Happy Guy
17-Aug-11, 17:23
Your Life in Their Hands
Caithness Horizons Sept 2nd- Wick Assembly Rooms Sept 3rd
7-9pm all welcome. Entry Free
Most of us will have a blood test at some time in our lives and it is even more likely that we will need a prescription for drugs at some stage. But have you ever thought about what happens AFTER that? What happens to that blood sample after it is taken at the hospital or your doctors’ surgery? What happens to that prescription? Where does it go? Who does what with it? Why? How? What do the results mean?
How do the healthcare professionals make sure the results or the doses or the tablets are right? These things are important to us and our wellbeing, but they take place behind closed doors, in areas to which we have no access, and for very good reasons! However, some of these mysteries will be unveiled at Caithness Horizons in Thurso on September 2 and at The Assembly Rooms in Wick on September 3.
Those ‘closed doors’ will be opened and you will be invited in by the healthcare professionals who work with your blood samples and your prescriptions. Neil Aikenhead, the Laboratory Manager at Caithness General Hospital, will take you on a virtual tour of his laboratory, using specially prepared video clips and slides to explain everything that happens from the moment samples arrive at the laboratory. This will include what sort of tests are done, how they are carried out and the significance of these tests. He will explain about quality control procedures and the qualifications of the staff. As he takes you around his laboratory, he will give you an overview of such exotic sounding subjects as Haematology, Immunology, Clinical Biochemistry and Blood Transfusion in a way that makes them understandable and interesting.
And Community Pharmacists will describe what happens behind that screen in the dispensary area of your local Pharmacy. Heather Webb and Sarah Wilkinson, of Thurso Co-operative Pharmacy, will explain that there is so much more to Pharmacy than just counting tablets at the Thurso event. And, at the Wick event, this will be explained by David Dunn, of Pulteneytown Pharmacy. They will describe how they make sure your prescription is transformed into a pack of tablets or capsules or a bottle of medicine, in such a way that you and your doctor can be assured that you are getting exactly the right medicine, in exactly the right dose, and also, vitally importantly, that there is no likelihood of one medicine reacting badly with another you are taking. There are a whole range of health services that your local Community Pharmacy can provide, most of which are free and available to all. The Pharmacists speaking at these events will try to cover all these subjects and more.
Lastly, our closing speaker, Dr Helen Charley, a Cromarty GP and previous GP Lead for Palliative Care in NHS Highland, will tackle Palliative Care – the care of those with incurable illnesses and approaching the end of life. This is one of the most difficult and emotive subjects and, although not carried out behind closed doors, it is something that is not often talked about, but will touch all our lives in some way or another. NHS Scotland has a national end of life strategy, entitled “Living Well – Dying Well”, the implementation of which will help to raise standards in palliative care across all care settings, including patients’ homes and care homes as well as hospitals and hospices. During her talk, she will uncover some of her more personal reasons for her lifelong dedication to this difficult subject. Her hope is that a better understanding of the services available for palliative care in patients’ own homes will help to relieve some of the anxiety carers often encounter.
This event is run by The Caithness Branch of The British Science Association and supported by NHS Highland. It is open to all members of the public and is a unique opportunity to see and hear from those whose work affects and benefits all our lives. It will also be a valuable opportunity for young people coming close to the point in their education where they are thinking of career choices as it will provide a chance to talk to people actively involved in these career fields, who can answer questions on a whole range of subjects that could help them in making their career choices.
Entry is free to all and light refreshments will be served. More information can be found at www.caithness-science.org (http://www.caithness-science.org/) or by phoning 07531 271 748, 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm.
Caithness Horizons Sept 2nd- Wick Assembly Rooms Sept 3rd
7-9pm all welcome. Entry Free
Most of us will have a blood test at some time in our lives and it is even more likely that we will need a prescription for drugs at some stage. But have you ever thought about what happens AFTER that? What happens to that blood sample after it is taken at the hospital or your doctors’ surgery? What happens to that prescription? Where does it go? Who does what with it? Why? How? What do the results mean?
How do the healthcare professionals make sure the results or the doses or the tablets are right? These things are important to us and our wellbeing, but they take place behind closed doors, in areas to which we have no access, and for very good reasons! However, some of these mysteries will be unveiled at Caithness Horizons in Thurso on September 2 and at The Assembly Rooms in Wick on September 3.
Those ‘closed doors’ will be opened and you will be invited in by the healthcare professionals who work with your blood samples and your prescriptions. Neil Aikenhead, the Laboratory Manager at Caithness General Hospital, will take you on a virtual tour of his laboratory, using specially prepared video clips and slides to explain everything that happens from the moment samples arrive at the laboratory. This will include what sort of tests are done, how they are carried out and the significance of these tests. He will explain about quality control procedures and the qualifications of the staff. As he takes you around his laboratory, he will give you an overview of such exotic sounding subjects as Haematology, Immunology, Clinical Biochemistry and Blood Transfusion in a way that makes them understandable and interesting.
And Community Pharmacists will describe what happens behind that screen in the dispensary area of your local Pharmacy. Heather Webb and Sarah Wilkinson, of Thurso Co-operative Pharmacy, will explain that there is so much more to Pharmacy than just counting tablets at the Thurso event. And, at the Wick event, this will be explained by David Dunn, of Pulteneytown Pharmacy. They will describe how they make sure your prescription is transformed into a pack of tablets or capsules or a bottle of medicine, in such a way that you and your doctor can be assured that you are getting exactly the right medicine, in exactly the right dose, and also, vitally importantly, that there is no likelihood of one medicine reacting badly with another you are taking. There are a whole range of health services that your local Community Pharmacy can provide, most of which are free and available to all. The Pharmacists speaking at these events will try to cover all these subjects and more.
Lastly, our closing speaker, Dr Helen Charley, a Cromarty GP and previous GP Lead for Palliative Care in NHS Highland, will tackle Palliative Care – the care of those with incurable illnesses and approaching the end of life. This is one of the most difficult and emotive subjects and, although not carried out behind closed doors, it is something that is not often talked about, but will touch all our lives in some way or another. NHS Scotland has a national end of life strategy, entitled “Living Well – Dying Well”, the implementation of which will help to raise standards in palliative care across all care settings, including patients’ homes and care homes as well as hospitals and hospices. During her talk, she will uncover some of her more personal reasons for her lifelong dedication to this difficult subject. Her hope is that a better understanding of the services available for palliative care in patients’ own homes will help to relieve some of the anxiety carers often encounter.
This event is run by The Caithness Branch of The British Science Association and supported by NHS Highland. It is open to all members of the public and is a unique opportunity to see and hear from those whose work affects and benefits all our lives. It will also be a valuable opportunity for young people coming close to the point in their education where they are thinking of career choices as it will provide a chance to talk to people actively involved in these career fields, who can answer questions on a whole range of subjects that could help them in making their career choices.
Entry is free to all and light refreshments will be served. More information can be found at www.caithness-science.org (http://www.caithness-science.org/) or by phoning 07531 271 748, 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm.