Since our last edition published in Summer 2022, we have continued to support a wide and diverse range of projects to help make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of NHS Fife patients and staff throughout the Kingdom. We hope you will enjoy discovering more about our recent work and the fantastic people who have supported us. Wishing you all the best for 2023!
Charity funding creates four new Staff Wellbeing Hubs in NHS Fife hospitals in 2022
Healthcare staff at a total of four Fife hospitals can now enjoy newly created facilities following the official opening of three more staff wellbeing hubs by Tricia Marwick, Chair of Fife Health Charity, and Carol Potter, Chief Executive, NHS Fife, in December 2022.
The latest bright, contemporary spaces at the Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital in Leven, Glenrothes Hospital and the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, were designed and developed in consultation with staff to provide calming environments for staff for respite and to recharge away from busy hospital wards and departments.
The new hubs, which offer 24-hour swipe or key card access, are part of an overall project which will develop similar spaces across NHS Fife hospitals and collectively have been supported with over £480,000 in funding from Fife Health Charity. This funding includes a significant donation from an anonymous benefactor to support NHS Fife staff and grant funding from NHS Charities Together.
During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, a network of temporary staff hubs was established in hospitals across NHS Fife, which aimed to provide somewhere for staff to relax, have refreshments and take breaks away from their clinical areas.
Building on the benefits gained from creating the temporary hubs, new permanent wellbeing hubs are currently being developed and opened at hospitals across Fife, with a wellbeing hub created at Queen Margaret Hospital the first to be opened in the summer of 2022.
Commentating on the unveiling of the latest wellbeing hubs at the end of last year, Fife Health Charity Chair, Tricia Marwick, said:
“These new facilities reflect Fife Health Charity’s ongoing commitment to improving the wellbeing of not only NHS Fife patients but members of staff who play a crucial role in looking after the wellbeing of others by providing high quality care.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, the charity made a commitment to help staff as best we could. The opening of the latest permanent staff hubs acknowledge the dedication shown by healthcare staff during those challenging times and which continues to be shown today.”
Pandemic inspired Critical Care Recovery Garden officially opened at Victoria Hospital
The new roof top Critical Care Recovery Garden at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy was officially opened in early November 2022.
Funded by Fife Health Charity, the £180,000 project transformed an existing vacant roof space next to ICU to create a dedicated garden area for the use of ICU patients, their loved ones and staff. It would not have been possible without the generosity of two anonymous benefactors who made a significant donation to the charity to support NHS Fife’s staff and patients. The project reflects Fife Health Charity’s core aim to enhance the wellbeing of those who rely on and work for NHS Fife.
The creation of the welcoming and attractive outdoor space offers ICU patients and their loved ones a peaceful haven that can be accessed and enjoyed at any time of day, all year round, and a respite for staff during their breaks. This will also help staff and patients to gain access to an outdoor space and have the chance to enjoy the benefits that spending time outdoors can have for physical and mental health wellbeing.
Declaring the Critical Care Recovery Garden officially open and paying tribute to the donors who made the project possible, Chair of Fife Health Charity, Tricia Marwick, said:
“The work and growing impact of Fife Health Charity is made possible by the tremendous generosity and kindness of the charity’s donors. Many wish to recognise the quality of NHS Fife care and support given by staff when people are often at their most vulnerable and even when circumstances are challenging, as they were during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are grateful for every donation the charity receives. Large and small, each donation enables us to continue to support exciting initiatives like the roof garden and make a real difference to the experience and wellbeing of people visiting ICU and the unit’s staff during what can often be stressful and uncertain times.”
Serving the population of Fife, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, is the only critical care unit in the Kingdom and admits around 400 critically ill patients annually.
RITA Rollout Following Success of Charity’s Initial Funding
Following initial support from Fife Health Charity to invest in innovative software technology, further funding from the charity is helping more patients receiving dementia care in NHS Fife hospitals.
RITA stands for Reminiscence/Rehabilitation & Interactive Therapy Activities and is an all-in-one touch screen system offering digital reminiscence therapy. A relatively new tool in the fields of nursing and healthcare, RITA utilises user-friendly interactive screens and tablets to blend entertainment with therapy. Patients experiencing memory loss or impairment in recalling and sharing events from their past are able to reconnect and engage with aspects of their life and times by listening to music, watching news reports of significant historical events, hearing famous speeches, playing games, taking part in karaoke and watching film.
Easy to use and already a popular feature of ward life, RITA is be used daily by staff, patients and relatives together or by patients individually. A form of cognitive therapy, the software is designed to help to calm, stimulate and reduce anxiety in patients with dementia during their stay on the ward and promote valuable interaction between the patient and those caring for them.
As Helen Skinner, Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse Consultant with NHS Fife, explains: “One of the challenges that staff face on the wards is patients becoming distressed. Patients with dementia finding themselves in a strange environment can become very distracted and distressed when experiencing different people, noises, smells, even all the hustle and bustle of the ward. So, if we can provide some kind of meaningful activity, some interaction for the patients, it can help prevent stress building up."
The sophisticated system features a large, TV sized monitor which is mounted on a trolley and hand-held tablets. Following the successful introduction of the system on a trial basis in Ward 32 at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife Health Charity has funded additional systems with a total of £23,750 being awarded to date as part of the initiative.
"As a medicine of the elderly ward with a high number of patients who have dementia and delirium, we knew that RITA could be used with most of our patients," says Senior Charge Nurse, Amy Fox.
"Following staff training, we registered over 1000 hours in the first few months, proving that this piece of equipment was getting utilised regularly every day. The staff and patents all enjoyed the different games and apps available on RITA and it definitely helped distract and settle patients with dementia and delirium who otherwise would become agitated. RITA is now a part of the ward and never sits unused, helping nursing staff in caring for our patients."
For more examples of the difference our funding is making to improving the wellbeing of NHS Fife patients and staff, visit our website here
Helping Young People Share Their Experience of Parental Bereavement
Fife Health Charity supported two important events as part of the annual Children’s Grief Awareness Week towards the end of 2022. Over one weekend in late November, children and teenagers from across Fife took part in two Sharing Shapes events held at Falkland Estate with the theme of What Helps?.
One child in every UK classroom under the age of 16 has experienced bereavement of a parent or sibling, with 44,000 children in the UK bereaved of a parent every year. Now in its seventh year, Children’s Grief Awareness Week UK is designed to raise awareness of bereaved children and young people throughout the country and highlight how providing free professional support to those affected can make the world of difference to their future.
The outdoor events enabled the young participants to take time out to share their experience with other children and families. One of the key activities was the opportunity to illustrate how they have managed their grief by expressing it in a sharing shape. All the participants were given a pentagon shape and asked to create a picture of what has helped them cope with their bereavement. The shapes were then shared and compiled into a mural.
Children’s Grief Awareness Week also reminds us that children and young people need the understanding of the people that matter to them - their family, friends, local community, teachers and youth coaches. As Fife Specialist Palliative Care’s Children and Families team at NHS Fife advises, everyone can help support bereaved children and young people in Fife by listening to them, going at their pace, and not being frightened to talk about death.
Charity Supports Launch of School Nursing Service Health Hub Initiative
A new direct access health advice service has been launched in Fife for young people aged 12 to 19 who are enrolled in school. Fife Health Charity funded the promotion of the service.
The Fife School Nursing Health Hub has launched a free, confidential text messaging service which enables young people to access health advice from the School Nursing Service.
Pupils can now speak directly with the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership’s School Nursing Service via text message on 07312 263023 to access support and advice on issues such as relationships, sexual health, smoking and alcohol, emotions, body changes, sleep and healthier lifestyle choices.
The new service is available weekdays between the hours of 9am and 4.30pm excluding public holidays and young people messaging within this time should receive a response within 24 hours. The service will supplement existing face-to-face support offered by the School Nursing Health Hub and is intended to offer an alternative and more convenient communication channel.
Fiona Crook, Interim Lead Nurse for the School Nursing Service in Fife. said: “The launch of this new service provides an added route of direct contact with the School Nursing Service for Young People in Fife.
“Really importantly, the new service has been launched following feedback from young people across Fife. We asked young people what they wanted from the School Nursing Service and how we they thought we could support them better. The feedback we received was really useful and we are delighted that, along with NHS Fife’s Digital and Information Team, we are now in a position to launch this new and innovative service in response to that feedback.
“The introduction of our text messaging service will enable us to reduce barriers, improve accessibility to the service and to ensure young people get the right support at the right time."
Fundraising
105 Day Hospital Stay Inspires 105 Mile Fundraising Challenge
In October last year, Fife Health Charity was delighted when NHS Fife's Special Care Baby Unit in the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, welcomed back a mini VIP. 14-month old Teddy Smedley and his mum Erin Burke visited to say hello and make a generous donation the charity for the Unit where Teddy spent almost four months in 2021 following his premature birth. To raise funds as a thank you to staff and the Unit, Teddy's dad, Greg Smedley, and two friends took part in the Rat Race Coast to Coast, running, cycling and kayaking over the course of two days. Covering 105 miles across the Highlands, the challenging race was chosen by Greg and his friends to represent the 105 days that little Teddy and his family spent in hospital last year.
Through donations, Fife Health Charity is able to do amazing things to support the health and wellbeing of patients and NHS staff across Fife. If you would like to support our work, visit our website for more information.
Annual Fundraising Walkers Take A Step Closer to Raising Almost £80,000
A group of friends have once again presented Fife Health Charity with a sizeable donation for Fife Rehabilitation Service thanks to their annual fundraising walk. James Goodlad, from Kennoway, and his friends raised £3,800 for the unit with a charity walk and dinner in the summer, in memory of his son James Goodlad Junior.
Fife Rehabilitation Service, which is based at the Sir George Sharp Unit, Cameron Hospital, provides an area-wide service of assessment and rehabilitation on an in-patient, out-patient and community basis for adults with neurological conditions.
The dedicated group of fundraisers, which has raised a considerable sum of money for local good causes over the years, presented the cheque to Dr Lance Sloan, Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, Charge Nurse Donna Murray and members of the unit.
Dr Sloan said, “It was a great pleasure to receive this cheque on behalf of the unit from Jim and all his friends. Thanks to their generosity and commitment for more than 10 years, they have raised over £75,000 for the unit which is tremendous.
“We have used the money to improve the surroundings of the unit and to purchase equipment for patients, which we would otherwise not have been able to obtain. I thank them on behalf of all patients and staff for all their efforts and support over the years.”
Friends’ walk round Loch Leven raises funds for charity
Wendy Seath and a group of friends, Hayley Dunsire, Lisa Wilson, Heather Grey and Angela Chapman, braved the winter weather and walked round Loch Leven at the end of November 2022 to raise funds for Fife Health Charity.
A former patient of the Haematology Ward at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy almost 18 years ago, Wendy and her fellow walkers put their best feet forward round the local beauty spot to raise £800.
Remembering the lifesaving treatment she received in 2005, Wendy said:
“The staff and nurses were amazing, like angels. They gave me lots of support and love throughout my treatment. I won’t ever forget that. I just wanted to give something back to them and others and my friends wanted to do this walk with me as a way of saying thanks to you all.”
Fife Health Charity Welcomes Addition to NHS Fife Art Collection
At the end of November, the NHS Fife Volunteering Service, together with the Paediatric and Neonatal Service, held the official presentation of the commemorative artwork in recognition of longstanding play volunteer, Helen Hagan.
Helen volunteered for NHS Fife for over 30 years, with her volunteering beginning back in 1988. Helen wished to create a warm and welcoming environment for children and young people coming into the hospital for an outpatient appointment. Helen provided vital support to the play staff by providing and supervising play opportunities within the playrooms. Helen's presence in the play area enabled the play staff to carry out the duties in the treatment rooms with the knowledge that the children in the waiting area were being well looked after by her.
In December 2020, Helen was posthumously nominated for the Volunteers Award category at the 2020 Scottish Health Awards in association with the Scottish Government and Daily Record. The nomination reached the finalist stage and Helen’s family were able to join a virtual ceremony and see her years of dedicated volunteering within the Children’s Ward at Victoria Hospital recognised and celebrated at a national level.
The commemorative artwork, which hangs at the entrance to the Children's Unit at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, was commissioned but latterly then donated by artist, John Gifford. The scene is of Dysart Harbour which was of personal significance to Helen. Helen retrained as a nursery nurse/early year’s officer and her first job was at the school in Dysart. She often took the children to the harbour as part of their outdoor education, and in later years Helen would enjoy visiting the harbour masters house and reminiscing.
Helen’s daughter, Elizabeth Doherty, and her sister and artist, John Gifford, joined NHS Fife staff and Chief Executive, Coral Potter, and Fife Health Charity chair, Tricia Marwick, and guests at the event.
Applying for Funding
Funding From Fife Health Charity Could Help Make Your Project Happen
As the strategic charity partner of NHS Fife, Fife Health Charity is proud to be at the heart of funding projects that make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of NHS Fife patients and staff throughout Fife.
From providing state of the art equipment and redeveloping ward and outdoor spaces, to investing in staff development and funding innovative research, every year we work with staff across NHS Fife to support hundreds of projects large and small that have a positive impact.
If you’re a member of NHS Fife staff and have a project in mind that’s above and beyond what’s normally provided by NHS Fife, we’d love to hear from you. For more information about how we can help, plus advice about how to apply for funding, please contact the Fife Health Charity team at fife.healthcharity@nhs.scot
Together we can do amazing things!
How to contact us
www.nhsfife.org/fifehealthcharity
Donate: www.justgiving.com/faht
Facebook: @fifehealthcharity
Twitter: @FifeHealth
Email: fife.healthcharity@nhs.scot
Scottish Charity Number: SC011988
