NHS is 65 today

BILL

The National Health Service celebrates it’s 65th anniversary today.

The National Health Service was created by Clement Attlee’s Labour government to create “comprehensive health and rehabilitation services for prevention and cure of disease”. Described by Minister for Health Aneurin Bevan as ‘the biggest single experiment in social service that the world has ever seen undertaken’, the legislation to create the NHS was implemented in England and Wales in 1946 and across the rest of the United Kingdom by 1948.

Sixty-five years on the NHS has seen many changes – for better and worse – and has become something of a political football. But for all it’s shortcomings and faults, the NHS remains by far the country’s most cherished institution.

Prime Minister Daid Cameron (pictured below) said: “Our National Health Service is one of the most precious institutions we have. We all know it, because all of us have been touched by it. I will never forget the care my son Ivan received and the inspirational people who helped Sam and me through some of the most difficult times.

The consultants, the community nurses, the care team – every one of them became part of our lives. When you have experienced support and dedicated professional care like that, you know just how incredibly special the NHS is.”

Cameron visits north west

Holyrood Health Secretary Alex Neil visited Wishaw General maternity unit to meet babies born on the same day as the anniversary of our health service, and took the opportunity to point out what the Scottish Government is doing to improve health in Scotland.

Mr Neil said: “I am absolutely committed to the founding values of our NHS. I can promise that while this Government is in charge it will be free at point of access for everyone, and as  we move towards the historic moment of the 2014 referendum, I can guarantee that independence will help maintain Scotland’s NHS as the wonderful institution it is today.

“Today, Scotland’s NHS is a both a tribute to the kind of society Scotland is, and the kind of society we must continue to aspire to be. Anyone who comes for treatment will get the care they need – regardless of whether they are rich or poor. That is the embodiment of a just and equitable society.

“But this isn’t just about the institution that is the Health service. It’s about the health of our people. Health inequalities blight Scottish society. It is simply not good enough that someone’s life expectancy should depend on where they are born, or the income of their parents.

“Where can act, we have. We’ve banned smoking in public places. We are tackling excessive drinking and will introduce a minimum price for alcohol. But the main levers to tackle the kind of poverty that is a driver of health inequality remain in the hands of London Governments.

“The recent welfare cuts are just the latest example of this. With our population ageing, and pressures on the health service growing significantly, we need to be allowed to take control of the levers needed to tackle poverty and with it finally rid Scotland of health inequalities.”

Crewe Road South fatality: man charged

Police have arrested and charged a man in connection with a fatal road collision that happened at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh last year.

Mary Dawson (81) died as a result of injuries she sustained in a collision with a Skoda Superb car outside the Anne Ferguson Building, around 4pm on December 4.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

WesternGeneral

Friends, Romans, countrymen … lend me your bike!

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An unusual troupe of well-travelled travelling players will perform Shakespeare at Lauriston Castle this weekend. On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July The HandleBards, a four-strong, all-male troupe of travelling players, will perform Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night as part of a cycling tour of Britain that will see the group pass through 25 venues across Scotland and England.

Beginning at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum and finishing up at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, which recently hosted its 100th Chelsea Flower Show, The HandleBards will also perform at The Dell in Stratford-upon-Avon (the Royal Shakespeare Company’s outdoor playing space) Bolton and Newark castles and Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire, where Shakespeare himself performed in 1585.

As part the challenge, The HandleBards, who are supported by the Old Vic Theatre, will carry all the required set, props, costumes and camping equipment necessary for the 926 mile journey on their bikes, with no back-up vehicle in support – covering a distance equivalent to that between Land’s End and John o’ Groats.

The four HandleBards will play multiple characters in each 1930s-set play, fully engaging showgoers with some unusually energetic audience interaction. So grab your picnic blanket and head down to Lauriston Castle to enjoy this enthusiastic and engaging show, with some special music thrown in too!

Tickets are £10 (£8 concessions) – find more details on how to book on the Edinburgh Museums website.

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Summer activities made simple by Total Craigroyston

So many summer programmes, so little time! Total Craigroyston has made finding something to do over the summer holidays more simple. Read on …

A number of the youth and children’s as well as Community Learning and Development run extensive programmes during the summer holidays.

We’ve collated these activities into one place and created a timetable of all the opportunities available. Over the 6 weeks there are just under 400 opportunities for school-aged children and young people. A good number of these are free or very low cost.

To find out more information about any of these activities take a look at Join in Edinburgh (www.joininedinburgh.org) – just enter the name of the activity in the search box.

Please print this and distribute freely. If you have any corrections/additions then please contact info@totalcraigroyston.co.uk.

http://www.totalcraigroyston.co.uk/summer-activities

http://www.totalcraigroyston.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Summer-2013-Activities-for-Children-and-Young-People.pdf

TotalCraigroyston

Inverleith Summer Programme

Inverleith Summer Programme

Hi all 

Please find (above) a PDF file listing the usual mixture of fun and exciting events for Inverleith’s 2013 Summer Programme for info/sending out to your networks/ listing on your various web pages etc. There are still quite a few events to be confirmed and so these haven’t been listed on the programme yet as such but I intend to send out individual details of these become more apparent – watch out for more posters but have a grand summer anyways! 

Best wishes 

Callum McLeod

Inverleith Community Learning & Development Team

ISP

Door closed on right to buy

blockThe right of council tenants to buy their homes at heavily discounted prices is set to be abolished in Scotland. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the government’s decision to end the scheme on a visit to a housing association in Glasgow yesterday.

The ‘right to buy’ scheme was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1980 and proved hugely popular with council tenants – for many, their new mortgage was cheaper than rent and it gave tens of thousands a first foot on the housing ladder. The best quality houses in the most popular areas were quickly snapped up at bargain prices – across Scotland, 455,000 homes have been sold under the scheme.

However councils were not allowed to use receipts from council house sales to build new homes, and the inevitable consequence was a growing shortage of good quality social housing and ever-increasing waiting lists which successive governments failed to adequately address.

The Scottish Government says that thousands of people will now benefit from improved access to social housing thanks to the decision to end the Right to Buy scheme – up to 15,000 social houses will be protected from sale over the next decade, .  Earlier reforms to RtB and suspensions in pressured areas have already meant that the right to buy is already unavailable to many social housing tenants but the latest announcement safeguards social housing stock for future generations, helping to build more cohesive and sustainable communities.

Social housing tenant who still has the right to buy will have a period of three years to exercise it following royal assent of the Housing Bill, expected in Autumn 2014 and the Scottish Government will continue to assist people into home ownership through a range of shared equity schemes.

Making the announcement, Ms Sturgeon said: “It is absolutely vital that people can access social housing when they need it most. Social housing is under significant pressure and so too are the budgets that support it.

“The Scottish Government is doing everything possible to maximise our investment in housing and deliver on our target of 30,000 new, affordable homes over the lifetime of this Parliament. But, given the pressure on both the housing stock and budgets – and with 400,000 people on waiting lists for social housing – we can no longer afford to see badly needed homes lost to the social sector.

“That is why I am today announcing the final stage of the abolition of the Right to Buy – a decision that will safeguard Scotland’s social housing stock for the benefit of citizens today and for our future generations.

“Tenants who currently have a right to buy will have a period of three years from the date of royal assent of the Housing Bill in which they will be able to exercise that right – but after that date it will no longer be possible to buy social houses. This will mean that social houses will always be available for long term rent, helping to ease pressure on the social rented stock.

“More than 450,000 houses have already been sold through right to buy and although the policy has been restricted in recent years, its final abolition will safeguard an estimated 15,000 homes over the next decade.

“Notwithstanding our decision to end the right to buy, which has been fully consulted on, the Government remains committed to helping people buy their own homes and our shared equity schemes are helping – and will continue to help – thousands of people get a foot on the property ladder.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland said: “We welcome the news that this outdated policy – which for a long time has had no place in Scotland’s housing landscape – is to be scrapped.

“Around half a million public sector homes have been sold off in Scotland since the policy was implemented. Meanwhile, 157,000 families and individuals are today stuck on council waiting lists for a home to call their own.

“Shelter Scotland has long-campaigned for the abolition of Right to Buy and praises the Scottish Government on their decision to protect existing and future council house stock in a bid to address Scotland’s chronic housing shortage.”

Andy Young, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations Policy and Membership Manager added: “We are delighted that the Scottish Government has decided to end all forms of the Right to Buy in Scotland. Right to Buy has had its day and has no place in 21st Century Scotland. The SFHA and its members have campaigned for this for years and we thank the Scottish Government for listening closely to the arguments for abolition which we put forward.”

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Call for help to tackle deliberate fire setting

With the summer holiday season upon us, firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are preparing to face a sharp increase in deliberate fires.

These types of incident account for more than 60 per cent of emergency fire calls across Scotland at this time of year and often involve fires in grass and heathland areas, derelict and unoccupied buildings, refuse bins and industrial skips.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, Director for Prevention and Protection for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Fire officers work together with colleagues from local authorities, police, businesses and the third sector for a safer Scotland.

“This joined-up approach has resulted in a reduction of deliberate fires over the past five years; nevertheless more needs to be done to reduce these incidents, which often have a debilitating effect on local communities.”

The majority of incidents occur during the summer and early autumn months and are more common during late evening and weekend periods. Firefighters will be working with representatives from partner agencies to raise public awareness of the dangers of lighting fires, and at the same time keeping a careful watch to identify and manage local areas of high activity.

Assistant Chief Officer Ramsay added: “Ensuring the safety of the public and protecting property from fire is our main concern. Deliberate fire setting is an offence and should be reported to Police Scotland. Alternatively, crimes can be reported anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111.

“Fire setting is an offence, don’t accept it, report it!”

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Corstorphine Hill body: facial reconstruction released

Police Scotland detectives investigating the discovery of the dismembered body of a woman found in a shallow grave in Edinburgh have released a visual reconstruction of the woman’s face.

A member of the public came across the body within a wooded area of Corstorphine Hill on Thursday 6 June and a major police investigation has been launched to establish her identity, but despite an excellent response from the public to various appeals for information, the woman’s identity has yet to be established.

Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie from Police Scotland’s Major Investigations Team said:

“It is now 25 days since this woman’s body was discovered.  In that time we have worked with a range of experts and agencies to help us get more information on who she might be and how she came to be in Edinburgh.

“Today, thanks to the work of facial reconstruction experts at Dundee University, we have released an image of the woman’s face.  We are confident that this is a very accurate representation of how the woman looked and so I’m asking the public – does the image resemble someone you know but perhaps haven’t seen or heard from for some time?  As I’ve said from the outset, this is someone’s daughter, she could be someone’s mother.  Somebody knows who she is and when we’ve established her identity, we’ll have gone a long way to establishing who was responsible for her murder.”

The woman was believed to have been aged between 32 and 60 and had had extensive cosmetic work, in the form of veneers and implants, carried out on her teeth.  She was white, slim, of medium build and about 5 feet 2 inches tall.

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Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or, alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.