Chief Officer's Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 28 May 2025
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 28 May 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Integration Joint Board Date of Meeting: 28 May 2025 Title of Report: Chief Officer Report Presented by: Evan Beswick, Chief Officer The Integration Joint Board is asked to: • Note the following report from the Chief Officer Introduction I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my Chief Officer Report for May 2025. As per usual I have highlighted some of the good work that staff are carrying out on a daily basis across the HSCP to help the people of Argyll and Bute. I will outline this later in my report however firstly I wanted to start by detailing some of the major challenges that we are facing as an organisation. As I have previously described, one of the most pressing challenges is our current financial situation and we are not alone in this as it is a situation faced by many HSCPs across the country. We are having to operate within a budget that is continuing to reduce in real terms while we are facing increasing demands on our health and social care services. Our social work/social care services are under particular financial pressure and you will see today that the team within the HSCP is working hard and making difficult choices to manage this. In the papers for the IJB meeting this month there are proposals for a financial ‘recovery plan’ for these services. At the same time, however, we are looking forward to the future of these services. They are such an important part of our health and social care system but demographic, workforce and financial changes mean it is becoming more difficult to deliver them. We are therefore looking into how we can make them more efficient while still delivering a high standard of care for the people who use them. It’s important that we understand and communicate the impact of the changes we are making to social care, which will involve targeting resources at the most vulnerable, focussing on people’s individual circumstances (i.e. what they can do, rather than what they can’t), and ensuring our processes for assessment and commissioning are as good as they can be. Our local teams are also looking at how we can help individuals utilise other support mechanisms that may be available to them such as carers centres, maximising any benefits that may be available and
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2 working with families to provide them with guidance and support in relation to caring for their relatives. We need to be transparent that the changes we are making will impact the way people experience our care and the amount of it some people are able to access. We must always ensure that we deliver on our statutory obligations. I was able to see some of this work in action when I visited Bute last month. It was a privilege to join staff and service users in the Learning Disabilities day centre, where I learned about some of the ways in which the centre supports individuals and their families to live their lives independently. I heard from the staff about their commitment to changing traditional and institutional approaches to care, which focus on service dependence, to models which support and bolster individual autonomy and assets. This is matched with a rigorous approach to ensuring management efficiencies and standard processes. I also met with community teams based in the Victoria Hospital Annexe and heard about the holistic approach to care, and the clear ambition to work across professional and organisational boundaries to provide the best care within the resources we have available. Our new strategic plan, now under development, will draw upon the best of these examples. We also need to think differently about how we organise ourselves as an HSCP and one potential area that we are engaged with partners in is discussion around a ‘Single Authority Model’ (SAM) of integration, which might involve much closer public sector working in areas such as Argyll and Bute. NHS Highland have been working alongside Argyll and Bute Council as well as Orkney and the Western Isles to explore innovative options for the public sector. This includes considering different options for the scope of a SAM, taking into account ‘parameters’ that will be set by the Scottish Government in relation to what must be retained in terms of NHS identity, governance and accountability. I will continue to keep you updated on this issue as we move forward. I also wanted to highlight that there have been a significant number of changes within our Senior Leadership Team recently due to staff moving on or retiring and while it is heartening to see colleagues develop and build their career path further, it does lead to SLT having a number of interim posts at the moment. I am working closely with the team to recruit to more permanent positions to provide SLT with a more stable structure moving forward. On 30 April I was delighted to hold our first stakeholder briefing session with elected members to discuss the challenges facing the HSCP and also outline some of the good work being implemented by our staff. I would like to thank those individuals who attended on the day and the many others, who were unable to attend, but who did contact me separately with their own queries. These briefing sessions will be arranged on a regular basis. I was also really pleased that the Bairns Hoose in Argyll and Bute opened on 6 May 2025 with the first child interview taking place the following week. This is an exemplary environment for children involved in the child protection system to both be interviewed and to receive support in their recovery from trauma. The opening was supported by staff from the core partners of Police, Social Work, Health and Education. We were also delighted to host a visit from Jenni Minto MSP, the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, along with the Chief Midwifery Officer for Scotland,
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3 Justine Craig, and Jaki Lambert, the Director of the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland. It was a privilege to showcase our community midwifery unit in Dunoon and our fantastic staff and highlight the exceptional continuity of care provided. Moving on to the body of my report I would firstly like to highlight the COVID-19 spring vaccination programme which is taking place at the moment and I would urge everyone offered a vaccine to come forward, get vaccinated and stay protected. This year’s vaccination programme is focused on protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 including older adults in care homes, people aged 75 and over, and those with a weakened immune system. I was delighted to see that a number of staff from Argyll and Bute were recognised for the work they are doing within their local communities by winning an NHS Highland VIP Award. More details are available further down my report and my congratulations go to each of them for this well-deserved acknowledgment of their work. I have also included details of grants from NHS Highland’s Screening Inequalities Fund that were awarded to various third sector organisations across Argyll and Bute. These grants are to help improve access and uptake of the various national screening programmes and will especially target groups who are less likely to take part in screening. Information on the various third sector organisations and the excellent work they are carrying out are included in the body of my report. Another really excellent piece of work is the bespoke training course developed by the University of the Highlands and Islands for Care Homes in Argyll and Bute. This course, which was specifically designed for use in care settings, gives an initial qualification to members of staff with limited or no prior experience of planning and delivering training. This course demonstrates real collaborative working to address the issue of remote and rural access to training and aiming to ensure equity for all. As per usual I have also included in the National Updates section information on some of the recent announcements from the Scottish Government and there are also web links where you can find out more details of these announcements. Finally, I would like to thank Fiona Duff who was our interim Head of Primary Care and who retired at the beginning of April. Primary Care is absolutely pivotal if we are to achieve any of our aims around supporting the health, wellbeing and aspirations of our population and Fiona brought her decades of experience to this end and I’m extremely grateful to her for doing that. She has made a huge contribution in her relatively short time in post in Argyll and Bute and I wish her well for her retirement. Thank you once again for taking the time to read my report and please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or suggestions for inclusion in future reports. HSCP Updates Elected Member Briefing Sessions We held an online briefing session for elected members (both councillors and MSPs were invited) on Wednesday 30 April where myself, and a number of my Senior
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4 Officers, discussed some of the key issues facing the HSCP over the coming year. Central among these was our current financial situation where it has been more challenging than ever before to develop and present a budget and to operate within resources that are reducing in real terms with increasing demands for health and care services. In our invitation to elected members we included a stakeholder briefing which provided information on the HSCP and how we deliver our services across Argyll and Bute. It also outlined more details on our challenges, the changes that we are making as an organisation and our current priorities. We are planning to hold further briefing sessions and issue further stakeholder briefings on a regular basis throughout the year. Ministerial Visit to Community Midwifery Unit in Dunoon On Friday 16 May 2025 we were delighted to host a visit from Jenni Minto MSP, the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, along with the Chief Midwifery Officer for Scotland, Justine Craig, and Jaki Lambert, the Director of the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland. It was a privilege to showcase our community midwifery unit in Dunoon and our fantastic staff and highlight the exceptional continuity of care provided throughout Argyll and Bute. During the visit we were joined by several local mothers, and their babies, who shared their experiences and emphasised the support they received. Blarbuie Woodland Walk Appeal The HSCP has been seeking community support to maintain a key local asset - the Blarbuie Woodland Walk in Lochgilphead. While this site does not fall under HSCP services, we understand its significance to local walkers. Throughout the years, the site has been managed and developed by local groups and organisations; however, their departure has led to challenges in maintenance. To uphold public safety, the HSCP is responsible for mitigating risks and ultimately dismantling any unsafe structures on the site. After reaching out to the local community we had a small number of individual members of the public express an interest and we will be holding a meeting with them in the near future to discuss whether it would be feasible for them to assist us in taking over the management of the woodland. COVID-19 Spring Vaccination Programme We would urge everyone offered a COVID-19 vaccine to come forward, get vaccinated and stay protected - because COVID-19 hasn’t disappeared. This year’s spring vaccination programme is focused on protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19. This includes older adults in care homes, people aged 75 and over, and those with a weakened immune system, as they are at greater risk of illness from COVID-19.
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5 If you’re invited for your vaccination, it’s because experts know that your age or health condition mean you’re at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. You get your strongest protection from the vaccine in the first three months after getting it. Over time, this protection gradually fades so, even if you had your winter vaccination, it’s important to get another dose this spring to reinforce your immunity and help keep you safe. The spring vaccination programme runs from 31 March until 30 June 2025. If you’re eligible, you will be invited by letter, email or text message, depending on your selected communication preference. You can reschedule your appointment using the online portal or via the National Vaccination Helpline (0800 030 8013). More information is available at www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccine NHS Highland VIP Awards I would like to congratulate a number of staff members from Argyll and Bute who recently received an NHS Highland VIP Award for the work they are doing within their own communities. The most recent winners (April 2025) are as follows: Care and Compassion Category Caterina Orr, Healthcare Support Worker, Cowal Community Hospital Dignity and Respect Category Martina McNair, Patients’ Travel Payments Officer, Kilmory Castle Openness, Honesty and Responsibility Category Linda Gray, Practice Manager, Kilcreggan Health Centre The NHS Highland VIP (Values in Practice) Awards are a way to recognise, thank and celebrate the contributions of individuals and teams across NHS Highland. Public Sector Equality Duty The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have been undertaking a programme of Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) improvement work with Integration Joint Boards since 2022. As part of this work they recently carried out PSED compliance monitoring for Argyll and Bute in relation to a range of key information required by The Equality Act 2010. I am delighted to report that we have been formally informed by the EHRC that all the key information they require for the HSCP is available. The public sector equality duty (PSED) is a legal requirement for public authorities and organisations carrying out public functions. The purpose of the PSED is to make sure that public authorities and organisations carrying out public functions think about how they can improve society and promote equality in every aspect of their day-to-day business.
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6 Strategic Plan Our public, and indeed our staff, require us to plan for the future for health and social care services in Argyll and Bute. Accordingly, we are underway with the development of our next Strategic Plan for the HSCP. Our aim with this plan is to shift part of our focus away from delivering the same services we have always done, towards what we are doing to maximise the health outcomes and independence of people across Argyll and Bute. As part of the development of the Plan we will be engaging with the people who use our services, our staff, local communities and local stakeholders. New Heartstart Training Supervisor Jason Zuccarini has been appointed as the new Heartstart Training Supervisor for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and his responsibilities include working closely in partnership with the HSCP. Under Jason’s leadership, the programme aims to broaden its outreach, ensuring that more children and adults acquire essential skills for managing life-threatening emergencies. Jason is dedicated to volunteers, co-ordinators, community members and local businesses and is actively working alongside a committed team of volunteers to enhance the programme's reach throughout Argyll and Bute. Within Argyll and Bute we really value this programme and recognise the immense value of teaching life support skills. It has been a successful training initiative for over 27 years, thanks to the dedication and commitment of past and present Heartstart Supervisors and volunteer/Coordinators involved in delivering the courses. We would also like to express our gratitude to all the volunteers for their commitment and hard work. Heartstart is a programme designed to educate young people and adults on how to respond in life-threatening situations. The two-hour training session equips participants with essential skills, including recognising cardiac arrest, performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The training also covers basic emergency life support techniques, such as identifying heart attacks and dealing with choking incidents in adults, children and infants. Service Updates Screening Inequalities Grant Funding Lives are cut short by health inequalities resulting in people in some communities living shorter lives. Accessing screening programmes reduces deaths but research shows people living in the most deprived communities are least likely to take part in screening. To improve access and uptake and act against inequalities we have awarded a number of local third sector organisations with a grant from NHS Highland’s Screening Inequalities Fund. These partners will work within our local communities to reduce barriers and increase participation in screening programmes. This will
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7 empower community members to access screening. The projects awarded a grant are as follows: Jean’s Bothy hosted a community wellbeing festival with a focus on prevention of poor health and the importance of screening. Argyll Wellbeing Hub are raising awareness of screening by providing a monthly “Health and Wellbeing Day” and by holding a screening information session on a different topic following their Monday Wellbeing Walk. Oban’s Community Trust Rockfield Centre is aiming to use arts-based community engagement to increase knowledge of health screening programmes and their purpose with centre users. MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project) aim to produce screening information that is culturally appropriate to the Gypsy/Traveller Community and to cascade this through their networks and social media platforms. Kintyre Link Club is planning to deliver a community health project aimed at increasing awareness and participation in national screening programmes among under-served groups within the Kintyre area. International Day of the Midwife Monday 5 May 2025 was International Day of the Midwife and this year’s theme, Critical in Every Crisis, focused on the importance of good and safe midwifery care for women and babies through some of life’s most significant, and sometimes challenging, moments. We highlighted on our social media channels some of the amazing work that our midwives are carrying out across Argyll and Bute and we would like to thank them for the essential work they provide in our local communities on a daily basis. International Nurses Day International Nurses Day is observed every year on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The day is organised by the International Council of Nurses and serves to highlight the importance of nurses in the health and social care system, celebrating their dedication and hard work. We would like to thank all the nurses working across the HSCP for their dedication and the fantastic work they do every day for the people who use our services. Bairns Hoose Opening in Helensburgh Bairns’ Hoose is Scotland’s child-centred, trauma-informed approach to supporting children who have experienced abuse or harm. Inspired by the Icelandic Barnahus model (meaning “children’s house”), it aims to provide a safe, supportive, and integrated environment where children can receive justice, care, and recovery services under one roof.
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8 The Bairns Hoose in Argyll and Bute was opened on 6th May 2025 with the first child interview taking place the following week. There is now an exemplary environment for children involved in the child protection system to both be interviewed and to receive support in their recovery from trauma. The opening was supported by staff from the core partners of Police, Social Work, Health and Education. The crucial role by the Scottish Government in funding this development requires to be recognised. Grant funding has been received to support further Bairns Hoose developments over the next year. Focus will be on consolidating investigative practice, developing the recovery model and exploring how the service is further evolved to meet the needs of children. It is intended that West Dunbartonshire Council will also make use of our facilities in Helensburgh. National Updates NHS Pay Deal Agreed Nurses, midwives and other healthcare staff across Scotland have voted to accept an 8% pay increase, over two years, that will ensure they continue to be the best paid in the UK. The deal, which benefits almost 170,000 NHS Agenda for Change staff – including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others – guarantees the pay increase will be one percentage point above inflation over same period. Further information is available here. Progress in Clearing Longest Waits More than 105,500 appointments and procedures were delivered by health boards last year through an additional £30 million of targeted investment – exceeding a pledge to carry out 64,000 appointments by the end of March 2025. The funding was targeted at the longest waits and, as seen in latest published data, there have been reductions in waiting lists across a number of specialities. Further information is available here. Additional Funding for National Treatment Centre Highland Funding of £2.6 million will allow National Treatment Centre (NTC) Highland to deliver thousands of additional orthopaedic and ophthalmic operations every year. The additional investment – allocated from £200 million contained in the Budget to tackle waiting times, delayed discharge and improve hospital flow across the country – will support the recruitment of new nurses, anaesthetists and healthcare support workers. This is expected to allow the centre to carry out around 8,418 procedures in the coming year – a 67% increase on the 5,054 commissioned by the Scottish
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9 Government last year. The increase in capacity will deliver procedures for patients in NHS Highland, NHS Grampian, NHS Tayside and NHS Shetland. Further information is available here. Strengthening Scotland’s NHS Health Secretary Neil Gray has set out how the Scottish Government plans to improve access to treatment, reduce waiting times and shift the balance of care from hospitals to primary care through the publication of the Operational Improvement Plan. Through the additional £200 million investment contained in the Budget to reduce waiting times and improve flow through hospital, we will create 150,000 extra appointments and procedures using greater use of regional and national working. Further information is available here. News Care Home Course The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) attended a Colleges Scotland Parliamentary Reception in the Scottish Parliament on 29 April 2025 where they showcased the bespoke training course they developed for Care Homes in Argyll and Bute called 'Planning & Delivering Training'. The course, which was specifically designed for use in care settings, gives an initial qualification to those with limited or no prior experience of planning and delivering training. A number of care home staff are currently undertaking the course and four of them attended the Parliamentary Reception to share their learning experience. This course demonstrates real collaborative working to address the issue of remote and rural access to training and aiming to ensure equity for all. I would also like to highlight the amazing input from the UHI Team in working with Mary-Anne Douglas (Lead Nurse, Care Homes) and Julie Hodges (Scottish Care) particularly Margaret Eccles from UHI who has done a sensational job in supporting our students. The funding for the course was provided and supported by the Care Home Collaborative Group and a place was offered to every care home in Argyll and Bute. Staffing Updates Interim Head of Primary Care I would like to thank Fiona Duff who recently retired as Interim Head of Primary Care for the HSCP. Primary Care is absolutely pivotal if we are to achieve any of our aims around supporting the health, wellbeing and aspirations of our population. Realising that potential requires sustained respect, constructive dialogue and the creation of space for innovation between, in particular, our managed services and independent partners. Fiona brought her decades of experience to this end, and
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10 I’m extremely grateful to her for doing that and she has made a huge contribution in her relatively short time in post. I wish her well in her retirement. Recruitment processes have been taking place for a permanent Head of Primary Care. In the meantime, I will be a point of contact for Primary Care issues, working closely alongside Rebecca Helliwell, our Depute Medical Director.