Edinburgh Leisure free fitness taster event at Commonwealth Pool
Continue reading Start strong this January with a free fitness taster event
Month: December 2018
2019: a transformative year for city transport?
2019’s shaping up to be another transformative year
by Councillors Lesley Macinnes and Karen Doran, Convener and Vice Convener of Transport and Environment for the City of Edinburgh Council Continue reading 2019: a transformative year for city transport?
£675 million fund to transform high streets and town centres opens to communities
The Future High Streets fund will help local leaders implement bold new visions to transform their town centres and make them fit for the future. Towns across the country are urged to bid for a share of £675 million to transform their local high streets into modern vibrant community hubs. Continue reading £675 million fund to transform high streets and town centres opens to communities
Halfway there: organ donor registrations hit new high
More people than ever are signed up to the Organ Donor Register in Scotland, latest figures show. In 2018, there were 148,000 new registrations from people willing to be organ donors.
And the new registrations mean that the total number of people registered in Scotland has risen to a record high of almost 2.8 million – or 51.7% of Scotland’s population.
Meanwhile, in the last year 829 people in Scotland received a transplant. However there are currently more than 550 people in Scotland waiting for an organ transplant which could save or transform their lives.
The Scottish Government is working on a package of measures to further increase the number of potential donors. This includes legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament to move to a soft opt-out system for organ and tissue donation. A public consultation in 2017 showed 82% of respondents supporting this move.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick (above) said: “It’s great to have a record number of people on the Organ Donor Register. This increases the chance of a potentially life-saving and life-changing gift for someone this year.
“However, with more than 550 people still waiting for a transplant, I would encourage people to consider making it their New Year’s resolution and join the Organ Donor Register. One donor can save up to nine lives and transform even more by donating tissue.
“Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families and the work of the NHS, we’ve seen great progress on organ donation over the last few years. We are working on a number of measures to increase donor numbers and save the lives of more people in Scotland.
“The move to a soft opt-out scheme aims to further increase the number of donors, while honouring the donation decision that a person has made in life.”
The figures and data below are from NHSBT:
The number of opt-in registrations (148,488) in Scotland between 4 December 2017 and 3 December 2018. The total may increase as registrations are processed.
In 2017/18, 829 people in Scotland received an organ or cornea/sclera transplant.
As of 4 December, 563 people are waiting for a transplant.
On 4 December 2018, there were 2,796,456 people residing in Scotland on the UK Organ Donor Register (area defined by the ONS NHS Postcode Directory). This is 51.7% of the Scottish population. This is based on 5,404,700 of the Scottish population, figure taken from the mid 2016 population estimates from the Office of National Statistics.
The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill will change organ and tissue donation from the current ‘opt-in’ system to a soft ‘opt-out’ system. Under the proposed system, if someone has not stated a decision about donation, they may be deemed as having authorised it. This would mean that, in addition to ‘opting in’ donation could also proceed where a person had not opted-out. There would also be safeguards to minimise the risk of a person becoming a donor if they would not have wished to donate.
People in Scotland can register to become an organ donor through the Organ Donation Scotland
Searching for Scotland’s young engineers
The Smallpeice Trust has partnered with world leading engineering companies to create a series of engineering experience courses at four locations in the UK. Continue reading Searching for Scotland’s young engineers
‘Dramatic’ fall in number of support teachers
Figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), have revealed that there has been a dramatic decline of support available for students with additional special needs across the Lothian area. Continue reading ‘Dramatic’ fall in number of support teachers
Olympic years can leave a legacy of pain
How YOU can help improve the post-retirement health of top-flight athletes
A GLOBAL research study led by Edinburgh Napier University is analysing the risks and benefits associated with participating in elite sport. Continue reading Olympic years can leave a legacy of pain
Boxing Clever To Burn Off those Christmas Calories
If you, like the average Scot, consumed between 6,000 and 7,000 calories yesterday between festive brunch, Christmas lunch and a turkey sandwich supper – not to mention the mince pies, the tipples and the chocolate oranges – you may not be feeling in the mood to move much today. Continue reading Boxing Clever To Burn Off those Christmas Calories
One Special Christmas Morning
‘I saw a sight I shall remember to my dying day’
You will hardly credit what I am going to tell you: but thousands of our men will be writing home today telling the same strange and wonderful story. Listen. Continue reading One Special Christmas Morning