Scotland’s new National Strategy for Economic Transformation rubbished by environmentalists

A new National Strategy for Economic Transformation, underpinned by detailed analysis of Scotland’s economic strengths and weaknesses, has been published by the Scottish government.

The strategy contains over 70 actions across five key priority programmes that have been identified as having the greatest potential to deliver economic growth that significantly outperforms the last decade within the current constitutional arrangements.

Investment will be prioritised in entrepreneurialism, skills and retraining and the development of new markets and opportunities, particularly in the Just Transition to net zero.

Economy Secretary Kate Forbes says it provides renewed clarity on Scotland’s economic vision and a relentless focus on delivery in order to improve economic productivity, accelerate growth and ensure work provides a genuine route out of poverty through better quality jobs and higher wages. 

A sixth programme marks a step-change in the way the Scottish Government and business listen to, support and work with each other in this national endeavour to transform the economy. Shaped by the Advisory Council and extensive engagement with stakeholders, this will enable government, business and key partners to work together to create a more prosperous, more productive and more internationally competitive economy.

The Economy Secretary launched the Strategy at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc in Dundee, a location which embodies the potential transformation that can be realised by bringing the six key programmes of action together.

Ms Forbes said: “This strategy intentionally focuses on five key priorities, within Scotland’s current powers, that we believe will deliver most impact. These are based on extensive data analysis which does not ignore the short or long term challenges and seeks to meet them head on.

“It does so by identifying our key strengths as a nation and the economic opportunities with the greatest potential for Scotland.  Through our detailed analytical work we have identified significant and targeted action that can shift the dial in these areas, by doubling down on the work that is producing results and by working together to maximise our success.

“We must now be bold, ruthless and laser-focused to maximise the impact of the actions we have identified.  We all know the challenges of our day – the short term and the long term – but through the tumultuous times of the past, Scotland has pioneered solutions, created jobs and established highly successful businesses. The opportunities of decarbonisation, new technologies and successful industries are far greater than the challenges.

“This is a unique moment and we are ready, willing and able to lead the way and ensure Scotland capitalises on the opportunity.”

Chief Executive Officer of Entrepreneurial Scotland Sean McGrath said: “This strategy is recognition of not just the importance of starting new businesses, but of building an entrepreneurial mindset across all types of organisations and at all levels.

“It shows a huge belief in the ability of our immensely talented workforce in Scotland. It also calls on everyone who wants to see Scotland succeed to take part. This only works if we all want it to.”

Chief Executive of Energy Transition Zone Ltd Maggie McGinlay said: “I believe energy transition has a key role to play in realising this ambition.

“Scotland has an immediate competitive advantage in that we are blessed with a vast array of natural assets that, if harnessed the right way, means we can become globally recognised for high-value manufacturing, research, development and deployment of offshore wind, green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. 

“The scale of the energy transition opportunity before us is huge and has the potential to contribute significantly to achieving true economic transformation for Scotland.”

Tracy Black, CBI Scotland Director, said: “Business will welcome the ambitions set out in the new ‘Economic Transformation Strategy’ as the right path for Scotland’s future economy.

“The Finance Secretary is also right to recognise the importance of delivery in turning high-level ambition into action – with business playing a vital role as a trusted partner. 

“As firms across the country navigate rising living costs, ongoing shortages and spiralling business costs, they will want to see any new initiatives or investments bear fruit sooner rather than later.”

Environmentalists are calling for an urgent and inclusive national debate on economic transformation after the Scottish Government’s new strategy failed to show how it will achieve its own vision of wellbeing and ensuring a just transition to a zero-carbon economy.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation ‘Delivering Economic Prosperity’ was launched today by the Cabinet Secretary Kate Forbes. She was supported by her Advisory Council which has previously been criticised for its lack of environmental and social justice expertise.

It comes the day after the latest UN IPCC report gave a stark reminder of the urgency of the climate crisis and the need to transform economies away from fossil fuels to avert its worst impacts.

Commenting on the Strategy, Matthew Crighton, Sustainable Economy Adviser at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “This economic strategy has environmental sustainability and wellbeing in its vision, which is welcome, but there is a lack of concrete ideas as to how its good intentions will be delivered.

“Everyone recognises the need to be greener and fairer but without any realistic plan to achieve these changes they will remain aspirational daydreams.

“To deliver a just transition to zero carbon, the government has to assess and secure the investments needed in each part of our economy. It then needs to set out expectations for job creation and social benefits, how to measure them and who will deliver them.

“Instead, it seems happy just to point the boat forwards and hope that the fickle winds of the market economy will blow it in the right direction.

“The focus on economic growth and entrepreneurship fails to show how this approach can deliver on these wider social and environmental benefits. Instead we have a repeat of lots of the tired old ideas that have helped bring us the current state of inequality, environmental breakdown and economic insecurity.

“The Scottish Government clearly hasn’t understood the roots of these problems nor recognised the mistakes of previous plans. Perhaps this is because it hasn’t spoken to either environmental experts nor to people at the sharp end of our current economic system.”

Ahead of the strategy launch, the ‘Transform Our Economy’ alliance produced Ten Points for a Transformative Economic Strategy against which to judge the Government’s plans. These ideas were backed by 40 academics and outline a new purpose at the heart of our economy: providing wellbeing for all within environmental limits.

Ten-Points-for-a-Transformative-Economic-Strategy-general-1Download

Crighton continued: “With our allies in the Transform Our Economy alliance, we prepared Ten Points to judge the new strategy, endorsed by 40 leading academics.

“Sadly the Scottish Government’s document gets poor marks against these, starting well with its overall vision but then failing, in particular on practical things like generating enough of the right investment streams, having clear tests for all finance and integrating new performance measures for decarbonisation and biodiversity into economic decisions.”

The document has also been criticised by the country’s leading trade unionist. Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary who sat on the advisory group said: “Sadly, this is more a strategy for economic status quo than economic transformation.

“The National Strategy for Economic Transformation has a sprinkling of good ideas and we have successfully argued for some strong lines on the importance of Fair Work, decent pay and the role of trade unions, but overall, it is a missed opportunity to address the challenges before us and make real, transformational change.

“The main engine of the Scottish economy is the foundational economy. Unsurprisingly it is also the biggest employer. It encompasses transport, retail, energy generation, distribution and importantly education and public services.

“So, at the heart of the NSET should have been a strategy to increase pay and improve terms and conditions in these sectors. Investing in public services offers huge opportunity to support sustainable growth while tackling poverty and inequality.

“Over the coming years we face enormous challenges, none greater than the journey to net zero, a journey that must be carefully planned to ensure we create good, secure jobs that do not leave communities abandoned. Whilst the NSET talks about the potential for future development in the renewables and low carbon economy it fails to acknowledge previous failures or, more importantly, how we can learn from them and build a new industrial strategy.

“Scotland is not immune from global economic shocks, or the UK Government’s self-inflicted economic damage. Financialised capitalism embeds structural inequalities as evidenced by the escalating cost-of-living crisis.

“Addressing these structural inequalities is fundamental and it will certainly not be solved by prioritising becoming a ‘magnet for global private capital’ nor through the appointment of a ‘Chief Entrepreneurship Officer.’ Genuinely building new business start-ups is a good idea, flooding the economy with new start-ups, too many of which then fail, is not.

“The public sector has an enormous role to play in our economic transformation yet it is barely mentioned in the Scottish Government’s strategy. Neither is there any mention of tax – which is crucial to tackling inequality and raising revenue.

“Paying lip-service to community wealth building and the desire for a well-being economy will not deliver the change needed. If we are serious about economic transformation the Scottish Government must develop a green industrial strategy and invest in our public sector and the local authorities that make our vital services a reality.

“We will continue to engage with Scottish Government both on taking forward the more positive elements and aspirations of this strategy and to ensure the foundational economy is not left behind in Scotland’s economic future.”

HMRC: One million people use extra time to file tax return

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed that more than one million customers filed their late tax returns in February – taking advantage of the extra time to complete their Self Assessment without facing a penalty.

About 12.2 million customers were expected to file a return for the 2020/21 tax year and more than 11.3 million customers submitted theirs by 28 February.

The deadline for submitting tax returns was 31 January but, this year, HMRC gave customers an extra month to complete it. If customers filed their returns in February, they would avoid a late filing penalty.

HMRC has given customers until 1 April to pay their outstanding tax bill or set up a Time to Pay arrangement to avoid receiving a late payment penalty. Interest has been applied to all outstanding balances since 1 February.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “We understand some customers might be worrying about paying their Self Assessment bill this year, and we want to support them.

“To see if you’re eligible to set up a payment plan, go to GOV.UK and search ‘pay my Self Assessment’.”

Lucy Frazer, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: “Today’s stats show how vital the extra month was in supporting the cash flows of more than a million self-employed people and businesses across the UK, helping to ensure their survival as we recover from the pandemic.”

The existing Time to Pay service allows any individual or business who needs it the option to spread their tax payments over time. Self Assessment taxpayers with up to £30,000 of tax debt can do this online once they have filed their return.

If customers owe more than £30,000, or need longer to pay, they should call the Self Assessment Payment Helpline on 0300 200 3822.

Customers can now make Self Assessment payments quickly and securely through the HMRC app. Customers choosing to make secure Self Assessment payments through the HMRC app can either connect to their bank to make their payments or pay by Direct Debit, personal debit card or corporate/commercial credit/debit card.

A full list of the payment methods customers can use to pay their Self Assessment tax bill is available on GOV.UK.

HMRC urges everyone to be alert if they are contacted out of the blue by someone asking for money or personal information.

Customers should always type in the full online address www.gov.uk/hmrc to get the correct link for filing their Self Assessment return online securely and free of charge. HMRC sees high numbers of fraudsters emailing, calling or texting people claiming to be from the department. If you’re in doubt, do not reply directly to anything suspicious, but contact HMRC straight away and search GOV.UK for ‘HMRC scams’.

Granton Information Centre collecting donations for Ukraine

It is difficult to watch the events happening in Ukraine on the news without feeling helpless.

The charity GOCC Edinburgh are organising a collection for Ukrainians in need.

If you are able to help, you are welcome to leave donations of UN-OPENED toiletries, packets of nappies/sanitary products at Granton Information Centre’s office (134-138 West Granton Road, EH5 1PE) tomorrow morning between 9.30 – 12 midday and Thursday morning between 9.30 – 12 midday.

We will ensure all donations are safely delivered to GOCC Edinburgh on Thursday afternoon.

PLEASE NOTE we are only able to accept donations of the items listed above (no clothes, medicines, monetary donations, etc will be accepted at our office).

Additional items can be donated directly at the Foodplus stores mentioned in the flyer (below):

Entries closing soon in search for the UK’s most marvellous moggy

Cat lovers across the UK have less than two weeks left to nominate their furry friend in the biggest feline event of the year – the National Cat Awards.

Run by the charity Cats Protection, the annual event celebrates the nation’s most marvellous moggies, with heart-warming tales of devotion, courage and companionship.

This year’s event also features a new Cat Colleagues category to honour the feline heroes who have helped their owners adjust to working from home, or have made going to work a little easier during the pandemic.

Owners have until noon on Thursday 10 March to nominate their cat in one of four categories:

  • Cat Colleagues – Cats who bring joy to the workplace or make working from home a pleasure
  • Most Caring Cat – Cats that positively impact a person’s health or wellbeing
  • Furr-ever Friends – Tales of friendship between children and cats
  • Outstanding Rescue Cat – Fabulous felines adopted from animal charities

Cats Protection’s Awards organiser Kate Bunting said: “Over the past two years, the UK’s pet cats have played an even more important role in our lives – whether it’s keeping the kids’ company during home schooling, being a companion for people living alone in lockdown or simply being there during times of uncertainty.

“From chilled out cats that provide comfort and support, to the mischievous moggies that make us smile, cats undoubtedly have a special place in the hearts and homes of millions of people. We’re thrilled to once again be hosting our National Cat Awards and are looking forward to sharing many wonderful stories of moggy marvelousness!

“We hope that by celebrating some of the UK’s most incredible cats we’ll inspire more people to consider adopting a cat in 2022.”

Winners will be selected by a panel of celebrity cat lovers before being announced at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Savoy Hotel on 4 August 2022.

The winner of the National Cat of the Year will inherit the title from Minty, a three-legged moggy from Holywell, Wales, who helped six-year-old Connor Raven cope with severe learning difficulties and medical conditions.

To nominate your cat, or for further information about the Awards, log on to www.cats.org.uk/national-cat-awards

To find out more about adopting a cat from Cats Protection, visit:

www.cats.org.uk/adopt-a-cat

Eating everyday ‘Cupboard Heroes’ can save your life

New research from World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) reveals that 97% of Brits already own the foods that could help to prevent cancer

  • Brits who spend the least on their weekly food shop own the most cancer preventative staple foods
  • Nation’s favourite staples revealed as tinned tuna and pasta
  • Nation’s least favourite voted as dried pulses, seeds and tinned carrots

World Cancer Research Fund, the leading authority on cancer prevention, is urging people to look in the back of their cupboards and make heroes of their forgotten basics.

While 40% of cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes including diet, only 10% of Brits realise this, and 7% of people think that no cancers can be prevented.*

However, you don’t need to eat goji berries or other ‘superfoods’ every day to help prevent cancer. The basic foods that often languish in our cupboards can hold the key to improving our health. Even better, most of us already own them.

Respondents were asked to select from a long list of common, nutrient rich staple foods including tinned tomatoes, rice and pulses, that all aligned with one of the charity’s key cancer prevention recommendations: ‘Eat a better diet’. 97% of people owned at least one of these items.

The nation’s most loved staples were revealed as tinned tuna and pasta (both 27%), while the nation’s least loved foods included dried pulses (4%), seeds and tinned carrots (both 6%).


To help people make the most of these ingredients, the charity has developed a Cupboard Heroes recipe generator where people can type in their cupboard (or fridge, or freezer) basics and discover an array of delicious and healthy recipes that can also help reduce the risk of cancer.

Interestingly, the research shows that the majority (42%) of people spend £20-30 per person on their weekly shop. And it’s those who spend under £30pp who were shown to own the most cancer preventative foods, proving that eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to break the bank.


Bestselling author, chef and ambassador for Cancer Prevention Action Week 2022, Phil Vickery, said, “I’m thrilled to be partnered with World Cancer Research Fund to raise awareness of these important findings.

“Eating fuss-free staple foods has so many benefits, particularly in the current context. It’s never too late to change your diet and improve your health and you really can make showstopper meals which are full of flavour using unexpected ingredients.”

Rachael Gormley, CEO of World Cancer Research Fund said, “We have seen the power of prevention first-hand. Healthy eating can often feel unattainable, but our evidence shows we don’t need to rely on heavily marketed, expensive ‘superfoods’.

“Whilst canned, dried and frozen items often get a bad rap, the good news is they are also packed full of vital nutrients and can help to reduce your risk of cancer. This Cancer Prevention Action Week, we wanted to provide people with the tools and information that can help them reduce their cancer risk.

“Our latest research shows that people already have the right ingredients they just need some inspiration to turn them into delicious dishes.”



World Cancer Research Fund’s recipe generator enables people to input up to two basic ingredients and discover an array of nutritious meal ideas at the click of a button.

Recipes include lentil & tuna salad – mixing the nation’s least favourite store cupboard staple with one of its favourites, vegetable pasta bake – a simple and budget conscious option from the charity’s Family Flavours cookbook, and a chickpea & bean casserole.

For all recipes fresh ingredients can also be swapped for tinned.

Find out more at www.wcrf-uk.org/cpaw and watch the campaign video here.

Forth councillor among seven new Non-Executive Directors to join NHS Lothian Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf MSP, announced the appointments of seven new Non-Executive Directors to NHS Lothian Board yesterday.

They are; Nadin Akta, Philip Allenby, Andrew Fleming,  Elizabeth Gordon,  George Gordon,  Peter Knight and Val de Souza.

Mrs Nadin Akta holds a MSc degree in Intercultural Business Communication and TESOL.  Her interests are in cultures, cross cultures, barriers and challenges for ethnic minorities in Scotland and she has a wide knowledge from working with BME communities through her previous jobs in a professional capacity and through volunteering with charitable organisations across the Lothians. 

Nadin previously work with East Lothian Council and other charity organisations as an Integration Coordinator and TESOL Teacher.  More recently, she has been working at the University of Edinburgh as an Outreach and Projects Coordinator for the BME communities in the Lothians.

Mr Philip Allenby is a Scottish Solicitor and Notary Public, with over 20 years’ international legal and business experience.  He was previously Chief Counsel, Governance and Compliance, Europe with BT plc. 

Phil is a lecturer and senior tutor at the University School of Law.  He holds degrees in mathematics, information technology and law.

Mr Andrew Fleming is a retired senior civil servant with experience in designing and delivering strategic improvements across a range of public policy areas, including health, tax collection, justice, community safety, environment and heritage. 

He is currently Convenor of Evaluation Support Scotland – a charity which supports Third Sector organisations to measure their impact.  Andrew has a professional background as a social researcher.

Mrs Elizabeth Gordon spent the first 10 years of her career as a Solicitor in private practice in the occupational pensions team of a large Scottish law firm.  Her time working in this field included many years of significant and complex legal change as the UK Government transformed regulatory protection for members of occupational pension schemes. 

Clients included boards of trustees of UK-wide pension schemes and work involved advising on changes in the law and regulatory compliance, interpretation of trust deeds and pensions aspects of corporate transactions.  Elizabeth then took up a new post, with a wide-ranging remit, managing a large, independent provider of NHS dentistry in Edinburgh and has been there for over 14 years. 

Her focus has always been to ensure that the dental practices provide a service that prioritises safe, high quality NHS patient care and compliance alongside the wellbeing of the clinical team.  Elizabeth looks forward to combining her experience and knowledge acquired in a primary care management setting with the skills developed from her legal education and background.

Mr George Gordon is ‘a longstanding community activist who has instigated and set up numerous groups and organisations within his own community, which has given him a good skill set in the requirements of the local population both in areas of health, wellbeing and services that are vitally important in areas of multi-deprivation and poverty’. 

As the Sustainability Spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council, he has worked tirelessly to ensure long-term benefit in the capital; and as the Disability and Diversity Spokesperson he has ensured that all people are fairly represented and gain the services tailored to their own individual needs, which is in keeping with NHS Lothian’s patient centric goals and aspirations.

I has served (EH? – Ed.)on various NHS Lothian committees in his Local Authority stakeholder member role and looks forward to continuing his work within the Board in highlighting disability issues that affect services and in ensuring that community and citizens are at the heart of all of our services.

Mr Peter Knight has been a leading information professional for NHSScotland for some four decades and brings wide perspectives on the development and use of data in support of decision making. 

His experience has spanned quality of NHS care, future planning, health and social care integration and topics in public health.  He has worked at all levels: directly with clinicians and front-line health and social care professionals through to informing the decision-making of Chief Executives and Chief Officers.

He has had spells in the Scottish Government supporting the development of health and social care policy, monitoring NHS performance and advising Ministers. Latterly, his interests have included older people services and the development of information in social care and primary care.

Peter is shortly to retire from NHS employment.

Mrs Val de Souza is a Social Worker by profession and has held a number of senior leadership roles in health, social care and social work in Scotland. She spent the last 5 years as Chief Officer for South Lanarkshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), and Director of Social Services, working across NHS Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Council. 

In these roles Val was responsible for community health services, primary care, palliative care, allied health professionals and social work services.  Prior to this she was acting Chief Officer for Stirling and Clackmannanshire HSCP and the Chief Social Work Officer for these two local authorities, which included responsibility for two national prisons, Glenochil and Cortonvale. 

Val was instrumental in introducing and implementing the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 and continues to have a keen interest in all aspects of Public Protection and social justice.  With over 30 years’ experience of strategic and operational management she is committed to promoting interagency collaboration and multidisciplinary working. 

She is a graduate of University College Dublin, and holds postgraduate qualifications from the Universities of Edinburgh and Robert Gordon Business School.  Val has recently been appointed Chair of the Bairns Hoose, and is a professional adviser for Positive Help, an Edinburgh based charity supporting child and families affected by HIV and Hepatitis C.

They new directors ‘will play an important role in helping to set the strategic direction of NHS Lothian as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and remobilise our services’.

By providing purposeful scrutiny and assurance on the decisions the Board makes, Non-Executive Directors ensure the Executive Leadership Team is held to account and supported to manage risks to the quality, deliverability and sustainability of service. They are also important in giving public confidence that the Board acts in the best interests of patients and the public.

Appointment

The appointments for Mrs Nadin Akta, Mrs Elizabeth Gordon, Mr Peter Knight and Mrs Val de Souza will be for three years and will run from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

Mr Philip Allenby’s appointment will be for four years and will run from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026.

Mr Andrew Fleming’s appointment will be for four years and will run from 11 April 2022 to 10 April 2026.

Mr George Gordon’s appointment will be for three years and will run from 16 May 2022 to 15 May 2025.

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The appointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £8,930 per annum for a time commitment of one day per week.

Other ministerial appointments

Mr George Gordon is the Edinburgh City Council Local Authority member on the NHS Lothian Board, for which he receives a remuneration of £8,930 per annum for a time commitment of one day per week. Mr Gordon will be standing down from this role on 30th April 2022.

Mrs Val de Souza is Chair of Bairns Hoose, for which she receives a daily rate of £300 for a time commitment of four days per month.

Mrs Nadin Akta, Mr Philip Allenby, Mr Andrew Fleming, Mrs Elizabeth Gordon and Mr Peter Knight do not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. 

However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. 

Mr George Gordon holds the position of Scottish National Party (SNP) councillor for the Forth Ward. In administration in the city of Edinburgh, he has spoken on behalf of the party and council.

Mr Peter Knight has leafleted and canvassed for the Scottish Labour Party and attended the count for the 2019 General Election on behalf of Edinburgh North and Leith Constituency Labour Party.

Mrs Nadin Akta, Mr Philip Allenby, Mr Andrew Fleming, Mrs Elizabeth Gordon and Mrs Val de Souza have had no political activity within the last five years.

Purrito Fosters CAT-tlebell Challenge

Edinburgh based network Purrito Fosters foster rescue kitties to then find them happy adoptive families.

While in our care we cover any costs, including vet costs such as emergency care and spaying. At the moment we are struggling financially and so two of our volunteers are doing a kettlebell challenge to try and raise some funds.

The Just Giving page is:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/avril-brown

Healthy Heart Tip: Making Healthy Pancakes

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, occurs 47 days before Easter Sunday and this year it will take place on 1st March.

Traditionally, pancakes are made with flour, eggs and milk and they are fried in butter or oil. Whether you prefer your pancakes with a savoury or sweet filling, there are numerous recipes to choose from online and in cookbooks.

In this tip, we guide you in how to prepare healthy pancakes and choose a tasty and nutritious filling. We also provide a healthy pancake recipe that you might want to try out.

Choose a fibre-rich flour

  • By switching from white flour to wholemeal flour for your pancake recipe, you can increase the amount of heart-healthy fibre in your pancakes. You could blitz some high fibre, cholesterol-lowering porridge oats in a food processor to create tasty oat pancakes (see our recipe below).   

Choose a heart-healthy oil

  • Some people like to fry their pancakes in butter, however, butter is high in saturated fats which can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. We recommend choosing an unsaturated oil, such as rapeseed, vegetable or sunflower oil. Fats and oils are high in calories and should be consumed in small amounts. Make sure you add just enough oil to coat the base of the frying pan and you can remove excess oil with kitchen paper, before heating the pan.

Choose a healthy filling

  • Some of the most popular pancake fillings, such as sugar, syrups, chocolate, cream, bacon and cheese, can be high in fat or sugar. Look for healthier options, such as fruit and low-fat yogurt with chopped nuts and no added sugar, or smoked salmon, spinach and low-fat cream cheese. 

RECIPE:

Oat pancakes with raspberry & pear compote and toasted walnuts

Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients:
100g porridge oats
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon plus a little extra to sprinkle on before serving
1 orange, finely zested and juiced
1 egg, lightly whisked with a fork
120ml oat milk or skimmed cow’s milk
100g frozen berries, such as raspberries
1 pear, diced into 1cm pieces
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tbsp low-fat crème fraiche or fat-free Greek yogurt
20g walnut pieces, toasted in a dry frying pan and chopped
Mint leaves to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Start by making the pancake mixture. Blitz the oats in a food processor for a couple of minutes until they resemble a course, powdery flour and pour into a large bowl. Add the baking powder, 1tsp cinnamon and the orange zest, and mix the ingredients together. Make a well in the middle of the oats, add the egg and milk and mix until you have a thick batter. Cover and leave in the fridge until you are ready to make the pancakes.
  2. Make the fruit compote by putting the juice from 1 orange in a saucepan with the raspberries and chopped pear and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pear is soft. Leave to cool.
  3. Make the pancakes by heating half the rapeseed oil in the frying pan. Pour a sixth of the pancake mixture into the pan and spread it out to make a small pancake. Cook over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Flip the pancake and cook for a further 2 mins. Repeat until you have 6 small pancakes.
  4. Stack 2 or 3 pancakes on individual serving plates, pour over the fruit and put a spoonful of low-fat crème fraiche or fat-free Greek yogurt on the top. Sprinkle with the chopped, toasted walnuts and a little cinnamon and garnish with mint leaves (optional).

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

‘Significant health inequalities persist’

Latest Health Inequalities statistics published

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today announced the publication of the latest Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities report.

The report includes a range of indicators selected in order to monitor health inequalities over time. These indicators include: healthy life expectancy, premature mortality, all-cause mortality, baby birthweight and a range of morbidity and mortality indicators relating to alcohol, cancer, coronary heart disease and drug use. The report investigates both absolute and relative inequalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have had an impact on the most recent data for most indicators included in this report. Where there has been analysis undertaken to assess the impact of the pandemic that is relevant to a specific indicator the details have been included in the corresponding chapter.

MAIN FINDINGS

With the exception of the healthy birthweight indicator, significant health inequalities persist for each indicator covered in the report.

Changes in the gap between the most and least deprived areas in Scotland

For a number of indicators, absolute inequalities (the gap between the most and least deprived areas) have narrowed over the longer term:

  • Heart attack hospital admissions (aged under 75 years) – the gap in 2020 (63.2 per 100,000 population) is the lowest it has been since 2008 (58.4 per 100,000). The reduction in the gap between 2019 and 2020 has been driven by a 7% decrease in admissions in the most deprived areas and an increase of 13% in the least deprived areas.
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths (aged 45-74 years) – the current gap is 47% lower than at the start of the time series (185.4 per 100,000 in 2020 compared to 347.3 per 100,000 in 1997). However, between 2019 and 2020 the CHD mortality rate increased in both the most and least deprived areas (by 14% and 40% respectively).
  • Alcohol-related admissions (aged under 75 years) – the gap was widest at the start of the time series in 1996 (613.0 per 100,000) and reduced to its lowest level in 2020 (322.0 per 100,000). Between 2019 and 2020 the rate of admissions decreased in both the most and least deprived areas (by 14% and 10% respectively). It is possible that this reduction is a result of hospital admissions policies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Alcohol-specific deaths (aged 45-74 years) – the gap has reduced from a peak of 184.7 per 100,000 in 2002 to 71.8 per 100,000 in 2020, the lowest in the time series.
  • Low birthweight – the absolute gap in 2020 was 3.4 percentage points, the lowest it has been since 2013 (3.2 percentage points).

The gap in healthy life expectancy for males has increased since the start of the time series, from 22.5 years in 2013-2015 to 23.7 years in 2018-2020.

The gap in premature mortality rates increased to its highest point since 2004 (680.4 per 100,000 in 2020 and 683.2 per 100,000 in 2004), although the gap remains lower than at the start of the time series (648.7 per 100,000 in 1997).

In 2020 the absolute gap in cancer deaths was the highest it’s been since 2015 at 353.7 per 100,000.

Whilst the gap for all-cause mortality (aged 15-44) reduced to its lowest level in 2013 (159.6 per 100,000), it has shown an overall increase since then and was 241.1 per 100,000 in 2020.

The gap for drug-related hospital admissions has increased overall since the start of the time series to reach a high of 696.1 per 100,000 in 2019/20 before falling slightly to 625.1 per 100,000 in 2020/21. This decrease may be due to hospital admission policies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the other indicators in the report, there has either been little change or long-term trends in the absolute gap are less clear:

  • Healthy life expectancy for females
  • Cancer incidence

Relative inequalities

The relative index of inequality (RII) indicates the extent to which health outcomes are worse in the most deprived areas compared to the average throughout Scotland. It is possible for absolute inequalities to improve, but relative inequalities to worsen.

There are three morbidity indicators for which the RII can reasonably be compared with one another: alcohol-related hospital admissions; heart attack hospital admissions; and cancer incidence.

Amongst these, relative inequalities in alcohol-related hospital admissions have remained highest over the longer term, though they have been decreasing. Relative inequalities in heart attack admissions have increased in recent years and cancer incidence inequalities have remained relatively stable.

Amongst the three comparable mortality indicators (CHD deaths, alcohol-specific deaths and cancer deaths), relative inequalities in both CHD and cancer deaths have increased over the long term whilst the RII in alcohol-specific deaths have shown more year to year fluctuation and are currently lower than at the start of the time series (2.02 vs 1.80). However, relative inequalities in alcohol-specific deaths remain higher than the other comparable mortality indicators.

Of the other indicators in the report, the two indicators relating to mortality (premature mortality for those aged under 75 and all-cause mortality for those aged 15-44) and healthy life expectancy for males and females have all shown increases in relative inequality over time.

Full statistical publication

long-term-monitoring-health-inequalitiesDownload