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South East - Fife, Lothian and Borders.
The south east area includes
The services which operate here are richly varied as they reflect very much the locale and communities that they serve – on the one hand a scattered rural culture, while on the other a dense and busy city population and a little of everything else in between.
However, despite the local differences, a common focus on supporting communication difficulty following stroke unites all the services on offer and this remains the key thrust of the work of the VSS.
In all, there are 8 Volunteer Stroke Services (VSS) in operation in the area, supporting 23 stroke groups and a range of outreach services delivered in variety of ways. Each is managed by a Local Co-ordinator with a trained voluntary workforce. In addition, there are also a number of stroke groups affiliated to and supported by the charity, but not run by us directly.
Scottish Borders
Services currently operate in
- Eyemouth
- Duns
- Jedburgh
- Kelso
- Galashiels
- Hawick
- Peebles
The Borders Health Board operates a District Hospital in Melrose, with a new and developing Stroke Unit and a network of small community hospitals throughout the Borders region. Services follow, in the most part, the traditional model of a weekly stroke group which offers support to a range of people affected by stroke in an integrated way, accepting all residual difficulties following stroke and all ages.
However, within some services, there are both a smaller core communication group and a larger more social group.
Referrals come from the Stroke Unit, Speech & Language Therapy and other allied health professionals in hospital and community care settings, through GPs, Day Hospitals and the Social Services.
Additionally, there are individual services based on outreach into the member’s own home environment or support back into the life of the community.
A new link service is being developed with the Stroke Unit to ensure a smooth transition from hospital to community.
There are no affiliated stroke groups in the Borders area.
Lothians and the City of Edinburgh
Lothians services operate in
- Musselburgh
- Haddington
- North Berwick
- Dalkeith
- Penicuik
- Livingston
- Bathgate
City of Edinburgh services
- Northfield
- Young Group
- Marchmont
- Fairmilehead
- Saughtonhall
These services respond to the catchment areas of the wards at Roodlands in Haddington, St John’s in Livingston and in the city, Astley Ainslie, the Western General, the Royal Victoria, the Royal Infirmary and Liberton Hospital, where CHSS Stroke nurses ensure that all patients are aware of the possibilities of VSS on discharge.
Again, services are delivered through a weekly stroke group, with the emphasis very much on communication, as referrals, particularly in Edinburgh itself prioritise those with a speech and language difficulty following stroke.
There are developing outreach services throughout and in West Lothian in particular, signposting to other community services and back to work is a strong element of the work we do.
There is no affiliated stroke group in Edinburgh, but Speakability run a monthly group at Cluny.
Fife
New services started in Fife only 4 years ago but there are now well-established groups in
- Dunfermline
- Kirkcaldy
- Leven
- St Andrews
They respond to the NHS Fife hospitals of St Margaret's in Dunfermline, the Victoria in Kirkcaldy and Cameron at Windygates. Referrals again come from the above sources, with an added emphasis, as in the Lothians from CHSS Stroke nurses.
Outreach work within a member’s own home and beyond into the community is very much a part of the services on offer, as is a new Ward In reach project, funded by the Stroke Managed Clinical Network of NHS Fife, which involves volunteers working with inpatients as communication partners before discharge, to support their recovery while still in hospital.
There are 4 affiliated self help groups in
- Dunfermline
- Kirkcaldy
- Kennoway
- St Andrews
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