Please remember that clinics, GP practices and many community pharmacies won’t be available on Good Friday or Easter Monday so try to collect prescriptions before Friday.
If you need urgent medical care over the weekend, please contact NHS 24 on 111 or visit NHS inform.
Administration of a £1m research budget focused on developing international best practice in the built environment for healthcare has been awarded by NHS Scotland Assure to Edinburgh Napier University.
The fund, launched on 1 April, is open to researchers who are looking to work collaboratively to identify ways to deliver safe healthcare environments that are free from avoidable risk.
NHS Scotland Assure has been designed to improve the management of risk in the built environment across Scotland, providing greater confidence to stakeholders, and a key focus is to develop opportunities for multi-disciplinary working within the healthcare-built environment.
This fund aims to provide opportunities to explore development of a consortium of different disciplines which delivers research in line with the identified needs of NHS Scotland Assure. The service will share best practice case studies in standards and models for the built environment.
The buildings and environment in which healthcare is delivered play a large part in preventing and controlling the risk of transmission of infection and other harms, and it is essential that buildings are safe, resilient and not vulnerable to these risks, where these can be prevented.
The guidance and advice generated by NHS Scotland Assure helps to ensure that patients, their carers and those delivering healthcare are in an environment which is not only safe but also effective and person centred. Research plays a pivotal part in supporting this as it ensures that produced guidance and given advice are based not only on best practice but also on best evidence.
It will also ensure that the most up-to-date and robust research is translated into practice to improve future health outcomes.
Over the next two years, the research programme will focus on eight healthcare environments:
· Water systems, including drainage (Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance (DICM))
· Ventilation systems (DICM)
· Pathogens, the microbiome, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), transmission risks and burden of disease in the hospital environment
· Hospital design, including size and single room provision
· Lessons learned from Covid-19
· Human factors/Ergonomics and Infection Prevention and Control
· Climate change requirements and the unintended consequences on built environment risks
· The role of safety and harms in relation to medical gases, electrical systems and fire safety.
The closing date for the first round of funding applications, based on research meeting one or more of the eight themes above, will be set for July 2022.
Professor Nick Antonopoulos, Vice Principal, Research & Innovation, Edinburgh Napier University, said: “We are very excited to announce this award, which is a good fit for the University’s experience and ongoing strategy, and reflects our commitment to develop our well-established research and teaching expertise in health and wellbeing.
“The success of the fund will be a priority for our Schools of Applied Sciences and Engineering & the Built Environment, and the University’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise department, who will all play their part in supporting the research programme.”
The Research Service at Edinburgh Napier will also be running regular events over the next two years, to nurture an inclusive approach between professional roles within the built environment and across infection prevention & control (IP&C); healthcare providers; academia; and research institutions.
Further information and relevant pro formas for application can be found here.
Thousands of children from deprived areas will benefit from free outdoor play activities aimed at improving their health and wellbeing.
Last year, more than 5,500 youngsters took part in organised sessions through the Outdoor Community Play Fund. This year, funding has increased to £550,000 so more children, young people and their families can benefit.
The fund will also support four pilot projects providing outdoor play opportunities for children with additional support needs.
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “All children have a right to play and there is strong evidence that playing outside can benefit children and young people’s health and wellbeing.
“We know that families from more deprived areas and those with children with additional support needs can sometimes find it difficult to access play opportunities. By increasing our investment in the Outdoor Community Play Fund in 2022-23, we will help more children to access quality outdoor play in their communities, to be active, meet friends and have fun.”
Celia Tennant, CEO of Inspiring Scotland, who administer the fund, said: “We believe it is essential for children and families to have continued opportunities to play outdoors – supporting their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
“As fund managers, we will use the expertise we’ve gained from over a decade of work in this area to help provide more and better opportunities for Scotland’s children and their families to play, learn and thrive.”
Investment in the Outdoor Community Play Fund has increased by £50,000 to £550,000. This funding will enable Inspiring Scotland to support up to 39 charities to provide outdoor play opportunities.
Resources are also available on the Parent Club website to support outdoor play for all families.
A new Scotland-wide reading initiative has been announced to inspire and encourage people to read every day to boost their mental health and wellbeing.
A national reading moment, called ‘Keep the Heid and Read!’ will take place on Wednesday 11 May, during Mental Health Week 2022. Readers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to pledge to read for just six minutes on 11 May – and they can read anything, from books and magazines to comics, graphic novels and blogs.
An online totaliser to count the overall reading time pledged by the nation will be launched on 11th April where both individuals and groups such as schools can sign up to get involved at www.keeptheheid.scot. People can also follow the progress of Keep the Heid and Read using #keeptheheid on social media.
The reading campaign is led by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and Scotland’s 32 public library services.
The idea was inspired by the post-lockdown plea for public libraries to reopen and the growing recognition that libraries play a valuable role in supporting mental health and wellbeing by connecting communities.
It is taking place during Mental Health Week because of the known mental and emotional health benefits of reading. Research shows that reading for just six minutes a day can reduce stress by 68 per cent. Establishing a regular reading habit has the biggest impact on mental health and wellbeing.
Pamela Tulloch, chief executive at SLIC said: “The reading moment came about from an awareness that people have missed their libraries during the pandemic, coupled with the joy and benefits people gain from reading. It is the most popular cultural activity people undertake and, during the COVID-19 lockdown, reading was the nation’s most popular pastime.
“We want everyone to get involved on 11 May by pledging to read for six minutes. It is a great way for people to reconnect with their local libraries, which offer an abundance of free reading material and library staff can make recommendations based on reading ability and interests.
“Getting lost in a good book is a highly effective stress reliever and reading fiction, in particular, can inspire creativity and boost emotional intelligence, not to mention improve overall levels of literacy.”
Chris O’Sullivan, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Mental Health Foundation in Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to support ‘Keep the Heid and Read’. Local libraries are a fantastic source of support in our communities and we hope that every person in Scotland has, and continues to have, access to the world of books, social connection and services they offer.
“We know that reading has many benefits for our mental health; it can bring us joy, help us to relax and it can help alleviate the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. We encourage everyone to take part in the six minute reading event during mental health week and develop a reading habit.”
Culture Minister Neil Gray added: “Reading books for pleasure can have a huge impact on our wellbeing so I’m delighted to support this Scotland-wide reading initiative. Our libraries have a vital role to play in reconnecting communities and promoting health and wellbeing as we recover from the pandemic.
“I’ll be pledging my six minutes of reading on 11 May and would encourage everyone else to pick up a book to do the same to support their local libraries.”
Revellers at a glamorous Great Gatsby Ball have raised more than £90,000 to support vital research into a forgotten form of breast cancer.
The gala event, at Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House, was organised by leading UK charity Make 2nds Count which campaigns to raise funds and awareness of secondary breast cancer which kills 1000 woman a month.
The charity, which helps to finance various crucial research projects, also supports patients and families and educates and informs about the little-known disease.
The ball, on March 25, was hosted by STV’s Laura Boyd and brought the Scottish business community together for an evening of fine dining, live entertainment and auction prizes.
The live and online auctions, which included prizes of a three-night city break to Lisbon and an Icelandic Northern Lights adventure for two people, raised a combined £31,664, while ‘Crack the Code’ – where participants were invited to guess the winning combination to win a stunning diamond necklace donated by Rox Edinburgh and the Grimes family – and ‘The Gift Tree’ boosted the cause by another £8,010.
Two incredibly generous anonymous donations of £10,000 each and ticket sales of over £30,000 pushed numbers towards the final sum of £90,274, to the delight of organisers and the sponsors – headline sponsor Copart UK Ltd and table sponsors Bruce Tait Associates, Saltire Roofing, Erskine Financial, David Rankin, Lamborghini Edinburgh and Sutherland Independent.
Make 2nds Count founder Lisa Fleming of Edinburgh said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the fantastic result we’ve achieved. Every penny raised will be invaluable to boost much-needed research into the disease and offer support to more and more patients and families.
“We not only had an incredible evening, but we come away from the experience with the knowledge that we can and we will continue to raise awareness and that the work we do can make a real difference to people’s lives across the UK.”
The little-known, incurable cancer – also known as metastatic, advanced or stage IV breast cancer – is a cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. On average there are around 35,000 patients in the UK currently living with this form of the disease.
Lisa set up Make 2nds Count after being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. She had no primary diagnosis, warning signs or lump when she was told the disease had already spread to the majority of her bones. It swiftly spread to her brain and she is living with a life sentence.
For more information about Make 2nds Count and the work they do, please visit:
With as many as 1 in 5 people thought to be neurodivergent, Scotland will host an international event exploring hard-hitting topics ranging from stigma to sexual taboos associated with neurodivergence and provide a platform for work that showcases the diversity and expertise of neurodivergent people.
The ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ global event at the EICC in Edinburgh will run from 13 – 14 March 2023 bringing together more than 50 of the world’s top neurodiversity thinkers, alongside healthcare experts, policy decision-makers, educators, employers, and families. Neurodivergent people will be represented in every part of the programme and amongst the delegates.
Edinburgh will play host to the international conference organised by the Salvesen Mindroom Centre, an international centre of excellence focusing on all kinds of neurodiversity.
The neurodiverse speaker line-up will include neuroscientists and nutritionists, campaigners, clinicians, artists, actors, and activists.
Keynotes will include Professor Sue Gathercole, OBE, of the University of Cambridge – an expert in cognition and education, and Chair of the UK’s REF panel for Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, and Dr Kathy Leadbitter of University of Manchester, who has pioneered work on neurodiversity-informed early intervention.
Other key speakers include Swedish clinician and psychiatrist Dr Lotta Borg Skoglund, who has been commended for her research into gender and neurodiversity, as well as her efforts to break down stigmas faced by neurodivergent young people.
She will be joined by popular Scandinavian writer and speaker Pelle Sandstrak who uses humour to share experiences of living with Tourette syndrome, jewellery designer Charlotte Garnet who launched an “anti-anxiety” collection, and leading sexologist Professor Lotta Löfgren of University of Malmö.
Looking ahead to next year’s event, Sophie Dow, Founder of the Salvesen Mindroom Centre and Co-Chair of ITAKOM said: “Since launching in 2000, Salvesen Mindroom Centre has been committed to raising awareness of neurodiversity, supporting families and funding research to improve the lives of neurodivergent people.
“It Takes All Kinds of Minds is a conference like no other. It will bring together science and reality by drawing on personal, practitioner and academic experience from around the world. Uniting different perspectives will help us all to understand neurodiversity better and we look forward to welcoming guests from around the globe.”
Dr Sue Fletcher-Watson, Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre and Chair of the It Takes All Kinds of Minds conference, said: “Neurodiversity is such a powerful idea but its transformational potential is only just beginning to be explored.
“ITAKOM will provide a platform for experts to share their findings and ideas, and for collective exploration of how they can be applied. That’s why we’re bringing together lived, research and practitioner expertise at the ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ event next year.”
Marshall Dallas, EICC Chief Executive, said: “We are thrilled that the ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ conference has chosen Edinburgh and the EICC. As a pioneering hub for life sciences, Edinburgh is very well placed to host to this major international event in the field of neurodiversity.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone involved in the event to the EICC next March.”
The conference will run from 13 – 14 March 2023. Early-bird tickets are £195 for personal tickets, £295 for delegates with funding, and £137 for those on reduced incomes. They can be booked at itakom.org.
To mark the one-year countdown, Salvesen Mindroom Centre partnered with the EICC to host an event on Thursday, 24th March 2022 as part of the conference centre’s ‘EICC Live’ series.
‘EICC Live: Beautiful Brain’ featured world-renowned neurological experts and was the most popular event in the series to date, breaking previous sign-up records.
The public is being invited to have its say on plans to add the number of calories to menus in the out of home food sector including cafes, restaurants and takeaways.
Mandatory calorie labelling is part of action to address obesity which, with two-thirds of the population living in Scotland recorded as living with overweight or obesity, continues to be one of the biggest and most complex public health challenges.
Eating out is common place with almost everyone in Scotland (98%) consuming food outside the home, however nutrition information is not always available.
A 12-week consultation, which sets out the broad types of food and drink that would be covered, will seek views on how this could apply to:
It will inform whether legislation is introduced to make it a legal requirement for calories to be included on menus and forms part of the government’s wider actions to ensure Scotland is a place where we eat well and have a healthy weight, including our aim to halve childhood obesity by 2030.
Mandating calorie labelling at the point of choice could support the food and hospitality sector to make a key contribution in improving dietary health.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Before the pandemic, people living in Scotland were consuming more and more food and drink out of home or ordering it in.
“Whether it’s breakfast at a roadside café, grabbing a lunchtime soup and sandwich from a local convenience store or ordering food online from a restaurant, most of us were increasingly buying food outside the home – a trend I expect to resume as we recover from the pandemic.
“Two-thirds of the population living in Scotland is recorded as living with overweight or obesity – a key factor in our plan to address this is calorie labelling. We know that giving people more information, such as the number of calories in meals will enable people to make healthier choices when eating out, or ordering in. This is not novel practice – calories are already required on retail food purchases and calorie labelling for out of home sites is mandated in many other countries.
“Many food companies in Scotland have already taken this significant step voluntarily. We want to learn from those experiences and I would urge everyone to share their thoughts in this consultation.”
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Head of Nutrition Science and Policy Dr Gillian Purdon said: “We welcome the launch of the Scottish Government’s consultation on mandatory calorie labelling for the out of home sector.
“FSS has long proposed the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling as part of a suite of recommendations to address the nation’s poor diet. Alongside the consultation, we published the findings of two reports which highlight that overall, calorie information at point of choice can reduce the amount of calories ordered or consumed.
“With eating out is now an everyday occurrence and nearly a quarter of our calories coming from food and drink purchased outside of home, mandatory calorie labelling is one way to support people to make healthier options.”
Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Scottish Retail Consortium Ewan McDonald-Russell said: “Our members in grocery and food-to-go have led the way in providing calorie and nutritional information to consumers, over and above the action they have taken to promote healthier alternatives and reformulate products to reduce their salt, sugar and fat content.
“Ensuring customers of all organisations serving food understand exactly what they are consuming empowers them to make the right choices to ensure they maintain a balanced diet.
“Introducing a mandatory approach to calorie labelling is therefore a reasonable proposition, provided it is implemented in a sensible manner and is applied to all businesses serving food and drink.
“The pandemic has laid bare many of the health inequalities in Scotland – measures need to apply across industry to ensure the most effective outcome and ensure firms which have taken positive action in this area are able to compete on a level playing field.”
Consultation paper ‘Mandatory Calorie Labelling in the Out Of Home (OOH) Sector in Scotland’.
Stress can indirectly affect our heart by reducing motivation to eat well and exercise. Feeling stressed can also increase the likelihood that we will use negative coping strategies such as increasing the amount of alcohol we drink.
Stress occurs when we feel that we are unable to cope with the demands placed on us. We can address stress by assessing and changing our demands, and by changing our relationship to the things that cause us stress.
Here are some top tips for helping to manage your stress:
Keep Moving
Take Time to Re-Charge
Challenge your Thoughts
Break it Down
Seek Support
For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips.
To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/.
Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:
https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/.
Foundation Scotland, Scotland’s community foundation, set up the Scotch Whisky Action Fund (SWAF) in 2013 and has to date awarded over £940,000 to 70+ projects aiming to reduce the negative impact of alcohol-related harm across Scotland.
Only open once a year, Foundation Scotland is urging interested groups to apply now as applications close on the 25th April 2022. Offering up to £25,000 in funding; it is the only fund dedicated to tackling alcohol-related harm in Scotland and supports targeted interventions, new initiatives and pilot projects designed to tackle alcohol-related harms in Scotland’s communities.
Jennifer McPhail, Funds Adviser at Foundation Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to be running this important funding stream again.
“Now in its ninth year, the Scotch Whisky Action Fund has already made a massive impact on individuals and communities affected by alcohol-related harms. The alcohol industry plays an important role in Scottish society, and Scotch Whisky is at the heart of the industry.
“However, the misuse of alcohol through excessive or inappropriate consumption can have implications for health and a range of social problems, including anti-social behaviour, violence, family breakdown, problems with money and work. This can impact individuals, families and communities.
“The fund is not set up to support recovery or treatment of alcohol issues. Rather it’s for innovative projects to educate, raise awareness, and prevent future alcohol-related harm.
“Examples of projects include preventative training programmes and diversionary activities for young people, peer support groups for carers and family member counselling services.
“There are many examples of previously funded projects available on our website and we are advising interested groups to carefully read through all the guidance before applying. We are encouraging those that are interested to progress quickly as the fund only opens once a year.”
Groups such as Waverley Care, Paisley YMCA, Bright Light and Govan Youth Information Project have received project support across the lifetime of the fund.
Projects which secure funding from SWAF, and can demonstrate an impact after their first year of funding, may be able to receive further funding of up to £25,000 per annum for a maximum of three years, to support their initiative.
For full information, including eligibility criteria and application details visit:
https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/scotch-whisky-action-fund
Although a discussion about neurotypical people’s period cycles has started in recent years, the same can’t be said for those on the autism spectrum.
Many feel unheard and uninformed, with almost half (49%) of autistic people reported not understanding their period, a third (30%) said it takes as long as four-to-five years to learn to manage it, over half (59%) aren’t comfortable enough to talk about it and 16% had to teach themselves about the cycle.
Intimate wellness brand, INTIMINA, has released a report which aims to breakdown the stigma around autism and periods. Whilst empowering and informing people about the challenges that those on the autism spectrum face and offering advice from experts, Psychotherapist Steph Jones (MBACP) andConsultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Shree Datta, on how to cope.
On average it takes four-to-five years for almost a third (30%) of autistic people to learn how to manage their period, compared to just one year for a massive 38% of neurotypical people.
Reasons for this do vary but this new research shows that it could be down to autistic people having different experiences when it comes to their senses, mental health, physical effects, communication, and knowledge of the reproductive system and period products.
Sensory
Hyper or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment, such as smelling or touching of objects is something that most autistic people experience. When asked if they notice the scents in menstrual products like tampons, menstrual cups and pads, 70% said yes, 66% said that it bothers them and 26% flagged odours as one of the main issues when they are on their period.
Mental Health & Physical Effects
Most people with periods struggle with a whole range of mental and physical issues during the cycle, including bloating, depression, anxiety, headaches, back pain, cramps, cravings, tender and swollen breasts, fatigue and insomnia[1].
Almost all participants (96%) said that they experience emotional changes during a period, with over a third (38%) confirming that mood changes were in their top three worries that they had before their period.
Alongside mood changes, 42% of autistic participants said that they were concerned about heavy bleeding during their period and 42% said they were most worried about period cramps.
One of the autistic people who contributed a comment in the report went as far as to say that they suffered with “waves of depression, climbing anxiety, panic attacks and random crying outbursts” during their period.
Communication
The findings show that 41% of autistic people don’t feel confident talking to close friends or family about their period with another 18% feeling very unconfident. This is in contrast to the neurotypical sample where 74% said they felt either confident or very confident. Perhaps a struggle with communication is what has led 16% of autistic people to teaching themselves about periods.
Knowledge of the female reproductive system
Almost half (49%) of autistic people don’t understand their period cycle completely and when asked to identify the cervix on an image of the female reproductive system, a massive 39% of people on the autism spectrum failed to identify it correctly.
Using period products
Four out of five (83%) autistic people find period products difficult to use, with a third (34%) citing using sanitary products as the third biggest concern when it comes to their period. However almost a quarter (24%) of autistic people said that they prefer to use menstrual cups.
Psychotherapist, Steph Jones (MBACP), said: “Those on the autism spectrum, like myself, might struggle to talk about periods because they feel ashamed, or it might be connected to the social challenges experienced by many autistic people. For example, not asking for help because it leaves individuals open to the possibility of being dismissed, humiliated or invalidated.
“It’s also extremely common to experience some feelings of depression and anxiety just before a period starts. To help with this I would recommend keeping track of moods to determine whether they seem related to hormonal changes or reveal an underlying issue. Tracking will also help reduce the anxiety of not knowing when you are due to start your period. An easy way to track is to note it down in a journal or use an app to follow your cycle.”
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist for INTIMINA, Dr Shree Datta, adds: “Periods are the most natural thing in the world, with most people experiencing them, so always ask for advice because periods are part of our health cycle, not something anyone should feel embarrassed about.
“Don’t be shy to approach a doctor if simple measures such as hot water bottles, gentle exercise and pain relief do not help manage period pains. The next step may be being referred to a gynaecologist but remember that doctors help people who have heavy or painful periods every day of the week, so go and see them early if there’s a problem.”
Danela Zagar from INTIMINA, the brand behind the report, comments: “We’re on a mission to offer advice and support to everyone, no matter your background.
“As part of this, we have commissioned this research to help the voices of those on the autism spectrum be heard, help to understand the challenges that they face and overcome the stigma around this subject.
“We really hope that the report and advice within it helps many people on the autism spectrum and their families.”
As part of INTIMINA’s mission to break the taboo when it comes to talking about issues surrounding autism, the brand has made a donation to the National Autistic Society, which is the UK’s leading charity for autistic people and their families. They’ve spent decades working to provide support, guidance and advice to help create a society that works for autistic people.
