PROPOSED PUBLIC RECORDS BILL – IMPLICATIONS FOR NHSS

A Scottish Government Bill to strengthen the transparency and accountability of public sector record keeping was introduced on 7 October 2010.

The Public Records (Scotland) Bill provides a framework for improvements in record keeping across the public sector, including NHSScotland, and takes account of existing NHSS guidance and best practice, such as the recently revised Records Management: Code of Practice.

Under the proposed legislation, NHSS and other public bodies will be required to produce and implement a records management plan to be approved by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The Keeper will also be given powers to scrutinise the implementation of these plans.

The Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee leads progress on the Bill, currently at Stage 1. Follow progress of the Bill and access copies and supporting documents at the link here.

Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME-CFS
The purpose of the Scottish Good Practice Statement is to provide general practitioners with guidance that can be used to assist with the differential diagnosis and clinical management of patients with ME-CFS.
Guidance documents can be accessed at the following link:
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/GoodPracticeStatementonME-CFSforGeneralPractitioners.aspx

WE NEED YOU TO TEST OUR NHSOffice SOFTWARE
National Services Scotland are looking for NHS Staff from any Board to test at home a software product called NHSOffice. The software has all of the major modules of a complete Office suite and we want 500 people to test the product at home and feedback on any issues they come across. This product is a version of the commercially available Ability Office so we don't expect many installation problems and online support will be provided. You can download the product but if you want to be able to continue to use it after the trial period you need to register to have a disk sent out to you. Please see the following website for more details.
http://www.bitsandbobs.scot.nhs.uk/nhsoffice/nhsoffice.htm

Capita's Patient Choice Conference
Capita’s Patient Choice conference examines the government’s objectives for wholesale NHS reform; putting patients at the centre of care to ensure improved health outcomes, efficiency savings and a more clinically led NHS. The new proposals signal a fundamental shift in power and accountability. It is therefore imperative that healthcare professionals and local authorities understand their new statutory duties and responsibilities to drive forward these changes. Providing in-depth analysis on the key drivers to reform and methods of managing the transition period, the event will enable you to deliver truly patient-centered, high quality and efficient care in the years ahead. Benefits of Attending: Hear from the Department of Health on the implementation of the choice agenda Learn about the new right to choice and the information to support it Explore the new role of local authorities in agreeing health improvement budgets, linking health and social care together Consider methods of engaging GPs in commissioning health budgets Understand how to use specific interventions to achieve shared decision making, patient autonomy, informed consent and empowerment Take part in a panel discussion examining the introduction of a competitive market into the NHS Get to grips with how patients with long term conditions will be offered real choices about their care with the extension of the personal health budgets

REVISED RECORDS MANAGEMENT: NHS CODE OF PRACTICE NOW AVAILABLE
The Scottish Government has published a revised Records Management: NHS Code of Practice. The code is intended to be a guide to the required standards of practice in the management of records for those who work within, or under contract, to NHS organisations in Scotland.

The code also:

• Provides information on the general legal obligations that apply to NHS records.
• Recommends best practice to assist in fulfilling these obligations.
• Explains the requirement to select records for permanent preservation.
• Addresses the issues raised by medical records incidents
• Sets out recommended minimum periods for retention of NHS personal health records and administrative records
• Replaces the following individual circulars:
  • CEL (2008) 28 Records Management: NHS Code of Practice(Scotland)
  • HDL (2006) 28 The management, retention and disposal of administrative records

We have also published seven Guidance Notes have also been published to supplement the updated Code of Practice and provide practical guidance for those working at operational level within the Boards. The code and guidance notes can be viewed at the following links: Code: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/04/20142935/0 Guidance notes: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/04/NHS-record-management For further information contact Robert Bryden at robert.bryden@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

SCIMP Conference 2010
SCIMP Conference 2010 will provide delegates with the opportunity to listen, contribute and learn about real life developments and practical changes that can and will affect how we deliver care now and in the future. Returning to our roots as a conference of and for enthusiasts we hope to inspire and challenge convention, catalyse innovation and help our delegates better understand and employ eHealth technologies in their workplaces. You can find more information here.

Health Informatics Scotland 2010 Conference
The Health Informatics Scotland 2010 Conference, including the first NHS Scotland eHealth Awards co-presented by Scottish Government, is on 22-23rd September at the Scottish Science Centre, Glasgow. This year includes many international speakers and a public information gallery designed to inform the visiting public about eHealth in Scotland. All details on http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/his/events/bcs-health-scotland-conference-2010.aspx.

Gulf War, treatment of veterans
From time to time, the Scottish Government is asked for advice on issues surrounding the treatment of veterans who served in the Gulf War. Although the Scottish Government is not responsible for the provision of advice on treatments for illness or conditions associated with the Gulf War we are happy to point people in the right direction. Anyone seeking assistance in this area should contact the Ministry of Defence at Veterans Policy Unit, Level 7, Zone H, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB, Helpline: 0800 169 4495 or for information about Ministry of Defence's wider commitment to the Health and Safety of its employees access the web site at http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/HealthandSafety/GulfVeteransIllnesses/.

The Management Steering Group (MSG)
The Management Steering Group (MSG) is a joint NHS Employer/Scottish Government Health Directorates body which was set up to discuss Strategic Service and consequential Workforce issues. It also forms and leads the 'Management Side' of any bi-lateral or multi-lateral discussions on Pay, Terms and Conditions, both in Scotland and across the UK. This notification announces the launch of the new MSG website, which can be found at www.msg.scot.nhs.uk.

The website aims to?

• Inform NHS Scotland staff about the range of activities that MSG is involved in.
• Keep NHS Scotland staff up to date with the latest news on Workforce issues in Scotland, with a particular emphasis on Pay, Terms and Conditions.
• Provide a resource and reference facility to NHS staff on Pay and TCS.
• Provide easy access to all the directions and guidance issued by the Scottish Government Health Directorates and NHS Scotland.

We hope that you find this site a valuable addition to NHS Scotland's existing 'on line' presence and users can use the feedback form on the web site’s home page to comment on both what you like about the site and how we can improve it to make it as useful as possible to you.

Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2010

The military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2010 were launched on Thursday 27 May by Scotland’s Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison.

The awards recognise the people, projects and initiatives from the Defence Medical Services, NHS, private and voluntary sectors that provide our serving and former military personnel with the very best healthcare and health service. So if you are involved in the delivery of healthcare and health services to the Armed Forces (including the Reserves), their dependents or Service veterans, or know someone who does, now is the time to recognise them.

Closing date for nominations is 9 July 2010.

For Further information visit the awards website at: http://www.militarycivilianhealthawards.org/.

CLEAR: Clinical enquiry and response service

CLEAR is an online clinical enquiry service, providing NHS Scotland health care professionals with summarised evidence in response to aetiology, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment queries about patient care. Using high quality evidence based information resources CLEAR formulates a specific response to a question by summarising known knowledge and recommendations on the topic. Responses are published online and categorised into clinical areas, accessible to the enquirer and a wider audience.
The service is a pilot project which will run from October 2009 until October 2010 and during this time an evaluation of the service will be conducted which will seek to identify the impact of the CLEAR summaries on practice and knowledge along with the perceived need for the continuation of the service.
The service operates in partnership with NHS24, the Medicines Information Service and the Health Management Library and Information Service. Questions which would be better answered by one of these existing enquiry channels are forwarded to the relevant partner and are dealt with under their existing processes.
To pose a question you simply need an Athens username and password which will allow you to log in to the site and complete the online question form. If you don’t already have a username and password you can register for one at: http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/login.aspx

Why should you use CLEAR?

• Save time by receiving a summary of clinical evidence on a topic
• Get quick and easy access to evidence based recommendations which you can use to inform your clinical practice
• Learn from previous answers by searching an online database of clinical queries and answers

If you have a clinical question why not see if you can get a CLEAR response?
Visit: www.clear.scot.nhs.uk.

CEL 14 (2010) announces the launch of the Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Model for NHSScotland.

The Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Model Scotland website provides practical advice for all NHSScotland organisations on how to coordinate and further progress their contributions to sustainable development. This is done through a series of questions relating to all aspects of their organisation from travel through buildings to community engagement. The website also contains extensive support and background information. All boards will be registered with and using the self-assessment tool by the end of June 2010.

Requested Allocation of a Deceased Donor Organ

The document provides advice about the circumstances in which a request for an allocation of a deceased donor organ to a close relative or friend, could be considered in exceptional circumstances and when the needs of other patients should take precedence over that request for the allocation. This document has been developed by all 4 UK health administrations together with the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

Promote more sustainable transport choices through the creation and implementation of Travel Plans.

Find inspiration on how organisations have developed and implemented their Travel Plans and learn from their successes on ChooseAnotherWay.com. Join our discussion forum, where you can join our community of individuals involved in travel planning across Scotland and share your travel planning aims and experiences. The forum can also be used to announce related events and new initiatives. The website also includes travel plan FAQ’s and useful travel planning tools and resources.

Vulnerable Families Website

This vulnerable families site has been set up to support the vulnerable families pathway project. This multi-agency project is being led by NHS QIS on behalf of the Scottish Government and we are working with colleagues in other organisations such as social work, local authority, voluntary organisations, education etc. A draft framework has been developed which will aim to ensure that vulnerable children (from conception to age 3) and families in all parts of Scotland receive equity of support that is proportionate, effective and timely.

The consultation on the draft framework is from Monday 8th March - Friday 11th June.

Managing Sleep Problems in Cancer Patients

Part of the Behavioural Sleep Medicine Programme, please have a look at the SleepCentreFlyer.pdf.

First Scottish ATLS reverification course to be held in Dundee - places now available

We are pleased to offer places on the first Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Reverification Course to be held in Scotland, on Saturday 20th February 2010 (8am-6pm) in the Clinical Skills Centre at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. There will be 12 places for doctors who practise in key trauma-related specialities (anaesthetics, emergency medicine, surgical specialties, and rural primary care) and who have successfully completed an ATLS provider course during the 4.5 years before the date of the Reverification Course.

Doctors of the necessary seniority (ST4 and above) who demonstrate a sound knowledge base and teaching potential during a Reverification Course may be considered for further training to become ATLS instructors.

For further information and to request a booking form please visit www.atls.scot.nhs.uk

Clinical Portal Programme Established

A Clinical Portal Programme is being established to provide strategic direction and leadership to the development and delivery of portal capabilities across NHS Scotland. The programme will work closely with key stakeholders and will encourage consortia of Health Boards to take the lead in the delivery of essential components.

A Clinical Portal Programme Board, made up of influential leaders from across NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, will direct the Programme. The Board will be initially Chaired by Derek Feeley, Director of Healthcare Policy and Strategy at the Scottish Government.

Julie Falconer, has been appointed Programme Manager. Julie is currently Programme Manager for CHI, and will also continue in this role. Cathy Kelly, currently an eHealth Clinical Lead, has been appointed as Senior Clinician on the Board and Gerald McLafferty will be Enterprise Architect. Further details of the Board’s membership will be announced in due course.

A clinical portal is an electronic window that will allow clinicians to see information about a patient in a ‘virtual’ electronic record derived from various databases. Easier access to this information will help to improve care and patients can be reassured that staff have the necessary information to manage their care safely.

Further information about the clinical portal can be found here.

Developing an NHSScotland Healthcare Quality Strategy

Share your views on the NHSScotland Healthcare Quality Strategy draft proposals and help shape NHSScotland’s approach to delivering world-leading healthcare services at two staff consultation events. Register for the events before 9th October.

Please find attached pdf flyer

Scottish Audit of Inter Hospital Transfers of Acutely Ill Adults

The Scottish Government Health department and the Scottish Ambulance Service commissioned this audit to identify the number of acutely ill adults being transferred between hospitals. The audit was carried out over a 20 week period between November 2007 and March 2008. It has taken a long time to process the data and write the final report with over 3000 completed audit forms being analysed.

Please find attached a pdf version IHT amended version.pdf

Scottish Health Awards 2009

The Scottish Health Awards provide recognition to staff in NHSScotland and those working in health services who are prepared to go the extra mile. The 17 Awards will recognise and reward Scotland’s most committed and caring NHS workers.

The 2009 Scottish Health Awards will be held at the Corn Exchange, Edinburgh on 11 November. There is a category for every NHS worker and the areas they work in. No matter what their title, or where they are based, if they’ve made a difference, we want to know.

Further details and information on how to nominate

The closing date for nomination is 5pm on 7 September 2009.

Better Heart Disease And Stroke Care Action Plan

Better Health, Better Care confirmed Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and stroke would continue as national clinical priorities for NHS Scotland and committed to revising the 2004 CHD and Stroke Strategy to bring it into line with the approach set out in Better Health, Better Care. Consultation and stakeholder engagement have had a strong influence in shaping both the content and recommendations in the final document, Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan, published today, 29 June 2009, by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing.
You can access the Action Plan through http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/29102453 .

Tissue Viability Online

This website gives easy access to practical tools, advice and educational support. Developed as part of an integrated programme sponsored by the Scottish Government, this new resource will help you and your team work more effectively. Together we can improve care and prevent pressure ulcers in Scotland.

Better Diabetes Care Consultation

We need your help to develop our revised Action Plan for diabetes care. Our first Diabetes Action Plan, published in June 2006, set out an ambitious programme designed to bring real benefits for people in Scotland living with the disease. Our New Action Plan will need to build on these successes and set out how we can maintain and improve diabetes services, while also taking account of the growing number of people living with diabetes. We have published Better Diabetes Care, A Consultation Document, and would like to invite you to give us your ideas, views and aspirations for improving diabetes care in Scotland. We intend to draw on your feedback to produce a new Diabetes Action Plan which we’ll publish before the end of this year. The consultation will run until 22 August. www.scotland.gov.uk/diabetes

Military And Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2009 Launch

The Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2009 were launched on 14 May by Scotland’s Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison and the UK Defence Secretary John Hutton.

New eHealth Toolkit Points The Way For Clinicians

eHealth will have a significant impact on the way clinicians work. To help get the best out of this, an Clinical eHealth Toolkit has now been launched. This is a practical toolkit to support all clinical champions in taking forward engagement in eHealth and progressing local eHealth programmes.
The toolkit draws together the collective experiences and insights of eHealth Leads so that they can be shared across the clinical and eHealth community. The indicators of success are:

• Leadership and Engagement: get together, clarify roles, be known and building influence, and promote the benefits.
• eHealth Tools: know what you’ve got, learn from others, design for clinical benefits and create easy wins.
• eHealth Skills: know what skills are needed, get eHealth on the education agenda, make the most of what is there and use champions.
• Knowledge Management: identify what questions need answers and what information is needed, know what tools and resources exist, maximise the use of knowledge and exploit electronic information.

To get the best out of the Toolkit users are advised to:

• Share it with clinical and eHealth colleagues to support clinical engagement in eHealth.
• Use the indicators for success to progress local and national eHealth programmes.
• Work together to share examples of good practice and learn from each others’ experience.

Log onto the eHealth website at www.ehealth.scot.nhs.uk

No Delays Scotland

No Delays Scotland is a web-based library of service improvement tools, case studies, and resources tailored to assist NHSScotland Staff in delivering service improvement and redesign and more specifically delivering the 18-week patient pathway. This service improvement toolkit is free to NHS Boards and can be accessed online at www.nodelaysscotland.scot.nhs.uk. The toolkit is supported by the Improvement and Support Team's 18 week Service Redesign and Transformation programme.

Fight Cervical Cancer

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) immunisation programme is a major breakthrough in tackling cancer. The new HPV vaccine helps protect against two types of HPV, which are the most common causes of cervical cancer. A number of personal stories can be viewed on the fight cervical cancer website. The website also includes information about the HPV virus and cervical cancer, eligibility information and information leaflets on the HPV immunisation programme.

If you are eligible for the vaccine and have left school visit the website to find out how your local NHS region are delivering the vaccine. The videos on the website can also be viewed on the campaign’s cervical cancer and HPV YouTube channel

Health Rights Information Scotland (HRIS)

Health Rights Information Scotland (HRIS) is a project based in Consumer Focus Scotland (formerly Scottish Consumer Council) and funded by the Scottish Government Health Directorates.

We produce information for patients about their health rights, about how to use NHS services, and about what to expect from the NHS in Scotland. This information is provided to all NHS boards for use throughout the health service.
HRIS information is available in a number of translated and alternative formats (including easy read, audio and British Sign Language) from our website: www.hris.org.uk

We can also provide advice to organisations which develop information for patients. For more information about our work contact: hris@consumerfocus.org.uk

Zero Tolerance to Non Hand Hygiene Compliance

The Cabinet Secretary for Health & Well Being announced that a zero tolerance approach to non-compliance with hand hygiene standards is to be adopted across the healthcare setting. The purpose of this letter is to set out the requirements of NHS Board Chief Executives in ensuring complete clarity at local level on the respective roles and responsibilities of healthcare workers in delivering this approach.

NHS Scotland Staff Survey

Over 58,000 (37%) employees from all NHS Boards and Special NHS Boards across Scotland responded to the biannual national survey which was sent out in October and November 2008.

The national staff survey, focuses on how staff are managed and feel they are managed and invites employees to share their views and experiences of working for the NHS.

The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre (BWoSCC)

The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre's (BWoSCC) new website has just been launched and includes an interactive tour of the centre as well as important information for patients, relatives and visitors. The BWoSCC provides all the radiotherapy, and much of the chemotherapy, for patients with cancer in Scotland’s west. We offer our service and care to 60% of Scotland’s population – 2.8 million people.

www.beatson.scot.nhs.uk

Healthy Living Award
All over Scotland the appetite for healthy food is increasing and catering establishments need to be ready to meet that demand. That’s where we can help.

The healthyliving award is a brilliant way to help businesses and keep customers healthier and happier.

Catering businesses are rewarded for working hard to fill their menus with healthier food and customers have a simple way of being sure they are eating for health .

Vocation, vocation, vocation!
Show us real passion for healthcare, and we’ll show you one of the future leaders of NHS Scotland.

You.

Our two-year graduate training scheme takes you to the heart of healthcare management. From day one you’ll be learning on the job, working in various management roles alongside some of our best clinical and non-clinical professionals.

In return you’ll get a competitive salary and the chance to study for a Master’s qualification. On completing the programme you’ll have a guaranteed job for 12 months. After that there’s no limit for the most talented and ambitious.

Check out: www.mts.scot.nhs.uk

Website opens for applications on November 1st 2008
Closing date, January 2009

NHS Shared Learning is Live!
NHS Shared Learning (NSL) www.sharedlearning.scot.nhs.uk is a freely available online service developed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to enable NHS staff and partners to access, create, share and re-use learning resources across NHS Boards and partner organisations. NSL also supports downloading of re-usable learning resources into local Virtual Learning Environments or Learning Management Systems for customisation and reuse (when permitted) within new courses.

NHS Shared Learning consist of the following services:

• Search and Browse resources
• Create, package and contribute resources

Download the e-flyer.

£1million for new Mobile Data Protection Standard The Scottish Government takes the security of patient information very seriously. The eHealth Directorate has been working with Health Boards to agree a new standard for the handling of mobile data, such as that held on laptops and memory sticks. That standard has now been launched (CEL45 (2008)).
The Scottish Government will make £1m available to Health Boards in this financial year to help with the implementation of the new standard.
The standard - produced in consultation with NHS Board IT and security experts - outlines the minimum measures for the protection of mobile data in NHSScotland. It is primarily targeted at laptops and USB memory sticks, however the controls are equally applicable to other mobile data devices such as PDAs, Blackberries, and removable media.
This new standard supplements the NHS Scotland Information Security Policy and Standards ( NHS HDL (2006) 41).

Living and Dying Well Palliative and end of life care are integral aspects of the care delivered by any health or social care professional to those living with and dying from any advanced, progressive or incurable condition. Palliative care is not just about care in the last months, days and hours of a person's life, but about ensuring quality of life for both patients and families at every stage of the disease process from diagnosis onwards. A palliative care approach should be used as appropriate alongside active disease management from an early stage in the disease process. Palliative care focuses on the person, not the disease, and applies a holistic approach to meeting the physical, practical, functional, social, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and carers facing progressive illness and bereavement.

Improvement & Support Team A new link is now available which provides direct access to our Continuous Improvement Toolkits bypassing ATHENS. An ATHENS authentication password is no longer required. The link to the toolkits can now be found in the SHOW website quick links Publications section or by going to our Improvement & Support Team website where it is available in the Related Topics section within the Delivery Improvement page. The link to our Improvement & Support Team website can be found in the quick links section within the SHOW website

Anaesthetic Review The report of the independent external clinical review of anaesthetic services at the Vale Of Leven Hospital was published on Friday 15 August. The Review was chaired by Professor Christopher Dodds, Royal College of Anaesthetists

Scottish Patient Safety Alliance The Scottish Patient Safety Alliance brings together the NHS, The Scottish Government, professional bodies, patient representatives and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. In the Alliance’s first programme of work hospitals across Scotland are taking part in the Scottish Patient Safety Programme. This programme takes a practical approach and supports frontline staff to make changes in practice. The Programme recognises the complexities involved in delivering modern healthcare and has been designed to standardise approaches to come.

Better Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Care, A Consultation Document Our Action Plan Better Health, Better Care, launched in December 2007, confirmed that we wanted Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and stroke to continue as one of the national clinical priorities for NHSScotland. We also promised that the CHD and Stroke Strategy, which was first published in 2002 and updated in 2004, would be refreshed to bring fresh focus to what is needed to further reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with CHD and stroke. This consultation seeks to gather a range of views on how we can further improve services and make them more responsive to patient needs and wishes. We will then draw on these to produce an action plan that will form the core of the revised strategy, which we’ll publish before the end of this year. The consultation, Better Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Care, starts today, Thursday 31 July at 12.00pm and will run until 24 October.

Revised NHS Code Of Practice On Health Records Now Available The NHS Code of Practice on Health Records is a guide to the standards of practice in the management of records for NHS organisations in Scotland. The guidance aims to establish, as part of the wider information governance framework, records management best practice regarding the creation, use, storage, management and disposal of NHS records. The guidance also:

• Provides information on the general legal obligations that apply to NHS records.
• Recommends best practice to assist in fulfilling these obligations.
• Explains the requirement to select records for permanent preservation.
• Sets out recommended minimumperiods for retention of NHS personal health records.
• indicates where further information on records management may be found.

The guide was drafted in collaboration with a working group representing the Scottish Government Health Directorate, Scottish NHS archivists, NHS Health Records Managers, patient groups and GP Practices. The draft was informed by a public consultation in 2005 and updated and issued for consultation in the autumn of 2007. 

This is an overarching code of practice and incorporates references and links to previously published guidance, such as NHS HDL (2006) 28 Management, Retention and Disposal of Administrative Records. The Code of Practice can be accessed at the following link: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/01082955/0

eHealth Strategy 2008 – 2011 launched The eHealth Strategy for 2008 – 2011 was formally launched by Nicola Sturgeon at this year’s NHS Scotland Event. The vision for eHealth supports the goals as set out in the Better Health Better Care Action Plan. This is about exploiting the power of electronic information to help ensure that patients get the right care, involving the right clinicians, at the right time, to deliver the right outcomes. It is therefore as much about transforming traditional processes as it is about technology. Ms Sturgeon said: “Building for the future means an investment in new technology. Our eHealth Strategy demonstrates how we intend to harness the opportunities of new technology to enhance patient care. “Over the next three years this will allow us to build the platform for an electronic patient record that will support the patient and improve their experience of care throughout their healthcare journey.” Download the Strategy here eHealth Strategy 2008 Further information will be published in a range of more detailed papers, including a Technical Plan, a Programme Plan and a Finance Strategy, in the coming months.

National Drugs Strategy On 29 May 2008 the Scottish Government published its new national drugs strategy 'The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland's Drug Problem'. The strategy - the first in almost a decade - is based on consensus and evidence, including a number of expert reports. Central to the strategy is the principle of recovery. Recovery means that, more than just reducing risk and harm, services should help people to move on, towards a drug-free life, as active and contributing members of society. Other key priorities of the strategy are better prevention of drug use, with improved life chances for children and young people; communities that are safer and stronger places to live and work; ensuring children affected by parental substance misuse are safer; and improving the effectiveness of delivery.

Military & Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2008 The search is on. We are looking for the people, projects and initiatives from the NHS, Defence Medical Services, private and voluntary sectors that provide our serving and former military personnel with the very best healthcare and health service. Now is the time to recognise them. The Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards are new awards for 2008 which aim to recognise the partnership between members of the Defence Medical Services and civilian healthcare professionals, providing care for service personnel, veterans and their dependents. For more information and to nominate yourself or your team, visit www.dmsd.mod.uk or call the Awards Helpline on 020 7807 8125

Happy Birthday NHS Scotland The first web-based history of the NHS in Scotland is now available as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations. It features stories from staff and patients, a quiz to test your knowledge, audio and video clips… and even the first recorded NHS joke. All with an interactive timeline starting from the state-funded, comprehensive health service for the Highlands and Islands - 35 years before the NHS.

18 Weeks Referral to Treatment (RTT) is an ambitious programme setting new standards in the quality of care provided by NHSScotland. From December 2011 the new standard will be in place and 18 weeks will become the maximum wait from referral to treatment.

Better Health, Better Care sets out a clear vision for the NHS in Scotland. It outlines the actions we will take to improve health, tackle health inequalities and enhance the quality of our healthcare services.

Evolving Practice contains real-life examples of Scotland's commitment to improving health services through involving patients and the public.

The Scottish Centre for Telehealth provides a centre of expertise to define and disseminate best practice and develop inter-operable standards, protocols and processes to support telehealth solutions.

Making choices Keeping safe
is an inter-agency document outlining policy and practice guidelines on relationships and sexual wellbeing when working with people with learning disabilities in Lothian.

Health-EU Portal The European Commission has recently launched the EU public health portal as a single point of reference for reliable and easily accessible information on a wide range of health-related topics for citizens, patients, health professionals, stakeholders and policy-makers.

Not just a hotel and conference centre…
Keeping it in the family! The first NHS-owned hotel and conference centre – the Beardmore - is formalising its status as the public sector venue of choice, giving colleagues value for money for business and pleasure.

The Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre, part of the NHS National Waiting Times Centre, has introduced special rates for NHS colleagues booking bedrooms or conferences, for business or for leisure (subject to availability).

And the news is getting better. We are also introducing a range of new facilities to give you more choice when planning your event, including:

• video conferencing
• electronic polling equipment
• informal meeting area
• new conference room with increased cabaret capacity.

To receive a brochure, book, or get in touch with our award-winning Events team, call 0141 951 6000, email info@beardmore.scot.nhs.uk or visit www.thebeardmore.com .

National Hand Hygiene Campaign
On 15th January a national hand hygiene campaign will be launched across Scotland aimed at reducing avoidable illness amongst staff, patients and the general public. It will consist of two major elements;

• a public media campaign, involving Press and TV adverts which will run until the end of February 2007 and,
• a specific NHS Campaign to raise awareness of Hand Hygiene within NHS Healthcare settings, targeting NHS Scotland staff, patients and visitors. This campaign will continue until at least March 2008
  

As well as the TV and press campaign, a website has also been developed which provides further information on Hand Hygiene as well as useful links to other websites. This website will evolve over the course of the next year and will be used by both members of the public and NHS Staff. The address is  www.washyourhandsofthem.com  

Paediatric Telemedicine
The Paediatric Telemedicine project was set up to provide rapid diagnosis of children with cardiac or surgical problems at a distant centre. With funding from the Scottish Government Health Directorate's mobile video conferencing units were installed in 10 sites throughout Scotland along with a video conferencing room at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. The final project report details the success in meeting the initial project objectives and examines the variety of other uses made of the service. These include the use of telemedicine to support Child Psychiatry, the broadcast of education meetings, clinical networks, multi-disciplinary case conferences, out-patient appointments and 'Babycam'.