Board papers and statistics

NHS Fife Board: Papers from the latest Board meeting on Tuesday 30 July can be viewed here. The next meeting takes place on Wednesday 25 September.

Performance: Information on key performance data, including A&E, cancelled operations, delayed discharges, and diagnostic waiting times. The latest information can be viewed here.

Workforce: Statistics on staffing and vacancies are published quarterly by NHS Education for Scotland. The latest publication can be viewed here.

Main updates

Lets talk … healthcare services

This week we launched our'Let's talk' campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of our financial position, the challenges we face, and the actions we may need to take deliver the £54million of savings needed to balance our books. 

'Let's talk' is a campaign that will grow and evolve over the next few months, and it allows us to build an understanding of both how our services currently work, and how they may need to evolve in the future. For more information, visitwww.nhsfife.org/lets-talk

New director of health and social care appointed

Lynne Garvey has been appointed director of health and social care for the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership and chief officer for the Fife Joint Integration Board.

Lynne was previously the partnership’s head of community care services and brings over 30 years’ experience, covering a diverse range of operational, professional and leadership roles. More information is available here.

Breastfeeding support service

You may have seen posts on social media in recent days promoting a petition around the supposed removal of our breastfeeding support team. While this petition was likely initiated with good intentions, we want to make clear that there are no plans to remove this vital service.

Our breastfeeding support team provides important support for families across Fife, and we are in the process of developing plans to enhance this support and better integrate the service with our other children’s services.

Annual Review 2024

NHS Fife’s Annual Review will take place on Monday 30 September within the Victoria Hospital’s Education Centre.

The agenda of the review is set by Scottish Government and based around national standards and local performance. It will also include a session from 2pm – 3pm where members of the public can ask questions. More information is available here.

Mental health response car supporting those in crisis

A pilot project in Levenmouth is underway, which provides out-of-hours mental health crisis support by car.

The project began at the start of June, thanks to funding from Fife Council’s Levenmouth Area Committee. The response car operates in the Levenmouth area at weekends, ready to mobilise to help people who need it. Read more here.

Neurodivergence support roadshows

We’re providing a series of free roadshows showcasing some of the support available to neurodivergent children and young people. The three sessions take place across Fife and are particularly helpful where children show differences in development around thinking and learning, managing emotions and overactivity. The sessions take place from 2-5pm at:

  • Thursday 26 September, Corn Exchange, Cupar
  • Thursday 31 October, Templehall Community Centre, Kirkcaldy
  • Wednesday 20 November, Main Hall, Lynebank, Hospital

Text messages helping manage orthopaedic waiting lists

We’re contacting patients on our orthopaedics waiting list. Patients are receiving a text message with a link to answer a couple of questions that will allow us to update their record. If a patient does not respond, a letter will be sent by post. More information is available here.

Help us shape next generation of medical students working in Fife

We are asking people living across Fife to help us shape the next generation of medical students. Earlier this year, NHS Fife partnered with the University of St Andrews to launch ScotCOM, a new medical degree that trains doctors in Fife and prepares them for the challenges of modern healthcare.

Encouraging constituents to complete this survey will help us assess their healthcare priorities and what they think are the most important qualities for effective medical staff. More information is available here.

Vaccination

Relocation of Kirkcaldy vaccination centre

Our vaccination clinic at Templehall Parish Church in Kirkcaldy, is to relocate to a new permanent location within Whyteman’s Brae Hospital.

The clinic will be in outpatients 7 and will open on 30 September. Entrance is via the door off the car park at the rear of the building. The new clinic is also on several bus routes and is wheelchair accessible. More information is available here.

RSV vaccination drop-ins for pregnant women

Women over 28 weeks who have not received an RSV appointment are being encouraged to attend our drop-in session at the Victoria Hospital's antenatal clinic on Saturday 7 September. No appointment is required an women can attend between 1.30pm and 4.15pm.

Babies born prematurely and children under the age of two are more at risk of severe RSV infection. More on RSV is available here.

RSV Vaccination Letters

We recently became aware of an issue affecting invitation letters sent to some of those eligible for vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

As you may already be aware, vaccination against RSV is being offered for the first time this year, with pregnant women and older adults aged between 75-79 years old eligible for the vaccine.

It has become apparent in recent days that a batch of letters intended for people in Kirkcaldy and northeast Fife were not delivered as planned. The issue affects only those due to attend for appointments on specific days last week.

We are still trying to determine the cause of the issue, however, we are in the process of contacting those affected by telephone to offer alternative appointments later this month.

You can find more information on vaccination against RSV at: nhsinform.scot/RSV

Student MMR and meningitis vaccination drop-ins

We are encouraging students at the University of St Andrews to ensure their MMR and meningitis vaccinations are up to date. During fresher’s week drop-in vaccination opportunities at being provided at the student union, where immunisation staff will also be on hand to answer any queries. Infection can spread easily in university communities and vaccination is one of the best ways to protect students and their peers.

  • 9 and 10 September - Drop-in information and chat sessions (10am - 3pm)
  • 12 September - Vaccination by appointment only. (10am - 3pm)