Director's welcome
Hello and welcome to our first birthday issue of The Tea Break!
We can’t believe the newsletter is now a year old.
Thank you to everyone who has sent in good news stories, updates, photos, article suggestions and feedback over this past year, and for making The Tea Break such a vibrant and enjoyable item to look forward to each month.
We hope you’ll continue to support it and help us celebrate the amazing work and achievements of all our incredible HSCP staff and partners.
Wellbeing for All
At the end of October we held our Wellbeing for All participatory budgeting events in Kilmarnock, Cumnock, Stewarton, Dalmellington and Darvel. These were hugely successful and it was heartening to see so many members of the community coming along to have their say on how funding is spent in their area. Many thanks to all organisations and projects who took part and helped make these events so varied and enjoyable.
Caring for Ayrshire
This month I delivered a presentation at our Caring for Ayrshire relaunch event at Kilmarnock’s Take A Bow Opportunity Centre – an event which was also attended by Claire Burden, Chief Executive of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and Lesley Bowie, NHS Board Chair. Staff from across the HSCP and partner agencies came together to discuss the importance of Caring for Ayrshire and why person-centred care and putting individuals first is a fundamental part of our values at EAHSCP.
Amazing achievements
Congratulations are in order this month for social worker Samantha McLaughlin, whose dissertation on domestic abuse and child contact recently earned her the Court Medal from the University of the West of Scotland. Well done Samantha!
I’d also like to congratulate and commend the work of Yvonne Chafey – a local mum who has worked tirelessly to set up an activity group specifically for children with additional support needs, which has been hugely successful and a real lifeline for ASN families, parents and carers in the community.
There’s all this and lots more….
Enjoy our first ever birthday issue!
Craig McArthur
Director of East Ayrshire Health and
Social Care Partnership
Caring for Ayrshire meeting reinforces importance of person-centred care
Delegates and staff from across the partnership recently came together for our Caring for Ayrshire relaunch event at Kilmarnock’s Take A Bow Opportunity Centre.
Over the course of the morning there were speakers, workshops and plenty of discussion, all focused on what has made the Caring for Ayrshire initiative work well and on the continuing need to keep service users and their families front and centre in all aspects of their care.
The event was also attended by Claire Burden (NHS Ayrshire and Arran Chief Executive), Lesley Bowie (NHS Ayrshire and Arran Board Chair), Eddie Fraser (EAC Chief Executive) Douglas Reid (EAC Leader) and Craig McArthur (EAHSCP Director).
Read the full story on our Living Well website
East Ayrshire has its say at PB events
Our Wellbeing for All participatory budgeting events were a great success, drawing in crowds of more than 1,000 people from across East Ayrshire.
The five voting events, which took place last month in Kilmarnock, Cumnock, Stewarton, Dalmellington and Darvel, invited residents to decide which community wellbeing projects should receive a share of the funding available.
It was also the perfect opportunity for local organisations to introduce and promote themselves to a wider audience.
Read the full story on our Living Well website
Spooky fun at care home Halloween parties
Care homes across East Ayrshire recently got involved in some great Halloween celebrations.
Staff and residents from Torrance Lodge, Thorntoun Estate, Springhill, Craigie and Grange care homes enjoyed a packed programme of festivities, including fancy dress, dancing, Halloween bingo, party games, and spooky buffets with plenty of Halloween themed treats. Residents were even treated to a game of dooking for apples.
Looks like everyone had a scream!
Read this story in our full length article
Kilmarnock mum’s group brings fun, friendship and community to ASN children and families
A Kilmarnock mum's inclusive children's activity group has been a lifeline for ASN families across East Ayrshire.
Yvonne Chafey, mum to two young boys who both have additional support needs (ASN), set up Ayrshire Am-asn Warriors in summer this year.
Having built a strong support community, the next goal for Yvonne is to have the group registered as an official charity.
Read the full story on our Living Well website
Young artists secure funding at PB events
A group of young, care-experienced artists are delighted to have secured funding at our Wellbeing for All participatory budgeting events.
ArtClub? attended the voting events in Stewarton, Cumnock and Kilmarnock, and bid for a small amount of money to help them hold an exhibition in Kilmarnock’s Dick Institute.
They were successful in winning enough votes to secure a third of the money they asked for, which gave the young artists a terrific sense of achievement.
Read the full story on our Living Well website
Social worker’s dedication earns her a university award
Congratulations to EAHSCP social worker Samantha McLaughlin, who recently received a Court Medal from the University of the West of Scotland.
The award was posted out to Samantha for the fantastic effort she put into her dissertation on domestic abuse and child contact.
Read this story in our full length article
CELCIS provides update on Bright Spots programme
In January 2022, the CELCIS Bright Spots survey programme was launched to identify what was important to care experienced children and young people in Scotland.
Ten months on, CELCIS has provided a video update on the programme, with input from Aberdeenshire and East Ayrshire Councils.
Read the full story on our Living Well website
Nursing team works together to support children
We received a great new story this month from a staff nurse within our school nursing team.
Read on to find out how Louise Robertson worked with others from the school nursing team to organise and co-ordinate care for children with continence issues.
Read this story in our full length article
Resilience Group undertakes 'table top' emergency response exercise
Our Resilience Group recently participated in a ‘table top’ exercise designed to test our response to an emergency situation in a care home.
Colleagues from Scottish Care, Police Scotland and care homes joined us to explore roles, responsibilities and procedures across our partnership working when faced with a critical scenario.
Read this story in our full length article
Don't miss out...
Enjoyed this edition? Don't forget you can also subscribe to The Tea Break (using either your work or home email address) so you never miss out on other staff news and views from East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership!
Email Lorna Wallace to sign up for this newsletter.
Register to get regular email bulletins on topics of general interest via East Ayrshire Council StayConnected.
Join us for the next issue to enjoy great news from EAHSCP and our partners!
Got a great news story to share? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch today to discuss your idea for an article and you could be in next month's Tea Break!
|
