Page 9 - QNIS Newsletter 2019

www qnis org uk Resilience and enhance informal carers’ in in Tweeddale Led by newly qualified District Nurse Lynn Weir the project enabled teams from community nursing Borders Carers and and family carers to to to work together to to to find ways of of promoting health and and wellbeing fin in in in in their their role of of caring for their loved ones With an an increasing number of informal and family carers in in in in in the the the Tweeddale area identified as as as caring for for people with dementia the the the focus of of of these conversations has been to think about ways of of of of promoting feelings of of of of health and wellbeing for those at the the the centre of of of care At the the the same time the the the the approach adopted aimed to enhance interagency working and carer involvement in in in in their own care care In addition to to to involving carers in in in in the project group it it was decided to to to hold an informal tea party to to to hear about carers ‘ experiences of maintaining their their wellbeing From their their feedback the the the the group felt that the the the the major issues emerging were: • that at at the time of diagnosis people felt lost • people felt well well if their loved ones were well well • there were challenges in in identifying where to get support The group decided that a a a a a a a a a a a way forward was to develop a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a leaflet with important information conveyed in in an an an an an easy to understand attractive manner An animation was also produced using the the the voice of of one of of the the the carers This is is available via the the QNIS website Three Bridges – Promoting Blood Borne Virus (BBV) Wellness within Police Custody Suites Led by Mina O’Hara BBV Nurse Team Manager the main aim of this project was to to to provide opportunistic testing for Hepatitis C C to to to detainees in in in in Police Custody in in in in in Edinburgh People at at risk of of contracting Hepatitis C are often a a a a a a a a marginalised and vulnerable group due to homelessness mental health problems injecting drug use engaging in in in in in in sex work or or or coming from a a a a a a a a a a minority ethnic group They can can often face significant health issues due to to lack of of engagement with mainstream services They can find the the barriers hard to to navigate and therefore often have huge unmet health needs This project provided resources from a a a a a a team of nurse specialists based in in in both hospital and and community settings to to to support the police custody nursing team to to to to to identify assess and and and deliver Hepatitis C testing and and and referral to to to to treatment to to to to the most high-risk and and vulnerable people The project aimed to reduce losses and and missed opportunities for the testing care and and treatment of Blood Borne Viruses mainly Hepatitis C It embedded BBV testing as part of of a a a a a a a a package of of care provided primarilybytheclinicalforensic nurses who are based in in in in the the custody suite Working in in in such a a a a a a a way means patients who are most at at risk of BBVs will be identified early and referred to specialist services Although the the project has seen small numbers so far the the impact is significant in that those identified have engaged with Hepatitis C treatment services after many years of being disengaged The overall aim is is to include BBV testing as part of of a a a a a a a a a a package of of care and embed an an opt-out testing model which will help to reduce some of the stigma and and inequalities around Hepatitis C care and and treatment Get Moving! Crail Medical Practice is is in the Tollcross area of Glasgow which is is a a a a a a Deep End practice - meaning it is in in in the top 100 most deprived practices in in Scotland Led by the practice nurse Christine Stuart the team wanted to offer all patients a a a a a a a a more accessible walking group which starts at the practice practice and is led by practice practice staff Whilst there were a a a a a a number of walking groups in the the area the the team were keen to help build the the the confidence of those who has not not been physically active for some time and would not not have the the the the confidence to join outside activities It was veryTHE important that people felt safe and and the the the familiarity This project led by a a a a a team from Queen Margaret University in in partnership with COPE Scotland lookedatunderstandinghowto maximise the impact of Scottish community nurses in in in enabling people with long term conditions experiencing depression and/or anxiety to self-manage their health It is still being implemented of the the the practice practice building as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a starting point and and the the practice practice team as as as companions has been How Community Nurses Support Self-Management central There were measurable improvementsINS NU beingverypositive Theprojecthas SC in areas such as as as weight and blood pressure with patient feedback brought the the practice team together The staff involved have enjoyed getting to know the the patients on on a a a a a a more personal level and enjoyed the the the benefits for their their own health Patients reported increased confidence in in in their their their ability to go out a a a a a a a walk in in in in their local area The group’s successes included winning the the British Heart Foundation’s “Team of the the the the Year” award for this work and other interventions to improve the the the cardiovascular health of patients Hopes for the future are are to to continue to to recruit more patients and retain those who are are already attending as as well as as encouraging some members of the group to undertake walk leader training QNIS Newsletter & Review of 2018 8 8