Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter Issue 12 / Winter 2018 What s inside? 2. Dementia friendly walking group win awards 2. A Spooktacular Success! 3. Multiple Sclerosis Support Group 3. Our workforce is our greatest asset. 4. Digital Healthcare 6. Highbank celebrates 30 years 6. Moving safely together 7. National Occupational Therapy Week 8. Hot Topics 8. Connected and informed Volunteer Midlothian s award winning Dementia-friendly walking group. Welcome to our new Director Allister Short I am delighted to be appointed to the role of Director of Health and Social Care in Midlothian, having previously been Head of Primary Care and Older People s Services since 2014. In coming in to this post I am fortunate to have such a strong foundation to build upon from Eibhlin s significant contribution. Our workforce remains our greatest asset and this stretches beyond NHS Lothian and Midlothian Council staff to include the voluntary sector and the independent sector. Whilst we can debate about structures, the real difference we will make to the lives of people will be through our staff. Over the coming months we will be implementing our workforce plan and I am keen that we work with all partners to ensure we are well placed to deliver improved health and social care outcomes for our population. Whilst I have worked in Midlothian for nearly 4 years, I am still keen to meet with staff and hear first hand of the challenges and opportunities they face. In fact hearing from frontline staff about how they are transforming their services, working in partnership with colleagues from other services, is my favourite part of the job. I ve already met with Care Practitioners in Newbyres Care Home who are introducing new ways of working that deliver better outcomes for residents and help staff feel more valued. I have no doubt there are many other examples of good practice happening across health and social care services and I am eager to hear more about them. We have a programme of staff engagement sessions coming up which I am attending and I would encourage everyone to come so that I can learn more about what is happening on the front line. I am also keen to meet with members of the wider community to hear about their experiences and ideas for how we can do things differently. We need to work more closely with the community and we will be developing new ways to do this in 2018. In looking forward, we can t ignore the financial challenge that we are all facing but I think we can be optimistic about how we can transform the way we work, building on the delivery of high quality integrated services without compromising our values and professionalism.
PAGE 2 Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter PAGE 3 Mags Bryan (right) accepts award on behalf of the walking group Dementia friendly walking group win awards Volunteer Midlothian s Dementia Friendly walking group, in partnership with the Rangers at Penicuik Estate, have had a bumper month of awards. St Andrew s volunteers A Spooktacular Success! In October Midlothian Community Hospital was transformed for a spooktacular Halloween event. The event, which was a huge success, was organised by Kirsty Jack, deputy charge nurse at Rossbank ward. Here Kirsty shares her tips for holding events. Kirsty said: My main aims were to raise the hospital s profile and bring together community services who work to improve health. I organised an event at a previous job and enjoyed the challenge, so I wanted to do the same here. Organisations represented included Women s Aid, Alzheimer s Scotland and St Andrew s Ambulance (pictured). The tombola included excellent prizes donated by local businesses. If you feel like following in Kirsty s footsteps, her top tips for organising events are: Sandra Brown, our volunteer, won the Dementia Friendly Walking Volunteer of the Year 2017 Award from Paths for All. She won the award for her work supporting people living with dementia to get outdoors and feel better through everyday walking (www.pathsforall.org. uk/pfa/volunteering/dementia-friendlyvolunteer-of-the-year-2017.html) As a walking group we also received our Dementia Friendly accreditation with Paths for All and held the launch out at Penicuik Estate. Alongside this fourteen people living with dementia received Dementia Friendly Stars certificates and badges to honour their contribution to the success of the project and positive promotion of living with dementia (pictured on page 1). One key finding is that this group has become a community in itself; offering support and encouragement to one another beyond their weekly walking group.the group also received funding to place benches in strategic places throughout the estate, which will benefit the community. With special thanks to the Penicuik Estate Rangers Charlotte and Derek for their support. For more information about the Community Links project go to: https://goo.gl/vjorwi. Community Links has other dementia friendly groups offering reminiscence sessions, music, and art. For further information, or if you are interested in joining us or volunteering with us, please get in touch. Contact: Mags Bryan mags@volunteermidlothian.org.uk 0131 660 1216. 1. Have faith that people will come we had too many to count! 2. Get people on board early on to help organise the event 3. Pick your timing for publicity not too early or too late 4. Involve local organisations to get the most out of the event for everyone 5. Plan your time well so that you have a good schedule The benefits from the event were clear to see there was a real buzz on the day, people made new connections and learnt about services they didn t know existed. We recruited one volunteer for the hospital and raised almost 2500. Kirsty s ward will spend their share on home comforts to help patients feel at home whilst at hospital. It doesn t stop here - in 2018 Kirsty will be taking up a slot on Black Diamond radio to promote health and social care services. She also plans to organise another event later in the year. Kirsty with Ian Doyle Multiple Sclerosis group enjoying Christmas lunch (above) and a canal cruise (left) Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, neurological condition with a very high incidence in the UK Scotland now has the highest prevalence in the world. I started the Group 6 years ago because, as a Community OT, I noticed there was little support in Midlothian for people with MS or their carers. So I started the group to provide support, information and also fun! We meet on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternate months we meet at Drummond Grange where we have a theme or guest speaker. This could be anything from OT interventions, to updates on benefits, to the latest MS research. We regularly take part in research studies to increase knowledge of the condition and, hopefully, ultimately create better treatments. The other months we go for lunch to somewhere accessible with good parking and reasonable food. As well as being sociable this gives carers a break from cooking. Each year we have a boat trip on the Ratho Canal to celebrate our birthday, courtesy of the Seagull Trust. We always have a special Christmas lunch. The members vary from people who walk independently to those in powered wheelchairs plus we have lots of carers who come and gain support. One of the members is cared for by his 94 year old mother who is amazing and they always come together. Group members say they gain a lot from the group, being in good company, with friendly people who understand the condition. Please contact me on 0131 271 3950 or by email clare.dorrell@midlothian.gov.uk for further information. Our workforce is our greatest asset. It might be stating the obvious but our workforce is essential to providing good quality care. Without good relationships based on communication, empathy and understanding it doesn t matter how effective our systems and processes are. Without the right staff in the right numbers with the right skills we cannot provide good care. We have been working on a Midlothian Health and Social Care Integration Workforce Plan so that: we have the right staff and skills for the future and our staff are supported and happy at work. So that we have a consistent approach the IJB have approved a Workforce Planning Framework called Connecting Health and Social Care in Midlothian. Connecting Health and Social Care in Midlothian can be used by teams to develop workforce action plans, tailored to their needs. Tricia Hunter, OD Consultant, is supporting teams to do this over the next 4 months contact Tricia at patricia.hunter@midlothain.gov.uk. Our top ten commitments for workforce planning 1Leadership Frontline managers will have skill and confidence 2 Close working We will all work together inclusively 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Developing Localism Equal Partners Career Pathway Community assets Health & Wellbeing Supporting employment Equality and Diversity 10 Volunteers We can respond to community priorities and aspirations We will have fair employment terms, conditions and rewards There will be clear ways for people to follow a career in care. We will collaborate and draw on the community s strengths Less people will be off work sick We will have enough creche facilities and all staff can access Rewards for All. There will be more opportunities for people with a disability Volunteers will support people to make use of their own assets
PAGE 4 Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter PAGE 5 Supporting independence: Telecare All of us need help from time-to-time. The use technology to help us use data we already have about people who are, or main use of telecare is to monitor people are becoming, frail. Frailty is related to at home and call for help if needed. This the ageing process it happens when can offer reassurance to individuals and multiple body systems gradually become their family. Because care providers and weaker. This happens at different ages for family feel more confident, it is easier different people. GPs already collect a lot for them to allow the person more of information which is recorded on their independence. Carers are able to go out computers. By using this data differently with the knowledge their loved one is safe. we will be able to identify the people who Telecare can support people to remain are at risk of becoming more frail. This will Digital Healthcare Technology and care are not in competition. It is not either or. At its best digital should bring the human touch to technology. When we use the word technology, we could be describing a great many things. Nowadays, the term is used to describe all things electronic and digital. In this sense, like it or loathe it, technology is increasingly a part of our lives. For some technology is second nature, for others it may be confusing; however, at its best it brings people, communities, and knowledge together in ways otherwise impossible. In Scotland and globally, health and care systems are experiencing unprecedented pressure. As a result we need greater focus on early, preventative care and better support so that people can live independently. Increasingly technology will play a part in this. The Scottish Government believes in the potential of technology to transform health and care; the Technology Enabled Care Programme is one example of their efforts. Change of this kind can be slow; nevertheless, it is happening! In our Strategic Plan Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership committed to doing things differently, this is merely the first step; the journey lies ahead for all of us over the coming years. What is Technology Enabled Care or TEC? The purpose of Technology Enabled Care (TEC) is to improve quality of care through using technology as an integral part of care. These technologies mean that diagnosis, treatment and support can be delivered at a distance. The rise of smartphones and wearables like activity trackers means that many of us can use the technology we have in our pockets to help us to look after ourselves. In the case of longterm conditions management this can empower us to be more aware, more independent, and more proactive in seeking support when we need it. When we look at using technology to support people in Midlothian it is about looking at what is right for the individual. We aim to use technology as a means of strengthening support, not replacing human contact. Some examples are outlined below: at home and prevent more disruptive alternatives such as residential care or extra time in hospital as however nice the staff, there is no place like home! Telecare uses sensors (such as smoke detectors) or call buttons which are wirelessly connected to an alarm unit. When the alarm is triggered it calls a 24/7 monitoring service and a person is at hand to respond. Telecare can prevent an accident happening by early warning. It can also ensure help arrives quickly, which minimises the harm caused by for example falls. Midcare is Midlothian s telecare service. Your health and social care professional can refer you or you can self-refer for assessment here s a link to a self-check tool for some further information: https:// www.telecareselfcheck.scot/. If you think you might benefit from telecare, contact Midlothian s social work department on 0131 270 3900. Helping you to stay healthy and well: Telemonitoring Telemonitoring means using technology to monitor our health without needing to visit a clinic. For example, telemonitoring has been used for a long time so that people can monitor their own blood pressure and send in readings to their health professional. In the Dietetic service across NHS Lothian we use a monitoring service called Health Call. Health Call makes automated phone calls to patients who are receiving nutritional supplement prescriptions. The free call lasts about 3 minutes and gathers information about current weight, appetite and supplement use. The person enters their responses on the phone keypad. The results are then recorded in Health Call and if there is cause for concern it raises an alert for the team, who take action. By collecting information more regularly about an individual s progress, we hope to offer a more responsive service. We hope this will help patients to reach their treatment goals sooner and use prescriptions more efficiently. It also means that patients can take part in monitoring in the evening or weekend, which suits many people better. Understanding more about people so we can prevent ill health We want to get better at using the data we collect so that we can support people earlier and prevent ill health. We have a new project which will allow us to offer help sooner leading to better care and perhaps even a longer life. What s an app? how you can use technology to support your health The term app is short for application. Applications are software programmes that run on computers but app is more commonly used to refer to software that runs on a smartphone or tablet. They are little programmes that you can install on your phone or tablet, which enable you to carry out a certain task, for example create a shopping list or listen to radio programmes. This year there were 325,000 health & fitness and medical apps available, for example apps to monitor your diet, and to count the steps you take. Not all apps are of the same standard and it can therefore be challenging to recommend apps. NHS Digital (https://apps.beta.nhs. uk/) offers some background on this and a library of apps you may wish to take a look at. What apps do you already use? Tell us what works for you. For more information contact Matthew Curl: matthew.curl@midlothian.gov.uk
PAGE 6 Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter PAGE 7 Training on moving safely Occupational Therapy stand at Fairfield House If you receive health and care services you want to be assured that staff are well-trained and understand what you need. For example if you need help to move from your bed to a chair, you need to feel secure and safe in the hands of a worker. In order to make sure that you receive a consistent service from all staff we have been working to make moving and handling training the same for all health and social care staff. Our aim is that all staff will: Highbank celebrates 30 years Highbank Care Home celebrated its 30th anniversary in November. Here manager Katherine Malone tells us how the role of Highbank has changed and how it supports people to live independently for as long as possible. Highbank opened back in 1987 as a Residential Care home for Older People and has seen many changes over the years. Having started my role in Highbank in 1999 as a Social Care Worker I can see the difference we can make to people and I have seen the change in direction that Health and Social Care services have taken. About 7 years ago, it was decided that Highbank would change from offering long term care to providing short term support to older people to give them the best chance of staying at home. Health & Social Care Services then became integrated within Highbank and we are now able to offer a variety of services for older people, working alongside other Health & Social Care professionals. For example our team now includes Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, GPs and the Hospital at Home team. We offer rehabilitation, assessment and respite services and this enables people to get the support they need to minimise hospital admissions or delayed discharges. People who may have previously gone into long term care can now get further assessment and often return home with increased packages of care, tailored to their needs. learn about how our bodies work through e-learning have good practical training about safe techniques be observed at work to make sure staff are putting learning into practice This is a new approach previously we provided only practical training, and it was not clear how staff used their training at work. We have a trainer working across health and social care to ensure consistency. She also observes staff in action and gives advice. We hope this consistent approach will spread across Midlothian. I feel it s beneficial to see me at my workplace the person s home Care Worker Staff seem very positive about the change and feel more supported Service Manager >> >> >> Modern Apprenticeship: In addition a few staff will have the chance to work towards a Modern Apprenticeship. This would mean additional achievement of a Core Skills Certificate, demonstrating your skills to future employers. Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in Social Services and Healthcare: Work towards this national qualification and register with a professional body. Recognised skills training: You will receive training in first aid, moving and handling, supporting people to take medication. National Occupational Therapy Week In November Occupational Therapists across Midlothian came together to promote National Occupational Therapy Week. This included a stand within Fairfield House (pictured). We encouraged those who visited the stand to take part in the Balance Challenge. The Balance Challenge is part of a programme called the Active Independent Living Programme that supports people to reduce their risk of falls, improve general strength and balance and stay active and safe into older age. More information on the Balance Challenge can be found at http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/ fallsandbonehealth/the-national-fallsprogramme.aspx. What is Occupational Therapy? Sometimes the role of Occupational Therapy is misunderstood as being mostly about adaptations and equipment. In reality it is much more than this. Occupational Therapy helps people overcome barriers so they can participate in three key areas of self care, work and social and psychological needs, and their home, work and community environment in order to work out what would help to enhance quality of life. Some typical things an Occupational Therapist might do in a day are: Observe how people manage every day activities Talk with people about their goals and the barriers they face Teach someone a new way of doing something Support someone to engage in leisure activities, voluntary or paid employment Work with other organisations like housing, architects and builders to find solutions for people Occupational Therapy and integration We have been looking at how Occupational Therapists can work in a more integrated way to reduce duplication. By working more closely together we have reduced the number To be part of a service which enables people to continue Contact: Marianne Hughes, Practice Learning and Development leisure. Occupational Therapists support of assessments people go through and to live at home and work to their strengths is very rewarding. Manager, Marianne.hughes@midlothian.gov.uk people to recover skills after injury or the number of people a person has to Here s to the next 30 years! For more information contact Katherine Malone, A career in caring not just a job New year, new career? Change your life, and someone else s, by illness and provide holistic support to people living with long term conditions. To do this Occupational Therapists see in order to get the support they need. We also communicate and share work across different teams so that the Acting Manager, Highbank Care Home, becoming a carer in Midlothian. Gain qualifications while getting help people to identify their personal most appropriate person is the lead for Katherine.malone@midlothian.gov.uk paid more than the living wage. outcomes or unique goals. These are each client. We hope this creates a more 0131 270 5640 considered alongside their physical, coordinated and connected service.
PAGE 8 Midlothian s Health and Social Care integration newsletter Hot Topics tackles Care at Home Our Hot Topics Group met in November to discuss Care at Home. Brian Paris, Older People s Planning Officer, came to explain the issues facing Care at Home services. In a nutshell these are: We cannot recruit enough people to work as home carers The number of people who need home care is increasing People are waiting to receive home care At the moment 50,000 home care visits take place each month but this is not enough. After hearing about some of the actions the partnership is taking, the group talked about these issues. We created a list of things to think about for all of us living and working in Midlothian including: How can we support volunteers in communities? Can people group together to support vulnerable neighbours? How can we encourage a culture of collaborating and sharing of information? What types of housing do we need to support people in the community? How can we value care work more in society? Could we offer a carer of the year award? Hot Topics is a group that brings together local people, organisations and professionals to discuss key topics. The next meeting is on Wednesday 21 February, 2pm 4pm and the topic is Tackling Isolation. Hot Topics is usually organised by Catherine Evans, Public Involvement Coordinator. Catherine is currently on secondment for 18 months. Whilst she is away please contact Tom Welsh for more information tom.welsh@midlothian.gov.uk 0131 271 3671. Connected and informed Where to go for support and advice? Looking for information? Having trouble finding support, advice or things to do in your community? Try these... Information about... Mental Health and Wellbeing Physical Disabilities Older People Short breaks for carers Substance Misuse What s on in your town? Where to go? Midspace website www.midspace.co.uk Forward MID www.forwardmid.org.uk or call Eric on 0131 663 9471 www.mvacvs.org/index. php/community-planning/ community-care-forum/ directories or call 0131 663 9471 Wee Breaks Midlothian: www.weebreak.org Mid and East Lothian Drug and Alcohol Partnership: www.meldap.co.uk Red Cross Community Calendars: weebreak.org/ places-to-go/whats-on-inyour-area Volunteering Volunteer Midlothian www.volunteermidlothian.org.uk Midlothian Voluntary Action (MVA) www.mvacvs.org 0131 6637491 or pop in to their office at Eskdaill Court, Dalkeith. The details.. Contains information about: local services factsheets and self help materials local news and events Forward Mid website includes: 2017 Disabled People s Directory Newsletters for example about winter planning Midlothian Older People s Directory comprehensive information about opportunities and support for older people. Looking after someone and need some time off? Wee Breaks Midlothian can help. Information about where to go for help for people having problems with substance misuse and family members. Monthly calendars showing what s on for adults and older adults in towns and villages. Search 100s of opportunities in Midlothian find one that suits you. MVA has a host of information about everything going on in Midlothian. Have we missed something? Do you know of other good sources of information and advice? Send them to us at tom.welsh@midlothian.gov.uk and we will include them in a future edition.