Archived News Articles
This section contains archived NSD news articles which will be sorted by date in reverse chronological order.
Archived News Headlines
The links below will take you to the relevant story.
December 2010
October 2010
September 2010
June 2009
April 2009
- Information on the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme
- National Adult Cystic Fibrosis study day
- National Services Scotland "Supporting the Best Possible Start for Children in Scotland" Conference
- Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
- Looking to Deliver - The National Delivery Plan for Children and Young People's Specialist Services
February 2009
- NSD launch new website
- "Audit of High Dependency Care for Children and Young People" to be agreed by Steering Group
- Work on Managed Clinical Networks and Managed Service Network as part of the National Delivery Plan
- Designation of new National Services and Managed Clinical Networks
- Changes to Commissioning Arrangements for Donor Transplant Co-ordination and Single Organ Retrieval Team
- NHS Education Scotland Takes Over Commissioning of Clinical Scientist Training
- NHS Fife launch "Going for a Mammogram" DVD to increase awareness of the Scottish Breast Screening Programme for people with learning difficulties
December 2010
Proton Beam Guidelines
Information about the agreed pathway for use by all Clinical Oncologists and others who wish to refer a patient for Proton Therapy funded by the NHS Scotland is available to download here.
Adverse weather conditions affecting breast screening
Due to the on-going adverse weather conditions please check with your breast screening centre to see whether or not your screening appointment has been cancelled. Please follow this link for the contact details of Scottish breast screening centres.
October 2010
Developments to the Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme
From 4 October 2010 the Newborn Blood Spot Programme in Scotland will be extended to include testing for Medium Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD) and Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD). Testing this early in a baby’s life gives the best chance of identifying, investigating and managing these underlying conditions. This can offer the potential to prevent serious illnesses that can, in some cases, prove fatal.
Carol Colquhoun, National Co-ordinator of Screening Programmes at NHS National Services Scotland, said:
“These latest developments to the screening programme for newborn babies are being made across Scotland to strengthen and extend existing services. Most babies in Scotland are born healthy. It’s important that where we can, we are able to identify and detect any conditions which may have an impact on the health and wellbeing of the baby. In providing more extensive and accurate testing, we will also ensure that we continue to offer parents the best information and advice available to help them make informed choices about their care and treatment when their baby is born.”
The tests for MCADD and SCD are part of the changes to Scotland’s national pregnancy and newborn screening programmes, which included in December 2009 the introduction of a routine second trimester fetal anomaly scan for all pregnant women.
Minister for Public Health Shona Robison said:
“Scotland already has one of the world’s most comprehensive infant screening programmes and this development is a further extension of the benefits the programme offers. It is a simple test which can detect diseases and conditions at the earliest opportunity, therefore giving health professionals the best chance of preventing serious illnesses. I know the extension to the programme will be welcomed by parents across Scotland."
More information about can be found on the Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme page
September 2010
Acquired Brain Injury National Managed Clinical Network
Launches New Look Website - www.sabin.scot.nhs.uk
The National Managed Clinical Network (NMCN) for Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is an NHS Scotland National Network established in 2007. Its aim is to improve access to and the quality of services for adults and young people with (ABI) in Scotland.
The new look website has three main sections aimed at Patients and Carers, Professionals working with people with ABI and Young People. There is also information about the work of the Network and links to other third sector groups supporting patients with ABI.
Dr Alan Carson, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist NHS Lothian and University of Edinbrugh and Clinical Lead for ABI, commented:
"We are delighted to launch our new website. We hope that it will rapidly become the leading source of information on acquired brain injury for professionals, patients and carers. Our aim is to provide a virtual hub to help co-ordinate the complex range of services and information that patients need after a brain injury.”
How Many People in Scotland have a Brain Injury?
- 15,000 people are admitted with head injury to hospital in Scotland
- 1,100 people with moderate to severe head injury per year
- 200 people with severe disability or prolonged coma per year
ABI is the commenonest cause of substantive disability in young adults affecting physical function, cognition, coomunicationa nd emotions. Paralysis, epilepsy, memory problems and mood disturbbance are all common sequelae. The ABI NMCN seeks to promote effective collaboration across organisational boundaries and to facilitate and to ensure the best use of resources, facilities, knowledge and experience.
August 2010
Scottish Cervical Screening Programme - National Release of new information materials
Women in Scotland told to put their cervical screening test on their list
Every day women across Scotland are making lists of things to do and the NHS is asking them to add one life-saving task to their list.
All women aged 20 – 60 across Scotland are invited to have a free, quick, cervical screening test every three years yet some never take up their appointment.
Now the NHS in Scotland is issuing new leaflets in response to research into women’s current attitudes to screening, to explain what’s involved and address reasons why women may not be coming forward.
Carol Colquhoun, National Screening Programme Co-ordinator said:
“We want to encourage as many women as possible to go for their cervical screening test by putting it on their list of things to do.
“We’ve listened to what women told us and have introduced new leaflets that provide women with the answers and reassurance they are looking for.
“Every year in Scotland more than 300,000 women are invited for screening and a quarter of them do not take up the invitation. I would urge all women invited for cervical screening to put it on their list. Ignoring the invitation leaves women unprotected from the early signs of cervical cancer.
“Cervical screening saves lives so put it on your list.”
There are four leaflets:
- The Cervical Screening Test: Put it on your list - sent with the screening invitation
- The Cervical Screening Test: Your First Test - for those who have been invited for the first time
- The Cervical Screening Test: Information for Lesbian and Bisexual Women - to address specific questions considered by lesbian and bisexual women
- The Cervical Screening Test: Your Results Explained - sent with screening results and designed to explain test results and what to expect as follow up.
The Cervical Screening Test: Put it on your list leaflets will be sent to women eligible for screening, along with their invitation and will be available in healthcare and community settings, and on-line at www.healthscotland.com/screening.aspx
Public Health Minister Shona Robison said:
"Cervical screening helps save lives, it's as simple as that. The more information women have about why screening is important and how it helps save lives the better. That's why these new leaflets are so important. They explain to women simply, clearly and sensitively what to expect. I hope women find them informing and reassuring."
Posters are also being made available for use in healthcare and community settings including GP surgeries, pharmacies, sexual health services, health promotion libraries, higher and further education establishments, and voluntary sector agencies, to encourage women to pick up the new leaflets and find out more about the test.
Robert Music, Director of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said:
“I very much welcome these new materials. Cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease, however we are concerned at the numbers of women who are not taking up the potentially life saving opportunity to attend cervical screening. We saw a surge in women going for screening after Jade Goody died but sadly it looks as if the numbers are coming down dramatically, perhaps almost to levels before Jade was diagnosed.
“These new materials are well written and well targeted and I hope they will encourage more women to take proactive steps to reducing their risk of cervical cancer by accepting their invitation for cervical screening.”
June 2009
National Services Division staff email address change
On the 25th June 2009, all National Services Division staff changed their email addresses. A list of these new addresses is available on the staff contacts page of the website. Please take note of these new addresses as it will no longer be possible to contact staff on their previous email addresses.
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April 2009
Information on the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme
Regular cervical screening allows the early detection of changes to the cells in the cervix so they can be simply and effectively treated. The cell changes detected during cervical screening are very common and can be easily treated. Without treatment, in some cases, these cell changes might otherwise develop into cervical cancer. However this usually takes many years and is very rare especially for women who have regular cervical smear tests.
Cervical screening remains the best protection available against cervical cancer. Since cervical screening was introduced in the late 1980s, it has been effective in reducing new cases of cervical cancer’ by 47% and deaths from cervical cancer by more than 50%.
Cervical screening is available for free to all women between the ages of 20 and 60. Cervical screening gives women who are already sexually active or have ever been sexually active the best protection against cervical cancer. In future years it will still be important for women who have received the HPV immunisation to attend for regular cervical screening as the vaccine only protects against HPV types that cause 70% of cervical cancers.
Please follow this link for further information on the Cervical Screening Programme, or contact your GP
National Adult Cystic Fibrosis study day
A National Study Day for the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Service was recently organised by National Services Division. The event was well attended by consultant physicians, clinical nurse specialists, dieticians, physiotherapists, pharmacists and microbiologists. The aim of the day was to discuss and share best practice between the three specialist centres and to continue to improve the service in Scotland which is commissioned by National Services Division.
The study day included an entertaining keynote speech from Professor John Dark, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, from Freeman’s Hospital in Newcastle, who provide the transplant service for cystic fibrosis patients in Scotland. This highlighted the developments in services and care for Cystic Fibrosis patients in Scotland. The closing presentation from Ms Cara Doran, of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, gave the patient experience of the service, focussing particularly on the transition from paediatric care to adult care. The Cystic Fibrosis trust found that most young people with cystic fibrosis felt well informed and optimistic about the process of transition.
Please follow this link for more information on the Adult Cystic Fibrosis specialist service. Further information about the Cystic Fibrosis Trust can be found at www.cftrust.org.uk.
National Services Scotland "Supporting the Best Possible Start for Children in Scotland" Conference
The Supporting the Best Possible Start for Children in Scotland conference, organised by Information Services Division (ISD), was a truly cross-divisional event with representatives from three NSS divisions explaining how their work is supporting Scotland’s health in people’s early years.
The conference was opened by Bill Matthews, Chairman of NSS and took its title from the Government paper, Supporting Scotland’s Health. The conference showed the range of work going on across Health Protection Scotland (HPS), National Services Division (NSD) and ISD in supporting children’s health.
Dr Jim Chalmers from ISD talked about child health inequalities and Dr Rosalind Skinner from the Scottish Government outlined recent developments in the Pregnancy and New-Born Screening Policy. Dr Martin Donaghy from HPS gave an update on the child vaccination/immunisation schedule.
The afternoon comprised a series of interactive workshops including:
- The care of critically ill children in remote and rural areas led by Dr Andrew McIntyre of Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh.
- Audit of high dependency care for children and young people in Scotland; supporting Scotland’s healthcare planning led by Julie Adams from NSD.
- Implications of recently-published Scottish Government Health Directorates (SGHD) report on early years and intervention led by Anncris Roberts from SGHD, and
- Clinical quality and outcome indicators for children’s specialist services led by Clare Clark and Dr Alastair Philp from ISD.
The event was well attended, attracting more than 70 delegates from NHS Boards, Community Health Partnerships, Local Authorities and other organisations including midwives, paediatricians, health visitors and managers. Participants in Shetland made use of teleconferencing to join the event. To view videos of the three main presentations visit the external Scotland's Health on the Web website.
Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
National Services Division (NSD) commissions cancer screening in Scotland. This month, April, is Bowel Cancer Awareness month. Here are a few things you should know about Bowel Cancer and how to get screened.
Over 3,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in Scotland. The good news is bowel screening reduces bowel cancer deaths. Everyone between 50 and 74 will receive a test kit by post every two years. Take the test. You can do it at home – it’s quick, easy to do and it could be a lifesaver.
To find out more call the Helpline on 0800 0121 833 or visit the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme Website
Looking to Deliver - The National Delivery Plan for Children and Young People's Specialist Services
In Scotland, millions of pounds have been spent on keeping waiting times down in adult services such as heart surgery. But, over the past few years it was realised that there was a gap in funding for the specialist care (major surgery, cancer treatments, and care for other rare long term conditions) of children and young people under 16 years of age in Scotland. The Scottish Government has committed £32 million over the next three years to help sustain and improve specialist services for children. The money will allow for the development of services at the specialist children’s hospitals in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow and the establishment of clinical networks to support local staff in delivering specialist care closer to children’s homes.
A lot of work has gone into developing the Delivery Plan and a lot more work will go into making it happen. For the past few months Catriona Johnson, Janice Birrell, Kirsty Martin and Belinda Henshaw in National Services Division (NSD) have been working behind the scenes with the NHS Board Regional Planning Groups, National Information Systems Group (NISG) and Information Services Division (ISD) researching and gathering information to help develop the plan. NSD will be working with NHS Boards to implement the delivery plan by setting up the national clinical networks for children, and, with the help of NISG and ISD, clinical systems to support the networks. ISD will be monitoring the impact the investment has on children’s health.
A national workshop was held on the 11th March to discuss the progress of the delivery plan. It also identified other possible developments to help make the delivery plan a reality. There is a lot of work to be done over the next few years to bring specialist children’s care to where it should be. But, National Services Scotland is up to the challenge of supporting the effort so that children and young people in Scotland can receive the best care possible.
February 2009
NSD launch new website
In early 2007/08 it was decided that the NSD website needed a major re-working to make it more up to date, informative and accessible to both the public and health professionals.
The goal was to:
- Make sure the website was user friendly and accessible to at least AA standard;
- Develop the website in line with NSS web guidance;
- Include more detailed information on the work of NSD and its services;
- Make the site easy to update and maintain.
The project became a team effort and several staff in NSD were identified for training to work on the website and become part of the divisional web group. Chris Myers, Assistant Programme Manager NSD, managed the site’s development, co-ordinated the work of staff within NSD and worked with the NSS Web Team to keep the project on track.
The development followed the NSS web guidance and the team received feedback and support from the NSS Web Group to make the new website AA compliant (A measurement of how accessible a website is to people with disabilities). The division’s web group are now monitoring the usage of the site to see whether it has achieved the overall goals.
David Steel, Programme Director NSD, advised “In order for us to offer an important communication tool, the website needed to be radically changed. It is now more user-friendly and accessible with relevant information on the work of NSD and the services it commissions. Our challenge is to make sure it stays that way.”
"Audit of High Dependency Care for Children and Young People" submitted to the Scottish Government
The final meeting of the Project's Steering Group was held on the 20th of January, to formalise the conclusions and recommendations from the Audit of High Dependency Care for Children and Young People. Final revisions have now been made, and the final report was submitted to the Scottish Government, who commissioned this project, on the 30th January 2009. To download the document, please follow the link to the Audit of High Dependency Care for Children and Young People report.
Work on Managed Clinical Networks and Managed Service Network as part of the National Delivery Plan
National Services Division is currently working with Regional Planning Groups and NHS Boards to implement the National Delivery Plan for Specialist Children’s services. The changes at a national level involve the development of new national specialist children’s managed clinical networks. These are for:
- Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis
- Paediatric Rheumatology
- Paediatric Endocrinology
- Children with Complex Health Needs
- Children’s Cancer – to develop into a Managed Service Network
Designation of new National Services and Managed Clinical Networks
SGHD Ministers have approved the national designation of two services and one managed clinical network from 1 April 2009. These are:
- Pancreas islet cell transplantation (based in NHS Lothian)
- Extension to existing paediatric scoliosis surgical service to include young adults (based in NHS Lothian)
- National Managed Clinical Network for Diaphragmatic Hernia (based in the Yorkhill Office, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde)
Changes to Commissioning Arrangements for Donor Transplant Co-ordination and Single Organ Retrieval Team
By 31st March 2009 the responsibility for commissioning Donor Transplant Co-ordination will transfer from NSD to the English Specialist Health Authority – NHS Blood and Transplant (NHS BT)
The transfer of commissioning the Single Organ Retrieval Team (SORT) from NSD to NHS BT will take place from 1 April 2009. 2009/10 will be a transition year with joint commissioning between NSD and NHS BT.
NHS Education Scotland Takes Over Commissioning of Clinical Scientist Training
From Autumn 2008 NHS Education Scotland took over responsibility for commissioning clinical scientist training for NHS Scotland, after a year of joint commissioning with NSD.
NHS Fife launch "Going for a Mammogram" DVD to increase awareness of the Scottish Breast Screening Programme for people with learning difficulties
In partnership with Fife Council Event & Media Solutions, Supported Living Services and South East Scotland Breast Screening Centre, NHS Fife have developed a new DVD resource to increase awareness around the Scottish Breast Screening Programme for women with a learning difficulty. The resource also highlights the importance of preventative health checks and signposts local services where women can attend for additional information or support in this area. If you are interested in purchasing the DVD or require further information please contact Beverley Collins on 01383 565497 or email BeverleyCollins@fife-pct.scot.nhs.uk.
