£500,000 funding of digital development for world’s largest performing arts festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society will receive £500,000 to help support ongoing digital transformation work, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has announced.
A new website is being developed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Fringe next year. The funding will also ensure the Fringe Society can continue its work supporting Scottish artists and the sector, while promoting international opportunities for artists at the Fringe.
The Deputy First Minister said: “The Scottish Government has an ongoing commitment to safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe and support it to flourish, built on the principle of free access for all.
“As one of Scotland’s signature events the Fringe has grown to become the world’s largest performing arts festival – a major economic contributor to Edinburgh, and Scotland as a whole, and one of our country’s most significant national and international cultural assets.
“As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Fringe next year, this investment will provide a foundation to expand its global reach and the ongoing work with organisations who play an important role in making the Fringe the annual success it is – in particularly collective efforts focused on long term sustainability to both the Fringe Society and the Fringe as a whole.”
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “The ongoing support for the work of the Fringe Society from the Scottish Government will go a long way to shoring up our resilience and builds on their previous investment.
“The Society’s work in future-proofing the Fringe with world-class digital and data infrastructure is a critical imperative – with this foundation, these ambitions can be more readily realised and the future more secure.
“We’ve made giant strides over the last year and this announcement helps us build on that work, delivering even more for the Fringe community, ensuring the festival remains a jewel in Scotland’s creative crown.”
This funding builds upon £300,000 of support provided by the Scottish Government in 2025/26.
Two-child limit mitigation funding for 2025-26 reinvested to tackle child poverty
More support will be available to families and households to help cover the cost of life’s essentials and to deal with emergencies.
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed that £10 million originally earmarked in 2025-26 to support the two-child limit mitigation payment in Scotland will be reallocated to tackling child poverty.
The majority of the funding will be split between charities and government programmes that provide emergency financial support, including:
£5.5 million additional funding for the Scottish Welfare Fund. The fund is administered by local authorities and provides people on low incomes with emergency grants if they are facing crisis, homelessness or other housing or caring challenges
An additional £0.55 million for Aberlour Children’s Charity and £1.5 million for Children First to provide extra emergency support to families in crisis
£1.5 million for the Corra Foundation to distribute additional emergency funds via local organisations
A further £1 million will support various strands of the Scottish Government’s national Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026, including parental employability schemes, funding to support women back into the workforce, additional investment into the King’s Trust’s NHS employability programmes, and targeted support for households experiencing homelessness.
Visiting children’s charity Children First, First Minister John Swinney said: “When I became First Minister, I said that I will pursue priorities that will make Scotland the best our country can be, and the most important priority that I have pursued in government has been that of eradicating child poverty.
“We have made progress. Scotland is the only part of the UK where relative child poverty rates fell in the last year. Our investment in a more dignified and generous social security system, funded childcare, free school meals and free bus travel for under-22s is putting more money in families’ pockets.
“However, as we start 2026, there are still far too many children in Scotland growing up hungry, or cold, and unable to reach their full potential. That is unacceptable.
“Today’s announcement will provide some immediate short-term relief for individuals and families facing the most challenging of circumstances. Our local authorities and charities have well-established means of getting support out quickly to people in need.
“Next week we will set out in more detail our intention to put tackling child poverty at the heart of the next Scottish Budget and I look forward to unveiling landmark interventions to drive this work forward.”
Chief Executive of Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity, Mary Glasgow said: “These funds from the Scottish Government will allow Children First to offer life changing and immediate support to thousands of children as part of the national mission to eradicate child poverty.
“Through our national support line we will be able to reach more children and families to offer the financial, practical and emotional support they need to improve their circumstances and tackle the hardships they face in the short and longer term.
“Any family in Scotland in need of help can contact Children First’s friendly, specialist support line team 365 days a year by calling 08000 28 22 33 or starting a web chat at www.childrenfirst.org.uk/supportline.”
Chief Executive of Aberlour Justina Murray said: “Aberlour is delighted to receive this funding boost from the Scottish Government for our Urgent Assistance Fund.
“We know that families living in poverty particularly struggle with the cost of living during the winter months, with the post-Christmas period particularly challenging and often very bleak.
“This additional funding will be used to provide emergency cash grants via our UAF to families in desperate need for essentials like heating, food, warm clothing and bedding.
“This generous contribution by the Scottish Government will ensure that around 1,660 families living in poverty will have the basic essentials they need this winter such as food on the table, adequate clothing for their children and a warm home at night.”
The Scottish Welfare Fund is made up of two different grants (Crisis Grant and Community Care Grant) which can be applied for through your local authority and do not need to be paid back.
To apply for a grant from the Scottish Welfare Fund you must be 16 or older and on a low income or getting certain benefits.
The Scottish Government is to distribute £5 million of funding in 2025-26 to support independent hospices with pay parity for clinical staff with their NHS counterparts.
Hospices have now had their funding allocations confirmed and the investment, set out in the 2025-26 Budget, will ensure that frontline staff providing essential palliative and end-of-life care in independent hospices are fairly paid in line with NHS pay scales.
The funding aims to help hospices recruit and retain skilled healthcare professionals during a time of rising workforce pressures and increasing demand for palliative care services.
Health Secretary Neil Gray, said: “Independent hospices provide vital care and support to people and families across Scotland at the most difficult times in their lives. I am pleased we are able to support these organisations in supporting pay parity for their clinical staff.
“This funding recognises the skilled, compassionate care that hospice staff deliver every day, and helps ensure their pay reflects the immense value of their work.”
Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group Jacki Smart, said: “This is a welcome first step in recognising the needs of the hospice sector, which plays a key role in delivering specialist palliative care for Scotland.
“It is right for patients and staff that hospices can pay skilled professionals fairly and in line with NHS colleagues, and we need to keep pace on this.”
Independent hospices across Scotland are independent charitable organisations providing care tailored to local needs. Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of independent hospices to meet the needs of their local population.
Hospices work closely with a wide variety of health and social care services, including NHS Boards, to deliver high quality care and support.
The Scottish Government is committed to developing a new national framework to support more effective planning and commissioning between hospices and IJBs. This work will continue alongside discussions about long-term pay parity and funding arrangements.
Significant activity is underway to clear the longest NHS waits following the allocation of £30 million of targeted funding.
The funding has been allocated to specialty areas where it can have the greatest impact against the longest waits – this includes cancer, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dermatology and diagnostics.
It is estimated the £30 million, initially announced in April, will help boards across the country deliver around; 12,000 additional procedures, 40,000 extra diagnostic procedures and 12,000 new outpatient appointments.
Activity levels will increase over the coming weeks and the Scottish Government will work closely with Boards to support delivery.
Speaking on a visit to Ninewells Hospital’s ophthalmology ward in Dundee, Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “This initial investment of £30 million will target reductions to national backlogs that built up through the pandemic. This is all part of our programme to tackle waiting times, including waiting lists for orthopaedic treatment and diagnostics for cancer.
“Together, our actions will help Scotland’s NHS maximise capacity, build greater resilience and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment. The number people waiting over two years for a new outpatient appointment is down by more than half in the last two years, and we want to build on that progress.
“As part of the £30 million, we have invested close to £2 million in ophthalmology helping to increase activity in the short term as we aim to deliver one cataract procedure every 30 minutes on standard lists. This will allow a more resilient and sustainable service for the future.”
£3.6 million investment as capacity increases by 57% to exceed targets
The Scottish Government is continuing to invest in Hospital at Home for Older People with £3.6 million allocated for 2024/25, bringing total funding allocation for the initiative to over £15 million since 2020.
Recent statistics released by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) show that last year the Hospital at Home service for Older People, which provides a safe, alternative to being admitted to an acute hospital, exceeded targets in several key areas between April 2023 and March 2024, including:
total bed numbers have increased by over 57%, ahead of the Scottish Government’s 50% target
14,467 patients used Hospital at Home, up from 11,686 in the previous 12-month period
the Hospital at Home service is now the eighth biggest “hospital” for older people emergency inpatients, alongside Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Stirling.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “These figures from HIS show that Hospital at Home is becoming an increasingly popular care alternative for elderly patients to receive acute treatment in a place they feel comfortable and familiar with.
“There are more Hospital at Home beds available and an increasing number of patients choosing to use the service.
“Hospital at Home gives people greater independence during their recovery process. Evidence shows that those benefitting from the service are more likely to avoid hospital or care home stays for up to six months after an acute illness.
“It is also one of a range of measures that we have put in place to tackle delayed discharge numbers and free up beds within our hospitals.”
Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of Improvement, Healthcare Improvement Scotland said: “This announcement of additional funding will continue to improve access to Hospital at Home services and make them more sustainable to the benefit of patients across Scotland.
“It’s heartening to see that Hospital at Home services prevented over 14,400 people spending time in hospital over the past year.
“Moreover, with our support we’ve witnessed more NHS boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships embracing Hospital at Home by establishing and developing services.
“We look forward to continuing to help services develop and share learning in the year ahead.”
Extra £1 million will help people shape the services they need
A £1 million investment over two years will fund work with people with dementia and their families to design and shape the support they need following diagnosis.
The funding, part of the £120 million Mental Health Recovery and Renewal fund, will see the Scottish Government working with Age Scotland to enhance support giving people a bigger say in what works for them.
COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on people with dementia. Through this partnership with Age Scotland, the Scottish Government will grow the community support that have been so critical to people and their families during the pandemic.
Early investment will be focused on building community capacity with a small grant programme, with a broader community grant programme to follow in the second year.
Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart said: “During the latest phase of the pandemic I have listened to people with dementia and their families about the need for additional flexible support and investment to help address some of the particular challenges they are facing.
“COVID-19 has impacted all of us but I know just how challenging it has been for people living with dementia, their families and carers.
“Trying to reduce this impact is the basis of our Dementia and Covid Action Plan, which we have worked with a wide range of partners to implement, since its publication in December 2020.
“There is a lot of positive work to point to, and the pandemic has particularly highlighted the importance of community-led work, responding to local need. I want to build on this work and enable more local people and communities to design and shape the support they need.
“Through this partnership with Age Scotland we will invest an extra £1 million over two years to support local communities to do that.”
Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Scottish Government to deliver this funding, which will support the development of dementia-friendly communities across Scotland.
“The pandemic has compounded challenges faced by people living with dementia and their unpaid carers. This funding will help address some of these challenges by shaping communities that work for those who have lived experience of dementia.
“Our role is to bring the voices of carers and people living with dementia to the forefront as plans are developed, ensuring those voices are heard at every stage of the design and delivery process. By doing so, we can build communities that truly support and empower people living with dementia and those who care for them.”
Military to support national Autumn/Winter vaccination programme
More than 100 members of the Armed Forces will this week join the national Autumn/Winter vaccination programme.
Some 100 vaccinators and 15 nurses will work across all 11 territorial health boards on the mainland to support the rollout of flu vaccines and coronavirus (COVID-19) injections and boosters.
Vaccinations are being offered to as many people as possible as winter approaches.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been involved in the COVID -19 vaccine rollout in Scotland, including the military, which has ensured more than 8 million first and second doses have been delivered.
“We are now in the midst of an extremely busy period for the national Autumn/Winter vaccination programme with flu and COVID-19 booster injections being offered to the most vulnerable groups, alongside first COVID-19 jabs to 12-15 year olds.
“With increasing levels of social mixing and close social contact in the colder months, it is expected that COVID-19 will add to the winter pressures usually faced by the NHS. That is why we have again requested military support to complement our existing resources and to ensure we can get even more vaccinations into arms as quickly as possible.
“It remains clear that getting vaccinated is the single most effective step that anyone can take to protect themselves from the most severe disease caused by COVID-19. Anyone who has not yet received their first or second COVID-19 vaccination can check their nearest open access centre on NHS Inform or phone the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013.”
An additional £10 million is going to health boards across Scotland to bring in a range of measures to get A&E patients to the right care as quickly as possible.
This includes deploying physiotherapists and occupational therapists at A&E units to help triage and treat patients who would otherwise wait to see nursing staff. This will prevent people being admitted to hospital unnecessarily.
The new funding will provide more specialists such as social care workers and Allied Health Professionals on hospital rotas, and extended opening hours for pharmacy and diagnostic services such as scanning and ultrasound to speed up referrals. It will also support extra staff for peak public holidays.
This is on top of the £300 million package of funding announced as part of the Winter Plan to support the NHS.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “As part of the NHS Recovery Plan we have invested £27 million towards the Redesign of Urgent Care to ensure people receive the right care, at the right place. This will add to that work so our hospitals and A&E departments are not overstretched, if some patients can be safely and effectively treated elsewhere.
“Alongside the additional £10 million investment recently announced to prevent delayed discharge and avoid hospital stays, this extra winter funding aims to ease pressures in A&E departments and minimise delays that patients are currently experiencing when they need urgent care.
“Placing physiotherapists and occupational therapists in A&E will stop unnecessary hospital admissions so that, for example, patients with musculoskeletal conditions, chest infections, or those who have suffered a fall, can receive the right care quickly and advice on exercises to support recovery at home and in the community.
“This is not only good news for our NHS, but also better for the public in giving treatment in the right place, so emergency care is available when it’s really needed.”
Earlier this month the Scottish Government announced a record winter funding package of £300 million to increase NHS and social care capacity.
The Scottish Government will be working with health boards over next few weeks to identify what they might need most from this latest £10 million funding.
The Scottish Government is allocating a further £482 million to NHS Boards and Integration Authorities to meet costs of the pandemic and remobilising health services.
This includes funding for Test and Protect and to support the progress of the vaccination programme.
It comes on top of £2.1 billion provided to date to NHS Boards and Integration Authorities to support additional Covid-19 costs. Further funding will be provided as necessary over the course of the year.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Our frontline health and care workers have been remarkable throughout the pandemic, and we continue to support NHS Boards and Integration Authorities to deliver and remobilise vital services as we approach the toughest winter the system has potentially ever experienced.
“This £482 million includes just over £121 million for Test and Protect and a further £136 million for the vaccination programme. The rest of the funding will cover costs including additional staffing to support hospital scale-up, equipment, maintenance and IT.”
The Scottish Government has released £12 million in additional funding to health boards across Scotland to support non-COVID emergency care.
This immediate action will help put measures in place to reduce waiting times for urgent or emergency treatment, with a focus on boosting staffing levels and available beds.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are acutely aware that hospitals are facing significant challenges due to a rise in non-Covid attendances and that some health boards are taking necessary measures to protect urgent and emergency care capacity.
“This £12 million will support them to do so. We are working closely with those Health Boards experiencing the greatest challenges to ensure the funding delivers the improvements required.
“Our NHS staff continue to work tirelessly to respond to the pandemic whilst providing vital non-Covid treatment and safe patient care. Any reductions to service will be short term to ensure those of most critical need have immediate medical attention. Urgent treatment, including vital cancer treatment will continue during this challenging period.”
Chief Executive of NHS Lothian Calum Campbell said: “Hospitals across Scotland are dealing with the pandemic, while seeing an increase in non-covid patients arriving at their doors.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government for working with us to ensure everyone who needs urgent or emergency care is prioritised – such as vital cancer treatment or accident and emergency care for life-threatening conditions.
“This funding will be vital in helping to provide extra staffing and bed capacity to further enhance improvements in unscheduled care and support delivery of the NHS Recovery Plan.
“NHS Lothian will use this funding to increase beds in the community, relieving pressures on acute hospitals, and to support staff in treating patients as quickly as possible.”
The public can do their part to help the NHS by considering options closer to home when they need medical attention.
Advice is available online at NHS Inform, or they can contact their GP practice or visit their local pharmacy who can help and prescribe treatment.
They can also call NHS 24 on 111 if they can’t wait for their GP practice to open, or they think they need emergency treatment which is not life-threatening.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, has expressed his delight as the City of Edinburgh Council is set to receive £846,000 from the Scottish Government to encourage children to play and socialise as part of the recovery from the pandemic.
Councils across Scotland will receive a share of £15m to support summer activities that are already in place in certain areas.
The support will specifically target those aged up to 25 from low income households who may otherwise struggle to access such experiences during the holidays.
£5m will also be distributed among prominent Scottish children’s charities such as Barnardo’s and Who Cares Scotland.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said: “I am absolutely delighted at this investment in Edinburgh’s children and young people, who have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic as they have not been able to meet up with friends or play the sports they love.
“Coming out of the pandemic young people have told us that their mental health will be a priority and the SNP Scottish Government has listened to them and is investing in summer activities.
“This will have a positive impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of our young people, which will be extremely important when coming out of lockdown and into recovery.”
