After one of the most challenging years in memory, hard-pressed staff at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have been given a very special gift to round off 2021 … a much-needed spot of R&R!
Banking giant Barclays has donated £250,000 to the health board as part of its efforts to help people and communities most impacted by COVID-19, and the money is to be spent on our network of Staff Rest and Recuperation Hubs.
These much-loved spaces help those who work within NHSGGC to recharge and recover from the stresses of their job. They are places to chat to colleagues, eat, exercise or just out your feet up in peace and quiet.
In addition, each hub provides psychological support to help staff cope with the challenges of their job.
Anne MacPherson, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “We would like to thank Barclays for their generous donation, and we are delighted that it is being put to such good use.
“COVID-19 has touched every one of us in some way and our staff have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support our patients and their loved ones, our colleagues and, ultimately, our local communities, so to be recognised in this way is very welcome.
“This donation will make a real difference to NHSGGC and our workforce, and it is a lovely way to round off such a challenging year.”
The donation came after NHSGGC was named as a charity partner for the bank’s £100 million Community Aid Package – a funding scheme to help those most in need in the UK, the Americans, Asia and Europe. In the UK the money will go towards meeting the needs of low-income families, those facing financial hardship, isolated elderly people, NHS staff and key workers.
Scott Stewart, Head of Barclays Scotland, said: “This crisis has had an unprecedented impact across the UK and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many across Glasgow and surrounding area. By reaching those most in need of support, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has played a vital role in this crisis to date, and will continue do so.
“As a proud member of our community, and with a growing presence in Glasgow where we are investing in a new home for Barclays in Scotland, we are doing everything we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope that our partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will allow many others to access the help they need as this crisis develops.”
The Barclays £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package is supporting charities that are helping vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19, and the associated social and economic hardship caused by the crisis.
Alongside matching colleague donations and fundraising efforts, Barclays is partnering with a number of charities in the UK, Americas, Asia and Europe, delivering help where it is needed most.
You can find the latest list of charity partners here.
The College closed for the festive break on Friday 18 December and staff will return to working from home on Wednesday 6 January. During the festive break, all campuses will be closed and staff will be taking a well-deserved break.
To best protect the Edinburgh College community, online classes are planned to resume during the week commencing Monday 11 January. It is important that nobody comes onto any of our campuses unless they are told to do so.
Students are encouraged to use Wednesday 6 – Friday 8 January to re-engage with our online learning platforms, access student support services, and prepare for the new term.
We will provide more information for staff and students on plans for the start of term in the new year. Please continue to check our channels for updates.
Staying safe during the festive period
It’s important that we all take extra care to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 over the festive period.
Looking after our wellbeing during the festive period
We know that this time of year can be difficult for some, please remember that you can access support during the festive break.
The SilverCloud mental health and wellbeing platform is available to all staff and students and offers a wide-range of self-help programmes for people who may need support during this time. You can access it here.
Please continue to check our College Communications channels including College emails, the MyEC app, Edinburgh College website and social media for the latest updates from the College – in case the situation changes. We may also contact you via your personal email or text message for any urgent updates.
Police Scotland is appealing for information after two motorbikes were stolen from Houston Industrial Estate in Livingston.
The bikes were stolen during break-ins to business units in Muir Place between 6pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday, 30 December, 2020.
Detective Constable Sam Plastow of Livingston CID said : “Two KTM 450 SX-F motorbikes were stolen worth a five figure sum. One motorbike is orange and grey with the lettering ‘LAURIS’ on the front and side. The second motorbike is orange with ‘METAL MULISHA’ and ‘ROCKSTAR ENERGY’ stickers on the front and side.
“It is believed that a white van may have been used to carry one of the motorbikes away from the business units and the other being pushed away.
“Enquiries into this incident are currently ongoing. However, if anyone was in the area around the time of this incident and saw anything that may assist this investigation we are keen for them to get in contact as soon as possible.
“I would also urge anyone who has seen motorbikes matching the description or has noticed them being advertised for sale, or has any information about the location of the bikes to make us aware.
“Police Scotland can be contacted on 101 quoting incident 2772 of Wednesday, 30 December 2020, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
2,137 new cases of COVID-19 reported yesterday (Satuday)
21,451 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results – 10.8% of these were positive
During 1 to 4 January, daily updates will be published to provide the latest data on the number of new cases of COVID-19 and the test positivity rate. During this period (1 to 4 January) there will be no updates to the remaining statistics – you can access the latest available data in the sections below and in the trends excel file. Following the next holiday weekend, we will update on Tuesday 5 January – we will provide the latest daily data for that day and the previous 4 days.
Local area data
Public Health Scotland’s interactive dashboard now provides a map showing the number of cases in local areas, as well as trends for local authorities and NHS boards
Two Police Scotland officers have been recognised for their outstanding public service in the Queen’s 2021 New Year Honours list.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sam McCluskey, Head of Public Protection, and Chief Inspector Lindsay Tulloch, area commander for Shetland, will receive the Queen’s Police Service Medal (QPM) – the highest honour awarded for policing service.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone QPM said: “Our officers, staff and volunteers are committed to public service and dedicated to helping others in all our communities.
“I extend my warmest congratulations to those recognised today for the significant contributions they have made to policing in Scotland.”
Detective Chief Superintendent McCluskey has spent most of her career as a detective and devoted much of it to the support of victims.
She has been Head of Detective Training at the Scottish Police College and in 2014 was appointed Head of the Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit and Task Force. She implemented a national Domestic Abuse policy and pioneered a victim centred–perpetrator focused approach.
Sam played a highly-significant role in the introduction of the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland, or Claire’s Law, and Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016.
Detective Chief Superintendent McCluskey said: “I am really honoured and humbled to receive this award. I have had the privilege of working with great people, both in the police service and with our partner organisations and would like to thank them for their tremendous support in driving our work forward.”
Chief Inspector Lindsay Tulloch is the Area Commander for Shetland in the Highlands and Island Division. A Shetlander himself, he has shown outstanding leadership and organisational skills and met the challenge of introducing a positive policing model to the island’s communities and developing relationships with key partners.
During the pandemic Chief Inspector Tulloch’s leadership and clarity of purpose undoubtedly help prevent unnecessary escalation.
He joined Northern Constabulary at Inverness in 1992 and transferred to Orkney in 1997. In 2000, following a secondment to Inverness he became a detective constable and was promoted to sergeant in 2003.
In 2006 he became a detective sergeant at Lerwick and in 2012 promoted to the rank of inspector at Thurso, transferring to detective inspector in Public Protection with responsibility for Caithness, Orkney and Shetland. He returned to Shetland in 2014 taking over as Area Commander in 2015.
Chief Inspector Tulloch said: “This recognition by Her Majesty the Queen today is a great honour which I am extremely humbled and proud to receive.
“I am very fortunate and feel privileged to have the opportunity to be part of a team of dedicated people, not only within Police Scotland, but from partner agencies and the voluntary sector who continue to support and keep people in our communities safe.”
Can Do Collective extends support to more Scottish businesses and champions collaborative working in wake of pandemic
The Can Do Collective – a connected community of enterprise support organisations and leaders on a mission to build a world-leading entrepreneurial, innovative and creative society – is concluding the year celebrating a 25 per cent increase in community size.
The growing portfolio of businesses is also demonstrating that collaborative working has helped them to pivot, grow and adapt amidst the challenges that 2020 has presented.
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on businesses across Scotland.For many it has meant they have had to evolve and adapt their products and services, and support for their wider business community, in new and different ways.
For the Can Do Collective, it has meant taking all of their events online, however an online and virtual approach has allowed the Can Do Collective to increase their events programme from five events in 2019, to more than 33 virtual events and gatherings in 2020.
Funded by The Scottish Government and supported by a dedicated team within independent charity Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation, The Can Do Collective is keen to demonstrate ways in which collaborative working between Scottish businesses can help to accelerate growth and nurture entrepreneurial spirit.
Rachael Brown, Can Do Collective Convener and CEO, The Future Economy Company explains; “We’ve seen many examples of how the Scottish business community has stepped up to provide a flexible, fast and appropriate response to individuals in need this year.
“Business support communities have removed subscriptions and paywalls, more events and conferences have moved online and there has been a marked increase in the frequency of events.
“In times like these, community and peer to peer support is so vital. Now more than ever, there’s an opportunity for businesses to really show their human side, to come together in trust and credibility. We’ve been truly encouraged by the sense of community spirit, entrepreneurialism, agility and creativity we’ve witnessed and the willing to work collaboratively for the greater good.”
A number of businesses have shown great strength, resilience, agility and entrepreneurial spirit in the face of Covid-19 and have continued to support their respective business communities in challenging times.
One of the virtual events that the Can Do Collective has initiated as part of their new virtual events programme, is the Partner Spotlight webinar series, which has seen business leaders from around Scotland share their leadership journey and advice for drawing on community, creativity and resilience.
Here, some of them share their journey through 2020 : –
Social Investment Scotland:
One of those leaders is Alastair Davis, Chief Executive of Social Investment Scotland (SIS) – the leading social enterprise whose aim is to help social enterprises to scale and grow their business.
He explains: “The global pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way we all work. Back in March, there was a realisation that Covid-19 was going to have a significant impact. So as a team, we quickly started to think about ways to support our community. We wanted to go out to them and say, ‘we’re here to support you’.
“Organisations really appreciated that proactive, calm approach. We were there from the start offering help, support and advice. I’m really proud of that, and indeed the ways it has continued throughout the rest of this year.
“This year’s events have also shown us the energy that can be created when you work quickly, collaboratively, and responsively. It has actually driven us to accelerate many of our plans and strategies, and we have been able to design, develop and launch things really quickly. That’s certainly something I’d like to hold onto as we look post pandemic.
“It’s also taught us the value of investing in relationships and collaborations. It’s so important to build communities like that created by the Can Do Collective that are supportive, curious and helpful. Now more than ever, trust, credibility and collaboration are vital and will allow us to bounce back post pandemic, in whatever way that means for different businesses.”
Interface:
Interface is an organisation that connects businesses with academics.
Dr Siobhán Jordan, Director, of Interface, explains the ways they have adapted to support their community through the global pandemic: “A huge part of our work is about keeping in touch with businesses to understand the difference we are making, and the ways in which we can continue to support them further.
“That put us in a strong position to be able to proactively support our community. We were immediately helping to address challenges faced by the businesses we work with. Many of them had to look at adapting their existing products, and many had to look at creating new products.
“Proactive but empathetic has been our approach in helping businesses navigate through the pandemic, and also look ahead to recovery and green shoots.
“We’ve also been hugely excited about some of the new things we’ve been able to do. For example, we’ve developed a campaign around ‘Adopt a business’. We asked our academic community about ways they could help the tourism and hospitality industry, practically, as they start to think about restarting and recovery.
“We were overwhelmed by the interest from universities to offer practical help. Working with VisitScotland and Scottish Tourism Alliance , we then had over 80 businesses keen to work with academia. It’s a programme we’ve been able to launch and establish really rapidly but has also been brand new for us.
“We know the next few months are not going to be easy, but collectively, we in Scotland have an opportunity to come together to bring energy to the economic recovery and ensure we continue to build networks to nurture and support. Support groups and organisations like the Can Do Collective are vital for us all to continue to seek knowledge, ask for help from others, and support one another.”
Scottish Edge:
A business that has been involved with the Can Do Collective since its inception, Evelyn McDonald, Chief Executive of Scottish Edge, The UK’s Biggest Business Funding Competition, discusses ways in which their business has had to shift and evolve:
“I’ll admit, I found the initial few weeks after lockdown began in March, extremely challenging.
“We had launched a competition at the end of January, and at the beginning, we kept going. But there came a point when I had to make the difficult decision that we couldn’t continue. Matched with the challenges all small businesses have had this year – having to put a couple of our team on furlough and having to cut costs and plan for the worst – it was pretty painful.
“But once we’d made the decision to pause the competition and focus on our 335 alumni of businesses, we knew immediately it was the right thing to do.
“We’re really lucky to work with people who have great ideas, right at the early stages of their business and we became very focussed on providing support to those business, with a specific focus for those who have loans with us.
“We’ve been supporting with information on grants and loans, events, training, as well as peer to peer mentoring. The great thing for us is the feedback we’ve had from our community. We will hopefully come out of this with a stronger, more connected group of businesses.
“We’ve now announced our next competition, which we’re all incredibly invigorated by – it’s lovely to be looking forward to the next round which we will be launching in July and we will be inviting those previous applicants back and also opening to new ones. The competition round subsequently attracted 327 applications, the largest number to date.
“What’s been truly valuable throughout is the support from the wider Can Do Collective network. We know there are a lot of willing hands and willing hearts out there to help us. A trusted network and group of people that are open to collaboration is what can help us all recover and look forward to 2021 with renewed energy.”
In her New Year message, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady thanks key workers for keeping the country running through the pandemic. And she calls on the government to invest in levelling up all parts of the UK and achieving full employment:
Amid the grief and hardship of the pandemic, 2020 will be remembered for everyone together out on the doorstep to celebrate our key workers.
We all knew who kept this country running through the pandemic. Not hedge fund chiefs, corporate outsourcing giants or government ministers.
But supermarket staff, delivery drivers, telecoms workers, bus drivers, social care workers, health professionals and all our key workers.
Ordinary working people stepping up to do their jobs in extraordinary times.
And yet, even as we applauded them, this government let them down.
Leaving them to struggle in services threadbare after ten years of austerity cuts, too often short staffed and with inadequate PPE. And then, adding insult to injury, freezing their pay.
So our wish for 2021 can be expressed in two short words: recover and reset.
New Year hope comes in the form of a vaccine, created by brilliant scientists and delivered by our precious NHS.
And this is the time to genuinely level up across the UK
But to do that, government must come up with a realistic plan.
The chaos has to stop.
This festive season, across much of the country, pubs and restaurants are silent, high streets deserted, theatres closed and whole sectors in limbo. We face another national lockdown.
With the new strain of the virus spreading so fast, the roll-out of the vaccine must be more comprehensive and faster too – before a real recovery is possible.
And all at a time when trade with our nearest neighbours in the EU is set to become more expensive and more bureaucratic.
Working people, and the businesses that employ them, urgently need transparency and security.
We need to know that government will do what it takes to support working families – protect the NHS, save jobs and get the economy back on its feet.
Throughout 2020’s national crisis, the UK’s trade union movement worked hard to protect livelihoods, and to support public health. We can be proud of the jobs we saved and the workplaces we made safe.
Now we must make Britain’s economic goal for 2021 full and decent employment. We cannot afford the cost of mass unemployment. It is never a price worth paying.
The chancellor must guarantee full furlough until we are through the crisis.
He must invest in good new jobs – in the green tech we need to tackle climate change and in the public services we all rely on.
And to smooth the disruption of the government’s third-rate Brexit deal, he needs to boost UK manufacturing with a £10bn recovery fund to create good new jobs.
Real recovery must mean higher living standards for working families – not just those the top. So we need to reset our country too.
Reset our labour market – banning the zero hours contracts that keep workers poor and powerless. Delivering the enhanced rights at work that ministers have long promised.
Reset raging inequality so that those with most pay their fair share, everyone earns enough to live on, no child need go hungry and public services are properly funded.
Reset regional divides – levelling up our country and bringing good jobs and investment to the parts of the country that need them most.
And government must act to end the systemic racism that harms Black and ethnic minority workers and families. Whatever our race, religion or background, all working people deserve dignity and fairness at work.
Recover and reset. That’s how we build a society that works for everyone.
In 2021, trade unions will be out there fighting for that vision, for our members, and for all working people.
I wish you, your family and workmates happiness, good health and security in 2021 and always.
Pest controllers are issuing a stark warning to householders to be more careful with Christmas leftovers, after a surge in rat problems caused by a “perfect storm” of carelessly discarded Christmas food waste, cold weather and the skyrocketing population of rats this year.
“The problems are huge – the rat population going into Winter was 25% higher than last year, and we are entering a cold period – rats are moving around trying to find food and shelter – many are attacking domestic bins, and anyone being careless about their Christmas rubbish will pay the price”, explains Jenny Rathbone from Pest.co.uk
Most homes produce large quantities of food waste over Christmas and with less frequent waste collections – bins are overflowing. The advice is to avoid placing any food waste outside of a secure bin. The warning is even extended to cardboard and wrapping paper, which make perfect bedding materials for rats seeking shelter.
2020 has been a bumper year for rats – with the UK population up 25% caused by lockdowns, vacant commercial property, and poor waste management. However, many rats are now being forced to move towards residential areas are commercial food sources are drying up.
The other worrying news is that 74% of rats now carry a “hybrid-resistance” to common pest control poisons – which could mean next year rat infestations are harder (or more expensive) to control.
The recent 2019-20 Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use survey of rats showed that three-quarters of rats in the UK carried a resistance gene to popular rodenticides, and even more worrying in some locations in the UK, 20% have two different genes, making them super resistant.
“More and more people are seeing rats in the open – this is a sign that numbers are very high. We are heading for a cold snap, and rats are busy raiding food sources and bedding down – calls for infestations are already increasing”, says Rathbone.
Pest.co.uk is issuing the following advice to anyone worried about rats over the Christmas and New Year break:
Do not leave any food waste unprotected – Any excess rubbish containing food of any sort should be kept secure, do not leave any bags anywhere outside of a bin, especially Christmas dinner leftovers
Consider placing a brick or heavy object on top of your wheelie bin
Keep all areas of your home clean and tidy
Block up any gaps or holes in brickwork
Remove cardboard and wrapping paper – these are idea bedding materials for rodents
“The advice is really simple – do not leave any Christmas waste in the open or outside a secured bin.
“Do not, under any circumstances, leave any Christmas food waste inside your home – as the rat threat level is currently extremely high”, warns Jenny Rathbone from Pest.co.uk
National Records of Scotland figures released in December) revealed that the number of drug related deaths in Edinburgh and the Lothians have risen from a previous record high last year of 152 to a new record high of 155.
The number of drug related deaths in Scotland have risen from 1,187 in 2018 to 1,264 in 2019 (the latest figures available).
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called on increased funding for rehabilitation beds in NHS Lothian, to support drug addicts in their recovery from drugs.
Current services in NHS Lothian include:
In NHS Lothian we provide no residential rehabilitation beds as such. What we do provide is a service called LEAP Lothians and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme which operates in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council to provide a quasi-residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation service.
The city council provide supported accommodation for Lothian patients during the treatment which is provided by NHS Lothian. This offers around 100 treatment places per year and a treatment episode of three months followed by up to two years of aftercare. In 2018/19, 72% of patients were admitted with alcohol problems, 43% with a cocaine problems, 35% with opiate problems and 31% with benzodiazepine problems.
Two thirds of patients had problems with two or more drugs which is why the percentages are greater than 100.
The Scottish Conservatives have called for a dedicated £20 million Scottish Recovery Fund, backed by recovery organisations including Favor Scotland, Phoenix Futures and Jericho House, to replace the cuts to rehab over the last 13 years.
In Edinburgh the number of drug related deaths has risen by 1, from 95 to 96, in East Lothian the number of drug related deaths has remained the same at 18, in West Lothian the number of drug related deaths dropped by 2 from 25 to 23 and in Midlothian the number of drug related deaths has risen from by 4 from 14 to 18.
In the last 10 years the number of drug related deaths has more than doubled in Lothian from 73 deaths in 2010 to 155 deaths in 2019.
The number of drug related deaths from Heroin, in Lothian, has risen from 56 in 2018 to 69 in 2019.
Drug related deaths from Benzodiazepine rose from 94 in 2018 to 109 in 2019, with “street” Benzodiazepine drug related deaths rising from 69 to 85, of which Etizolam rose from 42 to 72.
Drug related deaths from cocaine rose from 51 in 2018 to 62 in 2019 and the number of alcohol related deaths dropped from 25 in 2018 to 22 in 2019.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Every single drug death in Scotland is a tragedy and it is deeply concerning that the number of drug related deaths has risen year on year.
“Cuts to drug rehab beds and addiction programmes by SNP Ministers have been counterproductive in reducing drug related deaths in Scotland.
“The Scottish Conservatives have called on a £20 million Scottish Recovery Fund, to shift the focus from methadone prescriptions to drug rehabilitation programmes.
“SNP Ministers have failed to prevent people from using drugs in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s or to support people off drugs if they have become addicted.”
