Margaret-Ann Williamson In her role as Health Visitor Team Lead for NHS Forth Valley covering Clackmannanshire, Margaret-Ann Williamson has been responsible for supporting staff through a period of change with the introduction of the Universal Health Visiting Pathway over the last few years. My Journey When I was in sixth year at school, deciding the…
Health Visitor
Postgraduate prizewinner shares enthusiasm for person-centred health visiting
Meghan Tuohy, a postgraduate student at Queen Margaret University (QMU), won the QNIS academic prize at a ceremony in May. Here she walks about what the prize means to her and her plans for the future. “To be given a QNIS prize for the work I did during my postgraduate community nursing course was a…
Gemma MacDonald
Gemma MacDonald Gemma MacDonald was driven to work in maternal and infant healthcare following her own experience of having her first baby aged 19 and feeling that the support she needed wasn’t always available. When she became a mother for the second time a year later, the experience was very different. “I felt listened to,…
Clare Stiles
Clare Stiles Great Skuas are wheeling high in the sky over Burrafirth beach on the northernmost tip of Unst, itself the most northern of the Shetland Islands. Known locally as Bonxies, these large birds are fierce in their defence of their territory, and will maim and kill if they can. Watching them swoop down to…
My Juno Anniversary – the Importance of Perinatal Mental Health Support
Tess Askew is a co-founder of Juno, a perinatal support group, discussing her personal story and the importance of good mental health. My first born Ethan – the boy who came along and healed many things in my life, stole my heart and made myself and Chris a family with so much to love for…
QNIS Prizewinner’s blog – Emma Hay-Higgins
Emma Hay-Higgins won the Post Graduate Prize for Robert Gordon University, and here tells us her story. Receiving notification that I had won a Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland Postgraduate Award was a lovely surprise. It is a great honour to receive recognition for the work and learning undertaken as part of my Specialist Public Health…
Safer Communities
This project sought to pilot two new initiatives:
Improve assessment and signposting for people who maybe more vulnerable to risk of domestic fires
With a local housing provider and tenants, pilot a Good Neighbour, Good Neighbourhood initiative to support people to feel safer in their community.
Towards a Mentally Flourishing School
The collaborative project seeks to establish an innovative whole-school approach to enable social, emotional and psychological wellbeing throughout the school in order to promote positive behaviours, engagement in education and optimise attainment.
A day in the life of a trainee health visitor: Leona Flett, RGU
Conference delegate Leona Flett, offers us an insight into a day in the life of a trainee health visitor. Arrive at the office at 8.30am, greet all the team. We need to answer any voicemails and emails and document them in client notes. I usually head over to the maternity unit for 9.00am to collect…
Health visiting in Scotland – time for celebration at last!
Phil Wilson, Professor of Primary Care and Rural Health at the University of Aberdeen tells us why he thinks the new Universal Health Pathway for Health Visiting is a cause for celebration.