Lothian Labour MSP, Sarah Boyack has written to Cabinet Secretary for Health, to ask him for clarity over when the decision will be made over the New Edinburgh Eye Pavilion.
In a November meeting organised by Ms Boyack between patients and Michael Matheson, the Cabinet Secretary assured patients that any decision over the Eye Pavilion would be made in December, in line with the budget.
However, a Scottish Government spokesperson has now claimed that the decision will not be made until the Spring.
Delaying this decision will force patients to rely on outdated services and face further cancelled appointments.
Campaigners were hoping that the current budget would provide long awaited clarity for whether the new facility would get the go-ahead.
Sarah Boyack MSP said: “Michael Matheson has fundamentally misled patients.
“To tell patients that the decision would be made in December, only for it to be pushed back to the Spring is a slap in the face for all those who need a new facility.
“Michael Matheson needs to confirm on the record when the capital spending will be announced and apologise for misleading patients.
“Every day the Scottish Government delays, the project becomes more expensive, and the current Eye Pavilion deteriorates further.
“If Michael Matheson does not provide clarity now, we are heading towards a crisis for eyecare services in Edinburgh.”
Craig Spalding, Chief Executive of Sight Scotland, added: “We’re concerned the Scottish Government’s plans to review this project again in the spring is too little too late.
“It’s now 10 years on since the current hospital was declared unfit for purpose and by delaying the decision again is ignoring the critical need of patients and staff attending the current hospital.
“As time goes on, the building deteriorates further and the risk to people’s safety increases. People with visual impairment and eye conditions deserve better.”
A BUMPER month-long festive celebration is well underway at one of Scotland’s most luxurious care homes.
Pensioners at Cramond Residence have been treated to the homes’ biggest ever range of activities in the build-up to Christmas thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Lifestyle Team.
In the lead-up to the big day, residents have enjoyed a delightful mix of songs, carols, parties, fine food, Christmas jumper celebrations as well as a pantomime, creating a buzzing festive atmosphere.
Elaine Vallance, Head of Lifestyle at Cramond Residence said: “This is our sixth and biggest Christmas at the home and it’s our goal to ensure it’s a magical experience for our residents.
“We focused on creating a festive atmosphere with activities that cater to all tastes to help get everyone into the spirit.
“The residents have thoroughly enjoyed the events so far, and we’ve made sure that Christmas week is filled with fantastic activities to help carry the joy into the New Year.”
Across December, Cramond Residence sparkled with festive spirit, beginning with the annual Christmas lights switch-on and a carol performance by Fettes students.
The month has featured a variety of events including religious ceremonies, sensory sessions, a Kirk service, pub nights, and numerous parties.
On Christmas Day, residents will enjoy a special festive lunch, followed by a week full of seasonal movies, a pub night, a Nutcracker ballet performance, and a grand New Year’s Eve celebration to bring in 2024 in style.
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager for Cramond Residence said: “We are lucky to have Elaine and her exceptional team orchestrating an incredible array of activities for our residents.
“Christmas at Cramond Residence is always a special time for both our staff and residents. This year has been particularly memorable, and we’re looking forward to celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with all our residents.”
Cramond Residence is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of its residents, offering a bespoke activity programme that blends the luxury of a hotel with the warmth of home living. Constructed at a cost of £8m, the residence opened its doors in October 2018, embodying a philosophy of small group living with a strong focus on social interaction.
The facility provides an extensive array of dementia care services, available both within the general living environment and in a dedicated area specially designed for those in more advanced stages.
With a variety of activities specifically tailored for individuals with dementia, Cramond Residence aims to enrich their lives. The home boasts state-of-the-art facilities and a team of trained professionals committed to offering both support and respite.
For further information about Cramond Residence, call 0131 336 1064 or visit the care home’s website at cramondresidence.co.uk.
Since the beginning of 2023, the number of extensively-antibiotic resistant Shigella cases has increased by 53%. Much of this increase has been driven by a cluster of extensively-antibiotic resistant Shigella sonnei, of which there have been 97 cases in 2023 (up to and including November), compared to just 4 cases last year.
The strain is difficult to treat because it does not respond to the antibiotics typically used to treat Shigella. Cases have been diagnosed in all regions of England, but cases are concentrated in London (45), the North West (21) and South East (12).
In January 2022, there was a similar rise in cases of extensively antibiotic-resistant Shigella sonnei infections caused by another outbreak strain.
Cases of Shigella have been rising since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in July 2021, with annual cases now higher than the average before the pandemic. The month with the highest number of reported Shigella diagnoses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was 392 in September 2019, which increased to 485 in September 2023 – representing a 24% increase.
Shigella is a gut infection that causes diarrhoea (sometimes mixed with blood), stomach cramps and fever. It is caused by bacteria found in faeces.
It can be passed on through the faecal-oral route during sex, either directly or via unwashed hands and only a tiny amount of bacteria can spread the infection. Symptoms are typically seen between 1 and 4 days after exposure and are commonly mistaken for food poisoning.
Dr Gauri Godbole, Consultant Medical Microbiologist at UKHSA, said: “This is a concerning rise in cases of this antibiotic resistant strain, meaning treatment can be very difficult.
“One of the best ways to protect yourself and your partners is to practice good hygiene after sex. Avoid oral sex immediately after anal sex, and change condoms between anal or oral sex and wash your hands with soap after sexual contact.
“It’s important that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) do not dismiss their symptoms and speak to their GP or sexual health clinic, mentioning Shigella, if they are unwell.
“GBMSM with Shigella may have been exposed to other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, so a sexual health screen at a clinic or ordering tests online is recommended.”
Shigella is very infectious. Although symptoms can be unpleasant, in most cases they will subside within a week, but some individuals need hospitalisation and require intravenous antibiotic treatment. Effective antibiotic treatments are limited for this extremely resistant strain.
Antibiotic treatment is recommended in cases with severe symptoms, those requiring hospital admission, those with prolonged diarrhoea (beyond 7 days) or in those who have underlying immunodeficiency.
If you have been diagnosed with Shigella, give yourself time to recover. Keep hydrated and get lots of rest. Don’t have sex until 7 days after your last symptom and avoid spas, swimming, jacuzzis, hot tubs and sharing towels as well as preparing food for other people until a week after symptoms stop.
Reducing transmission is key to protecting more vulnerable groups. You can find out more information about Shigella and get advice on other topics at Sexwise or by calling the free National Sexual Health Helpline at 0300 123 7123.
If you suffer a strain, sprain, or suspected broken bone, wound, burn or other nasty injury this winter, you can be treated by one of our experts in the Minor Injuries Unit.
Call 111 to make an appointment or find more information:
Salvesen Mindroom Centre sees 18% surge in enquiries
The soaring need for support with neurodiversity has signalled a huge jump in demand for the services of Salvesen Mindroom Centre.
The charity, which champions all forms of neurodiversity, has experienced an 18% rise in enquiries over the last year.
Access to education and assessment and diagnosis were key issues raised by parents and carers, along with communication, rights and responsibilities and mental health.
Data shows that children and young people were particularly concerned with challenges including post-diagnosis support, mental health and the transition from leaving school to moving into adulthood.
The latest statistics from the Edinburgh-based charity, which supports children and young people under the age of 25 with all forms of neurodiversity, show that over 1,393 people have been helped in the first three quarters of 2023, an increase of 19% against the entirety of 2022. The most common condition, affecting 82% of clients, was autism.
The enquiries came from within Scotland, predominantly from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and East Lothian, with the vast majority coming directly from potential service users and a third via professionals.
Salvesen Mindroom Centre’s Chief Executive Officer Alan Thornburrow says: “Raising awareness is one of the key goals of Mindroom. Our vision is a world where no mind is left behind. And while we’re delighted to have been able to help so many people this year, the story behind the statistics is one of huge need.
“It’s encouraging that so many more people are now aware of the help and support we can offer but the big rise in demand demonstrates an ever-growing desire among parents, carers, professionals and the young people themselves to help them lead the best life they can. We’re committed to doing everything we can to facilitate that.”
The charity’s latest initiative is a three-year specialist outreach service, financed by a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, to deliver a dedicated one-to-one support service for children and young people who have neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodiverse families in North and South Lanarkshire.
Alan Thornburrow says: “We saw a rising demand in this area and have responded because we know just what an enormous difference receiving the appropriate help can make.
“The latest rise in figures is a challenge for us but one we are longing to overcome to help people achieve their true potential.”
A VITAL national swimming framework has celebrated its fifth year, creating the next generation of safe swimmers with over 76,000 children from across the country taking part in weekly lessons.
The National Learn to Swim Framework – a partnership between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water – has gone from strength to strength since its formation, with programmes back to 88% capacity following pandemic restrictions.
Swim superstars, Olympic medallist Duncan Scott and Paralympic medallist Toni Shaw renewed their ambassadorships of the Framework which is delivered across Scotland by 38 Leisure Trusts and Aquatic Providers in more than 160 pools.
Euan Lowe, CEO of Scottish Swimming said: “Seeing the Learn to Swim Framework reach more children across Scotland is incredible. We’re very lucky in Scotland to have so many excellent local authorities, leisure trusts and aquatic providers working towards the common goal of teaching this vital life skill across the country.
“Through the Framework, we are creating a generation of happy, healthy and active young people and we are delighted that each year more children across the country are getting the opportunity to get into the pool.”
Research into the cognitive benefits of young people who take swimming lessons has shown that they achieve a range of developmental milestones much earlier than those who don’t, regardless of their gender or background.
Children who are members of a swimming club and who compete regularly, develop core competencies – such as target-setting, teamwork and leadership attributes – which can help them greatly in their future careers and lives.
Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “We are delighted that the Learn to Swim programme has bounced back so strongly after the pandemic and continues to go from strength to strength.
“Being able to swim is an essential life skill and the programme gives children the skills and confidence they need to enjoy swimming safely.
“Everyone should be able to enjoy Scotland’s miles of rivers, lochs, reservoirs and shorelines safely and with confidence, and our aim is to work with Scottish Swimming and all the local authorities, leisure trusts and aquatic providers across the country to create ‘Generation Swim’, a generation of safe and competent swimmers, who will also get to experience the wider health and social benefits that swimming can offer.”
Learn to Swim is a National Framework committed to creating supportive and quality environments in which children can learn to swim regardless of their age, ability, or skill level. It aims to develop competent swimmers, as well as encouraging youngsters to adopt a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle with sport and fun at its heart to reach their full potential both in the pool and out.
For more information on the Learn to Swim programme, visit:
New report shows 15% of child deaths are related to infection
15% of child deaths are related to infection according to a new report from the National Child Mortality Database
Sepsis is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection, and claims 48,000 lives in the UK each year
Clinical signs of sepsis were reported in over 700 child deaths between April 2019 and March 2022
Parents who have lost their children to sepsis are calling for action to improve patient outcomes
Following a report from the National Child Mortality Database released today, parents who lost their children to sepsis have spoken out about what needs to happen to prevent future child deaths.
Fifteen per cent of child deaths in England over the last three years are related to infection, according to a new report published on 14 December by the University of Bristol’s National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) team.
The report uses the NCMD’s unique data on all child deaths in England to examine 1,507 infection-related deaths between April 2019 and March 2022, with the clinical signs of sepsis reported in 701 child deaths.
UK Sepsis Trust Founder & Joint CEO Dr Ron Daniels, who contributed as a report author, said: “It’s staggering to learn that almost one in every six deaths in children is caused by infection.
“Whilst not every death will ever be preventable, this report clearly highlights that modifiable factors may have saved many of these children’s lives. It’s clear that there is an urgent need to empower parents and carers, to ensure that health professionals listen more closely to families, and to work closely with people from vulnerable communities to design messaging that is relevant and accessible to them.
“Martha’s Rule when implemented will be a hugely important step, but it is one small part of the system wide solution we need to stop avoidable deaths from infection in children.”
UK Sepsis Trust Ambassador Melissa Mead, whose son William died of sepsis on 14th December 2014, and who reviewed the report from the perspective of a bereaved parent said: “For this report to be published on the anniversary of William’s death felt quite poignant.
“It’s a really sad day, if I’m honest, and this is makes for really sobering reading. I’m really disheartened. It feels like William’s life didn’t matter and that the same thing is happening time and time again, and I just feel like no one is listening to us – certainly me as a parent – and it scares me.”
Helen and Daniel Philliskirk lost their 16-month-year-old son James to sepsis in May 2022.
They took him to Sheffield Children’s Hospital on multiple occasions but were dismissed by doctors and told he had chicken pox – but a postmortem examination found that he had developed sepsis after a Strep A infection, with no evidence of chicken pox present.
His parents have given their support to calls for Martha’s Rule, after their own inquest experience found that neglect by the hospital contributed to James’ death.
“Just trust your gut; you know your child best,” said Helen. “I think people would always rather see children and verify that they are healthy or verify that things are OK rather than people be at home worried and things get missed and ultimately lead to very unwell children or sadly, children dying.”
The NCMD report also found that children under one were at greater risk of infection related death than other age groups, but also that risk varied by ethnic and socio-economic background.
Children from an Asian/Asian British or black/black British ethnic background were at higher risk, with children from a Pakistani ethnic background at the highest risk of all.
During their son’s illness, Mohammed Elsiddig and Duaa Siyed Ahmed were repeatedly dismissed by healthcare professionals despite their respective medical qualifications, and their son Yousef died of sepsis on 5th February 2023, just after his first birthday.
They have shared Yousef’s story with the UK Sepsis Trust to help raise awareness of sepsis, while also hoping to reduce the
Duaa said: “Although it’s extremely difficult for us every day, nothing can bring Yousef back but at least we can do something to prevent this from happening to other families.”
Mohamed said: “Our message to the healthcare professionals is please listen to parents because they know their kids better, and please show them respect and empathy.
“Whenever you are dealing with a child with fever please think and ask yourself ‘Could this be sepsis?’ and if you are not so sure please do not feel ashamed to seek senior advice, whether at night or during the day.
“Always follow the national guidelines because it’s very sensitive to detect sepsis. Finally, please pay attention and do not fall into unconscious bias and stereotyping.”
The Scottish Government has responded to the report and recommendations of the Independent Review of audiology in Scotland, established following the NHS Lothian audiology scandal.
In response to a parliamentary question from Evelyn Tweed, MSP, the Scottish Government has committed to accept all of the recommendations of the review in principle, and to now establish a National Implementation Group to examine how best to implement the recommendations.
The Scottish Government response also stated that “this Implementation Group will be formed with partners from the third sector, as well as the health service, which will allow us to ensure the voices of those with lived experience are front and centre as changes are made.”
The National Deaf Children’s Society has welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to accept all of the recommendations, and looks forward to working with Government to ensure the recommendations are swiftly and effectively delivered.
Mark Ballard, Head of Policy and Influencing for Scotland at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Deaf children and their families will welcome the publication of the Scottish Government response to the Independent Review of Audiology. The review identified multiple, systemic problems within audiology services in NHS Scotland.
“We have called for the Scottish Government to grasp this opportunity for transformative change to make sure audiology is safe and fit for purpose. Parents will be relieved that the Scottish Government has committed to accept all of the review’s recommendations in principle – although we all recognise there is much work to be done to deliver on them.
“The independent review raised significant concerns about how well the results of the specialist tests carried out on children where hearing loss is suspected were being assessed. Issues with the assessment of the results of these tests, known as Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) tests, were identified in every Scottish health board area. So, we’re delighted the Scottish Government has committed to act on the various recommendations made in the review to improve ABR testing.
“However, these concerns were flagged to the Scottish government eight months ago, so it is absolutely vital that we act at pace to deliver these recommendations.
“One of the key findings in the report was that there has been a long term lack of investment and prioritisation of audiology services in Scotland. In order to achieve the shared ambition of making sure audiology services are safe and fit for purpose, appropriate funding will need to be found as part of implementation.
“It is therefore great that the Scottish Government has committed to ensuring that the voices of those with lived experience are front and centre of the new National Implementation Group.
“While we welcome this commitment to implement the recommendations of the review, the we look to the Scottish Government to provide more detail and expand on their current commitments, so that deaf children and their families can be sure that will be no repeat of the NHS Lothian scandal.
“We’ll continue to campaign tirelessly until we’re satisfied plans are in place to ensure hearing services across the country are fully staffed and operating at a consistent quality, with monitoring and data collection in place – all of which are crucial if we’re to fix a broken system.
“We know deaf children can achieve anything that hearing children can when they get the right support, but for this to happen their deafness must be identified at the earliest opportunity. This is why it is vitally important that children always receive high-quality and effective testing and long-term support.”
‘We must not normalise crisis or celebrate small improvements – our patients and our members deserve more.’That is the response of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine to the latest A&E performance data.
Yesterday (14 December 2023) two sets of data published by NHS England, have been released: the latest Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Daily Situation Reports 2023-24 (also known as Winter Sitrep); and monthly A&E performance figures for November 2023.
While there have been some small signs of improvement in certain areas the overall situation remails extremely challenging with A&E departments declaring critical incidents this week, clinicians describing things as the worst they have experienced and ambulance chiefs expressing serious concerns about the pressure their service is under.
The most recent Winter UEC Sitrep data which covers the period 4-10 December 2023 paints a worrying picture with bed occupancy running dangerously high at almost 95% (the level considered ‘safe‘ is 85%) and two-thirds of ambulances not meeting the 15-minute target to hand over patients.
There was a small uplift in the number of beds available within hospitals, but these do not appear to have helped to ease pressure elsewhere in the system, and there remain thousands of patients, who are well enough to go home, but have not been discharged – occupying beds which are needed for other people.
The November performance data reveals that last month more than 144,000 people who visited an A&E within the month were there for more than 12 hours – the target is four hours.
Reacting to these figures, Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “While the data suggest a marginal improvement compared to last year, it’s just deja-vu and we must not allow this permacrisis to become accepted as ‘normal’.
“Ambulances are queueing outside A&Es, Trusts are declaring critical incidents, patients are facing dangerously long waits in overcrowded and uncomfortable A&Es. Conditions are intense and difficult for staff, and the experience of patients is distressing and undignified.
“Clinicians are doing their very best, despite the circumstances, to deliver optimal and compassionate care, and mitigate any potential risks to patients but it is taking its toll on them too.
“It is welcome to see small increases in bed numbers, but it is not enough and patients continue to endure long waits.
“Significant and urgent action is required now to address these issues – this is what our members and their patients need and deserve.”
Data in detail:
The latest Urgent and Emergency Care Winter sitrep data for week ending 10 December (week 4 of publication for 2023/24) published today by NHS England show:
Bed occupancy levels at Trusts with a major A&E (Type 1 acute Trust) was 94.9%.
There were 99,497 beds open at Trusts with a major A&E, 1,521 more than the same week last year.
The Government promised that by winter 2023/24 there would be 5,000 more beds open when compared to October 2022 (97,287). For this week, there was an increase of 2,210 Type 1 beds compared with October 2022.
On average, one third of ambulance handovers involved a delay of over 30 minutes, while only one third of patients arriving at A&E were handed over within 15 minutes as per national guidance.
On average, 46,929 patients occupied a bed for more than seven days at a Trust with a major A&E.
On average, 384 beds were general and acute beds were occupied by patients with flu.
On average, 12,927 patients remained in hospital while no longer who were ready to be discharged.
There was an average of 49,020 daily staff absences at Trusts with a major A&E.
This is 7,547 fewer than the same week last year.
Published today (14 December 2023) by NHS England, the latest A&E performance figures for November 2023 show:
There were 1,385,701 attendances to major A&Es (Type 1 EDs) in November 2023. This is a 1.97% decrease compared with the previous month.
In November 2023, 144,085 patients waited 12-hours or more from their time of arrival. This accounts for 10.9% of all major A&E attendances in November. This means that more than one in 10 patients waited 12-hours or more.
The four-hour target at major A&Es stood at 55.4%, this is the fourth worst four-hour performance on record and the lowest so far in 2023.The aggregate four-hour target stood at 69.7%, the lowest so far in 2023. This is 6.3 percentage points lower than the Government’s intermediary threshold target of 76% to be hit by March 2024.
42,854 patients waited 12 hours or more from decision to admit (DTA) to admission. This is a 4% decrease when compared to the previous month. It is a 13.2% increase when compared with November 2022.
Beds data for October 2023 show bed occupancy stood at 94.8%.
Data show there were 98,844 Type 1 General & Acute beds available. This is an increase of 1,473 beds from October 2023 (97,371). And an increase of 1,636 beds from November 2022 (97,208).
Since it was announced in January 2023 that 5,000 new beds would be made available by winter 2023/24 compared with October 2022 (when there was 97,287 beds available), there has been an increase of 1,557 beds.
There were 396,755 emergency admissions at major A&Es. This is a 1.19% decrease since the previous month (401,523). This is the second highest number of admissions so far in 2023.
Pupils at a Midlothian primary school have been letting their creativity shine by creating their very own Christmas card designs as part of Barratt Developments’ festive competition.
Barratt Developments Scotland – which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes – invited pupils from Rosewell Primary School to try their hand at designing their very own festive cards, with the winning design being transformed into a physical pack to be given to residents at the housebuilder’s sites.
After judging more than 20 entries, Eva Hall from Primary 6 was crowned champion of the festive design competition, winning a £50 Smyths voucher in the process. The 10-year-old’s design depicts a snowy Christmas Eve sky with Santa’s sleigh flying over rooftops.
To mark her win, Eva and her fellow pupils who took part in the competition were invited to switch on the Christmas tree lights at David Wilson Homes’ Rosewell Meadow development on Thursday 7th December.
All budding artists were awarded a chocolate selection box for their efforts, with Eva doing the honours and switching on the lights.
Shona Richardson, Headteacher at Rosewell Primary School, said:“The pupils were very excited to be asked to take part in the Christmas Card competition.
“We have a number of creative and imaginative pupils at Rosewell so this was right up their street. Some even gave up their lunch breaks to join a ‘Christmas Card Art Club’. It was so popular that we had to bring in extra tables and chairs. It was a hive of festive activity!”
Neil Hanna
www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk
07702 246823
Anne Ross, Sales Directorat Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes East Scotland, said:“We were extremely impressed by the designs Eva and her schoolmates created.
“Not only did they capture the joy and fun of Christmas time, but you could also see how much time and effort each pupil put into their work.
“We hope our small events bring a bit of festive sparkle to the communities we are building within East Scotland.”
Neil Hanna
www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk
07702 246823
For more information on David Wilson Homes in Scotland, visit:
