Day: May 18, 2020

Children with ASN failed as specialist teacher ratio drops again

Access to additional support for learning specialist teachers has continued to drop in Scotland, the Scottish Greens have revealed. Figures from the Scottish Greens show that there is now only one specialist additional support needs teacher for every 76 ASN pupils.

The number of specialist additional support needs teachers in 2019 was 2,836 [1], while the number of pupils with additional needs rose to 215,897 [2].

The increasing number of children which each specialist teacher is responsible for is partly driven by the loss of hundreds of ASN teachers since 2010, whilst the number of pupils with identified needs has grown by almost 150,000.

The number of pupils with additional needs has increased from 69,587 in 2010 to 215,897 in 2019. By comparison, there were 3,887 ASN teachers in 2010, with just 2,836 now, or 3,462 if primary teachers in Scotland’s handful of special schools are included.

Ross Greer MSP, Scottish Green education spokesperson, said: “Thousands of children in Scotland with additional needs are being failed. I have raised this with the government time and again over a number of years, but the picture still is not improving.

“Specialist teachers are essential to supporting pupils with additional needs but they are gradually disappearing from our schools, at the same time as demand skyrockets.

“We know already that this lockdown is disproportionately hard for young people with additional needs and for their families, with a real risk that the attainment gap will be widened.

“As well as the need for urgent support, the Scottish Government must ensure that when schools do return to normal, it is a new normal where those with additional support needs are given a far fairer opportunity to learn than they have been this past decade.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, which campaigns to improve services for vulnerable children and young people, commented: “The comments over a cut in specialist teachers reinforce concerns we have raised for some time now about a potential ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people.

“It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, especially during and as we come out of the current COVID-19 crisis. This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation.

“Such a situation is clearly challenging during lockdown, when the educational attainment gap will inevitably widen, and with evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN and in the number of specialist teachers supporting this group.

“The cost to society in the long term if adequate support is not provided will far outweigh any potential savings made today.

“Ensuring the adequate provision of educational support for children young people with ASN is critical and yet too many pupils are missing out on the specialist support they require because of cuts in specialist support at a time of increasing need.

“When children and young people with ASN return to school it is vital that we use this as an opportunity to give them the specialist support they need, ensuring that we can address increased inequalities that will have inevitably arisen due to lockdown.”

 

#Supermarkets4Change: youth campaign on supermarket access

Youth-led campaign aims to raise awareness of young carers to supermarkets during lockdown

Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament have started a campaign on the issue of supermarket access for young carers and young adult carers during this Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

This campaign has been set up by Ilse Cuthbertson MSYP, Carers Trust Scotland and Aaran McDonald MSYP, Cunninghame South.

During lockdown, a significant and recurring issue raised by young carers is that some are still not getting access to supermarkets during protected hours set aside for vulnerable groups.

Young carers are facing age discrimination and refusal to access if they are accompanied by family members. 

One young person got in touch with their MSYP, and said: “After waiting in the long queue, a member of staff said they were only allowing 2 people into the store per family. After explaining I am a young carer, the staff member still couldn’t understand why there needed to be two carers. 

“I had to further explain my caring responsibilities for my brother and mum before the member of staff finally allowed us in. This was an emotional and frustrating situation and no young carer should need to go through this.”

There is also inconsistency of messaging by supermarkets across the UK, and even from store to store.  Furthermore, a number of carers are struggling to get access to online shopping or difficulty meeting the minimum expenditure for online shopping. This issue also intertwines with carer identification.

#Supermarkets4Change aims to raise awareness of unpaid carers with local supermarkets and to include these young people in the protected hours set aside for vulnerable groups.

MSYPs have written to local supermarket stores on behalf of their constituents, raising awareness of who young carers are, and why it is important to include these young people in dedicated shopping times.

Ilse Cuthbertson, MSYP and Aaran McDonald, MSYP said: “We wanted to start #Supermarkets4Change as young carers and young adult carers have been approaching us due to the lack of understanding within supermarkets.

“We have learnt that this is not just an issue locally but nationally. This is an extremely important issue right now. We hope that supermarkets will start to understand the role that a young carer or young adult carer has.”

This campaign also aims to empower young people to take action. MSYPs have created a template letter and are sharing this with as many young people as possible.

If a young person is aware of this issue in their local community, they can use this template to write to the local store manager. Young people are encouraged to share this on social media using the hashtag #Supermarkets4Change so we can raise greater awareness!

Young people can also get in touch with Ilse and Aaran for support on this:

Keep up to date with the campaign on social media: @ReleaseCap/ @CarersTrustScot/ @ilsecmsyp / @MSYPAaran/ #Supermarkets4Change

Nearly half of British men say no one has asked them how they are coping during lockdown

Eight out of 10 British men find it helpful when people ask if they’re having a difficult time – yet nearly half (46%) say no one has checked to find out how they are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research. 

Figures released to mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week by global men’s health charity Movember, exploring the impact of COVID-19 on social connections, reveal that almost a quarter (22 per cent) of men surveyed had not checked in with friends or family to find out how they were doing during the crisis.

The survey of 1,451 Britons was commissioned by Movember and carried out by the Social Research Centre as part of a global study.

It found that approximately a third of men (33 per cent and 28 per cent respectively) felt their relationships with work colleagues and friends had weakened since the physical distancing restrictions had been imposed.

Older men are the group most likely to have experienced poorer social connections, with 62 per cent of men aged 45+ years reporting they feel less connected to their friends since the COVID-19 outbreak, compared with 41 per cent of men aged 25 to 34.

More than a fifth of men (22 per cent) reported their mental health had worsened compared with before the outbreak of COVID-19 and a third (29 per cent) admitted they felt lonely more often.

Dr Zac Seidler, Director of Mental Health Training, at Movember said: “These findings indicate that guys are hungry for connection and in need of support in these trying times.

“While we know these conversations can often feel uncomfortable or awkward, checking in on your mates and loved ones can make the world of difference. Don’t assume they don’t want to be bothered or don’t want to talk. Just making the call can go a long way.”

Movember is committed to tackling the crisis in men’s mental health through its investment in early intervention and prevention programs.

According to Brendan Maher, Movember Global Director of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, this is why the charity has launched Movember Conversations, a new easy-to-use interactive online tool, that offers practical guidance on how to start a difficult conversation and support someone who is struggling.

He said: “People know it’s important to have conversations to support others; however, confidence and knowledge around how to do this with men is low. What’s making things even harder are the challenges thrown up by COVID-19, and its consequences of physical distancing, job loss, financial stress and strain on relationships.”

Based on R U OK?’s ALEC conversation framework (Ask, Listen, Encourage action, Check in) and guided by an international team of mental health experts, Movember Conversations is a free interactive digital tool that presents a number of scenarios relevant to today’s world including job loss, social isolation and family pressures.

It uses simulated conversations to explore and practise how anyone might navigate a difficult conversation with someone they care about.

Brendan Maher added: “We hope that this tool will encourage people to have conversations with men they care about who might be going through a tough time. Movember Conversations gives them the practical skills to do that.”

CASE STUDY

Steve Smith, 55, from Newbury Berkshire, Cyber Security Manager, married with 2 adult kids. Served in the UK Armed Forces.

“Since the lockdown, I’ve found that I have isolated myself more from my network of buddies, I dropped off Facebook because of the amount of dross being shared and some peoples’ extreme views. Dropping out of Facebook has isolated me further from some of my normal contacts and sources of banter, so it has had a negative impact too. 

A group of my best mates always attend the Army v Navy rugby match each year and later we do British SuperBikes at Thruxton. Both take a few weeks of planning and lots of banter on group chats to get things co-ordinated – we have done both events for over a decade.  “This has all been put on hold and has left a big gap as many of the things we have in common which mean we communicate are now on hold, hence we are not talking as much as there is less reason.

 “I have a friend I work with who has split up with his wife just a few weeks before lockdown. He hasn’t left the house for days at a time. I tell him during work conference calls to call or text me if he needs me, but he doesn’t. He then tells me he’s very low during work calls and so the cycle repeats – 7 weeks now, and sometimes it’s really tough having those conversations and I don’t know what to say. I think there are many men like my friend, lonely and not helping themselves.”

I know how important it is to talk openly because I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression in the past. ‘Years of bottling up my emotions saw me make plans to end my life – but seeking professional help taught me how to change my way of thinking.”

Movember Conversations can found at conversations.movember.com

Hearts going down as SPFL ends season early

The SPFL has today announced that, following consultation with all 12 top-flight clubs, the Board of the SPFL has determined that the 2019/20 Ladbrokes Premiership has been concluded with immediate effect.

As with the Ladbrokes Championship, Ladbrokes League One and Ladbrokes League Two competitions, final season placings have been determined by points per game in league matches played to 13 March 2020 by each club.

The decision means that Celtic are crowned 2019/20 champions and Hearts have been relegated to the Ladbrokes Championship. The final placings in full can be seen below:

Games played Points Goal Difference Points / Game
1 Celtic 30 80 70 2.6667
2 Rangers 29 67 45 2.3103
3 Motherwell 30 46 3 1.5333
4 Aberdeen 30 45 4 1.5000
5 Livingston 30 39 2 1.3000
6 St Johnstone 29 36 -18 1.2414
7 Hibernian 30 37 -7 1.2333
8 Kilmarnock 30 33 -10 1.1000
9 St Mirren 30 29 -17 0.9667
10 Ross County 30 29 -31 0.9667
11 Hamilton A 30 27 -20 0.9000
12 Hearts 30 23 -21 0.7667

SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: “Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to officially congratulate Celtic on their achievement of winning the Ladbrokes Premiership this season, and also to sincerely commiserate with Hearts on their relegation.

“We would all have rather seen the league season played out on pitches, in stadiums and in front of supporters. This is not the way anybody involved with Scottish football would have wanted to conclude the league season but, given the grave and unprecedented circumstances that we are facing, the Board has agreed that it is the only practical way forward.

“Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on sporting competitions around the world and the repercussions will be felt for a long time. Scottish Government restrictions and deep concerns for both player and spectator safety left the SPFL with no realistic option but to call the Ladbrokes Premiership now and we thank the Premiership clubs for their support on this decision.”

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “On Friday, Ladbrokes Premiership clubs expressed their clear and unanimous view that there was no realistic prospect of completing the outstanding fixtures from Season 2019/20. 

“The SPFL Board met this morning and in line with the express agreement of member clubs in April, the Board determined that League Season 2019/20 and the Ladbrokes Premiership be brought to an end.

“This decision now enables us to pay out around £7 million in fees to help clubs stay afloat during this incredibly difficult time. We will begin processing these payments immediately.

“The focus of all those involved in the game will now turn to how we get football up and running again safely as soon as possible.  Next season’s Betfred Cup first round group stage is scheduled to begin in mid-July, with coverage from Premier Sports.  The 2020/21 League Season in all four of our Divisions is due to commence on 1 August, which coincides with the start of our new and exclusive five-year broadcasting deal with Sky Sports.

“Nobody should be under any illusion as to how complicated and difficult a challenge it will be to return Scottish football to normality. We will be liaising with Government on the best way forward and working to ensure that all of our 42 clubs are playing football again as soon as humanly possible.”

The story’s not over yet, however …

In a statement, Heart of Midlothian said: ‘Following today’s decision to end the 2019/20 Premiership season and expel Heart of Midlothian Football Club from the top flight, the club would like to provide a brief update to both its fans and the wider Scottish football audience.

‘We have stated from the outset that we don’t believe it is right that any club should be unfairly penalised because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was previously indicated that league reconstruction would not generate enough support to pass a vote between member clubs.  In recent days a number of positive talks have been held with both the SPFL and member clubs and this topic is currently being revisited.

‘Hearts will shortly submit a member’s resolution that we believe is a pragmatic solution to the issues the game currently faces and a way forward that the clubs can unite behind. It is our belief that this resolution, if supported, will provide an opportunity to avoid disproportionately disadvantaging – financially and otherwise – any club. 

‘This is possibly the final chance for our game to stand together, protect each other and not only survive but flourish in the aftermath of this terrible pandemic. Players from across all leagues have shown a desire for reconstruction and having already received support from some clubs we are hopeful that this resolution can positively progress Scottish football.

‘As previously intimated the club has been taking legal advice throughout this process and are continuing to do so. We hope that the resolution being prepared will avoid the need to go down this route. Legal action would be both time consuming and expensive. However the cost to the club of relegation would outweigh these considerations.

‘To our supporters, we thank you for showing patience and continuing to back the club. We will continue to fight against what we believe is an unjust outcome.’

Update to Coronavirus symptoms

Statement from the four UK Chief Medical Officers

A statement from the four UK Chief Medical Officers on an update to Coronavirus symptoms:

“From today, all individuals should self-isolate if they develop a new continuous cough or fever or anosmia.

“Anosmia is the loss or a change in your normal sense of smell. It can also affect your sense of taste as the two are closely linked.

“We have been closely monitoring the emerging data and evidence on COVID-19 and after thorough consideration, we are now confident enough to recommend this new measure.

“The individual’s household should also self-isolate for 14 days as per the current guidelines and the individual should stay at home for 7 days, or longer if they still have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell or taste.”

Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton
Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Dr Gregor Smith
Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty

Note:

Changes for the symptomatic individual and their household:

  • Individuals will need to self-isolate immediately if they develop a new continuous cough OR fever OR as of today, a loss or changed sense of normal smell or taste (Anosmia).
  • All members of their household must also self-isolate according to current guidelines, unless the symptomatic individual receives a negative test result.

Tech-shy Edinburgh Minister hosts record-breaking international Prayer Meeting

What is believed to be the largest Prayer Meeting held in Scotland since the Reformation was conducted via Zoom last week, with around 400 worshippers joining from as far afield as the USA, Germany and Sweden.

Rev. James Gracie, of Arthur Street Church in Edinburgh started the Prayer Meeting in March as his parishioners were unable to attend services due to the government lockdown.

The first Monday evening meeting attracted around 50 attendees, but as word spread, numbers rocketed, causing a few challenges for Rev Gracie.

He said: “I had to become tech-savvy very quickly. I initially had a licence for 100 people and managed to set up our first Zoom call. I had no idea how many would attend, but the response was fantastic.

“It was mainly members of my congregation, but there were several attendees from other denominations, and a few folks from overseas also joined in.

“After that, the word just spread and spread. We have now had to purchase a licence for 500 people, and we’ve had people joining from Canada, Holland, Romania, the USA and Sweden. Indeed, the number of attendees has grown every week since it began.

“I’m not sure how much bigger we can get, but to my knowledge, it’s already the largest Prayer Meeting in Scotland since the time of the Reformation. 

“For something that we started as a way of bringing our people together to have snowballed as it has been nothing short of a miracle. With isolation and so much uncertainty, the chance to join together in prayer can provide a great deal of comfort and reassurance. ”

Anyone looking to join the prayer meeting, which is held at 7pm on Monday evenings, can do so by contacting Rev. Gracie at jig.edin@gmail.com.

Scottish Government strengthens oversight of care homes

New arrangements to significantly strengthen oversight of Scotland’s care homes have been published by the Scottish Government.

From today, clinical and care professionals at NHS boards and local authorities will have a lead role in the oversight for care homes in their area.

Every Health Board and local authority must put in place a multi-disciplinary team comprised of key clinical leads and the area’s Chief Social Work Officer.

The team’s remit will include daily discussions about the quality of care in each care home in their area, with particular focus on implementation of infection prevention and control, and the provision of expert clinical support to residents who have Coronavirus.

The short paper ‘Coronavirus (Covid 19) – enhanced professional clinical and care oversight of care homes’ also highlights issues around testing and contact tracing with escalation measures in place if issues cannot be resolved.

The paper builds on recent actions to ensure care home residents can be kept safe, including new guidance for the sector and amendments to the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill which would ensure the swiftest possible intervention if care home residents are being put at serious risk due to services failing.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on Scotland’s social care services. It is of paramount importance that those using services, including residents of care homes and those supporting them, are provided with the best possible care and the Scottish Government is doing everything in its power to ensure that is the case.

“All organisations including care providers are responsible for effective and safe care in their services and are expected to work closely together and at pace to give effect to these arrangements. While these are unprecedented times, everything possible must be done to protect care home residents and staff from the effects of Covid-19.

“These new arrangements will ensure clarity and consistency across the country about the role of Health Boards and local authorities in helping to keep their residents safe from coronavirus and should be seen alongside other recent action the Scottish Government has taken, including publishing revised guidance for the sector, and amendments to the Coronavirus Bill being discussed at parliament next week.

“I want to assure staff, residents and their families that a safe residential environment in care homes remains our top priority.”

Coronavirus (Covid 19) – enhanced professional clinical and care oversight of care homes.

Scottish Book Trust launch online celebrations for Bookbug Week

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, will host online celebrations this year for Bookbug Week​, which runs from Monday 18 May – Sunday 24 May.

As the Bookbug programme has been running since 2010, the charity will mark the ten year milestone with #HappyBirthdayBookbug, encouraging families across Scotland to send Bookbug their birthday wishes.

Bookbug Week is an annual celebration of Scotland’s national book-gifting programme and Song and Rhyme Sessions. There will be many ways for families to join in the fun at home, such as a daily drawalong with Bookbug’s creator Debi Gliori, to learn how to draw Bookbug and friends.

There will also be a special film with Debi, which explains how she created Bookbug ten years ago.

The popular live Bookbug Session on Facebook will run on Friday 22 May at 10am, for everyone to join in and sing happy birthday to Bookbug.

The first live Bookbug Session was a great success with over 20,000 views. For those that cannot join the live session, there will be an option to watch later, or the option of acelebratory Bookbug Session for families to try at home themselves.

Scottish Book Trust’s home activities hub will be packed with more themed ideas to try at home, from making a party hat to colouring in sheets of Bookbug. 

All through the week, there will also be competitions on the charity’s website and social media. Scottish Book Trust will also be asking for families’ memories of their child’s Bookbug Bags and Bookbug Sessions with their little ones.

As always, families can access Bookbug’s Song and Rhyme library, via Scottish Book Trust’s website, or on the free Bookbug app.

Building on the increasing demand for modern nursery rhymes, Scottish Book Trust commissioned Sprog Rock to develop a brand new birthday song, which will launch on Wednesday 20 May.

The new song was created through interactive nursery workshops earlier this year with Bucklyvie Nursery in Glasgow. The song centres around the theme of being ten years old, with nursery children contributing their imaginative thoughts about what that age means to them.

Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd said: “I am delighted that we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Bookbug programme in Scotland.

“To date, Bookbug has provided well over 6 million books to children and helped families across Scotland to take part in Bookbug activities and enjoy precious moments of reading, story-telling and singing together.

“We know these are challenging times for families so it is heartening to see that the Bookbug online sessions are proving to be such a success. I am also pleased to see that this year’s celebrations will be packed with themed activity ideas for families to try at home.

“I would like to thank Scottish Book Trust and everyone involved in delivering this wonderful programme and I hope that many families can join in the exciting virtual events and resources during the Bookbug week.” 

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Scottish Book Trust is looking forward to celebrating Bookbug’s tenth birthday with families across Scotland through our website, social media channels and Bookbug app.

“We are extremely proud of the impact that the Bookbug programme has made in the last decade: from delivering free bags of books, to bringing communities together through Bookbug Sessions, to working with families at home who need our support to get started sharing stories and songs together.

“We’d like to thank all our colleagues from libraries, health, education, social care and the third sector for building Bookbug with us – it truly is a national partnership that shows how much we value books, and value children. We look forward to receiving everyone’s birthday messages for Bookbug and hope that families can join us to celebrate.”

Funded by the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland, Bookbug is Scottish Book Trust’s Early Years Programme.

The Bookbug programme encourages mums, dads and carers to sing and share stories with their children from birth. It gives every child in Scotland four free bags of books in their first 5 years, gifting over 885,000 books every year.

Bookbug also runs regular free story, song and rhyme events in libraries, shopping centres and other community venues which attracted audiences of over 720,000 parents and children in 2018-19.

Happy Birthday, Bookbug!

Mental Health Awareness Week: A Time for Kindness

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week (18-24 May 2020) and this year the topic is kindness.

  • Almost three-quarters of UK adults (72 per cent) say it is important we learn from the coronavirus pandemic to be more kind as a society.
  • Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of UK adults say that when people are kind to them, it has a positive impact on their mental health.
  • Almost two-thirds of UK adults (63 per cent) say that being kind to others has a positive impact on their mental health.
  • Charity recommends targeted “kindness tests”, including equality, dignity and respect to be applied in creating and reviewing public policy.

Almost three-quarters of UK adults say it is important that we learn from the coronavirus pandemic to be more kind as a society, according to a new survey.

The survey was published by the Mental Health Foundation to mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year has the theme of Kindness.

Two-thirds of people say that when others are kind to them, it has a positive impact on their mental health, according to the survey of 4,256 UK adults aged 18 and above.

Two-thirds of UK adults also say that being kind to others has a positive impact on their mental health.

The charity has launched a report showing the evidence base for the impact of kindness on mental health and a policy paper making recommendations on how kindness can be turned into action.

Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation Mark Rowland said: “The evidence for the positive impact of kindness on protecting and improving mental health has always been clear. Our own survey has shown there is powerful support from the UK public for a kinder approach.

“At one level, kindness can be as simple as phoning a friend who is lonely or thanking a colleague for something they have done. However, to have a major impact on improving our mental health, we need to take kindness seriously as a society. In particular, we need to make kindness an important part of public policy.

“The pandemic is an opportunity to do that. Kindness can play an essential role in reducing the social, economic and mental health consequences of the crisis, that could last for years to come.”

The survey also found that almost half of UK adults (48 per cent) said being kind “to myself” had a positive impact on their mental health.

The charity is making a series of recommendations on kindness. They include recommending that all Government departments apply a measurable, values-based kindness test to current and new policies. This is to ensure they are informed by kindness, equality, dignity and respect.

Mr Rowland added: “We need to challenge the idea that kindness has no relevance to government and public policy. Instead, we want to start taking kindness seriously in how we shape political decision-making at all levels.

“Kindness has a role to play in how we run our welfare services, our justice system and our health system. To achieve this, we need to include a fundamental test for all existing and new policies – are they kind?

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-imagine a kinder society – one that protects all our mental health and especially that of the most vulnerable.”

The Mental Health Foundation organises and hosts Mental Health Awareness Week every year. The week runs from 18th to 24th May and is now in its 20th year.

Mental Health Awareness Week is marked in different ways by organisations and individuals.

This year, the Foundation is asking people to share their stories of kindness during the Week on social media and also their ideas for how we can build a kinder society, using #KindnessMatters and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

Visit mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw for more information.

MHAW20-Supporter-Pack_Final

 

 

Jeane Freeman: ‘We are getting a bit closer to the day when we can relax some more of these restrictions’

Statement given by the Health Secretary Jeane Freeman at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Sunday 17 May).

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us for today’s briefing. I want to start – as I always do – by updating you on some of the key statistics in relation to COVID-19 in Scotland.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 14,537 positive cases confirmed – an increase of 90 from yesterday.

A total of 1,308 patients are in hospital with the virus – 1,007 who have been confirmed as having Covid, and 301 who are suspected of having Covid. That represents a total decline of 108 from yesterday, including a decrease of 4 in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 59 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That is the same number as reported yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,354 patients who had tested positive for the virus have been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

Regrettably, I also have to report that in the last 24 hours, 9 deaths have been registered of patients who have been confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,103.

It is worth bearing in mind that fewer deaths tend to be registered at the weekend than on other days of the week – that is almost certainly part of the reason why today’s figure is significantly lower than yesterday’s.

As always, I want to stress that these numbers are much more than statistics. They represent individuals whose loss is a source of grief to many. I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus.

As Health Secretary, I also want to once again thank those working in our health and care sector.  That thanks is due to every single person – doctors and nurses; paramedics; care home staff; healthcare assistants; porters, cooks, and cleaners and many, many more.

Everything you do is essential to the health and well being of our country. And all of us owe you a great debt of gratitude.

I have three areas which I want to update you on today.

The first relates to care homes. All care workers demonstrate everyday commitment and compassion in their work and in incredibly difficult circumstances. We will continue to do everything we can to support you, while you provide care and support for those who most need it.

On Friday we published detailed clinical and practice guidance for care homes. Today we have published details of arrangements that take effect from tomorrow to ensure enhanced professional clinical and care oversight.

The publication today sets out a very clear role for the NHS, in partnership with the relevant Local Authority and Local Health & Social Care Partnership to actively and proactively ensure that every care home has the additional support and if necessary intervention, to make sure that clinical care, infection prevention and control, PPE and testing arrangements are what we need them to be.

Accountability for this sits at the most senior levels of our Health Boards and of course through them, to me as Health Secretary.

These additional arrangements build on current support and ensure that care homes benefit from the vital contribution of Nurse Directors, Chief Social Work Officers and Chief Officers of Health and Social Care Partnerships.

The Scottish Government has also added new measures to the Coronavirus Bill, which will receive Stage 2 consideration in Parliament next week.

These make it clear that – if a provider is unable to continue to deliver care, or if there is a significant risk to residents – Scottish Ministers can ensure continuity of care and support.

These powers would only be exercised as a last resort. There is a range of guidance available for care providers on how to manage the current situation, which we expect to be followed.

Of course there are many positive examples across Scotland of highly effective management of care homes.

But there have also been instances where care standards during this pandemic have fallen short. We are already taking action to address these, with the support of the Care Inspectorate.

If passed, the new measures we are proposing will provide additional assurance – to staff; to people who live in care homes, to their residents and to their families – that further action will be taken to address any failings that arise and will be taken quickly.

The Coronavirus Bill provisions – together with the guidance we have published – reinforce our determination to ensure that care in every residential setting is as safe as possible.

The second issue I want to talk about is a further development of our growing capacity to test, trace, isolate and support.

That process – which involves identifying cases of COVID-19, finding the people they have been in close contact with, and then asking those close-contacts to self-isolate for 14 days is crucial as we start to emerge from the lock down. It will help us to quickly break the chains of transmission, and therefore stop any new outbreaks of Covid from growing.

Currently Health Boards across Scotland do some contact tracing, based on risk assessments. And as part of our build-up of contact-tracing staff, an open recruitment process is underway to supplement the increase in contract tracing teams Boards are currently working on. We now have 600 additional staff across our NHS boards who are ready to start and more are being trained as contact tracers.

From tomorrow, NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Highland will test the contact tracing technology that health boards will use. This builds on existing tried and tested technology, and is designed to support staff to collect and record information, and to trace more contacts more quickly.

Together with the growing number of contact tracers the technology allows us to carry out contact tracing on the much larger scale that will be needed.

The software which is being tested next week, will be used in all health boards by the end of May and will continue to be refined and improved during June. It will play a valuable role in improving the speed and effectiveness of our work to test, trace, isolate and support.

The final issue I want to talk to you about is the appointment of an additional deputy Chief Medical Officer.  The First Minister has appointed Professor Marion Bain to that role on an interim basis.

Professor Bain is the Scottish Government’s former Senior Medical Advisor for Public Health Reform. Most recently, she has been working as the Director of Infection Prevention and Control in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.  She is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh, and has a particular research expertise in the use of routine health information for public health and clinical research.

Professor Bain will work alongside our other interim Deputy CMO, Dr Nicola Steedman.  And she will support our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith,

Her appointment will provide additional capacity in that key role and further ensure that we benefit from the very best public health expertise available.

I’m now going to pass you on to Fiona McQueen, our Chief Nursing Officer but before I do, however, I’d like to emphasise once again our key public health guidance.

Please stay at home except for essential purposes- such as daily exercise, or to buy essential items.

You can now exercise more than once a day – but when you do leave the house, stay local, stay more than 2 metres apart from other people. And do not meet up with people from households other than your own.

You should wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport and physical distancing is difficult to achieve. And wash your hands thoroughly and regularly.

Finally, if you or someone else in your household has symptoms of COVID-19, then you should stay at home completely.

I do know how difficult these restrictions are. And I also know they get harder as time passes. But they are necessary – and they are making a difference.

By staying at home, we, you, are slowing the spread of the virus, protecting the NHS and saving lives.

And we are getting a bit closer to the day, when we can relax some more of these restrictions.

So thank you once again to all of you, for doing the right thing, and sticking to the guidance.