Healthcare Science

Quality Is The Key

The NHS Forth Valley medical physics team, who were nominated for a National Healthcare Science award, have once again been successful in attaining BSI accreditation.

Investment in staff training has seen them taking on additional equipment maintenance in house, providing faster more cost-effective support to specialist anaesthetic and ventilation equipment. Other service improvements include an online equipment inventory and online fault reporting system.

Bryan Hynd, Head of Service, is keen to acknowledge the excellent work and effort that staff put in to ensure all equipment is safe, accurate and effective, for patients and staff alike.

The service has also come in for praise from the National Lead for Physics, David Gow. Based on his recent visit from the Scottish Government he said: “In my liaison work throughout Scotland, I was very impressed by the innovative and well organised nature of the Medical Physics service in Forth Valley.”

Healthcare scientists from NHS Forth Valley were well represented at the annual meeting to celebrate all things science in NHS Scotland.

Flying The Flag For Forth Valley

Our Lead Healthcare Scientist Stephanie Doody, who is also National Lead for Clinical Physiologists, was one of the main speakers, and Associate Audiologist Louise Whitelaw won the Scottish Healthcare Scientist Support Workers Award. Louise was nominated by her Head of Service, Jennifer Pow for her dedication as one of the first advanced healthcare support workers in physiology, and for her assistance to the team and users of the audiology service.

Other Forth Valley nominations included the Medical Physics team for their innovative approach to service and equipment management, and Joan Benson, Lead Cytologist for her rise to the challenge of leading a new national cervical screening programme.

Healthcare Scientists make up only 5% of the total NHS Scotland workforce but are responsible for over 80% of all patient diagnosis and are the fourth largest professional group in the NHS.

Organised by NHS Education for Scotland and the Scottish Health Professions Office, the annual meeting aims to bring over 50 specialities together, and celebrates the contribution which healthcare scientists make throughout NHS Scotland.

Remembering Barbara

Barbera Oatway

It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Chief Respiratory Physiologist Barbara Oatway, who retired due to ill health in 2012.

Barbara worked with NHS Forth Valley for over 20 years. Her first role was with the Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary respiratory lab, where she rose to the post of Lead Respiratory Physiologist.

She was heavily involved in the development of the Forth Valley pulmonary function service, overseeing the opening of an additional lab in Stirling Royal Infirmary and then the move to the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital lab based in Outpatients. She was also a supporter and member of the NHS Forth Valley Healthcare Science Forum since its creation in 2009.

Barbara was very proactive within the profession, and was the Scottish Secretary for The Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology as well as a national assessor for training of new physiologists. She passed away at Strathcarron Hospice and is greatly missed by friends and colleagues.