A number of community centres will be providing a variety of children, youth and adult work next week as part of a phased approach by the City of Edinburgh Council to opening up more public services.
The centres at Jack Kane, South Bridge, Royston Wardieburn, Ratho, Clovenstone, Pentland and Goodtrees will be open in a limited way from Monday 12 July.
More community centres will have limited opening over the coming weeks as management committees liaise with the Council over what services can be provided in line with the latest health advice.
Up to now community centres had only been accessed to support essential services such as food poverty programmes, support for vulnerable groups and regulated childcare. From Monday there will be access for key youth groups and other children and adult activities.
The activities being provided are in addition to the Get into Summer programme of events which aims to children and their families to play, socialise and re-connect over the summer holidays.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s absolutely vital for our citizens that our community centres are able to welcome them back as soon as possible so it’s welcome that we’ve been able to accelerate their opening.
“They’re a focal hub for our communities and you can’t underestimate the positive effect they have on people of all ages who benefit enormously from using them.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I’m sure people will be pleased to hear that essential services such as youth work along with other activities will soon be resuming in our community centres.
“These buildings are much-loved local spaces, like our libraries and sports venues, and the important role they will play in the city’s recovery from the pandemic is immeasurable.”
MSc is the next challenge for inspirational student
A student who was diagnosed with a rare cancer at a key point in her studies has successfully graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a first class honours degree.
Hayley Kane recovered from the devastating news, and two operations, to complete her BSc (Hons) in Animal and Conservation Biology – even though at times she had to leave lectures to change her dressing following radiotherapy treatment.
Now the brave 24-year-old is set to continue her studies in September with an MSc in Statistical Ecology at St Andrews University.
Hayley said: “I’m thrilled to have completed my degree and I hope my experience will serve as inspiration to other students who may be struggling due to external factors. It is possible to overcome hardships and achieve your goals as long as you are willing to work for it.”
Hayley, of Fairmilehead, Edinburgh, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma shortly before her third year assessments started – although she only learned about it after it had been removed. The rare form of cancer develops in cells around joints and tendons, often near the knee, and is most commonly associated with young adults.
Hayley had had issues with her knee for almost a decade, which worsened to a point where she was in constant pain and struggling to walk without crutches.
An x-ray picked up what was initially presumed to be a benign tumour but after an op to remove it she was told it had been synovial sarcoma, and was likely to have become cancerous fairly recently.
Hayley said: “I opted not to have chemotherapy due to the potential long-term effects on my health, and went on to have 12 weeks of radiotherapy to my knee. I underwent treatment throughout my third year assessments and over Christmas, with it ending shortly before the next trimester began.
“There were times when I had to excuse myself from lectures to change the dressings on my knee due to the excessive fluid leaking from the burns on my leg, but thankfully my friends were always happy to help fill me in on anything I had missed.
“Since my treatment finished I have thankfully remained cancer-free and look forward to resuming my studies at St Andrews.”
Dr Gavin Ballantyne, lecturer in Edinburgh Napier’s School of Applied Sciences, said: “Hayley has done brilliantly at Edinburgh Napier.
“Not only has she overcome serious health issues, but she’s also remained engaged, motivated and has produced an excellent final year project. We’re so pleased to see her graduate with a first-class degree and now go on to start an MSc at St Andrews.”
Here’s the latest Capital Cops column from Chief Inspector Sam Ainslie, Local Area Commander for South East Edinburgh:
The city centre and South East of Edinburgh is a diverse locality, incorporating homes, businesses and a large number of leisure facilities and visitor attractions, ranging from easily accessible green spaces to the vast majority of the city’s night-time economy.
Local Edinburgh residents welcome the responsible use of our fantastic green spaces and amenities. However, disappointingly, these areas can experience incidences of antisocial behaviour and even disorder, particularly during periods of good weather, where excessive drinking has been a contributory factor.
You may be aware of some issues within the Meadows area during the Easter weekend, and I raise it here, for a number of reasons.
First to provide reassurance, that it was obvious that a small group of individuals attended with the express purpose of causing disorder.
Second, being acutely aware of the negative impact on local communities, South East Community Improvement Partnership developed a comprehensive action plan, calling on expertise and resource from across a range of Police, voluntary organisations, and City of Edinburgh Council functions.
This multi-agency response was then utilised successfully over a number of subsequent weekends.
Third, I wish to highlight the success of our dedicated investigation team, formed to specifically target those responsible for the pockets of disorder that weekend, and I am delighted to report that 14 of 17 key individual have been traced, arrested and reported to the Procurator Fiscal and suffice to say efforts will continue to hold the remainder to account.
Please continue to use these spaces respectfully.
While Edinburgh is a safe city, we are never complacent in respect of violence or anti-social behaviour in any of its forms, and as the night-time economy gradually returns, officers are once again providing a high visibility policing presence within the city centre during weekend periods, providing reassurance to our local communities, preventing issues and robustly dealing with incidents, should they occur.
Keeping with prevention, we have started to see a rise in thefts from vehicles, homes, sheds and businesses, and as a recurring theme, these are often opportunistic in nature, with thieves capitalising on a door or window being left unlocked.
Items of choice include, purses, handbags, laptops and bikes. Police Scotland’s website www.scotland.police.uk provides lots of great security advice, so please give it a visit.
Road safety matters remain an area of focus, and with Police Scotland’s Summer Drink/ Drug Drive Campaign having started on Monday – please follow us on our social media channels for information and updates.
I want to thank you for your ongoing support and ask that you continue to contact us to report suspected criminality and relevant concerns.
Information can also be passed to local officers, 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, and as ever, we will continue to post policing updates via @EdinPolSE Twitter account.
If you haven’t already done so, please follow us to receive regular information on what’s happening in your local area.
Chief Inspector Sam Ainslie is Local Area Commander, South East Edinburgh
The Rural Youth Project, in partnership with LGBT Youth Scotland and AgRespect, is hosting an event on Tuesday 13 July to focus on LGBT+ visibility and acceptance in rural communities with four inspirational speakers joining to share their experiences and advice.
Hosted via Zoom, Rebecca Dawes, Rural Youth Project Director, said that the event will be a safe and inclusive place for young people to come together.
“We spent Pride Month, which is celebrated each June, researching and understanding the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in Scotland. We realised young people in rural areas, who already face greater social and digital isolation. In addition, rural young people may not have the same opportunities to hear and show how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, and how in some places there is still work to be done.
“Whether it’s in-person or virtual, core to any Rural Youth Project event is that young people feel included, welcome and safe. We’re really excited to host this event and I would strongly encourage any young person who would like to attend to register as soon as possible.”
Speakers include Matthew Naylor, Founder of AgRespect; Paula Manners from LGBT Youth Scotland; and, Kieran Sinclair, a Rural Youth Project Digital Champion from Orkney, who recently authored the blog ‘Queering in Rural Scotland’ located on the recently launched Rural Youth Project Smart Village.
Kieran said: “Growing up on the Orkney Isles, I feel I have a hopeful story to tell. My home island has a community of about 350 folks. Everyone is a neighbour, friend, or relative of sorts. The island is small in population, but huge in community.
“My experience as a gay dude is really rather a happy one. From what I can remember, the island embraced that part of me. There were questions about sexuality, but those who were asking, did so from a point of curiosity to learn, I felt. Because I knew most islanders, there was an established relationship, from which promising conversation evolved.”
The Rural Youth Project is funded by the LEADER Programme 2014-2020: The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.
Through the project’s new Smart Village, leadership programmes and other online activities, it aims to reach out to all areas of Scotland and enable all young people to participate and become the next generation of rural leaders.
The event will be held on Tuesday 13 July from 6:00pm and people interested in attending can secure their spot via the Rural Youth Project’s website – www.ruralyouthproject.com.
Grants worth a total of £1.61 million have been allocated to community-based drugs organisations and support services providing access to treatment and residential rehabilitation.
The Local Support Fund – for groups with an annual income of under £1 million – issued 24 awards. Recipients included the Navigator project, run by Medics Against Violence, which will get £37,256 to help patients who attend Emergency Departments access appropriate local services after discharge.
Grants of up to £100,000 were awarded to 17 organisations under the Improvement Fund which supports services leading to fast access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and initiatives which help drug users address the underlying challenges they face.
This round of funding is from the £18 million package announced in March to support the national mission to reduce drug related deaths and improve lives.
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “I am pleased we have been able to support these organisations to improve and extend their services.
“The Local Support Fund will help community based projects increase their capacity so they can reach more people who experience problem drug use and offer increased support to them and their families.
“The Improvement Fund supports initiatives which lead to quick access to treatment and help for families. It can also be used for residential rehabilitation and to provide access to additional support, such as mental health services, to enable people to address any underlying challenges they face.
“Over the next five years we will spend £250 million on addressing the drug deaths crisis, £100 million of which will go on improving the provision of residential rehabilitation and I will update Parliament on progress in this area after the summer recess.
“As I have said before, I am determined that every penny of this additional funding will make a difference to all those affected by drug use in Scotland.”
Director of Medics Against Violence Christine Goodall said: “Medics Against Violence are absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to expand the capacity of the Navigator Project.
“This project provides relational and responsive support for people who are at risk or in crisis, so this expansion will play an important role in keeping even more people safe and connected. We hope that by continuing to working together with partners we can support people towards safer and healthier lives.”
Renewable electricity providerE.ON1 has launched a new Alexa skill featuring advice designed to help people become more sustainable at home
From today, Alexa customers can launch the skill by saying ‘Alexa, open E.ON Sustainable Home’ which is voiced by radio DJ, TV presenter and sustainability advocate, Edith Bowman
According to new research from E.ON, six in 10 Brits (59%) admit they want to educate themselves on how to live more sustainably2
Renewable electricity provider E.ON1 has created an Amazon Alexa skill to help educate people about sustainability in the home and make advice more accessible.
The move comes as new research2 reveals that over a third of people (37%) say they have incorporated sustainable habits into their routine since the lockdowns began and many are concerned these habits may become less of a priority as life continues to return to normal (66%).
However, the research also shows that Brits give different reasons as to why their sustainable habits may become less of a priority. Around four in 10 people say their focus may shift away from sustainability because they:
have less time than before (44%)
are not at home as much (42%)
have other pressing priorities (39%)
But with six in 10 (59%) of those surveyed wanting to educate themselves on how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, E.ON has today made this easier by launching a new Amazon Alexa skill. By simply saying ‘Alexa,Open E.ON’s Sustainable Home’, Alexa customers can access free tips and advice voiced by radio DJ, TV presenter and sustainability advocate Edith Bowman.
E.ON’s Sustainable Home Alexa skill will help people understand more about a range of topics related to sustainable living, including:
Why it’s important to be sustainable in the home
How to make your home more sustainable
How to be sustainable at different times throughout the year
How to be sustainable in different rooms of your home
What the best sustainable solutions are for your home
The launch come following previous research by E.ON which found that almost half (48%)3 of Brits admitted to becoming more sustainably conscious during the lockdowns, with habits such as turning off switches when not plugged in (26%), turning off appliances that aren’t in use (24%) and only heating rooms that are in use (18%) becoming firm fixtures in their daily lives.
However, the new research from E.ON2 also reveals that two thirds (66%) of Brits are concerned they might slip back into old routines and habits now restrictions are easing, meaning being sustainable around the home could become less of a priority for them.
Around a third say switching lights off when not in the room (39%), turning the heating off during the day when they are not at home (35%), and thinking about installing sustainable solutions in their homes, such as an energy efficient boiler (30%) or solar panels (24%) may slip down their list of priorities.
Michael Lewis, E.ON UK CEO, said: “We understand that as the world slowly returns to normal and people start getting out and about more, being sustainable at home might become less of a priority for some.
“But we need to ensure that sustainability remains on everyone’s list of priorities and all of the good habits and intentions many of us have adopted over this last year continue.
“There are many simple and easy steps people can take towards becoming more sustainable at home, such as tracking your energy use with a smart meter or switching to a provider offering 100% renewable electricity as standard such as E.ON Next and even getting solar panels. And there are many everyday tricks you can use too.
“By creating an Alexa skill, we’re making sustainability advice easy, convenient and accessible for people who want to find out more and to take action, helping the nation meet our net zero target.”
A keen advocate of sustainable living, Radio DJ and TV presenter Edith Bowman said: “I am delighted to be working with E.ON to help bring advice on sustainability directly into people’s homes.
“It is so important that we take responsibility to care for the environment we live in and as we all start leaving our homes more, it is crucial we maintain the positive sustainability habits we have developed over the past 12 months.
“Working with E.ON on this campaign has been a great way to learn more about sustainable solutions in the home such as energy efficient boilers, smart meters and heat pumps, which are all great steps towards living a more sustainable life.”
The launch coincides with the release of E.ON’s Carbon Countdown Road to 2030 report which looks at the behavioural and policy changes needed to help meet the UK’s net zero goals. The new report aims to educate and inform the nation on industry measures required in key areas such as in the home.
To find out more about 100% renewable electricity from E.ON Next visit eonnext.com.
And for more about how to be sustainable at home and other sustainable solutions, visit eonenergy.com.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh today (Thursday 8th July):
Good afternoon everyone. As you can see, I’m joined by the Chief Medical Officer today, and he will take questions with me shortly.
Before that though I want to reflect on our current Covid situation and, in doing that, I will also look ahead briefly to the statement I will make to Parliament next week.
But before any of that, I’ll summarize today’s statistics.
Yesterday there were 2,802 positive cases reported, which is 8% of all of the tests that were carried out.
The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 306,449.
There are 401 people who are currently in hospital – that is 14 more than yesterday.
And 38 people are receiving intensive care, and that is 4 more than yesterday.
Sadly 4 further deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and that takes the total number of deaths registered under this daily definition to 7,744.
As always, I want to convey my thoughts and condolences to everyone who has been bereaved over the course of this pandemic.
I’ll also briefly update on the progress of the vaccination programme.
As of this morning, 3,900,864 people had received a first dose of vaccine.
That is an increase of 10,688 since yesterday.
In addition to that, yesterday 16,984 people got the second dose and that brings the total number of second doses to 2,825,886.
So as you can see from these numbers, the vaccine programme continues to make really good progress and that should make us optimistic. For now though, that optimism needs to be balanced by concern at the high case numbers we’ve seen recently – a pattern that is increasingly evident in other countries as well.
However, on the upside – and while there will always be daily fluctuations as we can see, and that’s why we look most closely at 7 day averages – looking at the figures reported over the past few days, we can see the suggestion that the recent surge in cases may be, to some extent, levelling off now. Today’s reported figure, for example, represents 1,432 fewer cases than were reported on this day last week.
Similarly, if we look at the seven day average, there does appear to be a slowdown in the rise in positive cases.
So while we need to monitor this in the days to come, that is encouraging news but obviously case numbers remain high. And that is a worry.
We increasingly hear talk just now of learning to live with the virus, which we all want to be able to do.
And it is true, absolutely true, that we can’t live a restricted way of life forever – because that in itself affects our health and wellbeing. And it is also true, thankfully, that vaccines are offering us an alternative way forward.
However, that desire to just live with it cannot mean that we simply throw all caution to the wind and no longer worry at all about rising levels of infection.
And I want to just set out briefly why we can’t simply through all caution to the wind.
Firstly, this virus is still potentially dangerous. As we see almost every day just now, it is still taking lives – though mercifully, thanks to the vaccines, it is doing so in far fewer numbers than we saw in earlier stages.
Secondly, even though the majority – a quite significant majority – of cases are now in younger people, who are much less likely to become acutely ill, the health impacts can still be significant. Many young people are suffering from long Covid, which of course experts still don’t fully understand.
So it would be wrong and irresponsible – because our young people are not guinea pigs – to have no concern at all about young people being infected with this virus.
And, thirdly, even though far fewer people with Covid are ending up in hospital now – around 3% of all cases compared to 13% earlier in the year – and that’s mainly because vaccines are giving protection to those that previously were most likely to fall seriously ill, it is still the case that 3% of a high number of positive cases will still put significant pressure on our NHS. That’s a matter of basic arithmetic.
And because the NHS is much busier again with non-Covid care – which is a good thing because we are trying to catch up on the backlog created earlier in the pandemic when we had to stop a lot of non-Covid care – that pressure will be felt now much more quickly.
And it is already being felt in our NHS. Already some hospitals are having to scale back a bit on Covid elective care again. And I just want to take the opportunity again today to pay tribute to everybody working really hard in our NHS up and down the country.
So for all of these reasons – while it is still the case, and this bit hasn’t changed, that vaccines are offering us the way out of this, hopefully soon – this is a moment for care and caution.
And that’s not true just here in Scotland, although we are undoubtedly at the sharp end of this Delta curve.
But increasingly we see and hear other countries, faced with an accelerating Delta wave, also re-emphasise the need for caution.
It is worth pointing out – and I am doing this non-pejoratively, just as a statement of fact and because the pressure is always there for Scotland to follow suit – I think it is worth pointing out that the path the UK government is embarking on for England, which is entirely a matter for them, a path of not just lifting all restrictions from 19 July, but also removing the requirement for basic mitigations like face masks, and doing so against the backdrop of sharply increasing case numbers, is something of an exception.
So while I totally understand the desire that some have for us to follow suit in every single respect, we have to think carefully about the steps we do take at this juncture.
My job is not to take the easy decisions in a quest for popularity.
It is to do what I think is most likely to keep the country as safe as possible as we get to the end of the vaccination programme.
You’ve heard me use the analogy before – and I’m far from the only person to have used it – that this is a race between the virus and the vaccines.
Over the next few weeks as we complete the vaccination programme, it is really important that we don’t let the virus outrun us.
So that brings me on to the second issue I want to just briefly cover today, which is the statement I will make to Parliament next Tuesday.
As you know, when we published our revised strategic framework, we said that 19 July was the indicative date for Scotland’s move to level 0.
Next Tuesday, ahead of that date, I will set out to Parliament the final decision that the Cabinet will reach on Tuesday morning on whether and to what extent that move is able to proceed.
It is worth noting – again, just as a statement of fact, not because I want you to read anything particular into this – that these decisions needn’t always be binary. It is always possible to proceed with some planned changes but hold back on others if we think that is appropriate.
Obviously though, I very much hope we will be able to move ahead as planned – and the apparent slowing down in the case numbers gives me more cause for optimism about that than I might have had a week ago – but nevertheless between now and Tuesday, we will continue to monitor very carefully the latest data on cases, but also on hospitalizations and deaths to see whether that weakening of the link between cases and severe illness is continuing.
So that is a decision I will set out on Tuesday and I don’t want to pre-empt that decision any further today, but there is one point I do want to emphasise – particularly given that I’m very aware the media will be full of talk of so-called Freedom Day in relation to England and I absolutely understand everybody’s desire to get to what is called Freedom Day here as quickly as possible.
But as the case numbers show, Covid is still with us. It is still present across the globe and it is going to be around for some time to come.
So it is important, I think, just to remind all of us that a move to level 0 does not mean the immediate end of all restrictions.
Many of the baseline measures we use – things like face coverings, physical distancing, rigorous hand hygiene, advising on good ventilation – these are going to continue to be important mitigations in protecting ourselves and others from the virus, perhaps for some time yet.
So no matter what our decision is next week about the move to level 0, there won’t be an abrupt end to these basic protective measures when we do move to level 0. Obviously I will set out more about that in the statement I make next week.
To finish though, I want to remind everyone of the three things all of us can do to help beat this virus.
We hopefully are seeing a slowdown in the rate of increase that we’ve had in the last couple of weeks. That’s good news. The vaccination programme continues to go well, we’ve got drop in clinics in every part of mainland Scotland to encourage people to come forward for vaccinations. So we have cause and reason to continue to be optimistic – but this is a moment in our path out of this pandemic for us to be careful and cautious.
All of us have a part to play and I just want to end by reiterating the things that all of us can do to help get us back to that position of normality as quickly as possible.
The first is to get vaccinated as soon as you are invited to do so. If you are over 18 years of age, you should have had your invitation for the first jag by now. So if you haven’t had that, you can self-register on the NHS Inform website to get an appointment or you can go to one of the drop-in clinics.
As I said a moment ago, there are open clinics in all mainland health board areas and you can find details of the one nearest to you on NHS Inform website or on the social media accounts of your own health board.
These drop in clinics are also available to anyone who has had a first dose 8 weeks or more ago but hasn’t yet had a second dose.
I simply can’t emphasise enough just how important it is that we all get vaccinated with both doses. So please get both jags as soon as you can and the NHS Inform website is a place to go if you need more information on how to get your jag.
The second thing we’re asking everyone to do, is to take the opportunity to test yourself regularly. That’s particularly important if you are planning to visit somebody or go somewhere. If you take a test before you go, you will reduce the risk of you inadvertently spreading the virus if you perhaps have it and don’t have symptoms. So it helps protect those that you will be coming into contact with.
You can get lateral flow tests through the NHS inform website. That way you can get them sent to you by post. But you can also pick them up from local and regional test centres, or from local pharmacies.
If you test positive through one of these lateral flow devices – or if you have symptoms of the virus – please make sure that you self-isolate, and that you book a PCR test as quickly as possible.
And if you are identified as a close contact of someone with Covid, you will be asked to self-isolate for 10 days – so please do that. We are reviewing the policy on isolation for contacts of positive cases for the future and will set out our intentions on that shortly. But for now it remains an important mitigation.
The third and final thing we’re asking people to do is stick to the rules wherever you live, and keep following the basic hygiene measures.
Meet other people outdoors as much as possible.
If you are meeting indoors, stick to the limits on group sizes, follow the advice around hygiene and ventilation and remember that is important even if you are meeting indoors to watch the football or other sport.
And please remember physical distancing, hand-washing, face coverings – all of these basic mitigations still help us to limit the spread of this virus.
And if, like I’m sure most of us have been over the past few weeks, you have been slipping on these things this is a moment to tighten up again as we hopefully embark on this next and final phase of getting out of the Covid restrictions.
So those are the key things we’re asking everybody do to. We’re all thoroughly sick of every single aspect of this. I don’t just know that, I feel that, but it’s really important that, having come so far, and having hopefully an effective end point to this in sight, that we stick with it to make sure not just that we get to that end point but that we get to that end point as safely as possible.
So thank you for your continued patience, thank you for your continued forbearance with all of this, and please continue to stick with it.
A leading Insurance comparison website is warning that many motorists with diabetes risk a hefty fine if they fail to declare the condition to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA).
Quotezone.co.uk also warns that policies could be void and claims disputed if diabetic drivers have not declared the disease to their insurer – and that includes those newly diagnosed.
As the pandemic-induced lockdowns forced people to alter their lifestyles with the closure of gyms, restricted exercise and reported spike in fast food takeaways – elements which can increase a person’s chances of developing the disease – it may lead to a surge of people being diagnosed with diabetes.
According to research from Manchester University, the first lockdown in April 2020 led to diagnosis rates falling 70% on the 10-year average.
It estimates that more than 45,000 type 2 diagnoses were either missed or delayed between March and July alone, creating an imminent surge in new diabetes patients as things slowly begin to open up.
Diabetes UK states that there are nearly five million people with the disease in the UK: 90% with type 2, 8% with type 1 and the remainder with rarer types. The charity predicts diabetes could rise to five and a half million by 2030 and 13.6 million are at risk of becoming type 2 sufferers.
The charity shared the following advice to show the various levels of restrictions for drivers with diabetes:
Those who have suffered a severe hypoglycaemia (hypo) attack at the wheel or while awake in past year-stop driving and tell the DVLA straight away.Driving licences will be revoked but can be applied for again after three months. Severe hypo attacks do not need to be declared if sufferer experiences it asleep.
Prescribed insulin – apply to the DVLA for a restricted licence – one to three years. Temporary insulin users do not need to tell the DVLA.
Medication that can risk hypos –a severe hypo while awake in a 12-month period, stop driving and tell the DVLA. Driving licence will be revoked, but can be reapplied for 3 months later.
Other diabetes medication or new exercise and diet – no need to tell the DVLA.
The penalties for not declaring a medical condition can result in a £1,000 fine and the risk of prosecution if the driver is involved in an accident.
In addition to diabetes, motorists with heart issues and other conditions such as epilepsy, sleep apnoea, strokes should visit the DVLA’s website for more information.
Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, comments: “A serious medical diagnosis on top of the fear of losing transportation and independence can be devasting. On a more positive note, many conditions and medications won’t impair driving, which the DVLA and insurers recognise.
“However, anyone whose condition or medication could affect their driving needs to keep the DVLA up to date. It won’t necessarily mean a permanent loss of a licence and many successfully reapply when their condition is managed and the risk declines. It is however essential that all drivers are properly covered with an accurate policy, to protect themselves and other road users.
“If a motorist sees their premiums go up due to the insurer’s updated risk assessment, and it looks like they might be priced out of affordable insurance, they should shop around for new quotes – insurance comparison websites are a good place to start.”
