Patients with COVID-19 symptoms are being asked to contact their GP instead of NHS 24 from the end of March.
The move comes after a fall in the number of people using the service since the end of December and represents a return to pre-pandemic procedures.
Currently callers to the 111 helpline are assessed and, if necessary, transferred to a local community hub staffed by clinicians from across the healthcare system.
From 31 March patients will be asked to contact their GP in the first instance during the working day, as they already do for other respiratory conditions. If help and advice is required out of hours, 111 should still be called. NHS Inform’s coronavirus webpage remains the fastest way for people to obtain the latest health advice and information.
Several boards have continued using GP practices as the first port of call for Covid-related calls during the pandemic, including Dumfries and Galloway and Tayside. It is now considered appropriate to return to this approach nationwide.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This move represents another welcome step back towards normality.
“Call numbers and the number of serious cases are falling and the tailored arrangements put in place at the height of the pandemic are no longer required. But we remain on alert and should a more serious variant of the virus emerge the service can, and will, be swiftly restored.
“We are continuing to support GP practices as they manage acute COVID cases. The GP Escalation Framework remains in place to help health boards and practices deal with sustainability issues and we will invest £15 million this year in sustainability payments”.
NHS 24’s Director of Service Delivery, Steph Phillips said: “NHS 24 staff have provided an excellent service to the people of Scotland throughout the pandemic, both over the phone and online.
“We will continue to update the information and symptom checker on NHS inform and encourage people to use this resource.”
‘Welcome step back to normality’?Covid’s far from over – 11,685 new cases were reported in Scotland yesterday – with 19 deaths.
The recommendations of the independent report on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland have been welcomed in principle by the First Minister.
In a parliamentary statement to mark International Women’s Day 2022, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the report highlighted ways in which the law was currently failing women and girls, and it gave powerful voice to the stark reality of the misogyny faced by women in everyday life.
The First Minister thanked Baroness Kennedy and the working group for producing the report and said Ministers would respond formally as soon as possible, after giving full consideration to the recommendations.
In a statement that reflected on the historic roots of misogyny, the First Minister also made a formal apology to all those accused, convicted, vilified or executed under the Witchcraft Act 1563, on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The First Minister highlighted that while the Witchcraft Act had been consigned to history in Scotland, it was not yet a historic issue in some parts of the world where, even today, women and girls face persecution and death because they have been accused of witchcraft. She said deep misogyny that motivated it could still be seen today in Scotland in everyday harassment, online rape threats and sexual violence.
The First Minister said: “While here in Scotland the Witchcraft Act may have been consigned to history a long time ago, the deep misogyny that motivated it has not. Today it expresses itself, not in claims of witchcraft, but in everyday harassment, online rape threats and sexual violence.
“It is no longer acceptable to expect women and girls to adapt and accommodate. It is time to challenge unacceptable male behaviour, and better protect women from it. We must change for good the culture of misogyny that has normalised such behaviour for far too long.
“It is of course in this context, that Baroness Helena Kennedy’s Working Group on Misogyny has this morning published its ground-breaking report.
“Its recommendations are bold and they are far reaching. However, this report, in my view, matters beyond the detail of the specific recommendations it makes. It matters because it acknowledges and it gives powerful voice to the stark realities of everyday life for women.
“It recognises that misogyny is endemic, and that it blights the lives of women every single day. It also recognises the power of the law to drive social and cultural change, and concedes that for women and girls, our law is currently failing.
“Perhaps most importantly of all, it articulates a fundamental truth that on this International Women’s Day, we must all reflect on – a society in which women do not feel safe is not one in which we can ever be truly equal.”
Earlier yesterday Justice Secretary Keith Brown welcomed the publication of Baroness Helena Kennedy QC’s report on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland.
Mr Brown thanked Baroness Kennedy for her exemplary efforts and said the recommendations will now be closely considered.
The Working Group was set up to independently consider how the Scottish criminal justice system deals with misogyny.
This included examining whether there are gaps in the law that could be addressed by a specific criminal offence to tackle such behaviour.
The group gathered oral and written evidence from a number of experts and stakeholders and from people with lived experience to determine what more we can do to deal with misogynistic conduct.
Mr Brown will now consider its recommendations of creating a Misogyny Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act containing a public misogynistic harassment offence; an offence of stirring up hatred against women and girls; an offence of issuing threats of, or invoking, rape or sexual assault or disfigurement of women and girls and a new statutory aggravation of misogyny.
Mr Brown said: “I would like to thank Baroness Kennedy for the hard work she and her working group have undertaken in the development of this report.
“This is an extremely important piece of work to help inform policy to address the many forms of violence, transgression and abuse experienced by women which may emanate from misogyny and is a milestone in making our society safe, equal and fair.
“It is clear to me that to achieve true equality we must continue to think about our messaging and how men’s attitudes to women can be effectively challenged to make women feel safe when going about their everyday lives.
“We welcome the Working Group’s report on its findings and recommendations and will now carefully consider those before publishing our response in due course.
“We are absolutely clear that women and girls should not experience any form of harassment, abuse or violence which is why we set up this independent Working Group and it is fitting its findings were published on International Women’s Day.”
Wednesday 9th March marks National No Smoking Day in the UK.
Nicotine drives up blood pressure and heart rate, putting immediate and long-term strain on your heart and arteries. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes means less life-giving oxygen for all your tissues, including your heart.
This is harmful to your health and can reduce your life expectancy whether you smoke a lot or a little.
If you would like to add more healthy years to your life, then why not look through our tips on how to quit smoking today.
Find YOUR Incentive
Most smokers know that smoking is bad for their health, but it can be incredibly difficult to quit.
Hard-hitting warnings are proven to help smokers ditch the habit. Whether it’s a shocking image on a cigarette packet, a hole in your wallet, or a noticeable decline in your fitness, try to stay focused on the reasons why you want to quit to keep yourself motivated.
Seek Support
Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking.
Tackle the cravings
Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes.
You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a walk. Once the craving has passed, give yourself a pat on the back!
Whatever your reason for wanting to stop smoking, make a plan that works for you and remember that help is available. If you don’t succeed on your first attempt to quit, keep trying! Good luck!
To mark International Women’s Day 2022 we’re inviting residents and students from selected high schools, to help us create a brand-new mural for Central Library.
The mural will display portraits of an array of influential Edinburgh women, past and present. Inspired by a similar project that has been running in America since 2016 called ‘Work in Progress’, we’ll display the finished mural as part of an exhibition in the Central Library.
We’d like to invite you to get involved in creating the stencils of the nominated figures. Please join us at one of the three stencilling workshops at Central Library on 12, 19 and 26 March.
To kick off the celebration and project, we’ve got a very special discussion with local author Sara Sheridan, who talks about her favourite trailblazing Edinburgh women.
Sign up to our blog, Tales of One City, to watch the video:
The Scottish Parliament’s youngest petitioner, 7-year-old Callum Isted, will give evidence to MSPs on the Citizens Participation and Public Petitions Committee this morning.
Callum, who is a pupil at Dedridge Primary School in Livingston, submitted a petition to the Committee calling on the Scottish Government to replace disposable water bottles in Scotland’s primary schools with a sustainable, reusable option.
At it’s meeting today (Wednesday 9 March), the Committee will hear about the success Callum had in raising money to buy reusable water bottles for his own school and what action he would like to see taken on the issue.
Convener of the Committee, Jackson Carlaw MSP said: “Creating a public petition lets the Parliament know about the issues that are most important to people across Scotland.
“At 7 years old Callum is our youngest ever petitioner and he’s already campaigned for – and brought about – positive change in his own school.
“Now he wants to see that change extend across the whole of Scotland. I look forward to hearing more from him today and what he hopes we can do to help his campaign achieve wider success.”
Callum’s petition was also raised with the First Minister last week, when the Convener’s Group questioned her on issues around Covid-19 recovery and net zero.
Callum said: “I am going to Parliament on 9th March 2022. I am going to ask the Committee for two things:
to give every primary school pupil in Scotland a Klean Kanteen;
2 to fix the broken taps in schools so that we can use the bottles properly.
“I am feeling confident and excited to be able to speak to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee and maybe Nicola Sturgeon.”
The meeting will be broadcast live at 09.30 am and the Committee will also consider a number of other petitions including taking evidence on protecting Scotland’s native woodland.
Edinburgh residents are some of the most content in the UK, according to the 15th annual Edinburgh by Numbers report compiled for … the city council!
When polled last year, Capital citizens scored higher than average for personal wellbeing – including life satisfaction and feeling happy.
Alongside evidence of a highly educated and more active workforce than other major UK cities and above average wages, the latest data also points to Edinburgh’s resilience during the pandemic as one of the UK’s most economically productive cities.
But the city is growing rapidly, with Edinburgh’s population projected to grow by 58,946 to 586,566 by 2043.
Some of the key findings, as recorded in 2021, include:
Edinburgh scores highly for life satisfaction (7.48), feelings of happiness (7.26) and worth (7.71); but higher anxiety than has been recorded in previous years (3.6 vs. 2.99 pre-pandemic)
Edinburgh has an impressive 35 ‘Green Flag’ parks – not only the greatest number of any other city featured in the data, but more than double that of the nearest comparative city Birmingham (15)
Edinburgh has an economically active (79%) highly skilled (42.7%) workforce, with lower unemployment levels than the national average (4.4% vs 4.7%)
A higher percentage of the city’s workforce is educated to a degree level or above against other major UK cities (62.1%) and the average wage is £15.64 an hour, which is at least £1 higher than other major UK cities
In the ten years to 2020, Edinburgh’s population grew by 12.3% from an estimated 469,930 to an estimated 527,620 people; in the same period Scotland grew by 3.9%.
Commenting, Council Leader Adam McVey said: Considering most of these numbers cover the pandemic they paint a picture of an extremely resilient and positive city. We’re one of the happiest cities in the country and our economy, which has endured so much, remains strong.
“Edinburgh is still growing at a rate of three times the national average, highlighting the need to continue to invest in public transport and more affordable housing. Our residential population has increased by more than 10% in a decade and is predicted that this will continue.
“We need to manage this level of growth, both in terms of the impact on our frontline services like schools, housing and transport, and the impact on our environment.
“While we’re at the forefront of tackling these changes, the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us means we need to maximise efforts to plan for the future.
“That’s one of the reasons the £1bn Council Budget we set aims to drive forward our net zero ambitions, tackle the cost of living crisis head on and spend millions on the future health of our communities.
“The investment we’re making now will prove vital as we prepare for what will be a period rapid growth and regeneration.”
Cammy Day, Depute Leader, said: “A sense of optimism shines through the latest Edinburgh By Numbers and there is evidence of the resilience we’ve seen our residents and City display over the last couple of years.
“It’s heartening that of the people polled, most said they remain satisfied with life in the Capital and all of the work we’re doing to support businesses through Covid and create a fairer and more sustainable economy will also help the city.
“That’s not to say that we don’t need to remain ambitious. While we’ve always been a hugely successful city, competing on the global stage economically and culturally, we still have some way to go before this success if fair and equal.
“By outlining £1.1m to address poverty in our Budget we’ve demonstrated our commitment to closing the poverty gap and we need businesses and other organisations to do their part.
“We’re progressing our Living Wage ambitions, and we’ll continue to focus our efforts on boosting employment opportunities and encouraging others to follow suit and help those who face barriers.”
Edinburgh Women’s Aid’s, (EWA), has launched its first International Women’s Day campaign, running from the 8th – 15th March, to help raise funds for its Work 4 Women, (W4W), programme which provides survivors of domestic abuse with employability skills, with all funds raised doubled by the online match funding platform, The Big Give.
Women who have experienced domestic abuse often have specific challenges to employability. They may have been kept from developing skills by their perpetrator, their confidence may have been impacted by the abuse and their path back to work may be consistently interrupted by homelessness, legal complications or continued abuse.
In partnership with Shakti Women’s Aid, EWA provides employability support through its W4W programme that focusses on the needs of women who have survived domestic abuse to help increase their self-esteem, give them financial independence and rebuild their lives free from abuse.
The programme covers areas including CV writing, mock interviews, job search help, personal development workshops, peer support groups and through links with various businesses, provides opportunities to job shadow and internships.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Break The Bias. The aim is to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality, which ties in with the W4W programme.
The EWA International Women’s Day campaign is designed to appeal to people to help raise funds which will enable the charity to continue running the employability programme and help more survivors of domestic abuse find work.
The Big Give, which is an online match funding platform, has confirmed it will double all funds raised throughout the campaign. For more information and to donate from the 8th – 15th March check out Empowerment through Employment (thebiggive.org.uk)
Linda Rodgers, CEO at Edinburgh Women’s Aid, said: “Our employability programme, W4W, is one of the essential services we provide for women who have experienced domestic abuse.
“It provides practical and emotional skills that can help increase their ability to attain employment and help alleviate social deprivation and make a lasting difference to their life chances and also their children’s, which is why we are appealing to people to help us raise funds so that we can continue to empower women through employment.
“We are delighted that The Big Give has guaranteed they will double all the funds we raise which will help us even more to double our impact in W4W programme.”
A study published yesterday by Public Health Scotland (PHS) examined the extent to which people might be travelling outside Scotland to purchase alcohol at a lower price, since the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland.
The findings indicate that minimal cross-border purchasing occurs, and this is unlikely to be happening on a scale that would significantly affect alcohol consumption at a population level or impact the intended outcomes and aims of MUP.
Interviews with retailers indicated that households in close proximity to the border made most use of cross-border purchasing, reflecting established shopping habits. None of the retailers had knowledge of people from Scotland appearing to travel to England to buy large quantities of alcohol. Analysis shows that substantial bulk purchasing would be needed for individuals to make significant savings whether purchasing in-person or online, once travel and delivery costs are taken into account.
The research also shows that licensing near the border did not display a shift from Scotland to England following the introduction of MUP legislation. Analysis of off-trade alcohol sales data in the combined areas of North East and North West England in the 12 months following implementation of MUP showed a small increase (1.14%).
When a panel of over 1,000 Scottish adults was asked whether they have travelled to another part of the UK for the sole purpose of buying alcohol only 3% responded that they had done so.
Helen Chung Patterson, Public Health Intelligence Adviser at Public Health Scotland said: “The research published today shows that while cross-border purchasing does happen, the extent is small relative to the purchasing behaviours of Scotland’s population as a whole.
“A key strength of this report is that it enables us to build up a picture of cross-border alcohol-purchasing behaviours from several perspectives. We have examined data on retail sales and alcohol licencing near the border, drawn on qualitative interviews with retailers, gathered customer survey data and explored the factors affecting in-person and online cross-border purchases. When several different methods produce broadly similar results, as is the case with the report published today, this increases confidence in the findings.”
Further evidence may arise on cross-border purchasing at a later date (both from within and out-with Public Health Scotland’s portfolio on MUP evaluation), for example as part of the study on Drinking at Harmful Levels, which is due to be published by PHS later this year.
This week marks Scottish Apprenticeship Week (7th – 11th March), a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy.
It serves to celebrate the opportunities Modern Apprenticeships offer everyone, no matter their background and for every business no matter its size or sector.
The rewards of getting young people who are disabled or care experienced into work are well worth it. They bring passion, skills, dedication and drive to the workplace.
Recruiting a Modern Apprentice enables employers to fill the skills gaps that exist within their current workforce, as apprentices begin to learn sector specific skills from day one, developing specialist knowledge that will positively affect the bottom line.
However, as always, we can do more and support for businesses and other employers is key as it is they who clearly make the vital difference.
As we mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week, we would urge Scotland’s employers to look beyond the label and take on a Modern Apprentice who may have an additional need, taking advantage of the excellent skills offered by many of these young people.
Lothian MSP Lorna Slater has written to the Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh, Andrey Yakovlev, urging him to consider his position and the damage that Putin’s war has inflicted.
Her letter condemns the war that Russian forces have inflicted and supports calls from the Scottish Government for all Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country.
In the letter, Lorna Slater writes:“Like my colleagues in the Scottish Greens, and the Scottish Government, I condemn this attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty. It is an immoral and illegal war, and we reject it in the strongest possible terms.
“Every day that it continues will see more misery, more atrocities and more deaths.”
She goes on tooutline some of the steps being taken by the Scottish Government: “I am proud that the Scottish Government is contributing £4 million of humanitarian aid, as well as medical equipment and supplies to Ukraine. The First Minister has sought urgent advice on the “maximum possible action” that the Scottish Government can take against individuals and organisations that are linked to Vladimir Putin’s government and have assets and connections in Scotland.”
Ms Slater concludes: “You are a representative of Putin’s regime in Scotland. You may not be responsible for what is happening, but you are a figurehead for the Kremlin. The Scottish Government has called for all Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country, and, as a statement of solidarity with people in Ukraine, I support this position.
“I hope that you understand the anger and distress that the immoral, illegal and totally unjustified invasion has caused in Ukraine and beyond. I urge you to consider your position and the crisis that has been inflicted on Ukraine.”
