Good local and regional facilities for a village in the Far North
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By Keith A. Forbes, disabled Brora resident, at keithaforbes@btinternet.com. He also writes about Ashcroft Market Garden for Brora home-produced, fresh food and vegetables; and writes /publishes/webmasters the 128+ files of Bermuda Online.
Brora Health Centre, where the Brora and Helmsdale Medical Practice is located. Photo by the author
Station Square, Brora KW9 6QJ. For appointments 01408 621535. Fax 01408 621535. Phone 01408 621320 for emergencies. Sometimes referred to as the Helmsdale and Brora Medical Practice. Part of National Health Service (NHS) Highland. A GP practice in the North Highland (Sutherland & Caithness) Community Health Partnership. By appointment Monday to Friday, 9 am-11 am, plus Monday 3:30 pm-5:30 pm, Tuesday 3-4 pm, Thursday-Friday 3-5 pm With three GPs, Drs Monica Main, Andrew Chase and Alan Woodall. Also with a practice nurse and more. For out-of-hours service call NHS 24 at 08454 24 24 24. In June 2005, Dr. Monica Main, MB, ChB, DRCOG, MRCGP became the Queen's Lord-Lieutenant for Sutherland following the retirement of Major-General David Houston CBE. She is a graduate of Aberdeen University and was a Medical Officer, from 1979 to 1980, and a General Practitioner, from 1981 to 1985, in Inverness. Dr Main is married to William Main, the Brora community pharmacist.
01431 821225. 16.5 km north of Brora.http://www.brorahelmsdalemedicalpractice.co.uk/page_973240.html
A new community health initiative. Dr. Woodall spoke about the PPG at both the Brora Community Council (on 15th April 2008) and Helmsdale Community Council (2nd May), at the Lawson League of Friends and emailed members of A Brighter Brora, asking for people to put names forward as representatives. From 14th May 2008, notices appeared in both medical practices asking for people to put themselves forward as volunteers (they were asked to sign a form). The first meeting was held on 1st October 2008 at 6:30 pm at the above practice, the next was on 3 November 2008 at the same venue. Membership of the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP) was sought and obtained.
The PPG is designed as a
group of local patient volunteers with two main aims:
To help create community health improvement initiatives locally so that
we improve the health of the population of Brora and Helmsdale. This is a
key role - much of health promotion and disease prevention has to be led
from the community - there is little the NHS can do to tackle some health
issues (eg smoking, exercise, alcohol misuse) without community engagement.
To act as patient advisors to the practice
to deliver
services more appropriately, respond to patient needs better and help the
practice to respond to areas of concern as a practice.
Patient Participation Groups make an important contribution to the well-being of their communities. Their activities include health promotion, information provision, service delivery, fundraising and strategic input to the practice. PPG groups refer to patients taking an active interest in their health care. Their priorities are developed and agreed locally in order to meet local needs and to reflect the interests and energies of the participants. Patients and primary care professionals support each other in promoting the patient and public interest. PPGs are not legally required but have developed on the basis of trust and goodwill from practices and patients alike. Dr. Alan Woodall of the Practice has indicated it would not be independent of the Brora and Helmsdale Medical Practice, instead it would serve to better facilitate communication between the practice and patient representatives about issues that arise - in a bidirectional way - so that the practice can better serve patient needs and also to raise issues for the practice and get input (and support). It will have representatives from both the practice and the its patient-list of the public serving on the group, with a GP or Practice Manager in attendance to liaise, but otherwise it is envisaged it will be 'hands off' and have members agree how to run it, how to set up and attract representatives in the future. It would be good to get a range of representation - eg age/sex/location/health needs. Perhaps it will be possible for a joint practice/PPG general information newsletter to be published and circulated appropriately, probably quarterly initially.
W. G. Main. 1 Victoria Road, Brora, Sutherland KW9 6QN. Phone 01408 621230.
New residents of Brora should ask to be registered. Those with a dental emergency should call the NHS Dental Helpline on 0845 6442271 or email DentalHelpLine@hpct.scot.nhs.uk. If you call at the earliest possible time of 0845 hrs on any weekday you will find you are already in a queue. Are you in pain? If so, you might possibly get treatment at an NHS dentist in Inverness, Wick or possibly Alness. Note that all dentists included in NHS Highland Health Board Dental List have contracted with the Health Board to provide NHS Dentistry. However, patients should note that a dentist is not obliged to all ALL patients for NHS Dental treatment.
Part of the Highland Community Care Forum (HCCF)
e-mail: KStephen@hccf.org.uk. The remit includes Brora. One of its forums includes East Sutherland Community Care Forum
Station
Road, Golspie KW10 6SS, 01408
664029/043. Six miles from Brora. North Highland region. National Health Service. Community Minor
Unit.
It developed from an original cottage hospital. X-ray and dental facilities. Huge local asset to the health and well-being of all, especially the over 50s and elderly who have had extensive physiotherapy and other treatment here after strokes and heart problems. It's Cambusavie Unit is very valuable
. Recent patients there have praised the hospital generally for its individual attention to its patients, its convenience compared to Raigmore and its higher standard of its food than at Raigmore.
Lawson
Memorial League of Friends. Since 1983. A Patients Council. New (from May 2008) Chairman is Mrs.
Brenda Macmillan who took over from Isobel MacKay. Mrs. Ishbel Clarkson is
Secretary, Jean Sim a committee member. Correspondence address is: Ishbel
Clarkson, League of Friends of
Matheson Road, Bonar Bridge, Sutherland IV24 3AG. Phone 01863 766211. National Health Service. North Highland region. For Elderly patients with special needs and services for younger people with long-term conditions.
After years of delay and inaction, plus the activity of the Migdale Action Group established a number of years ago -.a new £10 million community hospital - as depicted above - has finally been scheduled for completion in 2012 to replace the current one, at a new location, on a 0.6 hectare of land lot to the north of Cherry Grove, Bonar Bridge. It will have access from Dornoch Road through Cherry Grove. The steep slope of the site requires the building to step down the hillside. The building is two-storey but its scale has been reduced by creating a base to the lower level accommodation. It will have 24 beds, 10 fewer than at present and will continue to provide specialist treatment for the elderly, dementia sufferers and people with mental illness. All the bedrooms have been strategically positioned to the south-west to benefit from the stunning views. Most will single rooms with en-suite facilities. The two wards, one for GP-led beds, the other for geriatric patients, will be on the upper level. There will be two central bedrooms which can be used by either ward. All support facilities along with outpatients services will be on the lower level. A biomass system is to be used for heating and it may be possible to generate some electricity from a small wind turbine.
Brora GPs are part of this. NHS Highland comprises the largest and most sparsely populated part of the UK, with a mountainous terrain, rugged coastline and populated islands. The area covers 32,518 km², around 41% of Scotland. All hospitals and doctors in our region are NHS Highland.
Brora GPs are involved with this. Breast screening is a method of detecting breast cancer at a very early stage. The first step involves an x-ray of each breast - a mammogram - which is taken while carefully compressing the breast. Most women find it a bit uncomfortable and a few find it painful. The mammogram can detect small changes in breast tissue which may indicate cancers which are too small to be felt either by the woman herself or by a doctor. The NHS Breast Screening Programme provides free breast screening every three years for all women in the UK aged 50 and over. Around one-and-a-half million women are screened in the UK each year. Women aged between 50 and 70 are now routinely invited. Because the programme is a rolling one which invites women from GP practices in turn, not every woman will receive an invitation as soon as she is 50. But she will receive her first invitation before her 53rd birthday. Once women reach the upper age limit for routine invitations for breast screening, they are encouraged to make their own appointment
Old Perth Road, Raigmore,
Inverness, Inverness-shire IV2 3UJ. Telephone 01463 704000. National Health
Service. North Highland region.
Huge A&E and acute general hospital 60 miles south of Brora. Handles most emergency scenarios, with exceptions including replacement of stents. For treatment and operations, the policy appears to be that those who live furthest away get treated first, which is very commendable. Raigmore scores 90 points out of 100 for the courtesy, professionalism and competence of its medical staff.
From 4th August 2008 visiting times are afternoons 1430 to 1630 and evenings 1830 to 2030. Facilities and services have been continually enhanced over the years and further development is planned. The initial phase of Raigmore opened in 1970 and comprises a wing containing Laboratory services, Medical Physics, Radiology and Radiotherapy Departments, Out-Patient Departments, Paramedical Services, Medical Records Department and Emergency Department. In addition, there is a ward block of 8 floors. These include teaching facilities, a theatre Suite of nine Operating Theatres, a six bed Intensive Care Unit, a 4 bed Coronary Care Unit, a Maternity Unit, Chest/Control of Infection Unit and a Renal Unit, all of which are serviced by comprehensive support services. Raigmore Hospital is a clinical teaching centre, providing the University of Aberdeen’s (UOA) second undergraduate medical teaching site. Plans are underway to establish an academic teaching and research unit (the Highlands and Islands Research Institute) on site jointly with UOA. The North of Scotland Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and the University of Stirling department of nursing and midwifery (Highland Campus) are also based here.
The authors are panel members and Lois is 2008-2009 Vice Chairman.
http://www.hdaat.org.uk/drugs-alcohol-scotland/communities/detail/8/.
Helps this county's residents with massive drug and alcohol problems, the chief reason for so many hospital visits. A multi-agency group which includes representatives from counselling services, Highland Council, local voluntary organizations, NHS Highland and local councillors. Meets four times a year and its aim is to help prevent drug and/or alcohol related problems and to ensure the public is better informed about the abuse and misuse of drugs and alcohol. Contact Jennie Rawlins at 01955 609945 or by email at jennifer.rawlins@nhs.net.
Written, administered and web-mastered here in Sutherland, Scotland, by
Keith A.
Forbes, at keithaforbes@btinternet.com.
© 2009. Revised: June 18, 2009
