A Freedom of Information request, lodged by Labour Lothians MSP, Sarah Boyack, has revealed that the average wait times for patients at Edinburgh’s Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, has more than DOUBLED since 2014.
The average wait for inpatient appointments in 2014 was 56.6 days, compared to a staggering 132 days in 2023.
This is an increase of over 130% from when the Eye Pavilion was deemed not fit for purpose in 2014.
A replacement Eye Pavilion was deemed as a top priority of NHS Lothian, but the Scottish Government have not yet committed to the project.
This is despite promises by then First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon that the Scottish Government would proceed with a replacement building.
The outpatient average waiting times has also skyrocketed by similar margins. In 2014, the average wait times for outpatients stood at 49.8 days – by 2023, it had increased dramatically to 136.6 days.
Commening on the figures, Sarah Boyack said: “These soaring waiting times illustrates that the current Eye Pavilion, is not fit for purpose.
“Patients deserve top notch services, but instead they face ever increasing waiting times and a government that is looking the other way.
“The Scottish Government must look at these waiting times and realise that their decision not to go ahead with the hospital will only make things worse.
“I urge the Scottish Government to do the right thing and finally fulfil their pledge to build a new eye hospital in Edinburgh.”
Craig Spalding, Chief Executive, Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, commented: “The soaring waiting times at Edinburgh’s Princess Alexandra Hospital unfortunately come as no surprise, as the building and its facilities are severely outdated.
“The Scottish Government’s decision to not go ahead with a new hospital is letting so many vulnerable people down.
“Growing waiting times are causing lives to be put on hold, and unless positive action is taken, there will likely be more cancellations, prolonged delays, and heightened risks for both patients and staff.”
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), working with law enforcement partners, seized more than 15.5 million doses of illegally traded medicines with a street value of more than £30 million during 2023.
his includes more than two million doses seized during Operation Pangea, the international initiative of global enforcement partners that targets the illegal internet trade in medical products.
Last year’s seizures included prescription-only anti-anxiety medicines, opioids and sleeping pills and falsified and unlicensed lifestyle products such as erectile dysfunction and hair loss medications, as well as a small number of aesthetic products such as Botox and semaglutide-containing ‘weight loss’ products.
Working with partners, the MHRA also disrupted more than 12,000 websites illegally selling medical products to the public and shut down almost 3,000 social media profiles during the year.
The MHRA works with many online marketplaces, social media platforms and technology providers, as well as a wide range of law enforcement agencies at home and abroad to investigate and remove potentially harmful medical products that are offered illegally to the public.
Support and advice provided by the MHRA to online marketplaces resulted in the successful removal of more than half a million unregulated prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines and medical devices before they could even be offered for sale to the public.
Andy Morling, MHRA Deputy Director (Criminal Enforcement), said: Public safety is our number one priority. Our Criminal Enforcement Unit works hard to prevent, detect and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices, to protect people and defeat this harmful trade.
“This year, working with partners across public and private sectors, our efforts have led to more medicines seizures than ever, custodial sentences for offenders, the removal of criminal profits and considerable success in disrupting the trade online.
“We would urge everyone to think very carefully before buying medicines they see online and to take the necessary steps to assure themselves the seller is legitimate. Buying powerful medicines from illegitimate sellers poses a real and immediate danger to your health, as you have no idea what they might actually contain.
“If you suspect that you have seen illegal products being sold online, you can help us take action by reporting your concerns through our Yellow Card scheme.
The dangers of unlicensed medicines
If a medicine is unlicensed, it will not have been assessed by the MHRA for its safety, effectiveness or the quality of its manufacturing and distribution processes. Anyone buying such a product cannot be sure what it contains or whether it will cause them harm.
In the courts
The sale of medicines and medical devices is strictly controlled in the UK, with certain products only permitted for sale through registered pharmacies or supplied on prescription from a qualified healthcare professional.
Last year, six MHRA investigations resulted in significant custodial sentences for many of those convicted. These prosecutions followed detailed investigations, the seizure of millions of doses of medicines and the removal of hundreds of thousands of pounds of criminal profits.
MHRA safety advice when buying medicines online
Be careful when buying medicines online
Medicines are not ordinary consumer goods and their sale and supply is tightly controlled. Websites operating outside the legal supply chain may seem tempting, for example, offering a prescription medicine without a prescription. Not only are these sites breaking the law – they are putting your health at risk.
Criminals use a variety of techniques to sell medicines illegally online. Some are sold using websites designed to look like legitimate pharmacies or online retailers, while others might be advertised via online marketplaces or social media sites.
Visit the #FakeMeds website for tools and resources to help people purchase medicines or medical devices safely online.
Anyone who suspects that their product is fake is encouraged to report it directly to the Yellow Card scheme, through the website (https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/) or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA Yellow Card.
Police are appealing for information after two bicycles were stolen in Edinburgh.
They were stolen from a garden shed at an address in Buckstone Avenue around 6.45pm on Thursday, 25 January, 2024.
The first is a green/bronze coloured Ragley Mountain Bike with purple handle bar end caps and the second is a blue coloured Giant Fantom Mountain Bike.
Inspector Keith Forrester said: “One of the bikes holds a great deal of sentimental value to the family as it belonged to their 18-year-old son who died in February 2023.
“The family are distraught and described the bike as their late son’s pride and joy and provided them with many fond memories.
“We are appealing for anyone who has any information to come forward. If you were in the area and have private CCTV or dash-cam footage which could help, please get in touch.
“If you have unknowingly bought one of the stolen bikes recently, it would mean so much to the family to get the bikes back.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference incident 3430 of 25 January.”
Millions of UK workers see boost in take home pay today as cut to National Insurance shows in January’s payslip as part of plan to reward work and boost growth
Progress made on economy means government is able to cut taxes for hard working people
Saving worth £450 for an average worker earning £35,400 a year
Millions of workers are going to start seeing a boost to their take home pay today as January’s pay comes into bank accounts across the UK.
With millions of monthly earners getting paid today [Wednesday 31 January 2024], a household with two average earners will be starting to see a nearly £1,000 a year benefit from the Chancellor’s record personal tax cut.
Thanks to the progress made against its economic priorities, the government announced it will cut National Insurance by 2p from 12% to 10% at the Autumn Statement and made sure it took effect within weeks of the announcement, as part of its plan to reward work and grow the economy. The change is a more than 15% reduction in National Insurance, saving £450 this year for the average salaried worker on £35,400.
Millions of people working different jobs across hundreds of industries will now be better off. To a pub landlord that’s £418 a year, a bus driver £328, a nurse £527. A teacher will pay £635 less in National Insurance contributions this year.
Today’s historic NICs cut takes effect with the government having faced the legacy of Covid-19, and global instability with war in Ukraine and the Middle East.
In the past year, inflation has halved; the economy has recovered more quickly from the pandemic than first thought; and debt is on track to fall. The government is sticking to the plan and is building a stronger economy where hard work is rewarded and ambition and aspiration are celebrated.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:“I never shied away from making the tough decisions needed yesterday to cut taxes today.
“This January pay boost for hard-working Brits is part of our plan to grow the economy and build a brighter future where hard work is always rewarded, relieving pressure on UK workers by putting around £450 back in their pockets.”
The cut means that for those on average salaries, personal taxes would be lower in the UK for single parents with no children than every other G7 country, based on the most recent OECD data. The UK also has the most generous starting allowances for income tax and social security contributions in the G7.
To mark the tax cut, earlier this month HMRC launched an online tool to help people understand how much they could save in National Insurance this year.
The tool uses salary information to give employees personalised estimates of how much they could save because of the government’s changes, and is hosted on the government’s cost of living support website on gov.uk.
The last major cut to the current personal tax system of today’s magnitude was when the National Insurance personal allowance increased from £9,880 to £12,570. This was the largest ever cut to a personal tax starting threshold, allowing working people to hold on to an extra £2,690 free from tax whilst last year taking around 2.2 million people out of paying tax altogether.
The cut to National Insurance combined with above-inflation increases to tax thresholds since 2010 means that the average earner will pay over £1,000 less in personal taxes than they otherwise would have done.
The independent OBR says that, by 2028-29 this tax cut will increase the number of people in employment by 28,000 alongside a substantial economic benefit from those in work increasing their hours which the OBR forecast will be equivalent to 79,000 on a full-time equivalent basis. Overall, the OBR says that by 2028-29 this measure will increase the number of hours worked by new and existing employees by 0.3%, or 94,000 in full-time equivalent terms.
At the Autumn Statement the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the biggest package of tax cuts to be implemented since the 1980s. In addition to today’s action, he announced a National Insurance cut for 2 million self-employed people, which will take effect on 6 April 2024 and is worth £350 for the average self-employed person on £28,200.
He also made full expensing permanent, which at £11 billion per year is the biggest business tax cut in modern British history helping businesses invest for less. Over 200 business leaders told the government that it would have the single most transformational impact on business investment and growth.
The OBR says these two measures will increase the number of people in work and grow the economy.
He also announced the biggest ever increase to the National Living Wage, froze alcohol duty for six months and extended cuts to business rates relief for the high street.
A new offence which makes it a crime to encourage or assist another person to self-harm comes into effect in Scotland today (31 January).
The offence can be committed online, in correspondence or publications, or in-person and applies regardless of whether an individual goes on to injure themselves or not. Anyone found guilty of this crime can face up to five years in prison.
It is hoped it will act as a deterrent to anyone who sets out to deliberately encourage others to self-harm and will create a safer online environment, particularly for people who may be in distress and looking for help on the internet.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “We welcome this new offence which criminalises people who encourage or assist another person to serious self-harm. It will help to make the internet a safer place for everyone.
“We believe this new law aligns with our ambitious approach on self-harm, which is laid out in our dedicated Self-harm Strategy and Action Plan. It demonstrates our ambition to improve support for people who self-harm – a critical part of which is ensuring people are protected from harmful communications.”
Samaritans Scotland Executive Director Neil Mathers said: “Samaritans Scotland welcomes new legislation to take action against those who encourage or assist another person to engage in serious self-harm.
“It is hugely important to keep people safe online and protected from dangerous content and those wishing to cause harm.
“This legislation should only apply to those who encourage self-harm in a deliberate and malicious way, and aims to deter them from targeting vulnerable people.
“The internet can provide advice, helpful information and supportive networks for people seeking help about self-harm. It is crucially important that people can access this support, while being kept safe from dangerous content and those wishing to cause harm.”
The offence under the Online Safety Act (2023) was extended to Scotland through a Legislative Consent Motion agreed in the Scottish Parliament on 29 June 2023.
An approach to the future design of Edinburgh’s streets to create a more connected, welcoming environment has been published for consideration by councillors this week.
It sets out an approach to how space is allocated on the city’s streets, focusing on neighbourhoods, key transport corridors and the city centre. This will help to deliver the aims and objectives of the City Mobility Plan (CMP), which envisions sustainable, safe and effective movement of people and goods around Edinburgh.
As part of Our Future Streets, the Street Allocation Framework (SAF) presents a series of principles for delivering these aims and would form the starting point for the design of all future street projects.
Defined principles and a set of indicative maps will help to achieve a better balance for demands on space in any prospective projects, prioritising better walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport and places for everyone.
The process also considers how to deliver a clear and coherent network for general traffic. The Framework would be incorporated into the development of schemes, alongside stakeholder engagement, public consultation and design appraisal.
Under this place-based approach, the report also recommends taking Edinburgh City Centre Transformation (ECCT) further to reduce vehicle dominance, improving conditions for pedestrians and placemaking while contributing to the city’s ambition to reduce car kms travelled by 30% by 2030.
Four options for achieving this have been considered. The favoured option reflects existing ECCT plans with two key additions: removal of through-traffic from the North and South Bridges corridor – complementing the Granton to BioQuarter tram proposals – and removing through-traffic from the Cowgate and Canongate.
To help explore the changes an experimental closure of the Cowgate to some or all through-traffic is proposed for late 2024. The findings of this trial would help shape plans for further work towards implementing changes to reduce through-traffic across the city centre.
All future proposals will be informed by an emerging Operations Plan, which will make sure accessibility is at the heart of development work. The plan will ensure any servicing and loading changes support businesses and that local access to the city centre by car is maintained.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said:“We’re lucky to live in a beautiful, historic city, and Edinburgh’s rapidly increasing population is testament to that. But as our city continues to grow, so too do the challenges posed by congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions.
“We need to be bold and move faster if we are to support the people who live, work and visit here to move around the Capital sustainably and safely, while protecting Edinburgh’s unique heritage. By making it easier to walk, wheel, cycle and use public transport we can create better, healthier transport links, supporting net zero 2030 goals and helping to drive down car kms travelled.
“I know that many people in Edinburgh can’t afford a car or are not able to drive – making it easier for these residents to move around Edinburgh is at the heart of these plans.
“We’ve learnt lessons form progressive cities around the world who are adopting strategic approaches to redesigning their streets and networks. Reallocating space, where possible, will support transport options designed for everyone, as well as delivering the most attractive and competitive environments for businesses to operate in.
“The busy city centre presents a real challenge, and we know the public want to see change too – responses to market research undertaken during the Council’s ‘Actions to Deliver Edinburgh’s City Mobility Plan’ consultation in 2023 showed 64% support for investigating more restrictions to through-traffic here.
“Our proposals for the city centre build on Edinburgh City Centre Transformation to further reduce traffic whilst improving public transport, with short term trial measures to help test the impacts on the wider city.
“The council has been talking about these types of changes since before I moved here in 1996. It is now listening to residents and busnesses and will be bolder, think bigger and act faster.”
Our Future Streets includes an appraisal of all main traffic corridors in the city for future investment, and the A8 has been identified as a priority. If approved, a package of measures will be developed, including improvements to junctions, bus priority, safer measures for walking, wheeling and cycling, and town centre improvements for St John’s Road.
The report also recommends a strategic approach to improvements in neighbourhoods through a programme of ‘Liveable Neighbourhood’ initiatives to deliver good quality, sustainable access to local services and facilities, with a focus on low cost improvements to pavements, such as dropped kerbs.
Our Future Streets’ outputs have been refined following a period of public consultation, alongside consultation on draft CMP action plans, the results of which were reported to Transport and Environment Committee in October 2023.
POLICE have released images of two men who may be able to assist with enquiries into an assault and robbery which occurred around 9.30pm on Saturday, 20 January, at the Inchmickery Court area in Muirhouse.
Both men are thought to be Eastern European.
The first man is described as white and 20- 30 years of age. He was wearing a black and red jacket, black trousers and a white baseball cap.The second man is described as white and 30-40 years of age. He was wearing a black jacket, jeans and black shoes.
Detective Constable William Doughty said: “I urge the men or anyone who may recognise them to contact us.
“If you have any information about this incident, please contact us through 101 quoting incident number 1095 of 21 January 2024. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be maintained.”
Women pursuing careers in music face “endemic” misogyny and discrimination in a sector dominated by self-employment and gendered power imbalances, Westminster’s Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has warned.
WEC’s ‘Misogyny in Music’ report laid bare a “boys’ club” where sexual harassment and abuse is common, and the non-reporting of such incidents is high. Victims who do speak out struggle to be believed or may find their career ends as a consequence.
Despite increases in representation, women encounter limitations in opportunity, a lack of support and persistent unequal pay; these issues are intensified for women facing intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination, the report found.
Female artists are routinely undervalued and undermined, endure a focus on their physical appearance in a way that men are not subjected to, and have to work far harder to get the recognition their ability merits.
Making a series of strong and wide-ranging recommendations, the cross-party committee of MPs called on ministers to take legislative steps to amend the Equality Act to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as employees and bring into force section 14 to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality.
It also recommended the Government should legislate to impose a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties, a proposal the Government initially supported and then rejected last year.
Both the music industry and Government, WEC said, should increase investment in diverse talent and make more funding available to the schemes that support it. Pathways to careers for women working in the sector must improve it added, particularly in male-dominated areas such as Artists and Repertoire (A&R), sound engineering and production.
Record labels should commit to regular publication of statistics on the diversity of their creative rosters, with all organisations of more than 100 employees required to publish data on the diversity of their workforce and gender and ethnicity pay gaps.
On non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), the report cited distressing testimonies of victims “threatened into silence”, with WEC urging ministers to prohibit the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment, and discrimination relating to a protected characteristic.
The Government, WEC recommended, should consider a retrospective moratorium on NDAs for those who have signed them relating to the issues outlined.
The report also called for strengthened requirements for industry areas where harassment and abuse are known to take place. It recommended that studios, music venues and the security staff that attend them should be subject to licensing requirements focused on tackling sexual harassment and that managers of artists should also be licensed.
WEC supported the Office for Students’ proposed new condition of registration and potential sanction for educational settings aimed at improving protections for students and urged the OfS to “implement its proposals swiftly and to enforce them robustly”.
The establishment of a single, recognisable body, the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) WEC’s report concluded will help to shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry and may reduce the risk of further harm.
But the committee cautioned it is “not a panacea for all of the problems in the industry” and “time will tell whether it has the powers required to drive the changes needed”.
Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP said: “Women’s creative and career potential should not have limits placed upon it by ‘endemic’ misogyny which has persisted for far too long within the music industry.
“Our report rightly focuses on improving protections and reporting mechanisms, and on necessary structural and legislative reforms.
“However, a shift in the behaviour of men—and it is almost always men – at the heart of the music industry is the transformative change needed for talented women to quite literally have their voices heard and be both recognised and rewarded on equal terms.”
A 39-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an investigation into an assault on board a bus at Inverleith Gardens, Edinburgh.
The incident took place around 4.20pm on Saturday, 9 December, 2023.
The man has been released on an undertaking and is expected to appear at court at a later date.
Constable Rachael McIntyre said: “I would like to thank the public for their assistance with our enquiries into this incident.”
Police issue CCTV appeal following assault on board bus at Inverleith
Police Scotland have released images of a man they wish to speak to who may be able to assist with enquiries into an assault which took place on board a number 9 bus on Saturday, 9 December, 2023.
The incident on the took place whilst the bus was at Inverleith Gardens at around 4:20pm.
The man is described as white, slim build, brown hair and facial hair and aged between 25 to 30 years old. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a purple tie.
Constable Rachael McIntyre said: “We are keen to speak to this man, who may be able to assist us with our enquiries. I would encourage him or anyone who may recognise him to contact us as soon as possible”.
Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 2431 of 9 December, 2023.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
