Great beginning – rubbish ending by @dtbarron
A positive start
I had a really interesting and varied week, although the end of it was rubbish – before I get to that though, the week started really positively.
Along with Iona Colvin (Director, North H&SC Partnership) I visited wards 1D & 1E in Crosshouse. I was interested in seeing how ward 1E is getting on with the new whiteboard system they are using. The system is different than the one being used across the rest of the hospital, primarily as the information needs are different.
I was disappointed that we were in ward 1D a day too early, on Tuesday they got their new medicines trolley. As part of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme, Mental Health the ward are working on the safe medicines management workstream, the new trolley is to help them work towards individual self administration of medication.
Tuesday morning started off with confusion, I turned up for a meeting that had been postponed, it was just that the message hadn’t been passed on to me by the meeting organiser. I have to confess, there’s a little bit of me that smiled inside – it’s not that you don’t want to meet with people, but a wee unexpected extra hour of ‘free’ time doesn’t happen very often and is occasionally welcomed.
SISTER Thomson – a role model for many
Tuesday afternoon was a happy, sad occasion as we bid farewell to Carolynne Thomson, Senior Charge Nurse in Glenrosa Ward, Ailsa Hospital; Carolynne is retiring after more than 30 years of exceptional service within mental health services here in Ayrshire. 
On Tuesday afternoon there was a wee (well rather large actually) party for Carolynne. Services users, families and staff came together to say how much we appreciated Carolynne’s input over many years. Carolynne is a nurse whose core approach was of person centred, compassionate care.
She was an undoubted role model for many new, current and aspiring nurses, we all wish her well for her future. The picture attached is Margaret presenting Carolynne with flowers and a gift – you may remember Margaret who feature in ‘The Sorcerers Apprentice’ as she insisted on making tea for the John, Iona and I.
Expert by experience
Wednesday afternoon saw me in Edinburgh for the Dementia Standards in Hospital – Implementation and Monitoring Group. One thing that stayed with me was a comment Agnes made (supported by Henry) – our approach in Scotland is to have representative of people that use our services and their carers at meetings and groups that create, shape and monitor policies, it’s core to how we do things, it’s in our DNA.
I was surprised to hear of so many other countries where this simply doesn’t happen.
Surely the lived experience as a carer or someone who has dementia brings an expertise by experience, while being different than that of professional expertise, it is every bit as relevant?
Wednesday night was exceptional for me. George Nish, Senior Charge Nurse, Ailsa Hospital invited me to his graduation from the School of Social Entrepreneurs. I was in awe of people who had started small projects which addressed social inclusion within a small business environment – few, if any, are going to be rich; however the element of inclusion, of reducing inequalities for people with different abilities was spirit raising. More information can be found via the link: http://www.the-sse.org/about-us
Best wishes to George and the Acorn Furniture Workshop on whatever the future holds in relation to being a social enterprise (BTW if you want garden furniture, benches, tables etc have a wee look at what they produce at the furniture workshop, it’s awesome).
Mandatory and Statutory Training
Thursday started off with the North H&SC Partnership Management Team meeting. It’s an exciting time, there’s lots to be done to shape our new organisation, while at the same time ensuring we continue to deliver and develop our current services.
Following the meeting I visited Pavilions 1 & 2 with Iona Colvin and Andy Swanson (Senior Nurse, Elderly Mental Health Services). It was useful for me to see the link between some of the things we had been taking about at the national Dementia meeting with what is happening locally. It was of course more useful just getting to spend some time with staff hearing what things are like from their perspective – I did ask about progress with MAST (Mandatory and Statutory Training), just dropped that in here in case the Chief Exec reads this blog, it will get me some brownie points!! #maybe.
Friday started off with a planning meeting, in Glasgow, for the Mental Health Nurses Boards leads meeting on 5th November – it’s going to be a busy meeting!
A rubbish ending
The end to my week however was rubbish, although I think it’s more correctly call ‘waste’ and how we manage it. Having been to the kitchen I wanted to understand how other aspect of our core systems operate. 
I guess there are few letters of thanks or Christmas cards sent to this team of dedicated people, but without them our hospitals cannot function – patients don’t get transported from A&E, samples don’t get to the labs for testing, linen doesn’t get delivered to wards, theatres grind to a halt with no instruments.
Twice daily our laundry gets delivered – ever wondered how this all happens? The systems and processes here are as important to patient care as the systems/process and people who are front facing in care delivery.
Here’s a happy picture for you – Christmas has come early for Derek – new custom designed trolleys which improve the efficiency and safety of his team when transporting stores, equipment and waste from one end of the hospital to the other, especially now that building for better care construction has started – it blocks of the previous loading bay at the labs side of the hospital.
Did you know – I didn’t – that paper towels shouldn’t go into these bins?
Did you know when we put the right waste into the right bin it can save us money? For example, a paper cup with residual coffee or tea put into a bin is contaminated waste, whereas the same cup, if it is emptied before putting it in the same bin is recyclable and costs us a third of the price to dispose of.
It might just be rubbish to you and I, but to others it’s a hidden role that everyone relies on, usually without knowing it.
I’d just like to say thanks to all these unsung heroes without whom we cannot deliver the exceptional, person centred care we aspire to in NHS Ayrshire & Arran.
Derek Barron (@dtbarron) is Associate Nurse Director, Mental Health Services and Lead Nurse, North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership.
Next week Professor McQueen is back in charge of her blog.
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