Castle Craig Newsletter - Summer 2010
ISO Quality Standard Re-Certified
 |
Castle Craig has been re-certified with the ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for quality assurance (issued on June 3rd 2010).
The audit summary states, "The hospital has demonstrated a serious commitment to continual improvement in the delivery of its quality policy and objectives with ample evidence of compliance to ISO 9001:2008 Quality Standard. Improvements continue, as ever in this organisation, to be levelled directly at the patients and the patients' interests, including their well being and their safety while they reside at the hospital during treatment. Commitment by the management of the hospital is exemplary in providing the resources to deliver these objectives.”
Castle Craig Chairman Peter McCann responded, "We were first registered for ISO accreditation in 1995 and have always strived to lead the way when it comes to quality assurance. I think that this report reflects that."
This news follows on from an inspection by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care in 2009 which awarded Castle Craig a rating of "5-Very Good" for all aspects of quality management. The inspectors assessed our Quality of Information; Quality of Care and Support; Quality of Environment; Quality of Staffing and our Quality of Management and Leadership. The award of these scores put Castle Craig in the top 10% of Care Commission regulated bodies.
Castle Craig's Medical Director, Dr. Margaret Ann McCann commented, "I am delighted by this news, and Castle Craig will continue to ensure that the highest standards of Quality Assurance are being met through our Clinic Governance Review Meetings."
UKESAD Conference
 |
Conference held between the 13th - 15th May in London
Castle Craig was again a major sponsor of the UKESAD conference (UK/European Symposium on Addictive Disorders), which has been an annual event in London for the last seven years and is the UK's largest addiction recovery event.
Hosted by the Addiction Recovery Foundation, UKESAD provides a valuable opportunity to meet people working in all areas of the addiction field and to hear of the latest and most innovative developments for addiction treatment.
Peter McCann was asked to deliver a talk on hyperbaric oxygen treatment at the final plenary which was received with considerable interest. Head Therapist Gordon Hogg and Therapist Roseanne Boyle ably managed the stand and Francis Beek represented the Dutch office.
Improving the Quality of Liver Services
 |
A conference in London on 25th May 2010
Peter McCann, assisted by Senior Staff Nurse Guy Heath, attended and exhibited at this conference in London in May. The conference was devoted to services helping those with alcohol-related liver damage and it highlighted the growing instance of liver disease and also the lack of services available to sufferers. One of the many speakers was Professor Peter Hayes of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary whose witty and stimulating talk flew the flag for Scotland. Professor Hayes is currently supervising the hyperbaric oxygen/liver study trial at Castle Craig.
Third ministerial visit for Castle Craig
 |
The Minister for Community Safety (Scotland) Visits Castle Craig
On the 10th of May Castle Craig was visited by the Minister for Community Safety, Fergus Ewing, its third ministerial visit since opening. Mr Ewing was accompanied by Dr Roy Robertson and three civil servants. They spent the morning touring Castle Craig, meeting and talking with staff and participating in an in-depth discussion with patients from the Extended Care Unit.
The patients were able to talk to the Minister about the benefits they had received from their time in treatment and to explain the difficulties they had experienced in being admitted to Castle Craig on the NHS.
There was also an opportunity for the Minister to explore the treatment programme and the Minnesota Model method of treatment with Castle Craig’s Chairman and Medical Director, as well as listen to practical problems regarding admissions from the NHS.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Conference, Moscow
 |
Castle Craig Chairman, Peter McCann, reports following a conference in Moscow.
I recently attended a 3 day international conference on the subject of hyperbaric oxygen in Moscow, which was mostly made up of East European and Russian delegates, as well as one American and one Western European (myself). Thanks to my excellent translator I was able to follow proceedings and abstracts on selected topics are in the process of being translated and will eventually be posted on the website of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Trust.
The Russians now have considerable experience over many years of using HBO for a variety of indications that are not accepted in the west, and I consider that it is remiss of authorities to neglect important and effective treatment. In particular I was able to discuss the use of HBO in detox for alcohol and drug cases - with six practitioners who have had considerable experience in this area, and we will be following up on this in the weeks to come.
Art in the Therapeutic Environment – A New Approach
 |
Ingrid Christie, Castle Craig's Artist in Residence, reviews Castle Craig’s most recent addition to the treatment programme.
In the 1940’s psychiatrists and psychoanalysts began to recognise the therapeutic value of art as both a creative outlet and a significantly useful means of conveying states of mind. This led to artists being invited directly to work with patients in hospitals and other clinical establishments.
Castle Craig introduced a dedicated art facility surrounded by beautiful countryside in January 2009 and invited me as a professional artist to design and implement an ongoing six-week programme for resident patients at the hospital. The outcome of this programme has been extremely successful and far-reaching with many patients continuing to use art as a creative outlet after leaving treatment.
From week one, patients are introduced to myriad ways of working with the materials provided. There is also an educational element to the course, with an introduction to artists dating from the 1900’s to the present day. Tutorage covers demonstration techniques and a wide variety of mark making suggestions, ranging from free, expressive, bold mark-making to more methodical and structured approaches. In effect a creative recipe book is offered, giving infinite possibilities, and although the outline task suggested each week is the same for each patient, the outcomes are as individual as the patients and their circumstances and moods.
The carefully thought-out exercises offer patients a new means of expression, unbound by language in which the unconscious is brought forward, enabling new insights as well as a sense of relaxation and achievement. Patients involved in these creative activities often report increased self-esteem and self-awareness. My own methodologies for facilitating creative expression are clearly evident in these paintings produced by patients with little or no painting experience.
As a practicing artist, I am constantly looking for new ways of working and try to encourage a free-thinking and liberated approach for attendees to the art group. I am constantly amazed by the work that patients produce and the correlation of the outcomes to states of mind. Henri Matisse once remarked that ‘drawing and painting is the direct and purist translation of my emotion’. A range of art books, including Matisse of course, are available at the group.
Our programme is constantly moving forward and we are currently implementing an ongoing rota exhibition of patients' work in and around the hospital. Patients' work can now be seen online on our Art Group webpage.
History of Castlecraig Estate
 |
A history of Castlecraig estate will soon be available online
A history of Castlecraig estate compiled by Gert Jan Kooistra in 2008 has been ‘rediscovered’ and extracts of this will shortly be made available on the Castle Craig website along with a newly painted map of the estate by Leeds artist Julia Wynne Thorpe. Castle Craig was also recently visited by Moira Calderwood, a former schoolgirl who attended Castle Craig when it was a residential school owned by Peebles County Council in the 1960s. She brought with her photographs from her school days and reminiscences about the school which specialised in helping children to cope with asthma, as well as more serious illness such as polio.
Ukelele Ensemble
 |
The latest musical evening for Castle Craig patients
Musical evenings are continuing on a monthly basis for patients in ECU. This month it was the Biggar Ukelele Ensemble featuring two of our own staff members Guy Heath and Alex Mircea Marfinescu. This was a very successful night which patients thoroughly enjoyed.
The next night will be on Friday 19th June.
