davepickering

Expansion of life-saving opioid overdose treatment

New 10-year plan to expand and improve the drug and alcohol workforce published

Police officers, probation workers, paramedics, nurses and other professionals will be able to provide take-home supplies of opioid overdose treatment to save lives.
New 10-year plan to expand and improve the drug and alcohol workforce published.
Part of government mission to reduce drug deaths and support people with recovery

More professionals such as nurses, paramedics, police officers and probation workers will be able to supply a life-saving opioid overdose antidote without a prescription to save the lives of the most vulnerable, the UK government has announced.

The government will shortly update legislation to enable more services and individuals to provide take-home supplies of naloxone, which almost immediately reverses the effects of an opioid overdose by reversing breathing difficulties.

This means the medicine can be given to a family member or friend of a person who is known to be using opiates – such as heroin or opioids including potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl or nitazenes – or to an outreach worker for a homelessness service working with people who use these drugs, to save lives in the event of an overdose.

Alongside this, the government is today publishing a new 10-year strategic plan to expand and improve the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce.

This is the first national workforce plan for this specialist part of the health workforce in England and outlines key milestones to grow, train and develop staff. This will include bringing more new and experienced professionals into the sector and developing better training for roles that are currently unregulated such as drug and alcohol workers.

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Opioid addiction can ruin lives and is responsible for the largest proportion of drug-related deaths across the UK.

“We are working hard to reduce those numbers by expanding access to naloxone to save the lives of the most vulnerable.

“Our 10-year workforce plan will expand and boost the training of the next generation of drug and alcohol workers to improve services and support people to get their lives back on track.”

The workforce plan builds on the government’s 10-year drugs strategy to combat illicit drug use and reduce drug deaths. Expanding access to naloxone will contribute to the government’s ambition to prevent nearly 1,000 drug-related deaths in England by the end of 2025, reversing the upward trend for the first time in a decade.

As part of the strategy, an additional £532 million is being invested between 2022 and 2025 to improve the capacity and quality of drug and alcohol treatment.

This additional funding is supporting the expansion of the workforce by the end of 2024/25 with:

800 more medical, mental health and other regulated professionals
950 additional drug and alcohol and criminal justice workers
more drug and alcohol commissioners in every local authority to commission services more effectively

More than 3,900 additional staff have already been recruited using drug strategy funding.

The new workforce plan, developed by the Office for Health and Improvement (OHID) and NHS England (NHSE), builds on this progress and maps out the next 10 years of workforce transformation with key 1-year, 3-year and 10-year milestones.

This includes:

New training curriculums for three currently unregulated roles by March 2025. These roles are drug and alcohol workers, children and young people’s drug and alcohol workers and peer support workers. Accredited training will be available for these roles by March 2027 and the first cohorts of trainees will complete their training by March 2029.
More addiction psychiatry training posts to expand the bank of posts currently available by March 2025.
More regulated professionals working in the sector will mean services have high-quality clinical governance and clinical supervision in place by March 2027.

Naloxone can currently be administered by anyone in an emergency but can only legally be supplied without prescription by a drug and alcohol treatment service to a person to take home for future use.  

The government will update legislation via a statutory instrument to expand the number of services and professions which can supply the medicine over the next few weeks.

It follows a public consultation in which the responses were overwhelmingly supportive of proposals.

Opioid-related deaths make up the largest proportion of drug-related deaths across the UK, with an average of 40 deaths a week, and widening access to naloxone for those at risk of overdose will make a substantial difference.

In 2022, opioids were involved in:

73% of drug misuse deaths registered in England
60% of drug misuse deaths registered in Wales
82% of drug misuse deaths registered in Scotland
60% of drug misuse deaths registered in Northern Ireland

FREE Pollinator Picnic at Lauriston Farm tomorrow

INVITATION to a local PICNIC! Drop-in to Lauriston Farm Agroecology Open Day this weekend where I will be hosting a ‘Pollinator Picnic’. Free, family friendly food and fun.

Lauriston Farm, next to Toby Carvery on Lauriston farm Rd, EH4 5EX, Edinburgh.

SAT 18th MAY : 12.30-2.30

Everyone welcome! Picnic blankets supplied.

Part of the co-design stage of artist Natalie Taylor’s proposal development for Granton Gas Tower.

Cramond Campus public consultation drop-in sessions

Details of the campus drop in sessions:

Edinburgh Local Heritage Network celebrates its first birthday

We’re celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Edinburgh Local Heritage Network (ELHN).

This network was launched on the May 10, 2023 and was attended by 17 representatives from a variety of local community groups, organisations, and societies.

The ELHN has gone from strength to strength over the past year and now has 30 members who represent local heritage groups and societies from across the city.

This network is specifically for local groups and societies with a focus on the heritage of Edinburgh, with the Lord Provost Robert Aldridge as Honorary President.

The purpose of this network is to develop and maintain partnerships between local heritage groups and with Council services, chiefly Archives, Libraries, and Museums and Galleries. This is to better safeguard, enrich, and promote the city’s heritage together.

Membership of the ELHN is available to heritage groups and organisations based within the city. If you belong to a group that you think might benefit from this network, please contact us at archives@edinburgh.gov.uk

The network meets quarterly and focuses on subjects of interest to local heritage groups. Groups can also raise any specific issues or questions facing them that network members might be able to help with.

Currently, the key focus of the ELHN is the development of a new online membership directory and collaboration on the Edinburgh 900 programme with a focus on supporting local communities to celebrate this anniversary.

The full ELHN online directory can be found on our website.

Further details on the Edinburgh 900 programme are also available on our website.

The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh and ELHN Honorary President, Robert Aldridge said: “I’m delighted that the ELHN has reached this milestone and I’d like to sincerely thank all the members, supporters and colleagues who have worked hard to grow and enhance this network.

“Edinburgh is a city of rich history and stories. We’re committed to sharing these as part of our Edinburgh 900 programme and the ELHN has a key role to play in these celebrations.”

Record breaking Munro challenge opens for entries

RHASS Mighty Munro Muster will see all 282 Munros conquered within the same 24-hour window

Scotland’s leading agricultural charity, RHASS (Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland), seeks avid adventurers to participate in an ambitious, and worthy fundraising feat.

Taking place on 21 September 2024, the challenge will involve a group of no less than 600 individuals split into teams of two or more, collectively ascending all 282 Munros within the same 24-hour window.

To succeed, each team is required to reach the summit of their selected Munro and return safely back down before the 24 hours is up, all while raising money for RHASS-funded projects aimed at those living and working in rural Scotland, safeguarding the rights of landowners, and preserving access to Scotland’s breath-taking landscapes.

The challenge is part of the society’s 240th anniversary year. Other activities include a year-long audio and visual storytelling project, 240 Years of Stories, to contribute towards the legacy of Scotland’s agricultural and rural community, and a series of Harvest Thanksgiving services will also take place.

RHASS will work with a range of partners to support participants in the run-up to the event, providing safety advice, training programmes, and guidance to ensure everyone is well equipped to take on the challenge.

Various resources will also be provided to support participants in their efforts to raise funds for the challenge.

In order to make sure all Munro’s are covered, applicants will be entered into a ballot, choosing their desired area and level of difficulty on entry. They will be assigned either their first or second choice of location and a Munro suitable to their abilities. People of all skill levels are encouraged to take part in what will be an exhilarating team challenge.

Alisdair Caulfield, RHASS Director of Advancement, said: “The collective effort involved in this challenge will not only be a testament to community spirit, but it will also be a wonderful celebration of Scotland’s rich rural heritage.

“We are aiming to sign up at least six hundred participants to ensure that no one faces the ascent alone, the logistics in that alone will be no easy feat. Additionally, we have also set ourselves an ambitious fundraising target, which will help RHASS and our partnering beneficiaries drive positive change and leave a lasting impact on rural communities.”

Munro-bagger Hollie Jenkins and her two spaniels Hugo and Spencer (@theedinburghspaniels) stepped up to support the drive for sign-ups, encouraging fellow dedicated hikers to take part in the daring challenge.

Hollie met with members of the RHASS team to share her passion for hiking in the Scottish Mountains and discuss the importance of preserving Scotland’s rural heritage.

Speaking on the challenge, Hollie said: “As an avid Munro bagger, I am honoured to be part of this remarkable challenge and encourage everyone to take part in the amazing opportunity to celebrate the natural beauty of our country’s landscape.”

Land & Property Partner at Turcan Connell, Grierson Dunlop, said: “As sponsors of RHASS 2024, we are delighted to be part of the society’s assortment of activities and look forward to supporting this ambitious challenge and creative fundraising initiative.

“The Mighty Munro Muster Is a fantastic opportunity for individuals to help our rural communities prosper, stay active and take in the immense views from our impressive Scottish mountains.”

Those who think they can muster up the courage to take part can now sign up online at: https://rhass.org.uk/

Participants will receive a branded event t-shirt to wear during the climb and to capture that all-important selfie at the top.

Community Energy Generation Growth Fund: £1.5 million to support community projects

A fund to help community groups across Scotland set up renewable energy generation projects has opened for applications.

The £1.5 million Community Energy Generation Growth Fund will support local communities installing wind turbines and solar panels or developing other types of renewable energy generation, such as hydro, to meet local needs.

Community groups will also be able to earn money from their projects by, for example, allowing them to sell excess energy generated.

The fund forms part of the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), which, to date, has awarded more than £65 million in funding to over 900 renewable energy projects across the country.  

The pilot scheme runs until March 2025 and will inform longer-term support for community-owned energy generation projects through CARES.

Net Zero Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Scotland is fast becoming a renewable energy powerhouse, with enormous benefits for our people, economy and environment.

“Scotland’s communities must be at the heart of this journey. I am determined to ensure they can lead and benefit from this era defining transition.

“This fund will support the creation of locally owned energy projects which can reduce energy costs, generate revenue and help drive Scotland’s transition to net zero.”

Chris Morris manager at fund administrator, Local Energy Scotland said: “We are excited to support this fund and we know that there are communities across Scotland who are developing renewable energy projects who can accelerate their projects with this funding.

“This fund can help communities to realise their ambitions and Local Energy Scotland can help identify the best opportunities and prioritise next steps.”

More information about Community Energy Generation Growth (CEGG) Fund and details on how to apply

CARES funding streams include:

Let’s Do Net Zero: Community Buildings Fund – which provides a rolling programme of support to communities, charities, and faith organisations to decarbonise their buildings and reduce energy bills.
Community Heat Development Programme – which works with community organisations and groups of householders to help develop ideas for locally generated, low and zero carbon heat projects.

Child Disability Payment: Helping children and young people be all they can be

When designing our disability benefits, Social Security Scotland collaborated with disabled people and their families to create a better and more compassionate system, putting dignity, fairness and respect at its heart.

Child Disability Payment was launched in November 2021. It helps families cover the extra costs of looking after a child or young person who is disabled, who has a long-term health condition or who is terminally ill. Importantly, it isn’t means tested.

Since its introduction, over 80,500 children and young people have received the payment, with more than £621 million being paid out.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, visited Carrongrange High School – Falkirk Council’s secondary school for pupils with severe and complex additional support needs – on 1 May.

The school’s motto is, ‘Carrongrange – Where you can be all you can be’.

We spoke to children and their families and learned what impact Child Disability Payment has on the lives of pupils who receive it and how it is helping them to live full and independent lives.

Dughall Boyne’s daughter, Rosselyn, has bilateral coloboma, a condition which prevented her eyes from developing properly. She receives Child Disability Payment.

According to Dughall: “Child Disability Payment has been very important for Rosselyn.

“Everything costs more when you have a disability. The payments have allowed us to find after-school activities for Rosselyn which have helped develop her independence. She likes horse-riding but riding lessons for the disabled cost a lot more, because you need three people around the horse.

“Rosselyn has now moved on to Adult Disability Payment and the transfer has been very smooth. We were told at regular intervals what was happening with things like setting up the named contact.

“There were no big forms to fill in and it was all online. We just had to tick the box saying that there had been no change in Rosselyn’s condition. Previously, with the DWP, there was a 13-page form to complete. It’s certainly helped to take a couple of hours off the process and it’s been well received by parents throughout the school.”

Catherine Sneddon’s son, Louis, also goes to Carrongrange. She echoed Dughall’s words about Social Security Scotland’s human rights approach to delivering disability benefits.

“Louis has been on Disability Living Allowance since he was diagnosed in 2013. Back then I didn’t know if he’d be able to claim and it was a constant battle with the DWP.

“It’s only recently that he’s transferred over to Child Disability Payment. It was much more plain sailing than I anticipated. I expected a fight and what I got was a questionnaire through the post. The level of care he gets has been the same for three years so I ticked the box saying, ‘He’s stable.’ And that was it.

“With the DWP I would have had to get a letter from his neurologist to prove he still needed Disability Living Allowance for children. For them your child is what they see on the form. They don’t know how hard it is to care for a child with a disability at home, at school and in the community.

“Social Security Scotland is so different.”

Janine Proudlock, Carrongrange’s headteacher, described exactly how Child Disability Payment helps pupils be all they can be: “For me the Scottish Child Disability Payment supports families to ensure they have the right resources, at the right to time to do the right work to allow the whole family to flourish.

“Whether it’s caring support or specialised resources to meet their child’s needs, this is an essential fund to improve the lives of young people and their families.”

People can find out more about Child Disability Payment and apply by visiting mygov.scot/childdisabilitypayment or by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.

NHSGGC marks Mental Health Awareness Week with relaunch of MyApp: My Mental Health

Lauriston Agroecology Farm Open Day this Saturday

For our first Open Day of this year, we are delighted to be taking part in Agroforestry Open Weekend 2024, this Saturday 18th May. You can drop-in anytime between 10am-3:30pm, or come for the programmed activities (times below). Feel free to just turn up! No need to book.

Day programme

10:30am-11.30am

Agroforestry Tour (meet at green portacabin near the Toby Carvery farm entrance)

11:45am-12:30pm

Market Garden tour (meet at Market Garden portacabin)

12:30-2:30pm

Pollinator Picnic with @Art for Granton Gas Tower artist Natalie Taylor (drop-in to the Wildflower Hill by the wooden gazebo)

1:30- 2:30pm

Agroforestry tour (meet at green portacabin)

2:45-3:30pm

Market Garden tour (meet at Market Garden portacabin)

+ Our Community Orchard volunteers will be around to chat about fruit trees

+ Farm staff and volunteers will be at the green portacabin from 10am and throughout the day to welcome you, chat and signpost you to walks and other points of interest across the farm

+ Free refreshments

+ Wildflowers and Grass Roots Remedies Co-op stalls

More details about the day here:

Agroforestry Open Day

#AgroforestryOpenWeekend #Agroforestry #Agroecology #NorthEdinburgh #Edinburgh #UrbanFarm #FarmVisit #Pollinators #Biodiversity

Local Scottish Green MSP hails “life-changing” impact of Free Bus Travel for young people in Edinburgh

Lorna Slater, the local Scottish Green MSP for Lothian Region has hailed the transformative impact of free bus travel for everyone under 22 in Edinburgh.

New figures, published by the Scottish Government, show that over 85,314 young people in the capital city are already benefiting from the scheme, allowing them to travel anywhere in Scotland.

This groundbreaking initiative was secured through negotiations between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government. Scotland is the only country in the UK that offers free bus travel for all young people under 22.

Over 137 million free bus journeys have been taken across the country, allowing young people to travel for work or education, or simply to visit friends and family.

Ms Slater said: “The free bus travel scheme for under 22s has been transformative, and in some cases life-changing, for young people in Edinburgh.

“Allowing young people to access school, work or leisure for free is helping to support them and their families through a Tory cost-of-living crisis which has hit everyone in Scotland.

“The scheme has opened up huge opportunities for young people across our communities, creating exciting new chapters and helping them to explore the country and develop crucial skills for the future.

“Transport is Scotland’s largest source of carbon emissions. Encouraging people to use public transport rather than take the car is a huge boost for our environment and will reduce the number of cars on our roads.

“Over 85,000 young people in Edinburgh have already signed-up for their free pass, and I urge all those who have not yet registered to do so today at Freebus.scot.”