Scholar Shara Robinson

 

St Helenian Nurse, Shara Robinson, has nearly completed her three-year nursing degree course at the School of Nursing Queens University, Belfast, and is currently awaiting her results.

 

Queens is a prestigious University, which enrolls approximately 500 nursing students per year.  Shara was nominated by Public Health and Social Services to study for a degree at Queens as she had the necessary qualifications, which enabled her to enroll.

 

The course as expected covers both the academic and practical sides of nursing. Shara has been studying topics such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, micro-biology, behavioral science – sociology and psychology its relation to patient care, to name a few.  She has also had placements with various units such as accident and emergency, acute and general medicine, surgery and intensive care where she experienced the practical side of nursing and was able to put theory into practice.

 

The qualification this course offers is a UK Bachelor of Science degree in nursing along with the successful scholar becoming a Registered Nurse, which is a professional and legal registration. Nicola Downing, Nurse Tutor/Senior Nursing Officer said: “we are expecting great things of Shara”. 

 

Shara will remain in the UK for a further six-month preceptorship (probationary) period, and during this time she will be working on a rotational placement basis, which means she will rotate through the different fields of nursing preparing her for multi-skilled nursing on St Helena. Shara is currently working in the Spinal Injuries Unit, and although, thankfully, we don’t have very many spinal injuries on the Island, Shara will be able to bring these useful skills back to the Island to pass on to others.

 

Although there is currently a shortage of trained nurses on St. Helena, the Public Health and Social Services Department has a positive attitude toward training their staff to hopefully overcome such problems in the future.  Nicola Downing advised that although at the moment the two-year local nursing course is not recognized anywhere else in the world, she is hoping that in the near future amending the curriculum will change this. This has started already since the department is currently offering National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ’s), and they also have available four placements per year to enable nurses to attend overseas training. 

 

In related news, there is currently a nurse overseas on a three-month midwifery course, and later this year two more nurses will embark on overseas training.  Nursing is an honorable and self-rewarding profession, and with all of the opportunities in place there is an incentive for young people to consider nursing as a career.  Thanks must be extended to those dedicated nurses who provide a much-needed nursing service, and to those who are currently studying to develop the nursing services on St Helena.

 

 

Public Relations/Information Office

Office of the Chief Secretary

7^th July 2004

 

 

 

Update on recruitment of personnel

For Technical Co-operation Posts.

 

There has been some progress towards filling senior posts within the St Helena Government.

 

Chief Personnel Officer, Barbara George advised that after advertising, interviewing and conducting workshops three preferred candidates have been selected for the posts of Attorney General, Financial Secretary & Chief Auditor. She went on to say that the recruitment has taken far longer than SHG would have liked but she is glad that we are just a step away from filling our Technical Co-operation posts and hopes that the candidates will arrive on the Island as soon as possible.

Barbara said that she is unable to give any names at this point in time as all three candidates will still need to undergo Security and Medical checks before being accepted unconditionally.

 

The short listed candidates were interviewed by DFID Personnel, including SHG UK Representative, Mrs Kedell Worboys.

 

The posts of Attorney General & Financial Secretary are currently being filled in an acting capacity as has been the case for some time, and Barbara said credit should be given to those who took on the additional workload and responsibilities to ensure the work is ongoing.

 

In addition to these posts, SHG now has DFID’s approval to reinstate the post of Crown Counsel in our Legal Lands & Planning Department. The duties of the post are wide ranging and, will include prosecuting, civil litigation and contributing to drafting legislation, to name a few.  The last Crown Counsel for St Helena was Edwin Goldsborough who completed his contract in 1995.  Reinstating this post is a positive step for SHG and St Helena as a whole: as the Island develops there will be an increasing demand for qualified Lawyers.  This is also good news for our Legal Department, as with their increasing workload, another set of capable hands will ease the burden currently being experienced. 

 

 

 

Public Relations/Information Office

Office of the Chief Secretary

30^TH June 2004.

 

 

 

 

ST HELENA ACCESS UPDATE

 

 

ARRIVAL OF ATKINS RESEARCH CONSULTANTS

 

 

Following the topographical survey work of Steve Proctor and his team, the geotechnical study of the proposed alignment and road access areas at Prosperous Bay Plain conducted by Liz Harrison is now almost complete.  The drilling is expected to finish on Monday, 5^th July and Liz will leave the island on the following Monday, 12^th July.

 

Meanwhile the feasibility study, as requested by HMG Ministers, is continuing to push ahead and on Monday, the 5^th July, we’ll see the arrival of the Atkins Social, Economic, Institutional and Environmental research team. 

 

There are several objectives to be covered in this phase of the study in relation to air and sea access options including:

 

•  Identifying the environmental issues associated with each option and to comment on whether it is possible to mitigate each adequately against any negative impacts;
• The gathering of information that allows appropriate estimates of the likely levels of economic development that could result through the various access options;
• Assessing the foreseeable impact on the various public and private sector institutions relevant to each option;
• Developing an in-depth understanding of the social impacts and community-based concerns related to the various options.

 

This comprehensive piece of work will also take into account the views of Saints living on the Ascension and Falkland Islands, around Cape Town as well as in the UK.

 

On her way to St Helena, Pauline Airey (social specialist), spent a week on the Falkland Islands and several days on Ascension focusing on the social research objective. She has met with various people and held a number of group discussions with Saints on both islands.   The other members of the team Neil Crumbie (team leader who will lead on the Institutional research), David Whitwell (Economics), and Ian Mathieson (Environment) joined Pauline on Ascension for the final leg of the journey to St Helena.

 

A busy programme has been planned for the week the consultants spend on-island and during this time, they will also conduct a series of interviews and small group discussions. The focus of these sessions is to gather views, opinions and information which will later be distilled to aid the decision-making process. 

 

Whilst it is not possible for the consultants to meet with everyone in the short timeframe available, we would be happy to try and arrange a meeting for any members of the public who wish to put their views forward.  Interested persons can contact me, Sharon Wainwright, on telephone number 2477. 

 

If a meeting cannot be arranged, you are invited to send your views by email to: [email protected]

 

Or by post to:

 

Mr Hamish Tullock

Atkins Management Consultants

Woodcote Grove

Ashley Road

Epsom

Surrey KT18 5BW

 

Following their visit to St Helena, the research team will meet with Saints in Cape Town as well as leading figures in the tourism business.  On their return to the UK, they intend to hold at least three Saint group meetings in the proposed areas of Swindon, London and Southampton.

 

The public will be kept updated on progress.

 

 

 

 

Sharon R Wainwright

Air Access Project Coordinator     

 

Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP) for St Helena and Ascension approved.

 

St Helena has notified the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that it is ready to sign up to the Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, an international treaty designed to protect all ships.  Before signing, certain security measures had to be put in place and, in particular, St Helena and Ascension Island needed to be compliant with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.  This Code was set up to help protect vessels entering and leaving ports with regards to terrorist threats, particularly after the events of September 11^th 2001.  Under the ISPS Code, ports are required to produce a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP) and this has now been done for St Helena and Ascension. 

 

On the 29^th June 2004, Governor Hollamby and the Ascension Island Administrator, Andrew Kettlewell, were notified by the Transport Security Directorate (TRANSEC) that the PFSP for Georgetown and Jamestown had been approved.  TRANSEC will now sign the necessary paperwork on behalf of St Helena and Ascension, which will demonstrate that both Islands are in compliance with the ISPS Code. 

 

Earlier this year Barry Williams, Port Manager/Harbor Master, Clarence Roberts, Police Training Officer, and Keith Brinsden, Senior Customs Officer, attended ISPS training sessions on Ascension Island.  The team has since been preparing an action plan and working towards making St Helena compliant with the ISPS Code.

 

In a letter addressed to Governor Hollamby, Peter Eggleton (Senior Maritime Security Adviser – TRANSEC) thanked the teams for their work and commitment and added that they have met an important milestone but continued effort will be required to ensure effective compliance with the UK’s maritime security requirements.  Mr Eggleton will be visiting both Islands in November this year to see how the security arrangements are working out.

 

Now that both Islands are in compliance with the ISPS Code, we can expect to see tighter security at our Ports, a good sign that as our Islands develop they do so with a safety focus.

 

Public Relations/Information Office

Office of the Chief Secretary

7^th July 2004

 

 

Frank Savage –Adviser from Foreign Commonwealth Office

 

 

Frank Savage, an adviser on Overseas Territory issues to the Overseas Territory Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, arrived on the RMS yesterday afternoon.  Mr Savage was previously the Governor of the British Virgin Islands and, before that, Montserrat; therefore he brings a wealth of knowledge to the Island on how a ministerial Government should operate.

 

Mr Savage will be providing information and advice as required to Members of Legislative Council, Public Servants and members of the public on the ministerial system of Government.

 

He will be holding meetings to discuss the role of Ministers, the public service including the role of senior public servants, under a ministerial form of Government in preparation for possible proposed changes to St Helena’s current Legislative system.

 

A meeting for members of the public will take place at the Consulate Hotel on Thursday 8 July at 7.30pm, and this will give members of the public the opportunity to hear more about constitutional changes and to ask questions.

 

In addition Mr. Savage will hold a meeting at the New Horizons Youth Centre to enable the young people of St Helena to also learn about the proposals and how they might affect the Island. 

 

After attending various meetings Mr. Savage will depart St Helena on the 12^th July, when Kate Mc Cleery an F.C.O lawyer who has been charged with drafting the new constitution, will arrive.

 

Public Relations/Information Office

Office of the Chief Secretary

7 July 2004-07-10