First Minister John Swinney has raised his concerns about reports of intended large-scale cuts by the UK Government to its development assistance budget to Malawi.
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Yvette Cooper, the First Minister referred to his recent visit to Malawi and stressed the urgent need for ongoing aid.
The First Minister said he was deeply disappointed at the UK Government’s decision earlier this year to further cut its overseas aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income, and called for clarity on its intentions for Malawi as part of those aid cuts.
In his letter, he said: “My visit to Malawi allowed me to see first-hand the positive difference and impact that Scottish Government funded initiatives are having on the ground.
“It is very clear, however, and well documented globally, the very real challenges that Malawi continues to face, across its health services, education, infrastructure, and the increasing devastating impact of climate change on communities in Malawi, in particular those living in rural areas.
“The Scottish Government is proud of work to support Malawi. The UK Government too was once rightly proud of its efforts on international aid. Now we are seeing an alarming change in approach – cutting funding for those most in need at a time when that support is more necessary than ever.
“I ask you to reconsider the reported cuts and to take a position that allows our two governments to work in a spirit of collaboration to support the people of Malawi.
“In terms of how those cuts in UK aid are then implemented, we have been waiting for sight of the final allocations provided to each of our partner countries, which I understand are due to be made in the next months. I have been extremely concerned, therefore, to read reports in the media suggesting impending – drastic – cuts to Malawi.
“Regardless of the actions of the UK Government, the Scottish Government will continue to be a good global citizen and will continue to support and advocate for our partner countries like Malawi.”
Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh has announced the launch of a new three-year full-time BSc Nursing programme, offering students a faster route into the nursing workforce at a time of growing demand for qualified healthcare professionals.
For several years, QMU has offered courses which are studied over 4 years – a BSc Honours and a Master of Nursing – but this new 3 year degree expands QMU’s current provision, providing students aspiring to become qualified nurses with more routes to registration.
QMU’s new BSc Nursing provides an accelerated pathway to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), enabling graduates to enter the workforce a year earlier, while still benefiting from the University’s renowned high-quality teaching and person-centred approach to nurse education. Eligible students will also benefit from the £10,000 annual bursary for the full three-year duration of the course, alongside tuition fees covered by the Scottish Government.
Fast-track into nursing
The new BSc Nursing (three-year fulltime) offers:
Accelerated registration with the NMC, allowing graduates to join the workforce sooner.
Shared learning opportunities with students across QMU’s Division of Nursing and Paramedic Science, including those on the BSc Nursing (Hons), Master of Nursing, and BSc Nursing (Earn as you Learn) programmes.
Financial support, with eligible students receiving the £10,000 annual bursary for each of the three years, alongside tuition fees covered by the Scottish Government.
A condensed timetable with shorter summer breaks, ensuring students remain on track to graduate within three years.
Students will benefit from QMU’s strong partnerships with NHS Health Boards and other healthcare providers, gaining hands-on experience in a wide range of clinical settings.
The programme emphasises person-centred care, leadership development, and interprofessional learning, preparing graduates to deliver safe, compassionate, and effective healthcare.
On successful completion of the degree, graduates will have the option to enter the nursing workforce with the NHS or private sector. Subject to approval, this course will commence on 14th September 2026.
Meeting the needs of healthcare
Ruth Magowan, Head of the Division of Nursing at QMU, commented: “This new accelerated programme reflects QMU’s commitment to innovation and flexibility in healthcare education.
“By offering students the chance to qualify in three years instead of four, we are helping to strengthen the nursing workforce while ensuring our graduates are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and compassion needed to deliver excellent person-centred care.
“QMU has a longstanding reputation for excellence in nursing education, preparing students for rewarding careers in healthcare. With strong links to clinical practice, a focus on person-centred care, and a supportive learning environment, QMU graduates are highly sought after across Scotland and beyond.
“We are delighted to support the Scottish Government’s ambition to bolster the country’s healthcare workforce by playing a pivotal role in strengthening Scotland’s nursing profession.”
Scotland’s first summit on neurodevelopmental support takes place today – Monday 15 December.
The event will bring together people from clinical services, education, local government, academia and policy.This will support a shared discussion on how Scotland can improve access to, and the availability of, neurodevelopmental support.
The aim of the discussion is to work towards ensuring neurodivergent people get the right help at the right time, ensuring consistent support, assessment, and diagnosis, where required.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur, who is chairing the summit, said: “Demand for assessment and support has risen sharply, putting pressure on health, education and social care services. Too many families are waiting too long for help.
“Our system must change so people get support based on what they need, not how long they wait for a diagnosis. We’re making progress through our work with COSLA and the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce, and we’ve invested an additional £500,000 this year to improve access to care.
“But we must go further. Real change comes from us all working together. My aim is that the summit gives us a stronger shared understanding of what needs to change and a collective determination to make that happen.”
Neurodevelopmental conditions include autism and ADHD. There has been a large increase in the number of people seeking neurodevelopmental support, assessment and diagnosis in recent years. This is creating significant pressure on a number of services, with long waiting lists being held by health boards for diagnostic assessments.
Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopmental Support
It has also set up a new Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce to drive forward these improvements, and are providing an additional £500,000 funding this year to enhance the support available to children and families.
The Taskforce has now met twice, in October and December 2025.
Adult Neurodevelopmental Support
The Scottish government funds the National Autism Implementation Team, which is currently supporting NHS Boards to develop, enhance and redesign existing local adult neurodevelopmental services.
We have launched the next phase of our £2.5m multi-year Autistic Adult Support Fund, which aims to help autistic adults understand what neurodivergence means for them and improve their wellbeing.
We continue to fund NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) to deliver professional learning on neurodevelopmental conditions.
Join MycoBee Mushrooms CIC and discover the power of functional mushrooms and their benefits for our well-being. Explore, learn, and try some mushroom tea.
All events are free to join. To book your place, email Mycobee stating the date and time of the event you would like to book: info@mycobee.org.
20 December, 1-3 pm at Granton Castle Walled Garden
First 15 claims for those infected and who have died begin
First 15 claims for affected people also started on Thursday
This follows November’s announcement of first living infected but never compensated claims starting.
The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has opened the service to the first people in the next two groups of compensation claims, bringing in 15 claims for each group initially.
Since being established last year, 3,600 living infected people who are registered with a support scheme have already been contacted to start their claim, and IBCA has offered more than £2.2 billion and paid more than £1.7 billion in compensation.
Last month, IBCA opened the service to the first 60 living infected people who have never been compensated for the harm done to them by the infected blood scandal. Now the first people in each of the next two groups can begin making their compensation claims, before the compensation service scales up further.
These first people to claim have been identified through IBCA’s register your intent service, which opened in early October. They are claims for those infected who are now deceased, and those who are affected by the infected blood scandal (for example parents, partners, siblings, children or unregistered carers of infected people).
Speaking about this next step in IBCA’s compensation process, David Foley, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said:“We are committed to paying each and every person who is eligible, as soon as we can.
“We’ve been working with infected blood community members to create a compensation claim service that meets their needs. This next step allows us to work on more types of claims, before we then grow the service further for more people and begin processing claims for all groups in parallel.
“We’ll be prioritising claims for those who are sadly nearing the end of their lives, followed by older age groups, as recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry.
“We recognise that the festive period can be a challenging time for many in the community. Receiving contact from IBCA may bring up difficult emotions, and we want to reassure those who have been contacted from the next groups to begin their claim that they can begin their claim at a time that’s right for them.”
Just over one year ago, IBCA opened to the first group of people to begin their claim, starting with small numbers and then growing the service with feedback from the community.
IBCA has now opened the service to some people from every group eligible to make a claim, again starting small before scaling up. The number of claims for each new group will initially be low before increasing, once the claim service is ready to widen out further. IBCA is not processing supplementary claims at this time.
Anyone who intends to make a claim with IBCA for compensation should register now with IBCA’s recently opened register your intent service.
This is an online service open to all groups who intend to make a claim – please follow this link to register so we can contact each person as soon as their claim can begin.
A Fort Kinnaird jeweller has traded treats for festive spirit and gifted lucky shoppers with a free gift card – simply for spreading a little Christmas cheer.
Beaverbrooks, at Fort Kinnaird Shopping Park rewarded festive visitors in each of its 57 stores who showed off their seasonal spirit by wearing a Christmas jumper, bringing mistletoe, or belting out a Christmas classic.
The retailer rewarded up to five festive visitors in each of its 57 stores with a Beaverbrooks gift card worth £50, to be spent on jewellery, diamonds, or watches – perfect for ticking off Christmas shopping lists.
The one-day-only event was designed to bring a little extra magic to Fort Kinnaird in December, encouraging customers to support their local high street and experience the warm, personal service in the Fort Kinnaird Beaverbrooks store which the family-owned jeweller is known for.
For those who may have missed the one-day event, Beaverbrooks is running a Spend and Save offer from Friday 12 December in-store and online, for a limited time only. Shoppers can save £20 off £100 on all full-priced jewellery, using code SAVE20.
Fiona House, Branch Manager at Beaverbrooks Fort Kinnaird, said: “We love seeing the high street come to life at Christmas, and this year we were delighted to do something that adds even more sparkle to the festive shopping experience.
“Our Christmas Cheer event was all about spreading joy, celebrating the little moments that make this time of year so wonderful – and maybe treating yourself or a loved one to something truly special along the way.
“We loved seeing how our customers got involved and brought plenty of festive fun in-store! The whole day was truly special and perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit.”
For more information about the Christmas Cheer event, visit:
Doctors told an Edinburgh man that if it hadn’t been for the seizure which revealed his incurable brain cancer, he wouldn’t be here to see Christmas.
Jerry Kerrisk, 66, was fit, active, and showing no symptoms when he suddenly collapsed in June 2025 during a seizure. The episode, which happened while visiting his twin sons, Conor and Brendan, 25, led to the discovery of a glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer.
Now, the Kerrisk family are helping to raise awareness of the Brain Tumour Research Christmas Appeal, which is calling on the public to fund pioneering research and help change the story for brain tumour patients.
More than 100,000 people in the UK are estimated to be living with a brain tumour or the long-term effects of their diagnosis, yet research into the disease remains severely underfunded.
Jerry’s wife, Janice, 62, said: “Jerry has always been a kind, practical man who appreciates all things in life. He loves being outdoors, walking our dog Rua, playing golf, and spending time with family and friends.He is an electrician by trade; hardworking, dependable, and good-humoured. His colleagues often describe him as “one of life’s true gentlemen,” and that could not be truer.
“The morning of his collapse, he seemed quiet and a little distracted. As we were heading out shopping, he suddenly said, ‘We need to write our wills and decide where we’ll put our ashes.’ It was such an odd comment that it stopped me in my tracks, but I thought he was worrying about his prostate cancer, which is under control.
“Less than an hour later, we were visiting our sons when he suddenly roared, lifted his arm towards the sky, and collapsed face down on the grass in a violent seizure. By the time the paramedics arrived, Jerry had suffered two further seizures. He was unconscious, bleeding from his mouth and nose. It was absolutely horrific to watch.”
Jerry was taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he experienced a third seizure. Initial CT scans appeared clear, but when he failed to recover fully, doctors ordered further tests.
An MRI scan revealed a brain tumour, and the following week the family were told it was a 4cm glioblastoma, with a typical prognosis of 12 to 18 months.
“The diagnosis was devastating,” Janice said. “I had prepared myself for bad news, but Jerry hadn’t. He thought the surgery would remove it and he would recover. When the consultant said the words ‘grade 4 glioblastoma’, he was in shock.
“He turned to the doctor and said quietly, ‘I feel like I’m a dead man walking.’ I will never forget those words. I sat taking notes while he stared at the floor in silence. We left the hospital numb.”
Jerry underwent surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible and was discharged within days. Further testing showed it was “unmethylated”, meaning resistant to temozolomide – a key drug for glioblastoma.
He began six weeks of radiotherapy and oral chemotherapy following surgery and is now on maintenance cycles of treatment. Despite ongoing fatigue, he continues to walk Rua twice a day, plays golf, and enjoys fishing.
Now, ‘Team Jerry’ have channelled their energy into supporting Brain Tumour Research by completing the 99 Miles in November challenge. Janice, her son Conor, her sister Anne, nephew Niall, and his partner Gordon walked a combined 500 miles, raising more than £15,700, including Gift Aid, for the charity.
The sum is enough to fund more than five days of research, such as that taking place at the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, a game-changing collaboration with the Beatson Cancer Charity. The Centre is focused on developing kinder treatments and finding a cure for glioblastoma, the same type of tumour that Jerry is living with.
Janice said: “What I want most is a breakthrough, for Jerry and for others like him. The prognosis for glioblastoma is so cruelly short.
“I dream of the day when people no longer hear that this diagnosis is terminal. Jerry does not talk much about the future, but every so often he will say something that stops me in my tracks. The other night, after being out with friends for a birthday lunch, he said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be here next year’. I told him we have to stay positive, because we do. That is how we get through.
“Our lives have changed completely, but our love, our humour, and our faith in one another remain. Jerry is still Jerry – gentle, strong, and quietly brave. I hope we can help make a difference so that, one day, families like ours will have real hope for the future.”
Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age and kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer. Yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
Ashley McWilliams, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Janice and her family have shown incredible strength and positivity since Jerry’s diagnosis. Their determination to raise awareness and fund research is truly inspiring.
“We are so grateful to Team Jerry for supporting our 99 Miles in November challenge and Christmas Appeal, and for helping to fund vital research such as the work taking place at our new Scottish Centre of Excellence. Every step they take brings us closer to finding a cure for this devastating disease.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.
The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
To support the Brain Tumour Research Christmas Appeal, visit:
20 December, 1-3 pm at Granton Castle Walled Garden
