A new online fire safety quiz has been launched by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to support people to stay safe at home – and potentially save lives.
The ‘Fire Safety in the Home – Self Assessment’ survey asks a series of simple questions and then automatically generates a home fire safety report for them.
People are also encouraged to sign up for a free Home Fire Safety Visit from firefighters who can provide further safety advice, check smoke detectors and fire evacuation plans. These visits would be conducted in line with present social distancing and safety restrictions.
The quiz could help to save lives and property, says the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s head of prevention and protection, Alasdair Perry.
He commented: “This is a fantastic resource that can help people stay safe in their own homes – and they can even take the quiz on behalf of a relative or neighbour to help keep them safe too.
“The questions and the advice are simple and straightforward – but heeding that advice could help save a life, or prevent an emergency from occurring in the first place.
“We would encourage as many people as possible who have access to the internet to take the quiz, for your own home and for any others you may know who would benefit.”
The quiz goes through topics such as heat and smoke detectors, electrical sockets and smoking in bed, with potentially life-saving advice appearing on screen where needed and depending on the answers given by the user.
The tool also encourages users to sign up for a Home Fire Safety Visit – limited numbers of which are currently being carried out to those who are at highest risk of fire in the home during the coronavirus pandemic.
The senior officer continued: “While this tool is incredibly useful, it does not replace our free Home Fire Safety Visit service, and we remain committed to reaching the most vulnerable people in our communities to help them stay safe.
“That is why we are encouraging people to get in touch with us if they believe someone they know is at risk, or if they are over 50, smoke and also either live alone, use medical oxygen or have mobility issues.
“If you do not fall into a high risk category, you will still be placed on the waiting list for a visit from our highly trained crews, to be carried out when it is safe to do so.
“By working together with our communities, we can continue to drive down the number of completely unavoidable fires we see in Scotland’s homes, and the number of avoidable injuries we see as a result.”
A new report published by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) today, reveals that 94 staff left the mental health officer (MHO) workforce between December 2018 and 2019.
The report also shows that although the number of local authorities reporting an MHO shortfall increased to 27, the number of full time MHOs needed to address the shortfall decreased to 49.
MHOs carry out statutory duties in relation to mental health legislation and shortfalls in staffing could result in delays to people accessing services, appropriate treatment and care and hospital discharges.
Phillip Gillespie, SSSC Director of Innovation and Development said: ‘It’s encouraging to see the shortfall of MHOs decrease in 2019, with the equivalent of 49 full time MHOs needed to meet that shortfall.
“With 56 social workers starting their MHO training in 2019 and funding announced by the Scottish Government in 2019 to support additional MHO capacity in local authorities there are positive moves to help in future.
‘The report also shows the proportion of under 45s has increased from 24.1% in 2015 to 29.9% in 2019 which will help with succession planning in the workforce.
‘Our MHO report contains key data about the workforce in Scotland to help local authorities, Scottish Government and others plan the future workforce. I’m pleased that data from our workforce intelligence team makes a considerable contribution to this work.’
Key points from this year’s MHO report
There were 703 filled MHO posts in 2019.
There were 27 fewer filled MHO posts in 2019 than in 2018, which is equivalent to a drop of 3.7%.
The percentage drop in estimated MHO hours worked was 2.3%.
Exclusive MHOs fell by 2.2 %, non-exclusive MHOs fell by 2.1% and cover MHOs by 18.3%.
The number of exclusive MHOs unavailable for work increased from 18 to 30.
The fall from 2016 in the estimated amount of time spent by MHOs on MHO work in Scotland is more than 9%.
The estimated amount of MHO hours worked per 10,000 head of population in Scotland has decreased from 22.9 in 2016 to 20.5 in 2019.
Between December 2018 and December 2019 staff left 94 MHO posts, this is more than the 87 in 2018. Over the last two years there has been the highest number of leavers since we started recording leavers in 2012. The next highest was 62 in 2014.
Our role supporting MHOs
We approve and quality assure the three university MHO programmes in Scotland, which includes feedback from people who use mental health services to inform improvements in the delivery of MHO education and practice.
We also work in partnership with the national MHO forum, Social Work Scotland and the Scottish Association of Social Workers to develop resources to support practice including learning in relation to new mental health legislation and the annual MHO study day.
Funding to protect jobs and assist the re-opening of iconic heritage sites closed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced by the Scottish Government.
A support package worth £3.8 million is to be made available to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) to aid the heritage organisation’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. The funding will secure nearly 200 critical jobs and will allow NTS to retain a broad range of expertise in countryside and ranger services in addition to curation and education.
The package will also support the reopening of 33 heritage sites this month, rather than the 27 the Trust originally planned.
The funding comes with the condition that NTS works with the Scottish Government to consider the long-term sustainability of its operations and review its business model for future challenges.
The NTS has been badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and was forced to close properties which has resulted in a lack of income from membership, investments and fundraising.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This has been a deeply difficult time for staff at National Trust for Scotland. Since the difficulties at the Trust emerged, I was absolutely clear that any support from Government would be to support jobs.
“The severe impact of the pandemic means that unfortunately not all jobs can be saved but this funding will go far to protect as many critical roles across the National Trust for Scotland estate as we can.
“The funding will also ensure that some sites proposed for long-term closure by National Trust for Scotland can instead be reopened, and enjoyed once again by communities.
“The NTS is responsible for promoting and protecting many of Scotland’s most important natural and built sites, which are crucial to our heritage and tourism sectors. Many issues remain, however I am committed to working with the new leadership to ensure the Trust is in a better position to continue this vital work in Scotland.”
Approximately 188 compulsory redundancies, in addition to 44 voluntary redundancies, are still expected to be made by NTS as a result of the severe impacts of COVID-19.
National Trust for Scotland Chief Executive Phil Long said: “I want to offer my profound thanks to the Scottish Government and particularly to Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop. The Trust has faced the worst crisis in its 90-year history.
“The Cabinet Secretary’s task group with Scottish Enterprise enabled us to produce a plan that showed, with help, that the Trust could endure as a charity, continuing to care for Scotland’s heritage and contributing to our society and economy.
“My joy at this announcement is tempered by the fact that the devastating effects of COVID-19 mean we still must say goodbye to friends and colleagues. I wish it were not so, but redundancies are unavoidable, although this support helps keep them to the absolute minimum.
“Through consultation on emergency measures we received invaluable advice from staff and others on functional expertise we must retain. Consequently, we’ve come up with a resilient operating model to weather continuing uncertainty and, through support from government and many individuals, enable us to look forward.”
Prospect National Secretary for Scotland and Ireland Richard Hardy said: “Prospect very much welcomes the Scottish Government’s £3.8m support package. As a Union we have campaigned hard for such an intervention, and we pay tribute to our reps, members and the public who have kept the situation at the Trust very much at the forefront of the news.
“We welcome the Government and Trusts decision to use the money to support earlier re-opening of properties, and the saving of jobs that will ensue. At the end of the day however, we cannot and should not lose sight of the fact that over 200 people are still losing their jobs and this is bad news for the economy, for heritage and for Scotland.”
The NTS manages a range of built and natural heritage sites including one UNESCO world heritage site at St Kilda. It makes a critical contribution to tourism and to local economies and communities, particularly in many rural areas.
The funding support and consultation outcomes will enable NTS to open or partially open more properties than originally hoped, with some welcoming back visitors in a matter of weeks. Following staff consultation, the NTS will confirm details of those properties soon.
The funding comes as part of the £97 million in UK Government consequentials for the culture and heritage sector.
The City of Edinburgh Council has delivered sustained improvements over the last 12 months and is continuing to fulfil its longer-term commitments, according to new bench-marking reports.
Demonstrating the Council’s continued focus on investing, delivering and improving the services that matter most to residents, the city’s annual performance report reveals good progress in a number of key areas while also recognising there is room for improvement still to be made.
Elected members will discuss achievements to date – including improvements in road and waste services, reducing carbon emissions and increasing educational attainment – and how we are working to improve more areas at a meeting of the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Thursday (20 August).
Council Leader Adam McVey said: We’ve made a huge amount of progress over the last 12 months and the results of many of the changes we’ve introduced are clear to see.
“Thousands of new homes are being built, our road condition is getting better and educational attainment across our communities is improving. We’ve seen another significant drop in waste complaints and carbon emissions showing we can continue to improve our basic services while working towards our long term ambitions for Edinburgh. These figures show we’re recording better performance in many areas we know are important to residents.
“We’ll continue to work hard for our citizens and prioritise the issues that matter to them. We face a number of challenges which weren’t foreseen and our plans on how the City adapts to COVID will help us sustain progress, prioritise investment to drive down carbon emissions further and support those residents most in need.
“Despite the challenges which still lie ahead, we remain committed to building on all of the achievements we’ve made to date. With nearly two years until the next Council election we’re well on our way to achieving 48 of our 52 Coalition Commitments, having delivered plans for more classroom assistants and smashed our target for new trees with a net increase of more than 12,000 delivered so far.
“Major infrastructure improvements like the new Meadowbank Sports Centre and Tram to Newhaven are crucial to our City’s wellbeing and sustainable future as are the thousands of new low-carbon homes being built. COVID has shown us how fragile progress can be but it’s also shown us how much we can do with the will to do it.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “We deliver over 700 services every year for residents and visitors, from Council housing and care homes to making sure children receive the right start in life and the education they deserve.
“As we provide these services, our priority is to support our most vulnerable residents, focus on sustainable growth and address poverty – so I’m pleased to see a lot of improvements made in areas like health, the environment and education.
“While a great amount of progress has been made, there are still areas for improvement and we’re working to address these. The inequality gap still exists and we will continue to do all we can to make Edinburgh a more inclusive city, particularly as we recover from the COVID pandemic.
Alongside annual progress, we also need to look to the future. Our Coalition Commitments will put measures in place to make Edinburgh the fairer, greener City we are aspiring to.
The latest performance updates emerge from work the Council has carried out to focus improvements in line with the Council’s Change Strategy, Coalition Commitments and the results of the Edinburgh 2050 City Vision.
Amongst the highlights, the set of reports record:
ROADS AND WASTE • A drop in domestic missed bin collection requests, down >5,000 in just two years (17,690 vs 22,853 in 2017/18) • Almost all emergency road defects made safe within 24 hours (98% vs 95% in 2018/19) • Almost all priority road defects repaired within five days (94% vs 81% in 2018/19)
CARBON EMISSIONS • A reduction in Council and Edinburgh Leisure emissions (37% reduction to 2005 baseline)
SCHOOLS • More pupils achieving early level reading (84%) and school leaver literacy and numeracy (67.1%) targets • More school leavers heading into an initial positive destination (95.1%)
HOMES • A rise in new homes being built (3,006 projected for this year vs 1,832 in 2017/18) • A rise in new homes being approved (1,930 which is 230 above target vs 1,475 in 2017/18) • A decrease in repeat presentations of homelessness (5.5% vs 7.9% in 2017/18)
HEALTH • A downward trend in people delayed awaiting discharge from hospital (156 vs 267 in 2017/18) • A downward trend in the number of people waiting for a package of care in hospital (48 vs 151 in 2017/18)
CUSTOMER CARE • Increased customer satisfaction with the Council’s contact centre (76%) • Quicker processing of claims and grants, including half the time taken for benefit claims (16.75 days vs 30.9 in 2017/18)
COUNCIL COMMITMENTS Progress delivering Coalition Commitments (48 out of 52 fully or partially achieved), including successfully: • Increasing the number of classroom assistants and support staff for children with additional needs to improve attainment and wellbeing • Increasing allotment provision and support and expanding the network and the number of community gardens and food growing initiatives • Upgrading parks and planting an additional 1,000 trees in communities • Protecting Edinburgh World Heritage Status • Exploring the introduction of fair rent zones, a workplace parking levy and transient visitor levy (TVL) • Retaining Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Tram in public ownership • Continuing the Council’s policy of no compulsory redundancies.
Forget the Golden Boot …PINK football boots have scored the most Premier League goals this season, a new study has revealed.
A new study has looked at every single premier league goal scored this season, revealing that players with PINK football boots have scored the most goals by quite a distance.
Now the 2019/20 premier league season has drawn to a close, new research from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk has looked at every single goal scored and evaluated the data by which football boot performed the best.
Modern football boots come in a range of elaborate colours, to help players stand out and to help market the football boot, but this research shows that pink is the winner this season, as it dominates the goal scoring charts.
Perhaps surprisingly, football boots with pink on them scored a whopping 626 goals this season, 17 times more than black football boots, which only scored 36.
The English Premier League top goalscorer, Jamie Vardy, enjoyed a golden boot season wearing white and pink Adidas and scoring 23 goals through the campaign.
Other notable goalscorers who were on top form throughout the season – and wearing pink football boots – were Danny Ings, Mo Salah and Marcus Rashford.
The research has also revealed that whilst an Adidas football boot scored the most individual goals, the real winner was Nike whose boots outscored Adidas by a whopping 223 goals.
Specifically, the study revealed that the best performing football boot that scored the most goals was the Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII Elite, scoring 191 goals this season.
The data also shows that whilst tried and tested brands like Nike and Adidas stay prominent, Puma, New Balance, Umbro and Under Armour boots all feature in the goalscoring chart too.
A spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “Football boots throughout the years have become lighter and more dynamic, allowing players to improve their speed and cover longer distances on the pitch.
“Football brands have pushed innovators in the industry to come up with new designs and technological advancements to set themselves apart in a crowded marketplace. But sometimes the best way to set yourself apart is by simply using eye-catching colours!
“We’ve seen fluorescent yellow boots in previous premier league seasons, but the colour pink was the surprising trend this year, as it dominates the scoring charts.
“We were also surprised to see that black boots only scored 36 goals. Gone are the days of the classic Adidas World Cup and Nike Tiempo football boots. Perhaps these will continue to be worn recreationally up and down the country.
“If you are a budding striker, then according to this research, maybe a pair of pink Nike football boots might help you in your goalscoring efforts!”
With England’s Premier League 2020/21 season returning on Saturday, September 12, the NetVoucherCodes.co.uk team will be looking for which colour football boot will dominate the scoring charts next season.
For the full breakdown of the football boot data, please visit:
Most parents do not think their children understand road dangers or concentrate properly when near roads, a new survey reveals as Scottish pupils return to school.
Safety campaigners have urged parents to help children learn the Green Cross Code “as they would their spellings or times tables”.
In a survey by YouGov, commissioned for Injury Prevention Week (17-21 August) almost two-thirds of parents did not think their children had a good understanding of the dangers or concentrate near roads.
“One in eight parents went as far as to say they are very concerned about their children’s safety,” said Sam Elsby, president of APIL – a not-for-profit group for injured people, which hosts Injury Prevention Week.
“The Highway Code states that children should not be allowed out alone until they can understand and use the Green Cross Code properly. So it is particularly important for those children who may be walking to school without a parent or guardian for the first time this term,” said Mr Elsby.
“I urge parents to be proactive this Injury Prevention Week. Support children in their knowledge and understanding as it is their best tool for avoiding harm on the roads,” he went on.
“Test your children this week on crossing between parked cars and on bends. And ask them if they know to look out for reverse lights so they know if a car is about to move backwards. Test them in the same way you would test them on their spellings or times tables,” said Mr Elsby.
Children aged 15 and under account for around a quarter of pedestrian injuries and deaths on British roads.
Primary school parents are being reminded about following physical distancing guidelines when dropping off and picking up children at their school. The advice comes as schools across the city welcomed back pupils for the first time this week when they reopened after five months.
Pupils have been back in school since Wednesday and the vast majority of parents have been taking simple steps to ensure there is no overcrowding around school gates and other entrances to schools. However there have been a few reports of parents and family groups not adhering to the national guidelines.
Steps include:
Limiting the number of family members at drop off and pick ups where possible
Following the specific guidance issued to them from their schools
Following national advice on keeping two metres apart
In addition several schools have already put in place temporary measures to support physical distancing as part of the Spaces for People programme. These include:
Closing roads and increasing pavement widths
Creating one way paths and gates at schools for families at drop off and pick up
Painting yellow lines on junctions around schools and putting out no waiting cones
Over the coming days and weeks further temporary measures will be put in pace that best support each school and discussions will continue between parents and schools.
Education Convener Cllr Ian Perry said: “We realise it will take time for parents and pupils to get used to the new arrangements around our schools and I want to thank everyone who has been following the advice such as dropping children off away from schools gates so there is no overcrowding.
“We would urge everyone to remember the physical distancing guidelines they have been following so well for the past few months as these also apply outside our schools. Please take on board these simple steps so we can keep everyone safe.”
Education Vice Convener Cllr Alison Dickie said: “Each school is different so specific advice has been issued to parents about the best ways to help with physical distancing at drop off and pick up times.
“Discussions between parents and schools will continue as we find solutions that best support each school. In addition a number of temporary measures have also been put in place as part of our Spaces for People programme to give pupils and their families safer access so they can physically distance using buggies, wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
“We are continuing to encourage parents/carers to travel to school by walking, cycling and scooting where possible so please follow the national guidance so we can keep the virus suppressed.”
A total of £60 million will be invested in a Youth Guarantee to give all young people access to work, training or education, Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has confirmed.
An implementation plan for Scotland’s Youth Guarantee is currently being developed. Funding will come from the additional £100 million Scottish Government investment for employment and skills announced last month.
Speaking to Parliament, Ms Hyslop set out more detail about what the Youth Guarantee will aim to achieve.
She said: “The young people who will make up our future workforce are among those who have been hardest hit by this pandemic. We must support our young people and I want to send a clear message to them today.
“I can announce that the Scottish Government will be committing £60m of the £100m employability fund to support Scotland’s Youth Guarantee, targeted at those most in need of support. This will support young people in a range of ways to help make the transition into work.
“I will bring forward more detail on how we will use this investment with the implementation plan, but I can say now that it will be targeted at those most in need of support, to help them make the transition into work.
“To succeed, we must invest quickly to support a range of interventions to keep young people in work in the next few weeks, to encourage employers to recruit more young people, and to ensure we have enough provision in colleges and elsewhere in the system to prepare young people for future opportunities.
“We must work collaboratively across the private sector, third sector and public sector to ensure no one is left behind, and give them every opportunity in life.
“We want employers to have a clear leadership role. I will encourage employers in all sectors to come forward and support what I see as a crucial intervention to prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) leaving a lasting impact on the employment opportunities of our young people, but also to recognise and promote the valuable and positive role that young people have to play in our economy.”
The Youth Guarantee was one of the main recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery.
The implementation plan is currently being developed by Sandy Begbie, who chaired the Developing the Young Workforce Group in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian and helped design the Edinburgh Guarantee for young people.
Last week the Flexible Workforce Development Fund was doubled to £20 million, to allow employers to upskill and reskill workers for new markets. A further £1.5 million was announced for Business Gateway’s Digital Boost programme to help SMEs adapt to new online digital market challenges – almost trebling the capacity of the initiative for the remainder of this financial year.
A new web-based tool, commissioned by the Scottish Government, will allow care homes to monitor coronavirus (COVID-19) trends and identify risks quicker.
The Turas Care Management tool will launch today and will allow all private and public sector care homes across the country to record in one place information including COVID-19 infection rates, demand on services and staff testing.
This will mean care home managers, health and social care organisations and the Scottish Government can monitor trends, identify risks and take early action both during the current pandemic and in the future.
The care management tool, developed by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Care and NHS Education Scotland (NES), will provide:
*a clearer national picture of conditions in care homes
*earlier warning of emerging trends and issues, allowing earlier interventions
*easier reporting to free up care home resources
The tool is for care home management use and only identified staff will be able to access the information.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of care home residents both during the current pandemic and in the future is critically important.
“This new web-based tool allows care homes to store information in one central place, whereas before they were required to report in different formats and through many channels, which tied up resources and made trend-spotting more difficult.
“Importantly, this means care home managers, health and social care organisations and the government will now be able to identify risks earlier and quickly take action during the current pandemic and in the future.”
Care Inspectorate Chief Executive Peter Macleod said: “The care sector has worked tirelessly under the most challenging circumstances to care for some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland during the pandemic.
“This new approach to gathering data and information will help us to better understand what support the sector needs to ensure that people experiencing care are supported in the best possible way in the future.”
The Turas Care Management tool was commissioned by Scottish Government and has been developed in partnership with the care home sector for the care home sector.
The tool will support care homes to review their data over time, demonstrate the safety and quality of the services they provide and facilitate escalation of key concerns to the Health and Social Care Partnership and Care Inspectorate when issues arise and support is required.
Key national partners who have worked in collaboration with Scottish Government to develop this tool include: members of the Clinical and Professional Advisory Group for Care Homes, the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Care and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) who developed the interactive web based tool.
NHS Education for Scotland Chief Executive Stewart Irvine said: “As we all know, care homes have been among the hardest-hit areas of this pandemic. Our digital team has produced this resource to help reduce the burden on care homes and help residents and staff.
“We hope it’s a useful contribution to the ongoing support of this important area.”
Scottish Care’s Transforming Workforce Lead Jacqui Neil said: “This will provide a long awaited national strategic approach to recording and responding to the pressures on our care homes in real time.
“It also offers a real opportunity to achieve quality improvements and safe practice through collaborative working moving forward.”
