Main updates
COVID and flu vaccination
The uptake of appointments for flu and COVID vaccination has been encouraging, however we are conscious that the national directive to rephase the programme has impacted appointment availability – this may have been raised by some of your constituents.
The rephasing meant that some of those who were initially eligible received letters inviting them to make an appointment. However, when the programme prioritised those with a more urgent clinical need at pace, a number of those initially contacted were left either unable to make an appointment until later in the year, or had their appointments rescheduled to free up capacity.
With uptake high, most remaining vaccination appointments are for dates in November and December. However, our immunisation service regularly reviews capacity, and has been able to add an additional 12,000 appointments to the national online booking system over the last few days.
NHS Fife co-ordinating national drug-death challenge
We're co-ordinating a new £5 million UK-wide project aimed at reducing fatal overdoses and drug-related harms. The ‘Reducing Drug Deaths Innovation Challenge’ will see 12 projects share funding to take forward ground-breaking approaches including developing A.I technologies to detect overdoses, drone technology to deliver antidotes, and wearable technologies to alert intervention. NHS Fife was selected by the Chief Scientist’s Office and UK Office of Life Science following a competitive selection process. More information is available here.
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) update
National Services Scotland has published a list of properties being surveyed as part of the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) discovery survey programme.
Four areas are being surveyed within Victoria Hospital, four areas within Queen Margaret Hospital, three within Lynebank Hospital, one within Cameron Hospital, and six within
Whyteman’s Brae Hospital - along with health centres in Kelty, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy and Leven.
The surveys will determine whether any ongoing monitoring or remedial action is required. Further detail on RAAC and any implications for NHS Fife can be viewed here.
Improvements to Day Surgery at Queen Margaret Hospital
Improvements to our Day Surgery Unit at Queen Margaret Hospital will increase surgical capacity and allow more procedures to be carried out. Starting in 2021, more than £2 million has been invested into to the project, which has modernised the area and created more clinical and recovery space.
Queen Margaret Hospital has become a nationally recognised centre of excellence for day surgery in recent years, carrying out around 7,400 procedures each year.
More information here.
New appointment management portal
We’ve launched a new online portal which allows patients to securely manage their hospital appointments on their smartphone, tablet, or computer. Initially being rolled out in pain management and vasectomy, the portal allows patients to confirm, rebook or cancel their appointments. More information here.
Annual review
We’re hosting our Annual Review at the Rothes Hall, Glenrothes, on Wednesday the 8th of November. The Annual Review is a look back at the performance of NHS Fife over 2022/2023 – both in terms of public spending and the provision of services - and will be the first in-person event since the pandemic.
The event is open to the public and will include opportunities to listen to presentations from senior leadership and take part in a Q&A. Further information will be made available in due course.
Relocation of maternity services at Queen Margaret Hospital
Maternity services at Queen Margaret Hospital have returned to Level 2. The department relocated in 2020 as part of our response to COVID. Further information is available on the pregnancy app and everyone with an upcoming antenatal clinic or scan appointment was informed of the change of venue.
Staff chill area
A new 'chill area' has been built for all our staff to take a break and recharge at Phase 1 of the Victoria Hospital. The new welfare area is equipped with open-plan outdoor seating, complete with games built into some of the benches. It was funded by the Fife Health Charity. Photographs can be viewed here.
Statistical information
NHS Performs
NHS Performs brings together a range of information on how NHS Fife is performing, including A&E performance, cancelled operations, delayed discharges and diagnostic waiting times. The latest information can be viewed here.
Workforce information
NHS Education for Scotland publishes a quarterly update on workforce related information, including the number of staff directly employed by NHS Fife and the number of vacant posts for nursing and midwifery staff, allied health professions, and medical and dental consultants.
The interactive dashboard also outlines trends over time and references other useful information such as sickness absence rates, staff age profile, and spend on agency and bank. The latest publication was published in June and can be viewed here.
Sharing our messages
We appreciate the support of elected members in sharing our health messages with constituents and on social media.
All Information correct at time of publishing. Issued by the corporate communications service.