Each year in the UK around 10,500 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, devastating news that also affects many thousands more of their family members and friends. In this distressing time people are often unsure where to turn for support and are left feeling isolated.
Ahead of World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Thursday 16 November I want to reassure people that you are not alone. Pancreatic cancer UK’s Support Line specialist nurses, like myself and my colleagues, provide expert information and support for you. We are here to provide you and your family with practical steps and emotional support when you need it most.
I also need to ask people living with pancreatic cancer and their loved ones to help us as we research how our support services can reach even more people. We particularly want to hear from those who have never been in contact with the charity before to understand where we can make a difference.
There are two ways to contribute: either by taking a short survey or through a 1-1 interview.
Your views will be invaluable and help us continue to be there for thousands of families for years to come. To take part, please email:
Anyone affected by pancreatic cancer can call our Specialist Nurses for support and information on our confidential, free Support Line on (Freecall: 0808 801 0707).
Thank you,
Dianne Dobson
Pancreatic Cancer UK Specialist Nurse, Pancreatic Cancer UK
4th Floor Westminster Tower
3 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7SP
Direct line: 07929 750 651
Pancreatic Cancer UK Support Line: Freephone 0808 801 0707
SOCIAL Security Scotland are making essential improvements to their IT systems, which means some online services will unfortunately be unavailable at certain times this week:
Our Telephony and Webchat service will close early at 4:30pm on 17 November.
Online applications for the following benefits will be unavailable from Friday 17 November at 5:00pm until Monday 20 November at 8am:
Adult Disability Benefit
Best Start Grants
Best Start Foods
Child Disability Payment
Funeral Support Payment
Job Start Payment
Scottish Child Payment
Young Carer Grant
Our document upload service will also be unavailable during this time, meaning that supporting information for applications cannot be uploaded between 17 November and 20 November. However we encourage members of the public and stakeholders to send supporting information by post during this period.
People applying for benefits are still able to fill out a PDF application form and post it to us.We are continually looking to improve our IT systems to make applying for benefits as easy as possible. This means we do occasionally have to have downtime on our systems to allow us to make improvements.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
We will return to full service at 8am on Monday 20 November when clients will be able use our Telephony and Webchat service, make online applications and upload supporting information as normal.
Scottish Care, the representative body for independent social care sector in Scotland, will be hosting the prestigious Care Home Awards 2023 at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow, on Friday 19 November.
The event, now in its 19th year, recognises the excellence within the independent care home sector, acknowledging outstanding contributions of care homes across the country.
In Scotland, 85% of all care home support is provided by the independent sector, caring for over 30,500 older individuals and employing nearly 44,500 dedicated individuals.
This year’s awards received a substantial record number of entries, a testament to all the excellent work going on in our care homes in Scotland. Care homes, often unsung heroes in the community, will get their moment in the spotlight, showcasing the passion and commitment of those who work to ensure that residents live their fullest lives. The awards also advocate for the recognition of the care home sector, shining a light on the often undervalued but essential role these homes and their workforce play in society.
Awards will be presented across fourteen categories, recognising excellence in various aspects of care home services, from leadership to innovation:
Ancillary & Support Staff Award
Meaningful Activity Award
Nutrition & Eating Well Award
Training, Learning & Staff Development Award
Emerging Talent Award
Outstanding Achievement Award
Leadership Award
Palliative & End of Life Care Practise Award
Nurse of the Year Award
Care Worker of the Year Award
Specialist Service/Unit of the Year Award
Care Home Service of the Year Award
Care Innovation Award
Strategic Contribution Award
Michelle McManus, the renowned Scottish singer, TV, and radio presenter, will host the awards ceremony and announce the winners.
Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care and the co-host of the Awards Ceremony said:“The care home workforce is full of individuals who behave with dignity, compassion, professionalism, and skill.
“We are hosting the awards to express our gratitude and to recognise the particular skills of a few. It is also a night to acknowledge all the individuals, teams, and companies delivering care at an incredibly high standard in a challenging period and within an increasingly demanding work environment.”
Preparations are underway to begin enforcement against pavement parking in Edinburgh, following the introduction of new powers by the Scottish Government.
A report to Transport and Environment Committee sets out a proposed approach and timescales for enforcing against pavement parking as part of new parking prohibitions being introduced. National regulations are expected to come into force on 11 December and it is proposed that Edinburgh’s enforcement begins in January 2024.
Parking on pavements, at dropped kerbs and double parking can inconvenience all road users, significantly impacting people with mobility issues, parents with pushchairs and older people.
The Council has always supported a ban on pavement parking and has collaborated closely with Living Streets and Guide Dogs Scotland to lobby for the introduction of controls in Scotland. This will help ensure Edinburgh’s roads and footways are accessible for all, which is central to our vision of an equal, accessible and sustainable city as part of the City Mobility Plan.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Implementing these new parking restrictions is part of our commitment to ensure Edinburgh’s roads and pavements are accessible for all.
“Making sure our footways are kept clear will deliver real benefits for pedestrians and road users, particularly those who are disproportionately affected such as parents with pushchairs, older people and wheelchair users.
“We would expect everyone to adhere to the new prohibitions when the final regulations come into force to guarantee our streets are safer and more user-friendly.”
Stuart Hay, Director, Living Streets Scotland, said:“Edinburgh is taking the right approach to the enforcement of pavement parking, recognising that footways are for people, not parking spaces for cars.
“Exemptions should only be applied in exceptional cases based on evidence, which can only be collected via careful monitoring and consultation. This is the best way to ensure those most affected by blocked pavements, including disabled people, have safe access to our streets.”
Niall Foley, Lead External Affairs Manager at Guide Dogs Scotland, said:“Parking on pavements is a nuisance for everyone, but potentially dangerous if you are a wheelchair user forced onto the road, pushing a buggy, or have sight loss and can’t see traffic coming towards you.
“When cars block the way, it undermines the confidence of people with a vision impairment to get out and about independently.
“We welcome the parking measures being introduced and look forward to working with Edinburgh Council to ensure the pavement parking prohibitions are a success.”
Preparations include the assessment of 5,217 roads by officers as part of the footway parking assessment project. This has helped to identify a small number of streets where significant pavement parking may require mitigation measures to minimise potential negative impacts on the wider road network.
Despite the prohibitions featuring in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, the necessary regulations required to support the enforcement and appeals procedures have only recently been finalised by Transport Scotland and are expected to come into effect on 11 December.
Work to complete the necessary changes in Edinburgh will commence as soon as it is confirmed that the new regulations have come into force.
An awareness campaign, currently being designed by Transport Scotland, is hoped to drive a change in behaviour over the festive period in advance of enforcement beginning. A further Council-run campaign aligned with the national approach is intended once the new prohibitions take effect.
Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), Public Health Scotland (PHS) will work with Scottish Government and colleagues across NHS Boards to make plans for the introduction of a varicella (chickenpox) vaccination as part of the routine childhood schedule.
JCVI’s recommendation is to offer a two-dose programme offering vaccination at 12 and 18 months of age, using the combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine.
Varicella vaccines have been seen to dramatically decrease the number of cases of chickenpox seen in childhood when used in other countries.
Dr Claire Cameron, Consultant in Health Protection at PHS said: “Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease.
“While most cases of chickenpox in children are relatively mild, many children are unwell for several days and have to miss school or nursery as a result. In some cases, chickenpox can be more severe and can lead to hospitalisations from serious secondary infections or other complications.
“The offer of the varicella vaccine is a welcome new addition to the routine childhood schedule and, as well as reducing the number of cases, will prevent more severe cases of chickenpox.”
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “The Scottish Government welcomes the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation to introduce a chickenpox vaccine to the childhood immunisation programme.
“Immunisation is one of the most effective ways of preventing illness from infectious disease.
“We will work with Public Health Scotland, NHS Boards in Scotland, as well as colleagues across the UK, to consider this recommendation in more detail.”
More information on the current childhood immunisation schedule is available on NHS Inform.
Non-Sport Lets for Community Access to City of Edinburgh Council Secondary Schools Transferring to Edinburgh Leisure
The management of community access to secondary schools for non-sport lets is being transferred from the City of Edinburgh Council to Edinburgh Leisure.
A phased transfer, with nine schools initially identified, will mean that organisations and individuals looking to book and hire classroom space during community time for classes and workshops, will now book through Edinburgh Leisure, rather than the City of Edinburgh Council.
Core community times are Monday to Friday, 18:00 – 21:45hrs and Saturday, 09:30 – 15:15hrs whilst during school holiday periods around the opening times.
The schools available to book through Edinburgh Leisure are:
Balerno High School.
Broughton High School.
Craigroyston High School.
Forrester High School / St Augustine’s R.C. High School.
Gracemount High School.
Leith Academy.
James Gillespie’s High School.
Portobello High School.
Since 2017, Edinburgh Leisure has managed community access to secondary school sports facilities and through this period have developed a robust booking process and operational infrastructure that has seen usage and net income grow each year.
The investment made by the Council in its school estate over the last 15 years has resulted in fantastic facilities and the ambition for the transfer is to improve access arrangements and increase use from all sections of the community by utilising Edinburgh Leisure’s experience and expertise in this field.
Jimmy Livingstone, Schools Manager at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We have been working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and with our expertise in the field of facility management and community access to the schools, we are the logical partner to manage the non-sport lets in secondary schools, to support the Council in improving access, increasing usage and maximising revenue.”
Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Having Edinburgh Leisure manage the non-sport lets in our secondary schools is a really positive move given their experience and expertise in managing community access across the city.
“It will further develop our partnership and improve access to the fantastic facilities we have available in our secondary school estate.”
All current lets at the above schools have been advised of the new booking arrangements. The booking process for schools not transferring to Edinburgh Leisure in phase one will remain the same.
The booking system will go live from 13th November 2023 for bookings starting from January 2024.
Any organisations wishing to book rooms in community time from January 2024, should email exlets@edinburghleisure.co.uk.
Social Security Scotland has published its Annual Report and Accounts, which show that it made £641 million in direct payments to people across Scotland from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
The payments were made across 13 Scottish benefits, seven of which are completely new forms of support not available anywhere else in the UK.
This includes the Scottish Child Payment which has been extended to eligible children under the age of 16. More than 300,000 young people are now receiving this payment.
The payments also include the new Winter Heating Payment, which has helped almost 400,000 people on low incomes with their heating costs.
The results of an annual survey of clients have also been published, showing that 93% of people who had been in contact with Social Security Scotland felt they had been treated with kindness.
Among those who responded to the survey, 97% said they had received their benefit payments when Social Security Scotland said they would and 90% said their experience with staff was ‘very good’ or ‘good’. A further 90% said staff listened to them and 89% felt they were treated with respect.
In total, the combination of direct payments made by Social Security Scotland and those paid through Agency Agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions saw the Scottish Government invest £4.04 billion in benefits across Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “We are supporting families across the country at a time where they are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and higher energy bills. We now deliver 13 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland and are delivering these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.
“Our decision to expand the Scottish Child Payment to all eligible young people under the age of 16 and increase the payment to £25 per week means we are supporting more than 300,000 children and making a significant contribution to tackling child poverty.
“As we prepare to launch Carer Support Payment, our 14th benefit, we are committed to making sure that people get the money they are entitled to and that people who are eligible know how to apply for our payments.”
Chief Executive of Social Security Scotland, David Wallace, said:“This last year has been the busiest in our five-year history. We have significantly expanded our service, including the national rollout of Adult Disability Payment, the extension of the Scottish Child Payment and paid Winter Heating Payment for the first time.
“We are continuing to develop and improve our service. Despite some challenges with processing times, which we are actively working to improve, we still maintained high client satisfaction rates. In our annual Client Survey, 93% of people who participated told us they were treated with kindness.”
Edinburgh International Festival today unveils the first details of the 2024 Festival, and the second from Festival Director Nicola Benedetti, taking place from 2-25 August 2024.
After a resoundingly successful 2023 Festival, which posed the question: ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival explores ‘Rituals That Unite Us’.
Reasserting the need for reconciliation and the value of shared experiences in today’s increasingly disconnected world, the curated programme of live music, theatre, opera and dance celebrates the practices, traditions and festivities that give us meaning and connect us – as a festival, a city, and as a society.
This promises to be a thrilling year for opera lovers as five operas feature in the 2024 International Festival programme, three fully staged and two in concert. The first of these to be announced is the iconic Carmen, from globally celebrated Parisian opera house Opéra-Comique,the venue in which the opera premiered in 1875.
This production, led by German director Andreas Homoki, celebrates Carmen’s 149-year legacy on a replica stage of the Opéra-Comique recreated on the stage of Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, complete with seven iron doors constructed by Gustave Eiffel, the creator of Paris’ famous tower.
The score also remains true to the ‘opéra-comique’style, where musical pieces are interspersed with dialogue, emphasising the comedic elements of Georges Bizet’s visionary writing.
The cast includes; Gaëlle Arquez as Carmen, a role in which she has captivated audiences since 2017; star tenor Saimir Pirgu as Don José; Elbenita Kajtazibi as Micaëla; and Jean-Fernand Setti as Escamillo.
In an exciting collaboration that sees the International Festival once again working with Scottish national companies on an international stage, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra performs under the direction of Louis Langrée, General Director of Opéra-Comique and Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Assembly Hallis a major new dance-theatre work, Scottish Premiere, and International Festival co-production, from Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite. Described by the Guardian as “a 21st-century dance genius”, Crystal Pite, alongside playwright Jonathon Young, present a dance-theatre hybrid that promises the company’s signature wit and invention.
Also taking place at the Festival Theatre, but set in a community centre, Assembly Hall follows a group of medieval re-enactors coming together for their annual general meeting, a tradition that for the group serves as a bridge between the past and the present.
The event they are organising has fallen on hard times, and unless they take bold measures, this venerable order faces dissolution. As the meeting progresses, the line between reality and re-enactment begins to blur, ancient forces are awoken, and it becomes clear that there is much at stake.
Delving into the very human need to gather, Assembly Hall explores what stories we tell and repeat, and how those customs reflect our identity.
The theme ‘Rituals That Unite Us’ responds to feedback on the International Festival’s 2023 theme, from audiences, artists and the public, that wherever we go next – and despite our differences – we must go together.
The 2024 theme takes inspiration from philosopher Byung-Chul Han. His book The Disappearance of Rituals reminds us that what we do, over time, defines who we are, and that our collectively experienced rituals help ground us and bind us closer together.
A central idea of the book is the humility, sacrifice and participation required to maintain community rituals. This will be explored in the programme through events marking the 900th anniversary of the city of Edinburgh in 2024. Other key ideas include the sacred rituals of life and death, and rituals around the art of seduction.
As well as a programme of live performances and discussions with the world’s finest artists and rising stars, the International Festival continues its commitment to stage large-scale events, inviting participation from communities across Scotland.
In 2023, 500 amateur and professional musicians joyously performed in Princes Street Gardens for thousands of audience members. In 2024, the International Festival will collaborate with the World Health Organisation and Scottish Ballet to host the first ever nationwide Healing Arts campaign, Healing Arts Scotland.
The week-long activation will begin on 19th August 2024, and will include performances, exhibitions, workshops and high-profile policy discussions.
Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival, says:“Next year’s Edinburgh International Festival celebrates the unifying force of collective live experiences. We continue to pursue an openness towards diverse perspectives, and in exploring ‘Rituals That Unite Us’, reflect our deeply human need to connect with one another.
“When beliefs differ, when we are not aligned over a shared singular fight, it is always an effort, always tricky, always messy. But this is what our festival was founded to do.
“People use the word ‘soft’ when speaking of the power of the arts, but to open hearts and minds is the toughest and most serious thing we can offer people. It all starts with belief and trust. We led with this feeling in 2023, and we will deepen it in 2024.”
Full programme will be announced with tickets going on sale in March 2024, with priority booking for members.
Sign up to the Edinburgh International Festival newsletter for up-to-date information at www.eif.co.uk.
A Holyrood Committee is calling for individuals and organisations to share their views on proposed changes to the laws governing social security in Scotland.
The Social Justice and Social Security Committee has launched a call for views on the Scottish Government’s Social Security (Scotland) (Amendment) Bill.
Social security legislation was devolved to Holyrood in 2016 and a legal framework to the Scottish Social Security system was introduced in 2018. This meant 11 existing social security benefits were devolved from the Department of Work and Pensions to a new Scottish body, Social Security Scotland.
The new Bill proposes a range of changes, including creating a framework to introduce new social security benefits for children and care experienced people, changing rules about how people can challenge decisions made about social security assistance and repealing COVID measures that allowed people to make late applications.
The Committee will be scrutinising the Bill and considering whether these changes deliver improvements, make the system more efficient and the extent to which they reflect the Scottish Government’s social security principles.
Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Collette Stevenson, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “We want to hear what people make of the Scottish Government’s proposed changes to social security laws.
“We’re particularly interested in hearing about the impact these changes will have, whether they deliver value for money and the extent to which there can be further improvement to the system as a result of these changes.
“The proposals in the Bill include introducing new benefits for children and care experienced people, allowing appointees who manage a person’s DWP benefits to also manage their Social Security Scotland benefits and new ways for individuals to appeal when they are not entitled to assistance.
“I would encourage anybody with a view on these plans, or any of the other proposals in the Bill, to complete the call for views on the Parliament’s website.”
The call for views opened yesterday and will be open until Friday 12 January 2024.
The link to where people can share their views on the Bill is:
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