£5 Christmas Dinner and a Festive Afternoon Tea for Two
Let the festive feasting commence with the launch of Morrisons new limited edition Christmas café menu – now available in all 406 Morrisons cafés nationwide – which includes a full Christmas dinner for just £5.
Start the day right with our Pigs Under Blankets Sandwich for £2.95, which has succulent pork sausages, nestled in a Morrisons Market Street ciabatta roll.
And for lunch, customers can tuck into our new Brie and Cranberry toastie – an ultimate flavour mash-up, made fresh to order and served with a side salad – you can also add crispy bacon for just £1. Or for something a little lighter, there’s The Best Festive Parsnip Soup. A true winter warmer priced at £3, it’s served with a Market Street ciabatta roll and butter.
For the main event we’ve got our Christmas Turkey Lunch with all the trimmings for just £5. Succulent hand carved Morrisons deli turkey is served with roast potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, stuffing, yorkshire pudding, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and gravy.
Burger fans can enjoy a festive twist on a classic with the new Morrisons Chickmas Burger for £5, which includes our Market Street Southern Fried chicken fillet topped with brie and cranberry sauce stacked in a brioche bun with coleslaw and chips.
Not forgetting the all important Christmas pudding for dessert, which is packed with raisins and sultanas and served with custard – for £3.
Or why not try our Festive Afternoon Tea for Two? For just £12, it includes a selection of sandwiches, cakes, mince pies served with British clotted cream – all served with proper Yorkshire Tea.
Ali Lyons, Morrisons Head of Café, said:“We know customers are embracing Christmas early this year, so we hope this menu will give all the flavours of Christmas, without breaking the bank!
“To help customers in the run up to Christmas, we’re also offering £5 main meals on a selected number of delicious Morrisons café dishes. Customer favourites include our Best Beef Burger which is stacked in our The Best Brioche Bun with cheese, salad and burger or a Crispy Chicken Burger using Market Street Succulent chicken.
“For Pie lovers there’s our Market Street Chunky Steak Pie which is served with mash, mushy peas and piping hot gravy.”
Ahead of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, decorations have been recycled from the pages of children’s storybooks. The museum will be open throughout the festive period and entry is free.
Gail Thow from National Museums Scotland puts the finishing touches to the Christmas tree at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
To discover more about upcoming exhibitions and events at National Museums Scotland, visit nms.ac.uk
There’s a distictly Drylaw flavour to next week’s Inverleith Neighbourhood Network meeting.
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre will be giving a presentation to the meeting in a ‘Getting To Know You’ session and Easter Drylaw Park has also been tabled as an agenda item.
The meeting, which will take place online using TEAMS, will be held on Monday 6th December from 6 – 7.30pm.
New figures published by the National Records of Scotland show an estimated 256 homeless deaths across Scotland in 2020, with 33 estimated homeless deaths in Edinburgh.
The figures show the need for urgent change according to Lothian Scottish Greens MSP Lorna Slater.
Lorna Slater MSP said: “These shocking figures reveal the tragedy of homeless deaths in Edinburgh and across Scotland. There can be no doubt that change is urgently needed.
“As part of our cooperation agreement with the Scottish Government, we have committed to ending homelessness and protecting the rights of tenants. With these vital changes, I am confident that we will see these unacceptable figures falling in the years to come.
“A new deal for tenants will deliver a private rented sector regulator, place restrictions on evictions over winter, introduce penalties and compensation for illegal evictions, and see a national system of rent controls introduced.
“Rolling out the housing first approach is a key part of tackling homelessness. This approach recognises that housing is a human right and focuses on finding people a settled and secure home. It is a model that is specifically tailored for homeless people with complex and multiple needs.”
This December many of us will be making up for lost time and celebrating the festive period with friends and family across our major towns and cities, after being unable to get together last year.
With the nightlife scene working its way back to a sense of normality, this Christmas will see work parties, reunions with friends, and family gatherings taking place across the UK and Ireland.
Whilst it will be great to see people enjoying the festivities this year, it also brings back the risks of individuals falling in the water after a night out whilst drunk making their way home.
Young people across the country are working with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the charity which enhances communities so everyone can enjoy water safely, as they fear that this time of year will potentially see people like them unexpectedly falling into the water after enjoying their night out.
The RLSS UK launches its annual Don’t Drink and Drown Campaign this month, which will run from 6 – 12 December, in a bid to encourage public safety with its key messages of:
look out for your friends and make sure they get home safely
if you’ve had a drink, stay away from the water
find an alternative route home away from water, and
stay away from water in winter, cold water shock kills.
With alcohol impairing our judgements, limiting muscle ability, slowing down reactions and numbing our senses, this can mean that even for strong swimmers, entering the water after drinking can be extremely dangerous. On average 73 people lose their lives each year through a substance-related drowning, this is over 20% of the annual accidental drowning fatalities.
A number of young people who are working with the charity are spreading the word and offering safety advice in and around our major towns and cities this festive period.
The Youth Leadership Team at RLSS UK have been visiting popular nightlife destinations within their own local areas to deliver the message and asking people to Be a Mate over the coming months to ensure everyone can enjoy their Christmas.
James Cossons, Youth Advisor at RLSS UK, said: “As part of my role in the Youth Leadership Team at RLSS UK, the team and I have been spreading the message of our Don’t Drink and Drown campaign to improve people’s knowledge around water safety.
“It is really important for members of the public to understand the dangers, especially at this time of year, of being around the water after drinking. We want to ensure everyone enjoys the festive period safely and we encourage everyone to be a mate this Christmas.”
Drowning is a significant issue all year-round and one which needs caution this Christmas. The charity is urging people to be mindful and plan their safe routes home away from water.
For further detail on RLSS UK’s Don’t Drink and Drown campaign visit www.rlss.org.uk/dont-drink-and-drown where you can also download resources to spread the word and help keep your friends and family safe this Christmas.
A £13 million investment has transformed services for blood cancer patients across South East Scotland at the newly opened Edinburgh Haematology Centre.
Located at the Western General Hospital, the centre has been rebuilt, expanding and improving day ward facilities, and enabling a major service redesign to enhance the range of treatments on offer.
Now patients can benefit from intensive chemotherapies and innovative treatments, such as outpatient bone marrow transplants saving them up to a three week stay in hospital. A new relatives’ suite and buddy beds also help to better support inpatients.
The majority of funding (£12.3 million) was gifted by a private donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, to significantly improve the experience at the centre for patients, carers and staff.
“This was an amazingly generous donation which will benefit patients and staff for many years to come”, explains Dr Peter Johnson, a Consultant Haematologist who led on the refurbishment.
“The vision was to create a welcoming, calm, clinically excellent and aesthetically pleasing environment that would help patient wellbeing and was representative of the quality of healthcare being delivered. We are extremely grateful to the donor for this exceptional donation.”
NHS Lothian, and its official charity – Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation (ELHF), worked with patients and staff on the redesign and to develop an inspirational arts and therapeutic design programme.
A series of bespoke artworks and installations made by specialist artists and makers are displayed throughout the centre, helping to create a sense of calm and visual interest.
Jane Ferguson, Director of Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation explains: “We can’t thank the donor enough for their generous charitable donation, which has enabled us to take forward creative and innovative techniques to enhance and really elevate the space.
“Being diagnosed with a serious illness is a traumatic experience so we wanted to create an environment that was warm and comforting and would help reduce some of that anxiety and stress. The end result is truly beautiful and the difference in experience for patients now and in the future will be transformational.”
Fiona Smith, Senior Charge Nurse of Haematology Day Treatment added: “The changes have really made a huge difference. Care is much more than treatments and medicines.
“Being able to provide privacy and a calming environment helps to relax patients and having more space and cutting-edge equipment helps us to do our job even better.”
Neil Clifton is one of the patients benefitting from the new centre. He recently received a stem cell transplant as an outpatient for treatment of Myeloma. He says: “It really doesn’t feel like going into a hospital anymore. The centre is much brighter and more pleasant.
“Having a private room for my treatment in the day unit really helped to make me feel safe and comfortable and being able to receive it as an outpatient is much more convenient.”
The Edinburgh Haematology Centre forms part of a wider masterplan at the Western General Hospital site to improve patient services including significant investment in cancer care and facilities.
NHS Lothian also has a vision to build a new Regional Cancer Centre at the hospital site designed to be a world leader for cancer research and innovation.
A renewed commitment for young people to play a key role in Scottish politics has been made today by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament.
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, and the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), Josh Kennedy MYSP, signed the Working in Partnership agreement.
It will see both organisations working more closely together on a range of issues to increase young people’s representation and involvement in the work of the Parliament, with young people’s rights placed at the heart of the work being undertaken.
This will include the Scottish Parliament hosting a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament once every two years; developing relationships between Members of both Parliaments; ensuring young people can contribute to committee inquiries and providing opportunities for both staff teams to connect with each other to identify opportunities for collaboration.
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, said:
“Young people across the world have shown what activism and having a strong voice can do. We want to harness this commitment to ensure the views of young people are better reflected within the work of the Parliament.”
Josh Kennedy MYSP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Last week the Scottish Youth Parliament welcomed 150 new Members following our 2021 elections. Throughout our elections young people highlighted the issues they want to see changed from mental health, to education, to the climate emergency.
“In signing this partnership, the Scottish Parliament and SYP are reaffirming our joint commitment to building a relationship between MSYPs, MSPs & Parliament. By supporting MSYPs and MSPs to work together we will ensure young people’s voices at the centre of decision making”
This Working in Partnership agreement signed today continues the work that started in 2018, which included a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament in October 2019; closer working between Scottish Parliament committees and the SYP; and an ongoing programme of training and support for SYP members to engage meaningfully in the parliamentary processes.
Senior NHSGGC clinicians write to First Minister and Cabinet Secretary over ‘unfounded criticism’ by politicians and in media
Senior clinicians from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, to express their disappointment and frustration about the way in which their work and integrity have been portrayed in the Scottish Parliament and the media in recent days.
Here is the full text of that letter:
Dear First Minister and Cabinet Secretary,
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital/Royal Hospital for Children
As NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde clinicians and clinical leaders, we write to express our immense disappointment and frustration about the way in which our hospitals, our colleagues and the treatment of our patients is being portrayed in the press and the chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
Our highly specialist services care for, treat and support some of the most vulnerable adults, young people and children in the country. Our sole aim is to deliver high quality, person centred care to our patients and focus on what matters most to them; fundamental to this is the strong working relationship between our clinical teams and infection control teams to keep our patients safe.
We have been, and remain, fully committed to being completely open and transparent in all that we do and we are dismayed that the integrity of our staff has been repeatedly called into question. Do we always get everything right when we discuss issues with families? Perhaps not. Do we ever wilfully withhold information from them? Absolutely not.
We have grave concerns that the continued undermining nature of the current negative headlines will result in an erosion of trust between clinical staff and patients and their families. Indeed, we have already seen evidence of the impact this is having on individual patients and carers, with staff reporting that families are very anxious about the safety of their relative while in our care.
We are particularly disappointed that individual patients are being discussed in Parliament without the knowledge of the families concerned, causing untold distress to families already grieving the loss of their loved one.
This unfounded criticism of our clinical teams and staff as well as the safety of our hospitals, is also hugely detrimental to staff morale at a time when so much is being asked of them.
Our staff across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus, provide professional, dedicated care to their patients and as we prepare for a challenging winter, this sustained criticism of our staff is undoubtedly causing them distress and worry.
We are proud of all of our teams, many of which include leading specialists, but we fear that such negativity will have an enormous impact on our ability to recruit and retain such skilled individuals in the future as well as those of wider clinical, nursing and support staff. We will always treat our patients with integrity, dignity, respect and honesty and this should never be in doubt.
We accept that there will always be improvements we can make and learning we can implement, but at the heart of all that we do, is the commitment from every clinician working within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to provide the best quality of care for all of our patients and to be open and honest with them and their loved ones about their diagnosis and treatment.
Anything less would undermine the professional code of practice each of us sign up to at the start of our careers and adhere to throughout.
Yours sincerely
Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director Dr Margaret McGuire, Nurse Director Dr Scott Davidson, Deputy Medical Director (Acute) Angela O’Neill, Deputy Nurse Director (Acute) Dr Chris Deighan, Deputy Medical Director (Corporate) Dr Kerri Neylon, Deputy Medical Director, Primary Care Mr Wesley Stuart, Chief of Medicine, South Sector Dr Claire Harrow, Chief of Medicine, Clyde Sector Ann-Marie Selby, Interim Associate Chief Nurse Clyde Sector Hon. Professor Colin McKay, Chief of Medicine, North Sector John Carson, Chief Nurse, North Sector Hon. Professor Alistair Leanord, Chief of Medicine, Diagnostics Dr Alan Mathers, Chief of Medicine, Women and Children’s Services Morag Gardner, Chief Nurse, South Sector Mandy Meechan, Interim Chief Nurse, Women and Children’s (designate) Patricia Friel, Interim Chief Nurse, Women and Children Services Dr David Dodds, Chief of Medicine, Regional Services Lorna Loudon, Interim Chief Nurse, Regional Services Dr Martin Culshaw, Associate Medical Director, Mental Health Gail Caldwell, Director of Pharmacy Fiona Smith, AHP Director Evelyn Frame, Chief Midwife Margaret Connelly, Assistant Chief Nurse, Governance and Regulation Lesley Rousselet, Chair, Area Clinical Forum
This monoclonal antibody – the second to be authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – is for people with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of developing severe disease.
Another COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), has today been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after it was found to be safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease.
This follows a rigorous review of its safety, quality and effectiveness by the UK regulator and the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines, making it the second monoclonal antibody therapeutic to be approved following Ronapreve.
Developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, sotrovimab is a single monoclonal antibody. The drug works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This in turn prevents the virus from attaching to and entering human cells, so that it cannot replicate in the body.
In a clinical trial, a single dose of the monoclonal antibody was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
Based on the clinical trial data, sotrovimab is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection and so the MHRA recommends its use as soon as possible and within five days of symptom onset.
Like molnupiravir, it has been authorised for use in people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 infection and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. Such risk factors include obesity, older age (>60 years), diabetes mellitus, or heart disease.
Unlike molnupiravir, sotrovimab is administered by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes. It is approved for individuals aged 12 and above who weigh more than 40kg.
It is too early to know whether the omicron variant has any impact on sotrovimab’s effectiveness but the MHRA will work with the company to establish this.
Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive said: “I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness.
“This is yet another therapeutic that has been shown to be effective at protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19, and signals another significant step forward in our fight against this devastating disease.
“With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA have conducted a robust and thorough assessment of all the available data.”
Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines, said: “The Commission on Human Medicines and its COVID-19 Therapeutics Expert Working Group has independently reviewed the data and agrees with the MHRA’s regulatory approval of Xevudy (sotrovimab).
“When administered in the early stages of infection, sotrovimab was found to be effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk individuals with symptomatic COVID-19. Based on the data reviewed by the Commission and its expert group, it is clear sotrovimab is another safe and effective treatment to help us in our fight against COVID-19.”
Sotrovimab is not intended to be used as a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.
The government and the NHS will confirm how this COVID-19 treatment will be deployed to patients in due course.
A national voucher scheme helping people access superfast broadband is being extended by three months.
Homes and businesses in Scotland that are unable to access fast internet speeds now have until 31 March 2022 to apply for funding worth up to £400 under the Reaching 100% (R100) Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme. An additional £250 is available for those in the hardest-to-reach areas.
The vouchers can be used to boost broadband speeds by accessing technologies such as those using satellites, mobile and wireless solutions. They are an interim measure pending completion of the Scottish Government’s programme to deliver superfast speeds by installing permanent broadband connections in areas where the work is not viable for commercial providers.
Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said: “The pandemic has reinforced the necessity for everyone to have access to fast, reliable broadband, whether for work, business, or their personal use.
“We will make sure everyone – regardless of where they live – has access to an acceptable level of connectivity so they can be part of the digital world. Extending the voucher scheme will help ensure no-one is excluded while we continue to roll out superfast broadband solutions across Scotland.
“Accessing fast and reliable broadband has never been so important and for our more rural communities it is vital. That is why the Scottish Government is making substantial investments in digital infrastructure to ensure all of Scotland has access to high speed internet.”
The R100 online address checker aims to provide the most up to date information available regarding the R100 programme and eligibility for a voucher.
