COPING WITH THE NEW NORMAL
Health in Mind’s latest wellbeing course starts this morning
UK sends further life-saving support to India
- The UK will send 1,000 more ventilators for use in India’s hospitals
- The Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Adviser and NHS staff have given help and advice to their Indian counterparts
- Fresh assistance follows medical relief sent by the Government last week and a surge in support from the British people to India
- On Tuesday the Prime Minister will hold a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi to discuss deepening cooperation between the UK and India
India’s fight against a surge in coronavirus cases will be reinforced by new UK Government support announced by the Prime Minister today. 1,000 ventilators will be sent from the UK’s surplus supply to Indian hospitals to help the most severe Covid cases.
This is in addition to 200 ventilators, 495 oxygen concentrators and 3 oxygen generation units the UK announced we were sending to India last week.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance have also spoken to their Indian counterparts to provide advice, insight and expertise to the Indian healthcare system as it deals with the world’s worse surge in Covid levels.
NHS England is also establishing a clinical advisory group led by Chief People Officer Prerana Issar to support India’s Covid response. The group will work with Indian institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Services to share experience on managing Covid outbreaks.
The group will include researchers in public and global health, alongside nursing and other health professionals who have experience of the Indian healthcare system.
In a powerful demonstration of what Indian Prime Minister Modi has called the ‘living bridge’ between our countries, over the last week British people have come to the support of India in huge numbers. Businesses, civil society and the wider public have responded to appeals for help and launched funding drives.
This includes the British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal, which is raising funds for oxygen concentrators to be rapidly deployed to Indian hospitals. The BAT appeal, which has been personally backed by the Prince of Wales, has raised more than £1.5m in the last week.
Virgin Atlantic also flew 200 boxes of oxygen concentrators to Delhi on Saturday, after partnering with Khalsa Aid. Further cargo space will be given free of charge on 6 flights to India in the next week, in association with The Red Cross.
India has also provided support to the UK throughout the coronavirus pandemic. As the ‘pharmacy of the world’ the country has kept its borders open to supply the UK with vital medicine and PPE – exporting over 11 million face masks and 3 million packets of paracetamol over the course of 2020.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister will hold a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Modi to agree a huge range of commitments to deepen cooperation between the UK and India, including on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The terrible images we have seen in India in recent weeks are all the more powerful because of the close and enduring connection between the people of the UK and India.
“I am deeply moved by the surge of support the British people have provided to the people of India and am pleased the UK Government has been able to play our part in providing life-saving assistance.
“The UK will always be there for India in its time of need.”
The world is safer and stronger because of work between the UK and India. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, for example, was developed in the UK, is currently being produced in the millions by India’s Serum Institute and will be distributed to the world at cost through COVAX.
It is those shared values of openness and the pursuit of knowledge and scientific advancement for the betterment of our societies that lie at the heart of the relationship between the UK and India. During his call with Prime Minister Modi the Prime Minister will emphasise the importance of working with India to promote our shared values.
India is the largest democracy in the world, a fellow Commonwealth country and in June Prime Minister Modi will travel to the UK to attend the G7 Summit as a guest – one of four world leaders invited to join the Summit of leading democracies.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “This support will help urgently meet some of India’s acute needs, particularly oxygen for patients. We are determined to help our Indian friends in their hour of need.
“We need to all work together to defeat Covid-19. No one is safe until we are all safe.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “As a close friend of India, we have all felt the harrowing scenes and are determined to do all we can. Only a few months ago we felt the pressure of the pandemic here in the UK. This virus attacks all of us and in the battle against coronavirus, we’re all on the same side.
“This additional support will provide more capacity and expertise to help save lives and support India’s healthcare system. We will continue to work closely with the Indian government during this immensely challenging time.”
Man arrested and charged following serious crash on West Approach Road
A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a serious road crash on the West Approach Road last night. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow (Monday, 3 May).
The incident happened around 10.35pm on Saturday, 1 May, and involved a car and a rickshaw taxi. Three people, the rider and passengers of the rickshaw, were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious injuries.
Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances.
Anyone with information, particularly dash-cam footage, that could help with police enquiries is asked to call 101, quoting incident 4392 of Saturday, 1 May, 2021.
Millions of makeup wipes piled as high as the Eiffel Tower going to landfills every day
Time to clean up our makeup habits
We’re flushing away or binning an astonishing 11 billion wet wipes every year which can take up to 100 years to biodegrade.
BusinessWaste.co.uk, waste management specialists, are concerned about the volume of waste being created by the number of makeup wipes and says that women and men across their country need to change their ways.
“Makeup wipes are the quickest and cheapest way to remove makeup on the market, but this doesn’t mean they’re the best option for the environment,” says Mark Hall, company spokesman.
But as global sales of all wet wipes are set to hit £16 billion by 2021, it’s time to scrub away our nations unhealthy habits of using makeup wipes, he says.
Time to clean up
We all know that using makeup wipes is bad for the environment, but because they’re an incredibly convenient way to remove makeup, it’s easy to convince yourself that one wipe a day won’t cause too much damage.
Millions of consumers rely on makeup wipes as they promise to wash away the day in seconds using just one product, making them cost effective and a low maintenance part of their daily routines.
But despite the plush cotton feel makeup wipes have on your face, they actually contain a mix of plastic fibres such as polyester and polypropylene which prevent them from biodegrading.
BusinessWaste.co.uk warns that they break down into micro-plastics and smaller fibres which will end up polluting the oceans and entering the food chain.
“With such a high number of wipes being used, there’s a lot of single-use plastic coming into the world,” says spokesperson Mark Hall, “the only way to prevent this happening is to stop using them.”
To add to the damage, makeup wipes and other wet wipes are not recyclable, meaning that the only way they can be properly disposed of is to put them into your rubbish bin.
“For heavens sake do not flush makeup wipes down the toilet,” warns Mark Hall, “you’ll only break your toilet and block up the sewers. You don’t want poo flooding your bathroom, do you?”
“I know it’s hard to get hold of toilet paper at the moment, but this is not the answer.”
With 9.3 million wet wipes being flushed down the loo every day, they account for a staggering 93% of all sewer blockages, and makeup wipes are a big contribution to this problem.
BusinessWaste.co.uk explain that flushing anything other than toilet paper down the loo could add to ‘fatbergs’ in the sewers, which are caused by a build-up of fat and non-biodegradable materials such as wet wipes, which can lead to sewers blocking or overflowing.
Fortunately, several brands are leading the way, such as high street store Holland & Barrett pledging to remove all wet wipes from their stores***, and brand Huggies aiming to remove all plastics from their wipes in the next five years.****
“Thank god people are taking action, otherwise our entire planet is going to be covered in a layer of makeup wipes,” says Hall, “imagine a squishy wet wipe mush underfoot everywhere you go. Yuck.”
What alternatives are there?
With many people knowing that makeup wipes are bad news for the environment, alternative ways to remove makeup are becoming increasingly popular, so why isn’t everyone is making the change?
“I’ll admit, I buy the cheap makeup wipes from the supermarket, but then I end up using 4 instead of 1,” says shopper Heidi in Lancaster, “but I still think it’s cheaper than whatever else is out there.”
Makeup wipes can cost as little as a pound for a pack, whereas plastic free alternatives can cost ten times that, so it’s easy to see why people are finding it hard to make the switch.
We’ve put together a list of inexpensive alternatives to help people cut down on makeup wipe use.
- Try one of the many cleansers such as micellar water available on the market with a flannel, a bottle can last for ages, and the flannel is washable
- Invest in a washable makeup remover cloth which only needs to be run under a tap before use. It can be chucked in your washing machine when you’ve used it, which over time will be much cheaper than restocking on makeup wipes
- Use a gentle soap and some water and little bit of arm power
- Stop wearing makeup every day, saves on wipes and saves you money! This is the ideal lockdown solution
Ultimately, we need to get people to realise that makeup wipes are a single-use plastic, like carrier bags and straws, says company spokesman Mark Hall.
“If people can take their own bags to the supermarket, then they can wipe out the wet wipe.”
Get the picnic blankets out for the Heart of Scotland Appeal and help save lives across the country
The Heart of Scotland Appeal is sending an invitation to everyone to take part in the first ever Big Scottish Picnic, a nationwide fundraiser to raise money for life-saving research across Scotland.
From the 7th-13th June, the Heart of Scotland Appeal is encouraging people to hold their own Big Scottish Picnics, enjoy some delicious treats and share stories about those they love, with those they love, all while raising vital funds to help take on heart disease.
The Heart of Scotland Appeal was launched in 2019 by Heart Research UK, in response to shocking stats regarding cardiovascular disease in Scotland.
Currently, 47 people a day die from cardiovascular disease, and the death rate is more than 50% higher than in the South East of England. The appeal was launched to raise money in Scotland, for Scotland, to support pioneering research at universities and hospitals across the country.
Recent grants have included £250,000 to the University of Glasgow to study the effects of COVID-19 on blood vessels.
The appeal was backed by First Minister Sturgeon, as well as a host of Scottish stars, including David Moyes, Amy McDonald, Jane McCarry and Heart Research UK patrons Mark Bonnar and Christopher Kane, the latter of which designed limited edition merchandise for the appeal.
Whether you’d like to host your Big Scottish Picnic in person or virtually, there are loads of resources available for you to download, including posters, invites and zoom backgrounds. There is also plenty of activities, recipes and fundraising ideas, to make sure that your picnic goes down a storm!
As an added treat, all picnics that raise over £47 will be entered into a draw to have a live Zoom visit from Heart Research UK patron Mark Bonnar, star of Line of Duty, Guilt and Catastrophe.
Amanda Donaldson, Senior Fundraiser for the Heart of Scotland appeal, said: “After what has been a difficult year for us all, I know we are all looking forward to coming together with friends and family and enjoying some of the famous Scottish weather.
“The Big Scottish Picnic is perfect for catching up with those we’ve missed, sharing some delicious food and making new memories, all whilst supporting an amazing cause.
“We know research works, but the 700,000 people living with heart disease need it to pick up the pace. Hosting a Big Scottish Picnic will help fund pioneering medical research here in Scotland, drive breakthroughs in treatment and help keep those we love around for longer.”
For more information, and to register to host your own Big Scottish Picnic, please visit https://heartresearch.org.uk/bsp/
Letters: Sun risks for cats
Dear Letters Editor
With Sun Awareness Week taking place between 3–9 May, Cats Protection would like to advise cat owners to be aware of the risks posed to their cat by the sun.
Pale-coloured cats, or those with unpigmented white noses or ears, are particularly at risk from the sun’s rays which can cause sunburn and skin cancer.
Those affected can suffer long term damage including, in severe cases, having to have their ear tips removed to prevent the cancer from spreading.
Following a few simple tips owners can help protect their cat from the harmful effects of the sun. These include keeping them indoors on sunny days between 10am and 3pm, asking your vet for advice about suitable sunscreen and ensuring you provide plenty of shade to enable your cat to shelter from the sun’s rays.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Sarah Elliott BVetMed MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) MRCVS
Central Veterinary Officer, Cats Protection
How Thursday’s elections for the Scottish Parliament will work
On 6 May voters across Scotland will be called to elect 129 members of the devolved Scottish Parliament for the sixth time in its history (writes Electoral Reform Society’s FEDERICO SCHOLARI).
The Scottish Parliament passes laws on crucial areas of local government, including health, education and transport- as well as some influence on tax and welfare benefits.
Anyone with a Scottish address, registered to vote and aged 16 and over is eligible to vote.
In 2015, Scotland championed the votes at 16 campaign by lowering the voting age to 16 to extend the franchise, allowing more than 100,000 young people to have their say in both parliamentary and local council elections.
Voting system
Elections for the Scottish Parliament employ the Additional Member System (AMS), which uses a mix of First Past the Post (FPTP) and Party List proportional representation.
73 constituency MSPs are elected from the Westminster-style FPTP ballot paper. The candidate with most votes is elected for each constituency, irrespective of vote share.
56 ‘list’ MSPs (the so-called additional members) are then added from a second ballot paper that includes a list of parties. Additional members are added based on the number of seats a party has won in the first ballot versus their overall vote share, in order to make parliament more proportional and match how voters preferences.
A proportional compromise?
The second ballot paper ensures greater representation, which compensates for the ailments of FPTP. The proportional element is intended to override any disproportionality created by the majoritarian nature of the constituency seats, providing a more proportional parliament while also keeping a single local MSP.
General Elections 2019 (FPTP) vs. Scottish Parliament Elections 2016 (AMS)
Our 2019 report on General Elections shone a light on those voters left voiceless due to disproportionate voting systems- with Scotland delivering some of the most disproportionate results across the UK for Westminster elections.
Under pure FPTP, the Scottish National Party performance was highly disproportionate, with a 22 percentage point increase in seats for an eight-point increase in votes. Some precarious victories occurred, with slim majorities in seats where more than two parties had substantial support.
Contrarily, the 2016 parliamentary elections saw the most proportional results to date under the AMS, which is a substantial improvement over pure FPTP. If the Scottish Parliament elections were conducted under FPTP we’d see one-party domination across Scotland with supporters of the other parties losing out.
Voting Intentions
The most recent polls show the SNP -currently in power- boasting a considerable lead over both Conservatives and Labour. The only notable change from the 2016 elections results sees the Greens gaining some ground over Lib Dems.
Differing areas of political debate include the potential for a new referendum for Scottish independence, post-pandemic economic recovery, climate change policies and more.
The Alba Party
There has been much talk of the launch of Alex Salmond’s pro-independence party, seen by many as an attempt to ‘game’ the AMS system to secure a disproportionate result in favour of pro-independence parties.
Alba, which is only contesting list seats, is pitching itself to pro-independence SNP voters who, due to the SNP’s dominance in the constituency seats, might see their list vote wasted.
But if Alba succeeded in this it’s not because they gamed the system but because enough voters supported them. if a party is popular enough to pick up a decent level of support on the List vote and gain seats, like the Greens did in 2016 and look like doing again, then it isn’t really ‘gaming the system’. The system is designed to provide fair representation for supporters of parties who would not be properly represented under FPTP.
Polls show that it is far from certain that Alba will receive enough support to pick up List seats but ultimately that is a matter for the voters of Scotland to determine, one way or the other.
A more representative system
As Scottish voters prepare to go to the polls in May they can do so knowing that their vote will count and the parliament elected will be representative – a luxury most voters in England don’t have at this election.
And now, after 20 years of PR in Scotland surely it’s time Westminster caught up and ensured that voters in England could vote with the same peace of mind.
Foreign Secretary boosts BBC funding to fight fake news
Foreign Secretary announces £8 million of funding for BBC World Service to tackle harmful disinformation, challenge inaccurate reporting around the world and improve digital engagement.
- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announces multi-million pound uplift for BBC World Service
- Funding will help to tackle harmful disinformation and inaccurate reporting around the world and enhance its digital offer
- This follows the UK Government’s Integrated Review, which underlined the need to fight disinformation to protect the UK against state threats
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced £8 million of new funding for BBC World Service projects to tackle harmful disinformation, challenge inaccurate reporting around the world and improve digital engagement.
Funding will support the BBC World Service’s investigative journalism, expanding the reach of its work to report in an unbiased and impartial way. This follows the success of their “Reality Check”, “Africa Eye” and “Arabic Investigations” programmes, which have challenged fake news around the world.
The new package will also help to build international audiences, improving the digital platforms available to people in countries such as India, Kenya and Nigeria.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “In a world where states and criminal gangs twist the news to exploit others, it is vital to safeguard independent and objective news reporting around the world.
“This new funding will allow the BBC World Service to take impartial journalism to many more people around the world, by countering those who distort the truth to mislead the public.”
This new support comes shortly after the publication of the Government’s Integrated Review, which underlined the need to fight disinformation to protect the UK against state threats. Today’s announcement will help support efforts to counter those.
Some states are using internet bots to push out disinformation on social media platforms, such as spreading fake news around the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in harmful content, that is often shared widely by tens of thousands of people on social media.
This includes encouraging scepticism around vaccines or in some cases prime-time news outlets in some states are blaming the US for artificially creating – and profiting from – the pandemic.
Welcoming the announcement, BBC Director General Tim Davie said: “We welcome this investment in the World Service which builds on the significant results achieved since the funding programme began in 2016.
“Through this partnership, the World Service has achieved an all-time record audience of 351m, in 42 languages including English, with the BBC’s global News services now reaching 438m every week.
“More than a third of the total BBC News global audience – 151m – access BBC News digitally and this additional support will enable us to further strengthen our digital offer and tackle global disinformation.
“As the world continues to fight the Covid pandemic, the positive role of the World Service in providing trusted, impartial news has never been more critical.”
Yesterday’s funding announcement comes on top of previous funding for the BBC’s World2020 programme from the FCDO since 2016, which has meant impartial news is available in 12 additional languages.
The additional support has helped increase the service’s international reach by 40 per cent to 351 million people each week, including across Asia and Africa.
Get your game on for RNIB! Charity encourages gamers to fundraise
Online video gamers are being encouraged to fundraise for sight loss charity RNIB in May while they play, as part of a drive to highlight the need for more inclusion in gaming.
This will tie in with Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 20th, a day which focuses on digital access and inclusion for people with disability and impairment.
The charity is inviting supporters who enjoy online gaming to host ‘Gaming for RNIB’ fundraising livestreams on or around this date.
Gamers with sight who wish to experience how games might look to those with different sight loss conditions can be provided with helpful materials, including overlays and simulation glasses.
RNIB’s community giving manager Becca McRow-Brewer said: “Games rely largely on visuals. But blind and partially sighted people are also active gamers, they just need the help of accessibility features. Sight loss doesn’t have to mean losing your passions.
“We are encouraging gamers from across the UK to support RNIB by hosting a fundraising stream around Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Every pound raised will help create a world without barriers for people with sight loss.”
RNIB currently supports gaming groups for blind and partially sighted players across the UK that were set up at the beginning of the year, with a group in Scotland among the first.
Members meet weekly on an online telephone call and share their experiences of the games they’ve found most accessible. They’re also challenging software developers to consider blind and partially sighted people when designing new games.
Conor Joseph (24) who lives in Livingston is visually impaired with a rare genetic condition called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
“I lost my sight around the age of eight,” he said. “For the most part I am able to get around and live independently. I love all forms of media from gaming to movies and music and even graduated with a degree in film and media.
“I’ve loved gaming my whole life and have an interest in a range of genres with first-person shooters and open world games being among my favourites.
“While I have been fortunate in having a lot of useful sight left, becoming visually impaired forced me to make adjustments in most aspects of my life which included gaming. I frequently avoid games heavy in text and dialogue as sitting close in to read everything can become extremely tedious and tiring.
“Joining RNIB Scotland’s gaming group has allowed me to chat to other visually impaired gamers, many of whom have similar experiences to me. I would definitely urge other disabled gamers to become part of the community and talk to others with similar experiences.
“Accessibility in gaming is extremely important and the industry has already seen a great shift towards being accessible within the last few years. Creating focus groups and directly working with disabled gamers in order to discover what user experience settings are most effective. In a general sense, I would say giving people as many options as possible is the best thing a developer could do.
“Gaming as a whole is very important to me and a big part of my life and I can’t imagine what it would be like if I lost more of my sight. Playing games is a great stress reliever, both as a solo gamer and a fun social activity when playing with friends. All games are created to let the player have fun, and all disabled people should have the chance to have fun just like anyone else.”
For more information or to register to host a fundraising gaming stream for RNIB visit rnib.org.uk/gaming-for-rnib
TUC: Long Covid at work survey
The TUC is interested in the experiences of people with Long Covid in work, including people who have lost their jobs because of Long Covid.
Long Covid is the term used to describe COVID-19 symptoms that extending beyond the initial infection. Evidence on Long Covid points to symptoms of COVID-19 lasting for weeks, months and possibly years after the infection.
This survey asks questions to better understand how workers with Long Covid have been treated in the workplace.