Chief Officer Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 27 September 2023
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 27 September 2023 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 Agenda item: Date of Meeting: 27 September 2023 Title of Report: Chief Officer Report Presented by: Fiona Davies, Chief Officer The Integration Joint Board is asked to: Note the following report from the Chief Officer Introduction I would like to welcome you to my Chief Officer Report for September 2023 and as usual I would be delighted to receive feedback on my report and how we can develop it further to ensure that it continues to reflect the wide range of work that is taking place across the organisation. In this month’s report I have included some information about a new and exciting Living Well Programme which will focus on supporting and empowering people to identify and implement personalised strategies to help improve their physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing. This is a really positive and welcome development and it will be available next year. I had the pleasure at the end of August to welcome NHS Scotland’s Chief Executive and Director General for Health and Social Care, Caroline Lamb, to Cowal Community Hospital. It was great to show her around the hospital and introduce her to health and social care colleagues from across a range of specialties. My thanks go to all our staff in Cowal and to Caroline for what was a really positive day. In August I also attended a number of Scottish Government led events including a Winter Summit event in Glasgow to discuss the Winter Plan for 2023/24 and I also attended the Scottish Government Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce Group in my role as the representative for the national Chief Officers Group. Both of these events were extremely informative and I have included further details in my report. I have also included a number of updates from the Scottish Government on some of the key policy decisions that are taking place at a national level and this month this includes information on alcohol specific deaths and the latest guidance on COVID- 19 testing.
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2 Finally, I have included in my report a lovely letter that we received from a student occupational therapist about their time training in Mid Argyll and the wonderful support and guidance they received from our staff. We really do have a great team of health and social colleagues in Argyll and Bute and thank you to you all for everything you do. Thank you once again for taking the time to read the report. HSCP Updates Living Well Programme A new and exciting Living Well programme, to help people in our communities live the best lives they can is being planned, and will be available early next year. The programme will offer differing levels of support, dependent on need, and will be focused on supporting and empowering people to identify and implement personalised strategies to help improve their physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing. Services will range from one-to-one support from specialist rehabilitation support workers, working within NHS physio departments, to locally based wellbeing support workers, offering one-to-one support and a group based programme focused on empowering people to identify and make changes to improve their quality of life. Finally the programme will seek to support and build upon existing health and wellbeing opportunities within each locality, with the vision of helping our communities to be environments where people support each other to thrive. The intention is to have wellbeing support workers in Helensburgh, Dunoon, Oban, Rothesay, Campbeltown and Mid-Argyll, as well as looking to extend support to our Island communities. The Living Well Programme is being developed by the Living Well Board (a merger of the previously named Prevention Board and the Public Health Living Well Board). The programme currently has funding from the HSCP, Macmillan Cancer Care, and Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface. The programme is working closely with local partners Live Argyll & Lorn Healthy Options in local delivery. The Living Well Board has a wide membership with representation from many organisations, all working together towards the vision of people in Argyll and Bute living longer, and healthier, independent lives. NHS Scotland Chief Executive Visit to Argyll and Bute We were delighted to welcome NHS Scotland’s Chief Executive and Director General for Health and Social Care, Caroline Lamb, to Cowal Community Hospital in Dunoon on 25 August. It was great to be able to show Caroline around the hospital and introduce her to health and social care colleagues. During the visit Caroline spoke to a number of
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3 colleagues including from our Adult Social Work Team, Extended Community Care Team and Mental Health Team and she learned about how teams work together to effectively deliver a high standard of health and social care service for the people of the Cowal Peninsula. The Chief Officer and Caroline also discussed the strong focus on integrated locality working that is built upon the Integration Joint Board Strategic Plan along with the challenges that the HSCP faces. A great day was had by all, with plenty of useful discussions, and colleagues from Cowal Community Hospital and the local community services got to showcase their excellent way of working. Winter Summit Event The Chief Officer, along with a number of other representatives from the HSCP, attended a Scottish Government Winter Summit Event which was held in Glasgow on 22 August. The event drew together colleagues from health, social care, COSLA and Scottish Government to discuss and share work underway across the health and social care system as the Scottish Government looked to finalise the plan for Winter 2023/24. Scottish Government Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce Group The Chief Officer attends the Scottish Government Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce Group as a representative for the national Chief Officers Group. She attended the most recent meeting of the Group which was held at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank on 28 August. The Group has been set up to improve working conditions for nurses and boost workforce numbers. Chaired by the Health Secretary, it includes recognised nursing and midwifery workforce experts, alongside academia, NHS and Scottish Government representatives. The Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives will also be represented, among others. Further information is available here. NHS Highland Whistleblowing Champion Visit Bert Donald, NHS Highland’s Whistleblowing Champion, will be in Oban on 11 October. There will be an opportunity for staff to meet with Bert, both individually and in teams and there will a communication to staff nearer the time to provide further details. Meeting with Scottish Government Representatives from the HSCP, including the Chief Officer and a number of senior managers, met with Scottish Government officials on 6 September as part of a national focus on enhancing the relationships between Chief Officers and members
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4 of the Scottish Government’s Social Care and National Care Service Development Directorate Service Updates Scottish Ambulance Services on Islay The Chief Officer visited Islay on 18 August to represent the HSCP at a meeting with Islay Connections Group and the Scottish Ambulance Service. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues with SAS services on the island. The Chief Officer will maintain communication with the SAS and the HSCP’s Head of Strategic Planning will be the HSCP’s point of contact for the Islay Connections Group. Recruitment Marketing Campaign The Senior Leadership Team agreed earlier this year to a number of recruitment marketing proposals that it was hoped would assist with HSCP recruitment across both the health and social care sector. These proposals included working with the Argyll and Bute Council communications team to further develop and promote the abplace2b.scot website (view here) which had been developed to showcase the area as an attractive location to live and work. A separate HSCP recruitment page has now been created on this website and you can view it here One of the other elements of the campaign was to create and design advertising posters that would be displayed on CalMac Ferries and terminals on four key ferry routes in Argyll and Bute that have high passenger numbers. These adverts, which are targeted at both residents and visitors, have the strapline: (‘Care to join us?’) and are now on display on the following routes: Gourock – Dunoon Wemyss Bay – Rothesay Oban – Craignure Kennacraig – Port Ellen National Updates Slight Rise in Alcohol-Specific Deaths More work is required on reducing alcohol-related harm, Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham has said. Ms Whitham reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s focus on measures to tackle alcohol abuse, as the latest statistics show a small rise in deaths caused by alcohol. The figures, published by National Records of Scotland, found that there were 1,276 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland in 2022 – an increase of 2% (31) on
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5 2021. Female deaths rose by 31 to 440, with male deaths unchanged at 836. Further information is available here. COVID-19 Testing Guidance Update Routine COVID-19 testing in hospitals, care homes and prisons is to be substantially reduced following clinical and scientific advice. Due to the success of the vaccination programme and improved treatments, Public Health Scotland and Antimicrobial Resistance & Healthcare Associated Infection Scotland have recommended a return to pre-pandemic testing. Further information is available here. Record Medical Trainee Recruitment Levels More medical training posts have been accepted at this stage of the recruitment year than ever before – exceeding last year’s record by 100 posts. NHS Education for Scotland data as of 25 July 2023 shows that 1,061 posts have been filled so far this year from 1,137 advertised. Further information is available here. Good News Team Spotlight - Integrated Equipment Store The Integrated Equipment Store (IES) team are responsible for the distribution of a wide range of essential health and social care aids, adaptations, and equipment across Argyll and Bute. They also deliver and install disability and mobility aids and equipment to patients being discharged from hospital to help support them live independently and safer in their own homes or community settings. The team works closely with local Allied Health Professionals and Health and Social Care Community Care teams across Argyll and Bute, Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Inverclyde. Orders for equipment can be anything from Telecare Alarms to specialised clinical equipment. Requests for equipment are received directly through an internal digital management system and are then processed for delivery and installation. IES support staff arrange for the collection, decontamination, and recycling of various equipment and are also accountable for the maintenance and inventory management of all equipment. This includes working closely with external suppliers of equipment. The team make a real positive difference to the lives of the people using the service and it is an essential service that helps people successfully live happier, safer and for longer in their own home and community settings. You call view the full press release here.
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6 Staffing Updates Occupational Therapy Student We recently received some lovely comments from a student occupational therapist in relation to their training and support from colleagues at Mid Argyll Hospital and Integrated Care Centre and we have copied them below for information. Hello, my name is Cerys Baird and I am a studying a masters degree of occupational therapy at Robert Gordon University. I am currently in my final days of an eight week placement here at the Mid Argyll Community Hospital and Integrated Care Centre which will conclude my third year of studies and has granted a wealth of learning opportunities which will prove to be incredibly beneficial in my fourth and final year of studies. My journey into Occupational Therapy started here at the Mid-Argyll, where I was lucky enough to have a work experience placement in the Succoth ward prior to my studies, shadowing the Occupational Therapy team who inspired me to pursue a career in this incredibly rewarding role. I have now been lucky enough to return to the Mid Argyll as a student of Occupational Therapy, working in both the Succoth and Glenaray wards which has not only been rewarding in the rich learning opportunities that have been granted, but the opportunity to give back to my local community whom I hope to return to one day as a qualified practitioner. I would like to give thanks to the staff at the Mid-Argyll for their endless support and acceptance throughout this placement, and of course to the incredible Occupational Therapy team who have supported me through endless opportunities, helping me to learn and grow each day. New Public Health Intelligence Specialist We would like to welcome Saskia Schmitz who joined the HSCP as a Public Health Intelligence Specialist in July. Saskia, who is originally from Cologne in Germany, has a BSc in Medical Biology and an MSc in Public Health. She previously worked for the Public Health Agency of Lower Saxony in Northern Germany and in this role she focused on the distribution of infectious diseases that can be transmitted from rodents to humans and risk factors in different human populations. During that time she had the opportunity to present her work to various national and international conferences and publish findings for the scientific community. Saskia will support local projects for the Public Health team by collating, managing, analysing and interpreting data and information from a variety of sources and will work closely with the NHS Highland Health Intelligence team. Programme Development Manager – Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Strategy We would like to welcome James Crichton who joined the HSCP as a Programme Manager. James will lead the development of Argyll and Bute’s strategy for
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7 Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity and will work closely with a range of staff and stakeholders in the development of the strategy. The aim will be to reflect both local and Scottish Government priorities in the strategy and ensure the aims are both aspirational and achievable. James was a Registered Mental Health Nurse by profession and currently works part-time with NHS 24 as a mental health practitioner. He has worked in service improvement and senior management positions in a range of Health Boards across Scotland, including in Director and Chief Executive roles.