competition. As well as this

punishing schedule, she also finds

time to fit in going to the gym

and climbing mountains.

She said: "I really enjoy Tang

Soo Do. It's very physical and

demanding, but really great to

take part in. I'd recommend it to

anyone."

Interested in Tang Soo Do?: • pop along to the classes atKelvin Hall Sports Arena,Glasgow on a Tuesday nightbetween 8pm and 9.30pm or • contact the United KingdomTang Soo Do Federation on07816 571346 or go to theirwebsite: www.uktsdf.org.uk

When CaringBecomes Too Much

10

Carers

tandem with other commitments.Shona said: "NHSGG has

carers policies in operation. Thereare ways in which we can helpstaff, but some people don't liketo approach their managerbecause they're not sure what theresponse will be. Fortunately, staffwho tell me they've enquiredabout the support available tothem have also said that theywere made to feel quitecomfortable about doing so."

So what help is available? Youcan ask for a copy of yourdivisional carers policy or get itfrom the intranet. The policy willgive you details on the type ofhelp you can ask for. For instance,it might include information aboutrequesting paid or unpaid leave,

demands of work and home."Asked to define a carer, Shona

said that, for practical purposes,the profile was generally brokendown into three groups:

• A Carer is someone wholooks after a partner, relative orfriend who cannot manage withouthelp because of illness, frailty ordisability. They may or may notlive together.

• A Young Carer is a youngperson up to the age of 18 whoprovides care and support for afamily member who is affected bychronic illness or disability.

• A Parent Carer is a parent ofa disabled child or young person.

While many Carers look afterpeople on a full-time basis, othersdo so for part of the time in

The job of NHS staff is tocare for others. Whetheryou work in a hospital or

go out to visit people, the aimis to look after those who aresick or frail.

For many the job doesn't stopwhen we go home - families needlooking after too and for some ofus this can bring real pressure tobear in trying to divide time andenergy in order to care for a sickchild or elderly relative.

Shona MacInnes is NHSGG'sCarers Co-ordinator, the only postof its kind in Scotland.

She said: "We are aware that,just as with any otherorganisation, some of us arecarers at home too with all thatentails in juggling the conflicting

11

Willow Foundation

being given time off inemergencies and having time offto accompany the person you carefor to hospital appointments.

A member of staff whorecently accessed one of thedivisional carers policies told StaffNews: "I explained my situation tomy manager and we agreed anarrangement to allow me sometime off to carry out my caringduties. I was happy with theoutcome of that.

"My concern, though, was thatI didn't ask at the time about howmany people the informationwould be passed to, what level ofdetail they would have and whowould be able to access it. It canbe difficult for carers to talk abouttheir situation and there are somecircumstances you'd prefer not toshare with others."

Helen Ostrycharz, Director ofHR for the Yorkhill Division, washappy to provide that reassurance.

She said: "Personalinformation discussed as part ofan application for Carers Leave isdefinitely on a "need-to-know"basis. Normally the only otherswho need access to anythingpersonal will be the managergranting the leave, usually inconjunction with an HR managergiving advice on the application ofthe policy. There may be otherssuch as immediate supervisors orwork colleagues who will need toknow only that a planned absencehas been agreed so thatarrangements can be made tocover the workload."Other types of help availableincludes:• an Information and SupportLine - 0141 353 6504 ore.mailcarersupportline@crossroads-scotland.co.uk.• and several leaflets.

Wish grantingcharity withnational ambitions

AUK-wide charity whichorganises special daysout for seriously ill young

adults aged between 16-40years is appealing to NHSGreater Glasgow staff tonominate patients to enjoy anouting of their choice.

The Willow Foundation waslaunched in 1999 by formerScotland and Arsenal goalkeeperturned TV presenter, Bob Wilson,and his wife Megs.

It was founded in memory oftheir daughter Anna, who died aged31 the previous year from a rareform of cancer.

As part of a national awarenesscampaign in October, the charity isvisiting Glasgow WesternInfirmary's Function Suite (besidethe canteen) on Wednesday,October 5, between 12 noon and 2pm, with presentations at 12.30and 1.30 pm.

Members of the Willow team,including Bob and Megs, will bethere to explain the charity's workin more detail.

The Foundation definesseriously ill as any condition that islife threatening.

Special days have includedeverything from tandem sky diving,HGV driving and flights inmicrolights, to family trips to atheme park or a London show.

The charity relies heavily onmedical staff recommending itsservice to their patients. If you can't make it along, youcan still recommend a patient.Contact the charity at:tel - 01707 259777;email -info@willowfoundation.org.uk;website -www.willowfoundation.org.uk

Bob Wilson with his daughter Anna

AHPs PlayImportantRole Too

12

Focus on AHP’s

Allied HealthProfessionals (AHPs)play an important role

within NHSGG - helping to cutwaiting lists, taking on moreand greater responsibilities.

However, although they are allgrouped under the one name,there is no such thing as the AHPprofession. Instead, there are anumber of professions and they allprovide very different services.

A number of AHPs arerepresented on the Area PartnershipForum - Dieticians, Podiatrists,Occupational Therapists,Radiologists and Physiotherapists -and each of these and the otherAHP professions have their ownprofessional structure.

With the reorganisation andmodernisation of Glasgow's healthservices, some AHPs have raisedconcerns about the effect this willhave on how they work and the

input they will have into majordecisions affecting them.

For instance, with thedevelopment of Community HealthPartnerships (CHPs), the proposedstructure of the new organisationsmeans there will be one AHP leadfor each CHP. In other words, all theAHPs working within that CHP willbe represented on its managementcommittee by one person - someonewho may be in a completelydifferent speciality.

Martin works through a physiotherapy routine with a patient.

13

Focus on AHP’s

Caroline Fee, who represents theSociety of Chiropodists andPodiatrists on the Area PartnershipForum, highlighted some of theissues.

She said: "AHPs have beensaying for a long time that thereneeds to be more awareness of thedifferences between the professions.AHPs have real concerns over thepracticality of one person speakingfor such a number of diverseprofessions. There is another issuein that some AHPs may be placed inteams led by a manager with noprofessional leadershipaccountability for their profession.We need to look at the implicationsof this and AHP staffrepresentatives have met withNHSGG's Chief Executive andDirector of Planning and CommunityCare in order to raise these andother issues."

Catriona Renfrew, Director ofPlanning and Community Care, said:"This was a really positive,productive meeting and we wereable to address a number of theissues raised by the AHPs. Werecognise the critical role they playin direct patient care as well as indriving service change andinnovation. Our new organisationaims to strengthen the influence androle of AHPs, through the creation ofCHPs, and the new Rehabilitationand Assessment Directorate, whichwill bring together dietitians,physios, OT, speech and languagetherapists and podiatrists workingacross the acute services."

So what are the differentprofessions who come under theAHP banner? Over the comingissues, Staff News will be taking acloser look at the work of AHPs,starting with the acutephysiotherapist......

Martin Yorston has been aphysiotherapist for three yearsworking in Stobhill and the RoyalInfirmary.

He said: "We go through 27different rotations - including Out-Patients and I like the variety andscope of that, but I enjoy working inthe Acute wards.

"I'm in Surgical in the HighDependency Unit, so many of thepatients have respiratory problems.There's a lot of chest physiotherapy.Many patients are immediately post-surgery so we have the complicationof healing wounds, the fact that theyare generally not mobile and we

Members of the Allied Health Professions, such as the podiatrist below,provide a valuable service in our hospitals and in the community.

as physios we work in such anindividual way and designtreatments for patients that won’taffect the healing process.

"That's why it's so important toliase with nursing staff and beaware of any changes you may needto take into account.

"The other side of that is themost rewarding aspect of the job -when you can see the effect of whatyou do and actually see peopleimprove and recover.Physiotherapists have made a realdifference in cutting waiting listsbecause of the number of newclinics and extended practitionerroles. I think the profession ismaking a more importantcontribution to the service all thetime."

have a fair amount of heavy movingand handling. They can be in here along time.

"I first got interested inphysiotherapy early on, at about 15,because I play rugby and thought I'dlike to get involved in the sportsside of things. Working in thehospital, though, I'm widening myexperience all the time and find thatI actually like the long-term contactwith patients.

"We're probably one of theprofessions that manages to havethe most sustained close interactionwith patients. It gives them time tolearn to trust you and the very closephysical contact helps with that.You get to know them and it letsyou make better decisions abouthow to treat them. That's probablythe biggest challenge for me - how

He's enjoyed some of thebest seats in the house atmany of Glasgow's biggest

music and sporting events, andit's all been part of his workingday as a GP.

Dr Eamonn Brankin is the city'sCo-ordinating Medical Officer forMajor Event Medicine together withhis team of NHS Greater Glasgowstaff, or as he describes it: "I'm therock and roll doctor!"

Events can range from 10,000REM fans at Glasgow Green, to thePollok Family Fun Weekend and theG8 summit at Gleneagles.

At various times since 1990,when Dr Brankin took up the post,he has also looked after stars suchas U2, Oasis, The Corrs, RodStewart and Eminem.

The team has also worked duringGlasgow's Hogmanay party to treatover-enthusiastic revellers who haveinjured themselves.

His expertise in sports medicinehas led him to covering footballfixtures ranging from Albion Roversand Celtic to the Champions LeagueFinal at Hampden Park two yearsago.

The decision to create eventdoctors was taken following theHillsborough football stadiumdisaster.

Before an event, the team drawup a list of staff and resourcesbased on crowd numbers andpotential risk.

Generally staff treat dislocatedshoulders, sunstroke, head wounds,asthmatic attacks and epilepticseizures.

More serious injuries are treatedimmediately at the event, beforepatients are taken to hospital by theScottish Ambulance Service.

Dr Brankin said: "The ethos isthat we try to deal with anythingthat comes along on site, to

minimise the impact on Accidentand Emergency departments."

The specialities involved caninclude GPs, consultant surgeons,nurses, and anaesthetists.

"We have an event medicalcentre if there was to be a majorincident," explained Dr Brankin,"and that would become a MASHtype unit. We would deal with whatwe can on site and then referpatients appropriately."

Dr Brankin is one of the fewdoctors to have a Diploma inImmediate Care from the RoyalCollege of Surgeons, is a foundermember of the Academy ofImmediate Medical Care, has aDiploma in forensic medicine, aswell as his background in acute careand as a GP.

He added: "I'm lucky to beworking with a very good team ofclinicians across NHSGG."

The Doc Rocks!

14

Dr Brankin treats an injured piper at the recent World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

Events

15

NHSGG IN THE MEDIAThe Communications

Department have hadanother busy two months

on the media front with NHSGGregularly making the headlines.There have, as usual, beensome controversial stories andalso some successes in gettingthe word out on positiveexamples of the services weprovide.

Here we take a look at some of thebig stories they have handled recently.

In July, new bed modelling proposalswere put to the NHSGG Board. Threedifferent bed model options were putforward which would see an overalldecrease in the number of inpatientsbeds between around 175 and 300.While the media did report on thepotential bed losses the Press Deskensured that what could have been avery negative media story was balancedby highlighting that the bed modellingproposals also proposed radical new re-designs which opened up excellentpossibilities for patient care in thefuture.

New bed modellingproposals

In July, the department's PressDesk managed some intense mediarelations around the issue of AvailabilityStatus Codes (ASC). As the largestBoard in Scotland with the highestnumber of patients with an ASC, NHSGGattracted much attention when the SNPreleased new figures to the media. Avariety of patient experiences werehighlighted throughout the national

Availability Status Codes

media however the Press Desk workedhard to stress that given the size andscope of the complex tertiary surgicalwork carried out in NHSGG the numberof patients with an ASC tends to behigher. It was also pointed out that thenumber of patients with an ASC isreducing and that more than 80% ofASC codes in NHSGG are patient driven.The Press Desk therefore did manage toachieve some successes in turningcoverage around.

Focus on the West ofScotland Oral andMaxillofacial Unit

In early August, the Press Desktook the opportunity to promote thework of the West of Scotland Oral andMaxillofacial Unit, based at theSouthern. An exclusive look inside theunit, which creates new faces and bodyparts for those who have beendisfigured as a result of illnesses andinjuries, was offered to the EveningTimes. The paper was given full accessto the Unit and met with staff andpatients - the result was an excellentfront-page piece plus a double pagespread inside the paper.

In late July, the Press Desk stageda very successful media launch ofBabycam - a new hi-tech two-waycamera allowing mothers confined tobed to keep an eye on their babies inthe Princess Royal Maternity's SpecialCare Unit. Excellent coverage wasachieved on STV, BBC TV and radio, allmajor radio stations plus an excellentspread in the Scotsman, Evening Timesand other print media.

Launch of Babycam

Scottish Heart TransplantUnit

In response to false claims in aSunday newspaper that the ScottishHeart Transplant Unit based at GRImay be closed down, the Press Deskworked out-of-hours over a weekendto strongly refute the story and setthe record straight.

It was stressed that, contrary toany suggestion of closure, the remitof the national unit is currently beingexpanded to form a National Centrefor the Treatment of Advanced HeartFailure (NCTAHF) so that moreservices, including alternatives toheart transplantation, can be offered.

As a result the Evening Times rana story the following day reassuringthe public that NHSGG was in no wayplanning to close the unit.

What’s Been Happening In The Press

16

Health Awards/Internet Questionnaire

Staff NewsWritten by staff for staff with the full support of the Partnership Forum.

If you’d like to sendan article, letterphotograph orcomment to us

Send them viaour newemail address:staffnews@nhsgg.org.uk

Send them to:Olivia Cornacchia, Staff News,NHS Greater Glasgow, Dalian House,350 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G3 8YZ.>>>

OR >>>

Got a moment?Have you been on StaffNet Communications yet? If not, youshould have! StaffNet Communications is the new intranetsite for all of NHSGG's 33,000 staff and is the forerunner tothe currently-under-development full version of StaffNet. Recently, most of you will have noticed that your defaulthomepage on your Web browser had changed, so that eachtime you open it, StaffNet Communications appears. If thishasn't happened to you yet, don't worry, you can stillaccess it via http://staffnetcomms (just click the link ifyou're viewing a live version of StaffNews, or type the

address into Internet Explorer if you're reading the printedversion).Through all these new changes, it's important to know justwhat staff's opinions and expectations are, so we would bevery grateful if you could spare a minute or so filling in ourmini-survey. Once finished, please return it to us throughinternal mail:Staff News, Communications Department, NHS GreaterGlasgow, 3 West, Dalian House, 350 St Vincent StreetGLASGOW G3 8YT.

Does StaffNet Communications openup as your default homepage when yourun Internet Explorer?

Yes / No / Not sure

Do you find StaffNet Communicationsa useful tool for finding out what'sgoing on in NHSGG?

Yes / No / Maybe

Would you like to see additionalfeatures added, such as a generalannouncements page?

Yes / No / Maybe

Have you had any problems accessingStaffNet Communications?

Yes / No

If so, did you log a call with theHelpdesk?

Yes / NoDo you have any comments you'd liketo make about StaffNet or do you haveany ideas about how you'd like to seeStaffNet developed?

Please write them in the spaceprovided…

Nominate a colleagueDo you know a healing

hero? That's thequestion being asked by

the Scottish Exec's HealthDepartment and the DailyRecord as they launch thisyear's Scottish HealthAwards.

Once again, they want you tonominate colleagues whom youfeel have gone that extra mile ormade a real difference in theirjob.

And there's prizes totalling£25,000 to be picked up by thewinning nominees.

Last year, Dr Richard Groden,a GP at Tollcross Medical Centreand Board member, won theDoctors award; Jake McGinness,a mental health charge nurse atParkhead Hospital, received theaward for the Nurses category;

and the Health Improvement Teamfrom the Forensic Directorate atLeverndale Hospital,won theMental Health Team Award.

Ian Reid, NHSGG's HRDirector, urged staff to nominatetheir colleagues: "This is a greatchance for staff to be recognisedfor the commitment and care theygive our patients. There arehundreds of examples of membersof staff who give that wee bitextra to make a real difference topatient care. If you knowsomeone who fits this description,then why not nominate them for aHealth Award?"Information and nominationforms: 08000 272824 orwww.cci.scot.nhs.ukNomination forms must becompleted and submitted byFriday, September 16, 2005.

Please circle your answer as appropriate. ✃Comments:

Any member of staff can be nominatedAny member of staff can be nominated