Millions of British workers are putting themselves and others at risk of Covid-19 due to inadequate sick pay and pressure from their employers, new research shows.
The RSA (royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) warns that a growing ‘economic security trap’ — the choice workers face between protecting their income and their health — is contributing significantly to the spread of the virus.
Polling carried out between 13 Jan and 15 Jan by Yonder (formerly Populus) of UK workers finds:
around one-in-25 (4%) British workers has worked within 10 days of a positive test, rising to one-in-ten (10%) of those in insecure work such as a zero-hours contract, agency work or the gig economy
6% of British workers have worked with Covid-19 symptoms, rising to 8% of insecure workers and 13% of the self-employed
12% have been ordered into work when they could have easily and more safely worked from home
only 16% think Statutory Sick Pay is sufficient to meet their needs.
The RSA calls for an emergency package to address economic insecurity, including:
Recent RSA research on key workers has found that many staff in key industries report struggling to take time off when unwell, including 29% of those working in social care.
The RSA has a long-running programme of research dedicated to tackling economic insecurity in the UK. Last year the organisation published A Blueprint for Good Work, putting forward practical solutions for providing good work after the pandemic.
Alan Lockey, head of RSA’s future work programme, said: “Our polling shows that millions feel forced to put themselves and others at risk of the virus because of insecure work, pressure from bosses, and the failings of our deeply inadequate welfare state.
“Rishi Sunak must close this ‘economic security trap’ — the terrible trade-off many workers face between their health and putting food on the table — by allowing self-isolating workers to access the furlough scheme, and retaining the £20 per week uplift in universal credit.
“We also need to see help for the millions currently excluded, through no fault of their own – and the self-employed in particular. An ’emergency basic income’ style scheme, using the current tax infrastructure, is the best way to help reach all this group and close the gaps which we believe are helping to increase the infection rate.”
An additional £50 million will be allocated every year for the next five years to improve and increase services for people affected by drug addiction.
Talks have been taking place with people with lived experience, a range of organisations and the Drug Deaths Taskforce following the publication in December of statistics which showed that in 2019 there were 1,264 drug related deaths in Scotland.
In a statement to Parliament, the First Minister said a national mission was needed to turn things around.
She outlined a number of areas where improvements will be made and a further £5 million is being allocated in this financial year to ensure work starts immediately.
These actions include:
substantially increasing the number of residential rehabilitation beds across the country
reducing stigma and increasing the number of people in treatment for their addiction
allocating funding directly to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, third sector and grassroots organisations to improve work in communities
widening the distribution of naloxone
implementing new standards for medicine-assisted treatment to ensure equitable services for all drug users
reassessing how overdose prevention facilities might be established despite legal barriers
The First Minister said: “Anyone who ends up losing their life as a result of drug addiction, is not just failed at the time of their death – in most cases, they will have been failed repeatedly throughout their whole life.
“I believe that if we have the will, we can and we will find the ways to stop this happening.
“Doing so requires a national mission to end what is currently a national disgrace.
“It is a reasonable criticism to say that this government should have done more earlier, and I accept that.
“But I am determined that we will provide this national mission with the leadership, focus, and resources that it needs.”
Top Trumps has officially updated its infamous card game to include Joe Biden as he moves into the White House and becomes President of the United States.
Police Scotland has released CCTV footage of a man officers wish to speak to in connection with assaults in the Meadows area.
A number of women were approached separately by a man between 10.30pm and 11.30 pm on Monday, 11 January, 2021, when they were walking in the area close to Melville Drive.
A man, described as Asian, aged 20 to 30-years-old, about 5ft 7 ins to 5ft 9 ins and of a skinny build, wearing a dark slim-fit puffer style jacket, was seen at the time.
https://youtu.be/TEOjEBxgVYA
Detective Inspector George Calder said: “A number of women were approached by a man who assaulted them and we believe the man shown in these images can help with our enquiries.
“Officers are also keen to speak to anyone may have seen the man walking towards the city centre or near Argyle Place or who may have dash-cam footage, particularly from driving along Melville Drive at that time of night.
“Anyone who has not spoken to officers already and may be able to help identify the man, or the man himself, can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 3502 of 11 January 2021, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Many parents enjoyed teaching their children at home during the first lockdown, but for others, the prospect of having to dust off their teaching skills again fills them with dread.
What programme of work should they follow? Should the children guide the learning or should it be imposed, with the parent in the role of a conventional teacher? How can they keep their child engaged in learning? What should they do when concentration fades?
A group of former primary school teachers have come to the rescue with Learn at Home Packs. Each one contains eight lessons with teacher-led teaching input videos, parent-friendly friendly lesson plans, slideshow presentations and printable worksheets.
Oli Ryan of educational resource gurus PlanBee said: ‘We hope these packs will take some of the pressure off parents who are new to home schooling.
“They’re designed specifically for mums and dads, so there’s no educational jargon. Educating your children at home can seem a pretty daunting prospect, but with these packs, we think we’re helping with the heavy lifting.’
The packs cover interesting and unusual topics such as forensic science, Italian culture, women’s suffrage and even include simple easy-to-follow cookery lessons.
‘We wanted to make sure that the lesson packs were educational, but interesting and fun, too,’ says Oli. ‘We’ve made sure they cover topics that children are unlikely to have learnt about in school previously – hopefully it’ll all be new to them!’
PlanBeehaveput one of thelesson videosup online for FREE, so you can get a taste of what’s included in the packs. And there are lots of free teaching resources for parents here.
Most of us have spent more time in our homes in recent months than ever before, so it comes as no surprise we are seeking to make home improvements, with Google searches for DIY once again on the increase during the latest lockdown.
For anyone thinking of sprucing up their home decor, one of the most common considerations is if it will add value to the property.
Providing expert guidance, Hitachi Personal Finance has looked at the most effective home improvements you can make on a low budget, for less than £100.
1. Painting a room – £71
Nothing brightens up a room more than a fresh lick of paint and this is something that can easily be done yourself. Rather than paying for a professional decorator, why not invest in some brushes, rollers and have a bit of fun picking the colour you want for a room.
To cover the cost of a main room, such as a lounge, kitchen or bathroom, paint will cost around £711 and will give your living space a much fresher look. If you are someone who monitors internal décor trends, choosing the right colour at the right time could even add more than £1,400 in value to your home if you came to selling2.
2. Kitchen spruce ups – £60
They often say the kitchen is the heart of the home, but a full-scale kitchen refurb is not always necessary, and can prove very costly. It can be easy and cheap to make just a couple of subtle changes to change the whole complexion of the room.
Adding or swapping a glass hob splash back can cost as little as £603, whilst tiling a wall could be just what you need to reinvigorate your kitchen area. The cost depends on the type of tile and size of your kitchen, but the average kitchen tiling will set you back just £35 per square metre4.
3. New curtains and blinds – £50-£90
Old drapes in your window frames can make a room feel stale and dull, so replacing those with something more vibrant and colourful can really make a difference.
Providing you have had them installed previously, just replacing curtains or roll up blinds won’t cost as much as you think. Home interior retailers sell a range of good quality curtains for between £50-£905 that can totally transform the feel of a room.
4. Decluttering – free
A really simple way to improve the feel of your entire home is organising and decluttering from top to bottom. Excess belongings are commonplace in a lot of households and can often be forgotten for long periods, leading to even the most spacious properties feeling cramped and messy.
Taking the time to go through each room, organising items to keep and collecting ones you want to recycle or donate to charity, will free up storage space that you can then make good use of. And, of course, this will cost you virtually nothing and if donating unused items to charity it will help others and the environment too.
5. Sprucing up your front door – £80
Make sure you don’t forget about the exterior of your home, as improvements on the outside can really add value to your property.
Sanding down and re-painting your front door will help alleviate any looks of tiredness from the outside and will certainly add kerb appeal. Although this sounds like a big job, the average cost of the paint and tools required to take this project on are attainable at just £80
Vincent Reboul, Managing Director at Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance, said: “The start of the year is often a time of reflection, and this applies to our homes as well as our careers and personal lives. The lockdown means even more of us will be looking to take on home improvements in the coming months.
“Although a lot of DIY jobs can be quite large and costly projects, there are certainly tweaks and changes we can be making ourselves to have similar benefits without forking out huge sums of money.
“We hope this guide inspires homeowners looking to try their hand at a few upgrades to give their house a fresh feel for 2021.”
For more information on the home improvements you can make on a budget, visit:
Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed yesterday’s unanimous vote in the Scottish Parliament for a ground-breaking law to protect shopworkers. This follows a long campaign by the union for new legislation to tackle growing violence, threats and abuse against retail staff.
The Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Bill was successfully steered through the Scottish Parliament by Daniel Johnson MSP (Labour, Edinburgh Southern).
Stewart Forrest, Usdaw’s Scottish Divisional Officer, said: “We are grateful for the support of MSPs and congratulate Daniel Johnson MSP on securing ground-breaking legislation to protect shopworkers from violence, threats and abuse. We hope the UK Government will now follow suit to protect shopworkers in the rest of the UK.
“Retail staff have been on the frontline throughout the coronavirus crisis, helping to keep our communities fed, despite the risks of contracting the virus. Yesterday the final results of our 2020 survey showed that 9 in 10 shopworkers had been abused last year. This new law firmly backs up Usdaw’s clear message that abuse is not part of the job.
“We are now looking to work with the Scottish Government, police and retailers to promote the new law. We want criminals to understand that assaulting and abusing shopworkers is unacceptable and will land them with a stiffer sentence. Our hope is that this new legislation will result in retail staff getting the respect they deserve.”
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary, said: “The Scottish Parliament is leading the way on protection of shopworkers by passing this Bill. It is a great result for our members in Scotland, who will now have the protection of the law that they deserve. We are grateful to Daniel Johnson for steering this important legislation through the Parliament.
“We have been deeply disappointed with the UK Government’s response to our campaign, offering little more than sympathy and their objecting to protection of shopworkers legislation. So we are looking for MPs to support key workers across the retail sector and help turn around the UK Government’s opposition.”
Scottish musicians will be in the global spotlight this month when more than 100 leading music promoters, record label representatives and agents from across the world will gather virtually, for the 21st annual Showcase Scotland event at Celtic Connections.
From Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 January, the music industry delegates from 25 countries will experience performances from Scottish bands and musicians including Elephant Sessions, who will appear in a stream from Ironworks in their hometown of Inverness; Siobhan Miller, who was recently awarded BBC Alba Scots Trad Award’s Scots Singer of the Year, as well as emerging artists as part of the online Danny Kyle Awards.
A virtual trade fair will also take place, allowing promoters to meet artists, their representatives and cultural organisations.
The event, which is supported by Creative Scotland and organised by Active Events on behalf of Celtic Connections, provides invaluable opportunities for the artists to raise their profile and secure new opportunities, as well as highlighting the dynamic music scene in Scotland.
The average annual income from gig and concert bookings and album sales generated for Scotland-based artists from the usual invited delegation to the Showcase is in the region of £3million.
Each year, as part of Showcase Scotland, Celtic Connections partners with a country to help create new international links and advance opportunities for their musicians. In this 21st anniversary iteration of Showcase Scotland, Scotland is the selected country and a special focus on Gaelic artists will feature through a specially commissioned film, Gaelic the Untold Story.
Produced with support from BòrdnaGàidhlig and Creative Scotland, Mary Ann Kennedy tells the story of the language, arts and culture in a 30-minute documentary, highlighting the importance of music and song in keeping the language alive.
Donald Shaw, Creative Producer for Celtic Connectionssaid: “It’s brilliant to see Showcase Scotland celebrate its 21st edition, albeit in a different way than originally planned.I am delighted to see the Gaelic language take centre stage as part of this year’s showcase.
“As a festival we connect with international cultures and indigenous languages through music, especially this year as we take Celtic Connections to the world, so using this opportunity to showcase one of the languages of our own culture to delegates and audiences on a global scale is fantastic.
“Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections continues to provide opportunities for Scottish musicians, and it is great to see it continue this year.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotlandsaid: “Showcase Scotland’s 21st anniversary presents a fantastic opportunity for us to come together from near and far.
“As ever, we’ll be shouting from the rooftops about Scotland’s traditional music and the world-class artists who are eager to get back out and performing in the months and years to come.
“At Creative Scotland, we’ve worked hard with the Scottish Government to keep the music industry afloat in this most difficult of years. We hope that Showcase Scotland will provide the bridge that’s needed to ensure our musicians have a bright future playing the towns and cities in your part of the world.”
Lisa Whytock, Active Eventssaid: “It’s important to stay connected with the international music industry and for our artists to remain in the spotlight.
“It’s been a very difficult year for a lot of people and for artists they have not worked since March. This edition will bring together the industry from as far away as Australia, the US and Canada to all corners of Europe in a very different, but immensely important edition of Showcase Scotland.”
Brian O hEadhra, Partnerships Manager, BòrdnaGàidhligsaid: “Gaelic is important to Scotland’s identity both at home and internationally.
“We are happy to support the Gaelic Showcase once again this year and hope that festival organisers will see the wealth of Gaelic artists there are, and in return give Gaelic artists the opportunity to take the language across the world.”
Joe Frankland, CEO, PRS Foundationsaid: “Following a very successful Virtual Visit event in 2020 which set the tone for how the global live sector can engage with outstanding Scottish talent online, we are very pleased to be supporting this week’s Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections event.
“With so many barriers to music export, it’s vital Scottish artists and bands are seen by industry delegates around the world. The combination of virtual showcases, trade fairs and informal networking will no doubt get great results this year, and we can’t wait to gather again soon for more of the same.”
Simon Thoumire, Hands Up for Tradsaid: “It’s brilliant to be going live for Showcase Scotland 2021! If we can’t be there in person at least we can bring you some live streamed music from afar.
“It will be great to see all the delegates again even if it is only one a screen!”
Breabach’s Megan Henderson said: “It’s great to have such a brilliant focus on Scotland and in particular Gaelic artists this year.
“Showcase Scotland really delivers opportunities for artists and for us was the catalyst to collaborations with the likes of Sydney Opera House. It’s great to see it happening and to so many of the international music industry being involved.”
Older people’s care charity enters its 80th year with new Chief Executive
LifeCare Edinburgh has announced the appointment of Damian McGowan as its new Chief Executive.
The renowned Stockbridge-based charity offers registered care and outreach support for older people in need living across the North of the city. Established in 1941, the organisation supports over 800 elderly clients every year supporting a variety of issues including dementia, loneliness, mobility issues, food poverty, mental health problems and carer support.
Damian McGowan, a trained social worker, brings with him over 30 years’ experience in social work, social care and adult care services. He is joining the charity following 20 years leading Gowrie Care, part of Hillcrest Group, and most recently as Managing Director at Corcare in Cornwall.
Announcing the appointment Jock Miller, Chair of the Board of Trustees said: “Damian brings a wealth experience and leadership talents which will immediately benefit everyone within the charity and will have a hugely positive impact on all of our important care services.
“We are thrilled that in the year in which we will celebrate our 80-year anniversary, and in which we will continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, Damian is joining us to drive forward and continue our well-known success offering first-class care for older people in our communities.”
Damian McGowan, CEO of LifeCare Edinburgh, said:“LifeCare delivers incredible high-quality care and support to hundreds of local older people within our communities every year.
“The care which my new colleagues deliver daily enables older people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible; they support both their physical and mental wellbeing. This is always vital, but never more so than through this shocking pandemic which has disproportionately affected older people who are otherwise left chronically isolated and vulnerable.
“I am extremely proud and honoured to be joining LifeCare at this crucial time. Collectively the board and all the staff have worked tirelessly to continue to safely deliver the key support our hundreds of elderly clients continue to need to survive this crisis.
“They have quickly adapted, redesigned, and introduced new key services to make sure that all essential needs have been met. Once we are able, I very much look forward to getting out into the community to safely meet with the people we support and to working with our board, staff and all of our dedicated volunteers.”
LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity and relies on the support of its funders. Key relationships include Barclays, Lothian Buses, Tesco Bank Edinburgh and all the many local people who take part in community fundraising events.
Scottish based events group, 21CC has today, announced that a donation of over £3,000 will be made to the Scottish Intensive Care Society, following the sell-out of its lighting trail, Wondrous Woods, which was hosted at the magnificent Hopetoun House in October last year.
Following a year of cancelled events and widespread difficulties within the events industry, 21CC launched Wondrous Woods as part of their pivotal strategy for alternative revenue generation and to support the events sector supply chain, as well as to offer the public something magical to look forward to.
Director of 21CC and brainchild of Wondrous Woods, Geoff Crow comments, “As a business operating solely in the event space, we had to make a lot of changes to keep our business going, pivoting from the norm and with an amazing team behind us, we were lucky enough to produce the most spectacular event at Hopetoun House.
“In light of its success, we knew we wanted to show our love and support to those who were working tirelessly in this ongoing battle, and with the Scottish Intensive Care Society incredibly close to our hearts, the donation to them was an easy choice.”
Following a year of cancelled events and widespread difficulties within the events industry, 21CC launched Wondrous Woods to offer a touch of magic to visitors. The COVID-compliant outdoor event saw tickets purchased in their thousands, each with an option to donate a percentage to charity.
The team at 21CC has been supporting Intensive Care over the last few months by inputting to the launch of the Critical Care Recovery and Rehabilitation Fund initiative and therefore decided to make the Scottish Intensive Care Society (SCIO) the charity of choice for donations from Wondrous Woods.
Dr Elizabeth Wilson, Past President of the Scottish Intensive Care Society, explains how the donation will be used: “There are long term consequences associated with an episode of critical illness, which can persist well beyond 12 months after discharge from hospital. ICU survivors commonly experience impairments in physical function, cognition and mental health.
“Typical sequelae range from the inability to physically perform activities of daily living unassisted, to memory impairment, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Relatives also suffer psychological morbidity, particularly anxiety and depression. An individual’s inability to return to work, combined with the burden of carer responsibilities, can impact profoundly on a family’s welfare, both socially and economically.”
Dr Wilson continued: “In contrast to other specialities which have well established rehabilitation programmessuch as cardiology, respiratory and stroke medicine, there is no dedicated, resourced pathway for ICU survivors.
“Never has this been more pertinent than during the COVID pandemic. This fund will support the rehabilitation needs of patients throughout Scotland, as they continue their recovery journey from critical illness back to health.”
21CC Group is a Scottish based events group based outside Edinburgh, established in 1999. The company produce events around the country for corporate groups, festivals, local authorities, and private clients.
