Action Note
27th June2017, 7pm, Caithness General Hospital
Approved 25th July 2017
Present:
Name / Representing (*)Alison Brooks / GP, Thurso and Halkirk Medical Practice (Princes Street, Thurso),Chair
Cara Birnie / Midwife, NHS Highland
Debbie Pottinger / Member of public
Graham Cormack / Scottish Ambulance Service
Janette MacDonald / NHS Highland
(Maternity Care Assistant)
Jim McPherson / Bower Community Council
John Calder / Castletown Community Council
Kerri-Ann Roberts / NHS Highland
(Infant Feeding Support Worker)
Linda Bremner / Tannach and District Community Council
Mary Burnside / NHS Highland
(Lead Midwife, North & West)
Maimie Thompson / NHS Highland
(Head of PR and Engagement)
Nicola Sinclair / Wick and East Caithness, Highland Councillor
Marie Aitken / Sinclair Bay Community Council
Maureen Forbes / Member of public
Rona Morrison / NHS Highland(Midwife)
(*) –Members are responsible for cascading information to the people they are representing
Apologies
Anne-Marie Coghill / Volunteer breastfeeding peer supporterEric Green / NHS Highland
(Head of Estates)
Joan Miller / Member of public
John Sutherland / Wick Community Council
Nicola Campbell / Halkirk Community Council
- Notes of meeting held on 25th April 2017
Approved and available on NHS Highland website Here
- Work stream updates
2.1.Accommodation
Apartment for family accommodation now in place and bookings being taken. Overall process generally working well but when there are issues it is through the night. Wider issue of deprivation discussed.
Action – Maimie to follow up with Community Planning Partnership response to letter sent from Alison Brooks in May.
2.2Transport and Access
Graham reported that they have been finding fewer issues. Additional vehicles and extra shifts in place. Working Group in place to look at how best to invest additional resources. National and Local advertising for additional staff will take place. Discussion on choice of transfer and escort. Differing views expressed. Some members of the group suggested that labouring women should have access to some kind of emergency transport. Will be further discussed following national discussions.
2.3Policies, Protocols and Procedures
Mary updated that progress is being made with establishing Patient Group Directive (PGD) for midwives to administer pain relief. This is currently done locally by junior doctors. PGD will make the process quicker.
2.4Service User Experience and Communications
A lot of work and fact finding has been ongoing to develop feed-back questionnaire and when the best time to ask for feed-back is. Evidence suggests it is around four to six weeks after birth and uptake is higher if service user prompted. Agreedto test out the questionnaire on a small number of patients and then review.
Cara updated that they have set up a Facebook Group for mothers on the casebook. It will include information of antenatal classes, tour of the CMU, labour suite and links. There will be regular postings from the local midwives with appropriate procedures in place for sign-off
Information leaflet being prepared and draft will be circulated for comment before the next meeting.
Action – Keri-Ann and Debbie to update on feed-back at next meeting
Action – Mary to circulate draft information leaflet for comment
Action - Cara to feed-back on progress with establishing Facebook Group
2.5 Risk Register
Having Risk Registers are part of good governance. One was established as part the move to the Midwife-led Community Maternity Unit. It is a live document and was shared and discussed. Specifically MA wished to know why Group B Strep was not included on the Risk Register. Mary Burnside confirmed NHS Highland following NICE guidelines and is not a considered a risk. A note could be made on the Risk Register to explain the issue was raised and clarification as to why not on the Risk Register.
Service Risks discussed included recruitment. Mary Burnside confirmed following recent round of recruitment two posts had been offered. Also looking to recruit to an Advanced Nurse Practitioner. Wider discussion on marketing, recruitment, promoting careers in health, ‘grow your own’ and apprenticeship schemes.
Discussion on the management of discharge planning from the CMU. The specific concern was – that women are (for the most part) being discharged relatively quickly after birth and what happens around 8pm when the Unit is scheduled to close. Members were looking for reassurance around what discretion staff have to work flexibly and whether there are any policy implications. Mary emphasised that patients are treated on a case by case basis and flexibility offered though discharge is the norm.
Action – Mary to update on Recruitment
Action Maimie to update on discussions with North Highland College, UHI
Action – Maimie to update on discussions with North Coast 500
- Liaison Officer
Update on the how the role of Liaison Officer was going. Confirmed that it was going well and that staff and service users are in regular contact.
Action – Liaison Office to be invited to meet with local staff
AOCB
Video-Conferencing Clinics
Discussion on the use of Video-Conferencing clinics for obstetrics and gynaecology with mixed views expressed about advantages and disadvantages. Mary Burnside confirmed that all patients who took part were given a choice and those who had their consultation by VC were happy to do so. It was confirmed this is not to replace face to face consultations.
Action – Mary Burnside to update on any further feed-back around VC clinics at next meeting
Best Start
Mary Burnside updated on regional events taking place to hear more about, ‘The Best Start: A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services’ and the vision for the future planning, design and safe delivery of high quality maternity and neonatal services in Scotland.Staff and services users invited to attend and NHSH hope to have representatives at the event in Aberdeen being held on 3rd July.
Action – Mary Burnside and Maria Aitken to feed-back to Group
Membership of Group
Agreed Nicola Sinclair will sit on the group in her capacity as councillor and will feed-back to local councillors.
Discussion on why CHAT left the group having it called for it to be established. Group were keen to see CHAT back as part of the Group.
Action NS and MA agreed to feed-back to CHAT members and update group at next meeting
- Date of Next Meeting
Tuesday 25th July, 7 pm in Caithness General Hospital
Maimie Thompson, 9th July 2017
Revised, 24th July 2017
Draft notes from meeting held on 27th June 2017