Most vulnerable protected against COVID-19 and flu
Over a million vaccines have been delivered to protect against the latest strains of flu and COVID-19 in the latest efforts to relieve winter pressure on the NHS.
Frontline healthcare staff and the country’s most vulnerable have been immunised at speed – with 80.2% of all care home residents being fully vaccinated since the rollout began in September.
The next groups in line for their vaccines – over 65s and those at high-risk – are receiving a scheduled appointment and 50-64 year olds will soon be invited to book an appointment. Anyone who has missed an appointment can reschedule through the NHS Inform online booking portal.
The COVID-19 vaccine is being given at the same time as the flu jab where possible, and so far 94% of those invited have had both at the same appointment. Over two million Scots will be offered both vaccines over the next three months – a pace that aims to maintain Scotland’s place as a leading nation on vaccine uptake.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This impressive uptake is testament to the frontline staff who got us through the pandemic and continue to protect our population and NHS from the threats that winter brings.
“Scotland remains steadfast in the effort to protect everyone – continuing the huge success of the vaccination programme since it was first rolled out in December 2020.
“COVID-19 has not gone away and I call on everyone to take up the offer of a booster as soon as their invitation arrives to protect themselves, their families and the NHS.”
1,369,270 COVID-19 and flu vaccines have been delivered since the winter vaccine programme launched.
Both new bivalent vaccines, which target Omicron and the original variant of COVID-19, are being deployed alongside existing vaccines, though the vaccination individuals receive will depend on age and vaccine availability.
Both the current and new bivalent vaccines provide good protection from severe illness and hospitalisation from known COVID-19 variants.
This October Half-Term Break, McLarens on the Corner in Morningside is introducing a limited offer to celebrate grandparents with a “Grans Eat Free” deal throughout the October holidays.
The family-friendly restaurant that believes in serving up sumptuous food, delicious cocktails, and a whole lot of love has created the offer as a thank you to the grandparents that will be home with the kids while they’re off from school.
Grandparents are beloved for spoiling their grandchildren with love, affection, and all the treats mum usually doesn’t allow. It’s time that they get spoiled in return! Signature Group has decided to turn the tables, and instead of having kids eat free this half-term holiday, we’re giving the free meal to Gran.
The deal was created to acknowledge the unsung heroes at the heads of our families that rarely get a day devoted to treating them with the same care that they exhibit each day.
Including anything from a bacon cheeseburger for lunch to blackened salmon for dinner, grandparents can choose the entrée that suits their appetite for no charge for two weeks in October. Now, the kids can start pooling together their pocket money and get ready to pick up the bill for their meal, because this meal is on them.
The limited offer will be available on weekdays between 10th and 21st October. One grandparent can receive a free main course per visit when they dine with their grandkids. Kids must also order a main dish from the children’s menu or main a la carte menu. Free main excludes steak.
Police Scotland is taking part in a multi-agency exercise in Edinburgh to test the response to a major incident.
The simulated exercise will take place from Monday 17 October to Thursday 20 October 2022.
It’s one of many pre-planned exercises that provides training and experience working with other agencies.
Exercises happen regularly at various levels with other emergency services and organisations. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the last exercise of a similar scale held in Scotland was October 2017.
This exercise will test the multi-agency response to a major incident involving hazardous materials.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams, head of Operational Support, said: “This is one of many pre-planned exercises and not in response to any specific threat.
“The public should rightly expect Police Scotland to practice and strengthen our response to a major incident alongside other organisations.
“We are part of a well-established multi-agency training programme that provides valuable training and learning.
“It’s important for exercises to be as realistic as possible however they are always planned proportionately in controlled settings and there will be limited disruption to people living nearby.”
There will be an increased presence of emergency services and military vehicles in Edinburgh during the exercise days.
The exercise is being organised by the Scottish Multi-Agency Resilience Training and Exercise Unit (SMARTEU). Other agencies involved in this particular exercise include NHS Lothian, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council.
A 2021 study conducted by The British Heart Foundation revealed that 38% of people in the UK have never undertaken CPR training. For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t receive CPR and defibrillation, their chance of survival drops by 10%.
With this in mind, education experts at Skillstg.com have outlined the basic first aid a person should know in case of an emergency. The study details how to differentiate between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, perform CPR, use a defibrillator, and put someone in the recovery position. Acting quickly and confidently using this simple guide could save a stranger or a loved one’s life.
What is CPR?
CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) is a procedure in which a person’s chest is pressed rhythmically to artificially maintain a liveable heart rate and blood circulation during cardiac arrest.
What is the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack?
It is important to note that cardiac arrest and a heart attack differ. A heart attack is a condition where the heart muscle suddenly becomes starved of oxygen and nutrients due to a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. A person having a heart attack may feel pain, pressure and burning in their chest and is usually conscious at the time. In this case, you should immediately call 999 and sit the person down to rest while you wait for an ambulance.
A cardiac arrest is when a person’s heart stops pumping blood around the body, usually due to a heart attack. The brain is starved of oxygen, and the person becomes unconscious. In this instance, you should call 999 immediately and perform CPR to keep the person alive whilst waiting for an ambulance. If the heart cannot pump itself, you must assist.
How to spot symptoms of cardiac arrest?
First of all, it is important to be able to identify when someone is in cardiac arrest. If any of the below symptoms are present, then you should immediately begin to perform CPR:
The person is unconscious or not responding
The skin is pale, cool, and clammy
They are notbreathing, or breathing appears to be abnormal, high-pitched or gasping
The body is limp and unresponsive
Lips and fingernails appear blue-ish
How to perform CPR on an adult
If you spot an unconscious person who appears not to be breathing properly, or at all, shake them at the shoulders and ask if they are okay. Call 999 and immediately start performing CPR. If someone else is nearby, shout for them to find a public access defibrillator (PAD). Put your phone on loudspeaker as soon as you have dialled 999, this will allow you to perform CPR whilst asking for help. Do not leave the patient to look for a defibrillator; the ambulance will bring one when they arrive.
Give chest compressions
Kneel next to the person
Place the heel of one hand in the centre of the chest. Place your other hand on the top of the first. Interlock your fingers.
Keeping your arms straight, use the heel of your hand to push down on the breastbone firmly and smoothly so that the chest pushes down 5-6cm, and release to allow the chest to rise back up.
Do this at a rate of 100-120 chest compressions per minute. The rhythm of ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees is the perfect beat to push to.
Keep performing CPR until help arrives
You must keep going until the ambulance and paramedics arrive to take over, or until the person begins to breath normally and demonstrates signs of life. If the patient opens their eyes, starts coughing, speaking, and breathing normally, you can stop.
If there is no sign of improvement to the person’s condition, and you are becoming tired, try and shout for someone nearby to help and take turns with the CPR. If there is a helper, you can swap every one-to-two minutes with minimal disruption to chest compressions.
Use a defibrillator
If a helper returns with a defibrillator, request that it be switched on while you continue to perform CPR. The helper must remove or cut away clothing so that the bare chest is accessible. Any perspiration should also be wiped away. A voice will begin giving instructions from the defibrillator.
To apply the pads, first remove the backing paper. In the spaces indicated, place the pads in the appropriate places. The first pad should be placed on top of the person’s collarbone to the right. The second pad should be placed on the top of the person’s armpit to the left.
The defibrillator will examine the heart’s rhythm. Stop CPR and make sure no one else is handling the patient. It will then provide a series of visual and verbal indicators that must be followed.
If a shock is required, tell any other people around you to stand back. The defibrillator will tell you when it is time to press the shock button. You may then be advised to carry on with CPR if no further shocks are required.
Recovery position – if they become responsive
Put the person in the recovery position if they begin to open their eyes, cough, talk and begin breathing normally. The recovery position ensures that the airways are kept clear and open; it also ensures fluids and vomit won’t cause them to choke.
Extend the nearest arm to you out at a right angle to the person’s body with the palm facing upwards.
Take the other arm and fold it so that the back of their hand rests on their cheek. Hold this hand while carefully rolling the person onto their side. The extended arm will ensure you don’t roll too far, and the bent arm will be supporting the head.
Bend their top leg so that their knee is at a right angle.
Open the airway by tilting their head gently back and lifting their chin. At this point, you can check that nothing is blocking their airway.
Stay with the person until help arrives
A representative from Skillstg.com commented on the study: “Currently, nine in ten people with cardiac arrest outside the hospital die.
“CPR is an essential skill that can improve these odds by saving lives. If CPR is performed in the first few minutes of someone going into cardiac arrest, the person’s chance of survival is doubled.”
Skills Training Group are the UK’s leading first aid training, electrical and heating courses for adults, contractors & companies alike.
And apologies if it seems a long one: it’s just an indicator of how much is happening!
Well, we’re open for business! All right, perhaps not fully open, but we have held our first public events in the Anchor Building and they’ve been great successes. We will build on them as we approach opening in the old Victoria Building.
Enliven was a taster event supported by the Edinburgh Wellbeing PACT, held on Saturday 24th September to allow members of the community to see what HONC and some of their partners will be offering once the whole of the Heart is open. Over 100 visitors of all ages came through the Heart’s gate to investigate.
Some of our Partners demonstrated their wares, including Ink on Mesh with screen printing and the Victorian Schoolroom with Victorian crafts and toys inside and gird and cleek races in the playground, while Men’s Shed showed off their new workshop in the Creel Building. The Newhaven Community Choir and Men’s Shed members contributed to some musical offerings.
Hannah Watt, the Learning Community teacher for the Trinity Academy cluster was also on hand to help youngsters make their own keyrings while the planters in the playground were refreshed as volunteers leant a hand with new planting.
“The weather was very kind, the biscuits all eaten and all of the partners and volunteers felt that the day had been a success and worthwhile,” reports Community Projects Coordinator and Trustee Norma Johnston.
Calling all volunteers, registered or not
Have you already volunteered to help out in some way? Please note that we have revamped our call for volunteers on the website where there is now an updated form. If you have already volunteered you will be contacted by our Volunteer Coordinator Bryan with a link to the new form. After all, you may have moved away or found other things to do with your time since you first contacted us. If so, please let us know so that we can take you off the list.
If you would like to volunteer now, then please go to the website and follow the links. We are currently looking in particular for volunteers to help with DIY skills such as painting & decorating, pulling up carpets, cleaning windows, upholstery, as well as minute takers for sub-group meetings. Please go to:
We are also planning a volunteer meeting some time in November so that you can meet each other. If you’re registered, you will be contacted with the details. Hope you can make it!
If you can’t volunteer your time, you may be able to contribute in kind. Are there any local businesses out there who feel they could sponsor us in any way or contribute practical necessities?
Citizens Rights Project and Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council would like to invite you to the free information session about the Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme.
We are happy to announce the special guest – Prof. Sir Geoff Palmer who will take part in the event.
We will present the details of both Schemes available for migrants who arrived in the UK before 1989, that provide a physical document to prove the right to reside in the UK, as well as the financial compensation for the past troubles caused by the lack of such document.
We would like to use this opportunity, to speak with people from Commonwealth communities in Scotland to hear their voices about their difficult experiences of dealing with the UK immigration system. We would also like to listen about their views on the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Government actions to rectify their past mistakes.
Prof Sir Geoff Palmer is ELREC Honorary President. He became the first black professor in Scotland in 1989 and then a Professor Emeritus after his retirement in 2005. In 2014 he was knighted with New Year Honours. Jamaican Honorary Consul. Chancellor of the Heriot- Watt University. Jamaican Commander of Distinction. Chair of Edinburgh Council’s Slavery Colonialism Group. Chair of the Scottish Museum Group. Chair of University’s Colonialism and Race Group.
Citizens Rights Project is a charity which has a long history of supporting EU nationals with applying to the EU Settlement Scheme and dealing with the Home Office on behalf of vulnerable individuals. We strongly believe that there is a need to talk more about the Windrush Generation and Commonwealth communities, but any action should be linked with the people affected. Let us know your view!
On 5th September, the Conservative party elected a new prime minister of the United Kingdom. Scotland has not voted for a conservative government since 1955, and Liz Truss marks the twelfth prime minister in the last hundred years elected without majority support in Scotland (writes Fraser of Allander Institute’s ALLISON CATALANO).
The last time Scotland’s vote mirrored the majority was in 2005 – the last time that a general election resulted in a Labour majority.
The Brexit vote in 2016 is another good example of how far Scotland’s opinion differs from that of the UK majority – less than 40% of Scottish voters approved the referendum to leave the EU, compared to more than 50% from Wales and England.
Scotland’s status as a minority among the UK electorate isn’t so surprising from a population standpoint – Scotland only accounts for about 9% of the total UK electorate. England, by contrast, claims 84% of all voters.
The vast difference between Scotland’s opinion and UK electoral outcomes may result in worsened well-being for the Scottish population. People derive a sense of satisfaction from having the ability to participate in and impact politics and governmental structures. This satisfaction, termed “democratic well-being,” is weakened by perceived or structural inequalities.
Participatory inequality stems from any situation in which a particular group is unlikely to or discouraged from some form of civic participation, which includes behaviours like voting, interacting with political campaigns, activism, or volunteering.
Examining voting in particular, Scottish voters may feel disenfranchised from the political sphere in the UK because of the perceived lack of political power on a national level, and may be less likely to choose to vote or express an interest in politics.
Certain groups in Scotland may also be more or less inclined to participate in national or local elections.
Income levels, health, and educational attainment may all result in different levels of participation both within Scotland and when comparing Scottish participation to the rest of the UK. In this sense, there may be participatory inequalities within the Scottish population and when comparing Scotland to the UK as a whole.
Using Understanding Society: the UK Longitudinal Household Survey, we determined that age, income, health, education, and employment statuses are correlated with an individual’s level of interest in politics, and the likelihood that they voted or volunteered recently. Understanding Society is a yearly panel survey, with yearly data available from 2009 to 2021.
Does participation differ in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK?
Scotland has a high level of average engagement across all survey years relative to Northern Ireland and Wales, but a lower level than England.
Scottish residents are more likelyto have volunteered in the past year than residents of Northern Ireland or Wales, but less likely to have volunteered than English residents.
Scottish voting habits vary. Scotland had the lowest turnout in 2001 and 2005, and the highest turnout in 2015 and 2019. Scotland generally has higher turnout than Northern Ireland but lower turnout than England or Wales (Figure 1).
Scottish residents are more likely to express aninterest in politics than in Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland’s responses are roughly similar to England. Interest in politics across the UK increased in 2016 following the EU referendum vote, particularly in Northern Ireland, and peaked in Scotland in 2018 (Figure 2).
Figure 1: General election voter participation by constituent country
Figure 2: Interest in politics by constituent country
Despite Scottish residents being relatively politically engaged, Scotland experiences substantial gaps in participation based on health, income, education, and employment.
Scotland has the largest gap in participation between individuals that considered themselves in good health and individuals that considered themselves in poor health in the United Kingdom (Figure 3).
The lowest income quintile in Scotland is more engaged than the lowest income quintile in Wales or Northern Ireland. However, Scotland experiences larger gaps between the highest and lowest income quintile than the national average in political interest. Notably, the bottom income quintile in Scotland was more likely to have voted than in any other part of the UK. Political interest was also higher than the national average for the lowest earners.
Individuals with no qualifications in Scotland are less likely to volunteer than anywhere else in the UK, although they are more likely to have voted in a general election than the UK average. Unqualified individuals in Scotland are less likely to express an interest in politics than in England or Wales.
Scotland experiences a greater gap in participation based on work-related benefits compared to the rest of the UK. Individuals receiving in-work income or unemployment benefits are less likely to have voted, volunteer, or express a political interest in Scotland than anywhere else in Great Britain.
Figure 3: The gap in civic participation between self-reported good health and bad health is wider for each behaviour in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK
How do inequalities impact civic engagement in Scotland?
Health and income inequality are consistent predictors of voter turnout in Scotland. Scotland’s wide range of participatory behaviour based on health is particularly interesting.
Scotland has a unique relationship with health inequalities, and a history of unusually poor health outcomes based on region, education, and income. Although health inequality takes many forms, life expectancies provide a good frame of reference.
In general, higher incomes beget longer lives. Scotland is a complete anomaly in this regard – despite having the highest average income in the United Kingdom, Scottish people have the shortest life expectancy.
Life expectancies also vary widely within Scotland, and even within cities and neighbourhoods. For instance, a male born in Glasgow between 2018-2020 has a life expectancy that is 7.5 years shorter than one born in the Shetland Islands.
Within Glasgow neighbourhoods, the difference in life expectancies is striking – males born in the least deprived areas can expect to live 15 years longer than males born in the most deprived areas.
I examined the health impacts on voting, volunteering, and political interest based on individual’s self-perceived general health, mental health, long-term illness or disability, and receipt of any illness or disability benefits.
Individuals that consider themselves in poor health are less likely to engage in civic behaviour compared to those that considered themselves in generally good health (Figure 4). Overall, self-perceived general health was the most significant health predictor of civic behaviour.
Figure 4: Inequalities in civic participation by self-reported health status
Surprisingly, claiming a long-term illness or disability did not impact an individual’s ability to participate. This is largely because of the broadness of the term “disability” – a person can be disabled in a way that limits their ability to vote, but many disabilities are easier to manage and would have no impact on someone’s ability to understand politics or volunteer. Receiving disability benefits, however, indicates that a person’s circumstance is difficult enough that it interferes with regular work and income.
The Understanding Society Survey has 41 different benefit classifications. Using their descriptions as illness or disability benefits, I looked into people who received at least one of the following benefits: severe disablement allowance, industrial industry disablement allowance, disability living allowance, war disablement pension, incapacity benefit, received working tax credit (including disabled person’s tax credit), and any other disability benefit or payment.
Scottish residents receiving some form of disability benefit were:
10% less likely to have voted in the most recent election than Scottish residents that did not receive disability benefits
19% less likely to report an interest in politics
41% less likely to have volunteered in the past year
Receiving work or income benefits is another way of looking into the degree to which income inequality affects participation. I considered the following benefit classifications to be low income or unemployment benefits: income support, job seeker’s allowance, national insurance credit, housing benefit, rent rebate, universal credit.
Receiving work or income benefits affected participation more substantially than those receiving disability benefits (Table 1).
Table 1: Proportion of each population which participated in the following civic behaviours
Voted in a recent election
Interested in politics
Volunteered in the past year
Receiving unemployment or income benefits
66%
20%
8%
Receiving illness or disability benefits
72%
26%
10%
Total Scottish population
80%
32%
17%
Income inequality is also closely related to civic participation. By dividing household income into five quartiles of the population, we found that the highest-earning 20% of the Scottish population was significantly more likely to participate in civic behaviours (Figure 5). This is a clear example of participatory inequalities based on income.
Figure 5: Civic participation inequalities based on income quintile
Education also has a significant impact on all aspects of civic participation. Volunteering is the most notably impacted behaviour by education; only 4.4% of Scottish residents without educational qualifications reported volunteering in the past year, compared to over 27% of Scots with university degrees.
Table 2: Percentage of each population which participated in the following civic behaviours
Voted in a recent election
Interested in politics
Volunteered in the past year
No educational qualifications
73.5%
21.3%
4.4%
Scottish average
80%
32%
17%
Has a university degree
87.6%
38.4%
27.1%
Scotland suffers from unequal participation across a number of metrics, most notably education, income, health, and benefit receipt status. Poorer, less educated, and less healthy Scottish residents are less likely to have participated in voting and volunteering. The differences in participation are also larger within Scotland than any other constituent country in the United Kingdom.
Civic participation – whether by voting or by selecting causes to volunteer for – ultimately shapes political agendas. Values that are important to low-income, unqualified, or unhealthy members of society may be overlooked on a national scale due to disproportionately low levels of participation among these individuals.
The more equality in participation among all levels of society, the more that any particular group is able to better their circumstances.
A slug-inspired picture book promoting confidence aims to raise money for free children’s activities held at creative hub Made in Stirling.
Scottish speechwriter Laura Westring’s first picture book, for children aged 3 to 7, Slug in a Mug is illustrated by Perthshire greetings card illustrator Jon Bishop.
Laura Westring is a finalist for Business Women Scotland’s 2022 ‘Inspirational Woman of the Year’ award.
Slug in a Mug is available to pre-order online via The Grey Earl and Made In Stirling and available to purchase in selected independent stores from 8th October.
A children’s picture book promoting confidence, and inspired by cottage life in Scotland, aims to raise money for children’s activities as the cost of living continues to rise for families.
Slug in a Mug, written by Scottish speechwriter Laura Westring and illustrated by greetings card creator Jon Bishop (The Grey Earl), is the tale of a slug whose taste for sweet treats leads him to unexpected places.
The “almost true” story was inspired by Laura’s move to an empty cottage in 2020. Having woken one morning to find a slug in her mug, she began inventing stories with her young son to relieve the stress and social isolation of pandemic lockdowns.
Laura Westring believes imagining and reciting stories can be a beneficial activity for the whole family and increase the confidence of young children as they learn to speak and empathise.
Through Creative Stirling, a social enterprise supporting local artists and makers, Laura contacted Perthshire-based illustrator Jon Bishop and both set out on an almost two-year, self-funded project to bring their slug to life.
Collaborating with Gerald Richard, CEO of Scottish charity Super Power Agency, the book also includes an activity to help children with writing skills.
Illustrator Jon Bishop said of receiving the manuscript for Slug in a Mug in January 2021: “It was the first children’s story I wanted to illustrate from the first reading.
“From the subtly sick sense of humour to the message that it’s okay to be bold and think differently to those around you, everything told me this slug had legs.”
Laura Westring is keen to ensure that the cost of living doesn’t remove opportunities from diverse and under-resourced communities, and so both Westring and Bishop hope to support a variety of community workshops and children’s activities run by Creative Stirling through sales of the book.
Commenting on the book, Laura Westring said: “Families with young children have gone through the lonely trial of providing care while working in pandemic conditions only to see the cost of living rise astronomically as they begin to tackle the longer-term emotional and developmental consequences of those difficult years.
“I hope people enjoy reading Slug in a Mug as much as Jon and I have enjoyed making it, so that we can fulfil our ambition to reach revenue and pay it forward.”
