A SPECIAL DAY HELD BY NHS WESTERN ISLES TO THANK ORGANISATIONS & STAFF

NHS Western Isles presented nine commemorative plaques this week, to recognise and show our gratitude to all NHS Western Isles staff and a range of organisations who stepped forward to work in partnership with the local health service in the fight against COVID-19.

NHS Western Isles recognises that there were significant contributions made by many different individuals, organisations and services throughout the Western Isles and we thank everyone for their courage, commitment and selflessness to provide services, keep people safe, and offer support during a time of such uncertainty. 

To thank each and every member of NHS Western Isles staff for their tireless work during the pandemic, members of Western Isles NHS Board presented commemorative plaques to different sites across the Board area.

Every department across NHS Western Isles was affected profoundly by the pandemic, either redesigning, planning and preparing services; directly caring for patients; or being redeployed to provide new services. Some services were stopped, and many staff were redeployed to different areas as required. This sometimes meant learning new skills and adapting quickly to new ways of working.

Some examples included the role of public health staff, which was transformed to focus on COVID-19, preparing essential services such as testing arrangements, and keeping up to date with (and implementing) national requirements and legislation. Teams, such as the dental staff, were redeployed to the mass COVID testing and vaccination programmes, with the dental centre in Stornoway transformed into a COVID assessment unit and a drive-through test centre – all whilst maintaining an emergency dental service.

Hospital and community staff continued to provide the highest quality front-line patient care across the Western Isles in the most difficult circumstances, whilst facing the added challenges and fear of the pandemic for themselves and their families when caring for those with COVID-19, or with symptoms.

At the outset, we must remember that there was no vaccine or an effective means of treatment.

The added factors during the pandemic made care more challenging – including enhanced infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, the construction of temporary hospital capacity, and evolving standards of care, particularly in areas like end-of-life care, treatment escalation, and discharge planning. 

In the community, staff faced extreme challenges working with people in their own homes, care homes and some of the most vulnerable in our community, and their hard work also helped to keep people safe at home and protected hospital inpatient beds for those most at need.

Clinical support service staff all stepped up to the mark during the pandemic, taking steps to plan and develop complicated new systems, processes and services and providing essential support to their clinical colleagues to ensure the delivery of patient care.

Accepting the plaque from Non-Executive Director and Whistleblowing Champion, Sheena Wright, NHS Western Isles Hospitals Manager, Lachlan MacPherson, said: “I am proud to accept the commemorative plaque on behalf of all NHS staff across Lewis and Harris for their magnificent contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic. A crisis brings out the best in people and I saw the best of our staff and local community throughout the pandemic.”

Lizzie Bak, Senior Charge Nurse at Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh, accepted the plaque from Medical Director, Sara Else, on behalf of all NHS staff working throughout Uist. She said: “This plaque represents all NHS staff in Uist, who individually and collectively worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. Staff within every department went above and beyond.”

Frances McNeil, former Senior Charge Nurse at St. Brendan’s, accepted the plaque from NHS Western Isles Chief Executive, Gordon Jamieson, on behalf of all NHS staff in Barra and Vatersay. She said: “The plaque is a great recognition of what all our staff achieved. We worked together as one team, faced our challenges and, I am proud to say, delivered for our community.”

Accepting the plaque from Director of Finance, Debbie Bozkurt, at the Health Board Offices in Stornoway, Christina Morrison, Lead Nurse, Community, said: “It is with immense pride that I accept this plaque on behalf of all NHS Western Isles staff in non-clinical support functions. It belongs to every single member of our incredible team who stood strong, worked tirelessly, and gave so much during one of the most challenging times in our history. Let this plaque be more than a token of recognition — let it be a lasting tribute to the spirit of NHS Western Isles. A spirit that continues to inspire, to heal, and to serve.”

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar was presented with a commemorative plaque by NHS Board Chair, Gillian McCannon, in recognition of their staff’s dedication throughout the pandemic across the Western Isles. The impact of COVID-19 on residents in care homes was incredibly difficult. Both care home staff and those providing home care services demonstrated kindness, care, compassion and courage in the face of unprecedented risks.

Day services, Social Work, Advocacy and all other teams had to adapt quickly to provide their vital services during very difficult circumstances. The Caring for People group supported those most vulnerable throughout.

Education staff worked quickly and tirelessly to completely transform the delivery of education to rapidly introduce online teaching and learning and provide direct access to nursery and school provision for our key workers, to ensure that essential services could be provided. It was a long and challenging journey, but collaboration and shared working towards a common goal was vital to protect our community.

Speaking at the ceremony at Taigh Shiphoirt, Cllr Kenny Macleod, Convener of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, thanked NHS Western Isles for recognising the outstanding contribution of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Cllr Macleod said: “Throughout the local response to COVID-19 the delivery of all Comhairle services relied upon the dedication and commitment of staff across services. Our social care staff were at the frontline of the local COVID-19 response. Amidst uncertainty, ever changing regulations and the constant threat of outbreaks care staff prioritised the wellbeing of residents and care users. In continuing the delivery of education, carrying out refuse collections, distributing PPE, hosting vaccination centres and adapting service delivery with digital alternatives Comhairle staff ensured the continuation of public service delivery and helped support public safety. Today was a chance to reflect on and recognise their resilience and contribution.”

At one point during the pandemic, the outlook and predictions were bleak. However, the development of the COVID-19 vaccination offered a new hope. The Western Isles was the first area in Scotland to complete wave one of the vaccination programme, with the peak of the vaccination programme seeing 1,200 vaccinations being delivered in a single day.

This would not have been possible without the efforts and dedication of NHS staff, and partner organisations. The support provided by Cala Hotels, Street Pastors, HM Coastguard (HMCG) Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in particular was mission critical and invaluable to the delivery of the mass vaccination programme.

The founder of Street Pastors, Isabel Macleod, was presented with a plaque by Director of Public Health, Colum Durkan. Ms Macleod said: “We are honoured to receive this plaque from NHS Western Isles. Helping at the vaccination clinics was quite a change of scene for us but our same principles still applied, listening, caring and helping. We were very happy to be able to help the local NHS and our community.”

Cala Hotels received a plaque for their selfless contribution to the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination. Not only did they provide NHS Western Isles with a venue to hold the mass vaccination clinics throughout the programme, but they also allowed key workers to use their site to park and offered beds for vulnerable and sick people if it was ever required.

Stuart Beaufoy, Cala Hotels Group Manager, was presented with a plaque by Director of Human Resources and Workforce Development, Diane Macdonald. Mr Beaufoy said: “We, at Cala Hotels, are deeply proud that, in some small way, we could support this mission. It was a privilege to stand alongside our friends at NHS Western Isles and contribute to the collective effort that united communities across the county.”

At Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the plaque was presented to Group Commander for the Western Isles, Chris Smith, by Non-Executive Director, Naomi Macdonald, to thank them for their commitment and contribution to the multi-agency teamwork that cared for and protected our communities.

Mr Smith said: “This plaque is a symbol of the extraordinary service and resilience of every firefighter who stood firm during one of the most challenging chapters in recent history. It honours the spirit of collaboration as we stood shoulder to shoulder with NHS staff, Police Officers, Ambulance staff, Care Workers and Council staff.”

A plaque was presented by Nurse and AHP Director/Chief Operating Officer, Frances Robertson, to His Majesty’s Coastguard and His Majesty’s Coastguard Search and Rescue (operated by Bristows on behalf of Maritime Coastguard Agency). The Coastguard teams worked tirelessly in partnership with NHS Western Isles, not only to enable to effective delivery of the mass vaccination programme, but also to support health service planning, hospital service delivery, support functions and by transporting patients, COVID tests and vaccinations. This invaluable support was often invisible to the public – but ensured that services and systems ran smoothly across the Western Isles.

Murdo Macaulay, Coastal and Operations Area Commander, HMCG, said: “It is a great honour for our team in the Western Isles to be presented with this plaque. Working together as part of the multi-agency response, we were able to support COVID-19 in various ways. We remember with great pride, the one-team ethos that has always been a part of the emergency response in the Western Isles, which was exemplified during this time.”

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive, Gordon Jamieson said: “In recognition of the loss of loved ones, friends and colleagues, we held a one-minute silence in each location as part of each ceremony. We have so many thanks to give to so many people who stepped forward immediately to respond and face the uncertainties and risks the pandemic brought.

“We have learned much from our experience, not least that which we learned from our Military Advisers, whose thinking, response, and military approach to what was indeed ‘an enemy’ will never leave us.

“The plaques are well deserved recognition of the effort, commitment and bravery of all those involved.”