You will have the opportunity to attend two of the following workshops:

1.  Atlas Work / Realistic Medicine Programme
Dr Bernie Croal, Clinical Director (NHS Grampian) Laboratories Lead (Distributed Lab Services North Region) & Michael Cairns, Data Analyst, NHS National Services Scotland

Learn about the key objectives of the national demand optimisation group, get the opportunity to review the prototype Atlas of Variation for Diagnostic laboratory tests. 

• How will the Atlas lead to optimising demand?
• How does the Atlas display the data?
• What variation in your NHS Board does this highlight?
• How does this link with the realistic medicine agenda?
• How can I access my data?
• What are the next steps for the Atlas?

2.  Shared Services Clinical Engineering Programme
Christopher Leonard, Project Manager for the Clinical Engineering Programme, NHS National Services Scotland & Professor David Keating, Subject Matter Expert

Hear how the Clinical Engineering programme is progressing, with a particular focus around:

• Medical technology informatics
• Introduction of technologies
• Medical equipment management

3.  Clinical Physiology Network
Adrian Carragher, Head of Audiology, NHS Ayrshire & Arran / National Lead (Clinical Physiology), Scottish Government

A discussion and sharing of ideas around the need and benefit of an organised network and how best to achieve this.

4.  Laboratory Shared Services and Regional Working - In it together, a National and regional focus
Mike Gray, Service Manager (Laboratory Medicine), NHS Lothian & Dr Bill Bartlett, Subject Matter Expert, Laboratory Services 

A regional and national approach to designing a future laboratory service for NHSScotland

• How does the governance work?
• The terms of reference
• The regional workstreams

5.  Patient Group Directives (PGDs)
Jan Beattie, AHP Professional Adviser, Scottish Government

A UK-wide project is underway to explore the possibility of enabling Clinical Scientists and Biomedical Scientists to use PGDs to supply or administer medicines.

Come and learn what a PGD is, and how you might use one in the future.

How could patients benefit?
The use of PGDs would help ensure patients receive the right treatment and at the right time. Reducing avoidable delays in accessing medicines would help improve patient outcomes.  Patient satisfaction and their experience of care would also be improved by reducing the need for additional appointments.

6.  Quality Improvement in Action 
Chaired by Liz Kilgour, Microbiology Service Manager / Healthcare Science Lead, NHS Forth Valley

NHS Lothian Asthma Pathway
Jill MacLeod, Senior Chief Respiratory Physiologist / Head of Service (Respiratory Physiology), NHS Lothian

This quality improvement project looked at introducing extra investigations to improve the patient pathway for patients referred from primary care with a possible diagnosis of asthma.

Golden Jubilee Model
Kieran Monaghan, Technical Lead (Biochemistry)

The GJNH has implemented a quality improvement for laboratory service sustainability. This focuses on the implementation of a cross training agenda across haematology, blood transfusion, clinical chemistry, and microbiology. It will also focus on the successes and trials we have faced since programme initiation.

Selas Jennings, Senior Cardiac Physiologist, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

7. Point of Care Testing - What has that got to do with me?*
Chair - Dr Mairiead MacLennan, BMS Professional Manager (Quality & Training), NHS Fife

Firstly, hear Dr Sarah Glover, Consultant Clinical Biochemist & POCT Clinical Lead from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust talk about her departments experience in achieving ISO accreditation for point of care testing.

Followed by an interactive workshop co-ordinated by Charlie Houston, Laboratory Sector Manager (Specialist / POCT), NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Mairiead MacLennan, NHS Fife.

The workshop will explore the experience of colleagues in establishing and maintaining quality standards in POCT. The recent transition of CPA to UKAS was completed in March 2018. MHRA guidance is that any site providing POCT should be accredited insofar as their laboratory accreditation ISO 15189 is extended in scope to cover POCT services – covered by ISO 22870. POCT has the capacity to both depress the demands on the central laboratory (if it is done reliably), or increase and duplicate that demand (if it is done unreliably). Colleagues across Scotland are considering the ramifications of these changes. Come and contribute to the national response to making POCT consistent, safe and effective.

8.  SHCS Forum / Academy for Healthcare Science*
One Voice Scotland
Professor Brendan Cooper, President, The Academy for Heathcare Science and John Colvin, Head of Service, WestMARC

The Scottish Forum for Healthcare Science played a formative role in the profile of Healthcare Science in Scotland. Since then, the Academy for Healthcare Science has emerged with an ambition to act as the "one voice" for healthcare science across the UK.  Is there scope for closer working between the Scottish Forum and the Academy? Can we learn from other professional groups? Are the issues in Scotland unique? Could a Scottish perspective enhance the Academy's one-voice role?

Come and contribute to this short workshop and help the Scottish Forum and the Academy plan their next step. 

* Please see Resource tab for further information