Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon will meet staff and users of the Selbro Resource Centre, when she visits Kirkwall for the NHS Orkney annual review today (October 13).
Ms Sturgeon will tour the Selbro Resource Centre and Community Equipment store – a facility established under the auspices of Orkney Health & Care, which brings together NHS Orkney and Orkney Islands Council – where local people gain support through the provision of disability and other aids to daily living.
The area has a demonstration kitchen, bedroom and bathroom with assistive equipment, with a wide range of aids on show, such as a stair lift, riser recliner chairs, telecare equipment and community care alarms.
The Health Secretary will also be given a demonstration of sensory impairment equipment, and the inflatable lifting kit used by the mobile community responder staff to assist people who have fallen.
During the visit, Ms Sturgeon will formally launch the new joint working arrangement between Selbro and Orkney Care and Repair, which has gained support from the Change Fund, a Scottish Government initiative aimed at encouraging health and social care providers to make better use of their combined resources for older people.
Speaking in advance of her visit, Ms Sturgeon said:
“I am delighted to be opening this service. It is initiatives like this that we want to see mirrored across Scotland. It is also good to see the partnership between the NHS, Council and Care and Repair here in Orkney working so well together - and to see the Change Fund making an impact on the ground.
“This project gives a clear example of where the money the Scottish Government has guaranteed through the Change Fund for improved, integrated care of the elderly, makes a difference. I have made the care of our elderly people a personal commitment, and am encouraged that Care and Repair seeks to support older people’s continuing independence within their own community.”
John Ross Scott, Chairman of NHS Orkney, added:
“I am delighted to illustrate a key achievement through Orkney Health & Care which will create a one-stop-shop for those living in Orkney who have difficulty managing in their home environment. The Selbro Resource Centre initiative brings together Orkney Health & Care and the Third Sector − Orkney Care and Repair − to provide seamless advice, support and assistance to folk in relation to a range of equipment, adaptations and housing related needs.
“It is not a high cost activity, but an excellent example of how a relatively small amount of money can be used creatively to make a significant difference. It demonstrates, once again, just how inherent close partnership working is in Orkney.”
Caroline Sinclair, Orkney Health and Care Service Improvement Manager, said, “Our goal is always to make services as accessible and effective as possible for the people who use them. We believe this simple project helps to do that, making it easier for people who use the services to access the right type of advice, and easier for staff to communicate well and work together.
Manager of Orkney Care and Repair Mike Cooper said that Care and Repair is recognised nationally as a major contributor towards the Government’s ‘Reshaping Care for Older People’ programme:
“In Orkney we have maintained that, for both expenditure and quality of life reasons, we should ensure that older people can stay in their own homes for as long as possible. We have enjoyed a high level of support from the Local Authority and NHS Orkney over the years, which has enabled us to successfully deliver a focused service since its introduction here 24 years ago. It is therefore exciting news that this relationship will be formalised through the Change Fund, which recognises the importance of joint working and will help us develop a more proactive approach, tailor made for our communities’ needs.”