The Scottish Government has appointed Nora Senior CBE as the new Chair of the Edinburgh College Board of Management.
Over the course of a 30-year career in industry, Nora has held several senior leadership positions, latterly as Group Executive Chair of global communications and government relations consultancy, Weber Shandwick, and previously with Saatchi and Saatchi.
A former Businesswoman of the Year, Nora holds extensive experience at non-exec board level in both public and private sector organisations, having been Chair of the Scottish Government’s independent Enterprise and Skills Board and as President of British Chambers of Commerce.
She was honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2017 for services to UK businesses.
Ms Senior said: “I am really excited to be taking on the role of Chair of Edinburgh College Board of Management and working with the Board and Audrey and the team to accelerate the focus, purpose and importance of the college within not only the education sector but as part of the wider innovation and business transformation landscape.
“I look forward to working with our staff and students to deliver an exceptional teaching and learning experience and placing the college at the heart of our community.
“My thanks go to Ann Landels for her strong guidance and contribution to the work of the college as Interim Chair.”
Edinburgh College Principal and Chief Executive Audrey Cumberford said: “Having had the privilege of working with Nora in her capacity as Chair of the Scottish Government’s Enterprise and Skills Board I am both delighted and excited with her appointment as the new Chair of Edinburgh College, Scotland’s Capital College.
“Nora’s extensive leadership experience in industry and the public sector, alongside a deep understanding and passion for the role that colleges play in their local communities and wider regions will be invaluable as we strive to realise our full potential and ambitions.”
Nora takes over the position from Non-Executive Board Member (and Vice Chair) Ann Landels, who acted in an interim capacity for over two years. Ann said: “I am delighted to welcome Nora as the new Regional Chair of the Edinburgh College Board.
“It has been my privilege to be Interim Chair of the Board since November 2019 and to lead the Board through the challenging times presented by Covid-19. It is a testament to the work of the Principal, the Executive Team and all our staff at Edinburgh College that we continued to deliver high quality education throughout that time.
“As we anticipate the resumption of a more normal College experience in the 2022/23 session, I am very much looking forward to supporting Nora in her new appointment as I resume my role as Vice Chair.”
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of children’s services, has called for greatly increased investment in mental health services as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the young become clearer.
The call comes as new figures published by Public Health Scotland today (15th March 2022), indicate that at the end of December 2021, 10,021 children and young people had been referred for treatment from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
This includes issues such as anxiety and depression and represents a staggering 27.1 per cent increase from the previous quarter (July to September 2021) when the figure was 7,882.
With already under-resourced and overstretched services facing overwhelming pressure due to increased demand, the SCSC has raised concerns over a potential “lost generation” of vulnerable children and young people whose mental health is being impacted by Covid-19.
Even prior to the pandemic cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels and in crisis, and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access adequate support. The pandemic has exacerbated this, leading to unprecedented demand and backlogs, with services struggling to keep up.
In total, 4, 544 children and young people started treatment at CAMHS over the period October to December 2021. This is an increase of 19.8 per cent from the previous quarter (3,792) and only 70.3 per cent were seen within the Scottish Government’s waiting time target for the NHS of 18 weeks from referral to treatment (met by at least 90 per cent of patients).
This is a fall from the previous quarter when the figure was 78.6 per cent. Eight out of 14 health boards failed to meet this target.
A total of 1,570 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment at the end of December 2021.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “For some time now, we have raised concerns over a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted even further by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Too many of our young people are waiting too long for the treatment they need and it is more important than ever that children can access the support required, irrespective of where they live.
“While we welcome the attention that the Scottish Government has given to date on this vital issue, a lack of resources and lack of staff mean it’s becoming an impossible situation to manage. There must be a radical transformation of our mental health services, investing in specialist services and with a focus on preventing such problems arising in the first place and intervening early.
“This is a crisis we can overcome, but as the country comes to terms with the biggest hit to its mental health in generations, it will require a similar energy and commitment to that demonstrated for Covid-19 if we are to achieve this and prevent many young people giving up on their futures.”
Waiting times (with adjustments) for people who started their treatment from October to December 2021, by NHS Board of treatment:
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf MSP, announced the appointments of seven new Non-Executive Directors to NHS Lothian Boardyesterday.
They are; Nadin Akta, Philip Allenby, Andrew Fleming, Elizabeth Gordon, George Gordon, Peter Knight and Val de Souza.
Mrs Nadin Akta holds a MSc degree in Intercultural Business Communication and TESOL. Her interests are in cultures, cross cultures, barriers and challenges for ethnic minorities in Scotland and she has a wide knowledge from working with BME communities through her previous jobs in a professional capacity and through volunteering with charitable organisations across the Lothians.
Nadin previously work with East Lothian Council and other charity organisations as an Integration Coordinator and TESOL Teacher. More recently, she has been working at the University of Edinburgh as an Outreach and Projects Coordinator for the BME communities in the Lothians.
Mr Philip Allenby is a Scottish Solicitor and Notary Public, with over 20 years’ international legal and business experience. He was previously Chief Counsel, Governance and Compliance, Europe with BT plc.
Phil is a lecturer and senior tutor at the University School of Law. He holds degrees in mathematics, information technology and law.
Mr Andrew Fleming is a retired senior civil servant with experience in designing and delivering strategic improvements across a range of public policy areas, including health, tax collection, justice, community safety, environment and heritage.
He is currently Convenor of Evaluation Support Scotland – a charity which supports Third Sector organisations to measure their impact. Andrew has a professional background as a social researcher.
Mrs Elizabeth Gordon spent the first 10 years of her career as a Solicitor in private practice in the occupational pensions team of a large Scottish law firm. Her time working in this field included many years of significant and complex legal change as the UK Government transformed regulatory protection for members of occupational pension schemes.
Clients included boards of trustees of UK-wide pension schemes and work involved advising on changes in the law and regulatory compliance, interpretation of trust deeds and pensions aspects of corporate transactions. Elizabeth then took up a new post, with a wide-ranging remit, managing a large, independent provider of NHS dentistry in Edinburgh and has been there for over 14 years.
Her focus has always been to ensure that the dental practices provide a service that prioritises safe, high quality NHS patient care and compliance alongside the wellbeing of the clinical team. Elizabeth looks forward to combining her experience and knowledge acquired in a primary care management setting with the skills developed from her legal education and background.
Mr George Gordon is ‘a longstanding community activist who has instigated and set up numerous groups and organisations within his own community, which has given him a good skill set in the requirements of the local population both in areas of health, wellbeing and services that are vitally important in areas of multi-deprivation and poverty’.
As the Sustainability Spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council, he has worked tirelessly to ensure long-term benefit in the capital; and as the Disability and Diversity Spokesperson he has ensured that all people are fairly represented and gain the services tailored to their own individual needs, which is in keeping with NHS Lothian’s patient centric goals and aspirations.
I has served (EH? – Ed.)on various NHS Lothian committees in his Local Authority stakeholder member role and looks forward to continuing his work within the Board in highlighting disability issues that affect services and in ensuring that community and citizens are at the heart of all of our services.
Mr Peter Knight has been a leading information professional for NHSScotland for some four decades and brings wide perspectives on the development and use of data in support of decision making.
His experience has spanned quality of NHS care, future planning, health and social care integration and topics in public health. He has worked at all levels: directly with clinicians and front-line health and social care professionals through to informing the decision-making of Chief Executives and Chief Officers.
He has had spells in the Scottish Government supporting the development of health and social care policy, monitoring NHS performance and advising Ministers. Latterly, his interests have included older people services and the development of information in social care and primary care.
Peter is shortly to retire from NHS employment.
Mrs Val de Souza is a Social Worker by profession and has held a number of senior leadership roles in health, social care and social work in Scotland. She spent the last 5 years as Chief Officer for South Lanarkshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), and Director of Social Services, working across NHS Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Council.
In these roles Val was responsible for community health services, primary care, palliative care, allied health professionals and social work services. Prior to this she was acting Chief Officer for Stirling and Clackmannanshire HSCP and the Chief Social Work Officer for these two local authorities, which included responsibility for two national prisons, Glenochil and Cortonvale.
Val was instrumental in introducing and implementing the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 and continues to have a keen interest in all aspects of Public Protection and social justice. With over 30 years’ experience of strategic and operational management she is committed to promoting interagency collaboration and multidisciplinary working.
She is a graduate of University College Dublin, and holds postgraduate qualifications from the Universities of Edinburgh and Robert Gordon Business School. Val has recently been appointed Chair of the Bairns Hoose, and is a professional adviser for Positive Help, an Edinburgh based charity supporting child and families affected by HIV and Hepatitis C.
They new directors ‘will play an important role in helping to set the strategic direction of NHS Lothian as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and remobilise our services’.
By providing purposeful scrutiny and assurance on the decisions the Board makes, Non-Executive Directors ensure the Executive Leadership Team is held to account and supported to manage risks to the quality, deliverability and sustainability of service. They are also important in giving public confidence that the Board acts in the best interests of patients and the public.
Appointment
The appointments for Mrs Nadin Akta, Mrs Elizabeth Gordon, Mr Peter Knight and Mrs Val de Souza will be for three years and will run from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.
Mr Philip Allenby’s appointment will be for four years and will run from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026.
Mr Andrew Fleming’s appointment will be for four years and will run from 11 April 2022 to 10 April 2026.
Mr George Gordon’s appointment will be for three years and will run from 16 May 2022 to 15 May 2025.
The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.
Remuneration
The appointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £8,930 per annum for a time commitment of one day per week.
Other ministerial appointments
Mr George Gordon is the Edinburgh City Council Local Authority member on the NHS Lothian Board, for which he receives a remuneration of £8,930 per annum for a time commitment of one day per week. Mr Gordon will be standing down from this role on 30th April 2022.
Mrs Val de Souza is Chair of Bairns Hoose, for which she receives a daily rate of £300 for a time commitment of four days per month.
Mrs Nadin Akta, Mr Philip Allenby, Mr Andrew Fleming, Mrs Elizabeth Gordon and Mr Peter Knight do not hold any other public appointments.
Political activity
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.
However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.
Mr George Gordon holds the position of Scottish National Party (SNP) councillor for the Forth Ward. In administration in the city of Edinburgh, he has spoken on behalf of the party and council.
Mr Peter Knight has leafleted and canvassed for the Scottish Labour Party and attended the count for the 2019 General Election on behalf of Edinburgh North and Leith Constituency Labour Party.
Mrs Nadin Akta, Mr Philip Allenby, Mr Andrew Fleming, Mrs Elizabeth Gordon and Mrs Val de Souza have had no political activity within the last five years.
Online portal extended and changes to flu delivery
A range of measures are being introduced to speed up the COVID-19 booster programme, and give protection against the spreading Omicron variant.
The online booking portal will be open to everyone aged 18-29 from 10am this morning, allowing this age group to book booster appointments through the NHS Inform website.
Appointments are being added to the online portal daily and COVID-19 vaccination capacity is being increased over the festive period.
In order to increase the number of appointments, there will also be a prioritisation of booster vaccines over the remainder of the flu programme. This means anyone who is under the age of 65, or not in one of the high risk groups, will receive their COVID-19 booster only. This group will instead be able to get their flu vaccine in the New Year.
In line with advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers, and in order to improve the flow of people through vaccination centres, people will no longer have to wait 15 minutes after receiving an MRNA vaccine. Instead, in Scotland the programme clinical governance group has recommended there is an observation period of five minutes, reflecting guidance from the Resuscitation Council.
Also, all NHS board areas are working to increase the availability of drop-in clinics – with a particular focus on the over 40s – and to identify larger sites that can be brought online in the coming weeks.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The most important thing we can all do to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 is to get our vaccinations and boosters when eligible. The vaccines we have are highly effective and safe and I urge anyone who is eligible and not yet vaccinated to book an appointment.
“There is a massive national effort underway to ensure that all adults will be able to book a booster appointment before the end of the year. The steps announced by the First Minister today – which are proportionate and based on clinical advice – will help us towards that goal.
“Scotland already has the highest vaccination rate of all UK nations for first, second and third doses and we continue to follow clinical advice from the JCVI on offering booster jags through age cohorts in descending order to ensure maximum benefit.
“Demand for boosters may mean you may have to wait in a queue at drop-in centres but we urge everyone to be patient. We have plenty of supplies and are working with Health Boards to maximise vaccination capacity as quickly and safely as we possibly can.
“The emergence of the Omicron variant means it is also particularly important that we continue to take all precautions to prevent transmission. So test regularly for the virus, particularly before socialising and meeting up with others from outside your household, wear face marks where required and open windows to improve ventilation.”
To use the online portal, individuals will need their unique vaccination username which can be found on any previous appointment letter.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to appoint two new Ministers following the approval of the historic Bute House agreement.
For the first time anywhere in the UK members of the Green Party will enter government and for the first time since devolution a formal cooperation agreement will be in place in Scotland.
Patrick Harvie will be Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, working with the Housing Secretary and Net Zero Secretary.
Mr Harvie’s responsibilities will include driving policy changes that shift Scotland away from reliance on high carbon modes of transport and heating and towards greener alternatives – essential as part of the push towards a net zero economy by 2045.
Ensuring fairness during that transformation will also be key, and Mr Harvie will lead on delivering a new deal for tenants, and ensuring building standards are fit for purpose.
Lorna Slater will take on the role of Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, working with the Finance and Economy Secretary and Net Zero Secretary.
Ms Slater will drive a Green Industrial Strategy, helping people access training and opportunities as part of a net zero Scotland, and ensuring our economy is supported through a just transition to net zero.
Supporting biodiversity and protecting our national parks and natural heritage will also form part of Ms Slater’s role, working closely with NatureScot and Zero Waste Scotland and supporting the development of a circular economy that minimises the impact on our natural environment.
The First Minister said: “This historic cooperation agreement is founded in a shared drive to work together in the Scottish Government to build a greener, fairer, independent Scotland.
“We have massive challenges to overcome: a global pandemic and its lasting effects, the climate emergency and the assault by the UK government on the powers of our Parliament. Patrick and Lorna’s roles in Government are rightly at the heart of facing up to them, and the expertise and passion they bring with them will contribute greatly to defining Scotland’s path forward in doing so.
“Although our parties do not agree on everything we have been able to compromise on both sides, find common ground and agree on areas where we can work together to build a better country.
“The world has had to adapt quickly to respond to the fast-paced and changing nature of the pandemic but what it has shown us is that we can put politics aside to tackle the challenges in front of us decisively and in a way that delivers. I look forward to working with my new Green Party colleagues in this new and ambitious way.”
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights Patrick Harvie said: “We are at a crucial tipping point in terms of our relationship with the planet.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to drive forward policies that enhance peoples’ lives while supporting the urgent goal of tackling the climate emergency as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater said: “Any transition to net zero must be just, and my focus will be on delivering policies that support our workforce and wider economy through that change as well as ensuring our greener future is also a prosperous and fair one that benefits our natural environment.”
NHS Scotland will contact you about your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination (jab, injection) appointment when it’s your turn.
We urge you to please make every effort to attend the appointment you have been allocated. This allows NHS Scotland to continue to vaccinate everyone as quickly as possible.
Getting to your vaccination appointment is classed as an essential journey. This means you can:
travel by public transport
share a car with someone not from your household
travel outwith your local authority area
You are advised to follow the standard guidance to protect yourself and others – wear a mask, keep a couple of windows slightly ajar to allow fresh air to circulate and sanitise your hands before and after the journey.
However, if you are still unable to attend or cannot get to the venue, you can rearrange your appointment. Every effort will be made to reschedule your appointment as soon as possible however it is important to understand that this is likely to mean you may have to wait longer for your appointment.
At the moment, vaccine supply is limited which in turn restricts our ability to reschedule appointments for people who wish to change the time or location of their appointments.
Call handlers on the national booking line and on NHS Lothian’s local helpline will do all they can to help you. Please be patient and treat them with respect.
There are cases when rearranging appointments is essential. You should rearrange your appointment if you:
are feeling unwell with symptoms of coronavirus
have recently tested positive for coronavirus
have been told by NHS Test and Protect that you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus
live with someone who has recently tested positive for coronavirus
live with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus
If you have recently tested positive for coronavirus, even if you have no symptoms, you should wait until 4 weeks after the date you were tested to get the vaccine.
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