Category Archives: Health

Digital Health Institute unveiled

Scotland’s new Digital Health Institute unveiled

Scotland’s pioneering Digital Health Institute, a consortium in which the GSA’s Institute of Design Innovation is a key partner, was officially launched in Edinburgh earlier this week to an audience of leading figures in the global healthcare sector and multi-national technology companies.

The DHI, a collaborative partnership between public and private organisations, brings together the country’s leading health and care operators and engages technology businesses across Europe, the United States and Asia to speed up research and development in order to produce innovative new technologies that will transform the quality of people’s lives and help Scotland become an exporter of world-leading products and services.

The event was attended by John Connaghan, Acting Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director General for Health and Social Care for the Scottish Government and Graeme Dixon, Director-General Enterprise, Environment & Digital, as well as representatives of international companies such as Samsung Electronics, IBM, Philips, Deutch Telekom Celesio, Continua Health Alliance and Lockheed Martin in addition to Scottish based organisations and businesses.

The delegates were given an insight into the DHI’s rapid prototyping model and shown examples of products and services already in the development pipeline, including award-winning video software company Seetok Limited and the ‘BabySam’ pilot which is soon to roll out a secure way for mothers to connect with their babies in neonatal intensive care units being produced in collaboration with Samsung.

The DHI, which is a consortium partnership between the University of Edinburgh, The Institute of Design Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art and NHS 24, is supported by a £10 million five-year investment from the Scottish Funding Council.

Its long-term goal is to use digital technology to tackle the increasing demands on the health and care system in Scotland caused by an ageing population, while at the same time producing a direct economic benefit by securing a share of the global digital health marketplace.

By 2018 the DHI aims to establish Scotland as a world-leading centre of excellence in the field and help produce up to 140 new commercial products and services that will benefit society.

Professor George Crooks, Chairman of the Digital Health Institute and Medical Director, NHS 24 said: “A great deal of effort has been put in by all of the partners in DHI to establish a truly innovative organisation that will have a major impact on health in Scotland. By bringing together best practice from Scotland’s academic and business sectors then collaborating with the world’s leading technology companies and Scottish SMEs we can transform efficiency, improve patient care and solve long-standing issues in the healthcare sector. We already have a number of exciting projects underway and we will see the number increase further now that we are officially open for business.”

BC Cho, Head of Global Enterprise Business Team, Samsung Electronics said: “We have established a unique partnership in Scotland and are already taking the first concrete steps towards exciting new innovations in mobile healthcare. The Samsung team has worked closely with the Digital Health Institute and its partners to understand the particular requirements of health and care, and then help turn them into solutions with value to the organisations and – most importantly – the people who will use them. We look forward to a productive relationship in the years ahead.”

Professor Stuart Anderson, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this initiative, which is an opportunity for Scottish expertise in health and care delivery, medicine, informatics, business models and design to work together with industry to help achieve fit-for-purpose integrated health and care in the coming decades.”

Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam of The Glasgow School of Art said: “The DHI is a transformational platform for creating business, academic, and public service benefits. The Glasgow School of Art is proud to be a partner in this enterprise, bringing our expertise in Design to direct innovation in the DHI Experience Labs.”

Alan Stewart, CEO of Seetok said, “We saw the potential of the DHI from outset and have been engaged from its inception. The team have been extremely active in making vital connections and introductions. The DHI looks to be about generating real business opportunities – a very welcomed direct approach. This helps introduce small, innovative companies like us to large scale opportunities, partnerships or collaboration projects where we would otherwise not appear on the radar.”

Background information on DHI is available at http://www.dhi-scotland.com

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service Visits Blythswood Square

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Blythswood Square, the five star hotel in the city centre, is to host a visit by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) later this month. SNBTS will spend the day at the luxury hotel on Monday 19^th November offering local residents and staff in local businesses a perfect opportunity to give blood, that is conveniently located right on their doorstep.

The SNBTS hope that by making the opportunity to donate blood will increase the numbers of donors. The drive to take place in Blythswood Square is one of a variety of new techniques to involve more Scots in donating blood and platelets. Currently, only 5% of the Scottish population currently donate the much need blood which can be life-saving. To meet the demand, the SNBTS must collect 5,000 blood donations per week.

Hans Rissmann, Managing Director of Blythswood Square, said: ‘Earlier this year, our sister hotel, The Bonham, in Edinburgh hosted a similar visit. It proved to be so successful that we were keen to work with the Blood Transfusion Service here in Glasgow on a similar initiative.

‘The busy festive period will soon be upon us when we will welcome several hundred party goers across all areas of the hotel. It is also, ironically, one of the quietest times for the Blood Transfusion Service when every donation is even more important. Hosting this visit by SNBTS means that we’re able to widen our support for such an imperative service ahead of the Christmas party season and make it easy for those nearby to donate blood at a key time in the year for the Service.’

Aftermaking their donation, donors will enjoy Blythswood Square’s own delicious shortbread with their tea in The Monte Carlo Suite.

Moira Eadie, Deputy National Donor Services Manager, said: “We are delighted to come along to Blythswood Square and provide this local opportunity for blood donors to come and give blood. Every minute of every day, someone in Scotland is receiving blood as part of a life-saving or life-enhancing treatment.”

To register as a blood donor or to find out where your nearest donation session is, call 0845 90 90 999, text ‘blood’ to 61611, or visit www.scotblood.co.uk

The blood drive at Blythswood Square takes place on November 19th. For further details or to book an appointment at Blythswood Square, call Michelle Thomson or Jenny Stewart on 0141-248 8888.

Get into shape for the Party season

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Want the results of being trained by an expert but without the hefty price tag? Or are you a, “I don’t have time to hit the gym” culprit? Why not exercise like the supermodels, ‘A’ list celebs and elite athletes of this world do and get guaranteed results, by combining the services of a specialist coach with the latest in innovative fitness equipment. If the coming party season fills you with dread:- countless canapés, crates of champagne and a sabotaged fitness regime, then training with an expert on a Power Plate Pro 6 machine is a guaranteed method to navigate a “hot bod” through to the New Year!

Claudia Schieffer says: ‘I love using Power Plate as part of my fitness regime as I can do a really intensive work out in such a short space of time. As a working mother with a hectic work schedule, using the Power Plate machine helps me stay in shape without having to spend hours in the gym.’

UK Premiership Footballer, David James said: ‘Playing regularly in the English Premiership is very demanding, and as a goalkeeper I need to be at the peak of my physical fitness. The Power Plate® machine adds a new dimension to my training.”

The state of the art Power Plate also plays a strong role in rehabilitation. Chemmy Alcott, Great Britain’s leading ski racer, said: ‘“The Power Plate machine has been very helpful in recovery and rehabilitation, and we use it a great amount for recovery sessions and massage.”

One 25 minute acceleration training workout coached on the plate by an expert provides the same response as double the time spent in your gym and costs from just £7.60* per session at Glasgow’s Gallery in the City. The official Power Plate® accredited studio was the first in Scotland to exclusively offer acceleration or whole body vibration training on the Pro6 model.

The studio is owned by former TV Gladiator Ali Paton who is one of only six master trainers in the UK, Ali has extensive personal experience of training on the plate as well as training fitness professionals.

She said: ‘After one session I was addicted. I needed a quick and effective training method to get back in Gladiator shape for the Legend’s Shows and the Power Plate became my intelligent fitness solution! I was so impressed by the results I achieved on the machine I am now a Master Trainer.’

‘Power Plate is not just for celebrities or elite athletes, it’s a very effective tool to aid weight loss, raise metabolism and build lean muscle. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about that LBD and Christmas party season!’

The festive period can be difficult to navigate with the annual invasion from the ‘planet of the canapés!’ Ali’s advice is not to arrive at a drinks party already hungry as ‘you’ll simply overindulge on the deadly, fat laden canapés, our bodies are wired to do so. Have a healthy, high protein snack before leaving for the party or a large glass of water to help you feel full. If you must try the finger food, then go for the high protein options.’

For further information or to book a free trial, visit www.powergallery.co.uk

If in any doubt about undertaking whole body vibration training, please seek advice from your GP.

GPs out of hours should be better coordinated

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Scotland’s GPs called today, Thursday 11 November 2010, for better coordination of out of hours services for patients.

In light of the Scottish Parliament’s debate on rural out of hours services, Scotland’s GP leaders have called on the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland to do more to establish better quality standards and coordination of services to deliver real improvements for patients. They also underlined that none of this requires a renegotiation of the GP contract.

Dr Andrew Buist, Deputy Chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GP Committee said: “There is a perception amongst politicians and the public that the problems with out of hours care stem from the introduction of the GP contract in 2004. This is not the case. In many areas, such as Greater Glasgow, the service that operated prior to 2004 is the same service that continues to operate, albeit the service is now directly managed by the NHS Board.

“The BMA recognises that there is a need to improve some elements of out of hours care. This is a priority for GPs as well as politicians. Involving GPs and other service providers in the planning and co-ordination of services can deliver real improvements for patients. None of this requires a renegotiation of the GP contract.” The new contract, which allowed GPs to transfer responsibility for providing out of hours care to the local NHS Board, was designed to combat a crisis in general practice and ensure the sustainability of out-of-hours care for patients. Before the new contract was introduced, morale was at an all time low, GPs were planning to retire early and recruitment was becoming impossible.

Dr Buist added: “Doctors were working excessively long hours, and rural communities in particular were at risk of losing daytime GP service at the expense of out-of-hours availability. There is no going back to the old ‘Dr Finlay’ model of general practice. In today’s modern service much more complex care is provided to patients in hours and there needs to be a comprehensive out of hours service that does not rely on over-tired GPs bearing the brunt of the work.

“NHS 24 has improved over the last few years, but more needs to be done to educate patients as to who to contact out of hours. Patients continue to receive high quality health care round the clock. However, it is by no means perfect. Improving out of hours care is a priority for GPs as well as politicians.

“Out of hours care encompasses all aspects of the health service: general practice, secondary care and community care, all of which can be accessed by first contacting NHS 24. More should be done to promote NHS 24 to the public as the first point of contact for non emergency calls out of hours.”

GPs on call – and on YouTube

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Sometimes we see the most unlikely things on YouTube. The Reporter spends a good proportion of the day online and is something of an internet addict, but today we have been surprised! Here is a YouTube video from the British Medical Association’s Scotland branch to explain to us what Glasgow GP, Dr John Tobias, does each day…..

On a slightly more serious note there is a debate on out of hours medical provision on 11 November at Holyrood. Read more here

The Glasgow Boys are back – in London

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n October 2010 the Royal Academy of Arts presents the first major exhibition in London for over 40 years to celebrate the achievement of the Glasgow Boys, the loosely knit group of young painters who created a stir at home and abroad in the final decades of the nineteenth century. The exhibition at The Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly, features over 80 oil paintings, watercolours and pastels from public and private collections by such artists as Guthrie, Lavery, Melville, Crawhall, Walton, Henry and Hornel. Together they presented a new art, which had a major impact at home and abroad in the closing decades of the nineteenth century. The resultant works were, from c. 1880 to 1900, among the most experimental and ambitious to be produced in the UK.

Taking inspiration from such French Naturalist painters as Bastien-Lepage and also from Whistler, the Glasgow Boys produced some of the most revolutionary painting in Britain, drawing praise in London, Munich, Vienna and further afield. Their symbolist pictures were admired and emulated in secessionist circles in Germany and Austria.

The exhibition maps the Glasgow Boys’ responses in both subject matter and technique to developments in art which were taking place in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s. These artists sought to liberate their art from the staid, dark toned narrative paintings being produced in Glasgow and Edinburgh in order to explore the effects of realist subject matter and the particular effects of light captured through working out of doors, directly in front of the motif.

More information from The Royal Academy website