Significant activity is underway to clear the longest NHS waits following the allocation of £30 million of targeted funding.
The funding has been allocated to specialty areas where it can have the greatest impact against the longest waits – this includes cancer, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dermatology and diagnostics.
It is estimated the £30 million, initially announced in April, will help boards across the country deliver around; 12,000 additional procedures, 40,000 extra diagnostic procedures and 12,000 new outpatient appointments.
Activity levels will increase over the coming weeks and the Scottish Government will work closely with Boards to support delivery.
Speaking on a visit to Ninewells Hospital’s ophthalmology ward in Dundee, Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “This initial investment of £30 million will target reductions to national backlogs that built up through the pandemic. This is all part of our programme to tackle waiting times, including waiting lists for orthopaedic treatment and diagnostics for cancer.
“Together, our actions will help Scotland’s NHS maximise capacity, build greater resilience and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment. The number people waiting over two years for a new outpatient appointment is down by more than half in the last two years, and we want to build on that progress.
“As part of the £30 million, we have invested close to £2 million in ophthalmology helping to increase activity in the short term as we aim to deliver one cataract procedure every 30 minutes on standard lists. This will allow a more resilient and sustainable service for the future.”
Michael Kors is pleased to announce a new, expanded Michael Kors Lifestyle store location on the renowned Multrees Walk in Edinburgh, this July. The store’s transformation reflects the brand’s new store design concept, with a focus on pared-down luxury and sophisticated glamour.
The 3,380 -square-foot store will carry a luxe selection of MICHAEL Michael Kors fashion and accessories, including handbags, ready-to-wear, small leather goods and footwear, as well as watches, jewellery and eyewear.
The store will also carry a broad assortment of leather goods, ready-to-wear, footwear and small leather goods from the Michael Kors Mens label, available on Multrees Walk for the first time.
The new Michael Kors store concept reflects the brand’s commitment to laid-back luxury, with an emphasis on ease and sophistication. Customers are welcomed into an atmosphere warmed by soft neutral tones, residential décor cues and an open, airy ambience enhanced by floating shelves and vivid light.
The setting invites customers to browse, shop and enjoy the brand’s exceptional personal styling and service.
Interior design elements include hand-troweled plaster finishes and a refined spectrum of material choices including warm oak wood flooring, glossed black and white marble, and brushed nickel fixtures. A palette of warm whites and soft beiges is paired with textural accents and tactile fabrics that complement Michael Kors’ luxurious take on glamour.
Commenting on the newly expanded store, Adam Stone, Head of Retail Asset Management UK at Nuveen said: “Multrees Walk has been home to Michael Kors since 2012, and we are delighted to see them thrive and flourish so successfully to the point where a larger store was required.
“The expansion will also see new lines and product offerings in Edinburgh which is fantastic news for our shoppers to Multrees Walk. 2024 is a very exciting year for Multrees Walk as we grow and evolve the retail offering by welcoming a number of high-end luxury brands.”
Summer is the perfect time to try something new, so why not lend a hand in your local charity shop? The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is offering ‘taster’ sessions for anyone who wants to see what volunteering is all about.
So, whether you’re passionate about preloved, looking to meet new people, or keen to support the charity, we offer flexible volunteering roles for as little as an hour or two, without any long-term commitment.
Our volunteers are changing the way they gift their time to us. Fitting around life commitments like studying, family or work, we’re seeing an increasing number of people opting for ad hoc shifts. And that works for us!
With plenty of roles in store, through our Action Team, or remotely – yes you can volunteer from the comfort of your own sofa – give it a try for an hour or two. We will welcome you with open arms, and of course drinks and snacks too! Please do pop in for a cuppa or get in touch to find out more.
Every hour makes a difference, and no matter how much time you spend with us, you will be helping to fund lifesaving research.
Find a role to suit you by popping into your local shop or visiting
The Edinburgh International Book Festival today announces celebrated writer, broadcaster, and publisher James Crawford as the Festival’s new Chair of the Board of Directors.
The author of ten books including The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World, which investigates the shifting geopolitics of a world beset by climate change, James joins a number of new faces on the board as the Festival enters a new era under director Jenny Niven and in its new home at Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Bringing a nuanced understanding on topics ranging from law, history and technology, to globalisation and mass migration, James brings practical expertise on both the media and publishing landscapes thanks to his current roles as Editor-at-Large for the celebrated independent Scottish publisher Birlinn/Polygon, and as writer and presenter of landmark BBC One series Scotland from the Sky; and from previous experience, including asChair of the Board at industry body Publishing Scotland.
James joins recent Board appointees, disability advocate Tomas Gerrard, award-winning writer Yassmin Abdel-Magied, fundraising and sponsorship expert Hannah Hyde, and Anna Frame, Communications Director at publishing house Canongate, all of whom have been elected to the Board in the past 12 months.
James will take up his role in September after the current chair, Alan Little, steps down at the end of this year’s Festival.
James Crawford, incoming Chair of the Edinburgh International Book Festival Board of Directors said: “I was just seventeen when I first travelled to Edinburgh to visit the Book Festival, and I have been coming back ever since – first as an audience member, then as a publisher and author.
“The strength of the Festival has always been the melting pot of ideas, discourse, argument, imagination and inspiration that it offers. It is embarking on a new chapter now – with a new director and a new home – and it is a privilege to support Jenny and her team as they shape their vision for the Festival’s future.
“While challenges lie ahead, the importance of book festivals – both what they are and what they represent – should never be underestimated.”
Jenny Niven, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “We are delighted to welcome James as Chair of the Board.
“As well as being a highly experienced writer, editor, broadcaster and chairperson, Jamie is hugely respected in literature and publishing, and understands the festival and the wider sector from a range of perspectives.
“He’s extremely well placed to help us achieve our goals to make the Book Festival as widely relevant as possible, to create opportunities for writers and the creative community and to champion good information and the exchange of ideas.
“Myself, the Board, and the wider Festival team are looking forward enormously to the energy he’ll bring as we open a new chapter for the Book Festival, and to working with James in the years to come.”
Jenny took up the role of Director in September 2023, taking over from Nick Barley who had been in post since 2010. A leading cultural producer and director, she has worked in literature for 20 years.
Founder and Director of the award-winning Push the Boat Out, a festival of poetry, spoken word and language she was also formerly Executive Producer of Dandelion 2022, of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, and was Head of Literature at Creative Scotland from 2014-2018. She has extensive international experience; Jenny co-founded Beijing’s first Book Festival, and was Associate Director at the Wheeler Centre for Books Writing and Ideas in Melbourne.
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The 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 10 – 25 August, and takes place for the first time at the new Edinburgh Futures Institute on Lauriston Place.
Council leaders reconvened from recess yesterday (24th July) for a special meeting to discuss the ongoing pay negotiations with Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Unions.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, commented following the meeting: “We are disappointed that the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions have chosen to reject the revised pay offer made on 18th July.
“We have been consistently clear that this offer of 3.2% over 12 months is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the extremely challenging financial situation Local Government is facing. We believe this offer, which is above inflation, is fair, strong and credible. There is no more money available within existing council budgets to fund an increased offer without unacceptable and damaging cuts to jobs and services.
“COSLA remains committed to continuing our negotiations towards finding a solution as quickly as possible, seeking to do all we can to avoid industrial action and its damaging impact on our communities.
“In response to calls from Trade Unions, COSLA Leaders agreed today (24th July) to raise the matter of local government finance and local government pay with the Scottish Government. As no decisions can be taken until these discussions have taken place, we request that the trade unions pause their industrial action.
“COSLA are in the process of contacting the Trade Unions and Scottish Government on this. Council Leaders value the Local Government workforce and their essential work across our communities and remain committed to reaching an agreeable solution as quickly as possible.”
Following a fire at the Gorgie Farm site last night, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC) have issued a joint statement:
Joint statement from Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker and EVOC’s Convenor, Diarmaid Lawlor:
‘We’d like to sincerely thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for attending the fire at the Gorgie Farm site yesterday evening and making the area safe.
‘This must have been a distressing incident for local residents. We’re glad that no injuries have been reported and that the fire crews were able to contain the fire to the stable block.
‘We’ll now assess the damage at the site and work to determine the best way forward for this much loved community farm.’
£50,000 available for projects to support Scotland’s diaspora
A fund to help strengthen Scotland’s international diaspora has opened for applications.
The £50,000 Scottish Connections Fund is open to bids from any individual or organisation with a Scottish connection, whether that link is through heritage, education, business, culture, or a broader affinity.
Grants ranging from £2,000 to £5,000 will be awarded to support at least 10 new innovative projects that will help bring together Scotland’s diaspora and promote Scottish connections worldwide.
This year’s funding follows a successful pilot last year, which supported four projects, including work by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society to help descendants of enslaved Americans document their Scottish connections.
External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said: “This is a fund that I’m extremely passionate about. We’ve long believed that better engaging our diaspora – family and friends of Scotland globally – can benefit Scotland economically and enrich our culture. It can also improve Scotland’s connections and reputation and we want our efforts to benefit our diaspora too.
“The Scottish Connections Framework, which was launched in 2023, laid out our commitments to support and expand this global community. These connections raise Scotland’s profile and reputation and encourage individuals and companies to visit, study, live, work and do business here.”
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society was one of the beneficiaries of the pilot fund, using the funding to engage expert researchers in compiling a guide and resource for those researching the Scottish ancestry of enslaved individuals or enslavers in North America.
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society President Joshua Taylor said: “With a generous grant from the Scottish Connections Fund, our organisation had the singular opportunity to explore and share an important but unexamined part of the Scottish diaspora— descendants of enslaved Americans and their connections to Scotland.
“We engaged two genealogists to conduct comprehensive research in Scotland and the United States, compiling a list of resources that will serve as a primary reference for individuals tracing biographical and genealogical connections to those enslaved ancestors with ties to Scotland.
“We are grateful for programmes like the Scottish Connections Fund, which enabled us to develop an important tool that empowers more people to discover and learn more about their family history as part of the Scottish diaspora.
“We encourage any organisation engaging in Scottish culture and heritage to explore this vital resource.”
Two unique Jurassic fossil discoveries from the Isle of Skye have shown that mammals in the time of the dinosaurs grew more slowly and lived longer than mammals today.
A new study in Nature by an international team of researchers led by National Museums Scotland describes two Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis fossils, one adult and one juvenile, both discovered in Skye.
These mouse-sized mammals lived around 166 million years ago. The specimens represent the only juvenile Jurassic mammal skeleton known to science, while the adult is one of the most intact mammal skeletons from this time period in the world.
The discovery of a juvenile and adult of the same species of early mammals is unique and has allowed groundbreaking comparative analysis into their growth and life history. The ages of the specimens at death were determined using X-ray imaging to count the growth rings in their teeth.
The adult was found to be around 7 years old and the juvenile between 1 – 2 years, and still in the process of replacing its baby teeth. This was possible thanks to X-ray computed tomography carried out in several laboratories, including the European Synchrotron (ESRF).
Today, small mammals have significantly shorter lifespans, some living as little as 12 months, and maturing quickly, losing their baby teeth and weaning within months of birth. The Krusatodon fossils reveal for the first time that the earliest mammals didn’t finish replacing their teeth until well into their second year of life, possibly later. This tells us that a fundamental shift in the growth patterns and life expectancy of mammals must have taken place during or after the Middle Jurassic.
The specimens were discovered decades apart, with the adult being one of the earliest Jurassic finds on Skye in the 1970s, while the juvenile was discovered in 2016.
Dr Elsa Panciroli, lead author and Associate Researcher of Palaeobiology at National Museums Scotland, said: “These fossils are among the most complete mammals from this time period in the world. They give us unprecedented insights into the lives of the first mammals in the time of dinosaurs.
“Although on the outside Krusatodon looked like a shrew or mouse, on the inside it was quite different; it grew more slowly and lived much longer than small mammals do today. As a result, it probably had quite a different physiology and life history as well. Skye’s fossils are really putting Scotland firmly on the map when it comes to understanding mammal evolution.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what they can tell us.”
Dr Stig Walsh, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeobiology at National Museums Scotland and co-author on the study, said: “Even in the context of the amazing palaeontological finds on Skye in recent years, these fossils are remarkable.
“Mammal fossils of this age are exceptionally rare worldwide, and most are just single teeth found by sieving sediment. To find two such rare fossil skeletons of the same species at different growth stages has rewritten our understanding of the lives of the very earliest mammals.
“We’re thrilled they are both now part of Scotland’s National Collection, an important part of the global fossil record, and will be preserved for generations of researchers to come.”
In addition to National Museums Scotland, the study also involved researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, University of Chicago, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and Queen Mary University of London.
Prof. Roger Benson from the American Museum of Natural History said of the fossil found in 2016: “When we found the tiny juvenile skull I didn’t realise what we’d found right away.
“The part of the fossil that was sticking out of the rock was blasted by erosion, surrounded by barnacles, and looked just like a piece of ash. I used micro-CT scanning, a form of 3D X-ray imaging, and was very surprised to see a whole skull in the rock. For science,
“it’s really remarkable to have this fossil and it told us a lot about growth and life history in some of the earliest mammals”
Dr Elis Newham, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London said: “Our study benefited greatly from a new technique we developed using synchrotron X-ray technology.
“This allowed us to analyse growth patterns in the teeth of these fossils, much like counting tree rings. It was surprising to discover that Krusatodon, while showing a similar development pattern to modern mammals, grew much slower and lived longer.
“This research emphasises the value of studying juvenile fossils, and the X-ray cementochronology technique offers a powerful tool for unlocking these secrets from the past.”
The paper was published in Nature yesterday, 24 July 2024.
Support for workplace learning and promoting fair work
Reaffirming the Scottish Government’s commitment to advancing Fair Work and tackling inequalities, First Minister John Swinney has announced a continued funding package to support trade unions in developing, organising, and delivering work-related learning in Scotland’s workplaces in 2024/25.
The £2.38 million funding is managed by the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) and will be split between the Scottish Union Learning and the Fair Work in Action Funds.
The First Minister confirmed the funding during a meeting with the 2023 and 2024 STUC Union Rep Award Winners, who are being recognised for their work in areas such as learning, organising and equalities.
First Minister, John Swinney said: “Trade Unions play a vital role across Scotland’s economy in the workplace and communities and I am pleased to continue this support.
“This funding helps to put into action the Scottish Government’s clear commitment to promote fair work, and to lifelong learning, which in turn support the government’s priorities to eradicate child poverty, grow the economy and improve public services.
“The continuation of this funding will ensure that workers across Scotland benefit from opportunities to develop their skills and boost their career prospects, which will help to increase people’s productivity and earnings potential, benefiting themselves and their families and the economy.
“I was thrilled to meet with the STUC’s Award winners who represent the very best of what our trade unions have to offer – they have excelled in the promotion of workplace learning, equalities, health and safety or organising for a stronger collective voice.”
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “The STUC Union Rep award recipients are the lifeblood of our movement. We congratulate them for leading the way in educating, empowering, and organising workers throughout the country.
“We further thank the First Minister for recognising their achievements and for recommitting his government’s support for workers and Scotland’s wider trade union movement.
“The funding announced today validates the work of our Union Rep Award recipients and is a recommitment to the power of the delivery of workforce development and skills through union and employer co-operation with the support of government.
“This support is welcome. It should act as a catalyst for others to see the value of investing in the education and empowerment of the next generation of workers and workplace reps throughout Scotland.
“It also reflects our shared aim of making Fair Work a reality for all. Fair work and a skilled workforce are the building blocks we need to build Scotland’s sustainable economy and boost growth.”
Bill does not provide sufficient support and protection to Gaelic and Scots
Scottish Gaelic is in a ‘perilous state’ according to a new report released today by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.
The Committee’s report details reservations about the practical impact of the Scottish Languages Bill, which aims to support Scotland’s indigenous languages. The Committee recommends the Bill should proceed to the next stage of scrutiny, but says that more needs to be done to effectively support Gaelic and Scots.
The Committee understood the symbolic importance for stakeholders of designating Gaelic and Scots as official languages in legislation, and the general aims of the Bill were widely supported.
However, witnesses expressed significant concerns about the lack of tangible support for communities using these languages and dialects, concerns the Committee shares. In the report it warns that without additional support, the Bill’s aim to strengthen the support for and promotion of the languages will not be achieved.
In particular, the Committee describes Gaelic as being in a ‘perilous state’. During evidence sessions, most witnesses, including the Deputy First Minister, agreed that action beyond legislation was needed to solve the problems facing the language.
The Committee’s report calls on the Scottish Government to explain how it would use the powers in the Bill to improve the position of Gaelic.
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said:“We have serious concerns about the future of Gaelic.
“On its own, we believe the Scottish Languages Bill does not address the challenges facing the Gaelic language or provide the necessary support to either Gaelic or Scots.
“While our Committee has recommended that the Parliament backs the general principles of the Bill, the Scottish Government must do more to avoid it being purely symbolic.
“We’re also concerned by the lack of clarity around what the obligations attached to this Bill mean for public bodies and local authorities regarding Gaelic and Scots. We would expect the Scottish Government to provide clarity on this, and the other concerns in our report, as scrutiny of the Bill continues.”
The report also highlights concerns about one of the flagship proposals in the Bill, which would see areas of linguistic significance established in areas where there are high proportions of Gaelic speakers.
The Committee agreed with witnesses that the Bill does not explain:
what an area of linguistic significance would look like in places with smaller proportions of Gaelic speakers
how public bodies would work in these areas to deliver opportunities for Gaelic speakers
what funding would be available for local authorities to establish and maintain an area of linguistic significance
The Bill is expected to be considered by the Scottish Parliament in a Stage 1 debate in the autumn.
