Eating disorders and body image issues were the sixth most common concern brought up by children and young people in Scotland contacting Childline last year (April 2022 – March 2023), with 273 counselling sessions carried out on the issue.
Childline, the counselling service run by the NSPCC, has also revealed that 40 per cent of counselling sessions with children across the UK about these issues took place in the summer months (June to September).
There are number of factors that make the summer holiday a particularly tricky time for young people struggling with their body image or relationship with food.
For some, the prospect of wearing clothing which shows more of their body can make them feel under pressure to look a certain way, lose weight or change their appearance.
This pressure can be reinforced by content they are exposed to online that makes them feel negatively about the way they way look.
At Childline, there is always someone to talk to. Our counsellors are there to listen and offer support and advice every day of the year on 0800 11111 or at www.childline.org.uk
Every state school in England now has a defibrillator with 20,376 devices delivered to 17,862 schools
The government has confirmed that all state-funded schools in England now have a life-saving defibrillator, drastically increasing the chances of surviving cardiac arrest for all state school pupils in England.
Following the government’s £19 million rollout, over 20,000 defibrillators have successfully been delivered to almost 18,000 schools since January.
In June, the Department for Education oversaw the successful completion of deliveries of defibrillators to secondary schools. Now, all eligible primary, special and alternative provision schools who did not already have a defibrillator have received deliveries, boosting their numbers in communities across the country.
Today’s milestone marks another step in the government’s commitment to delivering stronger, safer communities across the country.
In July 2022, the government committed to delivering these devices before the end of the 2022 to 2023 academic year to ensure that all state funded schools in England had access to a defibrillator, following the campaigning from Mark King of the Oliver King Foundation to ensure all schools have a defibrillator.
Mark tragically lost his son, Oliver, after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest at school during a swimming lesson when he was 12-years-old.
Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan said: “Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.
“Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King, Jamie Carragher and Nicola Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has access to a defibrillator.
“Teachers and pupils across the country can now be reassured that they will have access to one on school grounds should tragedy strikes.”
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, said: ““Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.
“Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King and Jamie Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has one of these potentially life-saving machines.
“So however rare these events are, teachers, parents and pupils across the country can now be reassured they will have access to a defibrillator on school grounds, should the worst happen.”
Oliver King Foundation founder, Mark King: “We as a family and foundation will continue to strive for change so no other family has to suffer as we are.
“We would like to say a massive thank you to Nadhim Zahawi, Lord Stuart Polak, Jamie Carragher and the DfE for helping us aim for legislation. Oliver’s memory will live on and lives will be saved.”
Large schools have been provided with 2 or more defibrillators so that they can be strategically placed in areas of the schools where a cardiac arrest is more likely, such as sports halls.
A defibrillator is a machine that is placed externally on the body and is used to give an electric shock when a person is in cardiac arrest i.e. when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. Prompt defibrillation can help save a person’s life.
The government is also supporting schools in making defibrillators available to the community, with 1,200 external heated defibrillator cabinets being provided to primary and special schools by the end of 2023 in areas of deprivation, where provision is generally lower.
The rollout will build on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with secondary school pupils being taught life-saving methods such as CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. This rollout will help protect schools and their local communities against cardiac arrest, delivering wider access to these devices.
New intensive care model for the highest risk pre-term babies
Three specialist intensive care neonatal units for babies born at highest risk will be based in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Care for babies born at less than 27 weeks, lighter than 800 grams or who need complex life support, will be provided by Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) at Aberdeen Maternity Unit, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
The new model of neonatal intensive care was recommended by The Best Start Report and is based on evidence that care for babies at highest risk is safest in units which can treat a high volume of patients.
Neonatal units in Ninewells in Dundee, Princess Royal Maternity in Glasgow, Wishaw General, Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy and Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock will continue as local neonatal units to provide neonatal care for their populations.
Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “These three Neonatal Intensive Care Units will offer the most specialist and complex care in fewer centres for the most pre-term and sickest babies.
“Local neonatal units will continue to offer care to babies who need it, including a level of neonatal intensive care, and no neonatal units are closing as part of these plans. This decision has been made in line with advice from expert clinicians.
“I would like to thank all of those who have worked with us to look at how we can best deliver the changes recommended by the Best Start Report and will offer increased care for those who need it most, before they are able to return to one of our other excellent local neonatal units across the country.”
Lesley Jackson, Clinical Lead for the Scottish Neonatal Network and a Consultant Neonatologist in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ““I very much welcome this change to the provision of neonatal intensive care, which will enable clinical teams to deliver the best outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies born in Scotland.
“The neonatal community is committed to working collaboratively to deliver the new model of neonatal care for our patients and families.”
Caroline Lee-Davey, Bliss Chief Executive said: ““At Bliss, we believe the proposed changes have the potential to improve the quality of neonatal services in Scotland, as well as improve the care provided to babies and their families.
“Reconfiguring services will help to make sure that the smallest and sickest babies requiring highly specialist intensive care every year will receive the best and safest care at a unit fully equipped for their needs.
“It is crucial for parents to be by their baby’s side in hospital, playing a hands-on role as partners in care with the medical team. When babies have to be transferred further from home to receive the best care, appropriate support must be provided to enable their parents to be at their cot side as much as possible, including through the Young Patients Family Fund, which enables families to claim financial assistance to support them during their baby’s neonatal stay.”
NEW polling reveals 1 in 2 workers feel that work is getting more intense and demanding
“Gruelling” work intensity is a growing problem in “burnt out Britain”, with workers reporting that they are working harder and longer now compared to previous years, the TUC has warned.
The TUC says increasing work intensity means workers are having to pack more work into working hours – with work often spilling over into their private lives.
The warning comes as the union body releases new polling, conducted by Thinks Insight (formerly Britain Thinks) which reveals:
More than 1 in 2 (55%) workers feel that work is getting more intense and demanding.
And 3 in 5 (61%) workers say they feel exhausted at the end of most working days.
The polling also reveals workers feel the situation is getting worse. Compared to the previous year (2021):
More than a third of workers (36%) are spending more time outside of contracted hours reading, sending and answering emails.
1 in 3 (32%) are spending more time outside of contracted hours doing core work activities.
4 in 10 (40%) say they have been required do more work in the same amount of time
4 in 10 (38%) say they are feeling more stressed at work
The TUC says women face greater work intensity than men.
The polling shows that compared to men, women are more likely to say they feel exhausted at the end of most working days (67% to 56%) and that work is getting more intense (58% to 53%).
Women are overrepresented in sectors such as education and health and social care. These are sectors where staff shortages and other factors, such as burdensome scrutiny and long working hours, have led to increased work intensification.
And women continue to shoulder most of the caring responsibilities at home, which can further add to time-pressures on them.
Burnt-out Britain
Recent TUC analysis revealed UK employers claimed £26 billion of free labour last year because of workers doing unpaid overtime.
3.5 million people did unpaid overtime in 2022, putting in an average of 7.4 unpaid hours a week.
As well as being detrimental to family life, long term-ill health conditions caused by overwork include hypertension and cardiovascular disease, digestive problems, and long-term effects on the immune system, increasing risk of causing autoimmune disease diagnoses.
When workers are tired, or under excessive pressure, they are also more likely to suffer injury, or be involved in an accident.
Perfect storm
The TUC says there are several factors are combining to create a “perfect storm” for work intensity. This includes:
Surveillance technology and algorithmic management: Algorithmically set productivity targets can be unrealistic and unsustainable – forcing people to work at high speed. Algorithmic management can also force workers to work faster through constant monitoring, including monitoring the actions they perform and their productivity.
Staff shortages: Low pay, excessive workloads and a lack of good flexible work are key drivers of the staffing crisis. Staff shortages put huge strain on those who remain as they try to plug the gaps, fuelling excessive workloads and long-working hours. This undermines the quality of our public services, and leads to high attrition and absenteeism rates, worsening the workload crisis.
Inadequate enforcement of working time regulations: The working time regulations contain important rights for workers which could help safeguard against work intensification and the consequential health and safety risks, but enforcement of these rights is inadequate. This is in part down to lack of resources for enforcement agencies. The Health and Safety Executive, which is responsible for enforcement of the maximum weekly working time limits, night work limits and health assessments for night work, has had its budget slashed in half over the past decade.
Decline in collective bargaining: Industrial changes have combined with anti-union legislation to make it much harder for people to come together in trade unions to speak up together at work. This decline in collective bargaining coverage has led to less union negotiation around work organisation, resulting in work intensification.
Ministers are currently looking to water down rules on how working time is recorded by employers in the UK, which they could impose using powers in the controversial REUL (Retained EU Law) Act.
This could significantly weaken our already-inadequate enforcement system even further, making it more difficult for labour market inspectors to prove non-compliance.
Action needed
The TUC says ministers must take urgent action to tackle burnt out Britain, including:
Introduce a new right to disconnect to ensure workers get a proper rest break away from work and make sure that work doesn’t encroach upon a worker’s home life.
Strengthen enforcement of working time regulations – that means funding the HSE properly and ditching proposed changes to how working time is recorded.
Fix the public sector recruitment and retention crisis, bringing down excessive workloads and dangerously unsafe staffing levels, delivering year-on-year fully-funded pay rises and making improvements to working conditions.
Make flexible working a genuine legal right from the first day in a job. People should have the right to work flexibly from day one, unless the employer can properly justify why this is not possible. Workers should have the right to appeal any rejections. And there shouldn’t be a limit on how many times you can ask for flexible working arrangements in a year.
Promote collective bargaining to make it easier for unions to speak withand represent workers – including broadening the scope of collective bargaining rights to include work organisation, the introduction of new technologies, and the nature and level of staffing.
Introduce to statutory duty to consult trade unions before an employer introduces the use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making systems. This would ensure that both the employer and worker can benefit from the introduction of new technologies and that productivity gains lead to decent pay rises for workers.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “No one should be pushed to the brink because of their job.
“Gruelling hours, pace and expectations at work are growing problems up and down the country. This is a recipe for burnt out Britain.
“Chronic staff shortages, intrusive surveillance tech and poor enforcement of workers’ rights have all combined to create a perfect storm.
“It’s little wonder that so many feel exhausted at the end of their working day.
“It’s time to tackle ever-increasing work-intensity. That means strengthening enforcement so that workers can effectively exercise their rights.
“It means introducing a right to disconnect to let workers properly switch off outside of working hours.
“And it means making sure workers and unions are properly consulted on the use of AI and surveillance tech, and ensuring they are protected from punishing ways of working.”
On public sector overtime and the recruitment crisis, Paul added: “Public sector workers can’t keep going on gratitude alone. Staff are getting burnt out and leaving public services in droves.
“It’s time ministers got serious about fixing the recruitment crisis blighting our NHS, our schools and our public services.”
It’s seven days before millions of non-barcoded Royal Mail stamps become invalid, and the UK’s Greeting Card Association is asking Brits to use one of those stamps this week to change someone’s life.
Before the 31 July expiration date, the GCA, which is proud to represent many local high street card retailers, is encouraging people this week to make a ‘card commitment’, using one of those stamps to bring the power of thoughtfulness to someone who really needs it.
“Sending and exchanging cards promotes wellbeing and mental health, lighting up the life of recipients and senders alike,” said GCA chief executive officer Amanda Fergusson.
“What’s more that simple act nurtures local independent businesses on the high streets we all love, supports local charities and organisations in the communities we care for and helps protect the Royal Mail delivery service we all treasure.
“The use of an expiring stamp next week to connect with someone who would love to know you’re in their thoughts, would be a small act that may have an incredible impact,” added Amanda.
The GCA will encourage Brits making a #Cardmitment this week to share their card-sending stories on the GCA’s Instagram site and social media feeds of its 500 members – from small high street card retailers to some of the largest publishers in a creative industry worth over £1.5bn to the UK economy.
The altruistic act of sending a card can be powerful, reducing the sender and recipient’s negativity, stress and loneliness, and promoting positive mental health.
Sending greeting cards can be a way to spread kindness and positivity, and doing so makes the sender and recipient feel connected, and better about themselves.
The suggestion marks the beginning of a significant GCA #Cardmitment campaign that, over the coming months, will highlight how powerful the simple, British act of sending a card can be to individuals, communities and society.
Public invited to step forward to community roles after post-covid decline
SCOTLAND’S national walking charity has encouraged Edinburgh locals to become Volunteer Walk Leaders to lead Health Walks in the area.
Paths for All supports a network of more than 800 short, social, and accessible low-level walks which are led by trained volunteers.
However, since the end of the global pandemic, the charity has recorded a decline in Walk Leaders throughout Scotland.
The Stirling-based organisation has launched a recruitment campaign to tackle the shortage and encourage Scot’s up and down the country to become volunteers in the Scottish Health Walk Network.
Kevin Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer of Paths for All, said: “Walk Leaders are the most integral part of a Health Walk and the time and care they give to the local communities they serve is extremely valuable.
“Health Walk Volunteers help to support the health and wellbeing of local people by providing a safe, fun and friendly space for people to be active, socialise and enjoy the outdoors. But volunteers experience many benefits too – exercise, getting outside and a having a good blether, all while helping others.
“Training is provided so volunteers feel confident and ready to lead the walks, for all ages and abilities, in their communities.”
Individuals who are looking to give back to their community, enjoy the outdoors and keeping active, or are already part of a Health Walk are encouraged to apply.
Charlotte Mackenzie, Health Walks Project Manager for Highland Third Sector Interface helps to coordinate over 200 walkers across 30 Health Walks across the Highlands.
She said: “Health Walk Leaders are the backbone of Walking Groups. For many individuals, particularly those who live in remote communities, being part of a Health Walk can be the highlight of their week making it extremely important that Health Walk Leaders are there to guide and arrange regular outings.
“Being a Walk Leader has so many benefits. I often ask the leaders I work with what they find to be the best part of their role and the feedback is normally very similar; they feel a positive change in their mental health, confidence as well as their self-esteem- which is fantastic.
“For anyone considering becoming a Health Walk Leader, I would highly recommend it. Not only will you see so many benefits for yourself but it’s great opportunity to have a positive effect on your local community. “
Paths for All has a clear and simple aim, which is to get Scotland walking: everyone, every day, everywhere. Walking outdoors is a fantastic way to boost your mood, clear your head and benefit from fresh air in local parks and greenspaces.
Plans to boost UK employment through widening access to high-quality health support in the workplace are being unveiled today by the Westminster Government
Ministers are urging employers to do more to keep workers healthy and reduce the numbers out of work due to long-term sickness
Consultation launching on measures to increase employer uptake and widen reach of Occupational Health
Plans include a new standard for businesses to adopt to boost health in the workplace
Better workplace support expected to grow the economy and tackle inactivity by improving productivity and preventing health-related job losses
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are today publishing a consultation on ways to increase uptake of Occupational Health provision.
Employers will be encouraged to take up Occupational Health offers to help employees access vital mental and physical health support at work, particularly for those working in small and medium-sized enterprises.
These proposals include introducing a national “health at work” standard for all employers to provide a baseline for quality Occupational Health provision, which includes guidance, an option to pursue accreditation, and additional government support services – for example outreach workers to support SMEs to meet the standards.
It also seeks views on developing longer-term workforce capacity to help meet any increased demand for Occupational Health services in the future by:
Encouraging NHS leavers or those who are considering a career change to pivot towards the Occupational Health specialism
Developing a longer-term, multi-disciplinary workforce to provide Occupational Health services
The consultation will also ask employers to share their examples of good Occupational Health provision to help inform other businesses and encourage them to provide the same.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, said: “This Government is investing billions in getting people back to work and growing the economy. We need employers to keep playing their part too.
“Healthy businesses need healthy workers – employers will benefit from higher retention rates, more productive workers, and fewer work days lost due to sickness. Improving health in the workplace is a vital piece of the puzzle in our drive to increase employment.”
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, said: “Long-term sickness is a huge contributor to economic inactivity, and while of course some people are unable to work, better accommodation of health problems in the workplace will open up a wider workforce to employers and support employees with a range of needs.
“Many small and medium-sized business owners already invest significantly in the health and wellbeing of their workforce, but this will be a gamechanger in identifying and removing obstacles to people with health conditions starting, staying and succeeding in work.”
To also help keep people in work, the government will today also publish a separate consultation looking at options to increase investment in Occupational Health services by UK wide employers through the tax system.
This follows its announcement at the Spring Budget where it committed to consult on incentivising greater provision of Occupational Health through the tax system.
The government wants to explore the case for providing additional tax relief to businesses on their Occupational Health costs.
In particular, the consultation asks respondents for their experiences of providing Occupational Health, including what services they provide and any barriers they experience. It also asks for evidence on the effectiveness of existing tax incentives and asks respondents for their views on the merits of expanding the existing Benefit-in-Kind relief, and thoughts on any alternative tax incentives.
Tax reliefs on Benefits-in-Kind are already available for certain occupational health services. This consultation will test if expanding these reliefs or introducing new ones could be an effective lever to achieve greater Occupational Health provision, as well as thoughts on any alternative tax incentives. The consultation will determine if expanding tax incentives is an appropriate measure to boost Occupational Health provision.
This is all a key component of the measures in the 2023 Spring Budget to grow labour market participation, reduce economic inactivity and get more people into work. The Department is helping millions to return to work with inactivity falling by 360,000 since the peak of the pandemic.
Long-term sickness is currently the main reason people of working-age give for being economically inactive, but just under half of workers have access to Occupational Health services. Over 90% of large employers offer Occupational Health support, compared to under a fifth of small ones.
Occupational Health provision can help employers provide work-based support to manage their employees’ health conditions, leading to better retention and return-to-work prospects, and improving business productivity, which can be adversely impacted by sickness absence.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay said: “High quality Occupational Health support in more workplaces would not only help to reduce economic inactivity, but it can lead to a healthier, happier workforce.
“The individual health benefits are clear and by focusing on preventative measures, we can reduce the burden on the NHS and help to bring waiting lists down, which is one of the government’s top priorities.”
Angela Rowntree, Occupational Health Physician for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “At John Lewis Partnership we are moving away from reactively managing sickness to proactively supporting our Partners’ health and wellbeing at work.
“Our founder, Spedan Lewis understood this when he launched an in-house health service for all Partners in 1929 – nearly 20 years before the NHS was established – and we’re proud to be part of his legacy today, providing advice and support to help our Partners achieve their potential in the workplace.
“We welcome this new focus on ensuring other businesses and their employees are able to access better workplace health.”
The Occupational Health consultation will run until 23:59 on Thursday 12 October .
Around 14,000 children living in deprived areas will have access to more outdoor play opportunities in their local communities, thanks to over half a million in funding from the Scottish Government.
More than 30 charities providing local outdoor play initiatives for children will receive a share of £550,000 to expand their projects.
Edinburgh charities receiving a share of the fund in 2023-24 are:
Bridgend Farmhouse – £15,540.00
Canongate Youth – £9,452.10
North Edinburgh Arts – £14,504.70
Smart Play Network – £14,374.50
YMCA Edinburgh SCIO – £13,778.10
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre – £5,783.21 (below)
The Venchie Children and Young People’s Project – £15,424.50
The Outdoor Community Play Fund will support children and families through the year, including during the school holidays.
Children’s Minister Natalie Don announced the funding during a visit to Renfrew YMCA – one of the 32 charities to receive funding.
Ms Don said: “Outdoor play has an incredibly positive impact on our children’s mental health, wellbeing and confidence. It can teach them how to solve problems, assess risks, boost their physical activity and provide opportunities to meet and interact with others.
“However, options for children to play safely outdoors can be limited, especially for children in deprived areas. At a time when families are struggling with the cost of living crisis, it is even more essential that we provide this vital support to ensure there are outdoor play options available, free of charge, for families across Scotland.
“I am looking forward to seeing how this fund will help grow outdoor community play projects and I am proud that this Scottish Government investment will benefit thousands of children living in our most deprived communities.”
Inspiring Scotland Director of Funds Julia Abel said: “All children have the right to play – not only is it vital for their mental health and wellbeing, but is also supports children to learn social and emotional skills while boosting their physical activity.
“We want to make outdoor play accessible for all children in Scotland. Last year, the programme expanded to include more sessions for children and families with additional support needs.
“The beauty of outdoor community play is that it’s child-led, enabling children to use their creativity and imagination to develop their own ways to have fun, overcome barriers, while teaching life-enhancing skills that will make positive effects all the way into adulthood.”
Disabled people are more at risk of having to make the difficult decision between heating and eating
Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic disabled workers faced huge barriers getting into and staying in work (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK).
The pandemic, and the huge changes it has caused to our everyday lives, has exacerbated the barriers disabled people face.
Not only have disabled people been disproportionately affected in terms of loss of life, with six in 10 Covid-19 related deaths being disabled people, but pre-existing workplace barriers have been accentuated by the pandemic.
And now, new data published by the TUC for our disabled workers conference shows disabled workers are much more likely to earn less than non-disabled workers.
That’s not right.
Having an impairment should never mean you get paid less or that you’re on worse terms and conditions. However, for too many disabled workers in this country, it is an all too true reality.
With spiralling inflation and eye watering bills, workers are having their income stretched in every direction. But for disabled people, the situation is even more challenging.
Let’s not forget – disabled workers face even higher living costs than non-disabled workers. So as the cost-of-living crisis continues to play havoc with everyone’s lives, we know that these workers are feeling the pinch even more.
But the challenges don’t end there.
Disabled workers also encounter more barriers in the workplace than non-disabled colleagues – with many worried that if they ask their employer for the reasonable adjustments they need to do their job, they’ll be refused outright.
New TUC analysis reveals disabled workers are much more likely to be paid less than their non-disabled colleagues – with those in the North of England and Wales even more likely to be paid less.
And we know that disabled people are more at risk of having to make the difficult decision between heating and eating.
With this cost-of-living crisis not looking like it’s going to end any time soon, things are only going to get worse. We need action now.
With the government too focused on its own political survival, ministers have done nothing to put the mind of disabled workers at ease.
Our call is clear: It’s time to end the pay disparity that penalises disabled workers and it’s time disabled workers get the support they need in the workplace.
At the TUC’s disabled workers conference, we heard from delegates about how the cost-of-living crisis is hitting disabled workers across the country. And we heard how we can build workplaces that work for everyone.
That means stamping out insecure work by banning zero-hour contracts, increasing the minimum wage and outlawing fire and rehire.
That means giving disabled workers fair access to request reasonable adjustments, and fining those employers who discriminate against workers because of any impairment.
And that means forcing employers to come with an action plan to report their disability pay and employment gaps.
This is a plan which will deliver and transform the lives of so many disabled workers across the country.
