Exemplary innovation and commitment to improving the lives of people across Lanarkshire stole the show at glittering national ceremony.
The Scottish Health Awards is the most prestigious and recognised event for people delivering high quality health and social care services to the people of Scotland.
And two projects – led by staff and teams in South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership in close collaboration with other partners – were judged to be top of the class.
The Care Home Continence Project, which has saw small changes to continence care in care homes elicit life-changing benefits, won the Integrated Care for Older People Award.
The Think Activity Project, which was pioneered in Kello hospital, Biggar took the Top Team award. The partnership team encouraged hospital patients to engage in various activities - including a virtual hike of Tinto Hill – to offset the negative impact of sedentary behaviour.
Calum Campbell, Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire said: “The exemplary work of these projects have set the gold standard in safe and innovative person-centred care.
“These awards amplify that sentiment and highlight the importance of a partnership approach in addressing various health and social care challenges. Well done to all involved.”
Val de Souza, Director of Health and Social Care of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “The work carried out at local level by these partnership teams caught the eye of the judges for the concrete benefits and difference they are making to people’s lives.
“At the centre of both is the foresight to take a different approach to care – underpinned by expertise, commitment and passion.”

The care home continence project

A pilot initiative which has markedly improved the lives of people in some Lanarkshire care homes won the Integrated Care for Older People Award.
Research has identified incontinence as a risk factor that increases skin damage, infection and falls in older people.
The initiative allowed care home staff to improve the quality of care through better recording of processes and introducing small changes including optimising fluid and reducing caffeine intake.
The outcomes of the project – piloted at David Walker Gardens in Rutherglen and Summerlee House in Coatbridge – led to improvements including a reduction in falls by 65%, urinary infections being halved and skin damage reduced by one third.  The project has also significantly reduced the amount of continence pads used at the homes.
The pilot was developed by teams in and North and South Lanarkshire’s Health and Social Care Partnerships, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS National Services Scotland and work is underway to explore rolling the project out across Lanarkshire.
Jean Donaldson, Associate Director of Nursing, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, explained: “This project was about small changes making a big difference.
“As we facilitate wider implementation in Lanarkshire we were delighted to receive this commendation.”
Alice Macleod, Nurse Advisor with NHS National Services Scotland, added: “The expertise among all involved in this project has supported care home staff to implement this innovative, quality improvement initiative.
“We look forward to building on this work and sharing our experience, with the goal of supporting others to make positive changes.
“Awards like this are very much the icing on the cake.”
A film documenting the pilot project is available to view here: https://vimeo.com/241902965