Keeping our communities healthy
Over the coming year The Oban Times will be running a series of fortnightly articles championing the work carried out by Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles locality.
Each article will feature a specific service provided by the HSCP and will focus on the staff who provide that service and the role they play in making a positive difference for the people living in Oban and surrounding areas.
THE HSCP itself only came into being in 2016 when, as part of Scottish Government policy, health and social care services were integrated across Scotland. In Argyll and Bute, this meant that all health services provided by NHS Highland and social work services provided by Argyll and Bute Council were integrated to form the HSCP. This new partnership has an integrated budget of more than £260 million.
In the Oban area, the HSCP provides a whole range of health and social care services and the one that many of our readers will be most familiar with is Lorn and Islands hospital. Lorn and Islands hospital is a rural general hospital, one of three in NHS Highland, opened in 1995. It provides acute services to Oban and the surrounding area, as well as medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 43,000 people, a number which increases significantly during the tourist season.
It hosts visiting specialists from Glasgow and serves as a hub for specialist treatment and diagnostic services for Argyll and Bute Community Health Partnership. There are three wards, HDU facilities and a full rehabilitation facility as well as 24/7 Accident and Emergency service, backed up by continuous medical, surgical and anesthetic consultant cover, and 24-hour theatre availability. The out-of-hours GP service operates from the hospital and is integrated with A&E.
Diagnostics include endoscopy, X-ray, ultrasound and CT, echocardiography and cardiac diagnostics, pulmonary function testing, and on-site 24-hour haematology and biochemistry laboratories.
Chemotherapy is given in a new Macmillan unit, and there are dedicated physiotherapy, occupational therapy, audiology, podiatry and community paediatric units. The Oban Dental Centre is on the hospital site.
There are a number of specialist consultant-led clinics such as dermatology, oncology, oral, orthopaedics/fracture, obstetrics/gynaecology, ENT, respiratory and ophthalmology.
All of these services are delivered by clinical staff who are assisted by administration and support staff who also have a key role in the hospital.
Lorn and Islands hospital is the most visible sign of the activity carried out by the HSCP but there are also a wide range of health and social care services delivered within the community, including within people’s own homes. These are provided by social workers, community nurses and a range of allied health professionals. The HSCP also works closely with other partners and stakeholders, including Argyll and Bute TSI to build stronger resilient neighbourhoods, deliver community-based support services all to support people’s health and wellbeing.
Caroline Henderson, who manages the services provided by the hospital, said she is really excited about working with The Oban Times, saying that all staff have a key role to play in the delivery of health and social care services and they all help deliver high quality professional care for the local communities they serve.
She added: ‘These forthcoming articles are a great way to highlight the good work that staff carry out and the challenges they face in delivering services in a remote and rural setting.’