crisis – Page 5 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Improving response for people at risk of suicide

Suicidal Crisis Support Action Group will drive implementation of the Time, Space and Compassion approach

A new group will be set up to make sure that everyone at risk of suicide can access the right support when then need it, following recommendations made by the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG).

The Suicidal Crisis Support Action Group will drive implementation of the Time, Space and Compassion approach, a new way to improve help for people who are suicidal.

Nigel Henderson, former Chief Executive of Penumbra and member of the NSPLG, has been appointed as National Lead for Suicidal Crisis Support to lead this work.

Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart (above) said: “I welcome the report from the NSPLG and the recommendations it makes on improving responses to people in suicidal crisis. We will consider the recommendations in full.

“To deliver the scale of change set out in their recommendations, a dedicated Suicidal Crisis Support Action Group will be established to take forward and oversee the implementation of this work.

“The appointment of Nigel recognises his career in developing compassionate support for vulnerable people, including those at risk of suicide. The group will be accountable to ministers and continue to work in close partnership with NSPLG.

“We know there are some excellent examples of suicidal crisis support services across Scotland already, and we have an opportunity to learn from those to make sure this type of support is available right across Scotland.

“Every day, people in our communities, and those working in statutory and third sector services, are responding compassionately to people in crisis. However, there is more we can do. This report offers a real opportunity to transform how we engage and support our most vulnerable people at times of suicidal crisis.”

Nigel Henderson said: “I am very pleased to have been asked to lead on implementing this work.

“Having been a member of the NSPLG and directly involved in this work, I believe that developing the Time, Space, Compassion approach has the potential to make a positive difference to how we respond to people experiencing suicidal crisis.

“There is much to do, and I look forward to working with people, communities and organisations to take forward the recommendations.”

Scotland’s National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) has welcomed the Scottish Government’s acceptance of recommendations for improvements to the response provided to people in suicidal crisis.

Established by the Scottish Government, the NSPLG brings together people with lived experience of suicide alongside academic, third sector, and statutory partners to support the delivery of Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan: Every Life Matters.

These key NSPLG recommendations have been accepted in full by the Scottish Government and will be published on their website today (Wednesday 13 October ).

The NSPLG report uses evidence on the effectiveness of differing models of crisis support to make recommendations to service providers and share best practice.

It deliberately does not recommend a particular model of crisis support. Instead, it sets out an approach which sees suicidal crisis response as a human reaction, not a service model, and sets out the principles of Time, Space and Compassion as the basis of improvement in support for those in crisis.

The recommended approach is at the core of the NSPLG’s vision in supporting delivery of Every Life Matters, ensuring the right support is available for people when they are actively contemplating suicide at a time of crisis.

Time allows a person to discuss their feelings, and Space recognises the need to provide an accessible, quiet, comfortable, pleasant place for a person to talk and/or a virtual space to access support by phone, text or online.

In addition, research shows that Compassion in response to a person in crisis encourages them to disclose details which, in turn, can lead to more effective support being offered and lay the foundations for self-compassion, reducing the need for support from frontline services in the future.

Embedding the principles of Time, Space and Compassion into responses to suicidal crisis in Scotland will require concerted action across national and local government, and services across sectors, communities and citizens.

NSPLG chair Rose Fitzpatrick CBE QPM, said: “We believe that this approach, rooted in Time, Space and Compassion, can be implemented across all sectors and communities, transforming the experiences of those in crisis and at immediate risk of suicide.

“It is important to highlight that this report is not critical of existing crisis support. Based on the experiences of those who have been in suicidal crisis and those around them, it recommends a radically different cultural landscape, and requires a different sort of resourcing to enable this approach to be implemented consistently.

“People with lived experience of the impacts of suicide and those providing services tell us these recommendations have the potential to improve the experiences of those who seek help at a time of suicidal crisis, and ultimately to save lives.”

Member of NSPLG Lived Experience Panel, Shumela Ahmed (39) from Bridge of Allan near Stirling, is the managing director at Resilience Learning Partnership. She has family and friends who have experienced poor mental health and made suicide attempts.

Shumela has also experienced suicidal thoughts herself.

She said: “I believe Time, Space and Compassion is the right approach because it’s trauma informed and it understands that it takes time to build up trust and connect with a person when they are in a suicidal crisis.

“Every interaction is an opportunity for intervention. When a person is at risk of suicide they need a compassionate response from someone who will spend time with them and offer a safe space for them to talk.

“A really kind, compassionate, empathetic human conversation is often what is actually needed rather than following some big, important framework.

“I look forward to these recommendations being implemented in workforces so that staff have the tools and the resources to take this approach.”

The NSPLG recommendations are intended to be a starting point for work in this area and they focus, in the first instance, on the practical support and evidence required to make this culture shift collaboratively, and on ensuring the availability of existing crisis services as we emerge from the pandemic.

Half a million households at risk of fuel poverty as prices soar

GB energy consumers face the biggest ever increase to the energy price cap
Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) warns that the average increase of £153 for prepayment customers and £139 from those paying by direct debit using a default tariff is likely to result in more utility debt, 500,000 extra households in fuel poverty and an increase in preventable deaths this winter
Suppliers are putting their prices up in October when millions of people will see a reduction in their incomes, as uplifts to Universal Credit are withdrawn
Charity says new Household Support Fund welcome but not enough to prevent needless deaths this winter
Calls on UK Government to take more action to directly reduce higher prices for the poorest this winter and for Ofgem to do more to protect the most vulnerable consumers when suppliers fail.

Adam Scorer, Chief Executive at fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA), said: “The massive devastating increases in energy prices will drive over 500,000 more households into fuel poverty, leaving them unable to heat or power their homes.

“Just when they were needed most, the uplifts to Universal Credit are also being withdrawn and inflation is soaring. The new Household Support Fund will provide some welcome support for those who can access it, but on its own it is not enough to halt the erosion in incomes and deal with rising prices.

“Without a wider package of support – keeping UC uplifts and more rebates to protect those on the lowest incomes from spiralling energy prices – vulnerable people are still at dire risk of premature death this winter”.

“Falling through the gaps when suppliers fail”

NEA warns that the current crisis is likely to badly affect vulnerable customers when their suppliers fail. The charity is warning that households on older prepay meters are at risk of not being able to top up with their new supplier if their current supplier fails.

In addition, people in debt who transfer over to their new suppliers may also immediately risk aggressive debt recovery tactics from their previous suppliers’ administrators. People eligible for Warm Home Discount are also falling through the gaps when they move to their new supplier. They often can’t access all elements of this vital support.

Adam Scorer continued: “We know this situation is preventable, but Ofgem must act fast to protect the most vulnerable consumers when suppliers fail. The UK Government must also use the upcoming Budget to provide more additional emergency support so we can guard against the consequences of soaring bills and hits to millions of low incomes.

“This means enhancing current schemes and taking new steps to accelerate the repayment of utility debts across the UK”.

“Many of those on the lowest incomes live in the least efficient homes”

NEA has also stressed that one of the key reasons the situation is bleak for the poorest households is the vicious overlap between the households who live on the lowest incomes and who also live in the least energy efficient homes.

They say in England alone, more than 680,000 households on the lowest incomes also live in the least efficient homes making the impact of the price rises much more severe. Over 3 million fuel poor households will need to be prioritised for retrofits if the goal to meet Net Zero is to be met at the same time as statutory fuel poverty targets.

Adam Scorer again: “These quick emergency fixes are vital to get struggling households through this winter, but we can’t lose sight of the long-term solution to reduce the energy waste in our homes.

“We have some of the least efficient housing in Europe. This has left the UK more exposed to the current soaring gas price than many other countries and we are wasting billions of pounds each year as heat escapes through leaky roofs, floors and ceilings”.

What needs to be done

As a summary, NEA is proposing emergency provision to help fuel poor households to stay warm at home this winter, including:

Providing additional funding towards the Warm Home Discount scheme this winter as an emergency provision to guard against significantly increased gas prices
Supporting more households with the Winter Fuel Payment, especially for those eligible for the Cold Weather Payment in Northern Ireland
Helping accelerate the repayment of utility debts across the UK by enhancing Fuel and Water Direct
Continuing the Winter Grant Scheme through this winter

Additionally, through the Spending Review, NEA propose the following longer-term actions to ensure that fuel poor households can be warm at home for years to come:

Fully implement the Conservative Manifesto for the Home Upgrade Grant Scheme (HUG) and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF)
Ensure the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) helps end cold homes across the UK
Extend and strengthen the £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit for low-income households.

Lorna Slater: Greens £1.8 Billion pledge crucial as gas prices surge

Vital plans to invest at least £1.8 billion to make buildings in Scotland net zero were endorsed by parliament this week, just as gas prices surge, threatening to push many more families across the country into fuel poverty.

Figures show that a quarter of households in Scotland are already considered to be in fuel poverty. Scottish Greens Lothian MSP Lorna Slater has said that as well as the need to tackle the immediate problem, the issue shows that the requirement to lower Scotland’s climate emissions goes hand in hand with tackling fuel poverty.

Scottish Greens co-leader and Lothian MSP Lorna Slater said: “The surge in gas prices is a real concern to so many people who rely on fossil fuels to heat their homes, and, yet again, demonstrates why we must end our dependency on volatile, unreliable and climate-destroying fossil fuels.

“That’s why we are accelerating plans to make homes across Scotland more efficient and to switch from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives. To support this, we will invest at least £1.8bn over the next five years.

“It has been galling to see Boris Johnson preach climate responsibility on the world stage while his government is forcing families into poverty in Lothian and beyond. All the while he is doing nothing to decarbonise heating and transport.

“We don’t have time for this kind of reckless approach, which is why, with Greens in government, Scotland will take a different path.”

750 Nursing and Midwifery posts vacant in NHS Lothian

‘STAFFING LEVELS ARE REACHING CRISIS POINT’

Julie Lamberth, RCN Scotland Board Chair, said: “I wanted to highlight statistics which have been published today from NHS Education for Scotland, which show a worrying rise in NHS Nursing and Midwifery vacancies.

“Across Scotland a record high of 4,854 nursing and midwifery posts are vacant, which is 7.1% of posts, while in NHS Lothian, 750 nursing and midwifery posts are vacant, which is 6.9% of posts.

“Staffing levels are reaching crisis point across Scotland. As well as these vacancies, a significant number of nursing staff are on work related sick leave through stress and other mental health issues. Unless this is addressed, proposals to remobilise services and increase elective capacity are simply unachievable and the NHS Recovery Plan’s proposals to recruit 1,500 additional staff woefully inadequate.

“RCN Scotland members are clear about what needs to be done. Out of the 39% of members who have told us they are thinking of leaving the nursing profession, 73% of respondents said “improved pay” and 49% said “better staffing levels” would make them feel more valued.

“Implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019, fair pay for nursing staff in all settings and robust workforce planning are needed urgently to ensure Scotland has the nursing staff it needs to remobilise services as we continue to deal with Covid-19.”

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “The number of Nursing and Midwifery posts that we have vacant across NHS Lothian is extremely concerning.

“NHS Lothian staff work incredibly hard to care for everyone who comes through their door, but the current position is unsustainable. These vacancies need to be filled for health boards to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“SNP Ministers have failed to workforce plan pre-pandemic and we are seeing the consequences now, with many nurses considering leaving the profession.”

Delayed Discharge in NHS Lothian returns to pre Covid-19 levels

The number of days that patients who have been delayed from leaving hospital because of no appropriate place to go to has risen to 7,829 for July 2021, the latest month statistics are available for.

This is an increase of 2,004 from 5,825 delays throughout June and triple the number of bed days occupied from delayed discharge at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic when 2,531 delays occurred.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic SNP Ministers made the decision to move hospital patients into care homes, to free up hospital space for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. It later emerged that patients being moved from hospitals to care homes where not tested for Covid-19 leading to higher rates of Covid-19 deaths in care homes than anywhere else in Scotland.

The level of delayed discharge in NHS Lothian has now returned to pre- pandemic levels with the number of bed days in hospital for delayed discharge being 11 higher than March 2020, 7,278, when hospital patients where moved to care homes.

Edinburgh and the Lothians were in the process of recovering from a Social Care crisis before the pandemic hit, with the peak of delayed discharge in hospitals being in October 2018, when 11,855 combined days when patients were not able to leave hospital, despite being back to health.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “These figures are very concerning, with the number of patients being stuck in hospital without a suitable destination, returning to pre pandemic levels.

“In Edinburgh and the Lothians there has been a long standing challenge to provide social care, which started to shift towards care in the community.

“We are now seeing increasing numbers of patients not able to leave hospital and the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board are planning on closing more care homes.

“Patients leaving hospital must have a suitable destination to go once recovered, so that we are not in a position where people are waiting days on end in hospital, when they don’t need to be there.”

“Shocking”: Ambulance handover delays are threatening patient safety, experts warn

A new snapshot survey by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has found that in August 2021 half of respondents stated that their Emergency Department had been forced to hold patients outside in ambulances every day, compared to just over a quarter in October 2020 and less than one-fifth in March 2020.

The survey, sent out to Emergency Department Clinical Leads across the UK, also found that half of respondents described how their Emergency Department had been forced to provide care for patients in corridors every day, while nearly three-quarters said their department was unable to maintain social distancing every day.

One-third said that the longest patient stay they had had in their Emergency Department was between 24 and 48 hours, with seven per cent reporting the longest stay to be more than 48 hours.

Dr Ian Higginson, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “It is shocking to see the extent of the challenges faced by Emergency Departments across the UK.

“Holding ambulances, corridor care, long stays – these are all unconscionable practices that cause harm to patients. But the scale of the pressures right now leaves doctors and nurses no options.

“We are doing all we can to maintain flow, maximise infection prevention control measures, and maintain social distancing. Our priority is to keep patients safe, and ensure we deliver effective care quickly and efficiently, but it is extremely difficult right now.

“The data is stark, and this is August. Our members are really worried about what may come in autumn and winter. We have a duty to our patients and staff. Currently there is extremely high demand – for a number of reasons – but demand is not the whole picture.

“Demand presents a challenge because of the limitations of hospital space, workforce shortages, difficulties arranging quick ambulance handovers, smooth care and safe discharge of patients from wards, and a lack of services and alternatives to admission, particularly in the evenings and at weekends.

“The health service entered the pandemic short of staff, with less beds, and underprepared. Throughout the pandemic these shortages have been felt, but with demand higher than ever before, and with a workforce that is burned out, these shortages are felt more acutely than ever.”

Commenting on the increase in ambulance handover delays, Tracy Nicholls, Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics, said: “The College of Paramedics’ members also speak passionately about the potential for harm to those patients who, as a consequence of these lengthy ambulance handover delays, can wait an unacceptably long time for help. It is deeply concerning.

“Like the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, we recognise that all partners are working exceptionally hard to manage this situation and current demand. The reality is, however, that unless effective actions are taken now to ease the system pressures, more and more patients will face these delays as we head into another difficult winter, and both paramedics and ambulance clinicians across the UK will face the brunt of any further increase in demand.

“We urge NHS leadership to take action now to mitigate this risk wherever possible and protect both patients and our collective workforce from the inevitable pressure that we face if nothing is done.”

The survey also found that over 80% of respondents had little or no confidence in their organisation’s ability to safely and effectively manage the current or predicted combination of pressures as we head into winter.

Dr Higginson continued: “The final response that found an overwhelming lack of confidence signals something deeply troubling.

“The College has consistently warned of the upcoming winter and ongoing pressures. It is time we saw leadership and an equivalent response. There must be a comprehensive plan for the current demand and upcoming winter that include short- and long-term solutions to tackle these serious challenges.

“If ambulance services and Emergency Departments cannot cope with ongoing pressures, then it is patients and the workforce looking after them who will suffer. The winter could lead the health service into a serious crisis. Patients and staff must have assurance that they, their Emergency Department and their hospital will get what they need to manage.”

Edinburgh offers shelter to people from Afghanistan

Capital will offer a haven to Afghans escaping the turmoil in their homeland

The City of Edinburgh Council has been asked to offer shelter to a number of people fleeing Afghanistan.

The capital will offer a number of places for permanent resettlement, as well as responding to the Home Office’s urgent request to accommodate a cohort of people on a temporary basis, as the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorates.

Due to the speed with which plans are being developed, details – including exact numbers and location – are still to be confirmed. Work will continue with the Home Office and partners and particularly services such as education and health to coordinate arrival and support planning.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Nobody can fail to be shocked and appalled to witness the desperate situation unfolding in Afghanistan. As a city we stand ready to help in whatever way we can.

“We’re in contact with both the UK and Scottish Governments to develop plans for how best we and our partners can offer support and housing to as many Afghans in need as possible. Edinburgh stands ready to welcome people to ensure they are immediately safe as well as welcoming new citizens to live in our city.

“We hope to be a position to confirm the level of Edinburgh’s involvement very soon. Meanwhile we continue to work rapidly with partners in the city to ensure that support is in place for people fleeing for their lives.”

Council Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Scotland’s Capital has a long and proud history of welcoming people escaping desperate circumstances such as this.

“Our highly skilled team has an excellent track record over the last five years, successfully welcoming, supporting and settling more than 500 new residents displaced by the Syrian civil war into our city.

“I’m sure our communities will join us in doing everything they can to support those fleeing the horrendous situation we are all seeing in Afghanistan.”

Lowest ever levels of A&E performance show NHS ‘near boiling point’

‘the reality is that the NHS is really struggling’

Responding to the latest set of performance figures released by NHS England for July 2021, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Katherine Henderson, said: “The NHS has been running hot for months now and these figures show we are nearly at boiling point.

“We are worried that the public think that things are getting back to normal on the virtual eve of a further reduction in restrictions, and messages from the centre that says things are OK are disingenuous – the reality is that the health service is really struggling.

“Four-hour performance has sunk to its lowest ever level, we have levels of 12 hour waits we would usually associate with winter, and July saw the second highest ever number of attendances across emergency care units. Yet there is no sign of rescue ahead of winter. Despite our calls for action, crowding is back with us and is compromising patient care.”

Performance figures for Emergency Care for the NHS in England in July 2021 showed that:

there were 1,431,499 attendances at major Emergency Departments – the second highest on record
67.7% of patients waited less than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer, or discharge in Type 1 EDs – the lowest percentage on record
the number of patients waiting more than four hours after a decision to admit them stood at 89,768 – this is a 30% increase compared to June 2021 (66,619) and is the third highest ever
the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours after a decision to admit them stood at 2,215 – by far the highest July figure on record (second highest is 451 from July 2019).

Dr Henderson said: “The NHS was in a pretty dreadful state going into the pandemic – we were seeing record waits across the board, due to insufficient resourcing – but the sheer determination of an overstretched workforce, combined with a ‘whatever it takes’ approach, got us through.

“The problems that were with us before the pandemic have not gone away. Not only do they remain but are now much worse due to the impact of Covid, as these figures make crystal clear.

“The ambulance service saw thehighest ever number of ambulance callouts for life threatening conditions in July, and we saw ‘trolley waits’ in hospitals go up by 30% on the previous month. This means there have been delays offloading ambulances and patients have experienced long waits to be seen and moved to a bed if they need admission.

“Emergency Departments are very, very busy.

“There has also been a steady rise in Covid presentations and even though numbers are still low all the infection risk concerns remain in hospitals, further depleting capacity. Staff have had no let up and are worried about what the winter will be like if this is where we are in the summer.

“Demand is driven by multiple factors – difficulties accessing primary care, complications of chronic conditions, new presentations of significant illness and waiting list patients with on-going symptoms and no sign of getting their care sorted any time soon.

“NHSE recommends patients to access help via 111 but unless the system is responsive and clinically supported and other options available that advice too often defaults to go to the Emergency Department. Local health systems must ensure adequate urgent care facilities for their communities, letting Emergency Department have capacity to treat the seriously ill and injured.

“The other side of this is problems with supply – we do not have enough staff, beds, or equipment. There is still no plan for social care, which has a huge impact on the NHS. These have been issues for some time, but on top of this is the growing waiting list for elective care, staff absence due to a combination of leave and necessary self-isolation, and an even lower bed capacity due to infection prevention control measures.

“We fear for what winter may hold; we know it will be worse than now but a heavy flu season, another potential Covid surge and an understandable desire not to cancel elective care this winter could cripple us and put patient safety at risk.

“NHS Trusts must do all that they can to wring out every drop of capacity ahead of winter and the Department of Health and Social Care must extend ‘discharge to assess’, which made a significant difference freeing up beds during the pandemic. There has been a sustained rise in the number of patients experience long stays in hospital, and this funding is critical to freeing beds and maintaining flow in hospitals.

“We also need clarity in terms of performance – we are currently in a performance vacuum with Trusts uncertain about what they need to focus on. Implementing some of the metrics proposed by the Clinical Review of Standards is vital ahead of winter. We need to operationalise the metric of a maximum of a 12 hour stay from point of arrival. This will be a small step to reducing exit block, and allow timely ambulance offloads.

“While the NHS rollout of the vaccine has been an incredible success, parliament must not take its eyes off the ball regarding the state of the NHS. This autumn’s spending review – one which has not been put out to consultation – is an opportunity for the government to further signal it’s ‘peace time’ commitment to NHS funding and help prevent the NHS from boiling over this winter.”

The situation in Scotland is also giving cause for alarm. Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs is ‘very concerned’ A&E waiting times aren’t showing signs of improvement.

Miles Briggs MSP said: “NHS Lothian is in desperate need of an injection of funds to alleviate pressure on services.

“Years of chronic underfunding and a global pandemic has left staff on their knees, struggling to meet the increased numbers of patients attending A&E.

“SNP Ministers must take responsibility for allowing the situation to get to this point and immediately fund NHS Lothian properly to start getting services back to normal.”

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics-week-ending-1-august-2021/

City council prevents more than 300 households falling into homelessness

In just over a year, more than 300 households living in the private rented sector have been prevented from becoming homeless thanks to city council’s Crisis-run Private Rented Service Team (PRS).

Established in November 2019 in response to a growing number of homeless presentations from the private rented sector, the Private Rented Service (PRS) Team has assisted 324 households since March 2020. This has been done by helping them to keep their existing tenancy or to move to either a new private or mid-market rent secure tenancy.

Edinburgh Help to Rent, which is a service the Council contracts Crisis to deliver, does this by providing rent deposit guarantee bonds. It has provided 50 households with a bond to access properties in the private rented sector since February 2020.

This comes as part of a wider update on the City of Edinburgh Council’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP), a comprehensive strategy to tackle and eradicate homelessness across the city over the next five years, that was presented at the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee this month.

The Council has made significant investment, complemented by Scottish Government funding, to deliver the Plan, which is focused on providing:

suitable temporary accommodation for the needs of households;

supporting people into settled accommodation as quickly as possible;

reducing the number of people sleeping rough on our streets; and overall preventing homelessness in the first place.

The RRPT sets out all the different approaches that are key to tackling a wide range of issues faced by people across the Capital.

Alongside the PRS Team, a team has been set up to provide a ‘multi-disciplinary response’ pilot for Council tenants who are struggling to maintain their tenancy or who are falling into rent arrears.

This multi-agency approach across the Council aims to reach out to our tenants who may not engage with their locality Housing Officer, to offer joined-up support and enhanced engagement to help keep the tenant in their home and so avoiding homelessness.

Learning from a similar successful innovative programme by Newcastle City Council, this brings together representatives from key Council services including housing, homelessness, advice services, family & household support, adult protection and children and families social work services into one cross-Council response group.

Established as recently as February 2021, since March this year the team has positively engaged 16 (84%) of 19 tenants referred to the team. A further 14 have since been referred and attempts are being made to contact them and offer support.

The Homelessness Transformational Prevention Programme complements the RRTP. Through this programme the Council has recruited 28 additional officers to trial new ways of working that will prevent homelessness in the first place.

When a permanent home can’t be found immediately, the team will continue helping people to access settled housing more quickly, thereby reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation. Through joint funding by the Council and Scottish Government, the RRTP has made this investment possible.

Councillor Kate Campbell, Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee said: “With the severe pressure on housing in Edinburgh, we need to take every possible step we can to tackle homelessness in our city.

“That includes stepping up work on prevention, improving temporary accommodation, making sure that there is support in place for anyone experiencing homelessness, ending rough sleeping and finding as many ways as possible to help people resolve homelessness. The Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan sets out all the different initiatives we’ve put in place to do that.

“This has to start with preventing homelessness wherever possible, so I’m glad that both the PRS Team and the multi-disciplinary response team are working so well. Preventing 300 households from becoming homeless in a year is phenomenal and it shows the real value of the RRTP supporting innovation and new ways of working. This funding from the Scottish Government allows us to try out new services, and where they are successful we can continue, and look to expand them.

“This is more important than ever as we start to see the economic repercussions from the pandemic and expect an increase in homeless presentations.

“The RRTP is a comprehensive plan that sets out all of these new services and innovative ways that we are supporting people to create better outcomes for individuals, and work towards ending homelessness in our city.”

Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee said: “Being homeless can be a horrible experience for people and finding better ways to prevent it is an incredibly important part of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan.

“Working with registered social landlords and partner organisations like Crisis has already made a big difference to the numbers of people ending up homeless.

“As we come out of the Covid-19 emergency measures, the need for this service is likely to increase significantly and we’ll be relying on our dedicated prevention team to play an even bigger role in our efforts to end homelessness in Edinburgh.”

Independent local support is available if you are experiencing housing/debt problems. Contact Granton Information Centre by email at info@gic.org.uk or telephone 0131 551 2459 or 0131 552 0458.

Letters: Join Crisis’ Race to End Homelessness

Dear Editor

Across Scotland there are thousands of people currently living without a home – whether that’s in hostels or B&Bs, sofa-surfing with friends and family or living on our streets. That’s not something we, as a society, should accept as the norm.

Homelessness is not inevitable – and we can all do our part to end homelessness for good. At Crisis we provide direct support to people affected by homelessness, we campaign, and we fundraise so that we will one day be part of the change that helped end homelessness for good across Great Britain.

But to do that, we need your help.

In March, we will host the first ever Race to End Homelessness, a 5km or 10km walk or run around Edinburgh city centre to raise vital funds to help lift people out of homelessness through one-to-one support, in areas such as housing and employment.

Those that take part will take on the scenic route around the city, starting in Holyrood Park, heading around the foot of Arthur’s Seat, before climbing up Calton Hill and then heading back in to the city and ending at The Glasshouse, the prestigious hotel which has partnered with us for this event.

It’s just £20 to register, with a fundraising target of £50. Whether you’re a keen walker or runner, or if you simply fancy taking on a new challenge, why not sign up and help Crisis in its mission to end homelessness.

Yours sincerely

Grant Campbell

Director of Crisis Scotland