The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 2558 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Hospital workers check in to city hotel

FRONTLINE workers leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Edinburgh are booking in to the city’s largest independent hotel after it committed to offering free rooms and meals.

Since opening its doors on Friday evening to help clinical and medical staff at the capital’s hospitals, Ten Hill Place witnessed more than 232 room nights booked over the weekend into Wednesday, accommodating guests over the coming weeks.

The hotel, owned by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and operated by Surgeons Quarter, is located less than a mile from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and three miles from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

It is now calling on even more workers to make use of its 129 bedrooms – and as well as offering a continental packed breakfast it is also now including a free evening meal courtesy of its award-winning catering team.

The huge effort has drawn praise from the RCSEd President, Professor Michael Griffin, regarded as one of the UK’s leading surgeons. He said: “COVID-19 is unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes – and I know the strain it is putting across all aspects of our wonderful health service.

“The team at Ten Hill Place are giving tired workers vital respite to allow them to focus on caring for the country.

“The decision by Scott Mitchell, supported very strongly by myself and our team, to open the Hotel up to healthcare workers who are finding it difficult to get in on public transport was a brave but generous one. We are helping them to help us, our families and our friends as they fall ill from any condition, not just COVID-19.

“We simply can’t put a value on this. The work Surgeons Quarter has been doing is truly outstanding and admirable – everyone at the College is extremely proud.”

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director at Surgeons Quarter, said: “This is a really challenging time for everyone in the world.

“We are happy to be able to play a small part in helping to make the lives of our heroic Medical and Clinical workforce at the frontline of Scotland’s response to COVID-19 that little bit easier.

“We have been taken aback by the positive response to opening the hotel to NHS staff and the wider Medical and Clinical workforce and want to encourage those who are able to take advantage of our city centre location to get in touch.

“Ten Hill Place has 129 hotel rooms which are available to a variety of key workers carrying a valid hospital photographic identity card or similar. Please contact the hotel on 0131 662 2080 or by email at reservations@tenhillplace.com to make your booking.

“We look forward to continuing to welcome and looking after our NHS staff and wider Clinical and Medical workforce over the next few weeks.”

As well as the commitment to hospital staff, the RCSEd has engaged with the Chief Medical Officer to declare its willingness to temporarily convert the hotel, should hospitals overflow.

Surgeons Quarter has also pledged to pay all 76 salaried and contracted staff over at least the next three months, while adding discretionary sick pay at full levels.

Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus. All profits support the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgical standards worldwide.

Ten Hill Place Hotel can be contacted on 0131 662 2080 or reservations@tenhillplace.com

Rock Star … or Rock Bottom?

“We have to take a win-at-all-costs attitude to ensure British businesses survive. This is no time for unworkable criteria and red tape – the Government needs to realise this now before it’s too late.”

CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak was hailed a ‘rock star’ when he announced a range of measures to support British businesses facing a financial crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak.

But one entrepreneur says unless the Chancellor cuts the red tape and changes the criteria preventing firms from accessing vital funding – bosses will soon brand him ‘rock bottom’.

“The Chancellor has made it clear that his intention is to support the British economy and protect British business. The only way to do that in the current COVID-19 situation is to make sure the money is ready and easy to access,” said entrepreneur Eddie Black.

“The headlines about the Government’s announcement about helping businesses via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) are fantastic and the Chancellor looks like a rock star. The reality is very different to the headlines.”

Eddie (above), managing director of ECO, says that having read the terms of the loan, and having had in-depth conversations with a range of lenders on the panel, there’s some serious failings in the arrangements which could send businesses to the wall.

The loans are:

facilitated via the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme and only protects the banks up to 80 per cent
subject to the usual credit and due diligence (this is estimated to be a four to six-week process)
subject to the ability to service the loan – businesses need to provide evidence of future forecasts and business performance predictions

Eddie says this has knock-on effects for the banks: “Originally the banks were going to get 100 per cent guarantees and now it’s only 80 per cent.

“If there are defaults it will be down to the banks to pursue the debtor and take assets.

“The EFG Scheme might not be a favoured route for them because it means the British Business Bank can say that any inability to pay was down to the lender’s poor due diligence.”

In terms of eligibility criteria for the British Business Bank scheme, an SME must:

be UK-based in its business activity, with annual turnover of no more than £45m

have a borrowing proposal which, were it not for the current pandemic, would be considered viable by the lender, and for which the lender believes the provision of finance will enable the business to trade out of any short-to-medium term difficulty.

It’s this reliance on future forecasts and business performance projections which Eddie says is such a contradiction.

He went on: “The British Business Bank criteria states that a company needs to be viable now. Businesses have had all future, or current, opportunities or contracts suspended, and/or, in worst case scenarios, cancelled, without knowing what comes next.

“Businesses don’t know if that opportunity or contract will be there in the future. Will the client even exist?

“The serviceability and criteria elements are a complete contradiction in terms. No-one knows what the future holds. In many ways, it’s the survival of the fittest.

“There is a risk that businesses will default – that is why it has been described as a war chest.

“The best of British businesses will topple like dominoes if the Government don’t protect the banks. The banks should not be held accountable for lending money that they would not have been asked to lend if it were not for COVID-19.

“If the Chancellor really wants to back British business he needs to back the banks and put the liability on them to ensure that it gets this help into the economy.

“This is a sink or swim scenario and millions of jobs – and the livelihoods of families – are on the line.

“There may be a concern from the Government that businesses will flaunt the rules if these serviceability factors and criteria are not in place, and that might be holding them back on ensuring that this help is available immediately and is easily accessible.

“But businesses which flaunt the rules can be pursued at a later date. Most businesses are not geared up for failure and are in it for the long haul.

“The help is needed now. The money has been pledged and, even if there is a risk of some of it going down the drain, it is better than not getting it into the economy at all.

ECO has bases at Annan and Creca in Dumfries and Galloway, and in the North-West of England and works all over the UK. It employs 55 people which is due to increase to 80 when it opens its new HQ in the summer.

Deal,don’t cancel

Consumers are being advised not to cancel direct debits for services such as gym membership and pay TV during the coronavirus lock down period.

Experts from personal finance website TheMoneyPig.com have urged the public to speak to their service providers and negotiate a discount rather than trying to cancel services.

Many customers are feeling the pinch financially and thousands are expected to give their finances an overhaul during the coming weeks and cancel any direct debits they feel they no longer need.

But experts from The Money Pig said that rather than just cancel direct debits with their banks customers should speak directly with their suppliers to see if they are prepared to offer discounts during this difficult period.

They said that speaking to providers was also essential to ensure they don’t fall foul of any penalties or early cancellation charges which may be incurred by cancelling the direct debit.

A spokesman for the Money Pig said services such as gyms and pay per view sports channels were particularly under pressure with so many sports events currently postponed.

But they said providers were often willing to give substantial discounts or even waive fees altogether for a lengthy period to ensure they retain customers.

They warned consumers to be patient though as the coming weeks are likely to see a very high volume of calls and waiting times are likely to be lengthy.

A spokesman for The Money Pig said: “Millions of us are currently taking a long hard look at our finances and many will be tempted to cancel direct debits for things like gyms and sports clubs we won’t be able to use over the next couple of months.

“What we are saying to people is just to reach out and speak to the companies who provide these services and see if they can negotiate a discount or even if they are prepared to waive their fees altogether for the next few months.

“This is a time when the whole country is pulling together and many people are finding that service providers are being very accommodating with short term incentives in order to keep their custom in the longer term.

“We have seen reports of gyms agreeing to freeze memberships at no charge and companies such as Sky TV and Virgin media offering customers free sports packages for the next three months.

“By speaking to the service provider and discussing the options rather than just cancelling, customers can make sure they pay less in the long term by avoiding any cancellation charges or having to fork out for re-joining fees at a later date.

“One word of warning though: holding times are currently very high so try emailing or lie chat options first to relieve as much pressure from call centres as possible. If you do need to call then first thing in the morning or later in the evening may work best.”

Environment Secretary thanks the food and drink industry

To those working hard to feed the nation,

In the face of what is perhaps the greatest health challenge this country has faced in our lifetime, I want to pay tribute to all those who are working around the clock to keep the nation fed – in our fields, processing plants, factories, wholesalers, stores and takeaways and all of those moving goods around the country and to our homes.

The last three weeks have been stressful and difficult for everyone working to feed the country and provide them with other essential items. Food retailers have faced an unprecedented increase in demand and those working in food production and distribution have had to work harder than ever to ensure that food and drink are kept on the shelves.

The Government has recently taken some unprecedented steps to close cinemas, leisure centres and other public venues and to instruct people to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

However, there are many key workers that are crucial to the resilience of our country. Our NHS staff will be working harder than ever in the weeks ahead. Those of you working to provide the nation with food and other essentials are also delivering an absolutely vital service.

I am in regular dialogue with the food and drink industry and the Government has offered guidance to employers to ensure that when you do your job, you can do so safely. The advice of Public Health England is that there is very little risk of the virus being spread on food or packaging.

Everyone working in the food and drink industry has rallied in an extraordinary way to respond to this unprecedented challenge. Having worked in the food industry myself, I am personally enormously proud and thankful for all the work that you have done in recent weeks, and will be asked to do in the weeks ahead. In many cases you are the hidden heroes, and the country is grateful for all that you have done.

Yours sincerely,

George Eustice

Update on Tesco response to Coronavirus

We wrote to you last week setting out the measures we are taking to provide more of the food that people need, in a safe and clean environment (writes Tesco CEO DAVE LEWIS).

Our colleagues have risen brilliantly to the challenges of recent days, but this challenge is unprecedented and inevitably, despite our hard work and best intentions, not everything has or will go exactly to plan. But we’ll take learnings, we’ll be informed by the latest guidance from the Government, and we’ll keep going.

Importantly, we need your help to do this.

With that in mind, following the Prime Minister’s recent announcement, we wanted to write and update you on the measures we continue to take, and what new things you will begin to see in our stores in the next few days.

Food for all

To ensure more people have access to everyday essentials, we have introduced a store-wide restriction of 3 items per customer on every product line and removed multi-buy promotions.
In product areas where demand is particularly high, we have simplified our range to get more of the most popular products on shelves.
We have introduced a special hour in stores for NHS workers as a thank you for all they are doing. On Sundays, they can browse our large stores and select their shopping an hour before the checkouts open. All we ask is, if you’re an NHS worker, that you bring a form of ID to store, such as an NHS staff card. We have listened to feedback and are looking at how we can extend this to include extra days from next week.
To ensure our more vulnerable and elderly customers can shop for what they need in our large stores, we have prioritised one hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning between 9-10am.
We know that it’s difficult right now to get a delivery slot for online shopping. We are at full capacity for the next few weeks and we ask those who are able to safely come to stores to do so, instead of shopping online, so that we can start to free up more slots for the more vulnerable.
We are looking at every opportunity to increase the number of slots available. As we increase our capacity, we will also set aside more of these slots for our most vulnerable customers.
We have more stock coming into stores every day, with up to double the usual amounts of key essentials arriving – but we need everyone’s help: please buy only what you need, so that there is enough for everyone.

Safety for everyone

To ensure we are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of infection for our customers and colleagues, we will begin to introduce new social distancing measures in stores in the coming days:

Floor markings in our car parks will help you to maintain safe distances when queuing.
Where necessary, we will limit the flow of people coming into our stores to ensure they don’t get too congested.
Hand sanitisers are being placed around our stores for customers and colleagues to use, as well as extra cleaning products to wipe down your trolley or basket.
In some stores, we will introduce directional floor markings and new signage, to create a safe flow around the store.
New floor markings will help you to keep a safe distance from others while waiting to pay.
We are installing protective screens at our checkouts.
Where possible, we will create separate entrances and exits to our stores, so that it’s easier to keep a safe distance from other shoppers.

Supporting our colleagues

We are fully supporting our team of more than 300,000 Tesco colleagues, many of whom will be affected by this situation personally or will need to care for their own loved ones. The countless messages of gratitude I’ve received are testament to the incredible job they are doing, at a time when our stores have never been busier. Your small gestures and kind words really do go a long way.
We have almost 3,000 colleagues over the age of 70 and we are fully supporting them, as well as our vulnerable and pregnant colleagues, with 12 weeks’ fully paid absence.
Colleagues who are in isolation are receiving full pay from their first day of absence, so that nobody finds themselves in a situation where they have to work when unwell.
To help support our team, we are recruiting an additional 20,000 temporary colleagues. We’ve already appointed 12,500 new colleagues, but we will need more. We are also bringing in 8,000 new colleagues in driving roles, and we are training them as fast as we can.

It’s a challenging time for the whole country, but we are committed to playing our part in feeding the nation and to keeping everyone safe.

We also need your help to change the way you shop with us, so here are a few simple requests to help us serve you better:

Please check your store’s opening hours in advance.
Before you leave home, please bring enough bags for your shop. If it’s raining, don’t forget an umbrella too, in case you need to queue outside the store.
Try to shop with no more than one other person, which will help to reduce the number of people in-store at any one time.
Please use our cleaning stations to wipe your trolley, basket, or Scan as you Shop handset.
If possible, use card or contactless payments.
Please avoid shopping during our dedicated times for vulnerable and elderly people, and NHS workers, and be kind to our colleagues as they’re working hard to serve you; we’re all in this together.

We want to thank our suppliers, our colleagues – and especially you, our customers – for understanding and helping.

We know these are some big changes, and we will all need to do our very best to adjust. We will continue to update you as things change.

Together, we can do this.

Dave Lewis

Tesco CEO

Help for the self-employed … but not until June

Chancellor Rishi Sunak made his long-awaited statement on support for the UK’s five million self-employed workers yesterday. That support will not kick in until June at the earliest, however, and does not cover those workers who have been self-employed for less than three years.

This is what he said:

Good afternoon.

Today I can announce the next step in the economic fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, with new support for the self-employed.

Our step-by-step action plan is aiming to slow the spread of Coronavirus so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time, protecting the NHS’s ability to cope.

At every point, we have followed expert advice to be controlled in our actions – taking the right measures at the right times.

We are taking unprecedented action to increase NHS capacity by increasing the numbers of beds, key staff and life-saving equipment on the front-line to give people the care they need.

That is why it is absolutely critical that people follow our instructions to stay at home, so we can protect our NHS and save lives.

Our action plan to beat the pandemic is the right thing to do – but we know people are worrying about their jobs and their incomes.

Working closely with businesses and trade unions, we have put together a coherent, coordinated and comprehensive economic plan – a plan which is already starting to make a difference:

big employers like Brewdog, Timpsons and Pret have already said that our Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme means they can furlough thousands of staff, rather than laying them off. And we are publishing this evening detailed guidance on how the scheme will operate so that other businesses can take advantage, too
small businesses are already benefiting from Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans of up to £5 million, which are interest free for 12 months – with 30,000 enquiries in just four days
local authorities are already informing more than 700,000 retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that they will pay no business rates this year
and the new hardship grants scheme, providing cash grants of up to £25,000 for the smallest businesses, is now up and running

So if any business is struggling, and worrying they may need to lose staff, I would urge you to log on to businesssupport.gov.uk, and look very carefully at what support is available before deciding to lay people off.

I’m proud of what we’ve done so far, but I know that many self-employed people are deeply anxious about the support available for them.

Musicians and sound engineers; plumbers and electricians; taxi drivers and driving instructors; hairdressers and childminders and many others, through no fault of their own, risk losing their livelihoods.

To you, I say this: You have not been forgotten. We will not let you behind. We are all in this together.

So, to support those who work for themselves, today I am announcing a new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

The government will pay self-employed people, who have been adversely affected by the Coronavirus, a taxable grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits over the last three years, up to £2,500 a month.

This scheme will be open for at least three months – and I will extend it for longer if necessary.

You’ll be able to claim these grants and continue to do business.

And we’re covering the same amount of income for a self-employed person as we are for furloughed employees, who also receive a grant worth 80%.

That’s unlike almost any other country and makes our scheme one of the most generous in the world.

Providing such unprecedented support for self-employed people has been difficult to do in practice.

And the self-employed are a diverse population, with some people earning significant profits.

So I’ve taken steps to make this scheme deliverable, and fair:

to make sure that the scheme provides targeted support for those most in need, it will be open to anyone with income up to £50,000.
to make sure only the genuinely self-employed benefit, it will be available to people who make the majority of their income from self-employment
and to minimise fraud, only those who are already in self-employment, who have a tax return for 2019, will be able to apply

95% of people who are majority self-employed will benefit from this scheme.

HMRC are working on this urgently and expect people to be able to access the scheme no later than the beginning of June.

If you’re eligible, HMRC will contact you directly, ask you to fill out a simple online form, then pay the grant straight into your bank account.

And to make sure no one who needs it misses out on support, we have decided to allow anyone who missed the filing deadline in January, four weeks from today to submit their tax return.

But I know many self-employed people are struggling right now, so we’ve made sure that support is available.

Self-employed people can access the business interruption loans.

Self-assessment income tax payments, that were due in July, can be deferred to the end of January next year.

And we’ve also changed the welfare system so that self-employed people can now access Universal Credit in full.

A self-employed person with a non-working partner and two children, living in the social rented sector, can receive welfare support of up to £1,800 per month.

The scheme I have announced today is fair.

It is targeted at those who need it the most.

Crucially, it is deliverable.

And it provides an unprecedented level of support for self-employed people.

As we’ve developed the scheme, I’m grateful for the conversations I’ve had with the Federation of Small Businesses, the association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, and a range of trade unions, including the Trades Union Congress.

But I must be honest and point out that in devising this scheme – in response to many calls for support – it is now much harder to justify the inconsistent contributions between people of different employment statuses.

If we all want to benefit equally from state support, we must all pay in equally in future.

These last ten days have shaken our country and economy as never before.

In the last two weeks we have put aside ideology and orthodoxy to mobilise the full power and resources of the British state.

We have done so in pursuit of a single goal: to protect people’s health and economic security, by supporting public services like our NHS, backing business, and protecting people’s jobs and incomes.

What we have done will, I believe, stand as one of the most significant economic interventions at any point in the history of the British state, and by any government, anywhere in the world. We have:

pledged that whatever resources the NHS needs, it will get
promised to pay 80% of the wages of furloughed workers for three months up to £2,500
deferred more than £30 billion of tax payments until the end of the year
agreed nearly 17,000 Time to Pay arrangements for businesses and individuals
made available £330 billion of loans and guarantees
introduced cash grants of up to £25,000 for small business properties
covered the cost of statutory sick pay for small businesses for up to two weeks
lifted the incomes of over four million households with a nearly £7 billion boost to the welfare system
agreed three-month mortgage holidays with lenders and nearly £1 billion more support for renters through the Local Housing Allowance
and today we’ve announced one of the most generous self-employed support schemes in the world

Despite these extraordinary steps, there will be challenging times ahead. We will not be able to protect every single job or save every single business.

But I am confident that the measures we have put in place will support millions of people, businesses and self-employed people to get through this, get through it together, and emerge on the other side both stronger and more united.

Thank you.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) – who spearheaded calls for additional help for those that work for themselves – warmly welcomed the proposals.

Andrew McRae, FSB’s Scotland policy chair, said: “Thousands of people who work for themselves in Scotland will now breathe a sigh of relief. This scheme will provide lifeline cash to self-employed people, with help targeted at those on low and moderate incomes.

“We need to vanquish the myth that those that work for themselves are universally wealthy. People like the local handyman, cleaner and fitness coach will benefit from this support.

“Like many of these government interventions, it will take a number of weeks for this programme to deliver. Therefore, those who qualify should try their banks for interim finance if required, while doing what they can to manage their outgoings. This will be much easier said than done, but with help on its way many of the self-employed will rest a little easier.”

Official figures show that there are 320,000+ self-employed people in Scotland.

Andrew McRae said: “Throughout this crisis, we’ve found Ministers in Edinburgh and London sympathetic and approachable. These governments deserve credit for delivering support to business who face difficult circumstances that are neither under their control nor their fault.”

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “With so many of the self-employed facing a collapse in their earnings the Chancellor is right to act.

“This is a welcome step forward for self-employed and freelance workers across the economy, from construction to the creative industries.

“It’s vital that support reaches workers as soon as possible. Many are already dealing with severe hardship.

“Unions look forward to being consulted on how this scheme is rolled out.”

Demand for Childline increases as Scottish schools close

Hundreds of children across the UK counselled over impact of Coronavirus outbreak
Almost 20 per cent of these counselling sessions delivered in the Aberdeen and Glasgow Childline bases

Childline has experienced an unprecedented demand for its services as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic starts to affect children’s lives.

There have been over 900 counselling sessions with children and young people about Coronavirus so far, nearly two thirds of which (597) took place last week (16-22 March), as parents started working from home and school closures were announced.

Almost 20 per cent (167) of these counselling sessions were delivered from the Aberdeen and Glasgow Childline bases.

Support for children worried about Coronavirus hit a peak on Wednesday 18 March – the day the Prime Minister confirmed UK schools would shut – with Childline delivering 121 counselling sessions on the issue in just one day.

Over half of young people who spoke to Childline last week about Coronavirus were counselled for their mental and emotional health as they struggled to cope with issues like isolation, arguments at home and the removal of professional support from schools and the NHS.

One teenage girl told a counsellor: “I feel really anxious, upset and lonely. The news has made my mental health worse but my CAMHS appointment has been cancelled and school has closed. I’m stuck at home having a horrible time because my sisters are bullying me because I’m autistic.”

NSPCC Scotland are in discussions with the Scottish Government and local authorities to give Childline staff key worker status as they battle to keep the vital service running, and continue to support children through this public health emergency.

While the service has reduced slightly since some volunteer counsellors have been told to self-isolate, it continues to be a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable children.

Last week Childline delivered over 50 counselling sessions with children who were having suicidal thoughts, exacerbated by Coronavirus as they felt trapped and isolated.

Other issues raised have included school work and family relationships, as children sense the seriousness of the situation through their parent’s reactions.

One girl told Childline: “My mum is being very distant with me and I am usually very close to her, it’s really upsetting me. My mum and I have a good relationship but she’s really obsessed with the news and she won’t hug me or get very close to me. It scares me to think this will go on for months. She constantly talks about the Coronavirus and my anxiety is getting worse.”

Most of the young people Childline has been supporting on the impact of Coronavirus are 12-15-year-old girls.

Dame Esther Rantzen, Founder of Childline, said: “Our dedicated volunteers are on the frontline supporting children through this public health emergency, and we couldn’t do it without them.

“Sometimes young people find it difficult to share their anxieties with their parents, for fear of worrying them further. So, it is important that families talk about their feelings, together.

“We are hearing from children who have been cut off from vital support networks such as school, and friends, and that has increased their feelings of loneliness and vulnerability. They may have pre-existing mental health issues which are exacerbated by the current crisis.

“Childline needs your help to let children and young people know that we are still here for them, and if they need someone to turn to, they can contact Childline via our website or on the phone.”

Peter Wanless, CEO of NSPCC, said: “The 24/7 news cycle about Coronavirus is causing huge worry and anxiety in young people – particularly those who are already coping with many other issues in their lives.

“Childline provides an essential service to vulnerable children, some of whom may be in a life-threatening situation, which is why our staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to keep Childline running.

“While we are all facing events unprecedented in modern time keeping children safe and providing them with a space to talk about their concerns is our number one priority.”

As well as calling Childline’s free confidential helpline on 0800 11 11, young people can also send emails to trained counsellors or receive support online via one-to-one chat by visiting childline.org.uk or by downloading the For Me app.

Extra respirators brought into use

Action has been taken to bring an additional 1.5 million protective respirators into use from NHS Scotland’s central stockpile.

The tightly-fitting facemasks, which provide a high level of protection for staff working with coronavirus patients, were not previously used because they had recently passed their expiry date.

However, scientific evidence from stringent independent tests has shown the FFP respirators continue to be safe to use.

Both the Health and Safety Executive and Health Protection Scotland have reviewed the evidence and are satisfied the stocks are safe for use by NHS staff.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “The safety of our health and social care staff is our upmost priority and it’s essential they have the right equipment to keep them safe as they go about their work.

“While there is currently an adequate supply of respirators, we know there is a significant pressure on global supplies of personal protective equipment due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

“We therefore decided to test this recently expired stock to determine whether it still provides an adequate level of safety and protection.

“Those tests have shown the equipment continues to meet those standards and therefore we will bring these masks into use to ensure we continue to have adequate stocks as the outbreak develops.”

Dr Miles Mack, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland, said: “Effective personal protective equipment is essential and we understand the difficulties around sourcing that have been encountered.

“On the basis of Health Protection Scotland agreement, we have no issue with this stock of masks being distributed for use in the NHS at this time.”

‘Women’s post-natal physical and mental health is a right, not a privilege’

In light of the current social distancing strategies and recent announcement of UK school closures, the founder of online post-natal fitness company ‘Healthy Post-natal Body’ has decided to suspend all monthly subscription fees for the next three months.

The act of kindness will be open to both existing customers as well as all mothers who have not yet used the service and would like to have something new and positive for themselves, to focus on over the coming weeks. There are no terms and conditions, fixed contracts or hidden clauses.

Peter Lap, founder of Health Post-natal Body, said: “This isn’t a gimmick or a promotion. We all have to look after one another right now and I’m a big believer in making sure I contribute to society rather than just take. Women’s post-natal physical and mental health is a right, not a privilege.”

Peter’s decision to lift all subscription fees follows the governments recommendations to minimalise social contact for at least the next 12 whole weeks, meaning many women won’t be able to see their personal trainer as often. Added to this, many families will now be facing financial hardship as a result of the sudden economic downturn.

Peter continues: “We are all facing a tremendous amount of uncertainty, stress and worry right now and it’s important that we look after our mental health and wellbeing.

“Prolonged social distancing is going to put a lot of pressure on families and my short routines have been designed so that they can fit easily into hectic schedules. Consistency is key and all you need is a short window of time to do some key exercises.”

Existing subscribers will have the next three months of their subscription charges frozen and those new to the service will be able to redeem this offer up to the 30^th of April using the code ‘3months’.

Healthy Post Natal Body is a subscription service (normally charged at £8pcm) that focuses on the physical health and wellbeing of women who have given birth. The online forum is packed with useful advice and weekly routines, focuses on the physical health and wellbeing of women who have given birth.

For more information visit https://www.healthypostnatalbody.com/

STUC warns employers over contract and health and safety breaches

The STUC has issued a stark warning to employers following complaints from workers about companies keeping open for non-essential work and pressuring employees to present for work even while business was suspended.

It warned employers that they could find themselves in implied breach of contract and face future constructive dismissal claims if judged to be endangering workers. With Government advice making clear that only essential work should continue, the burden of proof would be on the employer to prove they had acted reasonably.

The STUC also said that employers have a statutory duty to risk assess for COVID-19, as it is a ‘substance hazardous to health’, and to put in place a safe system of work.

STUC General Secretary Designate, Rozanne Foyer said: “While many employers have acted swiftly and correctly too many have not. This has caused general confusion and real alarm. Union offices across Scotland have been inundated with calls from members. Meanwhile the STUC is fielding questions by the minute from worried workers.

“Our advice to workers is clear, contact your union for support, join a union and in the meantime contact the STUC for advice. Speak to other workers and make a joint demand of the employer to present clear justification of a decision to compel you to work.

“Contact your health and safety rep if available or otherwise insist on seeing the full risk assessment your employer is obliged to undertake.”