People across Scotland will have better access to NHS treatment through increased capacity, expanded primary care services, enhanced use of digital innovations and a range of other measures, First Minister John Swinney announced yesterday.
Speaking to representatives from across the health and social care sector, the First Minister set out action to drive down waiting times and reduce pressure on frontline services.
The First Minister was joined by Health Secretary Neil Gray and announced a range of actions including:
A substantial increase in capacity, with 150,000 additional appointments and procedures per year
Increased investment in primary care, making it easier for people to get appointments with their GP
Improved use of data and new digital innovations including the roll-out of a Scottish health and social care app – a ‘Digital Front Door’ to the NHS for patients
The First Minister said: “Protecting, strengthening, renewing our National Health Service – that is a goal I think we can all get behind. A real focus of common purpose.
“That requires action from me, as First Minister, from my Health Secretary Neil Gray, and from my Government. We can offer the leadership and direction – as the measures outlined today seek to do.
“So, today, we commit to a substantial increase in capacity in order to significantly reduce people’s waits.
“Our plan will ensure that a greater proportion of new NHS funding goes to primary and community care. GPs and services in the community will have the resources they need to play a greater role in our health system.
“This increased investment will result in GP services that are easier for people to access. That is important in terms of people’s confidence in the health service – but equally, it will make it more likely that health issues are picked up quickly and dealt with earlier.
“Our National Health Service is there when we need it. No other public institution supports us with so much care through life’s biggest moments. We must support it in return.
“The approach I set out today charts our course to do that. It addresses both the challenges and the opportunities. It sets the NHS on a path of modernisation and renewal.”
Minimally invasive technique makes same-day spinal surgery a reality for NHSGGC patients
A spinal surgery technique that improves outcomes for patients, and has the potential to bring down waiting lists, has been introduced at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Institute of Neurological Sciences (INS).
The INS is currently the only centre in Scotland performing the minimally invasive surgery, which helps people suffering lumbar disc prolapse, and since it was introduced at the beginning of November it has already shown huge potential.
The procedure, called endoscopic lumbar discectomy, involves a surgeon making a tiny incision in a patient’s back – as little as 8mm wide – and then using an endoscope to see inside the patient and remove a prolapsed disc or free up spinal nerves.
And while it’s still a significant operation, the fact the incision is so small, and that the disturbance to surrounding bone, ligaments and muscle is significantly reduced, if not eradicated completely, the post-operative recovery is much better than traditional techniques.
Mohamed Abdelsadg, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Complex Spine Surgeon within the INS, said: “This minimally invasive procedure could offer a quick fix for acute disc prolapse unresponsive to analgesia and physiotherapy.
“After the operation we have seen much earlier mobilisation, and patients are generally treated and discharged within 24 hours – sometimes on the same day. There is also a much lower risk of infection.”
The development was made possible by a major investment of more than £200,000 from the Scottish Government.
Four consultant neurosurgeons at the INS – Mr Mohamed Abdelsadg, Mr Calan Mathieson, Mr Likhith Alakandy and Mr Chris Barrett – have already completed the appropriate trainings and are currently offering the procedure to patients from across the West of Scotland.
While it’s early days and patients are being carefully selected as the new technique beds in, staff are expecting that to change relatively quickly.
Mr Abdelsadg continued: “This is a new technique so we’re not offering the procedure for everyone at the moment and we are being quite careful about the cases we’re selecting.
“However, we’re on a steep learning curve. We’ve been auditing the results of the surgery, reviewing and sharing our data, and we’re seeing a pattern of improvement across the team.
“As our experience grows, we’ll be able to expand considerably the number and type of patients we’re able to treat.”
The minimally invasive technique is a significant departure from the more traditional procedure, called micro discectomy. That involves an incision of 5-8cm in the middle of the back, with the surgeon stripping away muscle and ligaments, often removing bone to create a ‘window’ to work in, and then removing the prolapsed disc or freeing up the nerves.
Because of the amount of tissue affected, this technique can be a more painful process with a raised risk of infection.
In the main, patients are often discharged within 48-72 hours, but they may suffer continuing back discomfort, and in some cases they need to stay in hospital for up to seven days because of the wound pain.
Susan Groom, Director of Regional Services at NHSGGC, welcomed this latest development. She said: “The INS has been in operation for more than 50 years now, and over that time it has earned an international reputation for pushing boundaries and innovation.
“The fact the Scottish Government supported the development of this new service here is testament to that reputation, and I would like to thank all those involved in bringing it to the INS.
“Traditionally, surgery to treat a prolapsed disc can be a painful procedure, so this new approach at the INS will help to reduce the suffering of patients more quickly, with quicker recovery times and with a much lower chance of infection.
“NHS services throughout the UK are under considerable pressure at the moment, and the fact this new minimally invasive technique will help reduce waiting times on top of other benefits is a significant added bonus.”
The INS team plan to continue collating their early results and then present them at the Society of British Neurological Surgeons conference in Belfast in March.
PICTURES
TOP – The INS team involved in the new technique – from left: Janie Smart, William Davidson, Nicola Ferguson , Carla O’Neill , Savitha Meleveedu, Likhith Alakandy, Mohamed Abdelsadg, Marios Theologu, Adam Ross. Kneeling: Johanna Armstrong.
BOTTOM – From left: Marios Theologu, Chris Barrett, Calan Mathieson.
Did you know reusing everyday items can save money, reduce waste and help tackle climate change? Here are some easy tips to try today:
• Glass Jars: Perfect for storage, candle holders, or even flower vases. • Old Clothes: Turn them into cleaning rags, pet bedding, or fun tote bags. • Tin Cans: Make herb planters, pencil holders, or night lights. • Plastic Containers: Great for leftovers, organising toys, or planting seeds.
NHS Scotland is poised to make “major strides” across 2025 in its drive to reduce emissions through breakthrough innovation, a health service partner believes.
After pledging to become a net zero organisation by 2040, the NHS continues to make significant gains through a variety of initiatives including new technologies, new ways of working, and a deep focus on reducing emissions.
A formal partner of NHS Scotland, InnoScot Health says that innovative approaches for more environmentally sustainable care continue to be embedded at greater pace.
Innovation Manager Frances Ramsay said: “There have been some very positive developments across NHS Scotland in recent times which, looked at collectively, add up to a picture of the health service making major strides on the road to lower emissions – from new thinking in building and transport emissions to more reusables and greater upcycling at all levels.
“Its electric fleet is ever-expanding. As of April 2024, 45% of NHS Scotland’s vehicles were electric, representing a significant increase from the figure of 19% in October 2022, and that will only rise.
“Emissions from the energy used to heat and power NHS buildings continue to fall steadily, as do medical gas emissions, including the replacement of anaesthetic gas Desflurane with a less harmful gas which is now saving emissions equivalent to powering 1,700 homes every year.
“In fact, NHS Scotland won the European Sustainable Healthcare Project of the Year award in 2023 after becoming the first national health service in the UK to stop using Desflurane.
“It also means greater cost efficiency with the National Green Theatre Programme supporting health boards to achieve not only annual reductions of around 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide generated from surgery but also financial savings of around £6 million. These better practices significantly add up as we increasingly look to 2040.”
InnoScot Health continues to champion and encourage greener workforce innovation, recently helping to develop a breakthrough with midwives working at St John’s Hospital in Livingston which aids skin-to-skin contact while allowing birthing partners to keep newborns warm by utilising upcycled staff fleeces as a covering material altered onto new scrubs.
Alongside NHS Lothian’s Research and Development team, InnoScot Health helped protect and register the design, meaning that Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ are now well-placed to become more widely available through manufacturing partners.
Frances continued: “With so many projects coming to fruition, there is much to be proud of and so much innovation potential in the drive towards a net zero NHS Scotland.
“We want to inspire and encourage that vital push as much as possible by lending our support to the 180,000-strong workforce – and who better to deliver net zero than the people who are closest to the issues and can see first-hand how emissions-producing processes are contributing to climate change?”
Pioneering staff at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital recently announced their role in co-designing friendly and reusable theatre caps made from sustainable plant-based material as part of a research project led by the University of Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt University.
The project primarily aims to reduce waste created by the 800,000 single-use theatre cap products disposed of annually by Scottish hospitals, demonstrating the power of innovation-driven collaboration for sustainable design, as well as the potential for further rollout across the country.
InnoScot Health’s own sustainability call aims to inspire health and social care professionals to come forward with their ideas for greener ways of working that can help the health service adapt and strengthen.
Five men and two women have been given Orders for Lifelong Restrictions and jailed for a total of 93 years for sexually abusing children in the Glasgow area.
At the High Court in Glasgow today (Monday, 27 January, 202)5 Iain Owens, 46, was jailed for 20 years, Elaine Lannery, 40, for 17 years, Scott Forbes, 51, for eight years, Barry Watson, 48, for nine and a half years, Lesley Ann Williams, 42, for 14 years, Paul Brannan, 42, for 15 years, and John Clark, 48, for 10 years.
They were convicted in November 2023 following an eleven-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The offences took place between 2012-2019 and were reported to police in June 2019. Following an extensive investigation, eleven individuals were arrested and charged in October 2020.
Detective Inspector Lesley-Ann McGee said: “I hope today’s outcome can help the young victims in moving forward.
“This was a long, complex and challenging investigation for a team of officers and staff who had to work through the most harrowing evidence to bring those responsible for these despicable crimes to justice.
“Since the investigation began we’ve worked closely with a range of partners in Social Work, Health, Education, Crown Office and the third-sector to protect and support the victims.
“We remain committed to supporting victims of sexual crime and protecting children from harm and abuse. We will use all available resources to find and arrest the abusers, no matter how much time has passed.
“I would urge anyone who is a victim of abuse to speak to police in the knowledge you will be listened to, taken seriously and fully supported.”
Mary Glasgow, chief executive at Children First said: “No sentence will ever reflect the extreme cruelty and horrifying abuse that three children endured for so long. The depths of their suffering will be unimaginable to most people in Scotland, but none of us should turn away from it.
“This is one of the most extreme cases of abuse ever seen in a Scottish court, but every day children and young people in Scotland are experiencing violence and abuse.
“Children can’t protect themselves and they need all of us to help them stay safe. And, without support to recover, the trauma of childhood abuse can be devastating and last a lifetime.
“If you have concerns about a child, Children First’s support line will listen and help you work through what’s best for the child. It’s free to call on: 08000 28 22 33 or you can speak to our team online at childrenfirst.org.uk”
Survey findings show only one in five people have heard of paid-ad spoofing scams.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) is currently investigating 140 claims linked to paid-ad spoofing activity collectively worth £1.82 million (£13K per claim).
Amy, 25 from Liverpool, shares her experience of being targeted.
IFB has launched a national campaign to help people spot the signs of the scam and report it to CheatLine.
The public must be vigilant when searching for their insurer online, warns the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), as it’s revealed that victims of paid-ad spoofing scams could be facing up to £13,000 in unsolicited fees.
Paid-ad spoofing scams involve unscrupulous firms paying for search engine ads that mimic those of genuine insurers. The victim, who needs to contact their insurer to make a claim, can unwittingly contact a third party while believing they’re dealing with their insurer, only to rack up thousands of pounds in fees which otherwise could have been covered by their policy.
Recent YouGov findings show only one in five people (18%) have heard of paid-ad spoofing scams and with millions using insurance services every day, countless consumers are at risk.[1] As a result, the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has launched a national campaign to highlight the signs of the scam and to encourage people to report it to CheatLine.
Jon Radford, Head of Intelligence, Investigations & Data Services at the IFB, said: “Paid-ad spoofing is a malicious and calculated practice which can have a devastating impact on victims.
“Unscrupulous firms will deliberately pay for search engine ad results that misrepresent genuine insurers. Having just experienced a road traffic collision, their victims are often in a shaken state, and when they call who they think is their insurer for support they end up trapping themselves in legal agreements that may cost them everything.
“We’re working with insurers and the police to raise awareness and the message is simple – save your insurer’s contact details so you have it to hand if needed and report any signs of paid-ad spoofing scams to our confidential CheatLine.”
It can happen to anyone
Amy, a 25-year-old Camera Assistant from Liverpool, was returning home after visiting friends in early 2024. While driving along a dual carriageway at 50mph, a driver cut in front of her and caused a collision. She knew she had to contact her insurer as soon as she got home. Still shaken, she searched for her insurer on her phone’s browser and called a number on a sponsored ad and provided her details, while being completely unaware it was a third party.
The man on the other end of the phone had been helpful, however Amy thought it was unusual that he hadn’t asked for her policy number. When she told her father, Carl, who is coincidently a counter-fraud Manager at Aviva, he realised she’d been targeted by a paid-ad spoofing scam. Together, they made a series of exhausting phone calls over several hours, to finally withdraw from financial arrangements so Amy wouldn’t face unsolicited charges.
Amy commented on the experience: “I’d never think that I’d be the type of person to be scammed from something like this, but these people are very good at what they do and they’ll get you when you don’t think you’re in a position to be caught, so it’s important to be careful and check everything when searching for your insurer.”
Pete Ward, Head of Claims Counter Fraud at Aviva, said: “The scourge of misleading online ads is an issue that affects all motorists and insurers. At Aviva, we believe prevention is better than cure, which is why we are working with the IFB to highlight the serious financial implications of paid-ad spoofing. We suggest that drivers save their insurer’s claims number in their phones or keep it handy in their vehicles.
“When customers mistakenly respond to misleading online ads, we take immediate action to identify and investigate, sharing intelligence with the IFB and relevant regulators. Our proactive monitoring of ads that breach Google’s terms has led to successful takedowns of misleading ads and associated web domains.
“We’ve seen too many instances where customers contact us about a claim, only to find they never made a claim with Aviva. Imagine the concern when customers realize they don’t know who they are dealing with, what they have agreed to, or the implications of these agreements.
“This confusion puts customers at risk of extreme financial harm: they enter agreements for services like recovery, storage, repair, and hire, believing these costs are covered by their insurance. However, if these costs aren’t recovered from the other party’s insurer, the customer may be liable.
“There should be no situation where a customer is misled about the identity of the company they are dealing with or the financial implications of the agreements they have signed.”
How do paid-ad spoofing scams work?
A paid-ad spoofing scam is when a claims firm pays for a search engine ad result which shows up when someone is looking for their insurer. The ads are similar in style to that of a genuine insurer’s and are more likely to appear in mobile phone searches, to encourage people to call through quickly.
Over the phone, the firm may use general terminology to sound like the insurer or to imply that they are affiliated with them. The victim is asked for their personal details to receive ‘support services’ such as a replacement vehicle, and potentially make a claim, which can result in unsolicited third-party agreements.
While any insurance customer can fall victim, those who have been in a road traffic collision are most at risk as they may be shaken after an accident and not thinking as clearly when looking to make a claim. Victims may also believe their fully-comp motor insurance covers everything, but as they don’t know they’re not talking to their insurer, they can sign up to more and more services and it may be weeks until they discover the charges.
Who pays these fees varies. If the other driver is at fault, the firm will claim against their insurer to recover the costs of its unsolicited services. In these cases, the affected individual may not realise they have been linked to a scam. Or, if the other insurer doesn’t believe all the charges as justified, then the victim of the paid-ad spoofing scam may still face some costs.
However, if the other driver is not at fault of the collision, the onus is entirely placed on the person who was mislead into contacting the claims firm for support, to cover all costs that otherwise could have been included with their insurance policy. These fees can run into tens of thousands of pounds and can result in non-stop threatening calls to the victim from third-party firms. In one case, a victim was even pursued to cover over £50,000 in unsolicited fees.
Not only can victims suffer a financial loss, but there is also evidence some firms linked to paid-ad spoofing activity have stolen personal information to use in further fraudulent activity.
The IFB is currently investigating 140 claims linked to paid-ad spoofing worth over £1.8 million in suspected fraud, however it’s believed these figures only scratch the surface as many people are unaware they’ve been targeted.[2]
Top tips to avoid paid-ad spoofing scams
Keep your insurer’s contact details written down or saved on your phone.
Download your insurer’s app as this usually has customer service support functionality.
If searching for your insurer online, go on the insurer’s website to obtain contact details.
If viewing a sponsored ad result, check the URL and phone number to ensure it’s legitimate, before sharing any personal information and agreeing to claims services.
If anyone has concerns relating to paid-ad spoofing scams, they should tell their insurer and contact the IFB’s confidential CheatLine online or via 0800 422 0421.
Are you a local community group, small business, or artisan looking to showcase your talents and connect with the community? Join us at Leith Gala Day 2025 on Saturday 14th June at Leith Links!
This is your chance to share your products, services, and passion with thousands of visitors while celebrating the vibrant heart of Leith. From food stalls to crafts, performances, and community activities, there’s a spot for everyone.
Date: Saturday 14th June 2025
Location: Leith Links
Apply now to be part of one of the biggest events on the Leith calendar!
As the Royal British Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland prepare for Scotland’s Salute to VE Day 80th Anniversary commemorations concert in May, 2025, we want to honour the lives and experiences of our veterans.
We are looking for remarkable stories to feature in the May 6 concert, at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, to celebrate your courage, sacrifices, and impact.
We will also be looking at ways to preserve and honour all stories received beyond this occasion.
If you’re a World War 2 veteran, a relative or carer of a veteran and want to share your story for consideration, please get in touch with us on 0131 550 1583 or email us at events@legionscotland.org.uk
Submissions are open until 14th February, 2025, Thank you for your service and your willingness to share your journey.
LAST WEEK the Scottish government confirmed that plans for a National Care Service (NCS) in Scotland have been scrapped in favour of an advisory board and smaller, more targeted reforms (write FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE’s MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
The decision came after months of declining support from key organizations and stakeholders including COSLA, key trade unions and representative bodies for social care providers in Scotland.
Beyond the wavering support for the NCS plans, there is clear support for social care reform, particularly in enhancing access to and the quality of services.
Our interest in the National Care Service, and wider social care reform stems back to 2022, in which we conducted analysis of the NCS bill published in June of that year. Following this work, published in August 2022, we engaged with a number of stakeholders across the private, public and third sector.
Among concerns around governance and funding of the NCS, one of the key concerns from stakeholders we engaged with was the lack of good quality and timely data that is crucial to ensuring that any reforms to social care are well informed. In particular, the need to better understand what future levels of social care demand might be, the workforce requirements to accommodate this, and the associated expenditure on social care.
Our concerns about the lack of investment in social care research were highlighted in our response to the Wave 2 consultation. The Scottish Government has not commissioned any work in this area, and we have not been able to find independent funders willing to fund work of this nature in Scotland.
It is our view that projections of demand and cost of the current service, and any future reforms, is urgently required.
New labour market data published
The latest data on the labour market in the UK was published last week. There are many documented issues with the data at the moment due to the challenges faced by the Labour Force Survey, which means the headline figure are no longer considered accredited Official Statistics.
If you can set that aside for a moment, the headline results show on the surface a strong Labour market in Scotland, with high employment (74.1%) and low unemployment (3.8%). Inactivity rates remain slightly higher than the UK at 22.9%.
There are a number of other data sources published alongside the LFS data which is used to supplement our understanding of what is going on in the Scottish economy. One of these is the payrolled employment data, known as the PAYE Real-Term Information, which is published every month by the ONS. This draws on administrative records, and so is likely to be more reliable in terms of employment (although, of course, tells us nothing about unemployment or inactivity).
This data shows that payrolled employment is almost 3% higher in Scotland than pre-pandemic levels. However, we had a look at replicating the sectoral breakdowns in this interesting piece by think.ing, which looks at government-dominated sectors vs the rest.
Chart:Payrolled employment in all sectors, government dominated sectors (public administration, health and education, and total excluding government, Scotland, January 2020=100
Source: ONS
This shows that once the government dominated sectors are excluded, payroll employment has been falling since March 2024, and is now almost back at the levels seen in January 2020. In contrast, government dominated sectors are 8% about pre-COVID levels.
Given some of the challenges facing the private sector in the first half of 2025, including large increases in employer National insurance contributions which will come in in April, the trend in private sector employment is concerning, and points to a weakness masked if we just look at employment in total.
However, it is worth emphasising again that this is just payrolled employment, and does not cover self-employment.
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