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Some people think that TB is an old disease but it is still present in our society. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has the largest number of TB cases across all other NHS Boards.
The risk factors for developing TB include:
TB commonly infects the lungs and respiratory tract but it can infect almost any part of the body. The symptoms of active TB vary, depending on which part of the body is infected and some people may have no symptoms at all (latent TB). Common symptoms of active TB are:
TB is a serious but treatable disease, with the proper care and support, most people can make a good recovery.
For more info PHS
NHSGGC has 5 TB Clinical Liaison Nurse Specialists who are responsible for the case management of patients diagnosed with TB.
A patient is assigned to a TB Clinical Liaison Nurse Specialist by postcode, each nurse being responsible for a geographical area within NHSGGC.
Primary care staff who require any advice regarding TB or guidance about screening potential contacts of a TB case should call the TB Clinical Liaison Nurse Specialist responsible for the individual’s postcode area. The TB Clinical Liaison Nurse Specialist will advise if any action has to be taken.
Enquiries about a patient’s TB medication should also be directed to the responsible nurse.
Contact Tracing
TB Clinical Nurse Specialists will identify close contacts of a TB case, screen them for active disease and organise testing as required. These may include:
BCG Programme
TB Nurses are also responsible for administering BCG vaccine to both children and adults. The current BCG vaccination programme is mainly targeted to babies who are at risk of TB.
If travelling abroad go to the Fit For Travel website for travel health information.
Please note the Health Protection Scotland Travel Health Guidance Aug 2017 for children on school trips (Version 4 still current in 2018)
It is important that all travellers to tropical destinations – including pupils or students on cultural exchange trips – receive accurate travel health advice. A range of travel health issues should be considered for these groups including the risk of exposure to schistosomiasis. The PHPU was recently involved in the coordination of post travel screening for two separate school parties. In addition, NHS Highland public health reported an incident where 21 students required to be screened after one of the party presented to urology with haematuria and a history of exposure to untreated water in Malawi; 13 tested positive for schistosomiasis and of those only two were symptomatic. The incident and conclusions were reported in Journal of Public Health Advance Access, published online in December. Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection which is present in fresh water in many tropical countries, especially African countries. It is contracted following exposure to untreated fresh water including swimming, paddling, washing, and showering. It is usually asymptomatic but an itchy rash, swimmers itch, can occur at the site of entry. Two to four weeks later fever, diarrhoea, cough, or a rash may develop. Long standing infection can lead to bowel, liver, kidney and bladder problems including bladder cancer.
Travellers are advised to seek pre-travel health advice and, to allow accurate advice to be given, should provide the clinician with as much information as possible about the trip, including arrangements for washing and showering. Travellers to endemic areas should be advised not to bathe, swim or wade in freshwater lakes or rivers.
Those intending to wash or shower, as well as those who swim or paddle, in untreated fresh water will need post-travel screening for schistosomiasis and they should be advised at the pre-travel consultation to attend for screening 8 weeks after return. Screening requires a serum sample – 5mls clotted blood in either a red or yellow-topped tube – obtained after a minimum of 8 weeks since last exposure to be sent to the Scottish Parasite Diagnostic Laboratory. This is the shortest time it takes for worms to mature, reproduce and lay eggs. The test examines levels of Schistosoma antibodies. Results for any new positive cases are phoned directly by the Consultant Clinical Scientist to the GP and a written report is issued for all positive and negative tests. Serologically positive patients should be referred to an infectious disease physician at the Brownlee where further investigation and treatment will be carried out.
Other useful links for advice/information are listed below:-
Select your area to find your local Weigh to Go venue, then phone our team to make an appointment on 0141 451 2727 or complete our contact form and we will phone you back.
Kirkintilloch Health and Care Centre
10 Saramago Street
Kirkintilloch
G66 3BF
Tuesday afternoons (fortnightly)
Milngavie Clinic
North Campbell Avenue
Milngavie
G62 7AA
Tuesday afternoons (fortnightly)
Eastwood Health & Care Centre
Drumby Crescent
Clarkston
G76 7HN
Monday afternoons (fortnightly)
Barrhead Health & Care Centre
213 Main Street
Barrhead
G78 1SW
Monday afternoons (fortnightly)
Easterhouse Health Centre
9 Auchinlea Road
Glasgow
G34 9HQ
Monday evenings
Shettleston Health Centre
420 Old Shettleston Road
Glasgow
G32 7JZ
Wednesday evenings
Springburn Health Centre
200 Springburn Way
Glasgow
G21 1TR
Thursday evenings
Drumchapel Health Centre
80/90 Kinfauns Drive
Glasgow
G15 7TS
Tuesday evenings
Maryhill Health & Care Centre
51 Gairbraid Avenue
Glasgow
G20 8BZ
Thursday evenings
Possilpark Health & Care Centre
99 Saracen Street
Glasgow
G22 5AP
Wednesday evenings
Pollok Health Centre
21 Cowglen Road
Glasgow
G53 6EQ
Monday evenings
Elderpark Clinic
20 Arklet Road
Glasgow
G51 3XR
Tuesday evenings
Castlemilk Health Centre
Dougrie Drive
Glasgow
G45 9AW
Thursday afternoons
New Gorbals Health & Care Centre
2 Sandiefield Road
Glasgow
G5 9AB
Thursday evenings
Greenock Health & Care Centre
Wellington Street
Greenock
PA15 4NH
Wednesday afternoons (fortnightly)
Inverclyde Community Development Trust
7 1/2 John Wood Street
Port Glasgow
PA14 5HU
Wednesday afternoons (fortnightly)
Ferguslie Clinic
Tannahill Centre
76 Blackstoun Road
Paisley
PA3 1NT
Thursday afternoons
Vale Centre for Health and Care
Main Street
Alexandria
G83 0UA
Tuesday afternoons (fortnightly)
Clydebank Health & Care Centre
Queens Quay Main Avenue
Clydebank
G81 1BS
Tuesday afternoons (fortnightly)
Please phone us on 0141 451 2727 to make an appointment or follow the link above to complete our contact form.
Health Protection Scotland has produced a national guidance document on the prevention and control of infection in childcare settings. This guidance was updated in 2018. The guidance is for childminders and staff working within nurseries, day-care centres, playgroups, crèches, children’s centres, after-school and holiday clubs. It should also be used by staff involved in all outdoor activities for children.
For a quick guide to the exclusion criteria for children in the settings above please click on the link. This Guidance can be downloaded and laminated for display in relevant areas.
For further information/advice please call 0141 201 4917 or email ggc.phpu@nhs.scot
The 2018 HPS national guidance documents and resource pack for care home staff responsible for the prevention and control of Norovirus cases are listed below:
The 2018 HPS national guidance documents and resource pack for care home staff responsible for the prevention and control of cases of influenza are listed below:
Interim UK guidelines for management of close community contacts of invasive group A streptococcal disease – 2004 (still current in 2019)
Community guidance on management of invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS). Outbreaks of GAS infection in nursing homes have been reported. Prevention of the spread of iGAS is especially important because of the high mortality rate in this population. See PHPU Newsletter Feb 2019 for more info on iGAS in NHSGGC
Protocol for clostridium difficile testing which includes recommendations for sample selection, sample storage and transportation, and testing protocol
This guidance contains a set of recommendations and practical advice to reduce the spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in non-acute and community settings in Scotland
Updated Feb 2019
The NHSScotland National Infection Prevention and Control Manual was first published on 13 January 2012. It is an evidence based National Infection Prevention and Control (NIP&C) Manual for Scotland and is intended to be used by all those involved in care provision.
The manual contains information on Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs), Transmission Based Precautions (TBPs), Healthcare Infection incidents, outbreaks and data exceedance. It is mandatory for NHS Scotland and considered best practice in all other care settings. It should be adopted for all infection prevention and control practices and procedures
This national guidance, is complemented by the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual Chapter 1 – Standard Infection Control Precautions – which covers safe management of linen at care area level. It is a useful resource for care homes when formulating policy and procedures governing safe management of linen within their facility.
The HAI Compendium contains links to current national policy and guidance on HAI, antimicrobial prescribing and resistance, decontamination and other related topics. The compendium aims to provide NHSScotland staff with an overview of all up to date guidance from stakeholders/organisations.
The Compendium includes links to the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) which is the mandatory practice guide for all NHSScotland care settings. As well as the practice guide for Standard Infection Control Precautions, Transmission Based Precautions and HAI Incidents and Outbreaks it includes supporting materials such as literature reviews, tools and posters. The NIPCM can be accessed on a standalone website.
Everyday, people use handsets and remotes to use the telephone, operate TVs and accessing sockets for turning on lights etc. For a few people using these handsets is extremely difficult due to complex physical disabilities. An environmental control is a technical system which can potentially overcome this problem.
Environmental control systems can be set up to operate a huge range of devices, including:
Environmental controls are portable and use wireless signals to send commands to remote appliances.
Depending on the environmental control and the appliance that requires to be controlled, the environment control will send out either radio or infrared signals to operate the appliance remotely.
People can operate this equipment with various physical movements, such as; hand control, chin switch, head switch or voice activation.
People usually consider an environmental control to solve the following problems:
If you meet the NHS eligibility criteria, then you may be prescribed an environmental control system. The NHS will only install and maintain equipment that has been approved.
Some people choose to buy or rent environmental control systems privately. Others may be able to obtain funds from various government sources and have the equipment supplied to them on loan.
Other departments may be applied to for funding in some circumstances. These include Social Services (for Home Adaptation Grants or Disabled Facilities Grants), Local Education Authorities (for Equipment for Education Grants) and Employment Services (for ‘Access to Work’ equipment grants).
The NHS may contract out the supply and servicing of equipment to an environmental control manufacturer. If so, they will agree with the manufacturer what equipment should be installed and what type of maintenance contract will be required.
Typically the NHS pay for an annual service.
The NHS operate to strict guidelines for provision, so you may find that the NHS will not be able to pay for everything you ask for.
You may be able to buy equipment direct from the manufacturers, or from one of their approved suppliers. If the environmental control needs to be reconfigured to add in the command functions for the new equipment, then this would need to be agreed with the NHS provider.
A specialist assessment is required to determine a person’s suitability and eligibility. These criteria are available on request. Please contact your GP or Health Professional and ask to be referred:
Co-ordinator (Environmental Controls)
Westmarc
Southern General Hospital
1345 Govan Road
Glasgow
G51 4TF
Email: westmarc@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0300 790 0129
Blood borne viruses are transmitted (spread) from person to person via blood and or other bodily fluids for example through sharing of injecting equipment and to varying degrees through sexual activity. The most prevalent BBVs are HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B.
People can often live for many years without experiencing any symptoms, therefore not knowing they are infected. Unfortunately this can mean that by the time the virus is diagnosed, the impact on an individual’s health are far more serious.
The risk of transmission will depend on a number of factors for example:
Hepatitis C is a virus that damages the liver. left untreated, Hepatitis C can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. People often have no symptoms and therefore the only way to know for sure if someone has Hepatitis C is via testing.
In the UK, Hepatitis C is almost exclusively transmitted through sharing of injecting equipment. While possible, it is far less commonly acquired through unprotected sex; mother to baby transmission; blood transfusions abroad; sharing of toothbrushes/razors. Like HIV, it is not passed through social contact with those who are affected.
Although there is no vaccine to protect against the infection, Hepatitis C is curable with a short course of tablets, without significant side effects. With new treatments, everyone who is diagnosed positive is eligible for assessment and treatment, regardless of stage of disease or other health and social factors.
While it is important to test those who have ever been at risk, or who are at on-going risk to find undiagnosed infection, if elimination in Scotland is to be achieved, there is also need to re-engage those individuals who were previously diagnosed with Hepatitis C but did not stay in treatment or were not able to engage with the old interferon-based treatment regimes. These individuals should also be offered re-referral to treatment services.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a blood borne virus that is most commonly passed on through unprotected sex. It can also be transmitted through:
If left untreated, a person’s immune system can become severely damaged and they may develop a number of opportunistic infections which can be life threatening. This late stage of HIV infection is referred to as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). There are very effective treatments for HIV which can stop most people from developing AIDS. The earlier someone is tested and diagnosed, the better their outcomes will be.
Adhering to treatment not only means an individual can live a healthy life, it can also stop the onward spread of HIV. This is known as Treatment as Prevention – Those individuals who take their treatment regularly and have an undetectable viral load for 6 months or more, have been shown not to be able to pass the virus to others during sexual intercourse.
The risk of transmitting and/or acquiring HIV can also be reduced through use of:
Treatment and care for HIV is provided in NHSGGC via the Brownlee service.
PHS produce reports which provide up-to-date epidemiological summaries in relation to BBVs and STIs in Scotland, highlighting key trends and identifying areas for priority action. HPS Website – All surveillance reports
For information on the epidemiology of HIV in UK see Public Health England website.
The NHSGGC Injecting Equipment Provision service offers sterile needles, syringes and other equipment free of charge to people who inject drugs. The service provides a valuable public health benefit for individuals and communities by reducing the spread of blood borne viruses and other related infections. This service is provided by community pharmacies throughout Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS area, the Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre some Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services and some third sector organisations for example Waverley Care and the Simon Community may also be able to provide. Community pharmacies provide a wide range of health care information and advice and are important contact points that give immediate access to a health care professional.
To find out where you or someone else can access Injecting Equipment Provision in NHSGCG visit www.needleexchange.scot
Public Health Scotland and SDF have produced good practice guidance on Injecting Equipment Provision in Scotland.
Public Health Scotland provides information on the provision of injecting equipment. This includes the number of outlets, attendances and the types of injecting equipment distributed to people who inject illicit drugs (including Novel Psychoactive Substances and Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs) in Scotland.
Leaflet 1 – BBV Testing leaflet – currently being updated
Leaflet 2 – Waiting for results
Leaflet 3 – BBV – negative results
Leaflet 4 – HIV – Newly Diagnosed
Leaflet 5 – Hep C – Newly Diagnosed
Leaflet 6 – Hep B – Newly Diagnosed
Leaflet 7 – Basic information on HIV
Leaflet 8 – What you need to know about PEP This leaflet is also available in French; Urdu; Arabic
Leaflet 9 – Living with Hep C (2017)
It is important that staff and services who work with anyone who might be at risk are aware of BBVs, key prevention messages and either how to do a test or refer someone for testing.
A range of free BBV training is available to those working within NHSGGC.
NHS Learn Pro – GGC116 Blood Borne Viruses
NHS Learn Pro – GGC149 HIV Stigma
The Scottish Drugs Forum also provides both online and in person see Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) and has a number of resources relating to BBV Staff who require further advice, information or support around HIV/BBV testing or related patient issues should contact the Sandyford BBV Failsafe on 0141 211 8639 or email the professional helpline. ggc.sandyfordprofessionalsupport@nhs.scot
If you need to report an incident or require advice, please contact Occupational Health on 0141 201 5610. The line is open Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm.
Any incidents that occur out with these times should be reported to your local Accident & Emergency unit. Please ensure that you then report your injury to Occupational Health on the next working day.
