Story via Stornoway Gazette

Staff at Sgoil a’ Bhac were recently presented with a Gold Award following a successful Gold assessment under the Healthy Working Lives programme.

The programme is delivered by NHS Health Scotland in collaboration with Scotland’s 14 local NHS Boards.

The Healthy Working Lives programme helps workplaces identify issues and improve health, safety and wellbeing in their organisations in a structured and productive way.

By Achieving the Healthy Working Lives award, workplaces:

• Have a healthier, more motivated and productive workforce
• Reduce absence rates and support employees in work and returning to work
• Reduce accidents, incidents and work related ill health
• Enhance their reputation and increase their profile
• Contribute to the health of the wider community.

Staff at Sgoil a’ Bhac set out on their Healthy Working Lives journey in 2011 when the school was working on a large project related to Health and Wellbeing.

At that time it was considered important to also look at how best to improve the health and wellbeing of staff within the workplace.

Despite a number of changes in the senior management team within the school since 2011, Healthy Working Lives has remained a priority and the current Healthy Working Lives Steering Group includes employees from all staff teams across the School and Sgoil Àraich.

Cervical screening (also known as the smear test) saves around 5,000 lives every year in the UK and prevents 8 out of 10 cervical cancers from developing. Six women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every week in Scotland, so it’s really important to attend your cervical screening appointment when invited.

Cervical cancer may not have symptoms in its early stages, but it can be prevented through regular cervical screening (smear test) which detects any early changes to the cells of the cervix. The earlier cervical cancer is found, the easier it is to treat and you’re nine times more likely to survive cervical cancer when it’s found at an early stage, compared to a late stage.

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme invites all women from the age of 25 to 64 to attend cervical screening. Women who are 25 to 49 years of age are offered screening every 3 years, and those aged 50 to 64 are offered screening every 5 years.

From 30 March 2020, cervical cytology (looking at cells under a microscope) will be replaced by human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary (first) screening test in the Scottish cervical screening programme. This will be carried out using the same samples of cells taken during cervical screening so the cervical screening experience for women will remain unchanged. Further information is available at: http://www.healthscotland.scot/health-topics/screening/cervical-screening/changes-to-cervical-screening-programme.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

If you’re a woman over 50, the combination of checking your breasts and attending your regular breast screening appointments gives you the best chance of being diagnosed early- and surviving – breast cancer.

In the last round of screening across the Western Isles which took place in 2017, almost one in four women didn’t take up the offer of screening, with only 77% of women attending their appointment. Ignoring the invitation leaves women at risk. Dr Maggie Watts, Director of Public Health said: “Breast cancer remains a common cancer in Scottish women but it’s also very treatable when caught early. I encourage every woman who receives an invitation for breast screening, to attend their appointment. We are using locations across the islands to make it easier for women to be screened; the appointment only takes a few minutes and the staff are welcoming and helpful.”

Attending your appointment is important. It involves having X-ray images taken of your breasts (mammograms). If you are due to attend for the first time or are worried about what might happen in the appointment, we recommend you have a look at the Health Scotland video, in which actress Elaine C. Smith has her breast screening appointment. The video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOplwRPhq1o. Remember:

A number of free health walks are being scheduled for Uig and for further information please contact the Uig Walk Leaders direct: 

Tony Ingle-Finch, tel: 01851 672 740 or email: info@uigdevelolpmenttrust.org.uk
* Alistair Pratt, tel: 01851 672 297 or email: info@uigdevelopmenttrust.org.uk