Unite Scotland has criticised Friday’s announcement by the Scottish government on workers suspected of contracting Covid not being required to self-isolate, stating that it could lead to a new spike in the pandemic.
As one of the nation’s leading trade unions in the health and social care sector, which has been significantly impacted by the pandemic, Unite has raised serious concerns directly with the Scottish government over its approach to level zero.
The Scottish government has removed the blanket requirement for close contacts to self-isolate as long as they’re double vaccinated and take a PCR test. This includes removing the requirement for those working in health and social care to self-isolate as had previously been the practice throughout the pandemic.
According to the Scottish government figures, 1,825 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours on Thursday (22 July). Twenty-two new deaths have been reported of someone who tested positive for the virus over the past 28 days.
In the week ending 20 July, on average 2,109 NHS staff, or around 1.2% of the NHS workforce, reported absent each day for a range of reasons related to Covid-19.
James O’Connell, Unite industrial officer, said:“There have been a growing number of cases of the delta variant in Scotland and we can’t allow this to spiral out of control. While we understand there is a need and desire to return to normality, we have got to remember that vaccination is not immunisation.
“Unite’s members, particularly in those vulnerable sectors such as health and social care, are extremely worried that we could see a new spike in hospital admissions, and it is the staff on the frontline having to deal with this.
“If you’re identified as a close contact it potentially takes 48 hours minimum for the virus to be detected through a test so there is a potential for staff to be asymptomatic without knowing they are positive for a period of time.
“Using the hierarchy of control risk should be removed or at least minimised as much as it can be, therefore, in order to remove or minimise the risk of spread you should isolate not gamble using health and social care staff as the test.
“They look after the most vulnerable people in our society, is it worth it? The government is putting a lot of emphasis on double vaccination which does not stop contraction of the virus, however – why are they not looking at reducing the time between vaccine?”
‘Real life experts’ to help focus on what really matters to people receiving social care
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and Minister for Social Care Kevin Stewart have welcomed the first meeting of a Social Covenant Steering Group, set up to help guide the development of a National Care Service.
Establishing the group, made up of people with day-to-day experience of social care, was a key recommendation of Derek Feeley’s Independent Review of Adult Social Care and marks the fulfilment of one of the commitments for the first 100 days of this government.
Initial membership of the group, which met for the first time yesterday, includes unpaid carers, disability rights activists, a care home resident, a campaigner for the needs of relatives of those in care homes, a social care worker and others with significant experience of the way services are currently delivered.
The diverse group includes people from across Scotland with a spread of ages, and social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
The group is expected to help establish a common set of values and beliefs – a social covenant – which will underpin the National Care Service, including treating people with dignity, prioritising the common good and ensuring there is strong oversight of the new service. It will establish underlying and unifying principles to help guide decision-making.
Mr Stewart, who will chair the group’s meetings, said: “We know there were problems in the social care system before COVID arrived and we had already started to think about ways of reforming it, but the pandemic has shone a spotlight on the system and really highlighted the importance of making changes.
“Many members of this group have already heavily influenced the recommendations in Derek Feeley’s report and I am keen to ensure that we continue to listen to their expert views and act on what they tell us.
“A social covenant will enable us to develop a common set of values around social care; and see those systems as not merely a safety net, but a springboard to allow people to flourish.
“It is extremely important that we listen to people with lived experience – the real experts – to hear about the highs and lows of social care services. It is by doing this that we will really find out what’s good about the services people receive, more importantly, what needs to improve for those who use and deliver social care.”
“Only by listening to people with real-life experiences , and acting on what we hear, can we create a system that ensures that everyone in Scotland has the opportunity to live fulfilling and rewarding lives.”
Marion McArdle, who has a daughter with complex needs said: “I feel privileged to be part of this group, since I’m fully expecting it to be a partnership between the government and the experts, people with real stories and real suggestions on how to change things for the better based on their lived experience of social care in Scotland.
“I’m optimistic that this can only be good thing and a great step forward in getting it right for Scotland’s citizens who are entitled to a social care system which at the very least meets their human rights.”
Frontline NHS and social care staff can attend work rather than self-isolate with testing mitigations in exceptional circumstances under updated guidance announced this morning.
From today (Monday 19 July), double vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff in England who have been told to self-isolate will be permitted to attend work in exceptional circumstances and replaced by testing mitigations.
This will include staff who have been contacted as a close contact of a case of COVID-19 by NHS Test and Trace, or advised to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app.
This measure is being introduced to alleviate pressure on NHS and social care services and will be contingent on staff members only working after having a negative PCR test and also taking daily negative lateral flow tests for a minimum of seven days, and up to 10 days or completion of the identified self-isolation period.
This measure is being introduced to alleviate pressure on NHS and social care services and will be contingent on staff members only working after having a negative PCR test and daily negative lateral flow tests.
The government is clear the change applies only to frontline NHS and social care staff where their absence may lead to a significant risk of harm.
The decision to allow NHS and social care staff to attend work after being told to self-isolate should be made on a case-by-case basis, and only after a risk assessment by the organisation’s management.
This must be authorised by the organisation’s local Director of Infection Prevention and Control, the lead professional for health protection, or the Director of Public Health relevant to the organisation.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “As we learn to live with this virus, it’s important that we ensure frontline staff can keep providing the best possible care and support to people up and down the country.
“The government has backed healthcare services at every turn through this global pandemic and these new rules will fortify our collective defences against this awful virus, by allowing fully vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff to continue to work when needed.”
Careful consideration should be given by local NHS and social care organisations to the risk of onward transmission compared to the risk to delivery of critical services.
Staff who are permitted to attend work will remain under a legal duty to self-isolate as a close contact when not at work, but will be considered to have a ‘reasonable excuse’ under the Self-Isolation regulations to leave self-isolation to attend work where their absence could result in harm. They will continue to receive self-isolation reminders.
UK Health Security Agency Chief Executive, Jenny Harries, said: “With the number of cases continuing to rise, it is imperative that we do everything we can to manage this virus and support our NHS and social care services under the strain of increased demand and sustained pressure.
“We have provided specific guidance to NHS and social care settings for circumstances where there is a significant risk to health or safety resulting from staff absence or a critical service cannot run.
“This measure only applies to double vaccinated staff, who will only be able to attend work after testing negative on PCR and daily lateral flow tests, and following a risk assessment and the supervision of the health service.”
In order to mitigate the increased risk associated with attending work, the following mitigations must be implemented:
The staff member should be fully vaccinated, defined as having received both doses of an MHRA approved vaccination, with 14 days having elapsed since the final dose.
The staff member should undertake a PCR test and should self-isolate until they receive the result. They should only attend work if this result is negative.
They should undertake daily LFD tests prior to starting work each day. Test results should be reported to NHS Test and Trace via the web portal and to their duty manager. Any staff member who has a positive LFD test during this period should not attend work and should arrange a PCR test as soon as possible.
If the staff member develops any COVID symptoms, they should stay at home and immediately arrange a PCR test.
Staff working during this 10-day period should comply with all relevant infection control precautions and PPE should be properly worn throughout the day. Any breaches should be reported immediately to their line manager.
The staff member should not work with clinically extremely vulnerable patients or residents, as determined by the organisation.
Existing guidance will be updated by Public Health England today (Monday 19 July), and shared with NHS trusts and relevant social care organisations across England.
These changes apply in England only. The Scottish Government will announce any changes to exisiting arrangements, if necessary, in due course.
UNISON, the trade union for social care, has launched a campaign with care staff to save care council run care homes in Edinburgh.
The campaign follows proposals put forward by Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board to close Clovenstone, Ferrylee, Ford’s Road and Jewel House Care Homes. Furthermore, Drumbrae will also close as a care home and switch to hospital-based complex clinical care.
The proposals mean large scale disruption for care residents and 270 care home posts will be deleted and a further 160 care home jobs put at risk.
Care staff are in the process of writing to Edinburgh City Council leader councillor Adam McVey as part of UNISON’s on-going campaign to step in and save these council run care homes.
UNISON are also running an online petition to show councillors the depth of feelings of residents, staff, and those in the wider community. Over 100 people signed the petition in one day. Further campaign action and demonstrations are planned.
Tom Connolly UNISON City of Edinburgh branch secretary said:“Closing four care homes, and changing the role of another, without proper and meaningful consultation is wrong.
“It is devastating for care home’s residents. Its also insensitive to staff who have put the health and wellbeing of care residents before themselves and their families throughout this pandemic. Caring for our vulnerable elderly is a vital job, care homes are essential and care staff deserve support from all of us.”
Greig Kelbie, regional organiser said:“We need the support of the Scottish Government to start planning and financing the next generation of modern fit-for-purpose care homes and Edinburgh councillors should stand up for council run care homes.
“Making these decisions without a fully costed plan on how community care and care at home would be an adequate replacement is a dangerous precedent to set.
Scotland’s care system already relies too heavily on for-profit care homes. Edinburgh can buck that trend by supporting council-run care homes that focus on providing quality care not making of money. I urge everyone to back UNISON’s campaign to Save Our Care Homes, and sign, and leave a message, on our online petition.”
Care home staff at Fords Road
David Harrold, UNISON’S Service Conditions Convenor, met with staff from Ford’s Road Care Home yesterday and said afterwards:“Staff are united in their opposition to closures, they see no sense or long-term value in the proposals put forward by the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board to close Clovenstone, Ferrylee, Ford’s Road and Jewel House Care Homes when it is clear there is no alternative services that can take on the responsibilities and workloads in their absence”.
The meeting at Ford’s Road Care Home was well attended with staff expressing their frustration at their employer’s attitude.
One attendee asked how he can receive the £500 government bonus last month, then be told the following that his future employment is in doubt! Another asked why councillors who have praised them throughout the pandemic and lockdown should now be so silent.
Despite this frustration their dedication to those in their care remains. UNISON ask that the public acknowledge this, by sending a clear message to both the Council and IJB that care home staff deserve better and that Edinburgh needs a viable care home system not just for today’s residents for the future generations.
UNISON’s online Edinburgh City Save our Care homes petition here:
Comments on why people have signed the online petition include:
“Our elderly should be looked after not thrown aside where are they going to put the residents” – Tracey M.
“My mother receives care in an Edinburgh council care home. The place and staff as fantastic. I know the confusion that is caused by moving long term residents.” – Stewart D.
“Need council run care homes not everyone can afford private care” – Sharon S.
Social Care Minister and MPs of all parties are supporting Care Home Open Week, celebrating care home workers, residents, and their role in local communities
With support from the Department of Health & Social Care & partnerships with National Citizen Service, Silver Sunday and Intergenerational Music Making, organiser Championing Social Care hopes to connect communities to their care homes
Care Home Open Week, taking place this week from June 28th – July 4th, will encourage communities to celebrate and thank care workers for their work during the pandemic and showcase the positive role care homes have in their communities.
Events at over 500 participating care homes around the UK will include virtual tours, fundraising dance-a-thons, karaoke, fashion shows, art projects, community service days and much more.
Some 40 MPs from across all political parties are taking part in Care Home Open Week, including Helen Whately MP, Minister of State for Social Care, Sir Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Mental Health.
The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) will be participating in the Week with staff across the Department’s Adult Social Care team joining in a number of virtual events, including virtual tours of Majesticare and CareTech plc care services throughout the Week.
DHSC civil servants will also participate in opportunities to discuss the experience of key roles in care homes, including home managers, activity coordinators and care workers from across the sector. Care teams will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more of DHSC’s role in the sector.
Additionally, Championing Social Care has partnered with the National Citizen Service – the flagship programme for young people, Silver Sunday – the national day for older people, and Intergenerational Music Making to hold virtual events throughout the week.
See our Care Home Open Week video below:
Hallmark Care Homes will support Care Home Open Week and Championing Social Care with a live virtual event on Thursday, 1 July.
Event organisers have planned this year’s Care Home Open Week to be virtual, recognising that safety must be a top priority and have asked participating care homes to adapt their events to ensure they are COVID – safe and in line with government guidance.
Mitesh Dhanak (above), Founder of Precious Homes and part of the organising committee for the event, said: “We want to further enrich the lives of the UK’s care home residents by reminding the community that those individuals who live in care homes are unique individuals supported by dedicated, caring and professional teams.
“As we move ahead in the planning of Care Home Open Week, our top priority is, of course, to keep everyone safe. Our aim is still the same though: to showcase the incredibly valuable services that care homes provide at the heart of every local community.”
Many events held during the week will work to connect communities further to their local care homes.
Championing Social Care partnered with the National Citizen Service and consulted the organisation’s Youth Voice Forum for advice on how Care Home Open Week programmes can be successful and more engaging for young people.
The National Citizen Service has also encouraged the many thousands of young people it supports to get involved in volunteer opportunities for Care Home Open Week.
Examples of community engaging events include Precious Homes in Milton Keynes which will be holding their “Precious Festival” on July 1st and 2nd and will be providing outside, COVID-safe educational discussion opportunities between community members, support workers and people the home supports to speak about their experiences with Autism, sensory disorders and mental health.
Ashleigh Calder, Operations Manager – Central Region of Precious Homes, said: “We are extremely excited to be involved in Care Home Open Week. It has been a tough year and this will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to get together and share awareness of the great work we do with the local community.
“We are hopeful our event will enable the people we support to share their experiences and for our staff to be acknowledged for their continuous hard work and dedication – and have fun of course!”
Carl Roberts, Sales and Marketing Director of TLC Care, which is providing free breakfasts on Tuesday the 29th to emergency and healthcare workers at their locations in North London, Cambridge, Hertfordshire and Surrey, said: ““Here at TLC Care we are so proud to be able to launch this group wide event series to acknowledge and reward the amazing work of the emergency services and health care workers across our communities.
“This is our little way of sharing some Truth, Love and Compassion with the health care heroes.”
Jonathan Freeman, CEO of the CareTech Foundation, Founding Patron of Championing Social Care, said: “Social care is provided in so many settings up and down the country, playing a key role in the fabric of local communities.
“Care Home Open Week is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the contribution of care homes and connect local people with them.”
This year’s Care Home Open Week is organised by Championing Social Care, a volunteer-led organisation that aims to ensure a wider and deeper public understanding, appreciation and respect for social care.
The public will have a greater say in how major decisions around health and social care services are delivered in Scotland.
New guidance will ensure NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards and local authorities uphold their legal duty to consult and engage with local communities about major planning decisions.
This will guarantee people with real experience of using local services will be able to shape decision making at a local and national level, from building or rebuilding hospitals, to transferring health and social care services into the community.
This ‘forward thinking’ approach will ensure lessons are learned from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by giving people with lived experience a say in the future of NHS Scotland and the reshaping of Adult Social Care. It will also help ensure services are effective, safe, value-for-money and meet individuals’ needs.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Community engagement and participation is vital as we look to reform health and social care services, ensuring they are fit to meet the needs of the public as we deal with the long term impact of the pandemic.
“This guidance will help ensure people have a greater say in decisions which affect the care they receive.
“Our collective response to the pandemic has shown the strength of our public services and how we can come together to address challenges. Since the start of the pandemic we have been delivering services differently and have engaged with communities to ensure they are involved in decisions that affect them. This guidance captures that learning and seeks to ensure we all benefit from it.
“The Scottish Government will continue to listen to the views of people who use health and social care services and actively involve them in re-shaping how we deliver care as we re-mobilise beyond the pandemic.”
COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson Cllr Stuart Currie said: “Planning with people promotes real collaboration between NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards and Local Authorities.
“It sets out the responsibilities each organisation has to community engagement when services are being planned, or changes to services are being planned, and it supports them to involve people meaningfully.
“Fundamentally, good engagement means that services are developed which are effective, safe and value-for-money. And there is no doubt that greater participation brings better outcomes for communities all round.
“So, we encourage people in communities across Scotland to read this guidance and find out what they should expect when it comes to engagement about care planning. Ultimately, it is their experience that will be the real measure of what impact it is making.”
The horrific – and often avoidable – impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland on the lives of those in care (like older people and disabled people) has thrown into sharp relief the inadequacies of our social care system.
While the recent Report of the Independent Review of Social Care (the Feeley Review) identified some of the problems, its recommendations shrank back from confronting the cancer at the heart of social care, namely, its domination by market forces and by private providers whose primary concern is with profit and not care.
By contrast, this pamphlet, jointly published by the Jimmy Reid Foundation and the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) with contributions by leading disabled activists, public sector trade unionists, frontline workers and campaigners including Neil Findlay MSP and journalist Kevin McKenna, calls for a publicly owned, controlled and funded national care service, where care workers and care users are in the driving seat.
The pamphlet can help shape the debate in the coming months over the kind of National Care Service we want to see in Scotland. Buy it, read it and order copies for your union branch, your college course or your organisation.
Copies can be purchased in pdf or hard copy from Calton Books for £4 each:
Health and social care professionals will have access to a new specialist service offering confidential mental health assessment and treatment.
The Workforce Specialist Service will be delivered by experts with experience in treating a range of issues such as stress, anxiety, depression or addiction, with a focus on the impact this may have on a person’s work.
A multidisciplinary team will support anyone who belongs to one of the regulated professions within health and social care.
It is the latest part of a package of resources available to the workforce, including the National Wellbeing Hub, the National Wellbeing Helpline and specific psychological services provided by health boards at a local level.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “We are doing our best to support health and social care staff to ensure that they have the resources they require to look after themselves, and that they can get the help they need at an early stage.This is especially important given the challenges of responding to the pandemic in the past year.
“We know that some health and social care professionals can find it difficult to access mental health or addictions services due to concerns about receiving a confidential service or the professional implications of seeking support.
“Our Wellbeing and Mental Health Network offers a broad package of wellbeing and mental health support that is available for all health and social services staff, their families and unpaid carers and volunteers.
“The Workforce Specialist Service is the most comprehensive of its kind in the UK and has been established to ensure that people who access the service are afforded maximum confidentiality. We have worked closely with the professions regulators to ensure appropriate agreements are in place.”
Dr Jude Halford, Lead for Clinician Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland said:
“We welcome the development of a much-needed specialist mental health service for Scotland’s health and social care staff.
“Currently, there are barriers which stop some health and social care professionals from accessing mental health services including stigma, fears for their careers, concerns they will be treated by colleagues and worries about confidentiality. They may feel unable to seek the help they need.
“Improvement in staff mental health is essential. It benefits them and keeps health and social care services running for the public.
“The pandemic has caused extra demands, stress and pressure for staff making the requirement for mental health care even greater.
“The need for a specialist service predated the pandemic, was compounded by it, and will persist beyond it. It is very positive to see the Workforce Specialist Service being developed to address these needs.”
Lorraine Gray, Chief Executive, Scottish Social Services Council said:
“The Workforce Specialist Service is a great resource and I welcome the support it will give to the social service and health workforce, their families and colleagues.
“Their roles are demanding and they are working tirelessly to support our communities in the midst of the pandemic response. And, perhaps even more importantly, this support will be vital for our workforce in the longer term as we move from the crisis response towards normality.”
If you are a regulated practitioner working in Scotland, find out more about what the service provides and how to refer yourself by visiting:
The National Wellbeing Hub – www.promis.scot – contains a broad range of advice and evidence-based resources including digital apps to help staff and unpaid carers cope with issues such as stress, anxiety, sleep problems, and to enhance personal resilience. It also signposts to a range of other national and local services.
The National Wellbeing Helpline – 0800 111 4191 – provides a 24/7 service to those who require psychological support and can offer advice, signposting and onward referral to local services where required.
Radical changes need to be made to the planning and recruitment of social care workers in Edinburgh to offset an impending care crisis.
With the role and value of social care at unprecedented levels owing to the pandemic, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership [HSCP] is being urged to look at digital workforce mapping technology to support the care of the region’s most vulnerable citizens.
The call is being made by innovative care workforce specialist Netli who has developed a range of solutions – working in consultation with multiple industry organisations – to resolve the serious challenges faced in Edinburgh.
Netli has provided Edinburgh HSCP with a detailed proposal offering to support the provision of local care services and is seeking talks with senior officers and department heads to outline the plan in more detail.
The move follows a call in an Independent Review for a National Care Service to be formed, which also underlined the importance of better workforce planning and development to reduce the impact of ever-worsening recruitment and retention problems.
It is estimated that 36,000 people in Scotland do not have access to the care they need. Care UK estimates over 1.4 million people across the UK currently have unmet care needs, with delayed discharges due to the lack of social care costing the NHS more than £500 every minute.
Stephen Wilson, CEO and co-founder of Netli, said that as the sector is not growing fast enough – due to inherent difficulties with recruiting and retaining staff – it is unable to keep up with the increasing demand for care services caused by an ageing population. A care crisis is not just looming, but is happening right now.
Stephen said: “People are already being denied vital care – but that position is only going to get worse if we don’t change the failed ways of the past and look to digital technology to sort out this workforce problem.”
Netli’s solution involves collating workforce data from care providers and making this available to HSCPs like Edinburgh HSCP in real-time. This would offer detailed information to help HSCPs with current and future workforce planning, identifying risks and threats within the industry, comparing and benchmarking against regional and national data, and identifying the necessary supports for care providers.
Stephen Wilson, CEO and co-founder of Netli, said: “Our proposal will enable HSCPs like Edinburgh HSCP, and those across the country, to gather and access valuable data which will help them to understand how to better manage the planning, recruitment and retention of social care staff.
“For example if we can monitor what impact Brexit, Covid or a closure of an individual care provider will have, it means you can react and impose a solution before serious damage is done.
“Having continual access to real-time workforce data, combined with the other integrated workforce tools we have devised, will help to attract applicants to the care sector, improve staff retention and mitigate the risk of provider failure, lost revenue and unmet needs.”
Around 206,000 people work in social care in Scotland, but the Scottish Social Services Council predicts the social care workforce must grow by 2.2% each year.
However, the sector had around 14,000 vacancies and growth has stalled at just 1.2%. It comes as the Scottish Government acknowledges that “recruitment and retention of staff working in the social services sector has long been seen as key to improving service provision, standards and outcomes”.
Stephen said: “The facts speak for themselves: we need to radically improve the way we manage and process recruitment in the social care sector.
“But, crucially, as well as the pandemic shining a new light on the importance of good social care, it has also provided a platform to showcase a career in social care like never before.
“The new respect and value that social care now has should act as a trigger to encourage people in say, retail, hospitality or travel who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, to take up new roles in social care.
“So when the UK opens up post-Covid, social care can be a key sector to support the economic recovery of the nation. “
Netli plans to contact all HSCPs in Scotland – as well as consulting with the Scottish Government – with the aim of securing country-wide support and take-up of its services. They also want to speak to care providers who can become ambassadors to press for change with local authorities.
Stephen added: “We believe we can play a key role in helping HSCPs and Scottish Government to ensure the continuous provision of consistent and uninterrupted care in communities across the country.
“Every person employed into the care sector will positively impact the lives of at least three people in need of support. This year, Netli wants to help at least 10,000 people to gain employment in the care sector who, in turn, will support 30,000 people.
“But if we secure the wide scale take-up from local authorities, and from those in Scotland, that we are looking for, we could see 100,000 jobs being created.”
Netli’s proposal to Edinburgh HSCP – titled ‘The Continuous Provision of Consistent and Uninterrupted Care’ – consists of three integrated solutions to cover the entire lifecycle of the care workforce:
CareJob.co – a job board specific to vacancies in care, developed to increase recruitment into the sector;
Workforce – an end-to-end recruitment and HR system built specifically to speed up and improve the recruitment and retention process for care providers; and
Workforce Portal – a database of available care workers, giving care providers 24/7 access to a permanent pool of staff to reduce the risk of staff shortage.
The company, which rebranded to Netli from its previous name Novacare in preparation for its planned expansion this year, has developed its product offering over the last five years in direct response to the care industry’s demands for bespoke support and solutions.
The RCN Foundation has funded a history of nursing research project to document the stories of nurses and midwives accused of witchcraft in Scotland, as part of its programme of work to celebrate the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
The Foundation has awarded a Monica Baly Education Grant to a team of researchers from Edinburgh Napier University to investigate almost 150 witches recorded on the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft as being folk healers and midwives.
The team from the Nursing and Midwifery Subject Groups in the School of Health and Social Care, comprising of Dr Nicola Ring, Nessa McHugh and Rachel Davidson-Welch, will investigate the stories of these individual nurses and midwives, documenting who they were, and reflecting on their practices from today’s healthcare perspective.
Scotland’s Witchcraft Act was introduced in 1563 and remained law until 1736. During that time nearly 4,000 people, mainly women, were accused of witchcraft.
The accused were imprisoned and brutally tortured until they confessed their guilt – often naming other ‘witches’ in their confessions. Most of those accused are thought to have been executed as witches, being strangled and then burned at the stake, leaving no body for burial.
People were accused of being witches for many reasons- some were mentally ill, some had land and money others wanted. However, many of those accused and executed as being ‘witches’ were guilty of nothing more than helping to care for others during sickness and childbirth – they were early practitioners of midwifery and nursing.
Dr Nicola Ringsaid: “I am delighted we have been awarded funding from the RCN Foundation to investigate this over-looked part of nursing history. Telling the stories of these Scottish women and men cruelly and unfairly accused and punished for helping the sick and women in childbirth highlights the injustices these people faced.
“It supports Claire Mitchell QC and Zoe Venditozzi in their ‘Witches of Scotland’ campaign, which seeks posthumous justice – a pardon for those convicted of witchcraft, an apology for all those accused, and a national memorial dedicated to their memory.”
Deepa Korea, Director of the RCN Foundation, said: “We are very pleased to fund this project as part of our programme of work to mark the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
“This is an important project which will not only document the experiences of these early nurses and midwives and the injustices they faced but provide a fresh look at the early role and perceptions of nursing and midwifery, prior to the accepted Victorian archetype.”
Claire Mitchell QCsaid: “Zoe Venditozzi and I (Witches of Scotland) are delighted that this work is being done to investigate and record the history of Scottish women and, in particular, those who were caught up in witchcraft allegations.
“We know from our research that some of the women and men were healers – involved in folk medicine and early midwifery – who were prosecuted for witchcraft and paid with their life. This work shedding a light on this tragic history is important.”
