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First responders ready for action

In this issue: • Moving Forth Launch • Area News • Report from Kenya

InFocusSpring 2012www.stjohnscotland.org.uk

This is a pilot scheme for St John Scotland and resulted from the Review of National Projects led by Bill Spence, Chairman of St John Angus and Dundee. If successful it will provide the model for similar groups to be developed in other areas in the future.

The First Responders may receive emergency calls when someone is reported to have collapsed with a suspected cardiac arrest or in a similar situation and attend until the paramedics arrive. They are trained to apply CPR, give oxygen therapy and, if necessary, de� brillate the patient until paramedics arrive and take charge of the incident.

‘This initiative has the potential to prevent death or serious impairment to individuals by the earliest possible

intervention, supported by the attendance of professional paramedics attending the emergency.’ said Bill Spence. ‘St John has a long-standing agreement with St Andrew’s First Aid not to provide � rst aid services in Scotland. However, First Responder di� ers from � rst aid and this project goes ahead with the much-appreciated blessing of St Andrew’s First Aid.’

Over 24 volunteers have been trained to be First Responders in Dundee and Angus following an agreement between the Scottish Ambulance Service and St John Scotland. The First Responders are trained by the Scottish Ambulance Service and will be on call to attend emergencies to respond in Carnoustie, Kirriemuir and Kellas/Wellbank/Monikie.

Newly trained Carnoustie volunteers with Murray McEwan, Scottish Ambulance Service Resuscitation Development O� cer. The volunteers are Lynn Lawrence, Lisa Elrick, Angela McAdam, Rhona Gowans and Tracey McGill.

Chairman of St John Angus and Dundee, Bill Spence, with Murray McEwan and the agreement document.

Kirriemuir volunteer team of First Responders

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Moving Forth Launch

Festival in St Andrews The 2012 Festival will be held in St Andrews on June 8. The service and investiture will take place in Holy Trinity Church on Friday June 8 at 11am. A civic reception hosted by Fife Council on Thursday June 7 at 6.30 pm will be held in St Andrew’s Town Hall.

The guests include Philip Hardaker, Order Hospitaller, Margaret Dean, Lord Lieutenant of Fife, and Ian Jones, Rector of Madras College.

Families who care for loved ones at home can now get practical guidance and advice from a new DVD which is the result of a collaboration between NHS Forth Valley, Strathcarron Hospice and St John Central.

The DVD, entitled ‘Moving Forth’, was launched in November by television personality, Sally Magnusson, and o� ers practical guidance and advice to unpaid carers who are involved in moving and handling family members or patients at home.

It includes clips showing the correct way to move someone in and out of a car, from a chair to a bed and from a wheelchair to a chair. Two volunteers from Strathcarron Hospice played the role of patients supported by three clinicians also from Strathcarron.

The DVD is available through family doctors, district nurses and allied health professionals throughout Scotland. It can also be downloaded free of charge through the NHS Forth Valley and St John Scotland websites and YouTube.

The � lming was followed by a consultation exercise with carers and carers’ agencies which helped shape the � nal content and came up with the name ‘Moving Forth’.

Sally Magnusson speaks at the launch in Falkirk in November.

The project was a collaboration between NHS Forth Valley, Strathcarron Hospice and the St John Scotland Central Committee.

Chairman of St John Central, David Waddell co-hosted the event

Changing Places Those at the festival in Ayr last June will remember the Prior’s glowing tribute to John Ford on his retirement then as the Chancellor. This March, Douglas Dow, Dunbartonshire, was appointed as his successor and he has handed over as the Director of Ceremonies to Gordon Casely, Aberdeen & North East. Also in March, Iain Taylor, Angus & Dundee, retired from Chapter and David Watson, Glasgow, joined it. In December, the Very Reverend John Cairns took over from the Very Reverend James Harkness as the Dean. Jenny Shirre� s has succeeded David Paton as the Chair of St John Aberdeen and the North-East and Bill Sommerville has taken over the Chair of St John Glasgow from Bill Fleming.

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Around The AreasAberdeen and the North-EastThe Singapore o� ces of St John Ambulance now have upgraded furniture, thanks to a donation of surplus o� ce equipment from the Singapore company run by Stuart MacBride of Aberdeen.

Stuart’s business travels take him to many parts of the globe, during which times he takes the opportunity to meet fellow members of the Order. When he visited the St John HQ in Singapore, he learned that some o� ce furnishings needed to be replaced. This chimed with a move within Singapore by one of his companies, Energy Support Management.

St John Ambulance in Singapore provides training in � rst aid and home nursing. Besides assisting with emergencies, brigade o� cers and members also take on � rst aid coverage for major events such as the F1 Grand Prix.

Angus and DundeeSt John Angus and Dundee presented a cheque for £4000 towards a new compressor at Tayside MS Hyperbaric Unit. The unit was the � rst such installation in Scotland and provides therapeutic facilities to a high throughput of patients who come from many di� erent areas of Scotland. Although its primary purpose is for Multiple Sclerosis patients, others recovering from surgery, sport injuries and other conditions can attend.

The patient transport scheme continues to go from strength to strength. Around 350 patients from across Angus and Dundee are transported to their treatment centre every week for chemotherapy, radiotherapy or renal dialysis. The volunteer drivers, in their own cars or a St John people carrier deliver the � rst patients for 7.30am appointments and the last patients return home at 6pm.

The volunteers undertake this commitment without reward or any thought of recognition, believing their e� orts worthwhile through the appreciation of those they assist.

Fiddlers Rally successThis year the Fiddlers Rally had a new venue and a di� erent spot. It was held in the recently re-furbished Gardyne Theatre in Broughty Ferry. Musicians travelled from as far north as Tain and from the deep south of the Scottish Borders to join the members of the Dundee Strathspey and Reel Society.

The Dundee rally is a � xture for many of these players who make a tremendous e� ort to come to Dundee to support their friends and fellow players. This year Arbroath’s popular soprano Maggie Findlay joined the Dundee Strathspey and Reel Society and friends, under the baton of conductor Scott Band.

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Dr Chen Sze Hua, St John vice-chairman in Singapore with Stuart MacBride during a visit

to St John Singapore Headquarters

The inaugural St John Medical Lecture was delivered in January by Sir Graeme Catto, a distinguished doctor who hails from Aberdeen. He was President, later Chair, of the General Medical Council until April 2009. He is also currently Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Aberdeen and was an honorary consultant nephrologist at Aberdeen Royal In� rmary.

Pictured from left to right are Richard Waller, Sir Graeme Catto, Jenny Shirre� s and Lord Provost Peter Stephen.

www.stjohnscotland.org.uk

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Around The Areas

Perth and KinrossA trip to Jerusalem, including the St John Eye Hospital, is being planned for 2013 by John Ferguson-Smith. The visit will bring � rst hand experience of the work of the St John Eye Hospital Group in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank. The trip will include the Holy Land sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the local area. Anyone interested should contact St John’s House.

Central St John Central presented a cheque for £5000 to Seagull Trust Cruises at The Boathouse, Union Canal, Falkirk in March to their Chairman, Sandy Milroy.

The money will go towards the refurbishment of the Marion Seagull. This is a canal boat speci� cally suited to the needs of a family with a disabled member. It is estimated that the refurbishment will cost around £48,000 and will give the Marion Seagull another 15 years’ service.

West LothianThe date for this year’s service at Torphichen, West Lothian is Sunday 26 August. As usual, it will start at 3pm. For details please call 01501 749749

GlasgowGlasgow is set to receive a new specialist ambulance for babies - a Mobile Newborn Intensive Care Unit (MNICU) - thanks to St John Glasgow. The vehicle will be for the National Neonatal Transport Service and will transport babies needing life-saving care to the many specialist services available in the city’s hospitals.

Every day there are around 2 or 3 transfers of sick and critically ill infants between hospitals in Scotland and further a� eld in the UK. Around half these transfers are facilitated by the Glasgow-based Western Regional Team bringing babies to the city.

The MNICU provides life-saving care to newborn babies who, if very premature, lose heat incredibly quickly and can become ill if they are not maintained at the correct temperature. It allows temperature adjustments and includes equipment for breathing support and intensive monitoring for the duration of the journey. It has to be designed around these incubators and monitoring systems and must be able to provide appropriate medical gases in a safe environment. It must also ensure the smoothest possible journey as vibration and noise are seriously detrimental to an infant’s health, even in the short term.

“The current vehicle is over 12 years old and no longer roadworthy and we believe this is a project well worth supporting, not only for the bene� t of Glasgow, but also to help families throughout Scotland,” said Bill Sommerville, St John Glasgow chairman.

The Committee’s donation of £106,000 towards the new vehicle has come from generous bequests from former members, Mr and Mrs Crichton and Mr Stevenson. This donation will be matched from central funds from St John Scotland, bringing the total to £212,000.

Dr Charles Skeoch, the Scottish Neonatal Transport Service Medical Director (West), said: “The new vehicle will become the frontline use vehicle for neonatal transfer and will set the template for future neonatal transport vehicles in the UK.”

Date for the Diary: A concert by the Telemann Ensemble and St Mary’s Cathedral Choir is taking place at 4pm on Saturday 9 June at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow. Tickets on the door are £10 (£5 for under 18s).

Every day there are around 2 or 3 transfers of sick and critically ill infants between hospitals in Scotland and further a� eld in the UK. Around half these transfers are facilitated by the Glasgow-based Western Regional Team bringing babies to the city.

The MNICU provides life-saving care to newborn babies who, if very

Photo courtesy of The Falkirk Herald, Michael Gillen.

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St John, together with the other Priories, helped St John Kenya through the Order’s Emergency Relief Fund – a Scottish initiative.

Kenya is experiencing one of the worst droughts since independence in 1963. This has resulted in untold su� ering for about three million Kenyans across the country. According to the Kenya Food Security Outlook January to June 2011, a joint report from the Ministry of Agriculture, World Food Program and USAID, an estimated 2.4 million people are considered highly to extremely food insecure and need urgent interventions.

Some of the worst a� ected areas were Turkana in the Rift valley region, Eastern Region’s Isiolo, Marsabit and Wajir , and Mandera and Garissa in the North Eastern Province.

St John Kenya set up four one day camps, two in the Eastern Region and two in Garissa County. Each camp was sta� ed by a team of St John volunteers – trained � rst aiders, volunteers from the local area to help with food distribution, four volunteer doctors and eight nurses.

Medical treatment was dispensed for malnutrition due to lack of balanced diet , upper respiratory infections due to the dusty conditions, stomach infections due to unsafe and scarce water, eye infections due to the � ies and dust, HIV/AIDS, malaria and skin infections.

Food required included cereals in terms of maize and beans. Nutritional supplements included uji mix and amaranth � our suitable for malnourished children, breast feeding women, elderly people and those living with HIV and AIDS.

St John’s Scotland’s rapid intervention gave other agencies and the Kenyan authorities much-needed time to gear up for longer term famine relief activities.

EMERGENCY HELP FOR KENYA

The Order of St John I salute you.Below is an excerpt from a recent tribute to St John Scotland from David Whalley, Chairman of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland in the early 1990s. He retired from the RAF in 2007, was the Senior Team leader at the Lockerbie Disaster and has been involved in over 1000 mountain rescues and over 80 aircraft incidents in mountainous areas.

Thank you St John Scotland.

What you have done to help mountain rescue in Scotland is a remarkable achievement. The bases and the vehicles all over Scotland are a wonderful addition to the teams’ e� ectiveness. The splendid new base on Arran is close to where my family started me on my “a� air” with the mountains around 50 years ago. Nearly 40 of these I spent as a team leader and so I can fully appreciate the great bene� t to the teams of having a dedicated building to train and plan, to use as a base for operations, to debrief after them, and to clean, dry, service and store equipment. The bases also provide a warm and secure haven for the relatives or friends of those being searched for, especially important when a leader has to break the bad news of a fatality. They also enhance facilities for the local community, particularly valuable in the more remote areas.

I’m sure that more and more people are becoming aware of your magni� cent contribution, through your badging of the bases and vehicles and in other ways. For example, I am writing a book about my life in the mountains and plan to explain the part you have played in mountain rescue. Also, I give many lectures about the mountains and I explain to my audiences what you have done for us all.

I have heard that you plan to continue this support of mountain rescue in Scotland into the future, long may it continue.

The Order of St John I salute you!

David “Heavy” Whalley MBE BEM

Burghead December 2011.

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In this issue: • Moving Forth Launch • Area News • Report from KenyaPAGE 5

Designed and printed by HB Rutherford 01382 737703

“Membership has given me a wonderful opportunity to help a variety of local causes and overseas projects. At the same time, it is a real pleasure to meet and work together with like-minded people.”

St John Scotland operates through 12 Area Committees:• Aberdeen and the North-East • Edinburgh and the South-East • Angus and Dundee • Fife • Ayrshire and Arran • Glasgow • Central • Highland • Dumfries and Galloway • Perth and Kinross• Dunbartonshire • West Lothian

These committees help achieve the mission of St John Scotland: to improve the safety, health and quality of life of people in need. The committees are involved in all kinds of charitable projects ranging from providing transport for people in need to supporting other local charities with similar aims. They raise funds by holding events in their areas and for larger projects can apply for additional support.

There are many ways you can support the work of St John Scotland in your area. The � rst step is to complete and send in the form below. Your details will be passed to your area secretary who will then contact you. Alternatively, you can contact your area secretary directly by going to www.stjohnscotland.org.uk where you will � nd the contact details.

Members receive the newsletter two or three times a year and are invited to attend meetings and fundraising events such as garden parties, ra� es, art shows and race nights. For people with more time to o� er, there is the opportunity to volunteer, either occasionally or on a regular basis.

How to get involved

Please return this form or a photocopy to:

Audrey Leighton, Priory Administrator, Order of St John,St John’s House, 21 St John Street, Edinburgh EH8 8DG

Thank you!

ST JOHN SCOTLAND MEMBERSHIP FORM

Title ..............................................................................................................................

Surname .....................................................................................................................

Forename ...................................................................................................................

Address .......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................

Town ........................................................... Postcode .............................................

Telephone ..................................................................................................................

Email ............................................................................................................................

Date .............................................................................................................................

Helping here and around the world

With its origins in an 11th century hospital for pilgrims in Jerusalem, the Order of St John has evolved into a charity caring for people in need in over 40 countries.The Order is supported by thousands of volunteers worldwide who share its commitment to help people in sickness, distress, su� ering or danger.

Today it is organised from centres, known as Priories, in eight countries: Australia, Canada, England and the Islands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, the United States and Wales.

St John Scotland’s mission is to improve the safety, health and quality of life of people in need. Membership is open to all and through the 12 Area Committees, St John Scotland supports a variety of projects across the country. These include: Supporting mountain rescue teamsProviding transport for people needing hospital treatmentSupporting palliative careUnlike its fellow Priories around the world, St John Scotland does not operate the ambulance service or provide � rst aid training. It does, however, contribute to two signi� cant international projects: the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and St John Malawi’s Primary Health Care Project.

The Order is a royal order of chivalry with Her Majesty The Queen as its sovereign head who confers membership in recognition of an individual’s service and commitment to caring for others.

If you would like to � nd out more, please contact the Edinburgh O� ce for details of your local area secretary:

The Chancery of the Priory of Scotland, St John’s House, 21 St John Street, Edinburgh EH8 8DG Telephone 0131 556 8711 Email info@stjohnscotland.org.uk

Scottish Charity SC000262