The Healthcare Improvement Podcast

Content warning: This episode discusses eating disorders and disordered eating.

Also available on the following podcast platforms:   

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You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

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Content warning: This episode discusses mental illness and suicide. 

The World Health Organisation estimates that almost 1 in 5 women will experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year after the birth.  Women are more likely to develop mental health problems at this time than at any other stage of their life – highlighting that access to mental health care for pregnant women is more important than ever.    

Also available on the following podcast platforms:   

• Spotify  

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

• Monthly eNewsletter 

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act came into force on 1st April 2024, setting out requirements for safe staffing across all health and care services in Scotland. The legislation places a duty on NHS boards and care services to ensure appropriate staffing levels are in place across the sectors. It also exists to ensure that health and care staff are appropriately trained for the work they perform.  

In this episode, we find out more about the new act, how NHS boards have been preparing for it and what it means for patients and healthcare professionals working on the ground. We speak to Caroline Craig from our own Healthcare Staffing Programme, as well as Dr. Susan Ross, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at NHS Lanarkshire, Natalie Buchanan, an Advanced Speech and Language Therapist at NHS Fife and Kate Patience-Quate who is NHS Highland’s Deputy Nurse Director.

Also available on the following podcast platforms:   

• Spotify  

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

• Monthly eNewsletter 

An estimated 90,000 people are living with dementia in Scotland, with that number expected to increase to 164,000 by 2036.

Our latest podcast looks at the first guideline to be published in nearly 20 years that provides recommendations on the assessment, treatment and support of adults living with dementia. It calls for greater awareness of pre-death grief for people with dementia, their carers and their loved ones, as they fear the loss of the person they know.

We speak to professionals including Dr Adam Daly, Chair of Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Guideline Development Group and a Consultant in old age psychiatry and Jacqueline Thompson, a nurse consultant and the lead on pre-death grief for the guideline. We also speak with Marion Ritchie, a carer who experienced pre-death grief while caring for her husband.

To read the full guideline and the patient version, visit our website: www.sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/dementia

Also available on the following podcast platforms:   

• Spotify  

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

• Monthly eNewsletter 

Evidence shows that when patients are treated as partners in their care, then safety, patient satisfaction and health outcomes improve.

We speak to a number of professionals from Healthcare Improvement Scotland, as well as Lisa McDowall, a Senior Charge Nurse at Jubilee Hospital in Grampian.  We also spoke with Gareth Bourhill who lost his mum in the Vale of Leven c-difficile outbreak of 2007 to 2008, and is now a public partner with our organisation’s Excellence in Care team.

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Also available on the following podcast platforms:   

• Spotify  

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

• Monthly eNewsletter 

If you have experienced an overnight stay in hospital, you can probably relate to the feeling of wanting to be at home in your own bed, in surroundings that are familiar to you and where your support network is on hand. 

In our latest episode, we look at the benefits Hospital at Home can bring to patients in Scotland, how it can be as safe and effective as hospital care, and how the service works in both urban and rural settings. 

We speak to Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of Improvement Support, Dr. Latana Munang, Clinical Lead for Hospital at Home, Gail Black, Senior Co-ordinator at NHS Western Isles and Richard Wells-Holland, a Hospital at Home nurse in NHS Lanarkshire.  We also spoke with a patient who is currently receiving care through the Hospital at Home service who shared his experience of the service and the benefits it has brought to him and his wife. 

Also available on the following podcast platforms:   

• Spotify  

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

• Monthly eNewsletter 

It is estimated that as many as 15,000 people in Scotland have a stroke each year. The ways in which a stroke affects a person varies, depending on factors like which part of the brain was affected, how much of the area was affected and even how healthy the person was before the stroke. A fast response and personalised care following the stroke also play a key role in establishing how well and how quickly a person can recover. And with so many aspects at play, it is key that the best, most up-to-date care is provided to patients to guarantee the best possible outcomes.  

In our latest podcast episode, we look at the new five nations’ guideline for stroke. The guideline brings together the best current research and covers the entirety of the patient pathway, setting out standards of care that will be applied across the United Kingdom and Ireland, regardless of the patient’s age, gender, type of stroke, location or any other feature. 

We speaking to Roberta James, SIGN Programme Lead and Dr Tony Burn, the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh representative on SIGN Council. We will speak to people affected by stroke, as well as Martin James, Chair of the guideline development group.  

Also available on the following podcast platforms:  

• Spotify 

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org 

• Monthly eNewsletter

Winter is the busiest time for our NHS and social care services and it’s no secret that they’re under tremendous pressure.  The impact of this is acutely felt across our Primary Care services, which include general practice and community pharmacies, amongst others.

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You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org

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Cosmetic procedures, carried out to improve how people look, are becoming increasingly popular. As the number of people opting for lip fillers, Botox injections, chemical peels and nose jobs increases, concerns over safety for those receiving treatments, as well as the qualifications and experience of those giving them, have grown.

Join us as we discuss the importance of regulating private healthcare and what the future of this sector might look like with our very special guests – Head of Service Review, Kevin Freeman-Ferguson, as well as Jackie Partridge and Linda Strachan, who run their own clinics and belong to the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses. We are also joined by Natalie Graham, who shares her own experience of cosmetic procedures and shares her insights on what you should look out for if booking a procedure for yourself.

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You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org

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Frailty, the result of the interplay of age, chronic disease and fitness, has the potential to truly disrupt someone's life, impacting how and where they spend their later years. It is predicted that in just a 10 year period, we will see a 50% increase in the number of people who are categorised as frail. 

Join our special guests, National Lead for Frailty, Dr Lara Mitchell, Kathryn Allen, Lead Elderly Care Assessment Nurse, QEUH, Dr Graham Ellis Deputy CMO and advisor to the Scottish Government, and Doug Anthoney, Age Scotland, as we discuss the important work currently underway to improve the lives of those living with frailty, the impact it has on the NHS and what we can do to prevent it.

You can follow the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland at www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org

• Monthly eNewsletter