Liberal Democrats Health Spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton has used a Scottish Parliament debate on Covid-19 to highlight the need for caution as Scotland begins to move out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Cole- Hamilton, who represents the Edinburgh Western constituency, raised concerns over the temporary closure of Davidsons Main Primary School within his constituency. He said that events at the school were a stark reminder that the pandemic was far from over.
The School has been forced to temporarily close on Tuesday, after over half of the after 12 classes were forced to self-isolate.
Mr Cole-Hamilton seized an opportunity to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health Humza Yousaf, for reassurance that the Scottish Government will work to tackle the appearance of Covid hotspots across the Lothians.
Although unable to give a specific answer, Mr Yousaf assured Mr Cole-Hamilton that he will look at the data in the community of Davidsons Mains to ensure that accurate and appropriate testing measures were in place to keep the covid-19 virus under control.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said:“I am pleased that the Cabinet Secretary has appreciated the seriousness of the outbreak at Davidsons Mains Primary, and I am grateful that he plans to take action to ensure our community is kept safe and faces as little disruption as possible.
“The situation in Davidsons Mains is a stark reminder that our communities are by no means rid of this virus. But I hope that the willingness of the Cabinet Secretary to treat this outbreak seriously will be of some comfort to worried pupils and members of the school community.
“Tributes must be paid to the school staff, who have worked quickly and efficiently to respond to this challenging set of circumstances. They’ve applied every infection control protocol to the letter since this first started but community transmission of this very virulent strain has seen cases increase.
“I look forward to seeing the school gates reopen at the start of next month.”
Accounts Commission:Councils and communities worked well together but impacts of Covid are unequal
Scotland’s councils reacted quickly, working alongside communities and partners to address the unprecedented challenges created by Covid-19, says a new report from the Accounts Commission. Many challenges remain significant, however, made more urgent by the multiple impacts of Covid-19 on communities and services.
Councils have a critical role in providing vital services which communities depend on. In its Local Government Overview 2021 report, the Accounts Commission, who report to the public on the performance of local government, make clear that councils, alongside their partners, quickly provided innovative and sustained support to vulnerable people.
This included supporting those who were shielding or self-isolating, switching to delivering services digitally and managing significant funding to support local businesses.
With many council services disrupted, stopped or reduced, in particular education, social care and culture and leisure, the impact on some service users was severe and unequal. This included carers who lacked access to respite care, people with learning disabilities who were unable to access critical services and support, those receiving care at home and school children whose education was disrupted.
Covid-19 has also exacerbated and laid bare fundamental issues that need to be addressed to ensure services are maintained and that councils can tackle the multiple challenges ahead.
To help achieve this, longer-term financial certainty for councils will be vital. Whilst the Scottish Government has provided significant financial support to councils to assist in managing the net cost of Covid-19 in 2020/21, considerable amounts of funding took the form of one-off payments.
Furthermore, funding for councils beyond 2021/22 remains uncertain. Addressing this issue is vital.
Elma Murray, Interim Chair of the Accounts Commission, says: “Councils, communities and their partners have worked incredibly hard to continue to deliver vital services to local people. The stark reality is that some council services won’t restart, and some services will have to be delivered differently.
“Underpinning this is the increasingly urgent need to address inequalities throughout Scotland’s communities. And for councils this is made more challenging because they continue to operate in a climate of significant financial uncertainty, which must now be addressed.”
A ‘new look’ innovative EIFF set to deliver in person events in Edinburgh and beyond with indoor and outdoor cinema experiences alongside online festival screenings celebrating film’s ability to bind us together
Festival focused on bringing communities together and championing Scottish and UK filmmaking talent in the heart of the August festival season
Filmhouse and a network of cinemas across Scotland set to collaborate in a joyous communal celebration of the return to cinema
Spectacular FREE outdoor screenings of films in St Andrew Square for ‘Film Fest in the City’ from 19-25 August will form the centre of the Festival’s invitation to audiences in this unique year
Innovative programme of new features, documentaries, animations, experimental and shorts programmed by a team of regular and guest programmers led by Nick Varley to address big issues, champion social change and invite new audiences to become involved
As a kick off for the return of Edinburgh’s festivals in August, EIFF will present ‘Film Fest on the Forth’, a fantastic aquatically themed programme of outdoor waterside screenings on 31 July and 1 August at Port Edgar Marina, South Queensferry
Filmhouse at Home widens access to the Festival programme and additional content online connecting global thought leaders with local and international audiences
EIFF Talent Lab returns online to give practical support to 24 writers, directors or producers working on their first feature film
EIFF Youth programme, inspiring and supporting the filmmakers and curators of tomorrow, to run in person and in an online programme 20 – 23 August.
Edinburgh International Film Festival is delighted to announce today that it will return in a new and innovative form this summer running 18- 25 August 2021.
Championing Scottish and UK filmmaking, the Festival will include physical screenings and events indoors in Filmhouse Cinema and outdoors with Film Fest in the City in St Andrew Square, in a rich and diverse programme celebrating the return to cinemas and the collective cinema experience.
The festival will also be available to audiences across the UK through its online platform, Filmhouse at Home, where alongside the films viewers can access Q&As and hear first-hand the insights, experiences and passions of directors, filmmakers and actors.
In addition, the Festival is collaborating with partners to widen its reach through a programme of presentations across Scotland, opening up access and inspiring curiosity in many who may previously not have been able to experience the Festival programme. More will be announced in the coming weeks.
Film Fest in the City in St Andrew Square Gardens will deliver a free programme of cinematic favourites, delivered in partnership with Essential Edinburgh and supported by Johnnie Walker, EIFF’s Official Whisky Partner, Innis & Gunn, EIFF’s Official Beer Partner, and EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
A watery themed, Film Fest on the Forth (31 July & 1 August) will show films the whole family can enjoy at a purpose built outdoor cinema space at Port Edgar Marina in the shadow of the Forth’s iconic bridges. Film Fest on the Forth is also supported EventScotland in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21.
The Festival’s first priority at all its screenings and events will be the safety of its audiences and guests.
This year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival programme has been brought together by a team of regular and guest programmers led by Nick Varley, founder and former co-CEO of distributor Park Circus.
Alongside Nick, guest programmers Christophe Mercier, formerly Fox Searchlight and Warner Bros, who is working on the international selection and Nada Cirjanic formerly Great Point Media and Independent Film Sales, who is focused on UK titles who together will bring together a condensed programme of features which will join documentaries programmed by Rohan Crickmar, animations selected by Abigail Addison, shorts programmed by Jenny Clarke and experimental films selected by Lydia Beilby and Kim Knowles..
Selections will seek opportunities to both find new ways to bring people together around unique cultural experiences and address the huge social changes and climate issues that face the planet after more than a year in lockdown, bringing the insights of global thought leaders to Festival audiences and championing social change and action.
The full programme will be announced and tickets go on sale on Wednesday 28 July. Announcements on outdoor programmes, opening and closing films will be made in due course.
EIFF will open accreditation for press and industry screenings following the programme launch.
EIFF Talent Lab 2021 adopts a virtual format running across two weekends in August (13-15 & 20-21). The Lab will support writers, directors and producers from Scotland, the UK and internationally, with a programme designed to help them take next steps towards their first feature film.
This year EIFF Youth, supported by Baillie Gifford, will gather in Edinburgh over the middle weekend of the Festival, and online over an extended weekend, to take part in workshops, access career advice, look at environmental issues in cinema production, meet and interview filmmakers.
EIFF Youth and EIFF Talent Lab are funded through the PLACE programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals.
Edinburgh International Film Festival is also teaming up with Filmarket Hub to launch a new talent showcase, to be announced on 28 May.
Ken Hay, CEO of Edinburgh International Film Festival, said: “We all love film and we’re delighted that EIFF is back in 2021, focusing on bringing communities together and celebrating the communal cinema experience as widely and inclusively as possible.
“The Festival will play a leading role in hailing the return to cinema-going and champion Scottish and UK films to audiences and industry around the world. We also believe that in this year particularly, that EIFF has a strong role to play in highlighting key social issues and will seek to deliver a programme that inspires curiosity and action in our audiences.”
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “I am delighted that the Edinburgh International Film Festival is returning this summer with a programme that extends across Scotland.
“As well as celebrating the collective cinema experience, the Festival will also help writers, directors and producers take next steps towards their first feature film through the Talent Lab 2021 programme supported by the Scottish Government.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director at Screen Scotland said:“As people start to come back together over the summer it’s exciting that EIFF will offer audiences in Edinburgh, Scotland and across the UK a celebration of the communal experience of cinema.
“Filmhouse will once more play host but this year the festival will also animate the city, from its centre to its shore, as well as offer an accessible, digital programme will enable audiences unable to attend in person to experience the festival online.”
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “Events are a key part of the social and economic fabric of Scotland and following the challenges presented by the pandemic over the last year, it is wonderful to see Edinburgh International Film Festival has returned with a high-quality hybrid programme for film fans to enjoy in a way they feel most comfortable, whether that’s in person or online.
“EventScotland is delighted to be supporting this year’s festival, including both Film Fest in the City and Film Fest on the Forth in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21, and we look forward to hearing more of what’s on offer across the programme in the weeks to come.”
Cllr Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We’re proud to continue our support of the world’s oldest continuous film festival which explores new ideas in filmmaking and is known for heralding and debating the latest developments in cinema.
“It was much missed last year and I look forward to the return to the collective cinema experience with events and screenings planned for the Filmhouse and St Andrew Square as well as the online platform for audiences to enjoy from home.
“Public safety will of course remain a priority, and we can all very much look forward to the full programme announcement in July.”
The Scottish Government are undertaking a huge piece of research into the response of Volunteering and Third Sector Organisations to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are very keen to hear from volunteer involving organisations on their experience of volunteer involvement, good and bad, over the period of the pandemic. In order to build as clear a picture as possible it is important that as many organisations in Edinburgh as possible respond.
The deadline has now been extended to Tuesday 1 June.
This survey aims to gather information about:
How volunteering has contributed to the Third Sector response to the pandemic;
The challenges that the sector has faced in continuing to support volunteering during this time; and
Organisational perspectives on what is needed to support volunteering during the recovery period and beyond.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“These figures show the devastating affect that Covid-19 has had on Care Homes in Scotland.
“My thoughts are with all the families whose loved ones have died from Covid-19 throughout the last year.
“SNP Ministers were completely unprepared for Covid-19, with a lack of PPE and unclear guidance for care homes.
“The decision by SNP Ministers to move Covid-19 positive hospital patients to care homes, without being tested, is the single biggest failure throughout the pandemic.
“The Scottish Conservatives have called for a full public inquiry into care home deaths in Scotland and these figures reinforce the need for that inquiry.”
Save The Children Scotland has launched “Dropped into a Cave”, a report telling the stories of how families with young children living on low income or experiencing low income for the first time fared in the last year:
‘We listened to parents across Scotland who had received one of the over 1500 Emergency Early Years Grants we issued since April 2020. We heard how the pandemic was a tipping point for many.
‘Now is the time for the newly elected members of the @ScotParl to ensure families on low incomes are prioritised, listened to and involved in decision making as we recover from the pandemic
‘We need commitments now to:
ensure holistic family support for all families, incl. financial, practical & emotional support
protect family incomes while working towards a minimum income standard
opportunities for children to play & build relationships.
Davidsons Mains Primary School has been closed due to increasing numbers of Covid cases.
In a statement on the school’s website yesterday, Head Teacher Astrid Gracie told parents and carers:
Dear Families,
Thank you for your support over the past 8 days. Unfortunately, we continue to be notified of new positive cases, affecting more classes in the school. I will be in touch with the families of close contacts in the latest classes affected very soon and provide guidance around isolation dates and PCR testing.
Following further consultation with the Health Protection Team, NHS Lothian & City of Edinburgh Education and Environmental Services we have had to make the difficult decision to return to remote learning for all pupils until the end of this week and close the School and Nursery to all children.
This is because cases are continuing to spread and further steps, including self-isolation of close contacts and closing the school are considered necessary by the Health Protection Team, to reduce the risks of transmission of the virus.
We recognise that this will be very challenging for many families and I can assure you that it is not a decision that has been taken lightly.
Remote Learning Provision
Learning tasks and live classes will take place on TEAMS, as happened during the recent lockdown. Class teachers will post further information on TEAMS. Nursery staff will provide learning at home tasks via Learning Journals for our Nursery children. Should you need to borrow a digital device to access the online content please email or call the school and we will make arrangements for you to collect this tomorrow.
Free School Meal Provision
Pupils in P1-7 (who meet free school meals entitlements) will be able to collect their meal from the main gym hall/dining room door (currently P4/5 entrance). If your child is entitled to free school meals and their class have been asked to isolate, we will contact you to arrange delivery.
Please only attend at the times noted below to allow us to distribute meals safely. You will receive a refund should your child be in P4-7 and you have paid for their meal:
Primary 1 – 3: 11.45-12.00
Primary 4 -7: 12.15-12.30
Hub provision for Key Workers
The return to remote learning is a response to the number of cases in the community and the number of classes and staff self-isolating. We are therefore unable to offer key worker provision.
After School Provision
As a result of the return to remote learning breakfast club and after school provision will not be available this week.
Review of School Closure
We continue to work closely with the Health Protection Team, NHS Lothian, Senior Education Leaders and Environmental Health Services to closely monitor the spread of the virus. Our next review meeting is on Friday 28TH May.
We are committed to re-opening the school as soon as it is considered safe to do so. I will send updated information after the meeting.
PCR testing
We continue to ask that all close contacts and those displaying COVID symptoms take a PCR test. Walk-in test centres are open at Drumbrae and Ainslie Park. A drive-through centre is at the airport. Test results are received fairly quickly, so if you do not hear back within 36 hours please call the NHS to check if the test has been misplaced.
I would like to thank you for your ongoing support throughout this turbulent year. Throughout, we have continued to work in partnership and to look out for all in our community.
I know that if we continue to pull together, to follow FACTS and each play our part in sticking to the guidance, it won’t be long before we can welcome our children back in to the school building.
Practical advice for people who have recovered at home
Post-viral fatigue is when you have an extended period of feeling unwell and fatigued after a viral infection.
Fatigue is a normal part of the body’s response to fighting a viral infection such as COVID-19. Fatigue is likely to continue for some time after the infection has cleared. It can make you sleep more, feel unsteady on your feet, make standing for long periods difficult, as well as affecting your ability to concentrate and your memory.
Self-isolate Please follow government guidelines. Remember, this includes isolating from your family/ household wherever possible, even if they have symptoms or are also self-isolating. If you deteriorate, seek immediate medical help following government guidelines.
Rest Rest is very important for your body as it fights off infection. You need to rest both your body and mind. Keep television, phones and social media to a minimum. Relaxation, breathing and meditation can all support quality rest – the NHS Apps Library has free tools you can try. Sensory relaxation tools such as fragrances, blankets, and relaxing music can also help. If a strategy doesn’t work for you, try another one until you find one that does.
Sleep You may find that you need to sleep more. Make sure you follow healthy sleep habits: ensure your room is as dark as possible, have a bedtime routine, and avoid caffeine, eating late and using electrical items before bed.
Nourishment Try to keep your normal routine for eating and drinking. Being ill with a temperature can make you dehydrated so make sure you drink fluid when you’re thirsty and enough so that you pass urine with normal frequency and volume.
Move Get up and move around slowly and gently a few times each day. This will keep your body mobile and help with circulation.
Keep activity levels low Both physical and cognitive (thinking) activities use energy. Try to do only a small number of these activities each day, including basic activities of daily living, such as washing and dressing.
Allow time
COVID-19 affects people differently, so give yourself time to recover. Its impact afterwards doesn’t always reflect the severity of the virus and you don’t have to have been hospitalised to experience fatigue. You may feel pressure to resume your usual activities quickly, but don’t rush.
Have fun Do some low energy activities that you enjoy, such as reading or watching TV, for short periods with regular rests.
Stop Please follow government guidelines. Unless you feel fully recovered after self-isolation, you shouldn’t work. Your body still needs to focus on fighting the infection.
Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch MP and COVID hero GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, have issued a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine when they are offered it.
As Government publishes third report on COVID-19 disparities, the Minister for Equalities and hero GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, issue a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine when they are offered it.
Evidence shows vaccine confidence has steadily increased among ethnic minorities.
This follows flexible vaccine delivery, and targeted communications from government and medical professionals, and partnerships with broadcasters.
The call comes as data shows vaccine confidence has steadily increased following government action, with 93% of adults reporting positive sentiment towards the vaccine. However, some groups are still less likely to get the jab. 30% of Black or Black British adults reported vaccine hesitancy, the highest compared with all ethnic groups.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has prioritised people based on age, with older people being offered the vaccination first. As the UK’s White population makes up a greater number of those in the older age categories, the percentage of those who have already received vaccinations is higher when compared with ethnic minority groups.
As the vaccine is rolled out to younger age groups the Government will continue its targeted action to ensure that ethnic minority people are willing to take the jab.
Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, said: “We are taking the vital action necessary to protect our families, communities and the country from the scourge of COVID-19. Our positive progress deploying the vaccine and promoting confidence in it has been a tireless, collective effort, from faith leaders, voluntary groups and the NHS all working together in every community to turn back the tide of COVID-19.
“We are not complacent and we will continue to tackle dangerous disinformation and work with trusted partners to promote confidence in the vaccine so everyone takes up their jab when they are offered it.
“Vaccines are the key to unlocking a return to normal life, and this Government will continue to do everything it can to ensure everyone is confident to take them.”
‘Hero’ GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, whose tireless efforts during the pandemic – including online campaigning and debunking of misinformation, and personally calling scores of patients who have yet to take the jab – have been key to fighting the virus, said: “It is really important that everyone takes the vaccine – unless all of us are protected, none of us are protected.
“The vaccines are very safe – they have been trialled on hundreds of thousands of volunteers by world-leading scientists, and now millions of doses have been given, just in the UK alone. I urge everyone to take the jab when they are offered it.”
Alongside this the Minister for Equalities will today publish the third quarterly report to the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary on progress to understand and tackle COVID-19 disparities experienced by individuals from ethnic minority groups.
The report sets out the swift and flexible action Government has taken to protect people, adapting the vaccine programme as it has rolled out to ensure everyone feels safe and able to get the vaccine, without being stigmatised.
Dr Masood Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer for the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG said: “We have strong, resilient communities and have been able to address vaccine hesitancy by connecting with people, listening to fears, and having meaningful conversations in order to reduce barriers, which is key for longer term sustainable solutions to address wider health inequalities.
“It’s so important that we share learnings to understand and address the health inequalities that COVID-19 has highlighted, and whilst we have had some success in reaching people and communities, there is still opportunity to do more.”
Dr Rohini Mathur, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This report highlights the positive impact of increasing vaccine confidence in minority ethnic groups across England and points towards the importance of understanding the complex interaction between socio-economic, geographic, and health related factors in explaining disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The report sets out the following next steps:
The Minister for Equalities to share the findings of her third quarterly report with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to consider how to apply the findings of the review of experiences of frontline healthcare workers and the UK-REACH study.
NHS England’s published data on vaccination uptake by ethnicity should be further disaggregated to provide percentage uptake by vaccine priority group cohorts and sex. This should include levels of unknown ethnicity and an assessment of how this might affect the interpretation of vaccination uptake for different ethnic groups.
NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) should publish data about the use of the NHS COVID-19 app by different ethnic groups. This will inform activity to increase the uptake and continued use of the app.
DHSC and NHS should further investigate practical barriers to vaccine uptake by ethnicity to assess and address any intention-action gap.
DHSC should ensure that NHS organisations and GPs are provided with clear guidance and protocols about how ethnicity should be requested and recorded in health records.
RDU should engage with the Office for Statistics Regulation about priorities for improving the quality (including harmonisation, robustness and reliability) of ethnicity data on health records, drawing on others’ expertise as appropriate, and report back in the final quarterly report.
The Minister for Equalities and the Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment will continue a programme of engagement in the next 3 months, focusing on promoting vaccine uptake and encouraging asymptomatic testing, particularly for those within higher risk occupations, as sectors reopen.
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, the government’s Vaccine Confidence campaign will aim to inform, educate and empower those aged 18 to 50 to take up their vaccine. Using the tagline ‘Every Vaccination Gives Us Hope’ content will take an optimistic tone, aiming to reach and persuade younger audiences, including ethnic minority groups.
At each step of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, tailored guidance and communications will continue to be shared through community and media channels to maximise reach and impact.
Communications
To drive forward uptake of the vaccine, the government has prioritised communications with ethnic minority people across the UK, that includes:
A partnership with 12 community radio stations, which has delivered key messages about vaccines in 13 different languages to 1.5 million people.
Television partnerships with 21 multicultural TV networks, delivering 30 second adverts on 43 TV stations in 9 languages, reaching approximately 3 million people each week.
A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport social media campaign to tackle false vaccine information, which has been shared with more than 4 million people through community and local networks, reaching people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Ethnic minority medical professionals promoting facts and dispelling myths about the vaccines online, including a series of videos with Dr Amir Khan, a GP from Yorkshire, whose video on the vaccine being halal reached more than 330,000 people.
A programme of Ministerial engagement, including a roundtable with Black African and Black Caribbean Faith Leaders and GPs, recognising the important role that churches play in promoting vaccine uptake amongst their congregations.
Celebrities and influencers, including Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain, backing the NHS COVID-19 vaccine drive.
A short film backed by the NHS based on an open letter signed by Sir Lenny Henry and a range of high-profile celebrities encouraging Black adults in the UK to make informed decisions about the vaccine.
