More resource is being put into supporting local business leaders through a new Growth Recovery Programme as the Capital’s business community looks to survive and thrive following the past 18 months.
As challenges continue to arise from the pandemic as well as UK’s exit from the European Union, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Business Gateway service has developed a programme designed to assist small business owners and/or directors to develop their skills, knowledge, and confidence to recover and grow their businesses.
Part funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the six-session, small group programme will take place virtually and cover a variety of topics including ‘Redefining Your Business Model’, ‘Developing as a Business Leader’ and ‘Financing Growth’.
Starting on Wednesday 27 October and running until Wednesday 1 December, participants will be able to gain new knowledge and tools they need to support their businesses within the evolving business landscape.
Councillor Kate Campbell, Fair Work Convener, said: “Businesses have had to innovate and diversify in order to survive in what has been an extremely difficult time for everyone. Many still face challenges they have to navigate, but there are opportunities too. Business Gateway Edinburgh has developed this new programme to help equip people with up-to-date knowledge, expertise and advice.
“We hope to be able to support a wide range of businesses from different sectors across the city. We’ve found that many of the business leaders involved in these programmes often go on to build their own networks and build valuable relationships while benefiting from peer-to-peer support.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Fair Work Vice Convener, said: “This new programme adds to the variety of initiatives already offered by Business Gateway Edinburgh, including Women in Business and Gateway to Investment, while supplementing the ongoing one-to-one and on-call support offered by the team.
“We are committed to helping businesses through what continues to be a very challenging time. Through the Council’s wider services we have extended outdoor seating arrangements for the hospitality sector, facilitated grant funding, provided rent assistance to our business tenants, and through the Forever Edinburgh campaign, we continue to inspire people to visit and drive footfall in and around the city.”
To apply please speak to your Business Gateway Adviser for an application form or email: bglothian@bgateway.com
The data show in 2020-21 in the most deprived areas of England there were 39,161 attendances per 100,000, while in the least deprived areas this figure is almost halved to 20,784.
Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:“The pandemic has highlighted the scale of health inequalities across the country. The data show that those from the most deprived area are almost twice as likely to visit their Emergency Department than those from the least deprived area.
“We welcome NHS England’s willingness to engage on the issue and address health inequalities, but we must see real action taken. We also look forward to the formation of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and would welcome the opportunity to input into their agenda.
“The health inequalities are clear and tackling them will be a serious challenge. On a fundamental level, if the government is serious about levelling up and tackling these inequalities, the first steps must be to fund and support local authorities and Integrated Care Systems and invest in preventative health.
“The scale of health inequalities means tackling homelessness; immigrant health; domestic violence; and youth violence. While supporting those with; mental health illnesses; learning disabilities; and both drug and alcohol addiction.”
There were also 1.39 million reattendances in 2020/21 which is equal to 10.4% of all unplanned attendances. This is the highest figure on record and up 1.7 percentage points when compared to the previous year 2019/20.
Dr Henderson continued:“It is also deeply concerning that one in ten patients reattended the Emergency Department (ED), it is vital that patients have the appropriate information and support available to manage their condition following their visit to the ED. We need better data on this issue to understand what is driving people to reattend.”
In 2020/21 302,784 patients stayed in an Emergency Department for 12-hours or more from time of arrival, this is 21 times higher than the 12-hour figure from decision to admit, which is 14,150.
Dr Henderson concluded:“Utilising the right metrics in Emergency Departments is crucial to improving patient safety. It is vital that we measure health equalities, reattendances, and 12-hour stays from time of arrival across the country.
“Analysing these metrics will help us, NHS England and the government to take effective action to support the patients, communities and areas that need it most. That means fewer reattendances, closing the gap on health inequalities, reducing long stays, and improving the patient experience.
“This data paints a very real picture of the state of health and the state of healthcare in this country. We welcome the engagement of NHS England and the government’s agenda on these matters, but we must now see the tangible actions taken to tackle these issues.”
The Church of Scotland will mark this year’s Challenge Poverty Week (4-10 October) with a series of short videos featuring the work of the Priority Areas team and the congregations they support.
In partnership with The Poverty Alliance, the annual event aims to highlight the issue of poverty across Scotland, as well as what can be done by individuals and organisations to campaign for a more equal society.
Starting today (Monday 4 October) the videos will tie in with environmental issues in the run-up to COP26. They will be available for viewing on the Church of Scotland YouTube channel with a new one released each day during the week.
The churches featured are designated as Priority Areas by the Church of Scotland as they are in areas experiencing the greatest impact from poverty according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Speaking about Challenge Poverty Week, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Lord (Jim) Wallace, said: “We need not be defeatist in the face of poverty.
“With vision and determined commitment, solutions can be identified and pursued.
“Challenge Poverty Week gives us an opportunity to come together, and with a united voice calling for such a commitment.”
Shirley Grieve, who is the Church of Scotland’s Priority Areas secretary, said: “As we enter Challenge Poverty week and join our voices in Priority Areas with others engaged in this campaign, we are mindful of the challenges people already struggling with poverty will face this winter.
“On top of the removal of the £20 weekly supplement on Universal Credit, people are already facing huge increases in fuel costs as a result of the recent surge in gas prices.
“We hope people will be encouraged to take part in Challenge Poverty week in whatever way possible and show that we can take action together to eradicate poverty.”
The Priority Areas team will also be holding a series of webinars throughout the month of October, which will explore the connection between climate change and poverty.
Peter Kelly, director of The Poverty Alliance, said: “Too many people in Scotland are living with the constant pressure of living in poverty.
“As we plan our economic recovery, we must redesign our economy to reflect the values of justice and compassion we all share.
“By boosting people’s incomes and reducing the cost of living we can solve make sure we all have what we need.”
Join in on social media using the hashtags #ChallengePoverty #NowIsTheTime
new simplified travel system with a single red list and the rest of the world comes into force from 4am this morning
fully vaccinated travellers from over 50 countries and territories have simpler, cheaper rules, with just a single post arrival test needed
changes come as UK government welcomes fully vaccinated residents of over 50 countries and territories who can travel like fully vaccinated UK travellers
From 4am today (Monday 4 October 2021), the UK’s new travel system comes into force with countries and territories categorised as either red or the rest of the world.
The new simplified travel system also means that eligible fully vaccinated passengers and eligible under-18s returning from over 50 countries and territories not on the red list, can do so without needing to complete a pre-departure test (PDT), a day 8 test or enter a 10-day self-isolation period, making it easier for those travelling – whether that’s to see friends and family, or on business trips.
As announced last month, the new rules also mean that from later in October eligible fully vaccinated passengers with an approved vaccine and recognised certificate from a country not on the red list will be able to replace their day 2 test with a cheaper lateral flow test, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England. The government aims to have this in place for when people return from half-term breaks.
Anyone testing positive will need to isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test, at no additional cost, which would be genomically sequenced to help identify new variants.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We are accelerating towards a future where travel continues to reopen safely and remains open for good, and today’s rule changes are good news for families, businesses and the travel sector.
“Our priority remains to protect public health but, with more than 8 in 10 people now fully vaccinated, we are able to take these steps to lower the cost of testing and help the sector to continue in its recovery.”
Also from today, under-18s from the over 50 countries whose vaccination status the UK recognises will not need to present a negative PDT before travelling to England. This applies regardless of their vaccination status.
All under-11s, regardless of where they are travelling from, are already exempt from pre-departure testing for arrival in the UK. If children aged 11 and over are not travelling from one of the 50-plus countries and territories where vaccines are recognised, they will be required to follow the same rules as for unvaccinated passengers.
From today, the UK is expanding it’s vaccinated policy to a further 18 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Canada. The recognised vaccines are Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca (including Covidshield), Moderna and Janssen (J&J).
This builds on the UK government’s successful pilot phase with Europe and the US, and brings the total number of countries in scope of the policy to over 50, with more countries and territories being added in the coming weeks.
Those eligible must have a document from a national or state-level public health authority that includes certain information including name, date of birth and vaccination details, as set out in guidance on GOV.UK.
The UK government has maintained it would take a phased approach to recognising vaccines administered by other countries and territories, building on the success of the pilot with the US and Europe.
Fully vaccinated residents in other countries not yet part of the inbound policy, as well as those partially vaccinated, will still have to take a pre-departure test, PCR tests for day 2 and day 8 after arrival, and self-isolate for 10 days, with the option to test to release after 5 days.
The UK government is continuing to work with international partners as we seek to more regularly expand the policy to further countries and territories.
All arrivals will still need to fill in a passenger locator form ahead of travel. Travellers should continue to check GOV.UK travel guidance including Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice before, during and after travel to keep up to date with entry requirements and ensure compliance with the latest COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 regulations for the country being visited.
Passengers should also carefully check booking conditions prior to booking.
The Scottish Government has ‘reluctantly’ agreed to adopt the same system.
Environmental charity calls for young people to engage with mini-Litter Less campaign
Scotland is facing a looming litter emergency and environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is calling for teachers and youth leaders to get involved in a new international 10-day campaign to tackle litter.
The Mini Litter Less campaign will run from 18 – 28 October 2021 and those that sign up to participate will be supported with a seven-point action plan.
The plan includes activities to learn about the biodiversity and nature around you, to understand plastic pollution, to find out more about invisible pollutants, to consider consumption habits, to think about the partnership approach to tackling the issue, and to organise a litter pick and celebration picnic.
The campaign will also feature a Zero Waste Day where young people will be encouraged to live a whole day without producing any waste at all.
Participants will be asked to post their thoughts, photos and videos on social media using the #LitterLessCampaign, and the best three will be selected by us and entered into an international competition – with the best 10 global entries winning a prize of $100.
Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Education and Learning Manager Daniel Barrie, said: “Litter Less is an annual campaign we run on behalf of the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE). Across the world 15 other countries participate and it supports over 1.3million children and over 20,000 educators to improve and enhance the places they love in their own villages, towns and cities by campaigning to stop litter.
“This Mini Litter Less campaign provides an easy to follow seven-point action plan to help drive a change in the behaviour that causes litter. The actions are easy to fulfil and are designed to be tackled one a day over a period of time.
“Tackling litter and waste is crucial if we are to reverse declining standards of cleanliness across our country and the planet so we would encourage everyone to get involved.”
KSB have run the wider Litter Less campaign for nine years, and in that time £56,000 of support has been provided to 244 Scottish schools, helping them to become more ‘litter-ate’ and to purchase litter picking equipment and bins.
In addition, more than, 4,000 educators and 50,000 children and young people have been involved across Scotland.
If you are interested in getting involved contact:
One in five parents wouldn’t know who to turn to for help if they had any welfare concerns in relation to their child’s sport/leisure clubs
Campaign kicks-off to help parents understand their role in keeping children safe and who they can turn to for help
Scottish Athletics, Scottish Gymnastics and Netball Scotland join in supporting the NSPCC’s and Children 1st’s Parents in Sport Week
A group of Scottish governing sporting bodies has backed a joint NSPCC and Children 1st campaign which is raising awareness of where parents can turn if they have concerns about their child’s sports club.
An online survey*, conducted on behalf of the NSPCC by YouGov, has found that 20% of parents** who had children in sports and leisure clubs, would not know who to speak to if they had any worries about a child’s welfare at the club.
Now, Scottish Gymnastics, Scottish Athletics and Netball Scotland are backing Parents in Sport Week (4-10 October 2021) – an annual campaign run by the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) and Children 1st, aiming to equip every parent with the safeguarding knowledge they need, and highlight the important role parents play in youth sport.
Doc McKelvey, Scottish Gymnastics CEO, said: “Many sports around the world, including ours, have had cause to focus and self-reflect following complaints on different issues. Scottish Gymnastics fully supports this campaign which highlights how important parents and carers are in helping keep children and young people safe in sport.
“Gymnast welfare is at the heart of everything we do, and wellbeing and protection is a priority in our clubs and programmes. We have embarked on a long-term project to ensure all our members, parents and carers know more about safeguarding and child protection, how to identify and raise concerns, and give them the confidence to do so. We are grateful to the NSPCC and Children 1st for helping raise awareness and empower parents.”
Claire Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland and the Strathclyde Sirens, said: “We are once again proud to support NSPCC Scotland’s and Children 1st’s Parents in Sport Week. The campaign this year aims to ensure parents have access to the right resources, tools and information to feel confident that their children can return to, and most importantly enjoy, sport safely.
“After such a challenging year we know that many parents and children are feeling anxious about restarting clubs and activities, so this campaign will provide vital support to empower families to get back to doing what they love.”
David Fallon, Head of Development for scottishathletics, said: “We are delighted and proud to once again support the ‘Parents in Sport Week’ campaign, led by NSPCC Scotland and Children 1st.
“We will work with our clubs and members to promote the campaign toolkit, and encourage as many parents and guardians as possible to understand the important role they play in the bigger safeguarding picture of sport.
“We hope that by promoting this campaign, more parents will ask those important questions around safeguarding when their child takes part in athletics in Scotland, helping us to ensure our clubs are offering a safe, fun, and engaging environment.”
As part of the campaign the children’s charities have issued three key safeguarding tips for parents in relation to children’s sport:
Every club should have a child welfare officer in post – familiarise yourself with who that is and their contact details;
Check if your club has a safeguarding policy in place and understand how that keeps children safe;
Know that the NSPCC helpline is there if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach the helpline on 0808 800 5000 or at help@nspcc.org.uk
Children 1st provides a helpful guide for parents on finding a safe sports club for their child. And, this year, the NSPCC has launched new resources aimed at parents, to help them understand their role in keeping children safe and who they can turn to for help if they have any worries about their child’s sport.
Resources include a free e-learning course for parents on keeping their child safe; a new animation which helps parents identify when something might be wrong in their child’s sport; and the new NSPCC CPSU Parents Hub – an online destination providing safeguarding information for parents.
“Since launching the campaign five years ago, countless sports bodies, clubs and coaches have supported our work and worked hard to develop better relationships with parents and carers.
“This year, we want to provide the tools needed to help parents and carers access important information to help keep their children safe in sport, to spot poor practice and to empower them to speak out. We’re also continuing to support the tireless work sports clubs put into involving parents in their safeguarding process.
“Sport is a huge part of childhood, with many young people spending countless hours practicing, playing and making new friends, and it is so important that every parent feels confident about ensuring their child is safe and having fun.”
Parents who have any worries about their child’s experience in sport or physical activity can seek advice from the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing: help@nspcc.org.uk.
Midwives are being driven out of the NHS by understaffing and fears they can’t deliver safe care to women in the current system, according to a new survey of its members by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).
The College is warning of a ‘midwife exodus’ as it publishes the results of its annual member experiences of work survey. Over half of midwives surveyed said they were considering leaving their job as a midwife with 57% saying they would leave the NHS in the next year.
Of those midwives who either have left or were considering leaving, more than eight out of 10 were concerned about staffing levels and two-thirds were not satisfied with the quality of care they are currently able to deliver.
Alarmingly, the highest level of dissatisfaction among those surveyed came from midwives who had only worked for five years or less in the NHS. This will have a significantly detrimental impact on workforce planning and, says the RCM, the ability of maternity services across the country to provide acceptable levels of safe, quality care.
The RCM’s General Secretary and Chief Executive, Gill Walton, said: “Every midwife and maternity support worker goes to work to provide safe, quality care. That so many feel that understaffing means they are unable to do so is deeply worrying.
“What these numbers suggest is a midwife exodus, which will leave already-struggling services on their knees. Quite rightly, there is a strong focus on improving maternity safety, but there is a risk that the Government is ignoring the essential ingredient to that: having the right staff, in the right place.
“Investment and programmes to improve safety in maternity services hang in the balance here, because without adequate numbers of staff with are fighting a losing battle. Every safety report cites understaffing as an issue that is comprising the delivery of safe care, but when are the Government going to take note?
“We are calling on the Government to listen to those best advised and work with us to improve retention and recruitment. All NHS organisations must urgently review their maternity staffing levels using a recognised workforce planning tool to ensure staffing reflects the workload.”
A report published by NHS Digital in July revealed the number of NHS midwives working in England in May had fallen by almost 300 in just two months. This is the fastest fall for these two months for any of the years listed in the NHS report, which goes back to 20 years say the RCM.
Burnout among midwives and all maternity staff is higher than ever, particularly after COVID-19 which saw an increase in sickness absence adding to a pre-existing shortage of 2,000 midwives in England alone.
Last week leaked results of an NHS national staff survey showed a sharp drop in those who believe their health and wellbeing is being supported by their employer. This is echoed in the RCM survey, with over half of respondents saying that they did not feel valued by their employer.
Almost all (92%) of midwives and maternity support workers (MSW) said that they did not feel their work was valued by the current Government.
Gill added: “Not a day goes by that we don’t hear of a maternity service having to close temporarily, suspend services or divert women to other maternity units just because there simply aren’t enough midwives. This can’t continue because we know it compromises safety and means women don’t always get the safe positive pregnancy and birth experience that they should.
“It’s also having a shocking impact on maternity staff themselves. A shortage of midwives has undoubtedly worsened rates of physical and mental burnout among our members. Morale among staff is low and has been worsened by the recent pay award in England.
“Sadly, this survey shows that many midwives and MSWs have had enough. They are feeling very fragile and are simply at breaking point. Enormous demands are being made on midwives and the services they work for, yet investment in these services from the Government remains inadequate to provide the safe, high-quality care that women deserve.
“We have previously advised the Government on what can be done to begin to address this situation which hasn’t happened overnight. Prior to the pandemic the RCM has voiced concerns and solutions to the recruitment and retention issues faced by UK maternity services, and we are happy to do that again, but we are now sadly at crisis point.
“That is today we are again calling on the Government and NHS Employers to take action immediate to keep midwives in midwifery before it’s too late.”
“It is time for the Scottish Government to stop walking and start running”
The Scottish Government must take urgent action to avoid missing its own child poverty targets by a significant margin, leaving families across the country locked in poverty. The cut to Universal Credit by the UK Government in just two days’ time makes the task more urgent.
Kicking off Challenge Poverty Week with its annual state of the nation report, Poverty in Scotland 2021, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) paints a picture of poverty levels in Scotland just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
It highlights a failure to make inroads into the significant levels of poverty among the priority groups for action as identified by the Scottish Government, including families from an ethnic minority background, families where someone is disabled, those with a child under the age of one and single parent households.
Key findings for these groups include:
More than 80% of children in poverty are in one of these groups.
100,000 children in poverty in live in a household where someone is disabled – a shocking 40% of all children in poverty
Children from minority ethnic backgrounds make up 7% of the population yet make up 16% of all children in poverty
Children in two or more priority groups have a much higher poverty rate (36%) than those in one priority group (25%) and nearly three times that of those in no priority group (13%).
These figures are pre-Covid 19, and much evidence has highlighted the unequal impact the pandemic has had on many of these groups, meaning their current situations could be much worse. This lays bare scale of the challenge facing the Scottish Government if it is to meet its targets and makes clear the need for targeted action to support these groups.
The report was produced alongside the End Poverty Scotland Group, an advisory group of people from across Scotland with first-hand experience of living on a low income.
Alex, a member of the advisory group said: ‘If over 80% of children in poverty are still in one of the priority groups, how much of a priority are we, really?’
The findings also highlight the importance of full-time work in reducing poverty in Scotland. 54% of people who are in families where no one is working are in poverty. People in families where someone is working part-time have a poverty rate of 30% while the poverty rate for people in families where at least one person is in full-time work is 10%.
The desire and need to work was a strong theme from the advisory group, but the inflexibility of childcare provision was highlighted as a consistent barrier. The group expressed deep frustration that in most cases people were trying to create a better life for them and their families, but success was often despite the system rather than because of it.
The report urges both the Scottish and UK Governments to increase the adequacy of social security in order to drive down poverty levels.
JRF recommends that the Scottish Child Payment is doubled as soon as possible and that the upcoming Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan must set out a clear and measurable course towards meeting those targets. It must include a far greater scale and pace of activity to support families in the priority groups who are most at risk of poverty.
The UK Government’s cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax credit in just two days’ time will cut £1,040 per year from the incomes of 450,000 families in Scotland. This cut will increase poverty in Scotland across all groups, not just families with children.
The UK Government is responsible for 85% of social security spending in Scotland and the responsibility for the impact of this cut lies at their door. As well as reversing the cut, the report recommends reform of rules such as the five-week wait for the first payment of Universal Credit, and the two-child limit, which drive destitution and hardship in Scotland as they do in other parts of the UK.
Chris Birt, Associate Director of JRF in Scotland said: “The Scottish Government has rightly set a national mission to end child poverty and has put in place steps to move us in the right direction. But we are on course to miss our targets by some distance. Such a political failure would have a profound human cost – tens of thousands more children will experience childhoods blighted by hardship and anxiety.
“It is time for the Scottish Government to stop walking and start running, by immediately doubling the Scottish Child Payment and by significantly increasing the scale and pace of its programme to support families in priority groups. The forthcoming Budget and Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan will be crucial in putting us on a path to meeting our targets.
“All tiers of government must look at the design and cultures that underpin public services. The group of people on low incomes who co-authored the report are clear in the need for a more constructive approach underpinned by kindness and ease of use as well as more accountability to the people who use the systems.
“The responsibility for the cut to Universal Credit falls squarely at the UK Government’s door. It is a failure of both compassion and of policy. Its decision to impose the biggest overnight cut to social security in the history of our welfare state will cause immediate and widespread hardship in Scotland. With reserved powers, comes reserved responsibility.
“Our social security system should protect people from poverty, but the UK Government is instead choosing to condemn them to it.”
The Rural Youth Project Manifesto, which highlights the issues facing young people and how they can be better supported, has been presented to Rural Affairs and Islands Cabinet Secretary, Mairi Gougeon.
The Manifesto focuses on nine key areas: enterprise, connectivity, housing, transport, rural learning, employment, community and society, representation, and mental health.
The overarching aim of the asks within the Manifesto is to raise awareness of what young people need, and, above all, it aims to inspire and encourage decision-makers at all levels to meaningfully engage with young people.
Mairi Gougeon said: “We want young people to feel confident and capable to influence and lead change in their communities. They have a crucial role to play in ensuring that rural and island communities thrive in the future – and we want their voice to be heard and their ideas to be taken forward.
“But we also know that many young people are struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic – like everyone else, they are experiencing economic and social challenges. And Brexit threatens their long-term wellbeing, particularly to stay and make their lives in rural areas.
“The Rural Youth Project is a valued member of the Rural Youth Stakeholder Group recently established by Scottish Government. It is our hope that over time the group will become increasingly led by young people themselves and will help provide a direct link between their peers and those who make decisions that impact on their lives.
“They are key to helping us shape a better future for everyone in our rural and island communities.”
Rural Youth Project founders and directors, Jane Craigie and Rebecca Dawes, said: “Since 2018, we’ve been seeking out, and listening to, young people from across Scotland and abroad.
“What we’ve found is that young people want to live in rural areas – but the challenges they continue to face are fueling de-population. The manifesto is a call to action to keep the needs of rural young people in the mind of leaders at all levels when decisions are being made.
“The Rural Youth Project’s growing community of young people is keen to work with policy-makers, local authorities and community decision makers to have their say and help to make changes a living reality”.
The Manifesto draws on four years’ worth of qualitative and quantitative learnings collected by the Rural Youth Project. Key recommendations include:
Creating mobile mental health support services that can travel to more rural and remote communities.
Establishing a Rural Youth Task Force and give a ministerial responsibility for Rural Youth.
To introduce a specific rural housing grant for young first-time homeowners looking to build, buy or renovate in a rural area, similar to the Croft House Grant Scheme.
