Pharmacies delivering swift patient care

More than 2 million consultations with NHS Pharmacy First

An innovative NHS community pharmacy service has helped see patients quickly and relieve pressure on A&E units and GP surgeries by sparing the NHS 200,000 avoidable appointments for the treatment of urinary tract and skin infections in the last year.

The NHS Pharmacy First network of more than 1,200 community pharmacies are the first port of call for minor ailments and common clinical conditions. The NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service has carried out over 2 million consultations since the launch of the service in July 2020.

The service provides free access to a consultation with an appropriately qualified member of the pharmacy team who provides advice on self-care, referral to another part of the NHS if they feel it is necessary and, if appropriate, will provide treatment. 

The community pharmacist can also treat certain conditions such as urinary tract infections, shingles and impetigo without the need for a prescription or to see a doctor. This is part of a co-ordinated series of measures to improve patient care and help reduce demand on A&E.

Pharmacists in the network have taken more than 200,000 appointments in the last year which would otherwise have gone to GP surgeries or hospital A&E departments.

Since its launch at the height of the pandemic, only 4% of patients needed to be referred on to another healthcare professional, such as a GP or hospital unit. The majority were handled by the pharmacy team, advice on self-care or with treatment.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Community pharmacists are playing a fantastic role in ensuring that millions of people have their minor ailment needs addressed quickly, without needing to go to a GP or hospital. They are a prime example of getting the right care in the right place at the right time.

“This is particularly helpful as our NHS faces one of the most difficult winters in its history, with the NHS Pharmacy First service helping to relieve some of the current pressures faced by emergency departments. As community pharmacy staff continue to give care and advice during the busy winter period, please continue to be kind and patient.

“The Scottish Government introduced the NHS Pharmacy First service, backed by £10 million of investment. As part of the NHS Recovery Plan we will look to expand the range of common clinical conditions that can be treated by community pharmacists, avoiding unnecessary GP and out of hours appointments.

“We have also committed to establishing a community pharmacy hospital discharge and medicines reconciliation service to help speed up the process for people being discharged from hospital. New digital solutions such as ePrescribing and eDispensing will make prescribing paperless and free up capacity for healthcare professionals to see more patients, while making it easier for the public to access their medicines quickly and safely.”

NHS Pharmacy First Scotland launched on 29 July 2020, and is designed to encourage everyone to visit their community pharmacy as the first port of call for all minor illnesses and specific common clinical conditions.

Peter Vardy to partner with Zoom EV to aid buyers switching to EV

Peter Vardy, has become the first Scottish automotive dealership group to enter a partnership with electric vehicle specialist, Zoom EV, to provide customers with a bundle of services and benefits that simplifies their switch to electric vehicles (EV).

Peter Vardy Group, established in 2006, is a family-run business with 15 dealerships at sites across Scotland, which include 8 dedicated used car supermarkets trading under the Peter Vardy CARZ brand.

Customers who buy a plug-in hybrid or fully electric car from a CARZ store, will gain access to a suite of discounts as part of Peter Vardy’s EV Benefits Bundle, as well as support from Zoom EV’s expert team.

Benefits include discounted access to industry leading public charging networks, smart home charging units, EV home energy tariffs and accident management services.

Ed Carpenter, Director of Electric Vehicles at Peter Vardy said: “We are delighted to partner with Zoom EV to further progress our ambition of becoming Scotland’s go-to dealer group for purchasing new and pre-owned electric vehicles.

“We understand that transitioning from a conventional car to an EV can be a daunting experience for some motorists and our teams are often faced with questions around charging an electric car.

“With Zoom EV’s support, the Peter Vardy EV Benefits Bundle will mitigate these concerns, providing our customers with bespoke services to make their EV ownership experience enjoyable and hassle-free.

“As the climate crisis continues to become more apparent, we are proud to be encouraging EV use in the UK and excited to be on this electric journey with Zoom EV.”

Greg Fairbotham, CEO at Zoom EV, said: “We know from our work in the auto-dealer sector that supporting the transition process is critical in customers’ decisions to go electric.

“We are committed to making the switch as easy as possible by ensuring easy access to the essential services needed to own an electric vehicle, whilst also saving customers money. Our concierge-style service gives customers reassurance and a helping hand as they transition to electric.

“Peter Vardy is proactively driving the adoption of electric vehicles across Scotland, and the EV Benefits Bundle is a fantastic way to encourage drivers to make the decision to go electric. We are excited to be working with them.”

For more information contact Peter Vardy Group on 0333 456 0505 or Zoom EV at membersupport@zoom-ev.com.

William Hill reveals odds on Christmas Number One and White Christmas

  • William Hill offered the very first odds market on both the Christmas Number One and White Christmas over 40 years ago.
  • Tight-lipped LadBaby and Christmas collaborators Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran are 7-4 joint favourites to secure the 70th festive chart-topper.
  • Abba, who today released new album Voyage, which included a Christmas track, have been cut to 8-1 to finish top of the tree in the singles chart.
  • Birmingham Airport is 7-2 favourite, among 11 major UK airports, for a White Christmas, closely followed by Edinburgh and Newcastle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9QLn7gM-hY

William Hill has launched both its festive markets with betting for the 70th Christmas Number One and a White Christmas NOW OPEN.

The bookmaker, which instituted betting on the festive chart-topper over 40 years ago, currently has YouTuber LadBaby and the pending Sir Elton John & Ed Sheeran festive collaboration track, as joint 7-4 favourites to win this year’s race to number one spot.

Meanwhile, Birmingham leads the way as the most likely recipient of festive flurries, with odds of 7-2 that a single snowflake is observed in the 24-hour period of December 25. Edinburgh and Newcastle are joint second favourites at 4-1, while Belfast is 9-2, as odds at 11 major UK airports were revealed for another growing tradition.

Chart superstar Sheeran has teamed up with friend and mentor Sir Elton John to create three new Christmas songs, the first of which will be released at the beginning of December, and is called Merry Christmas. 

Sheeran, 30, who released his fourth solo studio album = last week, recently revealed the accompanying music video for their Christmas contender will parody former number ones. William Hill continues to see money coming in for the pair and, as a result, have tightened their odds further from 3-1 to 7-4.

Powerhouse songstress Adele, who recently secured a third UK number one with her first new music in six years, shattered all manner of streaming records with Easy On Me. Her album 30, due to be released on November 19, is expected to be the biggest-selling record over the Christmas period. The Tottenham-born 33-year-old is 11/4 to continue her domination and claim the biggest selling festive single.

Abba, who have just released their first studio album in 40 years in what was billed as the reunion of the century, have been cut from 10-1 to 8-1 with the third track on the album revealed to be twinkly Christmas tune, Little Things.

LadBaby, real name Mark Boyle, has kept his cards close to his chest as to whether he will stake a claim for a historic fourth consecutive number one. Achieving such a feat – William Hill is offering odds of 7-4 (joint favourites) – would see Boyle draw level with The Beatles, who have four Christmas Number Ones to their name. 

Among other serious contenders are Gary Barlow and Sheridan Smith. The pair have already recorded How Christmas Is Supposed To Be, after initially duetting on Instagram for Gary’s Crooner Sessions, and are a 12-1 shot, while recently reunited boy band The Wanted have their hearts set on securing the top festive single at 18-1.

The 70th Christmas Number One will be announced at 17:45 on Friday December 24, while the White Christmas market will settle as the clock strikes 00:00 on Sunday December 26.

To view the Christmas Number One market, please visit:

https://sports.williamhill.com/betting/en-gb/tv-specials/OB_EV21915074/uk-christmas-number-one-2021

To view the White Christmas market, please visit: 

https://sports.williamhill.com/betting/en-gb/tv-specials/OB_EV21589670/snow-on-christmas-day

Team ESTEEM: news from Dubai

The prototype construction phase started on October 24th with the Welcome Ceremony in Dubai, where all the teams participating were introduce to everyone. It was a great experience and something we have been waiting since 2019.

The assembly started on October 25th in which we had to take all the materials, equipment, CLT panels and more from the containers. 

In case you missed our ship journey to Dubai, we had 5 containers, that arrived in London Gateway on September 10th, 2021, and then all containers got transferred to the NAGOYA EXPRESS, which arrived in Dubai on Sunday 12th, of September 2021. 

Alex MacLaren, faculty leader, said: “I have been delighted by the support afforded us by the university and am excited to develop other experiences like this in future years; as a learning experience, but also as an urgent mandate to transform the ‘norm’ in our construction practices. So, who knows- next stop, Solar Decathlon Europe in 2023?”

The calendar you see below will be our journey everyday while in Dubai.

We will be building the house from October 25th to November 8th, which give us a total of 15 days to construct the ESTEEM house.

After that we will have the Opening ceremony where the public is welcome to see our house and interact with all the technologies and innovations we added to the design. 

The exhibition time runs from November 11th to November 25th at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, Dubai.

However, we will have virtual tours for anyone that is not in Dubai, you can book it with our Eventbrite link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-tours-at-team-esteem-house-dubai-tickets-202875916327

Immagine che contiene tavolo Descrizione generata automaticamente

Martin Juricek, Architecture Leader, said: “Our build in wardrobe was completed and the kitchen fit out is well underway as well. We started fitting plasterboard onto walls in the bedroom.

“We focused on underfloor insulation, cladding and plant room equipment fit out. We run into a lot of issues and as it kept delaying our work we had to have a break where we discussed new more efficient ways of going forward. Overall, it was another difficult day on site but it got us further on the way of construction”

Alakbar Zeynalzade, AudioVisual Leader, added: “Working at the construction site is hard work in the heat of Dubai, especially near midday. Regardless, it’s meaningful work and I enjoy my time there.

“My role is to take pictures and videos whilst I’m there, but I also take part in the construction too. It’s fun solving problems on the site as they arise, e.g. missing piece of equipment so we have to be creative and work around it”

Ahmed Usaamah Ifthikhar; Construction Leader, explained: “The work we did on site helped insulate and cover some of the gaps from the inside and outside. It was useful in understanding how it works.

“We witnessed the wall panels get positioned into place and once this was done, we tightened the bolts. Every day on site helped me learn and understand more about how our building will function and how it will perform in terms of heat gain wise”

Pranav Chachara; Web Developer, said: “While this was a first time experience for me, I had a blast on site.

“Getting hands on with helping out around the house is super fun. I’ve also finally achieved my dream of being Bob the Builder!”

Zuhair Ahmed, Health and Safety Leader, agred: “We faced many challenges such as the inavailability of the labours on afternoon, while we managed to have good progress by ourselves looking forward to complete our house perfectly and win. Count down started and any minute would be valued.” 

As you all might know; at Team ESTEEM, we like to innovate.  Therefore, we have created our ESTEEM house in Minecraft. I know! It is amazing.

We work for almost 3 months planning, building, and refining our design which has allowed us to bring you the ESTEEM House in Minecraft. With the help of Apex Hosting, we are hosting this world for anyone to explore at mc.esteem.house.

We have also hide some little easter eggs for you to find along the way. You can find more information with this link ESTEEM Minecraft House! We wanted to show to everyone our house and give the opportunity for kids to see how engineering can be fun as well. 

Have you heard of Augmented Reality (AR)? Yes? With the help of VRCraftworks, we have created a world where you can come visit the house virtually, interact with the materials and have a meeting with other people. Did I mentioned you can share your screen as well? 

Our house was built by a team of innovative and inspired students and staff, and to showcase their hard work we developed augmented reality interactions placed around the house.

By scanning one of our many QR codes, users will be shown a beautiful 3D image on their smartphone, alongside text describing in detail the planning and decisions our team made in order to create a modern home.

And for those who won’t be able to view the house in person, our virtual reality model of the house will be available on Oculus devices for an immersive off-site tour of the house.

With the help of VRCraftworks, we have created a world where you can come visit the house virtually, interact with the materials  and have a meeting with other people. Did I mentioned you can share your screen as well?

Use this link:

https://hub.link/vnLgAPW

and you will be able to experience it yourself, TeamESTEEM members jump in and out of the world all the time so you might be able to speak to us as well! 

We are working harder than ever as we approach the end of the construction phase.
In order to make the most of our time, we’re installing multiple parts of the house at once. Nearly all of our cassettes (insulation panels) have been attached to the house and we’re working with our sponsors to get the systems and electricals installed.

We need to be exact in the way that we connect our house up as DEWA will be monitoring and measuring our usage and generation which will impact our score! All of the parts of our 3D printed concrete Windcatcher have arrived and we are so excited to see it all together soon!

We are posting everyday about our progress on social media, please follow this link to see the #ESTEEMHouse: 

https://linktr.ee/teamESTEEMHouse

Stagecoach announces free travel for veterans and military personnel on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday

  • Free travel for military and ex-military personnel on 11thand 14th November
  • Commitment will continue annually
  • New employee led Veterans Network key to Stagecoach commitment

    Stagecoach has confirmed its ongoing commitment to the armed forces by announcing that it will be offering free travel for veterans and military personnel on its bus and tram services right across the UK on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.

The commitment to free travel, which will be ongoing every year, comes on the back of Stagecoach’s newly launched employee led Veterans Network.

The network was launched to allow Stagecoach colleagues to come together as one voice to make change, raise awareness, help influence business decisions and introduce new ways of working to make the company even stronger.

The Veteran Network is also currently engaging with the armed forces on a recruitment campaign directly targeting those who are leaving the military to find job opportunities at Stagecoach.

As a cause that is close to the hearts of its employees and customers, Stagecoach has been a long-time supporter of the Poppy Appeal, and in addition to free travel on 11th and 14th November, Stagecoach will be operating a number of Poppy Buses across its network, including Merseyside & South Lancashire, Cumbria & North Lancashire, Portsmouth and Aldershot.

Poppies will also be displayed on the front of a number of buses across the country with some of the destination blinds showing the messaging “We will remember them”.

Employees across Stagecoach will also be asked to honour the minutes’ silence.

Stagecoach has also been a member of the Armed Force Covenant since March 2015, recognising the value of serving personnel, regular and reservists, veterans and military families to both the country and businesses across the country.

With Remembrance services planned at memorials across UK, it is hoped that people wishing to pay their respects will take up the offer to travel for free to the service of their choice.

This commitment from Stagecoach allows for the business to unite and offer the same great experience to all military and ex-military customers and it will continue each year on 11th November and the following Sunday* as well as Armed Forces Weekend.

Simon Tramalloni, Operations Manager in Preston & Chorley is co-lead for the Stagecoach Veterans Network. He previously served in the Armed Forces serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and the Middle East.

He said: “Stagecoach has a strong commitment to supporting the armed forces and our veterans, and it’s great that we are able to offer free bus and tram travel across the whole country as we mark Remembrance Day.

“We have thousands of ex forces personnel working across our business and having the new Veterans Network is allowing us to build on the work that Stagecoach has led over many years and identify how else we can support those veterans already working for us and those that may want to come and join the company.

“Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal are causes close to the hearts of many of our employees and customers and we are very pleased to be making this commitment that will hopefully help people to attend memorials across the UK.”

Climate Action Towns project: Empowering communities

Seven towns have been chosen to help tackle the impact of climate change and secure a just transition to net zero.

The Climate Action Towns programme will empower communities to come together and engage in collective climate action, taking account of the unique challenges and opportunities each town faces. That might include looking at what action can be taken on switching to more sustainable food or renewable energy.

Communities in the seven towns will be offered support to find ways of making changes at a local level that will help tackle the crisis, giving them a voice and engaging those that may not have previously engaged in climate action.

The programme will be delivered by design agency Architecture and Design Scotland, with funding of £146,000 from the Scottish Government.

The seven towns chosen are:

  • Alness, Highlands
  • Annan, Dumfries & Galloway
  • Blackburn, West Lothian
  • Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute
  • Holytown, North Lanarkshire
  • Invergordon, Highlands
  • Stevenston, North Ayrshire

The project will be driven by collaboration between local people and agencies, and their collective vision of what their Climate Action Town looks like. The outcome of the work with the towns will be used to outline learning for climate action on a town scale that can then be applied across Scotland and beyond.

The announcement came during the Scottish Government’s Just Transition themed weekend during COP26.

The start of the process to collaborate and co-design the Scottish Government’s refreshed Energy Strategy was outlined on Friday. It was also announced that Scotland’s first Just Transition Plan, to be published in spring 2022, will be focussed on the energy sector.

The Scottish Government will provide £100,000 to establish a Just Transition Alliance within the Under2 Coalition, a network of more than 200 devolved and local governments driving climate action across the world, so that members can access the resources, support and information necessary to deliver a just transition in cities and towns across the world.

Just Transition Minister Richard Lochhead said: “It is clear that we must decarbonise industry and society in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but we must do so in a way that is fair for everyone and leaves no one behind.

“Scotland was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, so we see it as only right that Scotland is at the forefront of this green revolution.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make changes in a way that will be good for our people, our communities, our economy and our planet – we must seize it.

“Tackling the climate crisis requires all of us, at every level, to get involved. We can all make a difference. The Climate Action Towns project aims to support and empower communities to have a say on how their local areas should change as part of a fair and just transition to net zero.

“I look forward to seeing how the towns that are taking part rise to the challenge and find ways that will not only make a difference locally but to Scotland and indeed the world.”

Architecture and Design Scotland Chief Executive Jim MacDonald said: “The climate emergency demands urgent action from us all. For Scotland to adapt to the impacts of climate change, we are all going to need to work together to adapt the ways we live, work, play and move in our cities, towns and villages.

“Considering that half of Scotland’s population live in towns, it is vital towns are a key focus in the fight against climate change.”

Morrisons helps food banks and community groups with Christmas ‘Giving Tree’

Morrisons is giving customers a new way to help those in need during the festive period by installing a Christmas ‘Giving Tree’ in all its stores, where customers can pick up a bauble worth £1, £2 or £5 to donate to a local food bank or community group nominated by their store.

From today, all 498 Morrisons stores will be putting up their tree with the aim of raising over half a million pounds for a variety of food banks and local communities throughout November and December, which is traditionally the most difficult time for many people.

Customers looking to donate can pick a bauble and take it to the checkouts along with their shopping. Each bauble has a barcode on the back for the checkout colleague to scan, and add £1, £2 or £5 to the customer’s bill.

Since the start of the pandemic, Morrisons has worked closely with food banks and communities across the UK and donated more than £12 million pounds to groups across the UK to ensure no one is left behind.

Morrisons will also continue offering their popular food bank ‘Pick Up Packs’ in stores throughout the festive period as well as bringing back its Gift Donation Stations where customers can donate new gifts. Donated items are passed on to local good causes and charities in the local community.

Rebecca Singleton, Community Director at Morrisons, said: “Christmas can be a challenging time and food banks are a lifeline for many people in the UK. We want to make it easier for our customers to donate in whatever way they can to help those in their local community get the items they need.

“The Giving Tree will give customers a unique and festive way to support local food banks and community groups.”

The Giving Tree initiative is part of Morrisons drive to stock Britain’s food banks and continue feeding the nation and will feature in all 498 Morrisons stores until the 24th December.

Holyrood Committee launches inquiry into health and wellbeing of children and young people

An inquiry has been launched into the health and wellbeing of children and young people by a Scottish Parliament Committee.

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is seeking to find out the key issues around health and wellbeing for children and young people in Scotland. They will investigate what the challenges and opportunities are for improving their health and wellbeing, and how addressing poverty can lead to improved health and social care outcomes.

The inquiry will focus on 4 key areas:

• Child poverty (including the Scottish Government’s current child poverty delivery plan), inequality and adverse childhood experiences;
• Issues affecting care experienced young people;
• Mental health, access to Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the importance of early intervention;
• Health and wellbeing in schools

Speaking as the inquiry launched, Gillian Martin MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: “There are a whole host of factors which impact the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, and our Committee will consider these in detail.

“The physical and mental toll of the pandemic on children and young people cannot be overstated and we know that prior to this pandemic there was already a high and
increasing demand for youth mental health services in Scotland.

“As we emerge from the pandemic and with the Scottish Government’s current child poverty delivery plan due to run until 2022, our inquiry comes at a pivotal time. We are determined to find out how children and young people can best be supported to live healthy and flourishing lives.”

You can let the Committee know your views here: 

Inquiry into the Health And Wellbeing of Children And Young People – Scottish Parliament – Citizen Space

The call for views will close on 7 December 2021.