Chief Officers Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 25 May 2022
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 25 May 2022 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: 5 Date of Meeting: 25 May 2022 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 In my Chief Officers report it gives me great pleasure to highlight staff achievements and where we work across the partnership to think about how we do things in future and learn a little from each of our different disciplines. It’s also an opportunity for me to communicate directly with the public in Argyll & Bute, summarising some of the opportunities in developing health and social care services for the future. Strategic Plan 2022-2025 In this meeting of the Board we present the Strategic Plan of the Integration Joint Board which will set out our course for the next three years based on our national guidance, our population and in consultation with our communities. Together with the Joint Commissioning Plan presented at the March 2022 IJB this will provide the direction and support how we plan and deliver services. National Care Service The National Care Service is likely to be the biggest change in our health and social care services since the National Health Service and is a hugely exciting time in terms of our ambitions for quality services in our urban, remote and island communities. I’ll be thinking a lot about how I can best communicate this through the Chief Officers report in future and through our local structures now we are moving into a different phase of the pandemic. Deputy Chief Officer and Associate Director of Public Health Our Deputy Chief Officer George Morrison will be retiring this month after 42 years of public service. Coming into the Chief Officers role George has been invaluable both in his experience and as a supportive colleague. He will be much missed.
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2 Our esteemed colleague Dr Nicola Schinaia will also be moving to another post within NHS Highland. Nicola has provided his epidemiological expertise guiding us through the pandemic but is also known for his kindness and support to colleagues. We will be recruiting initially on a temporary basis to the Associate Director of Public Health for a three month period prior to permanent recruitment and recruiting on a permanent basis for the Depute Chief Officer through the standard external process. COVID-19 Update The Scottish Government recently implemented significant changes to COVID- 19 guidance and all remaining rules and restrictions are no longer part of legislation. We would however remind the public that COVID-19 has not gone away and we would encourage everyone to help protect themselves and others by following the most recent public health advice which can be accessed at www.nhsinform.scot Up to date information on COVID-19 in Argyll & Bute is available in the Associate Director of Public Health’s Report to the IJB. We would like to thank everyone across Argyll and Bute for their commitment over the last two years to following the appropriate guidance and keeping their communities as safe as possible. I’d like to offer my thanks to our staff teams for their continued commitment to delivering care in our hospitals and communities. Rethinking Remote Conference I recently attended the Rethinking Remote Conference which was held at the end of April. This conference provides an opportunity for health and social care professionals to share information, ideas, research, and solutions and provides a showcase for the sharing of practical initiatives that are already making a difference to the health and wellbeing of remote and rural communities. Lorn & Islands Hospital Macmillan Day Bed Unit The official opening of the Lorn & Islands Hospital Macmillan Day Bed Unit was held on Friday 29 April and we would like to thank everyone who came along on the day as well as our staff and our colleagues from Macmillan who have been involved in the overall project. This welcome investment in the Day Bed Unit will build on the support and treatment for those living with cancer and will mean that additional treatments can be provided locally which will reduce the number of patients needing to travel further afield to get the treatment that they need.
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3 The refurbishment has also created a more spacious and comfortable treatment area for patients and staff with a warm and welcoming reception and waiting area for patients and their families as well as a private area for consultations. Midwifery Practice Education Facilitator Charlotte Morbey has recently taken up the role as Midwifery Practice Education Facilitator for the HSCP. As part of her role she links in with a range of higher education institutions and works closely with Midwife Supervisors to help midwifery students gain invaluable experience while on placement. During their placements the students are involved in a variety of different areas of midwifery including antenatal and postnatal visits, pregnancy screening, hypnobirthing support and perinatal mental health support. The feedback from the students on placement has been very positive and they have been really pleased with the welcome and support they received locally from staff and delighted that they are able to put into practice the skills they have been learning on their course. Argyll and Bute Council Transition and Induction Plan Senior HSCP Managers, including the Chief Officer, will be participating with colleagues in Argyll and Bute Council in the Council’s Transition and Induction Plan for elected members that will be implemented following the local authority elections on 5 May. NHS Scotland Event 2022 The annual NHS Scotland Event will take place this year from 21-22 June in Aberdeen. This Event provides an opportunity for people working in health and social care to come together to discuss the challenges, to share best practice and innovative approaches to delivering the highest quality of care. This year’s Event will focus on the journey ahead to recover from the effects and challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic and will look at how we address these challenges by focusing on our priorities and building on our successes. One element of the Event every year is the submission of posters from staff highlighting aspects of work they are undertaking as part of their role. A number of these posters are shortlisted for showcasing at the event and on behalf of Argyll & Bute I will be participating in the judging.