Lothian MSP Miles Briggs visited Leith Academy yesterday to talk with their S3 modern studies class. The visit was organised so that pupils could ask Miles about his role as an MSP.
It was an opportunity for the politician to listen to the ideas and concerns of young people in Scotland.
Miles Briggs said: “I always enjoy the opportunity to meet and talk with my constituents. The young modern studies pupils at Leith Academy asked very insightful questions about my role as an MSP.”
Auditor General reports on finances at two colleges
Edinburgh College has made progress while poor planning and over-optimism contributed to financial problems at New College Lanarkshire, the Auditor General says in her latest report. Continue reading Edinburgh College making progress on tackling financial deficit, says Auditor General
New figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) show a significant rise in the number of EU nurses and midwives leaving the register. Between April 2017 and March 2018, 3,962 people left – an increase of 29 percent. Continue reading New figures highlight ‘major concern’ as more EU nurses leave the UK
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has teamed up with a national law firm to offer a free Will service to its supporters. The charity relies 100% on donations and has been called out over 1,700 times since 2013. Continue reading Where there’s a Will there’s a way for Air Ambulance charity
Commission to research services for young people
A team of young people are aiming to improve mental health services by leading a study, commissioned by the Scottish Government, drawing on their own experiences. The 22 members of the Youth Commission on Mental Health Services begin work this week to reshape the support available, in a partnership between the Scottish Government, Young Scot and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). Continue reading Young people take on mental health
New toolkit to address gender-based violence in universities and colleges
New practical guidance for universities to tackle gender-based violence on campus has been published. Guidance and training for staff, better data collection and well-publicised support information for students are some of the recommendations set out in the toolkit, which has been produced by the University of Strathclyde and funded by the Scottish Government.
The toolkit, which will be adapted for colleges, takes forward the principles set out in the #emilytest campaign set up by Fiona Drouet, in memory of her daughter Emily (above).
An additional £396,000 of Scottish Government funding will support the roll-out and implementation of the toolkit.
Further and Higher Education Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Universities and colleges have a duty to foster a culture on campus that is clear in its condemnation of gender-based violence and gives staff and students the confidence to report unacceptable behaviour.
“That is why I have made the adoption of the policies and procedures outlined in this toolkit a key feature of my Letter of Guidance to the sector this year. I know universities and colleges are up for the challenge and I am keen to see this commitment translate into real, demonstrable action and change for women living, working and researching on campus.”
Fiona Drouet said: “The launch of the toolkit, along with the Ministerial letter of guidance to the Scottish Funding Council, is a significant turning point with regards to gender-based violence on campus. It is a very important day for all Scottish students.
“This is Emily’s legacy and I hope both staff and students will feel empowered by this resource. Institutions now have the help they need to pass the #emilytest and I believe that had this been in place while our daughter was at university it could have saved her life.
“We couldn’t help Emily but the #emilytest can save others – a legacy Emily would be proud of.”
Dr Veena O’Halloran, the University of Strathclyde’s Secretary and Compliance Officer, said: “Universities are well-placed to take a leading role in tackling gender-based violence wherever it may occur, through research, teaching and knowledge exchange. As a socially-progressive University, Strathclyde aims to be at the forefront of this work.
“We are delighted that the Equally Safe in Higher Education toolkit is being made available to universities across the country. We are determined that Scotland has an environment where every student has equal access to help and support, and where university communities – staff, students and alumni – tackle gender-based violence head-on.”
The Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit recommends that each university:
The University of Strathclyde received over £600,000 of funding over two years from the Violence Against Women and Girls Justice Budget to pilot a 2 year project to develop an Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit for preventing gender-based violence within higher education institutions (£292,729 in 2016-17, and £311,231 in 2017-18).
The Toolkit was developed at University of Strathclyde in close collaboration with a range of external partners and stakeholders including, Police Scotland, NUS Scotland, Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre, ASSIST Glasgow, Zero Tolerance Scotland, Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership, Scottish Women’s Rights Centre and cottish Women’s Aid.
The Emily Test Petition was set up after Mrs Drouet’s daughter, Emily, a student at the University of Aberdeen, took her own life in March 2016. The campaign calls for increased Scottish Government funding for colleges and universities to support students affected by gender based violence (GBV).
“The hospital fixes the hole in the child, but camp fixes the whole child” – a camper’s parent
Each summer, children and families from Edinburgh and Lothians who are affected by serious illness get a chance to attend one of Over The Wall’s free Therapeutic Activity camps. These camps help to rebuild some of what is lost to childhood illness, thanks to monumental efforts from groups of talented and highly skilled volunteers. Children aged 8 – 17 spend a week where they can kick back, relax, and simply be themselves. Continue reading Over the Wall
Leith School of Art has received £8,890 from Aberdeen Standard Investments Charitable Foundation to deliver art classes to some of the most disadvantaged people in its community. Continue reading Art Paints a Brighter Picture in Leith
Edinburgh is next in line, alongside Stirling, to be transformed as part of CityFibre and Vodafone’s partnership to roll-out ultra-fast, Gigabit-capable full fibre broadband across the UK. The announcement, which brings the total number of homes and businesses identified as part of the partnership to over half a million premises across seven cities, represents an investment by CityFibre of £110m in the cities. Continue reading Edinburgh set to join broadband premier league
When Health Secretary Shona Robison announced in 2016 the closure of the East of Scotland cleft surgery unit in Edinburgh – which Lothian MSP Miles Briggs and parents campaigned hard against – she reassured people that “local outreach clinics, will continue to be delivered locally as they are now, across Scotland.” https://news.gov.scot/news/cleft-surgery-recommendation
A Written Answer (see below) shows that in two areas local clinics stopped altogether in 2017 with no indication of when they might start again. This means extra travelling and inconvenience for families, as well as having limited dates when they can be seen.
There has been a reduction in the number of Multi-Disciplinary Clinics (MDC) in Edinburgh, with only fortnightly appointments available.
The service is also still short of the third surgeon that it needs.
Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP said: “It is very apparent that the SNP Ministers decision to centralise the Cleft Palate Service has been a disaster.
“The families of babies and young people who require the service are the ones losing with an inferior service being provided.
“I am particularly concerned that parents are being forced to travel so far for appointments, often having to make longer journeys than the recommended limit for new born babies.”
Evonne McLatchie, lead campaigner to save the Edinburgh cleft unit, comments: “Parents in the East are angry but not the least surprised as the promises Ms Robison made were as predicted not worth the paper they were printed on.
“Many families in the East don’t even have correct contact details and it is parents that are driving patient reviews and consultations for their children having to resort to asking questions on Facebook to get answers for their concerns and then chasing up appointments.
“Shona Robison stated repeatedly that centralisation would improve care, especially if a surgeon was off- that has yet to be proven!
“The majority of parents are afraid to voice concerns as they have to work with the service for perhaps the next 20 years and despite assurances that any complaint won’t affect care they simply don’t want to risk it.”
