NHS Orkney welcomes Scotland First Minister to celebrate radiology department

Earlier this month (10 February), Scotland’s first minister paid a visit to NHS Orkney to hear about the trust’s journey of improvement and how staff are caring for the community.

John Swinney, Scottish First Minister, was met at Balfour Hospital by board chair Meghan McEwen and chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight for a tour of the hospital, the country’s first to be built to a net zero standard.

While there, he stopped to celebrate innovations in the trust’s radiology service, including its recent success in securing funding to continue on-island MRI scanner provision for the community.

Innovation and achievement

Mr Swinney talked to staff in a number of departments, including maternity, the emergency department, Inpatients 1 and 2, and radiology.

Staff shared their achievements at the hospital, as well as the challenges they had faced along the way and how they were responding to them, with Mr. Swinney.

Innovations achieved by the staff mostly concerned delivery of new technologies – the team has managed to collaborate with the cardiac consultant to deliver CT cardiac angiography on the island, to deliver elastography scans as part of routine liver ultrasound scans, to move orthopaedic joint injection lists to radiology to save theatre time and acquired a relocatable MRI scanner on island for a 12 month test of change for viability.

By ensuring patients in Orkney have access to these services, the team have helped save them having to take a 10-hour round trip to one of the mainland health boards for a five-minute examination.

'Dedication and pride'

Mr. Swinney said: “Meeting staff here today, it is clear to me the dedication and the pride each of them has in the work that they do. It is also clear that there is a lot of excellent progress being made to reduce waiting times, shift more care into the community and deliver the best services for Orkney residents.”

Recently announced top national priorities for Scotland include reducing waiting times for planned care and delays when patients are ready to transfer from acute (hospital) care, shifting more care from hospital to community, digitising and innovating and improving productivity and efficiency.

A spokesperson for NHS Orkney said the day provided an opportunity to talk in more detail about how the trust is addressing these priorities in Orkney, and set out the local context as an island health board.

Celebrating and recognising progress

Ms. Skaife-Knight, NHS Orkney chief executive, added: “It was a pleasure to show Mr Swinney around our wonderful hospital, and for him to hear first-hand from patients and staff about the great work we are doing here in Orkney and our determination to make continuous improvements for our patients and community. 

“Whilst we have our challenges, we have responses to these, and today was about hearing more about these, about how we are working with our partners locally and neighbouring health boards regionally and in collaboration to bring improvements. As well as celebrating and recognising the progress and positive steps forward we are making at NHS Orkney for our community.”

Mr Swinney took time to thank staff across NHS Orkney and to celebrate its many achievements, including:

• Melissa Lindsey being awarded Midwife of the Year at the recent national Scotland Health Awards
• The Green Maternity programme, which decreases the need further for parents and newborns to travel to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI)
• Dr Wendy Corstorphine, Runner-Up in Inspirational Role Model category in the Annual National Education for Scotland (NES) Medical Directorate Awards for her work in leading medical education for NHS Orkney. NHS Orkney recently received national praise and a letter of commendation confirming that its students receive an excellent experience on placement in Orkney
• Moira Sinclair, Clinical Nurse Manager, who last year marked 40 years’ service to the NHS, including NHS Orkney Radiology Team – innovations in this service and securing funding to continue the on-island MRI scanner provision for the community

(Image: (Left to right) Kate Smith, CT Lead; Laura Skaife-Knight, Chief Executive; John Swinney, First Minister; Meghan McEwen, Board Chair; Nick Crohn, Radiology Services manager)