Director's Welcome
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A very warm welcome to your May Tea Break!
As we move into the summer months and leave cold, grey days behind us (hopefully), it’s the perfect time to get out and about in nature and enjoy the sunshine again.
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May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to focus on our mental health, pay attention to our stress levels and make sure we’re taking enough time for ourselves outside of work and other responsibilities.
In this issue of The Tea Break you’ll find advice from our Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Angela Wood, on how to combat feelings of burnout and build better mental resilience against the stress of daily life.
This month we also celebrated International Nurses Day, where we gave thanks to all of our fantastic nurses in East Ayrshire and those across the world. I’m immensely proud of each and every member of nursing staff across our various teams in the partnership and can’t thank them enough for the invaluable service they provide to so many.
Foster Care Fortnight highlighted that anyone can become a foster carer, even people in full-time employment, and that short break fostering can be a fantastic way to support a child or young person in your spare time. I’d like to thank all of our wonderful foster carers who provide much needed care to children and young people in East Ayrshire, and encourage anyone thinking about fostering to take the first step and get in touch with us.
May was yet another month filled with glowing feedback for our social care staff, including a health visiting support worker whose kindness and expertise made a life-changing difference to a little boy.
Finally, it was great to see local care home residents enjoying some all ability cycling at Ayrshire Athletics Arena! You’re never too old to get on your bike and go for a spin…
Read all of these great stories and many more in this month’s issue!
Until next time,
Craig McArthur
Director of East Ayrshire Health
and Social Care Partnership
Thanking nursing staff on International Nurses Day
NHS Ayrshire and Arran joined nurses around the world in celebrating International Nurses Day 2023.
Commemorating the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, the day is an opportunity to recognise the hardworking nursing staff in our communities and the work they do every day to ensure we receive the highest standard of care.
Executive Nurse Director Jennifer Wilson said:
"I want to take this opportunity to thank nursing staff in all healthcare settings for their dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to patient care.
"This International Nurses Day I would like to encourage anyone who has an interest in making a real difference to consider nursing as a career. It is a challenging and rewarding profession that makes a positive impact on people’s lives every day.”
All of us here at East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership echo these sentiments and would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every member of nursing staff across our various teams.
Hope Hack coming soon to Ayrshire College
Ayrshire College will soon play host to a 'hackathon' event for up to 100 young people in East Ayrshire.
In partnership with What Matters To You and The Hope Collective, East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership invites young people aged 14 - 24 to "lead change in East Ayrshire" and share their ideas for tackling current social and environmental issues.
There will also be free food, a chance to test out DJ skills, and a number of guest speakers including John Loughton, CEO of Dare2Lead.
Monday 12 June
Ayrshire College, Hill Street, Kilmarnock
10am - 4:30pm
Graduate interns enjoy team building session at Dean Castle
Our graduate interns recently took part in a team building and professional development session at Dean Castle Visitors Centre.
Led by Kathlynne Hewitson, People and Culture Manager, and Lyndsey Raeside, Workforce and Future Skills Co-ordinator, the session allowed graduate interns from across the partnership to come together and share their career experiences so far.
Blaire Tomlinson, Graduate Intern with Children’s Health, Care and Community Justice, gave us a run-down of the day’s event.
Doon Academy pupils gain valuable experience on work placements
Two Doon Academy pupils recently provided feedback following a week of work experience at Cumnock’s Riverside Centre.
Fifth year pupils Codie Rooney and Emily Johnston attended the centre in November last year and found the experience extremely enjoyable and worthwhile.
Dementia and Delirium May Newsletter
World Dementia Awareness Week began on Monday 29 May.
Find all the latest news and updates from Alzheimer Scotland in their May newsletter, which also includes details of upcoming training sessions.
You can also view upcoming events at
Rest centre exercise provides reassurance
We recently ran a live ‘rest centre’ exercise to rehearse our response to an evacuation scenario.
Staff from across the partnership attended Kilmarnock’s Take A Bow Opportunity Centre to run through protocol in the event of East Ayrshire residents being temporarily evacuated from their homes.
A rest centre provides temporary, safe accommodation for people who have been affected by an emergency. Staff within the centre then provide care while the emergency is dealt with.
The resilience team would like to thank all attendees for their engagement and enthusiasm and we’re delighted that everyone found it worthwhile, useful and reassuring.
Local event makes cycling accessible to all
A wheely good time was had by all at Ayrshire Athletics Arena!
Residents of Crossgate, Hallhouse and Springhill Care Homes recently enjoyed an All Abilities Cycling Event, where they had the chance to take to the track and get out in the fresh air.
Organised by Scottish Care, it’s hoped the event will be the first in a series to encourage physical activity and bring care homes together across the wider community.
Tour de France here we come!
Mum says ‘thank you’ for life-changing support
This month we received a wonderful good news story from Jacqui Cattanach, Clinical Team Leader for Health Visitors and Health Visiting Support Workers.
Health Visiting Support Worker Louise recently provided parenting support to help mum, Katie, manage her son Aaron’s behaviour and sleep.
“It is always great to share positive news stories received by team members. However, this example is particularly important in highlighting the trusting relationships and partnership working which supported the positive outcomes for Aaron."
Our amazing nurses take the cake
Nurses based at Kilmarnock’s Central Clinic enjoyed a small tea party on Friday 12 May to celebrate International Nurses Day.
School nurse Fiona Campbell baked an assortment of goodies for the occasion and was joined by her health visiting colleagues Sarah Adam and Debbie Anderson.
All of us at EAHSCP would like to thank every one of our fantastic East Ayrshire nurses, who do a tremendous job to ensure the best outcomes for people in our communities.
Praise for compassionate carers
We received some lovely feedback this month from the family of a service user who recently passed away:
“Our family would like to extend their extreme gratitude to the carers, past, present and occasional, for their care and compassion towards [our family member].
"The carers provided them with cheer, humour and daily stories keeping their spirits up and making them laugh through their difficult illness.
"They always took time to chat and check in on how the family members were doing and without their care [our family member] would have been unable to remain at home as was their wish and for that we are all grateful.”
Well done to all of our wonderful carers for providing families in East Ayrshire with compassionate care and support through difficult times.
East Ayrshire residents share their stories of mining days
Representatives from National Galleries Scotland recently visited East Ayrshire Community Hospital to give local people a chance to contribute to an exhibition.
Planned for 2024, the exhibition will focus on mining heritage in Scottish coalfields, with images of miners at work and at home.
East Ayrshire residents gathered together to share their stories and lived experience and to provide feedback on photographs to help develop the exhibition.
The engagement session was well attended, with “lots of stories and lots of laughter”.
Many thanks to everyone who took part!
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