Day: October 30, 2016

Run the London Marathon and help Scotland’s animals

sspca-image-alison-macbeth

Miss out on a ballot space for the London Marathon? Sign up to a charity space and help animals in Scotland! The Scottish SPCA is offering runners the opportunity of a lifetime to experience one of the world’s largest running events while supporting Scotland’s unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.

With the ballot for the race closed, this could be the final chance for people to take part.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity is inviting local people to take up the challenge of running 26.2 miles while making a real difference to the lives of animals.

Alison Macbeth from Newton Mearns, who recently took part in the Loch Ness Marathon in September, has already signed up to the London Marathon in April to help save animals like her beloved dog Oatis.

Alison (pictured above) said, “Oatis was found as a stray with a badly deformed back leg and was in a terrible state.

“I’m looking forward to running the London marathon for the Scottish SPCA as I’m so grateful to them for saving my dog’s life.

“The Scottish SPCA nursed him back to health although sadly he had to have his back leg amputated.

“Oatis is now incredibly fit and healthy and loves nothing more than swimming at the beach and chasing his ball. We cannot imagine life without him.”

Balerno Centre Manager, Diane Aitchison, said, “We have a huge amount of respect for anyone who sets themselves the goal of training for and running a marathon, as it’s a massive achievement.

“By taking part in fundraising events like this, people are helping us to care for more unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.

“We don’t receive any government or lottery funding which means we rely on the public to be able to continue our work rescuing and rehoming animals in desperate need of our help.

“Anyone who takes a Scottish SPCA charity place at the London Marathon will be helping save lives.”

For further information on the Virgin London Marathon 2017 please call the Scottish SPCA’s fundraising team on 03000 999 999 (option 4), email fundraising@scottishspca.org or visit the website: https://www.scottishspca.org/events/london-marathon-2016/

 

ENDS

Dream of a white Christmas … but plan for a cold one

·         Many people in are Edinburgh hoping for a sprinkling of snow this festive season, but aren’t actually ready for extreme weather

·         Almost one third of people don’t check that their central heating is working ahead of the winter months

·         Almost three-quarters don’t insulate their pipes and one in 10 don’t know how to bleed a radiator

PrincesStSnow

With the clocks going back and the countdown to winter weather under way, new research has revealed that more than 50 per cent of people in Edinburgh are pinning their hopes on a white Christmas this year – but many are not really prepared for a cold snap.

The survey found one third of people don’t check their central heating is working before it’s time to turn it on, and almost half fail to get their boiler serviced ahead of winter, leaving them open to a potential Christmas disaster.

According to the research by Scottish Gas, 25 per cent of people in Scotland have had to endure a cold shower in the past five years and more than half have gone without heating for more than a day* because of a breakdown at home.

Scottish Gas engineers in Edinburgh are urging people to check their homes before the cold really sets in and get themselves snow-ready as temperatures are set to dip below four degrees.

Martin O’Neill, Customer Service Director at Scottish Gas, said: “Our top priority is to keep our customers’ homes and businesses warm, safe and working during the winter months. As the UK prepares for a cold snap, our engineers are on standby to help if anything goes wrong.”

Danny Stuart, a Scottish Gas engineer in Edinburgh, said: “Our top priority is to help keep our customers’ homes and businesses warm, safe and working during the winter months, and as the UK prepares for a cold snap, our engineers are already on standby if anything goes wrong.

“Simple things, like blocking draughts to stop heat escaping, or bleeding your radiators, can help keep your home warm, yet our research shows that very few people actually do them to prepare for the winter months. It’s things like this that can really make the difference in getting your home snow-ready, so everyone can focus on enjoying that white Christmas they’ve been hoping for!

“To avoid even bigger problems, getting your boiler serviced annually can help detect issues, so is really worth looking into now, before the winter weather takes hold.”

Last winter, Scottish Gas completed nearly 200,000 plumbing jobs, and with meteorologists predicting a cold snap this November, its engineers are expecting to visit more than 70,000 homes in the next week.

Getting snow-ready 

Scottish Gas engineers have some smart, simple advice on how to prepare homes and businesses for colder snaps and help protect against potential costly damage as a result of burst pipes, damaged water tanks or overflowing gutters. 

  1. Love your boiler: Check to make sure that your boiler is working properly before winter sets in. The older your boiler, the more inefficient it will be. If you have a pressure gauge, make sure the boiler is at the right pressure and top up as necessary.
  1. Wrap up your water tank and insulate hot water: The materials can be purchased from most DIY stores and help to conserve heat and save you money.
  1. Insulate your pipes: Burst pipes are a huge issue during winter months. To help prevent burst pipes, ensure all pipes are properly insulated by using lagging, which can be bought cheaply from most DIY shops.

 

Government sets out five year plan to tackle hospital infections

RIE Simpsons

The Scottish Government has set out its commitment to controlling healthcare associated infections and containing antimicrobial resistance. The five-year strategic framework, published today, seeks to ensure the safety of patients, the public and all healthcare staff and to make hospitals and communities a safer place.

The prevention and control of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) remains an important issue for all environments where healthcare is delivered – for example, care homes, community pharmacies, and primary care – and for everyone involved in the delivery of care. 

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “Tackling antimicrobial resistance and reducing healthcare associated infections remains a key priority for this Government. Good progress has been made so far with the latest quarterly figures showing that, since 2007, MRSA rates have fallen by 90% and CDI rates for those aged 65 years and over have reduced by 88%.

“These significant reductions have only been possible due to the hard work, diligence and commitment of Scotland’s NHS staff and key stakeholders.

“Patients and the public deserve to have complete confidence in the cleanliness of Scottish hospitals and the quality of NHS services and I have made clear my expectation that all health boards must take cleanliness and infection control extremely seriously.

“Today’s publication of the 5 Year AMR/HAI Strategic Framework will inform government policy and will help key stakeholders and NHS Boards implement and deliver HAI and AMR policies consistently and reliably across the healthcare system so that we can continue to provide a culture that promotes the delivery of person-centred safe and effective care.”

The overarching aims of the Strategic Framework are:

  • Containment of AMR and prevention of HAI;
  • Advance AMR and HAI scientific knowledge & innovation;
  • Improved AMR and HAI efficiency;
  • Transparency & accountability; and,
  • Improved workforce capacity for AMR and HAI.

The Strategic Framework has been published on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Preventing-Healthcare-Infections