MULTI-MILLION POUND REVAMP FOR DUNOON HOSPITAL
DUNOON General Hospital is set for a multi-million pound revamp which will see a major improvement in patient facilities.
The most radical of the changes, which have been costed at £3.5m will see the existing casualty unit moved from its existing location in the middle of the hospital to the entrance of the building.
The Locality Manager for Cowal and Bute, Viv Smith said that the move would create a casualty department which was not only better sited from a public access point of view, but would also provide a better service for the 8,000 people who use casualty every year.
There will also be a new X-ray unit inside casualty.
The ambulances will also have a dedicated ‘crash’ entrance at the rear of the building. Currently there is no such facility, and ambulance staff have to use the reception entrance.
There will also be dedicated rooms for triage and assessment. Another additional facility is a bedded observation area; this enables patients to be put under short term observation for a few hours, where previously they would have had to be admitted to a ward.
The Community Nursing team, Stroke team, Integrated Occupational Therapy and Social work teams will be moved to new upgraded facilities within the existing Day Hospital which will be moved fractionally from its existing location and be upgraded, while the Maternity department will be relocated to the second floor.
“This is a two-year project,” explained Viv. “The design work is already done and work will be starting on the casualty part of the job in October, with enabling work commencing at the end of this month,
Other work outwith the new revamp, has already taken place. Patients have been going to Bute for endoscopy treatment, which has generated the usual crop of rumours about the service being moved permanently from Cowal. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth - for the endoscopy suite in Dunoon has just completed a £200,000 upgrade.
Two new lifts are being installed, one for patients and the other for beds, at a cost of £400.000. Unlike the existing lifts, they are designed to be used for evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency.
The staff accommodation is also being upgraded to maintain the ability to recruit students and other staff to ensure the service is not disrupted and continues to develop.
Viv Smith said. “I am delighted that all the hard work that the team and I have put in over the last year has paid off with this significant investment in our local hospital. This work will take almost two years to complete and will inevitably mean disruption within the hospital campus. Whilst we will do everything we can to limit the disruption I would ask that the community work with us to ensure that services continue to run as required. In particular it is likely that car parking and access may be affected but we will have plenty of signage to inform people of the appropriate routes. The council has given us permission to use the Stadium car park as an overflow for the hospital (apart from Cowal Games or other large events) We will have a communication board within reception and local press releases as the works progress, to keep everyone informed.
Ken Barr, the chairman of CATCHES (Cowal Against The Cuts in Health Services) said: “The improvements and investment in Dunoon Hospital are very welcome. At the meeting on July 4 of the Cowal Locality Public Partnership Forum - at which I was present - Viv Smith outlined these details to us and it was widely well accepted by those who attended. It was further agreed that Viv and her team had done an amazing job in the year in which they have been in post.
He went on to say: “It is to be hoped that the Scottish Ambulance Service management will take a leaf out of Viv Smith’s book and give us a service commensurate with the needs of the Cowal community.
“CATCHES is continuing to press for these improvements.”
He concluded: “I’ll be meeting with the new Minister for Health and Community Care, Nicola Sturgeon, in the autumn as part of the Scottish Health Campaign Network’s ongoing dialogue wth the Executive, to press home once again the failings of the Scottish Ambulance Service management in recognising the problems of the peninsula.”


ROYAL MAIL SEEKS HIGHER RURAL MAILING CHARGES
Proposals are on the table from Royal Mail which would make it more expensive to send business mail to rural and remote areas of Scotland.
In July last year, Royal Mail made a request to postal regulator ‘Postcomm’ for permission to charge certain business customers higher prices to deliver bulk mail to remote areas, including Argyll and Bute, with effect from April 2008.
The Royal Mail application for so-called ‘Zonal Pricing’ is still under consideration, with the regulator’s recommendations expected to go to the consultation phase next month.
Argyll & Bute MSP, Jim Mather, has condemned the proposals, saying: “At present it is more expensive to post parcels through our mail system to many Highland and Island areas. That is a situation that has been in place for some time now and we have always held that this is a highly resented discriminatory imposition on rural living.
“The proposed changes would result in a surcharge of almost 5 percent in the costs of rural mail and a discount of the same level for mail delivered within high density business districts. These proposals would destroy the much cherished Universal Service Obligation and would inevitably lead to the destruction of the basis on which Royal Mail has operated since the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840.”
Postal watchdog ‘Postwatch’ has reacted with caution to Royal Mail’s plans, and in its official response to the proposal has said: “Zonal Pricing is not a new concept. It exists as a pricing strategy within the current Royal Mail access regime and in a similar format in its door-to-door service. Postwatch does not oppose cost-reflective pricing in principle. However, it must be introduced in a timely, appropriate and incremental manner. The potential impact of this change may stifle competition while the possible damage to the future of the Universal Service makes it a risky initiative.
“The key issue of timing may be that the market is not currently right for Zonal Pricing, and when competition develops further (reflecting the fact that, at the moment, less than one percent of mail is delivered end-to-end by competitors) then this pricing strategy may be revisited and a simpler system may then be considered.”
Jim Mather is clear in his views, adding: “If this is conceded, it is certain that within a very short time mail services between large centres of population would become a deregulated free for all and the cost of mail deliveries in rural and remote areas of the country would escalate beyond the reach of most present users.
“I commend our Trade and Industry spokesman, Mike Weir, MP, for his efforts to protect this vital service.
“I am sure that this proposal would have a seriously negative effect on mail users across Argyll and Bute and could particularly discriminate against small businesses and the important role they play within our communities.”
The issue of Zonal Pricing was hotly debated at the Postcomm’s fourth annual industry forum held last month. Speaking at the event, Sarah Chambers, chief executive of Postcomm, said: “Postcomm will consider carefully all of the responses and concerns raised today, in addition to the substantial input we have already received. We expect to put out our recommendations to consultation in early August. If customers decide they don’t want Zonal Pricing, they should challenge Royal Mail on why it is proposing this change.”
Her next comment was revealing, when she added that Postcomm will approve Zonal Pricing only when Royal Mail can demonstrate that customers want it.
Also at the industry forum, Nick Wells, TNT Post’s chief executive, said: “Zonal Pricing is bad for everyone – both consumers and businesses alike. It is complicated, reduces transparency and creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty.
“No one is asking for it, and it will threaten deliveries to the millions of people who live in rural areas. So why bother? It isn’t necessary. In fact, Royal Mail could haemorrhage millions of pounds from the introduction of Zonal Pricing which will slow down the modernisation of the UK postal service.
“Everyone will lose as a result of Zonal Pricing.”


Russell plays live earth
Russell Esler from Ardnadam is still on a high after taking part in the opening ceremony of the London-based Live Earth concert at Wembley Stadium last Saturday.
The Live Earth concert series was a 24-hour event spanning seven continents, with concerts in New York, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, Hamburg and London. The ambitious project, incorporating over 100 artistes and two billion people around the world, is part of the ongoing SOS Campaign, which seeks to encourage individuals to change their behaviour, and motivate corporations and political leaders to take decisive measures, in an attempt to combat the global climate crisis.
Russell,19, was delighted to be a part of this worldwide and very significant event.
A snare drummer with Johnstone Pipe Band, he also learns and practises with the world-class Grade 1 House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band. It was through his teacher, leading drummer Jim Kilpatrick, that he got the fantastic opportunity of taking part in Live Earth.
“Along with other members of the Shotts band, and drummers from several top bands, I was part of the SOS All Stars, who opened the concert at Wembley,” said Russell. “We were on stage for about ten minutes - it was fantastic.”
The campaign is using the SOS Morse code signal as a motif and this was echoed in the specially composed song that the SOS All Stars played to kick off the concert. Russell said, “Our drum beat was the SOS Morse code ‘dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot’ rhythm.”
Russell and the other members of the Shotts band have been practising twice a week for two months, stepping up the pace to four practices in the week before the concert.
Russell managed to meet virtually all of the other stars of the London concert, with the exception of Madonna: “No one was allowed backstage while she was playing her set, and she had the biggest entourage of minders and bodyguards.”
He was particularly excited to talk with fellow drummers Phil Collins of Genesis, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Another understandable highlight of his experience was meeting all-female group The Pussycat Dolls!
“It was absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed it.” said Russell, who also attended the concert after-party with all the other artistes.
Russell is now looking forward to the rest of the pipe band competition season with Johnstone Pipe Band and of course the Cowal Games, but he is also competing for the first time in the World Adult Solo Drummer Championships in October. If he managed to get any tips from his fellow performers on Saturday, he has every reason to be optimistic about his chances!


Dunoon radio gets go-ahead
Dunoon Community Radio has received confirmation from Ofcom this week that its application for a Community Radio Broadcasting Licence has been successful.
The good news comes after a three year campaign by a small core team of volunteers.
“The application has been a very complex procedure, but it has definitely paid off” said Victor Thomas of the working group.
Now that it has the go-ahead, Dunoon Community Radio is looking forward to the future. “We are initially hoping to broadcast during morning and evening rush hour,” said Mr Thomas. “We hope to be on air for seven hours a day, seven days a week.”
The local interest broadcasts will cover a diverse range of topics - music, stories, chat, and phone-in programmes. “We would like the station to become a hub of local information - for example weather announcements or road closures - and we will be working to develop this,” said Mr Thomas.
“We will also be producing some Gaelic broadcasts, with approximately 15 percent of our output being Gaelic.”
The group has kept a fairly low profile over the past three years, but this will change with the granting of a licence.
“Funding is in place - we have had assistance from AIE, ECD and Awards for All - but we are planning some roadshows and other fundraising events now that we have the licence,” said Mr Thomas. “We also have premises in the centre of town which will be refurbished to accommodate our new studio.”
The group is keen to emphasise that the success of Dunoon Radio depends very much on community involvement and participation. “We are actively seeking members to join the working group - an interest in radio is helpful but more important is a sense of humour!”
Dunoon Community Radio would like to thank all members past and present; the Dunoon Observer and Bill Jardine; local councillors; and Marco Pellicci, for their assistance to the campaign.
If you would like to be a part of this new community project, contact Victor Thomas on 01369 703201, or visit www.dunooncommunityradio.com.