East Sutherland Local Health Partnership
Notes of a Meeting held on Monday
27th August 2007 in the Community
Room, Lawson Memorial Hospital,
Golspie.
PRESENT:
Lynn Ross, Clinical Lead (LR)
Marion Mackay, Community Nurse Representative (MMac)
Jeanette MacAskill, AHP Representative (JMac)
Lorraine Coe, Clinical Nurse Manager (LC)
Shirley McHardy, East Sutherland CCF (SM)
Alison Mackay, Hospital Nursing Representative (AM)
David MacMillan, Finance (DMac)
Miles Greenford, Public Health Practitioner (MG)
Georgia Haire, Assistant General Manager (GH)
Dr Janet Mair, General Practitioner (JM)
Donellen MacKenzie, Assistant Community Care Manager (DM)
By teleconference: Fiona Duff, Primary Care Advisor (FD)
In Attendance:
Liz Manson, PA to AGM (LM)
Action
1.
Apologies
Sheena Craig, CHP General Manager (SC)
Dr Moray Fraser, Clinical Director (MF)
Monica Mouat, Patient/ Public Representative (MM)
2.
Notes of last meeting
Notes of meeting of 16th July 2007 were accepted as correct.
3.
Matters Arising
Recruitment & Selection
 New Hospital Chaplain, Karl Weidner, has taken up post.
 Beatrice Wood has been appointed CHP Lead Speech &
Language Therapist and takes up post on 1st September.
This post will not only cover the Lead duties for the CHP
but will also involve a clinical role in North West
Sutherland.
 A new Community Nurse/Midwife has taken up post in
Bonar Bridge allowing the previous postholder to take up
her secondment as Smoking Cessation Advisor.
 CHP Lead Midwife post is out to advert. This post will be a
2 year secondment.
 A new GP has been appointed to Brora practice and will
take up post in April 2008.
 AM reported that the 30 hour post in LMH has been filled
with start date for September.
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Patient Transport
DVD available to all. If anyone wishes to see this, please
contact AM.
FD reported that patients get a leaflet regarding patient
transport with all hospital appointment letters. FD will be
attending a Practice Managers’ meeting on Wednesday and
will check with them what the situation is in the practices and
will feedback at the next meeting of this group.
LC reported that the patient transport service had been
discussed recently at a Community Nurse meeting with a
representative from the Sutherland Partnership group.
4.
FD
Finance
D Mac handed out the latest financial report, which stated that
as at 31st July 2007 East Sutherland forecast underspend
£154k, mainly in:Migdale £85k due to vacancies – meeting arranged to
discuss.
AHP’s £22k due to slippage Occupational Therapy and
Physiotherapy
Board Administered Funds £43k
Enhanced Services £16k.
The North CHP is forecast is forecast £2k underspend, broken
down as:
Caithness Locality are forecasting £101k underspend,
Caithness Acute forecasting £202k overspend, East
Sutherland forecasting £154k underspend and N&W
Sutherland forecasting £56k underspend.
Management Costs £40k overspend
Marie Curie £67k overspend.
Prescribing costs are not yet available and have been forecast
to break even. Last year Prescribing overspent by £406k and
remains a risk to the CHP
5.
Older Adult Business Case for Sutherland
 Outline Business Case well advanced. The Project
Manager and Finance representative to meet this week.
 Discussions around the purchase of the Migdale site are
ongoing.
 Bonar Bridge/Ardgay Development group – new meeting
date awaited.
6.
General Medical Services (GMS)
PLT
 Next date is 4th September.
No locality programme in East Sutherland, practices doing
their own training but have an open invitation to the
sessions held in Mid CHP.
OOH
 OOH Handbook now complete. There will be both a
Highland Handbook and a local one with information
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available from both local and Highland perspective.
Most GPs have returned their forms to allow them to drive
the OOH vehicle if necessary. Query re how to ensure
new locums are asked to complete. Ward Clerk liasing
with the Highland HUB and Transport Manager.
GH had raised this issue at the OOH Operational Group
and would be further discussed.
Faxed Prescriptions – solution appears to be working.
New NMC guidelines on administration of medicines will
include remote & rural situations.
Unscheduled Care Practitioner – 1 staff member may be
interested, difficulty in obtaining a mentor.
Recent issue re accessing controlled drugs at Migdale.
Drugs available on the Lawson site and needed to be
transferred. LC to check NMC guidelines. OOH drivers
could provide this service if available.
MM asked what is the procedure to inform District Nursing
staff if a patient dies out of hours as happened recently.
MM has checked with NHS24 and there is no protocol for
informing district nurses of deaths out of hours. They said
a local arrangement should be put in place. MMac to
e.mail Helen Charley to see if a Highland response would
be appropriate.
LC
MMac
Enhanced Services
 Diabetes Service for non-insulin patients – sent out to all
practices. Awaiting paperwork being returned. It is hoped
to extend the service in the long term to insulin dependant
patients also.
 Scottish Executive recently sent out a circular re
Enhanced Services in Community Care. To look at 3-4 out
of a list of 9 services, either at CHP level or pan Highland.
A proposal to be with Scottish Executive by the beginning
of October.
Minor Injuries
Activity over a 4 month period has been looked at and based
on this it appears that some kind of local enhanced service will
be possible. Need to draw up an agreement, looking at
service level agreement, services at local hospitals and minor
injuries at practices.
7.
CHP Update
 Review of Nursing in the Community (RONC)
New Project Manager, Fiona Sharples, has been
appointed for Highland. Implementation group met last
week. Still awaiting feedback on capability framework.

Equipment Store
MM has heard of no further developments regarding the
Highland store. A Project Leader has not been appointed
as yet.
Local store is short of funding and been asked to find
further funding locally. To be raised under Clinical
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Governance.
DM asked MMac to contact Janet Spence at Kinmylies for
further information.

CT Scanner
Tenders have been looked at and it has been agreed that
Toshiba 64 slice scanner will be purchased. A meeting is
being held this afternoon to progress this.

HEAT Targets
Sickness absence target - struggling to achieve in East
Sutherland, over 5%. Issues to be addressed using an
action plan that has been drawn up and is to be agreed by
the Local Partnership Forum. An in depth audit will take
place in one area.

Smoking Cessation Forum
Held last week. Identified activity in Primary Care. Katie
Wilson hoping to start up clinics at practices throughout
Sutherland. A detailed action plan to be drawn up.
NHS Highland sites all to be “No Smoking” from 1st
January 2008.
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CHI Numbers
Returns in first week of every month. CHP action plan
indicating which areas not using CHI.
8.
Learning and Development
 Some funding is available for appropriate training
requirements within their PDP.
 Study Leave, including no cost study leave, has to be
applied for via the NHS Highland Study Leave form. This
is to show that equality and diversity standards are being
met.
 Study leave forms being reviewed, looking at comments re
time constraints, bookings not being made etc.
 Esther Dickinson leading on Equality & Diversity. To be
30 Equality & Diversity champions throughout Highland.
 Trying to recruit 2 Health & Safety trainers. 120
champions to assess if training is required yearly or over a
longer time span.
9.
Major Incident & Emergency Plan
All of Highland reviewing plans. Raigmore plan completed.
LMH following their format. Meeting to be held on
Wednesday.
To be in by Friday along with Service Continuity Plans for
Community Hospitals.
MMac
10. AOCB
 JMac – Stroke Rehab Group, 3 phases, hope to be a
Sutherland representative on the group.
 AM reported that the Lord Lieutenant for Sutherland, Dr
Monica Main, opened the Palliative Care Room last week.
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MM First meeting re the Liverpool Care Pathway to be
held on 10th September. Each hospital, nurse base, GP
practice to attend. Introduction, followed by training days
for each member of staff.
DM reported that the Highland Council restructure is
ongoing. Looking at opportunities re resources, colocation etc. Meeting to be held on 7th September. Hope
that structure will be complete by October.
TYKES – Top 3 in lottery vote. May vote online for them.
11. Date & Time of Next Meeting
Next meeting to be held at 3pm on 8th October 2007 in the
Community Room, Lawson Memorial Hospital, Golspie.
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