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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

100 years of Erskine

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When veteran May McLean moved to Erskine she got a welcome she didn’t expect.

Staff got down on their knees beside her wheelchair and told May, now 94 years old, she always had her family but now this was home and they were her Erskine family.

Erskine has cared for over 85,000 veterans in Scotland since it was formed one hundred years ago – dedicated care is still the driving force behind the charity.

Officially named the Princess Louise Hospital for Limbless Sailors and Soldiers, Scotland’s first large modern war hospital opened its doors in 1916 led by Sir William Macewen, a surgeon.

Erskine hospital went on to make, fit and repair artificial limbs for thousands of young soldiers wounded in the frontline.

Today Erskine has to be just as resourceful in its mission; the charity has to raise about £8 million a year to care for over 1,000 residents through nursing, respite and residential care across four purpose-built homes throughout Scotland.

That role is as vital today as it was when it was established as a hospital to treat maimed Scottish soldiers coming home from the trenches of World War One.

A Scottish charity, Erskine cares for disabled ex-service people from the British Armed Forces with injuries sustained during war and provides convalescent care for those recovering from illness.

Chief executive Steve Conway says caring is built in with the bricks. “Finding high-quality elderly care is never easy and finding somewhere where your loved ones can become part of a new family is even harder. At Erskine there is that sense of camaraderie engendered from military service.”

“The one aspect that has remained a constant is the very high standard of nursing care we provide.”

Conway served 26 years in the Royal Marines and is still motivated by the strength of comradeship, something he shares with Erskine residents.

“Knowing we could rely on each other absolutely in any situation always lead me to feel that is a relationship that should continue after service.”

“One of the key attractions to coming here is the camaraderie on which the armed forces survive. People want to maintain that sense of connection, that sense of support of being with others with similar military backgrounds.”

Erskine home, the flagship £16 million centre (pictured above right) that opened in 2000 and replaced the original hospital is the biggest ex-services facility in Scotland.

Still a pioneering charity, Erskine leads the way in care and rehabilitation. From its inception as Scotland’s first specialist war hospital, Erskine was about more than the physical treatment of disabilities; the ethos of caring for every individual as a person rather than a patient remains at the forefront.

Conway said: “I am motivated by knowing that we are supporting men and women who made great sacrifices at some point in their lives and it is now our time to say thank you for that service by caring for those that need it.”

From veterans in their 40s that served in recent conflicts to soldiers, sailors, airmen and women who served in the Second World War, Erskine’s role has expanded to meet the changing needs of war veterans.

The charity has made significant changes following a £20 million investment to modernize and take Erskine Scotland-wide. One of the biggest changes in recent years was the expansion of dementia care.

Erskine now provides specialist units in each of the homes as well as a bespoke dementia unit, Erskine Park; a third of beds in Erskine homes are for veterans with dementia.

“As we live longer we are more susceptible to dementia so we have had to increase our provision of specialist care to meet that increased need,” explains Conway.

“We do a lot of reminiscence and some of the performers who generously come to entertain the residents play wartime songs. “That strongly resonates with residents living with dementia.”

Steve Conway

We want to address social isolation caused when veterans are living on their own and to help provide more accommodation for single veterans as well as families

Steve Conway

Conditions for veterans have changed since the first two world wars across healthcare, housing and support services however, one thing that hasn’t changed is the brutal transition to civilian life.

“What we see is that one of the main struggles for veterans is moving on from a life where everything is structured and organised for you to one where you have to do pretty much everything on your own initiative.

“We want to address social isolation caused when veterans are living on their own and to help provide more accommodation for single veterans as well as families. Housing is in ever-increasing short supply.”

Erskine hopes to turn the focus in future years to providing more accommodation and support for younger veterans, as well as elderly care.

Fifty veterans’ cottages in the old hospital grounds at Erskine were rebuilt to house ex-service members and their families and Erskine Mains site is up for consideration as a potential space to provide flats or build bespoke homes for independent living.

When Erskine started soldiers came home with shell shock. Today the charity cares for veterans suffering from a range of mental health issues. There are several residents in Erskine cottages that have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the charity provides a quiet and supportive environment.

Conway predicts that in 15 years Erskine will need fewer beds. “I think we’ve got a challenge coming and this is not something to change quickly, it is about trying to predict future demand and making sure we are ready,” he says.

Nearly one-third of the residents are now women, among them Second World War veterans in their 90s, spouses of veterans as well as former forces members.

Steve says the charity will continue to expand its role if it means meeting the changing needs of veterans.

“Great progress is being made to ensure veterans are not disadvantaged by their career in the armed forces such as access to housing and healthcare but we still need to ensure that is understood, and veterans know where they can go for advice and support.”

From Bletchley to Erskine May McLean’s story

100 years of Erskine

Around 7,000 of those who worked at Bletchley Park helping to crack the Enigma Code during the Second World War were young women, picked for their skills and ability to keep secrets. One of these women was May McLean.

May has been a resident at Erskine since 2010. May joined the Wrens and remembers her first interview, when she was asked if she wanted to do secret work.

Serving at the code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park during the war it was May’s job to work one of the Bombe machines developed to crack the Enigma code, used by the Germans to send military reports and instructions.

With the code changed every 24 hours, cracking it became a daily race against time, with the constant pressure of knowing lives were hanging on the result.

It was May’s job to take down “cribs” – fragments of probable text, worked out by the decoders at Bletchley and then test them. May knew that they were handling messages to and from German U-boats although they were never told.

After the war ended, May served in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to help decrypt Japanese military codes. She went back to work, married in 1948 and raised two children.

In 2001 May suffered a serious stroke and recovered well but felt cut off at home. Her daughter Fiona said: “The move has transformed her. She’s always doing something.”

May has become something of an Erskine celebrity, photographed chatting with Prince Charles and Lorraine Kelly. Her daughter says: “If it wasn’t for Erskine, Mum wouldn’t be here.”

Shoulder to shoulder

Working with the charity TimeBank, Erskine provides one-to-one support to ex-service men and women living in Glasgow and Edinburgh who are recovering from mental health issues.

Over 50 veterans have been matched with mentors through the Shoulder to Shoulder project since it was set up in 2014.

Most veterans helped were early service leavers and older non-commissioned officers, both groups identified as being at risk of homelessness, unemployment, crime and domestic and community violence.

Ali Smith, project coordinator said: “Most veterans we work with are cut off socially. A lot have issues with mental health so they struggle with loud places, public transport and getting out of the house. Mentors are like friends who can guide them, connect to the right services that can help or even reconnect them with family and friends. It’s not about therapy or counselling.”

Volunteer mentors help veterans to lead independent lives and rebuild self-confidence. Ali said: “Most are lonely and need help to get back out there. Moving on can be hard when your confidence is down and you are used to having a routine.

“Mentors help veterans focus their day and over time build up to setting goals like getting back in touch with family or into work. Ultimately the mentor is a positive person in the veteran’s life and that relationship can be everything.”