Older people’s care charity enters its 80th year with new Chief Executive
LifeCare Edinburgh has announced the appointment of Damian McGowan as its new Chief Executive.
The renowned Stockbridge-based charity offers registered care and outreach support for older people in need living across the North of the city. Established in 1941, the organisation supports over 800 elderly clients every year supporting a variety of issues including dementia, loneliness, mobility issues, food poverty, mental health problems and carer support.
Damian McGowan, a trained social worker, brings with him over 30 years’ experience in social work, social care and adult care services. He is joining the charity following 20 years leading Gowrie Care, part of Hillcrest Group, and most recently as Managing Director at Corcare in Cornwall.
Announcing the appointment Jock Miller, Chair of the Board of Trustees said: “Damian brings a wealth experience and leadership talents which will immediately benefit everyone within the charity and will have a hugely positive impact on all of our important care services.
“We are thrilled that in the year in which we will celebrate our 80-year anniversary, and in which we will continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, Damian is joining us to drive forward and continue our well-known success offering first-class care for older people in our communities.”
Damian McGowan, CEO of LifeCare Edinburgh, said:“LifeCare delivers incredible high-quality care and support to hundreds of local older people within our communities every year.
“The care which my new colleagues deliver daily enables older people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible; they support both their physical and mental wellbeing. This is always vital, but never more so than through this shocking pandemic which has disproportionately affected older people who are otherwise left chronically isolated and vulnerable.
“I am extremely proud and honoured to be joining LifeCare at this crucial time. Collectively the board and all the staff have worked tirelessly to continue to safely deliver the key support our hundreds of elderly clients continue to need to survive this crisis.
“They have quickly adapted, redesigned, and introduced new key services to make sure that all essential needs have been met. Once we are able, I very much look forward to getting out into the community to safely meet with the people we support and to working with our board, staff and all of our dedicated volunteers.”
LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity and relies on the support of its funders. Key relationships include Barclays, Lothian Buses, Tesco Bank Edinburgh and all the many local people who take part in community fundraising events.
Scottish based events group, 21CC has today, announced that a donation of over £3,000 will be made to the Scottish Intensive Care Society, following the sell-out of its lighting trail, Wondrous Woods, which was hosted at the magnificent Hopetoun House in October last year.
Following a year of cancelled events and widespread difficulties within the events industry, 21CC launched Wondrous Woods as part of their pivotal strategy for alternative revenue generation and to support the events sector supply chain, as well as to offer the public something magical to look forward to.
Director of 21CC and brainchild of Wondrous Woods, Geoff Crow comments, “As a business operating solely in the event space, we had to make a lot of changes to keep our business going, pivoting from the norm and with an amazing team behind us, we were lucky enough to produce the most spectacular event at Hopetoun House.
“In light of its success, we knew we wanted to show our love and support to those who were working tirelessly in this ongoing battle, and with the Scottish Intensive Care Society incredibly close to our hearts, the donation to them was an easy choice.”
Following a year of cancelled events and widespread difficulties within the events industry, 21CC launched Wondrous Woods to offer a touch of magic to visitors. The COVID-compliant outdoor event saw tickets purchased in their thousands, each with an option to donate a percentage to charity.
The team at 21CC has been supporting Intensive Care over the last few months by inputting to the launch of the Critical Care Recovery and Rehabilitation Fund initiative and therefore decided to make the Scottish Intensive Care Society (SCIO) the charity of choice for donations from Wondrous Woods.
Dr Elizabeth Wilson, Past President of the Scottish Intensive Care Society, explains how the donation will be used: “There are long term consequences associated with an episode of critical illness, which can persist well beyond 12 months after discharge from hospital. ICU survivors commonly experience impairments in physical function, cognition and mental health.
“Typical sequelae range from the inability to physically perform activities of daily living unassisted, to memory impairment, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Relatives also suffer psychological morbidity, particularly anxiety and depression. An individual’s inability to return to work, combined with the burden of carer responsibilities, can impact profoundly on a family’s welfare, both socially and economically.”
Dr Wilson continued: “In contrast to other specialities which have well established rehabilitation programmessuch as cardiology, respiratory and stroke medicine, there is no dedicated, resourced pathway for ICU survivors.
“Never has this been more pertinent than during the COVID pandemic. This fund will support the rehabilitation needs of patients throughout Scotland, as they continue their recovery journey from critical illness back to health.”
21CC Group is a Scottish based events group based outside Edinburgh, established in 1999. The company produce events around the country for corporate groups, festivals, local authorities, and private clients.
A leading charity and coalition of leading organisations has expressed its disappointment that special schools are not set to re-open and has urged the Scottish Government to reconsider its position. It has also urged that teachers and support staff at these schools be among the priority groups being vaccinated.
The call has been made by Kindred, an advocacy organisation supporting parents of children with complex needs. Its director, Sophie Pilgrim, has written to the Scottish Government’s deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education, John Swinney MSP, urging it to reopen special schools to full time-placements who want to return.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, an alliance of leading organisations that campaigns to improve services for vulnerable children and young people has also given its backing to the call.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland special schools have remained open, whereas in Scotland there is a patchy picture, with some local authorities keeping all special schools open while others are offering pupils a few days at school each week, or no provision at all.
In addition, some independent grant-aided special schools appear to have closed altogether and reverted to ‘on-line’ learning for their children, even though it is evident that many of the children cannot engage in this form of learning.
In her letter, Ms Pilgrim has expressed her concern that with this second lockdown, children’s physical and mental health is also degenerating as they are not able to access the therapy and support required.
It notes that parents single-handily cannot provide that treatment and therapy for the children, without the support of the schools, highlighting that attendance at a special school goes beyond a child not getting an education, it is the therapeutic support that those children are getting and the respite support for the parents. The charity has heard that some children are being very violent towards their parents or their siblings, behaviours which are very hard to unlearn
Parents of children with complex needs are also in many cases experiencing physical and mental breakdown, impacting on their long-term capacity to care for their children.
In Scotland there is a presumption of mainstreaming, meaning that only children with the most complex needs are given a place within specialist provision, which is delivered through a rigorous process of assessment. There is no doubt that all these children would be classed as vulnerable and these are children who cannot be left alone and unsupervised and some require 2:1 care.
The UK Government has stated: “Special schools should continue to welcome and encourage pupils to attend full-time where the parent/carer wishes for their child to be able to attend. Special post-16 settings should continue to welcome and encourage students to attend as per their usual timetable where the young person wishes to attend. [1]
On these grounds, special schools have been kept open in the other nations of the United Kingdom.
Sophie Pilgrim commented: “We are really disappointed that special schools are not set to reopen. As a charity we have been speaking to parents of children with complex needs and they tell us that their children’s physical and mental health is degenerating because they are simply unable to maintain therapy and support within the home environment.
“The weather is now too cold for many parents to take children out. Added to a loss of routine, this has created further stress and anxiety for these children, often leading to challenging behaviour not seen before. Many parents in turn are sleep deprived and often neglecting their own medical and care needs.
“Special schools have a vital role to play, providing respite from care for parents, as well as therapy, education and social engagement for our most vulnerable children. Without these reopening we will pay a heavy price as a society.
“We would urge that Scotland follows the lead shown by England, Wales and Northern Ireland and we re-open our special schools to full time placements for those who want to return.“
Kenny Graham from the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition also backed this call: “There is a current patchwork approach to opening special schools across Scotland and we fully add our support to this call by Kindred to ensure that these are fully reopened.
“Many of those we are supporting are finding the current situation incredibly challenging, with greatly increased social exclusion through being at home.
“The loss of routine has proven extremely difficult for many, impacting in many cased on both the children and their parents. It is vital for those who want to, that they have the opportunity to return to school and have full access to the care and support they feel they need.”
Claudia’s son Christian is 11 years old and has complex needs, uses a wheelchair and is visually impaired. He also has respiratory problems, but the most difficult issue is his uncontrollable seizure activity. Christian is fed by tube, requires constant suction and needs an apnoea monitor during the night because sometimes he stops breathing.
Christian normally attends Oaklands School in Edinburgh but is now at home full-time.
Claudia has two other boys (aged 14 and 15) to look after and her husband is working at home.
Christian gets a day of respite at Calareidh, which is an NHS facility supports the needs of children with very complex needs.
Claudia however notes she is:
“Really struggling to do the physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and various sensory therapies that Christian needs and I feel that I am unable to fully meet his care needs. These were previously done at the school and with another lockdown, everything has stopped with a huge impact on Christian’s engagement and progress.”
Juggling Christian’s needs, medical, personal care, therapy and education with home-working and home-schooling his older brothers is also challenging because each one needs a dedicated space, so that means that Christian and Claudia have to be in only one room for most of the day. Christian would be developing better at school because the staff are trained to help in his development and Claudia is concerned that she can do a fraction of what they do at school.
Claudia believes all special schools should be open, with precautions in place, and offering children full provision during lockdown.
Kirsty Watt, Edinburgh
Eilidh Watt is 13 years old and has complex needs including learning disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her mum, Kirsty Watt, is a single parent.
Eilidh is non-verbal, has balance and coordination problems and is tube-fed. She has intractable epilepsy and can experience as many as 10 seizures a day, with her oxygen needing to be monitored. Each night Kirsty stays up until 11.30pm or 12 to ensure that Eilidh’s tube-feeding has been completed.
Eilidh is usually up at least once in the night and sometimes on three occasions. Kirsty has to be up again at 7am to try get her ready for the school bus.
From being at Braidburn special school full time, which was a real godsend for the family, she is now at school in Edinburgh three days a week and has two night of respite care each week,
Kirsty notes that “Being at school is very important for those with special needs as they have a routine and home learning has left Eilidh incredibly unsettled and her behaviour can become quite unsettled.”
Maya James, Edinburgh
Maya’s son Dillan (above) is 10 years old and is at Prospect Bank School. He is now attending school only two days a week following the lockdown.
Maya has three children and says that she is able to explain to the other children about Coronavirus including her youngest who is 4 years old.
Dillan however has no understanding and with the loss of routine “his whole world has collapsed, he is very distressed and has become aggressive.”
Maya says the family is not coping and there is nowhere to take the children.
Current lockdown measures will stay in place across mainland Scotland and some island communities until at least the middle of February, the First Minister confirmed yesterday.
Schools across Scotland will also continue to use remote learning until at least the middle of February except in the case of vulnerable children and those of key workers.
During an update to Parliament the First Minister said that although lockdown appears to be having an impact on case numbers, transmission of the virus remains too high to relax restrictions.
Nobody who lives in an area under lockdown should leave or remain outside their home except for an essential purpose like caring responsibilities, outdoor exercise and work that cannot be done from home.
These measures will be kept under consideration and Parliament will be updated following a review by the Cabinet on February 2.
Lockdown measures will remain in place across parts of Scotland until at least mid-February.
Watch FM @NicolaSturgeon explain why continuing to #StayAtHome is the best way we can protect ourselves, our loved ones and the NHS ⬇️
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers remain high, even though they might be declining, could quickly send the situation into reverse.
“We believe that the lockdown restrictions – and the sacrifices everyone continues to make – are beginning to have an impact. However, it is important to be cautious.
“I continue to be very grateful to people across the country for their patience and resilience in the face of this extraordinary challenge.
“At the moment, lockdown is the best way of keeping each other safe, as vaccination continues. It is how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
Police are appealing for witnesses following the death of a man found near Cousland in Midlothian on Sunday (17 January).
A report was received relating to an off-road motorcycle on fire on land off Hadfast Road in the Midlothian village around 9.20am on Sunday.
Emergency services attended and the body of a man was found near the motorcycle.
The death is being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
Work is also ongoing to formally identify the man who has died.
Detective Chief Inspector Bryan Burns, of Lothian & Borders CID, said: “We are carrying out extensive enquiries in order to establish exactly what has happened prior to the man being found dead during the morning of Sunday, 17 January.
“He was found on a path in woodland to the west of the village of Cousland where it runs under the A68 road, which we know is regularly used by locals.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have seen a fire or heard any activity in the area overnight or in the early hours of Sunday to get in touch.
“We would also be keen to speak to anyone who may have been driving in the area around Cousland or on the A68 who may have seen the fire or who may have dashcam footage.
“If you have any information you can call 101, quoting incident 0931 of 17 January.”
A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an assault as part of this investigation. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and he was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 19 January, 2021.
Pressure has mounted on the Prime Minister to provide a vital lifeline to millions of families across the UK after a House of Commons debate and vote on Monday evening to extend benefit increases which is worth £20 per week.
Millions of low -income households across the UK could see their incomes fall dramatically in April if the uplift in universe credit ends.
It is estimated that around 16 million people will be in households facing an overnight income loss equivalent to £1,040 a year, with those on the lowest incomes and families with children being hardest hit.
In an instant, 700,000 more people risk being pulled into poverty, including 300,000 children, and 500,000 more of those already in poverty will be plunged deeper into poverty (more than 50% below the poverty line).
Christians Against Poverty along with other charities are urging the Prime Minister to back the ‘Keep the Lifeline’ campaign and support making it permanent for those on Universal and tax credits.
Emma Jackson, National Director of CAP in Scotland said, “The uplift has been a lifeline for people and to remove it would cause devastating effects. We are urging the government to keep the £20 Universal credit uplift in place, and extend it to those on legacy benefits.
“Introducing this was a bold and compassionate measure made by the government and this one action has prevented hundreds of thousands of families across the UK from being pulled further under by the tide of poverty. We know right now that things are incredibly difficult for those on the lowest of incomes and they need financial support.
“We are delighted that significant support has been displayed today in favour of keeping the £20 a week uplift on UC and tax credits. Introducing the £20 a week uplift has been a vital lifeline for so many of our clients at CAP. This one action has prevented hundreds of thousands of families across the UK from being pulled under by the tide of poverty.
“However, we’re extremely disappointed that the government has yet to take the opportunity to extend the uplift. This will put extra pressure and uncertainty on so many families, including pushing families into debt to meet essential costs.
“For those already worried about debt, CAP and other free debt help charities are still here and still working to help those overcome the weight of debt.”
New minimum hourly rates for Store Assistants of £9.55 nationally, rising to £10.57
All Scottish store colleagues to receive hourly pay increases
New minimum hourly pay exceeds the Living Wage Foundation’s latest recommended pay rates
Aldi is one of the only supermarkets to offer paid breaks, which means its colleagues remain the best-paid in the sector
Aldi is recruiting for 335 new store colleagues in Scotland in 2021
Aldi has recognised the amazing contribution of its store colleagues by giving them a New Year’s pay rise and increasing its minimum hourly rates from 1 February 2021.
All of Aldi’s 1,500 Scottish Store Assistant colleagues will benefit from the pay rise, with Aldi paying a minimum hourly rate of £9.55, up from £9.40.
The new rates of pay are also boosted by the fact Aldi is still one of the only UK supermarkets to pay for breaks taken during shifts, which means Aldi colleagues remain the best-paid in the sector. When paid breaks are included, Aldi’s minimum hourly pay rate for store colleagues, based on an average six-hour shift, will be £10.11*.
These changes mean that Aldi store colleagues across Scotland will earn a minimum of £0.83 more per hour than the current National Living Wage.
The pay rise follows bonuses that were awarded to store colleagues in April and December 2020, in recognition of their efforts throughout the pandemic.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer, Aldi UK and Ireland said: “I want to express my sincere thanks to every single Aldi colleague, who stepped up when it mattered and helped us succeed in our most important mission of all – feeding the nation.
“That is down to our people. Their outstanding efforts have ensured that our customers continue to have access to fresh affordable food, every single day. It has never been more important to ensure that our colleagues are rewarded fully for their immense contribution during a challenging period for everyone.”
This year will see Aldi open its 100th Scottish store in Scotland. Currently, the retailer has 96 Scottish stores stocking some of the finest and best value locally sourced food and drink.
This year it will invest a further £20 million in four new stores, which include Hermiston Gait in Edinburgh, Thornybank Industrial Estate in Dalkeith, Portlethen Retail Park in Aberdeen and J24 Retail Park in Govan, while a new store in Gateside Commerce Park, Haddington will open to replace the existing store.
To support this growth, Aldi is recruiting 335 store-level positions in Scotland this year. For the latest vacancies, please visit https://www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/.
UNISON’s Edinburgh Council branch has reacted angrily to attacks on council workers by Conservative leader Ian Whyte in the Evening News (18 January), and has urged the public to get behind staff who have worked ‘above and beyond’ throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
Tom Connolly, UNISON Edinburgh branch secretary, said: “Councillor Whyte (below) should be praising the work of council staff who have been providing services above and beyond throughout the pandemic. Again this is an example of Conservative hypocrisy, clapping workers on the Thursday then slapping them on the Monday.”
Slamming Ian Whyte’s call for staff to be compulsorily redeployed to tasks ‘like winter maintenance’, Tom Connolly added: “I’m sure the public would have questions to ask if staff were taken off tasks like child protection or environmental protection to clear pavements. The fact is that council workers have volunteered in droves to help out throughout the pandemic, inventing new ways of working and ensuring services are delivered where possible. They deserve thanks not criticism.
“Thankfully, the public see the real picture. They see under-pressure, under-paid NHS, Social Care & Council staff and all key workers putting themselves on the frontline to help the vulnerable.
“Councillor Whyte’s comments are the more galling given the Conservative austerity onslaught that has seen local government cut to shreds with 50,000 public service jobs cut in Scotland. The local Conservatives should do something meaningful, such as calling for greater public sector investment
“The real lesson the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us is not so-called flexibility to cover up cuts. It is that if all public services had been adequately maintained and grown, we would have been in a much better place to respond.
“UNISON stands with our members and all keyworkers and thanks them for all that they have done and continue to do.”
A new survey into the nation’s TV viewing habits reveals that, on average, Edinburgh viewers currently spend 28 hours of every week glued to their tellies, clocking up to 112 hours a month.
Commissioned by Samsung UK, the research shows that as many as 82 percent of those in the area surveyed said having good things to watch this January and February would help them get through the bleaker winter months.
With 80 percent of the British nation having enjoyed watching more TV during 2020, the research reveals that, in Edinburgh, the average household is set to enjoy 22 box set episodes, 10 sit-coms, six soap opera episodes and four football matches per month. Over a quarter of those polled said that in 2021 they could not live without their TVs.
In an average month this year, viewers in Edinburgh will also enjoy 14 reruns of their favourite shows, nine films, seven game shows and five reality shows – as well as a staggering 73 YouTube videos.
The research also uncovers that over the period of a month, people in Edinburgh will fall asleep in front of the TV three times, have four family feuds over what to watch, snuggle up with a furry friend five times and spill something on the carpet at least four times.
The True Crime genre TV capital of the UK is revealed to be London, with Brits in the city set to enjoy eight episodes each month.
Moreover, the research into TV habits reveals that the soap opera capital of the UK is officially Bristol, where residents will indulge in nine episodes of their favourite soap each month.
Meanwhile it was revealed that hardcore football fans are most likely to be found in Newcastle upon Tyne, watching up to six matches a month.
The research also found that Edinburgh is shifting from watching traditional terrestrial TV to using more modern streaming platforms.
Overall, 46 percent of the nation favours Netflix and this rings true for Edinburgh households, as 38 percent prefer to use this platform over anything else to get their entertainment fix.
Other popular streaming platforms across Edinburgh include Amazon Prime (10 percent), Disney+ (six percent) and BBC iPlayer (eight percent).
The old saying “Laughter is the best medicine” certainly rings true across the nation, as over half of Edinburgh based participants (68 percent) will be watching comedy shows to help keep spirits up throughout the beginning of the year.
In fact, viewers in the UK will laugh until they cry at least five times a month, with 66 percent of Edinburgh based adults admitting comedy is their favourite type of programme to watch. This was closely followed by documentaries (46 percent) true crime (36 percent), game shows (34 percent) and light entertainment (32 percent).
Deep Halder, Head of TV/AV Retail & Content Services, Samsung Electronics UK Ltd said: “As the nation is set to spend even more time at home this year, many of us will be turning to our TVs to provide some comfort and light relief during these times.
“At Samsung, we’re always listening to what our customers desire from their viewing experiences and with almost half turning to comedy shows, we’re proud to have recently launched Samsung’s own Comedy channel via Samsung TV Plus – our exclusive service which offers Smart TV owners instant access to over 80 live and on-demand TV channels for free, guaranteeing endless entertainment options.”
The survey also showed that selecting what to view on TV isn’t always plain sailing, with the average Edinburgh household spending 10 minutes per day bickering over what to watch and 15 minutes flicking through the channels.
One of the biggest frustrations, however, is often finding the remote in the first place, with the research revealing that they spend seven minutes every day searching for the elusive item.
To find out more about Samsung’s TV portfolio, from its pioneering QLED 8K TVs offering state-of-the-art technology, to its impeccably stylish range of lifestyle TVs with innovative features, please visit www.samsung.com/uk/.
INDEPENDENCE ‘THE ONLY WAY’ TO SECURE SCOTLAND’S PLACE IN THE EU
The SNP has challenged Willie Rennie to say whether he backs his London bosses, after UK Lib Dem leader Ed Davey confirmed that his party would abandon any attempts to rejoin the EU, joining Labour and the Tories in becoming a pro-Brexit party.
In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr, he said that the Lib Dems are “not a rejoin party” – despite promising to voters in their 2019 General Election manifesto that every vote for the party was a “vote to stop Brexit and stay in the European Union”.
The move confirms the SNP as the only major party committed to reversing Brexit and securing Scotland’s membership of the EU.
SNP candidate for Edinburgh Western, Sarah Masson, said: “The Lib Dems have firmly joined the Tories and Labour in becoming pro-Brexit parties, making it crystal clear that the only way to protect Scotland’s interests and secure our place in the EU is to become an independent country.
“With the Lib Dems delivering another trademark U-turn, Willie Rennie must end the silence and clarify whether he stands by his previous pledge to ‘pursue re-entry’ to the EU – and if so, how he squares that with his UK colleagues’ policy – or if it was all hollow rhetoric and he will simply now fall into line and accept the devastating impact Brexit is having on Scottish businesses, including our vital fishing communities.
“The SNP is now the only major pro-EU party committed to rejoining the EU. With the main Westminster parties all signed up to Brexit and the damaging consequences it brings – even in the event of a change in government – there is no route back to the EU through Westminster.
“Scotland can do so much better than a Westminster system acting against our interests. Only by becoming an independent country will we be able to work to rejoin the EU, protect our vital industries and economy, and be part of the world’s largest single market.”
