Director's Welcome
Hello and welcome to the July issue of our newsletter.
I hope you’ve all recovered from the heatwave!
This month saw some fantastic examples of teamwork across the partnership, starting with our defibrillator initiative, which will increase community access to lifesaving equipment and strengthen relationships between community groups and local contractors. It’s heartening to see so many people and organisations uniting in support of this great cause, and I’m sure many more will follow suit.
Another great example comes from our Health Visiting and Financial Inclusion teams, who have joined forces to help support families living in poverty. So far this collaboration has helped a number of East Ayrshire families to save money and gain access to the benefits they’re entitled to, resulting in increased opportunities for our children and young people – not to mention peace of mind for parents.
This month we also celebrated Care Home Day with Scottish Care. This year’s theme was ‘Care Home Voices’, which encouraged us to listen to the experiences of care home staff, residents and their families. We loved reading some wonderful comments from care homes across Ayrshire and were proud to help care home staff and volunteers get the recognition they so deserve.
I was also delighted to visit our East Ayrshire children’s houses in Kilmarnock and Cumnock, and thoroughly enjoyed my tour of their recently refurbished garden areas. During this visit I had the honour of speaking to several young residents about their experiences and hopes for the future. We believe every child and young person in East Ayrshire deserves the best possible start and opportunities in life, and it was great to see how our children’s houses are helping us to achieve this.
This month you can also read about our upcoming ‘Play Day’ children’s activity event, organised by our fantastic Vibrant Communities team. If you’re in need of something to keep the wee ones entertained you’ll be sure to find it here!
Whether you’re heading off on holiday or planning a ‘Staycation’, I hope you enjoy the summer and can get some time off to enjoy whatever the Scottish weather throws at us next.
Until next month, stay safe and thank you for all that you do in our communities.
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Craig McArthur
Director of East Ayrshire Health
and Social Care Partnership
Community defibrillator initiative aims to save more lives
East Ayrshire Council has launched a lifesaving initiative which aims to increase community access to defibrillators.
Led by their Health and Safety and Procurement Teams, the campaign encourages contractors to donate defibrillators for distribution throughout the communities they are working in.
Their involvement comes as part of their obligation to provide wider local community benefits while carrying out contracts with the Council.
Find out more on our Living Well website.
Children’s houses’ gardens are a growing success
Senior management staff recently enjoyed a visit to three East Ayrshire children’s houses, with an exclusive tour of their newly transformed gardens.
Craig McArthur, accompanied by Eddie Fraser, Marion MacAulay and Clare Wilson, enjoyed an "uplifting" day exploring the homes and gardens and chatting to the young residents about their hopes for the future.
We understand that Eddie also had a shot on the trampoline!
Read this story in our full length article.
Police Scotland summer campaign aims to keep the community safe
Ayrshire Police Division is taking part in a nationwide campaign to stamp out underage drinking, with consequences for adults who buy alcohol for under 18s.
The campaign, titled ‘It’ll Cost You’, highlights the multitude of issues that can be caused through “proxy purchasing”, an offence which could result in a prison sentence.
Visit the official campaign website to find out more.
STV shines a light on East Ayrshire Recovery Hub
Three members of East Ayrshire Recovery Network bravely appeared on STV news this month to share their incredible stories of recovery from addiction and hopes for the new East Ayrshire Recovery Hub.
David, Geoff and Terrie-Ann, who all have personal experience of addiction and recovery, spoke to STV’s Vanessa Taaffe, who was keen to hear about the support available in East Ayrshire and to learn more about the new John Finnie Street Recovery Hub, which will open its doors next month.
Read this story in our full length article.
Pathfinder Project brings technology to Galston Gala Day
This month, Louise and Aimee (pictured) from the Pathfinder Project attended the Galston Gala Day to get local people's thoughts and feedback on the project.
The Pathfinder Project seeks to transform local health and care systems, working towards prevention and self-management whilst incorporating relevant digital technology.
The team has facilitated a number of engagement events over the past two years; however, this event was particularly interesting as they were looking for feedback on some exciting prototypes.
Read this story in our full length article.
Vibrant Communities all set for a day of play
Children and families are invited to a free activity event in Kilmarnock to mark National Play Day.
Organised by East Ayrshire Vibrant Communities, the ‘Play Day’ will take place in the Kay Park on Wednesday 3 August and will offer a variety of fun-filled activities, within six unique ‘play zones’, for children to celebrate their right to play.
From face painting and giant inflatables to quad bikes, a climbing wall and even canoes, there will be something for everyone!
Full details on our Living Well website.
Bitesize dementia training to begin in August
Microsoft Teams training sessions will shortly be available throughout August, September, October and November for staff who have attended dementia training and would like to know more about specific topics.
These sessions are designed to provide increased knowledge and skills required by staff working in public, health, social care settings, private and voluntary sector, care homes, and in a person’s own home.
View upcoming course dates.
Leading to Change programme to commence in October
A new National Leadership Development Programme is set to launch in October this year.
Leading to Change will offer a range of leadership development programmes, opportunities and support for health, adult social care and adult social work leaders.
Online events are now available to book, which will provide more information on the programme and allow anyone interested an opportunity to ask questions.
View dates and times of upcoming events.
Moving and Handling Service delivers essential support
The EAHSCP Moving and Handling Service offers invaluable support to various people including servicer users, formal and informal carers, and other HSCP staff.
In line with their goal of ‘Enabling Safe Transfers’, our two Moving and Handling Resource Workers Maryanne Duffy and Kirsteen Mitchell, offer a unique and essential service to support safe transfers, including assessments and interventions where required.
In the past four weeks alone, Maryanne and Kirsteen received 50 referrals and carried out 51 assessments, with a further 60 follow-up visits completed despite a busy annual leave period.
Well done Maryanne and Kirsteen for all your fantastic work!
To request an assessment from the Moving and Handling Service, please phone 01290 427810 and ask for the Front Door Admin team.
Care Home Day celebrates the work of care home staff and volunteers
In support of Care Home Day on Wednesday 20 July, we joined Scottish Care in celebrating the amazing work of care home staff and volunteers across East Ayrshire.
We had some brilliant responses from local care home residents and their families, which we shared on social media, and were delighted to help our local care home staff and volunteers get the recognition they deserve.
IMPACT sessions focus on smoking and mental health
Smoking cessation charity, ASH Scotland, will soon be offering a number of online training sessions addressing the effects of smoking on mental health.
As part of their IMPACT project, the training is aimed at staff and volunteers supporting people with mental health issues, looking closer at smoking and mental health and how we can support the people we work with.
Sessions will begin in September and run until December 2022.
All IMPACT training is free of charge.
Find out more at the IMPACT project website.
Margaret takes on mighty hike for MacMillan
One of our social workers will soon be tackling a 26 mile walk to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support.
Children and Families Social Worker, Margaret Clarke, will take part in the ‘Rob Roy Mighty Hike’ on Saturday 3 September, embarking on a marathon distance trail through the beautiful Callander countryside.
She told us about the charity and how much it means to her:
"Throughout Covid, MacMillan was hit hard in regards to their fundraising events and coffee mornings etc.
"It’s an amazing charity that provides invaluable support.
"I completed the walk last year on 29 August, which was the anniversary of my father’s death. My mum passed away on 28 August 2017 after being diagnosed with lung cancer, so this charity is very close to my heart."
Find out more about the Rob Roy Mighty Hike over on the MacMillan Cancer Support website.
Please contact Margaret via email if you'd like to support her cause.
Collaborative working helps families with rising cost of living
A recent collaboration between our Health Visiting and Financial Inclusion teams has been a great support for East Ayrshire families living in poverty.
Health visiting staff will now identify families in need of support and refer them to their Financial Inclusion colleagues, who can then help them to access benefits and provide assistance and advocate for them at hearings.
The collaboration has so far resulted in over £17,000 for families in East Ayrshire, with many more pending outcomes.
Read this story in full on our Living Well website
Congratulations to newly qualified Mental Health Officers
Two of our social workers have successfully completed Postgraduate Certificates in Mental Health, each gaining the necessary qualification to become Mental Health Officers.
Clare Louden and Joyce Kilpatrick will now be officially appointed as Mental Health Officers by the Chief Social Work Officer on behalf of East Ayrshire Council.
Mental Health Co-ordinator, Elaine Davison, welcomed the new recruits:
“Clare and Joyce will make a welcome addition to the Mental Health service, which has experienced unprecedented levels of demand in recent months."
Read this story in our full length article.
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