Director's Welcome
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Hello and welcome to our June issue of The Tea Break!
We’ve had lots going on this month, from Jubilee tea parties and entertainment to celebrating What Matters To You? Day with our friends and colleagues.
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This month we officially welcomed Scottish Care’s Arlene Bunton as the East Ayrshire Independent Sector Lead in their Partners for Integration Project. Her role will involve collaborating with our local services to help them develop, improve and continue providing the best possible health and social care support to people in East Ayrshire.
Our Health Visiting Team has also announced a more collaborative approach with local GPs and nursing staff, whom they will now meet with regularly to improve communication and provide more joined up care for children and families.
This month we saw celebrations across the country for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and East Ayrshire was no exception! We caught up with Create A Smile Scotland (CASS), who organised three afternoon tea parties across Cumnock, Drongan and Mauchline.
I also managed to get along to the John Hartson Recovery Workshop, which took place in Kilmarnock’s Take A Bow Opportunity Centre. The event was a great opportunity to find out about gambling addiction and what we can all do as a community to support those struggling with it. We heard a couple of very powerful, personal accounts of the impact of addictions, but most importantly the hope and opportunity that recovery can bring.
Last but not least, our What Matters To You? event was a huge success, with staff in TJWB and East Ayrshire Council HQ enjoying a sweet treat (or two) and sharing what’s most important to them, in both their personal and professional life. Taking the time to ask ourselves and each other what genuinely matters is fundamentally important to ensuring we get the most out of our lives and are in the best possible position to help others do the same.
We created a short video of the day which you can now take a look at over on the EAHSCP YouTube channel, our Living Well website and social media pages.
As the schools break up and (apparently) summer is now upon us, can I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued hard work, and if you have a holiday planned – have a great time!
Enjoy,
Craig McArthur,
Director of East Ayrshire Health
and Social Care Partnership
What Matters To You Day encourages more meaningful conversations
On Thursday 9 June we invited all staff to take part in What Matters To You Day – an event which encourages us to share what’s important and to actively listen to and act on the responses of others.
To gather staff responses, Partnership Engagement Officer, Lorna McIlreavy, set up tables in TJWB and EAC HQ, with blank speech bubbles, pens, goodie bags and even special WMTY Day cupcakes to invite people to drop by and answer the question: ‘What Matters To You?’
We also invited senior management staff, Craig McArthur and Jo Gibson, to give us their take on the day and to tell us why it’s so important.
Read this story in our full length article.
All smiles at CASS Jubilee party
Create a Smile Scotland (CASS) recently celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with afternoon tea parties across three East Ayrshire venues.
The Cumnock-based charity organised events at Rowantree Court in Drongan, Ellisland Court in Mauchline and Afton Court in New Cumnock, with free sandwiches, cakes and plenty of tea. There was also local entertainment, music, dancing, and even a speech from ‘the Queen’.
Read this story in our full length article.
Independent Sector Lead appointed for Partners for Integration project - welcome Arlene!
Independent Care Sector charity, Scottish Care, has appointed an Independent Sector Lead to drive its Partners for Integration project in East Ayrshire,
Arlene Bunton has a wealth of experience in dementia studies and research, and has spent over ten years working with adults with learning disabilities and those living with mental health conditions and alcohol-related brain damage.
This project is funded by the Locality Health and Care budget and is hosted by Scottish Care, the representative body for the independent social care sector.
Read this story in our full length article.
Care Home manager receives honour from the Queen
A Kilmarnock care home manager has received a medal and a mention in the Queen's birthday honours list.
Rhona Gibson, General Manager for Thorntoun Care Services, received a BEM (British Empire Medal) for her years of charity work and to recognise her achievement as manager of an independent care home for over thirty years.
"I consider it a great honour to be recognised for the efforts over the last thirty years, but in no way could I have achieved this without the support and hard work of so many dedicated staff, past and present. They were enthusiastic, committed and loyal throughout. I must also mention my family who have helped so much."
Read this story in our full length article.
John Hartson workshop offers hope to those affected by gambling addiction
On Monday 27 June we attended the John Hartson Gambling Recovery Workshop at Take A Bow Opportunity Centre, Kilmarnock.
It was an eye-opening and deeply affecting afternoon, where John, joined by psychotherapist Tony Marini, spoke passionately about gambling addiction and its impact on his life.
"As an addict, gambling was the first thing I thought about in the morning. It takes over every second of your life. The two things a gambling addict needs are money and time, and when I became a professional footballer I suddenly had them both in abundance.”
Read more about the workshop and find help and support for problem gambling on our Living Well website.
Health Visiting Team’s collaborative approach will improve outcomes for children and families
EAHSCP Health Visiting Team will now hold monthly meetings to support their communication with local GPs and Nurse Practitioners.
The meetings will be an opportunity to improve patient care through shared learning and information exchange.
When families reach out to their GP or Community Mental Health Practitioner their cases will now be followed up by a Health Visitor, or vice versa.
Jacqui Cattanach, Clinical Team Leader, told us more about the benefits enhanced communication will bring:
“By creating an open, two-way dialogue, we have a direct channel to explore the most appropriate collaborative care plans and supports required by children and their families.”
Read this story in our full length article.
Dedicated service provides free support to social workers
The Scottish Government has announced funding for a wellbeing support service exclusively for social workers.
The Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS) will be funded until March 2023 and is designed for social workers to support and be supported by colleagues across the profession.
This free and confidential service offers an essential space for social workers at any stage of their career to talk through personal and professional challenges with a trained coach, either on the phone or via video call, and to find solutions and ways forward.
Visit the BASW website or get in touch via email for more details.
EACH Mental Health Nurse featured on university website
A Mental Health Nurse from East Ayrshire Community Hospital (EACH) has been featured on the Open University website following completion of her degree there.
Leanne MacPherson left school aged 16 and began working in a jeans factory, saying she “felt done with education”.
However, she returned to college to complete an HNC in Social Care before progressing to the Open University to undertake a degree in Mental Health Nursing.
Since completing her degree and becoming a Mental Health Nurse, Leeanne wants to keep on learning:
“The skills that I’ve learned through my studies will be carried with me throughout my career. I haven’t stopped learning and the degree has given me the drive to continually keep my knowledge base up-to-date.”
Head to the Open University website to read Leanne’s story in full.
East Ayrshire Community Renewal Fund offering free classes and data poverty support
Ever wanted to take up yoga or brush up on your first aid skills?
In partnership with Respite Now CIC and as part of the East Ayrshire Community Renewal Fund, East Ayrshire Council is now offering yoga and first aid classes to all residents.
Both classes are free of charge, with various dates, times and venues to choose from, and have already been well received across East Ayrshire.
Support for those in data poverty
Respite Now is also part of the National Databank Initiative, which allows them to provide free 02, Three and Vodafone SIM cards until 2023 to those experiencing data poverty.
Jim Withers at Respite Now hopes that both the free classes and data will help people recover from social isolation after Covid-19 and ease some financial pressures:
“Given the cost of living crisis, along with the need for people to reconnect after the pandemic, we believe our courses and mobile offer are most needed and welcomed at this time. Our aim is to support the wellbeing of others.”
To register your interest in free classes or the National Databank Initiative, please email Jim Withers or phone 07824 727 694.
Children and Families admin staff provide invaluable support to team
Clinical Service Manager, Anne Marie Gallagher, recently expressed her gratitude for the "invaluable service" and "incredible support" of admin staff within our Children and Families team.
These staff members work alongside school nurses, health visitors, health visitor support staff and staff nurses every day, ensuring seamless care for our children and families.
Read this story and learn more about the Children and Families admin team in our full length article.
FDS Team help service users regain their independence
We recently received some good news stories from our Front Door Services (FDS) Team, in which they've helped service users regain their independence following injury or illness.
The first story involved a service user with COPD and bowel/stomach problems, who was referred to the team for home care three times a day. They’d recently been discharged from hospital following a pacemaker fitting and was struggling to wash, dress and prepare their meals.
Thanks to the help and support of the FDS Team, the service user is now fully independent with all their care needs – a brilliant result!
Read this story in full, plus more good news stories from the FDS Team, on our Living Well website.
National Smile Month creates happier, healthier smiles
Our Oral Health Improvement Team recently visited venues across Ayrshire to promote National Smile Month.
Between 16 May - 16 June, the team visited East, North and South Ayrshire with market stalls and goodies, inviting people to enter their Oral Health Quiz for a chance to win a restaurant voucher.
During their visits the team also promoted the new NHS Ayrshire and Arran Dental Health App, which contains a wealth of information on oral health and dental hygiene.
Read this story in our full length article.
Community Care Officer helps rebuild service user’s confidence
One of our community care officers recently provided practical support and financial guidance to a service user whose confidence had been affected following a hospital stay.
The staff member visited regularly throughout the week to assist with showering and meal preparation and also provided financial support, which involved helping them to complete a benefits application.
Read this story in full on our Living Well website.
East Ayrshire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership announces date for Annual Conference
East Ayrshire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) has announced its Annual Conference will take place in December this year.
Lead Officer, Liam Wells, said the event will be held in Kilmarnock's Park Hotel on 8 December 2022, following the cancellation of two previous conferences due to Covid-19.
"We are happy to secure a date and invite you all to The Park Hotel, Kilmarnock.
More information regarding the details of the event will be shared with our partners in the coming months."
Find out more about East Ayrshire ADP
Find advice on alcohol and drug use on our Living Well website
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