CONGRATULATIONS to Angus and Jen MacFadyen on the birth of their 5lb 10oz son Ewan, born about 2 a.m. on February 5th, the Feast Day of St. Buo. All are doing well, although they say that Biscuit the cat found the whole affair a bit of a strain. Ewan and his family came home to Colonsay on Friday 13th - Hooray!
The westerly gale on Friday 6th touched 52 knots and "Hebridean Isles" had to turn back in "horrendous" seas on leaving the Sound of Kerrera - a case of a heavy wind coinciding with a spring tide, reputedly a rare thing in Colonsay lore; things were no better on Saturday, with the wind gusting to 68 knots from NNW accompanied by driven bursts of hail and sheet forcing the cancellation of a relief sailing; although Sunday improved, the relief was cancelled again due to unpredictable gusts which would endanger the berthing procedure. Monday was ideal - until it was discovered that a heavy hangway had been thrown bodily over the side of the pier railings by the gale, where it must have hung until the securing ropes all parted; intending passengers were blissfully unaware that the obstruction would have prevented the ship from coming alongside and it was only thanks to the good offices of Nigel and his heavy plant that it was able to be retrieved with some ten minutes to spare.
Ewan MacFadyen on 15th February
As Angus MacPhee was walking home late on the night of the gale, he approached the Deabhaidh from the east. Although he had been to the bar, he had not partaken and was enjoying the bright but blustery moonlit walk until, just as he approached the lochside, he saw an unearthly sight. Coming towards him there was some sort of craft, moving silently but speedily in his direction, following the contours of the ground but floating about two metres above the surface. Genuinely shaken, the notion of UFO's flashed across his mind; he remembered stories of alien abduction and the appalling experiences of some of the victims. Shouting "take me!", "take me!" he was at first seen rushing towards the spectral apparition, then to suddenly turn and run for cover as the truth hit him (or very nearly).
What he had taken to be the boarding hatch of a spaceship was in fact the inspection shaft of a fibre-glass septic tank. The tank, of the "flask" design, had broken free of its moorings and floated like a soap-bubble across the fields for a considerable distance. As Angus was in the only sheltered hollow, it came to rest close beside him. No harm was done although, as Dr. Currie pointed out, the situation could have been very different had the tank been full.
The new plan is available for inspection at the Post Office and at the Service point. Designated housing areas are clearly indicated, all at Scalasaig. Infill is proposed between Glen Odhran and the foot of the hill behind the Radio Station, also new development between Corrary Cottage and the Pantry (between the Monument and the road). In addition, a "D" shaped area on the west of the road passing Glassard, running from Georgina's house to the foot of Spion Kopje. All told, there is probably scope for fifty or more houses within the designated areas, although the plan only calls for ten within the next few years.
The plan is largely composed of lofty sentiments and has little practical application in Colonsay, although the section dealing with "Mineral Extraction" seems to suggest that restrictions are to be imposed. At first glance it could be interpreted as prohibiting random extraction from any handy bit of beach, and even to legislate for "reinstatement". Exactly how you reinstate a missing raised-beach is unspecified and one might wonder if some sort of landscaping is envisaged.
In various consultation exercises, islanders expressed a wish to avail of a scheduled air-service which was under consideration and which has now received official sanction. As one understands it, a modest 8 passenger machine will be based at Glasgow and move each day to Connel, providing two daily flights to and from Colonsay and the same service for Coll, before returning each night to Glasgow. The project was slow-moving but outline planning permission was granted some time ago, and now plans lodged at the Post Office give further detail. The access road across the Golf Course is to be improved but will not be re-routed or enlarged (save that passing places will be provided). The runway is possibly to be surfaced with "bound hardcore" but the environs will be otherwise unaffected, save for the construction of necessary buildings.
The plans show the new hangar in the form of a traditional Nissen Hut, and the terminal building is on a modest scale, timber-clad (Cedar) and slate - roofed (Cambrian). Unfortunately, it is thought that "Cambrian slate" might be a trade name for roofing tiles - if so, they will be inappropriate since a cracked tile near the ridge will require the entire roof to be stripped (as happened at the Pantry). Toilets are provided, but the detail is not sufficient for one to comment upon the quality of Disabled Access. This is an important point, because in the CalMac building the main entrance has never been able to be used, having been so designed as to be an actual hazard to a disabled person. The fenestration is frankly uninspired, and the positioning of the lavatories will obstruct the view of aircraft movements and of the runway. The route of telephone and electricity cabling is not apparent from the plans - it is of course essential that these are laid underground. Please note that readers have the opportunity to inspect these plans at the Post Office, and any comments will be welcomed by "The Corncrake".
In the present week, a team of surveyors has been working at the strip, in preparation for the new runway; this is the first sign of physical progress and suggests that this project is to become a reality. The machair is a vital asset to this island and the singular beauty of the area in question has many admirers. The area provides easy access to sandy beaches and is one of the most popular spots on the island - summer and winter, whatever the weather, island residents will be encountered enjoying the amenity. For passengers, these buildings will create their first and last impressions of the place, and for the rest of us they are something with which we will have to live on a daily basis. Are the designs good enough? Should the project be offered to open competition to achieve a better result?
THE FUTURE OF HEALTH SERVICES IN COLONSAY
Here is a summary of queries which were submitted by Angela following the recent public meeting. Followed by the un-edited response. Please note that an account of the public meeting is at NURSING PROVISION IN COLONSAY - THE FUTURE and that the entire correspondence conducted by Angela is at Angela's Asks.
Questions arising from the meeting with the team from the LHCC (Local Health Care Co-Operative).
I put together some questions and comments after thinking about the meeting, talking to people, and trawling the web. They are just my thoughts, not trying to represent the island, but I hope they might help to provide points for discussion. I sent them to members of the LHCC team, asking for comment and for confirmation that I had not misunderstood or missed something crucial in all the unfamiliar material about the new contract for GPs and the associated legislation. I received a prompt and thoughful reply from Moira Newiss, Locality Manager for the LHCC.
Here is a summary version of my own questions and comments, and (with her permission) a copy of Moira's reply. Kevin is going to put the whole of our correspondence in full on the website as Angela's Asks .
Summary of 2 short papers sent to the LHCC team by Angela on 5 February '04:
A. Nurse Practitioner.
The current vacancy for a nurse: I believe that a NP, if she had the skill and personality to match her training, would be a great asset to Colonsay as a colleague for the resident doctor. However, without the prospect of eventually replacing the GP, is there any chance of recruiting at this level?
The nurse practitioner's role: It is a new role, there are still ambiguities over her status and training , and restrictions on her legal authority to prescribe. There is not enough published evidence yet for whether and how she should function as an independent practitioner.
In emergencies: It is true that the first responder does not have to be a doctor, and in urban areas it is often a paramedic or a nurse who deals with the first hour of an emergency. But cases needing critical care do still occur, and so do difficulties and delays in flying people off from Colonsay. We are not talking averages here, but those "extreme" cases that, though rare, do happen now and then. Have the LHCC consulted the emergency services specifically about Colonsay's situation?
Non-emergency care: Many people have specific anxieties related to their own or their relatives' condition Don't we need the chance for individual residents to discuss these anxieties with both our GP and a NP, if possible together, before making any informed judgement on whether we would accept a NP as replacement?
Support and relief for a NP: A NP working independently on the island would need support and relief just as does a GP. She would be part of the team of a mainland practice, with access to the rest of the team by phone, video link and e-mail etc, but who would support and relieve her on the island? Would she be on 24-hour cal? The GP until very recently has had a qualified nurse in his team here. Would the NP have any other qualified colleague resident on the island above the level of nursing assistant? (If so, at what level, and wouldn't the same problems of recruitment apply as at present?) And what arrangements would be made for her relief if she were incapacitated or off the island?
Experience elsewhere: There are a very few islands with no resident doctor at all that are equally or more remote (eg Fair Isle, the Out Skerries, Foula). The others of any size seem to be within about 30 minutes' sea crossing (often far less) from the mainland or another island with a GP practice. Even Lismore is only 10 minutes from the mainland for foot passengers, and the 50 minute vehicle ferry does not cross open sea. Should we contact eg the nurse on Fair Isle for more information?
In conclusion: Whether it is a NP or a GP, the quality of the person is almost as important as the level of training - might not a nurse at a high level of her profession be more likely to be of very high calibre than some future GP, given the desperate recruitment problems predicted for rural GPs?
This option does appear to work in some other, often very different, circumstances, but we need to have much more specific, detailed information in order to judge for ourselves.
B. Remote island practice under the new contract for GPs.
Small practices and isolation offshore: the formula annexed to the new contract, by which money is to be allocated to a practice, effectively forces small practices to amalagamate with larger ones, for reasons which may make sense economically and professionally in many mainland areas. It deliberately excludes the "unavoidable" extra costs of small practices "in order to avoid any perverse incentives for practices to disaggregate or to avoid amalgamation". For remote offshore islands, isn't this cutting the foot to fit the shoe ?
Colonsay is geographically too isolated for individual staff members and equipment to be "aggregated or amalgamated" with a mainland practice… a doctor visiting once a week is effectively inaccessible the rest of the time … a defibrillator available on the mainland is no use to us here…
Again, it seems that under "remoteness and rurality" the formula would allow for distance from the mainland if the island were in a practice based on a mainland surgery, but not if the practice is based on the island itself. Have I understood correctly? If so, isn't this a nonsense?
Isn't there a powerful case for "diseconomies of scale" to be fully included in the formula for small remote island practices? Shouldn't it have already been strongly made? Is it too late to make it?
The"sum of £13,000": This sum was mentioned at the Colonsay meeting of 22 January as the amount available for the Colonsay practice when the current practitioner retires. Is it just an informed guestimate, or was it worked out in detail?
Non-registered patients (ie holiday visitors etc): Although the large numbers of holiday visitors to the island cannot be included in the population base for the allocation formula, an allowance for their treatment can be "calculated on the basis of the average number of claims in the practice over the previous five years." How much might this add to the "£13,000"?
Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG): This seems to be a very grey area. The sources are confusing:
The new contract allows for an "MPIG" to supplement the income of GPs in small "inducement" practices. Last year, when the new legislation was being introduced, it was being said in official documents and implied by the minister in Committee that this would "ensure that the financial viability of practices is not endangered by the new funding mechanisms." Although it was intended that most practices would "quickly discover that the new contract will leave them in a better financial position than the current (one)", it was clearly said that "The principle of the MPIG is permanent".
However, it now appears that this is not how the new allocation is to be implemented. The SEHD's latest "Statement of Fincancial Entitlements" (still in Draft, but unlikely to be much altered) makes clear that the supplementary "MPIG" is only to be made to GPs already in post. When they leave, it will not be made to a replacement GP. This means that many small practices will become unviable.
These arrangements will be subject to review from next autumn, though only "in line with the general principle of moving practices towards mainstream arrangements". However, wouldn't it be rather unwise to plan too far ahead on the basis of the present interpretation of the newcontract and its allocation formula - and to prejudge the outcome of a review within the next two or three years, when the consequences are more clearly seen?
Salaried GPs: the Policy Memorandum to the new legislation says "It is the firm intention of the Executive that the new contract ….will improve life for GP practices in island communities ………… Creation … of new powers of Health Boards to provide services through, for example, employing salaried doctors, will help to support those areas where it may not be economically attractive for an independent contractor to operate a practice."
Could this be another option for Colonsay in the future?
Reply from Moira Newiss on 10 February '04.
Dear Angela
Thank you for your letter received by e-mail on 5th February, which Dr Lyon has subsequently forwarded to me for a response. I will do my best to respond to you on the points raised in your letter concerning the proposal for a nurse practitioner for the Isle of Colonsay and regarding changes in the new GMS contract for GPs.
1. Filling the Current Nursing Vacancy
May I firstly point out that at the public meeting on Colonsay I presented three options for future nursing services on Colonsay. None of the options included replacement of the current post. The three options include: a District Nurse with wider Community Outreach Role; a visiting District Nurse service with island based auxiliary nursing cover and the nurse practitioner model.
I will be presenting a paper to the LHCC Board regarding the Colonsay Nursing Options at the end of February. The last time the draft options paper was discussed the Board were not prepared to consider putting a district nurse permanently on Colonsay. The main reasons for this being the lack of suitable work and the de-skilling of the practitioner.
2. Eventual Replacement of a GP by a Nurse Practitioner
I understand the islanders' anxieties about a new model of care. I think that although some people may not be convinced until they have experienced the new model in action, you should take comfort in a similar model working well on the Isle of Lismore and other posts in remote areas and islands of Scotland.
The nurse practitioner role is still relatively new and has mostly developed in hospital, hence the quote; "nurse practitioners providing care for patients requesting same day appointments predominantly for acute minor illness and working in a team supported by doctors". However, I should point out that any nurse practitioner must work closely with a GP colleague, whether by telephone or video communication or by face-to-face meetings. In reality a combination of these approaches is necessary for island based staff. GP back up for somewhere like Colonsay is likely to require regular telephone contact, a visiting GP service and patient retrieval or GP transfer by helicopter or fixed wing aircraft.
You raise the issue of prescribing and rightly point out the restrictions on nurse prescribing. It is possible to overcome the restrictions through the use of protocols to delegate authority from a doctor to a nurse. In time we also expect nurse prescribers to be given more authority in their own right.
I understand the problems of time and distance as a vital issue in the treatment of medical emergencies. The LHCC Board has recently held a meeting with the Scottish Ambulance Service to discuss concerns about their capacity to deal with road and air transfers. The LHCC has also developed a 'Flying Healthcare Proposal' with which we hope to gain support for a more enhanced air transport system to transport both patients and practitioners.
With regard to non-emergency care protocols would be developed for the nurse practitioner to manage the day to day care for patients on Colonsay. The nurse would seek advice from a doctor or other professional if she or he required support or specialist knowledge. The islanders would still have the choice of an appointment with a GP through a regular visiting service.
3. Small Practices, Isolation and Funding Issues
As you rightly acknowledge we are still awaiting the final GMS contract for Inducement Practitioners, including the GP on Colonsay. The contract is due out any day and we are waiting to see what the final arrangements will be for the long-term security of essential small practices. I cannot say a lot more at this stage about the final calculations of funding for a future Colonsay GP post. It is reasonably certain though that adding in all the extra funds for temporary residents, quality payments and enhanced services there will still not be enough to fund the service as it currently is.
It is not just the new contract that has a bearing on the replacement of a GP on Colonsay. The Inducement Practitioners Association has raised concern about the viability of GP services on islands with population sizes under 500.
There are issues about the ability for professionals (both GPs and nurses) to keep their skills up to date so that they are able are able to deal safely and effectively with both emergency and day-to-day work. In order to do this at present it requires spending a considerable amount of time off the island attending training courses and working placements in busy hospital or GP practice settings. Any nurse practitioner model would have built in time off the island to attend education and training. Cover for the nurse practitioner may be provided by another nurse practitioner or by a GP.
Some of the issues you raise, for example, how often a doctor would visit or where equipment would be stored would require detailed discussion if proposed changes were to go ahead. It would be essential for the right equipment to be available on Colonsay for a nurse practitioner and visiting GP but some equipment such as a defibrillator could also be available to the community. Elsewhere in the UK defibrillators are placed in public places, on Colonsay this could be the shop or hotel to ensure the quickest possible response.
4. Salaried GPs
The issues regarding employment of salaried GPs are more about a different type of contract for doctors rather than how much funding is required. To operate a single-handed GP practice will cost roughly the same for Colonsay whether the GP is self-employed or salaried.
I hope this letter is useful to you in attempting to answer some of your questions, while also acknowledging that some of them cannot be easily answered at this point in time.
I will ensure that the community are informed of the LHCC Board's decision on the future of nursing services on Colonsay in early March and I can also assure you that after receiving a decision a new model will be implemented as quickly as possible to ensure continuity of care.
Yours sincerely
Moira Newiss
Locality Manager
Once again, readers may follow this link ARGYLL & THE ISLANDS ENTERPRISE to view the latest approvals.
ARE BERE AND SMALL OATS STILL GROWN HERE?
Who can still remember bristle oat, Grey oat, and sand oat, 'sma' - many names for this 'small' but tall member of the oat family? With bere barley it is part of a very old Celtic agricultural heritage as archaeological findings have shown. In a more recent historical account from 1776 bere and potatoes are listed as crops on Colonsay. Bere was used for distilling to such an extent that the islanders had to import meal for flour. Oats were sown mid-April. This was probably small oat.
Generally, most of the oats grown until the 17th century was small oat. At the end of the 18th century it was gradually being replaced on the better agricultural soils by the better producing bigger oat-types. These in turn were to a large extent replaced in the 20th century by wheat and barley. As machines replaced horses, fewer oats was needed. Europe-wide, small oat is a disappearing crop: researchers in Denmark recently travelled 4000 kilometres and searched through more than 20 000 fields. They did not find one plant.
In the UK, many farmers and crofters have stopped growing cereals altogether. This is a loss for biodiversity. The small scale and the low-intensive form of crafting agriculture fostered birds as the Chough, Corn Bunting and the Kestrel.
For Islay, Colonsay, Jura and Gigha total cereal production went down from more than 4000 acres at the end of the nineteenth century to less than 500 at the end of the twentieth century. These numbers are based on Annual Agricultural Returns from 1866 -1989, collected by John Clarke.
The University of Birmingham has started a search for old cereal varieties. It is important to find out how many of these old varieties are still grown, to check if the seeds are conserved in the national seed banks to safeguard future uses and how farmers can be supported to maintain bere and small oat. Results so far show that bere and small oat are still present on the Hebrides and on Orkney and the Shetlands. They were once grown on Colonsay. Have they disappeared?
Any suggestions as to this question will be very useful information: how many farmers are still growing it and on how many acres? Even if you have stopped growing bere or small oat, this information will be useful as it will indicate how long ago farmers stopped growing these traditional crops.
Please contact Maria Scholten by phone (0121 414 2975) or by email: M.A.Scholten@bham.ac.uk
If you prefer, let Kevin Byrne have the information and he will make sure that it is forwarded to Maria Scholten on your behalf.
Readers were invited to comment as to the likely Gaelic form of "servant of St. Buo", since the editor was insufficiently confident on the point. Gratifyingly, an authoritative reader has suggested "Maol Buidhe"; there may be an element of satire in the proposal, but happily the genitive is as desired. The editor had wondered about "Gille Buidhe" and is now emboldened to wonder if indeed the family name of Buie, which is so closely associated with Colonsay, may trace its roots to adherents of St. Buo.
It was disappointing that no other reader has been able to assist. Does nobody in Iceland read "The Corncrake"?
NOOKS & CRANNIES - Old Glassard
Some of the original houses in Glassard can easily be identified to the present day. Our picture shows one behind David Johnston's new site, with a new drainage ditch leading out from the very threshold. There were four houses in all, one of which is thought to survive in an enhanced form as High Tor. The one pictured here may in 1841 have been the home of Archibald McNeill (55yrs), Merchant Seaman, together with his wife and a family of seven. In 1851, Archibald was a Boatmaster, a neighbour (Donald McMillan) was a Boatman and George Buchanan, from Mull, was the Packetmaster.
For convenience of readers, letters now appear in two sections. Anything to do with current events appears here, and letters to do with the Magazine section or historical research etc. will appear at the end of the Magazine section.
Holiday Swap
We are a family of four, one boy 1.5 years and one teenager girl who are looking for a possible house swap for one week in July/August. We thought this might appeal to another family, who like use may not have extensive funds to fork out on accommodation, spending, food and all the rest that comes with it. We have a three bedroomed house, dining room, large bathroom, kitchen and lounge, in Royal Deeside, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. This is forty miles from Aberdeen ( about 40 mins - 1 hour drive) but are in easy travelling distance to Inverness too. This is a very beautiful part, especially in the summer.
If any family from Colonsay is interested in coming here for a week, and are willing to swap accommondation they can get in touch by e-mail:
Hello Kevin,
Buie, Milbuie, Riskbuie, perhaps even Loch Buie in Mull .... The possibilities are legion. Buo could be the new yellow!
Just a slight fly in the ointment: I suppose it would have to be "Bhuidh" for the genitive, which might spoil that theory. On the other hand, I think you will find that Mac Gille Bhuidhe is the origin of the names McElvoy and McAvoy - so my friends the McAvoys who come to Colonsay in the summer might discover a local connection….
Happy St. Buo's Day!
Alastair Scouller
[Thank you for that … so exactly which saint's servant was the MacAvoy progenitor? Assuming that they are not devotees of the "yellowman" of Lamass Fair, it sounds as if St. Buo is a genuine runner - Editor]
Ina McNeill
A resident of a neighbouring island wonders if anybody can provide any information about Ina McNeill, possibly a connection of one of the McNeill lairds and raised in Colonsay. Nothing is certain, but it is possible that she married a MacArthur in Islay and perhaps had two children; perhaps subsequently turned her back on the Isles and moved to Edinburgh and a position as seamstress at Holyrood, by dint of her "connections". Subsequently married a Duke of Argyll, was never someone to whom people warmed and was never accepted in Inveraray circles.
The question has been raised by someone with half-memories of family chatter, and an injunction from the older generation not to talk about this lady.
This is a genuine query and any help in the matter will be welcome. One notes that "Alexander McNeill of Gigha, was brother of Duncan McNeill, 1st Lord Colonsay and Sir John McNeill, 8th laird of Colonsay, British Envoy to the Shah of Persia; and uncle of Ina McNeill, Duchess of Argyll (Lady-in-Waiting and personal Private Secretary to Queen Victoria), who died in 1925 and is buried, with her husband the eighth Duke, beneath sculptured marble tomb effigies in Iona" (Moncreiffe & Hicks). All this sounds a long way from the family tradition outlined - perhaps a reader can help.
The Magazine Section