Month: March 2020

Coronavirus: Tailored support for those at highest risk

New guidance and local support is being implemented to help shield around 200,000 of the most at-risk Scots from coronavirus (COVID-19).

The measures are tailored towards supporting people with the highest risk of severe illness from the virus, as identified by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers. Scotland’s CMO Dr Catherine Calderwood will also be writing to those identified as being at greatest risk in the coming days to provide further information and bespoke guidance on how to best protect themselves from infection.

The new support being offered will help people self-isolate – thereby making it less likely that they will contract the virus – and protect them from the detrimental effects of self-isolation, including disruption of crucial health and social care, and social isolation and loneliness.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has ordered the establishment of Humanitarian Assistance Centres across the country as soon as possible.

Mr Swinney said: “Responding to the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest challenge of our lifetimes, and we must do all we can to slow it down and save lives.

“That’s why we are asking people at the highest clinical risk to self-isolate for a long period, and our local services must prioritise them. This will help protect them, minimise the loss of life from Covid-19, and reduce the burden on the NHS in responding to patients who are likely to become severely unwell.

“I have every confidence in the capability of Scotland’s resilience community to effectively lead what will be the biggest response effort ever undertaken in peacetime. We know that it won’t be easy, but by working together everyone can play their part in keeping people safe.”

The new support will be made available through GPs and local resilience partnerships, and will include help with medical conditions, access to medicine and services, and also access to food and supplies.

The Deputy First Minister has written to Local Resilience Partnerships around the country asking them to set up Humanitarian Assistance Centres (HAC) or an equivalent arrangement.

The Scottish Government is engaging with suppliers to put in place a national framework to ensure supplies can be secured at a local level.

The six categories of risk – as agreed by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers – are:

1. Solid organ transplant recipients

2. People with specific cancers:
a. People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer
b. People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
c. People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
d. People having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
e. People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs

3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD

4. People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell)

5. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection

6. People who are pregnant with significant congenital heart disease

The first port of call for anyone looking for information is the NHS Inform website.

Council announces essential service changes

Changes to Council services and projects have been put into effect to help protect the public and workers during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Measures follow the new rules set by the UK Prime Minister and Scotland’s First Minister to limit the spread of the virus, advising that people should only leave home once a day for exercise, to shop for essential items or for medication and to travel to and from work if absolutely necessary.

Amongst preventative actions, the council is suspending charges for on-street parking bays to support key workers who are reliant on their private vehicles, closing play parks to discourage people from gathering and shutting down household waste and recycling centres. 

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We’re making every effort to deliver the core services needed by residents in Edinburgh, but it’s crucial that we heed the new measures being implemented nationwide to ensure the health and safety of all those who live and work in the city.

“The message from Scotland’s First Minister and the UK Prime Minister is clear – people should stay in their homes unless it is absolutely necessary to go out for work, food or health reasons or to look after the vulnerable.

“We must encourage people to stay indoors to limit the spread of Coronavirus and by making changes like suspending parking pay and display charges we’re supporting key workers to continue delivering vital services to those that need it, while our decision to close recycling centres will reduce face-to-face contact between teams and members of the public across the city.

“It will also help us to redirect resources to support our wider waste collection service.

“This is, of course, an extraordinary situation and we are adapting to a constantly-changing landscape. There is no doubt that our services will face increasing pressure and I’d like to take this opportunity to call on the people of Edinburgh to help us to look after the city during these unprecedented times, by following our advice, taking responsibility for any litter if outside of the house and looking out for neighbours where possible.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “It’s essential that we support the country’s efforts to reduce the impact of the Coronavirus by following national guidance, staying indoors where possible and practising social distancing, and we need to make these changes to help facilitate that.

“We also rely on the public to help us to comply with new rules, and to limit the impact of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. I’d like to thank those who have taken such care to follow the guidance, as well as the many staff, partners and volunteers who have made sure vulnerable residents are safe – we will get through this together.”

SERVICE CHANGES

Parking charges

From today charges for all on-street pay and display parking bays will be suspended until further notice. Yellow lines, loading bays, disabled parking places and car club places will continue to be enforced.

Waste and cleansing

Waste collections will continue as usual, other than blue box glass recycling collections, which were suspended on Monday.

Residents are reminded to follow advice on the safe disposal of waste should they or someone living in their household have symptoms that may be caused by Coronavirus, and do not require hospital treatment though must remain at home until they are well.

Household Waste and Recycling Centres are closed until further notice. Special uplifts and bin deliveries have also stopped. Find out more about suspended services online.

Street cleansing and litter bin collections will continue, but with a limited service. For this reason, the public are urged to help keep streets clean by disposing of litter responsibly – taking it home if bins are full – and cleaning up after dogs.

Parks and greenspaces

All play parks, mixed use games area courts, outdoor exercise equipment, skateparks and car parks associated with parks will be closed. Allotments will remain open though users are subject to national rules advising one trip outside of the home a day and to maintain social distancing.

Registration services

Birth registrations have been postponed until normal service resumes. We are awaiting the implementation of a national process to send notification of all births that have occurred in our area to National Records Scotland, who will in turn pass this information to Social Security Scotland to allow Child Benefit claims to be made.

Marriage and civil partnership registrations have been cancelled or postponed.

Death registrations are currently postponed and will move to a system of remote registration once introduced nationally. Until this process has been fully initiated we are gathering the information from families for input into the system. Full details are available online.

Funerals

Taking account of industry and Government guidance, it is intended that numbers attending a funeral facilitated by the Council are 15 or less, limited to close family. Funeral directors working with families may identify other relations using their discretion. Full details are available online.

Key worker childcare arrangements

There will be 23 school buildings open and operating from tomorrow thanks to more than 1000 staff who are coming into work. From Friday, Queensferry Primary School will also open to provide support for families where both parents and carers fall within the key worker category and have no other possible childcare arrangements. Parents and carers will be contacted directly regarding the school their child should come along to. More details are available online.

Local Critical Resilience Centres

Local Critical Resilience Centres based in Wester Hailes, Pilton Gardens, Captain’s Road, Leith and Craigmillar provide a base for staff to provide welfare, housing and household support by phone and email. Customers are asked to attend in-person only if it is critical, for example if they are experiencing homelessness, threats to their wellbeing or require urgent cash payments. This will prioritise support for residents who face financial hardship. They will operate 10am – 4pm.

Public transport

Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses are keeping their customers up to date with information and service changes online and via their social media channels. Both companies are operating reduced services.

You can access a wide range of Council services at www.edinburgh.gov.uk and report many concerns through the website. If you are experiencing an emergency or critical situation please call 0131 200 2000.

HOSPITAL VISITING SUSPENDED

NHS Lothian has announced that visiting will be suspended to limit the spread of coronavirus and to protect vulnerable patients, as well as staff. This move will come into effect from today.

Visiting will continue in specific circumstances; for example patients receiving end-of-life care, for inpatients in our children’s services and those accompanying partners during childbirth. Visiting arrangements for these groups should only take place following discussions with senior charge nurses or midwives.

Professor Alex McMahon, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare Professionals, NHS Lothian said: “Across NHS Lothian, Scotland and the UK, we are experiencing profound changes in our daily lives as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Now, more than ever, we need to work together. To our patients and their families, I would urge you to help us by respecting this difficult decision.”

Professor McMahon added: “I understand that not being able to visit family members while they are in hospital may be upsetting and I would like to assure the public that this decision has not been taken lightly.

“All across the UK, people are being urged to stay at home where they can and to limit social interactions, instead using phone and video calls to stay in touch with family and friends.

“The decision to suspend visiting may be unpopular with some patients and their families, but it has been made to help protect the safety of your loved ones and our staff.”

To stay up to date with the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) advice, visit NHS Inform: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19

A free helpline has been set up for those who do not have symptoms but are looking for general health advice.

This can be accessed by calling 0800 028 2816. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 10:00pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8:00am – 6:00pm.

Foreign Secretary: Come Home NOW

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised all British travellers to return to the UK NOW.

Read our latest coronavirus travel advice.

  • all British travellers abroad who are usually based in the UK advised to return now
  • international travel is becoming highly limited with the further closure of air routes, land borders and domestic restrictions introduced daily
  • British travellers should contact their tour operator or airline now. Commercial flight options are still available at present.

All British tourists and short-stay travellers currently abroad should return to the UK where and while commercial flight options are still available, the Foreign Secretary announced yesterday.

Last week, the FCO announced an unprecedented change in travel advice to advise against all but essential international travel, initially for a period of 30 days.

Monday’s update reflects the pace at which international travel is becoming more difficult with the closure of borders, airlines suspending flights, airports closing, exit bans and further restrictions being introduced daily. Further closures to air routes may come in the next 48 hours, possibly without notice.

Some British tourists abroad are already finding difficulties returning to the UK because of international travel restrictions and domestic policies around the world. The FCO is working around the clock to support all British travelers in this situation come back to the UK.

The UK government is working with airlines to keep routes open and is calling for international action to keep air routes open for a sufficient period of time to enable international travellers to return on commercial flights.

Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said: “We are strongly urging UK travellers overseas to return home now where and while there are still commercial routes to do so. Around the world, more airlines are suspending flights and more airports are closing, some without any notice.

“Where commercial routes don’t exist, our staff are working round the clock to give advice and support to UK nationals. If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can.”

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “This is a very difficult time for British citizens travelling overseas, or those with families and loved ones abroad.

“We’re in close contact with airlines, who are working tirelessly to ensure British citizens travelling overseas can safely return to the UK. We are also working closely with other government departments, including the FCO to ensure airlines are able to operate to bring people back home.”

British travellers should contact their tour operator or airline now to arrange a commercial flight if they want to leave. There is an unprecedented demand on the FCO’s consular services so all British tourists abroad should go online for the latest in-country advice.

This advice is aimed at British people travelling abroad, rather than those who are permanent resident overseas who are urged to follow the advice of the local authorities in their host country.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “While it’s right British travellers are being urged to return to the UK, the reality is that there are now thousands of UK residents stranded in dozens of different destinations with no means to get back.

“The government must improve its communication and provide British citizens fearful of being stranded abroad with useful advice. Where scheduled services have been withdrawn, it should leave no stone unturned to get these people on flights home.”

Berry growers launch recruitment drive

Scottish berry growers launch recruitment drive for temporary workers affected by coronavirus-related redundancies

  • Angus Growers farms in Scotland need over 3,000 workers to pick fresh berries this season
  • Soft Fruit supplier calls on public to unite in new Feed Our Nation campaign

A group of Scottish berry growers have launched a large-scale recruitment drive to encourage people in Scotland who have been affected by recent coronavirus-related redundancies to come and work on their farms.

Angus Growers is a group of 19 Scottish farmers who last year produced over 12,400 tonnes of fresh berries for consumers across the UK. However, this year they are anticipating a shortfall of 3,200 workers, almost 80% of their workforce, as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impact on workers coming into the UK from mainland Europe.

On Friday, the UK Government announced workers involved in the production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery of food would be classed as critical workers and that their children would be prioritised by education providers.

James Porter, soft fruit grower for Angus Growers, who is also NFU Scotland’s horticulture chair, explains: “We are entering an unprecedented time. As restrictions on our day-to-day lives increase and challenges build, the Scottish horticultural industry has a critical role to play in helping us maintain our health and nutritional wellbeing.

“For many years the Scottish berry industry has relied on recruiting workers from mainland Europe to provide seasonal labour to pick our crops due to a severe lack of availability of local workers.

“Due to ever growing travel restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus, we are now facing a shortfall of almost 80% of the workers required in Scotland to pick our crops this season.

“I know that many people are facing redundancy across the travel and hospitality industries and I would encourage anyone who is looking for work to visit our new dedicated recruitment site and apply. People might have a misconception that picking fruit doesn’t pay that well, however all our growers pay in accordance with the Scottish Agriculture Wages Order, which is based on the national living wage.

“Accommodation is available on site for anyone who doesn’t live in close proximity to one of our farms, and full support and training will be provided.”

Angus Growers need to recruit over 3,000 people to pick strawberries, raspberries and blue berries and blackberries this season.

If you have recently been made redundant and are looking for work, please visit jobs.angusgrowers.co.uk

James continued: “The health and wellbeing of our staff is of paramount importance, and we are following the latest UK and Scottish Government advice and guidelines relating to Covid-19.

“This includes restricting access to sites to essential visitors only, controlling who comes in and out, splitting a farm’s workforce into teams and keeping these teams isolated from one another, social distancing, site lock down measures and disinfecting procedures.

“Thankfully, the risk of spread among farm workers is relatively low due to the open-air nature of harvesting activity; farms unlike offices, are large places where people can spread out.

“We want to reassure the public that if any workers do develop symptoms and need to self-isolate, farm accommodation is in “caravan park” style permanent units sleeping three or four persons, which means anyone suffering symptoms can isolate easily in a dedicated unit and have food brought to them for the period of time needed.

“There is an opportunity here for us all to work together to feed our nation. We desperately need workers to help us harvest our berries and ensure the UK public can enjoy healthy, nutritious food during this period of uncertainty.”

Angus Growers is also working closely with the National Farmers Union Scotland to ensure agricultural and farming businesses across Scotland can continue to produce high quality food throughout the outbreak.

James concluded: “Today we’ve launched a recruitment drive for our berry growers, however we’re also looking at how the wider food supply industry can work together to ensure the continued supply of high-quality food.

“I would encourage anyone working in the food supply industry to please reach out to me to ensure we all work together for the good of the nation.”

Garden Centres ‘open for business’

A message from Dobbies Garden Centres:

We will be open for business this morning.

We have carefully reviewed the guidance provided by Government, which clearly states that food shops, home and hardware shops, and pet shops should continue to operate to provide essential goods.

In all of these categories Dobbies already provides a comprehensive range, sales in these categories represent 70% of our turnover.

We have therefore taken the decision to continue to operate our stores to serve our local communities.

There will, however, be strict procedures in place to protect our customers and team members:

  • Limiting the number of customers that can be in the store
  • Social distancing rules will apply requiring that we keep two metres apart at all times

We will be working very hard today to bring these changes into immediate effect.

Thank you for your support in advance.

The Dobbies team

Holyrood asked to consent to UK’s Emergency Coronavirus Bill

MSPs will scrutinise the proposed UK-wide Emergency Coronavirus Bill today. A Legislative Consent Memorandum (LCM) has been lodged requesting MSPs consent to the UK Parliament changing laws which affect the devolved powers of Scotland.

The Emergency Coronavirus Bill was laid in Westminster last week in response to the Covid19 pandemic. The Bill introduces temporary measures giving ministers wide-ranging powers to tackle the Covid19 outbreak.

The Scottish Government says in its memorandum that consent is required in a number of areas, including:

• Emergency registration of nurses and other health and care professionals.
• Temporary modification of mental health and mental capacity legislation.
• Indemnity for pandemic-related health service activity.
• Registration of deaths and still births etc and a review of cause of death certifications and cremations in Scotland.
• The temporary closure of educational institutions and childcare premises.
• Powers relating to potentially infected persons; providing public health officers, constables and immigration officers in Scotland with the necessary powers in the event that they need to be used.
• Powers to give directions relating to events, gatherings and premises.
• Vaccination and Immunisation in Scotland developing alternative programmes for vaccination delivery.
• Emergency registration of social workers in Scotland.
• Powers to direct private organisations involved in the death management industry to deal with any emerging issues in relation to the transport, storage and disposal of dead bodies.
• Temporary disapplication of disclosure offences.
• Postponement of Scottish Parliament elections for constituency vacancies and postponement of local authority elections in Scotland for casual vacancies.
• Suspension of restrictions on return to work through NHS pension scheme.
• Emergency arrangements concerning practitioners which would create a limited exception to the requirement to be on a performers list in order to practise as a GP in the NHS in Scotland.
• Appointment of temporary Judicial Commissioners.

MSPs from the Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee heard from from Jeane Freeman MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport this morning and  Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, gave evidence to the Finance and Constitution Committee.

Following committee scrutiny in the morning, the full Parliament will be asked to agree to the consent motion this afternoon.

The motion, which will be lodged by the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs and supported by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, is:

“That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Coronavirus Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 19 March 2020, so far as they fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament or alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament.”

Subject to parliamentary agreement, the UK Coronavirus Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law by the end of March.

Watch live online: 

You can watch the committee and chamber proceedings live on Tuesday on Scottish Parliament TV.

A SPICe briefing on the Coronavirus Bill LCM is available here.

Full details of the Bill can be found here.

More information on the Scottish Government’s LCM is available here.

Consumers face losing thousands amid travel protection breakdown

Which? is warning urgent action is needed to protect consumers who face losing large sums of money amid a breakdown of the system of travel protections.

The consumer champion has been inundated with messages and requests for help from people who face losing large sums – with some airlines and package travel providers refusing to meet their legal obligations to issue refunds for cancelled flights and holidays.

While Which? supports the government exploring options to help the travel industry, it is demanding that the crisis not be used as an excuse to undermine consumer protections. Reports of some package providers refusing refunds running into thousands of pounds in expectation of changes to the law are unacceptable.

Which? has heard from a family who were meant to be travelling to a wedding in Italy and whose flights have not been cancelled, despite Foreign Office (FCO) guidance against going to the country hardest hit by the virus.

Instead, the airline is offering to switch their flights to more expensive ones in the future. In some cases this can cost as much as £100 more per person.

The consumer champion has also been contacted by unhappy airline customers who are being offered vouchers instead of being refunded, with many complaining that they have received no clear guidance from their airline about what the next steps will be.

All flights on EU carriers in or into the EU and all flights leaving from an EU airport are protected by the EU’s Denied Boarding Regulation, which requires refunds or rerouting when flights are cancelled.

People have also been in touch reporting that their travel agents are refusing to offer refunds for cancelled holidays, despite travel regulations. Dozens of holidaymakers due to travel to France in the coming weeks have told  Which? that their travel agent is refusing to issue a refund.

One customer was refused a refund for his holiday with a well-known beach holiday specialist. The customer faces losing £2,300 and the only options being offered are a credit note or rebooking. And, that if he decided to cancel instead, he would have to try to claim on his travel insurance.

The law says you are entitled to a full refund if your package holiday is cancelled because of extraordinary circumstances at the destination – so you do not have to accept a credit note.

Faced with these difficulties, many people are finding themselves pushed from pillar to post between airlines, tour operators and insurance companies – whose policies are not set up for providers failing to fulfill their duties in this way.

Which? has also heard from holidaymakers who have fallen foul of little-known exclusions in insurance policies – meaning they were not covered for cancelling an upcoming trip, even after the FCO advised against travel to their destination.

Many more people are concerned that they will be uninsured for upcoming trips booked well before the coronavirus outbreak as insurers make sudden changes to their policy terms and conditions.

Taken together, these issues represent a serious breakdown of the current system of travel protections, which is vital to ensuring millions of consumers have the confidence to book expensive holidays and flights abroad.

Urgent action is needed to protect consumers amid the crisis in the travel industry. It is vital that any emergency measures under discussion, such as credit notes replacing refunds for package holidays, include strong guarantees or protections so consumers know they are not at risk of losing their money if a travel firm fails.

And while consumers with holidays booked under the current regulations may choose to accept a credit note, their right to claim a refund must not be taken away retrospectively by any changes to the law. The hard-earned money of thousands of holidaymakers – who may be facing difficulty themselves – must not be used as a backdoor bailout of the travel industry, when direct government support is being used in other sectors.

While the current uncertainty continues, airlines must respond swiftly to this fast-moving situation by informing passengers about what is happening with future flights, and show flexibility with rebooking options if a flight has not been cancelled.

Insurers must also heed last week’s warning from the FCA about treating customers fairly and work with the government and travel industry on solutions to tackle the coronavirus crisis, as the public must have confidence that they will be covered when they travel.

Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: “We’ve heard from hundreds of people who face losing large sums of money because their travel plans have been left in tatters or they have been abandoned abroad and face extortionate bills to get home.

“It’s vital that the government, insurers and the travel sector work together to tackle the huge challenge posed by coronavirus, as the travel industry depends on people having confidence that they will be protected in times of crisis.”

Which? is a non-profit organisation working to make life simpler, fairer and safer for consumers. During the coronavirus crisis, Which? is making a range of news, advice and guides available for free for anyone who needs it at https://www.which.co.uk/news/coronavirus  

Drive to free up hospital beds

Councils have been asked to increase support for care at home, nursing homes and care homes to reduce delayed discharges and free up hospital beds.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has confirmed to COSLA that, subject to expenditure being aligned to local plans, the Scottish Government will meet additional costs to increase support and staff capacity in social care.

The move aims to help the care system adapt to increased pressure placed on it by COVID -19, with many people requiring continued support for daily living, even if they have not contracted the virus.

Ms Freeman said: “We have placed the NHS on an emergency footing and we also need to increase the capacity in our social care sector.

“Extensive work is already underway by health and social care partnerships to free up hospital beds and care for older people, and others in need of support, in care homes and in our communities.

“We have now informed councils that any additional expenditure to maximise the care available to our communities, aligned to work that is already underway, will be covered by the Scottish Government.”

COSLA’s Health and Social Care spokesperson Councillor Stuart Currie said: “COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge to anyone working in caring professions in Scotland.

“The Scottish Government and local government have shared leadership to ensure the entire system is working together to optimise the impact on the wellbeing of our communities.  Work is underway locally to do this and today’s announcement gives welcome assurance to the sector about the steps which will be taken to maximise the care available to our communities.

“COSLA guidance will be issued shortly to support commissioners to work collaboratively to protect the resilience of the social care sector and ensure they remain operationally and financially viable.”