This reveals for the first time the extent of potential harm that is being caused to patients when they must wait in the back of ambulances or in corridors before they are accepted into the care of their local hospital.
The review found that the proportion of patients who could be experiencing unacceptable levels of preventable harm is significant. Over eight in ten of those whose ‘handover’ (from ambulance clinician to hospital clinician) was delayed beyond 60 minutes were assessed as having potentially experienced some level of harm; 53% low harm, 23% moderate harm and 9% (one patient in ten) could have been said to have experienced severe harm.
The impact assessment was coordinated by AACE and was undertaken in all ten English NHS ambulance services who reviewed a sample of cases from one single day in January 2021, where handovers exceeded one hour.
Experienced clinicians assessed the range and severity of potential harm experienced by those patients who were already seriously ill, frail or elderly and who waited for sixty minutes or more before being accepted into the care of the hospital from the ambulance crews in attendance.
The nationally defined target for hospitals included in the NHS Standard Contract states that all handovers between ambulance and A&E must take place within 15 minutes, with none waiting more than 30 minutes.
Since April 2018, an average of 190,000 handovers have missed this target every month (accounting for around half of all handovers) while in September 2021 over 208,000 exceeded the 15-minute target.
Responding to the latest report ‘Delayed hospital handovers: Impact assessment of patient harm’ published yesterday by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:“This report makes for stark reading but will come as no surprise to Emergency Department staff.
“Patients should never be delayed in the backs of ambulances. Patient safety is being compromised. When there is simultaneously no space in the Emergency Department and ambulances queuing outside the Emergency Department, we are no longer delivering effective urgent and emergency care to the community.
“We support our paramedic colleagues and will continue to work with them to tackle these handover delays and keep patients safe. But these pressures must not be addressed in isolation. The answer does not lie with the ambulance services nor in the Emergency Department. This is a system-wide problem that requires system-wide action and solutions. In particular, the answer is not just to increase physical space in the Emergency department with no additional staff.
“Trusts and Boards must focus on increasing flow throughout the hospital to reduce exit block and ensure patients are moved through the system. In the immediate term, Trusts and Boards must safely expand capacity throughout the hospital where possible to stop patients being delayed in ambulances. Social care must be resourced to ensure patients can be discharged when they have completed their treatment to prevent long hospital stays.
“We entered the pandemic with too few beds in the system and have continually struggled to manage with reduced capacity, now this is unsustainable. It is vital that the government restore bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels to achieve a desirable ratio of emergency admissions to beds. Currently 7,170 beds are required across UK Trusts and Boards.
“Patient safety is at risk and without urgent action avoidable harm will continue to fall upon patients while urgent and emergency care will fall deeper into crisis.”
Do you have a story to tell or a memory to share about North Edinburgh Arts or the local area? We’re collecting local stories before North Edinburgh Arts closes for refurbishment.
Join writers Eleanor Thom and Luke Winter in the Story Wagon, a beautiful, purpose-built storytelling and writing caravan, situated in the North Edinburgh Arts Garden tomorrow – Wednesday 17 November, drop-in between 10am and 2pm.
Citizen is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and funded through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government— through Creative Scotland — the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals.
Sextortion is a type of cyber extortion. It involves the threat of having sexual information, images or clips shared.
This is done to get money from you. It doesn’t always matter if the images actually exist or not.
The extortion often takes place when a victim is asked to take off their clothes in front of a webcam. They can also be asked to perform sexual acts.
The victim believes this to be a private act but it is not. The victim doesn’t know that they are being recorded.
The offender will then threaten the victim. They may demand money. They may threaten to share the images or videos on social media or share publicly.
What can you do to reduce the likelihood of it happening?
Here are some tips:
Be sensible when using the internet. Only activate your camera when you want to. Make sure it is ‘off’ at all times when not required. Never allow yourself to be duped into activity that you will later regret.
If using video chat apps, be alert to the fact that ‘contacts’ are not always who they say they are. If you allow a relationship to develop be guarded if unusual requests are made of you.
If you use online chat rooms looking for a person to chat with be careful. Be careful about any getting into a relationship and if you are asked to move to a different chat platform.
Some online chat rooms have a visual contact facility. If you are looking for a person to chat with and get into a relationship be guarded on what you say and do.
Relationships are quick to develop. End any that you are not comfortable with. Stay in control of what you do.
You may make mistakes, have doubts or need support or advice. If so, contact the police or a support agency immediately.
Remember, what goes on the internet stays on the internet, forever.
What to do if you’re a victim of sextortion
Here are a few points to follow if you are a victim.
Do not panic. The police will take your case seriously. They will deal with it in confidence. You will not be judged.
Do not pay. Some victims who have paid hear no more about it, others pay and are asked for more money. In some cases, even when money is paid the offenders posts the videos or images anyway
Do not talk any further to the offenders. Take screen shots of any communication. Keep it as evidence.
Make a note of all details provided by the offenders. For example; the Skype name (particularly the Skype ID), the Facebook URL; the Western Union or MoneyGram Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN); any photos/videos that were sent, etc.
Deactivate your social media account. Report the matter to the platform to have any video blocked. Set up an alert in case the video resurfaces. Deactivating the Facebook account rather than shutting it down will mean data is kept. This helps the police to gather evidence. The account can also be reactivated at any time. This means your online memories are not lost forever.
Report the matter to the police and your online service provider.
Be aware that the scammer’s Skype name is different to their Skype ID. It’s the ID details that police will need. To get that, right click on their profile, select ‘View Profile’.
Then look for the name shown in blue rather than the one above it in black. It’ll be next to the word ’Skype’ and will have no spaces in it.
Remember that you’re the victim of organised criminals. You’re not alone and confidential support is available. You can get through this.
Advice for parents and carers
Parents looking for more advice on keeping children safe chatting online will find plenty of information. They’ll find it from the National Crime Agency at the following websites:
As HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) prepares to issue emails and SMS to Self Assessment customers, the department is reminding them to be on their guard after nearly 800,000 tax-related scams were reported in the last year.
Fraudsters use Self Assessment to try and steal money or personal information from unsuspecting individuals. In the last year alone, HMRC has received nearly 360,000 bogus tax rebate referrals.
The Self Assessment deadline is 31 January 2022 and customers may expect to hear from HMRC at this time of year. More than 4 million emails and SMS will be issued this week to Self Assessment customers pointing them to guidance and support, prompting them to think about how they intend to pay their tax bill, and to seek support if they are unable to pay in full by 31 January.
However, the department is also warning customers to not be taken in by malicious emails, phone calls or texts, thinking that these are genuine HMRC communications referring to their Self Assessment tax return.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Never let yourself be rushed. If someone contacts you saying they’re from HMRC, wanting you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard.
“HMRC will also never ring up threatening arrest. Only criminals do that.
“Scams come in many forms. Some threaten immediate arrest for tax evasion, others offer a tax rebate. Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so if you are in any doubt whether the email, phone call or text is genuine, you can check the ‘HMRC scams’ advice on GOV.UK and find out how to report them to us.”
Criminals use emails, phone calls and text messages to try and dupe individuals, and often mimic government messages to make them appear authentic. They want to trick their victims into handing over money or personal or financial information.
Customers can report suspicious phone calls using a form on GOV.UK; customers can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
HMRC has a dedicated team working on cyber and phone crimes. They use innovative technologies to prevent misleading and malicious communications from ever reaching the customer.
Since 2017 these technical controls have prevented 500 million emails from reaching HMRC’s customers. More recently, new controls have prevented 90% of the most convincing SMS messages from reaching the public and controls have been applied to prevent spoofing of most HMRC helpline numbers.
HMRC is also reminding Self Assessment customers to double check websites and online forms before using them to complete their 2020/21 tax return.
People can be taken in by misleading websites designed to make them pay for help in submitting tax returns or charging to connect them to HMRC phone lines.
Customers who are in any doubt about whether a website is genuine should visit GOV.UK for more information about Self Assessment and use the free signposted tax return forms.
Edinburgh has today been awarded Living Wage City status as the UK marks Living Wage week (15 – 19th November), an annual celebration of the real Living Wage.
The accreditation has been awarded by Living Wage Scotland in recognition of the Scottish Capital’s ambition to deliver on its new Edinburgh Living Wage City action plan and double the number of Living Wage accredited businesses to over 900 across the city over the next few years.
Around 450 Edinburgh businesses are already committed to voluntarily paying their staff the Living Wage, paying a minimum hourly wage of £9.90 per hour. This new Living Wage rate was announced yesterday (Monday 15 November) as part of Living Wage Week 2021.
Now through the action plan – developed by the Edinburgh Living Wage Action Group, a collaboration of employers, public sector bodies, trade unions, social enterprises, and business organisations, supported by key city anchor institutions including the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Partnership – the aim is to see at least 500 new accredited businesses.
It is expected that this will mean up to 40,000 workers in Edinburgh are protected by Living Wage commitments from their employers. Of those, at least 10,000 will be workers who receive a direct pay increase as a result of this commitment.
The commitment to becoming a Living Wage City arises from the calls to action made by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission report. To pay a fair wage is one key aspect of eradicating poverty across the Capital.
Last year, the City of Edinburgh Council became the first UK local authority to commit to ending poverty by a specific date – by 2030. Tackling poverty in Edinburgh remains one of the Council’s key priorities to making sure everyone can take advantage of everything the Capital has to offer and is paid a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
The City of Edinburgh Council’s Fair Work Convener and Co-Chair of the Edinburgh Living Wage City Action Group, Councillor Kate Campbell, said:“All partners in the Edinburgh Living Wage City Action Group have put so much work into getting to this point.
“We are all incredibly proud that we can call our Capital an official Living Wage City. We now need to continue that work so that we sign up 100 new accredited businesses every year for the next five years. That’s double the current number of businesses signing up.
“Being an accredited living wage employer is about so much more than paying a Living Wage. It’s about embedding a culture of Fair Work and giving staff financial security, showing them that they’re truly valued for the contribution they make. And the benefits for employers include being able to keep and attract skilled staff – something many businesses are struggling with right now.
“So, we’re asking all businesses and organisations across the city to join us. Together, we can make our city fairer and make sure everyone shares in our economic recovery.”
The City of Edinburgh Council’s Fair Work Vice Convener, Councillor Mandy Watt, said:“In-work poverty needs to end – and Edinburgh is taking a welcome step towards that today by becoming a real Living Wage City. Fair pay, fair hours and respect at work should be something that all workers can expect from their job.
“We’re hoping that a huge number of Edinburgh employers share our ambition and will raise wages to the level of the real Living Wage, which was announced yesterday (15 November). Once that’s done, they can move forward to full accreditation and show everybody that they’re helping to end poverty in our city.”
The Scottish Government’s Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work Richard Lochhead said:“I am pleased to see Edinburgh achieve the significant milestone of becoming a Living Wage City.
“There is increasing evidence demonstrating the benefits of Fair Work to both workers and business and by promoting the real Living Wage, the Edinburgh Action Group recognises the importance that fair pay has on the local economy.
“I congratulate the Action Group and all the 2employers in Edinburgh that have played a part in this important achievement.
Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, said: “We are very proud to part of a business community that recognises the importance of providing the Living Wage to their staff, and what an impact this has on both their income and wellbeing.
“At Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, happy people always means happy animals, and through our commitment to the living wage, we are reducing financial pressures that our staff might otherwise face, ensuring the highest standard of care for our dogs and cats.
Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance (above) said: “Today’s announcement that Edinburgh has been awarded ‘Making Living Wage Places’ recognition sends a strong signal of the determination to end low pay and loosen the grip of in-work poverty for workers and their families in Scotland’s capital city.
“The commitment by this alliance of employers to the people of Edinburgh is very important, and we look forward to working with them on making Edinburgh a Living Wage city. We want to see towns and cities in Scotland come together to tackle in-work poverty, and this is a significant step on that journey.”
Christine McCaig, Projects Coordinator and Living Wage Scotland said:“This Living Wage Week, we are delighted to announce the launch of an ambitious action plan to ‘Make Edinburgh a Living Wage City’. There are now more than 2400 accredited Living Wage employers in Scotland, over 450 of which are based in Edinburgh, who together want to ensure workers have what they need to thrive.
“The impact of the real Living Wage in tackling in-work poverty is strengthened by a collective effort from local employers, anchor institutions, key stakeholders and communities working together. We hope to see many more employers in Edinburgh become accredited to drive the vision of Making Edinburgh a Living Wage City.”
The real Living Wage rate this year has largely been driven by sharply rising fuel and rent costs. The real Living Wage is different to the Government minimum wage for over 23s, called the ‘National Living Wage’ (NLW).
While the real Living Wage is independently calculated based on living costs and is paid by employers voluntarily, the government’s NLW is based on a percentage of median earnings, and all employers are required to pay it.
In Scotland, more than 15% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage – around 350,000 jobs.
Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 45,000 people in Scotland and put over £240 million extra into the pockets of low paid Scottish workers.
A new anonymous phone service will see trained staff stay on the line while people are using drugs to ensure they remain safe.
The “Never Use Alone” phone line will be run by the charity “We Are With You” backed by £100,000 funding from the Scottish Government.
The service is the first of its kind in Europe and will initially be trialled in Glasgow and North and South Ayrshire. These areas have been chosen so the system can be assessed in both urban and rural areas.
“Never Use Alone” will begin this month and will eventually be rolled out across the country.
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “I welcome this phone line which will be operated by We Are With You and which will undoubtedly play a part in tackling Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.
“Many of those people who have lost their life while using drugs were alone at the time and I encourage people to take advantage of this service – the first of its kind in Europe – to help them stay safe.
“While backing this service, we are also continuing to work to overcome existing legal barriers to implement safe consumption rooms in Scotland.”
“We Are With You” Executive Director Andrew Horne said: “The scale of the problem we’re facing in Scotland demands urgent, radical action and we want to do everything we can to help tackle this crisis.
“This phone line is about keeping people safe. Our staff will ensure they are aware what substances an individual has taken and what they are intending to take. They will also find out exactly where they are in case the emergency services are required.
“We hope that we can provide people with the support they need at the time they call in but also that we can take the opportunity to encourage them to seek help from services which provide the support which is right for them in the longer term.”
The “Never Use Alone” free phone line number is 0808 801 0690
Girls from eleven Edinburgh and East Lothian schools are battling it out with rivals from across Scotland in a contest to prove they can be the next stars of the investment industry.
The students are among over 70 teams from 48 schools taking part in the Growing Future Assets Competition, designed to nurture a future generation of female investment experts.
The contest, which aims to introduce senior girls to the world of investment and its range of careers, sees the teenagers vying to spot the next big investment opportunity. And it has ignited fierce competition this year with entries up by 300%.
Those taking part include teams from: Balerno Community, Craigmount, Craigroyston Community, Holy Rood RC and Forrester High Schools plus independent schools George Heriots, George Watson’s College, Edinburgh and Loretto School in Musselburgh; Knox Academy, Haddington and North Berwick and Preston Lodge High Schools in East Lothian.
The soaring popularity of the contest is down to the enthusiasm of the teenagers, willingness of teachers to embrace extra-curricular activities and outstanding support from investment management professionals who are helping to mentor the schoolgirls.
Financial educators Future Asset are challenging a total of 320 girls, divided into teams of 13-18-year-olds to research, analyse and pitch a company they think will be a great long-term investment.
The youngsters are paired with a mentor from an investment company to provide advice, inspiration and career insights and have the chance to attend online masterclasses as they develop an understanding that good investing focuses on a company’s long-term prospects, profits and sustainability.
This year more than 80 investment mentors from 28 firms have stepped up to counsel the young women.
Ashley-Jane Kyle, CFA, Investment Analyst at Walter Scott & Partners Limited and Investment Mentor for the competition says:“Not only have I thoroughly enjoyed being an Investment Mentor as part of the competition, but I have also been so impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and effort put in to their investment reports and pitches.
“I think this is a great way to break the barrier that often puts girls off from considering investment management as a career as it allows them to experience in quite a real way what it’s like to research and invest in businesses. It also gives them an opportunity to develop valuable skills which they will be able to use throughout their careers.”
Experts from journalism and business are also advising the teenagers: Executive and Voice Coach Susan Room is helping to boost their skills and confidence with online masterclasses in Mindset, Body Language, Speech and Voice, while author, broadcaster and financial journalist Iona Bain, who launched the contest in September, is on hand to explain how they can invest their way to a better future.
Now in its third year, the competition features a senior contest for years S5 and S6 and a junior challenge for S3 and S4. The teams of three to six girls will present their case in a research report and three-minute elevator pitch by November 30. The top teams will then deliver an extended pitch to judges at the final in March next year.
At stake is: £1000 for the winning senior school and £200-worth of vouchers of the students’ choice for each team member; £800 for the best junior school and £150-worth of vouchers each. Senior and junior runners-up receive £500 and £100 of vouchers and £400 and £75 of vouchers, respectively.
Helen Bradley, Future Asset programme manager, says: “We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown by the schools, the teachers and all the investment experts who have come forward to mentor the teams.
“We weren’t sure what the response would be from schools then at the beginning of September, when the competition launched, we just watched in amazement at the huge influx of registrations. We put out a call for additional mentors and that was answered enthusiastically by experts already in the industry.
“We’re also hugely impressed by the commitment shown by teachers who have really responded to this extra-curricular opportunity for their students – especially when they have already faced such a difficult period and increase in their own workload over the last 18 months.”
Future Asset believes that being female should never be seen as a barrier to progressing in a chosen career.
Their goal is to enable girls in the senior phase of high school to learn how investment can change the world for the better, gain valuable, transferable skills and consider the benefits of possible future careers.
They organise conferences and workshops for girls across Scotland.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement to the House of Commons on COP26
Mr Speaker before I begin today’s statement I would like to say a few words about the abhorrent attack that took place yesterday morning outside the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
On behalf of the whole House I want to pay tribute to the swift and professional response by the extraordinary men and women of the emergency services, who once again showed themselves to be the very best among us.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has today raised the nationwide threat level from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. The police are keeping both myself and the Home Secretary informed on developments and we will of course in turn keep the House updated on the investigation as it continues.
And now Mr Speaker with your permission I should like to make a statement on the United Nations Climate Change Conference better known as COP26 which took place in the magnificent city of Glasgow over the past two weeks.
It was the biggest political gathering of any kind ever held in the United Kingdom. 194 countries were represented.
We had around 120 heads of state or government. 38,000 accredited delegates. And there were countless tens of thousands more in the streets and parks and venues outside. It was a summit that many people predicted would fail.
A summit that I fear some quietly wanted to fail. Yet it was a summit that proved the doubters and the cynics wrong. Because COP26 did not just succeed in keeping 1.5 alive. It succeeded in doing something no UN climate conference has ever done before by uniting the world in calling time on coal. In 25 previous COPs, all the way back to Berlin in 1995, not one delivered a mandate to remove so much as a single lump of coal from one power station boiler.
For decades, tackling the single biggest cause of carbon emissions proved as challenging as eating the proverbial elephant. It was just so big that no one knew quite where to start. But in Glasgow, Mr Speaker, we took the first bite.
Because we have secured a global commitment to phasing down coal – and as John Kerry has pointed out, you can’t phase out coal without first phasing it down as we transition to other, cleaner energy sources – and we have, for the first time, a worldwide recognition that we’ll not get climate change under control as long as our power stations are consuming vast quantities of the sedimentary super-polluter that is coal.
That alone is a great achievement, but we haven’t just signalled the beginning of the end for coal. We’ve ticked our boxes on cars, cash and trees as well. The companies that build a quarter of the world’s automobiles have agreed to stop building carbon emission vehicles by 2035 – and cities from Sao Paulo to Seattle have pledged to ban them from their streets.
We’ve pioneered a whole new model, an intellectual breakthrough, that sees billions in climate finance, development bank investment and so forth being used to trigger trillions from the private sector to drive the big decarbonisation programmes in countries like South Africa.
And we’ve done something that absolutely none of the commentators saw coming by building a coalition of more than 130 countries to protect up to 90 per cent of our forests, those great natural soakers of carbon. Mr Speaker none of this was a happy accident or inevitability.
The fact that we were there at all, in the face of a global pandemic, is in itself the result of a vast and complex effort involving countless moving parts. Right until the very end there was a very real prospect that no agreement would be reached.
And what has been achieved has only come about thanks to month after month of concerted British diplomacy, the countless meetings, the innumerable phone calls. The banging of heads at UNGA, at the Petersberg Dialogue, at President Biden’s climate summit, the Security Council, the G7, the G20. And the setting of an example, several examples by the UK.
Because again and again the task of our negotiators was made easier by the fact that the UK wasn’t asking anyone to do anything we’re not doing ourselves. We’ve slashed our use of coal so much that our last two coal-fired power stations will go offline for good in 2024. We’ve more than doubled our climate finance, providing vital support for poor and vulnerable nations around the world.
We’ve made a legally binding commitment to reach net zero, the first of the major economies to do so. We’ve set a date at which hydrocarbon internal combustion engines will reach the end of the road. And we’ve shown the world that it’s possible to grow your economy while cutting carbon – creating markets for clean technology and delivering new green jobs that reduce emissions and increase prosperity.
Every one of those achievements was not just great news for our country and our planet but another arrow in the quiver of our fantastic team in Glasgow. A team led by COP president the Rt Hon Member for Reading West. From the moment he picked up the COP reins he has been absolutely tireless in his efforts to secure the change that we need. And while I’m pretty sure that what he really needs right now is a well-deserved break
I don’t think any of us here will be able to hold him back as he sets off pushing countries to go further still and making sure the promises made in Glasgow are delivered not diluted. But success has many parents and I want to say a huge thank you to the officials in our own COP unit, in Downing Street and across government in embassies around the world, and at the United Nations who pulled out all the stops to make the event work and shepherd through the agreements that have been reached.
I also want to thank everyone on the ground at the SEC in Glasgow – security, catering, transport, the relentlessly cheery volunteers, the police from across the country who kept us safe from harm, the public health authorities who kept us safe from Covid – and everyone in the Scottish Government.
And above all I want to say thank you to the people of Glasgow, who had to put up with so much disruption in their city and welcomed the world all the same. I say to the people of Glasgow – we couldn’t have done it without you.
Is there still more to do? Of course there is. I am not for one moment suggesting we can safely close the book on climate change.
In fact I can think of nothing more dangerous than patting ourselves on the back and telling ourselves that the job is done. Because this job will not be complete until the whole world has not only set off to reach net zero but arrived at the destination.
A goal that, even with the best of intentions from all actors, cannot be achieved overnight. While COP26 has filled me with optimism about our ability to get there I cannot now claim to be certain that we will, because we have seen countries that really should know better dragging their heels on their Paris commitments.
But if, and it is still an if, they make good on their pledges, then I believe Glasgow will be remembered as the place where we secured an historic agreement and the world began to turn the tide.
Before Paris we were on course for four degrees of warming. After Paris that number fell to a still catastrophically dangerous three. This afternoon, after Glasgow it stands close to two. Still too high, the numbers are still too hot, but closer than we have ever been to the relative safety of 1.5, and with an all-new roadmap that will lead us there.
Aristotle taught us that virtue comes not from reasoning and instruction but from habit and practice. And so the success of the Glasgow Climate Pact lies not just in the promises but in the move that the whole world has now made from setting abstract targets to adopting the nuts and bolts programme of work to meet those targets and to reduce CO2 emissions.
We are now talking about the how rather than the what and getting into a habit of cutting CO2 that is catching on not just with governments but with businesses and with billions of people around the world.
It is for that reason that I believe COP26 has been a success and 1.5 is still alive.
That is something in which every person in our United Kingdom can and should take pride, and I commend this statement to the House.
Funding of £7 million will improve GP surgeries, expanding the level of care to patients across Scotland.
Vacant high street units will be taken over by Integration Authorities to expand the primary care estate, with the funding also used to support GP practices, including digitising records to free up more space.
The Scottish Government has set aside £5 million from the Primary Care Fund in 2021/22 to make improvements to existing GP premises. An additional £2 million will obtain new sites to accommodate multi-disciplinary teams including those administering vaccines, mental health nurses and audiology specialists.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “GP surgeries provide a wide range of services, supporting both the physical and mental health of patients. So it’s vital they get the space they need to allow primary care multi-disciplinary teams to do their jobs.
“As we recover from the most challenging time in NHS history, our work is not only about providing access to services, but ensuring those services are high quality and inclusive for all of our communities. This funding will give GP practices the space they need to serve patients in the safest and most effective way.”
The £5 million from the Primary Care Fund will cover:
Premises Improvement Grants to GP contractors who own or lease from private landlords
digitisation of paper GP records to release space
improved ventilation
increased space in NHS-owned or leased premises to support multi-disciplinary teams
The Scottish Government will monitor how Health Boards spend the further £2 million to acquire vacant high street units to inform how the £10 billion available for capital investment in healthcare supports primary care.
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have been interviewing people across the region to try to crack the puzzle of why some people recycle and others don’t.
The experts carried out 18 in-depth interviews with people living in Northern Ireland during Autumn 2019.
The findings suggest that some of the reasons that people aren’t recycling plastics are being so busy they don’t get round to recycling, they aren’t clear on what can be recycled, and they can’t see the impact that their recycling could have on the environment.
The study was part of a larger interdisciplinary grant ‘Advancing Creative Circular Economies for Plastics via Technological-Social Transitions (ACCEPT Transitions)’ led by Professor David Rooney from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen’s. The researchers are also involved in the ‘Clear on Plastics’ campaign, which is being run by the sustainability not-for-profit organisation WRAP.
Dr Emma Berry from the School of Psychology at Queen’s co-led the project alongside Professor Martin Dempster and Dr Debbie Roy. She explains: “In Northern Ireland, people recycle twice as much as they did 15 years ago and 10 per cent of this is plastic.
“For many people, recycling has become part of their everyday routine – we have the bins and collection service, so it’s much easier to do now. Most of us also know its ‘good’ for the environment, so we try to follow the guidelines on putting recyclable products in the right bins. However, while most people recycle, some households do not, so it’s important to understand why this might be.”
Following the research, the experts say there are three common barriers to recycling in Northern Ireland. Firstly, some people felt that with such busy lifestyles, family life, and competing priorities, recycling was often simply at the bottom of the daily agenda – it did not feature in their long list of important day-to-day tasks.
Secondly, people felt that with the enormous range of products and materials available in shops, it can also be tricky to know which products can be recycled and in which bin. Likewise, it is not always clear how to recycle some products if they are made up of multiple materials, such as a cardboard sleeve on a plastic yogurt pot, which need to be separated.
The final common barrier reported was that individuals feel that it’s often difficult to see the impact that small actions such as recycling at home or while out and about, can have on the environment, making small efforts feel pointless.
Dr Bronagh Millar from the Polymer Processing Centre at Queen’s was also involved in the project. She says: “Based on our findings, it’s understandable why many people find recycling baffling. The good news is that recycling does not have to be difficult and time consuming and small efforts do make a difference to our local environment and society.
“Taking small actions like recycling at home, not only helps reduce the amount of waste in local landfill and which gets washed up on beaches, but it is also helping our local economy because recycling supports the generation of local industries and jobs. Old and used packaging isn’t waste, it’s material that can be reformed and used to make more of the same packaging or something different.”
An interesting example of this is Cherry Pipes – a company that manufactures the land drainage pipes that are found in new housing developments, road construction, sports stadia and beyond all made from 100 per cent recycled plastic.
Recycling at home supports this business and the jobs created there and it will also continue to support economic growth as new businesses are formed and flourish in the sector.
Dr Millar adds: “Recycling at home is the best place to start and it’s where most waste comes from – in fact almost 90 per cent of all waste collected in 2019/2020 came from households!
“It’s easy to think that as one individual or family, your recycling won’t make a difference when you feel like loads of other people and companies are not recycling. But if every individual household just increased its recycling even a little bit, it would make a huge difference over time.”
Expert tips to make recycling easier at home:
Place a second bin or a ‘bag for life’ beside your general waste bin (this not only makes recycling easier, but it helps remind you/others in your household to recycle).
Use visual and automatic reminders to give you a nudge to recycle e.g., daily/weekly phone reminders and post-its/signs on or around your indoor bins.
Likewise, create visual reminders of what goes where (visit www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling to find out what you can recycle in your area, or check out your local authority website.
When you aren’t sure about whether certain packages can be recycled, look for the on-pack recycling label which is usually on the bottom or sides of packages and tells us what plastics most local authorities accept. As a rule of thumb, tins/cans, cardboard, and most hard plastics can be recycled.
