Public bodies to prepare plans making good quality food accessible to all
Health boards and local authorities will develop wide-ranging plans to help ensure good quality, locally sourced and produced food is a practical everyday reality for everyone under new legislation.
The Good Food Nation Bill will ensure Scottish Ministers and a range of public bodies will produce good food nation plans to support social and economic wellbeing, the environment, health and economic development.
The Bill lays the foundation for Scotland to become a Good Food Nation where people from all walks of life take pride and pleasure from the food they produce, buy, cook and eat each day.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “We are committed to ensuring everyone in Scotland has access to healthy, nutritious fare and that businesses and public kitchens commit to producing, selling and serving good food.
“Organisations can play a leading role in this process – looking at how they boost local procurement, cut down food waste and packaging, use in-season produce as well disposing of food waste in an environmentally friendly way.
“But that’s not all. For example, a wide ranging food education can equip school pupils with the key skills they need to cook tasty, nutritious meals using the incredible array of world-class produce we have, but also to make informed food choices when they are away from home.
“We have been working across government through an extensive programme of measures to deliver on our ambition to be a Good Food Nation and our work to deliver action and practical measures will continue throughout this Parliament, not least to encourage the use of sustainable local produce and to help our children eat well.”
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) consultant with cerebral palsy has gone from patient to doctor, and is keen to inspire others with her journey.
Kirsty Colquhoun has the lifelong neurological condition with affects a person’s movement, balance and coordination and sometimes other functions. No two people with cerebral palsy are the same and it affects people to different degrees. There are 17 million people worldwide with the condition, and though there are treatments available there is no cure.
Born with spastic diplegia (a form of cerebral palsy), Kirsty was inspired herself by the care she received at Yorkhill Children’s Hospital. Determined not to let the condition hold her back from pursuing her dreams to help others, Kirsty went on to study medicine at the University of Glasgow – graduating in 2006, and also gaining a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacology.
Now, 16 years later, 38 year old Kirsty is a consultant geriatrician working between Stobhill, the Beatson, and Glasgow Royal Infirmary – helping thousands of patients over her career, including looking after some of the sickest patients throughout COVID-19.
Kirsty is also a trustee for Cerebral Palsy Scotland.
Her story comes as the world celebrates World Cerebral Palsy (Wed 6 Oct) day which aims to ensure that children and adults with cerebral palsy have the same rights, access and opportunities as anyone else in our society.
Kirsty said: “I’ve never let my condition hold me back and I think that’s an important message we want to get out to people with cerebral palsy this year. You can do what you want to do, and while challenges remain for young and older people with cerebral palsy, there are networks and support available for people with cerebral palsy and for employers to make sure they’re able to facilitate people with the condition so that everyone can benefit.
Kirsty, who has spent her entire career with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, added: “NHSGGC has always supported me and valued my contribution. As an equal opportunities employer, they recognise me as an integral part of the team and have provided support to enable me to do my job to the best of my ability.
“For example, within the team I work in, Older People’s Services in Glasgow Royal Infirmary, while excellence is expected – disability or not – just as important is the ethos of kindness, support and wellbeing. When I had to, for the first time, take time off due to my Cerebral Palsy being affected by long hours on COVID wards – I was given the time and support I needed to get better.
“I know that not all people with disabilities have the same positive experience that I do and I wish I could bottle the inclusivity that I experience for others. Regardless of my disability I am valued just the same as everyone else as a professional and colleague, and diversity, and the experience it brings is celebrated.”
To recognise and celebrate yesterday’s World Cerebral Palsy Day, The Queen Elizabeth University in Glasgow joined hundreds of other buildings across the world and lit up green.
Stuart Gaw, general manager for Older People’s Services in the South at NHSGGC, said: “Kirsty is a real positive role model, not only as a cerebral palsy campaigner, but as a consultant within NHSGGC. She is a real asset to the team and more importantly, to the patients she looks after as a geriatrician.
“At NHSGGC we are proud to be able to offer opportunities and support people to achieve their dreams and progress in their career when appropriate and make the most of their talents. Kirsty is a shining example of someone who has not let their disability hold them back and has flourished in their chosen area of work.”
An Edinburgh gymnastics coach has won a national coaching hero award following her exceptional work over the pandemic trying to keep participants active, as well as looking after their mental well-being during the lockdowns.
From nearly 500 public nominations, Amy Chambers is one of 25 coaches across the UK to be crowned a winner at the UK Coaching Hero Awards. The coaches, who were voted by the public for their innovations and achievements to keep people moving during the coronavirus lockdowns, each received a memento from UK Coaching’s Royal Patron, HRH The Princess Royal to mark the considerable difference they made to people’s mental and physical well-being.
Despite completing the final year of her teaching degree during the pandemic, Amy still had time to focus on her gymnasts, creating a program of activities that were essential to staying positive and connected during the strange time.
With a specific focus on supporting her gymnasts’ mental wellbeing, Amy created a ‘Check in Tuesday’, which encouraged gymnasts to write down their emotions and share with the group – bringing people together through sport and showcasing the best of what coaching can be.
Just happy to be making a positive difference, Amy said: “I’m very proud that my coaching work has been recognised with a UK Coaching Hero award. It was such a surprise and I felt really touched that my gymnasts had decided to nominate me.
“The pandemic has affected my coaching delivery massively. During the first lockdown all my coaching took place over zoom with some outdoor training sessions (very unusual for gymnastics!) later in the summer. When we came back to gymnastics in September 2020, we were unable to physically support gymnasts which was very challenging and lead to some really creative coaching and innovative training sessions.
“Invested and committed coaching can be hugely important to people’s lives, especially when you’re working with children and young people. The positive relationships formed through such coaching are often life-long. It makes me feel really honoured and privileged to be able to make such a difference supporting people’s mental and physical health.
“It’s my hope that my gymnasts will carry what they’ve learnt about positive mental health strategies, emotional literacy, and physical preparation into whatever they do in life after gymnastics.
“I wanted to start coaching because it was something that came quite naturally to me when I was still a gymnast myself. I was always getting distracted by trying to help other people with their gymnastics rather than being focused on my own.
“I’ve focused a lot on supporting mental health throughout my coaching career -as a teaching student (and now teacher) I’ve also been very lucky to have regular and updated training and access to research about children’s mental health and how we can best support it as influential adults in their lives.
“I feel really passionate about ensuring athletes have a positive experience in gymnastics and that their experience in the sport gives them skills which they can use in their everyday lives.”
Reflecting on the exceptional contribution of the award-winning coaches like Amy, UK Coaching Director of Coaching Emma Atkins, said: “Many congratulations to Amy and all our winners. We applaud your efforts and the role you played in your communities, boosting morale, and lifting people’s moods in a completely alienating time.
“Helping people to use sport and physical activity positively through challenging times is a privilege and one which carries huge responsibilities, and you took your duties seriously, using your initiative to create solutions to the embargo on most sport and physical activity – looking always to what was possible – thank you.”
UK Coaching opened nominations to its UK Coaching Hero awards initiative in 2020 after the first major UK-wide COVID-19 lockdown. The charitable organisation wanted to acknowledge the efforts of coaches, who in difficult circumstances persevered and re-thought coaching techniques to deliver legal digital and one-to-one training, utilising sport and physical activity to keep people connected.
If you are interested in coaching or to progress your coaching career, visit ukcoaching.org
Leading organisations have come together to call for compulsory sudden cardiac arrest training for all involved in the delivery of sport, during SADS (Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome) Awareness Week (4-10 October).
The campaign is spearheaded by UK Coaching, Resuscitation Council UK and the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) – a charity set up after the tragic loss of Joe Humphries, who died while out jogging with his friend nine years ago this week.
Every week in the UK twelve people under the age of 35 die of sudden cardiac arrest and, of those who experience sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital, only one in ten survive. If effective action is taken within the first minute, it can treble chances of survival.
The organisations, alongside influential figures which include one of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and former England rugby captain and Patron of JHMT, Martin Johnson, are urging everybody who actively delivers sport to undertake sudden cardiac arrest training.
UK Coaching offers a free eLearning course which provides the knowledge and confidence to respond quickly and appropriately in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. The toolkit, funded by Sport England, has been created by UK Coaching in collaboration with Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance and the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust.
Martin Johnson said:“It is so important that everybody who leads or participates in sport knows what to do in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrests kill 60,000 people outside of hospital in the UK every year and in lots of cases, this could be avoided.
“However, it’s no use people having the skills and knowledge to act if there isn’t a defibrillator nearby. Immediate access to an AED along with CPR gives that person the best possible chance of survival. AEDs need to be as commonplace as fire extinguishers.”
The organisations have also written an open letter to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nadine Dorries, to urge her to mandate sudden cardiac arrest training, as well as ensuring every sporting venue has a defibrillator on site.
UK Coaching’s Chief Executive, Mark Gannon, added: “There have been numerous high-profile instances of sudden cardiac arrest this year and it’s left many questioning if they would know what to do, where the nearest defib is, and most importantly the need to give everyone, from coaches to players, facility staff, parents and spectators, the knowledge and confidence to act fast – because every second really does count.
“It shouldn’t be down to luck – every sporting venue must have an AED on site and sports should be making the course mandatory. I hope we can start a dialogue with Government because every person trained could be another life saved. All it takes is 30 minutes.
“Where we can start to make real strides is by working with National Governing Bodies and sporting organisations to implement the training internally, but our ultimate goal is to make this law.”
Funding from Swim England has enabled Edinburgh Leisure’s Royal Commonwealth Pool to install ‘a Poolpod’, a submersible lift, creating inclusive swimming environments for people with long-term health conditions, disabilities and rehabilitation needs.
The London Marathon Charitable Trust (LMCT) provided a £750,000 grant in 2020 to allow Swim England and its partners, the Activity Alliance, Community Leisure UK and GLL – to enhance swimming provisions at selected venues across the UK. The Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh is the only Scottish recipient, out of 20 sites across the UK, to receive the funding.
With one in five people in our population disabled or living with a long-term health condition, ‘the Poolpod’ gives dignified and independent access to the water for swimmers.
Lynne Bauba, Manager at Edinburgh Leisure explained: “The Poolpod was installed just before the lockdown in March 2020, and with the reduced capacity in our pool when we reopened due to the pandemic, we haven’t been able to shout about the Poolpod until now.
“However, regular customers with long-term health conditions, disabilities and rehabilitation needs, have been delighted with this new facility.”
One such customer, Alison Malcolm, who became paralysed from the waist down aged 50, explains how she has benefitted from using the new Poolpod and why she loves swimming.
“When I got back in the pool for the first time, my body confidence was low, and I was concerned I wouldn’t float. It sounds daft but after five months in bed, it took a long time for my body to reset.
“However, the staff were great about encouraging me to swim. I’ve never met a member of staff who didn’t want to help.
“Swimming is one of the most accessible ways for people with disabilities to incorporate physical activity into their lives. One of the things I like most about it is that once you’re in the water, you’re the same as everyone else. It has been a great way for me to get active again and using the Poolpod to get in and out of the pool has made the whole experience more enjoyable.
“Now I tend to swim 24 lengths at the Commie three mornings a week. I enjoy the 50m lengths because I can get in the zone and give myself a cardio workout without putting too much strain on my body.”
Edinburgh Leisure boasts 18 swimming pools across the city, including their stunning Victorian swimming baths and pools within the secondary schools.
They offer a variety of pool-based activities to suit all abilities and while the Royal Commonwealth Pool is the only one to boast a Poolpod, most of them have hoists, which the leisure attendants are trained on, to assist people less able to access the pools.
Sir Rodney Walker, Chairperson of The London Marathon Charitable Trust, said: “The Trust funds work which challenges inequality of access to physical activity. We want to help create a society in which everyone is physically active, contributing to their health and wellbeing.
“We know that people who benefit most from aquatic activity – including disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, older people, people with mobility issues and pregnant women – often face the biggest barriers to accessing a swimming pool.”
This exciting initiative is making swimming pools across the UK more accessible and ensuring a more inclusive customer experience for all.
The substantial grant from the LMCT has boosted Swim England’s Water Wellbeing model, which aims to help leisure centres remove barriers to accessing the water.
Water Wellbeing’s ‘whole facility’ approach encourages centres to understand and improve the customer experience, through a wide range of resources available on the Swim England website.
“The current situation is not sustainable; it is dangerous for patients and becoming incredibly difficult for staff.” – Dr John Thomson, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland
A substantial new investment of over £300 million in hospital and community care has been unveiled to help tackle what is anticipated to be the toughest winter the NHS and social care system has ever faced.
The new multi-year funding will support a range of measures to maximise capacity in our hospitals and primary care, reduce delayed discharges, improve pay for social care staff, and ensure those in the community who need support receive effective and responsive care.
The NHS and Care Winter Package of additional funding includes:
Recruiting 1,000 additional NHS staff to support multi-disciplinary working
£40 million for ‘step-down’ care to enable hospital patients to temporarily enter care homes, or receive additional care at home support, with no financial liability to the individual or their family towards the cost of the care home
Over £60 million to maximise the capacity of care at home services
Up to £48 million will be made available to increase the hourly rate of social care staff to match new NHS band 2 staff
£20 million to enhance Multi-Disciplinary Teams, enable more social work assessments to be carried out and support joint working between health and social care
£28 million of additional funding to support primary care
£4.5 million available to Health Boards to attract at least 200 registered nurses from outwith Scotland by March 2022
£4 million to help staff with their practical and emotional needs, including pastoral care and other measures to aid rest and recuperation
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “As the winter period approaches, it is vital that we do all we can to maximise the capacity of the NHS and social care system. That’s why I’m setting out our £300 million NHS and Care Winter Package today.
“We cannot look at the NHS in isolation we must take a whole systems approach and these measures will help alleviate pressure across the NHS and social care.
“This significant new investment will help get people the care they need as quickly as possible this winter. Bolstering the caring workforce by increasing their numbers, providing them with additional support, and increasing the wages of social care staff.
“We’ve previously provided funding to ensure that adult social care staff are paid at least the real living wage. Today we’re going further and our new investment will ensure that adult social care staff who are currently paid the real living wage will get a pay rise of over 5%
“Measures I have announced today will help patients whose discharge has been delayed waiting for care and help get them out of hospital and on to the next stage in their care. This helps the individual by getting them the right care, and helps the wider system by ensuring the hospital capacity is being used by those who need that specialist level of clinical care.
“This £300 million of new funding will also fund increases in social care capacity in the community and in primary care – helping to ease the pressure on unpaid carers.
“Our NHS, social care staff and social work staff have been remarkable throughout the pandemic and today’s additional investment will help support them to deliver care to people across Scotland this winter.”
Meanwhile,the latest Emergency Department performance figures for Scotland published by the Scottish Governmentyesterday for August 2021 show that four-hour performance has deteriorated for the fourth consecutive month, again reaching a record low – while the number of patients staying in a major Emergency Department for 12-hours or more reaches a record high.
In August 2021 there were 117,552 attendances to major Emergency Departments across Scotland.
Data show that four-hour performance reached a new record low, with 75.4% of patients being seen within four-hours. One in four patients stayed in a major Emergency Department for four-hours or more before being admitted, transferred or discharged.
The number of 12-hour stays in August 2021 nearly doubled when compared to July 2021. 1,346 patients stayed in a major Emergency Department for 12-hours or more, compared to 760 in July 2021. This figure increased for the fourth consecutive month and it is the highest number of 12-hour stays since records began.
Data also show that 5,279 patients spent eight hours or more in a major Emergency Department. This is the highest figure since records began. The number of patients delayed by eight-hours or more increased for the fourth consecutive month.
Dr John Thomson, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said: “The challenge for health care workers is growing significantly. In Scotland, the army have been called in to assist the ambulance services.
“In Emergency Departments, long stays are rising drastically, and one in four patients are staying in an Emergency Department for more than four-hours. It is extremely worrying. These pressures are likely to mount further, and performance deteriorate even more as we head into winter.
“We are seriously concerned about patient safety. Long stays put patients at risk, particularly vulnerable patients, and especially with covid still present in the community. We urgently need a plan to increase flow throughout the hospital, to reduce exit block, to prevent crowding, and to ensure that patients who need it can quickly be moved into a bed for their care.
“The current situation is not sustainable; it is dangerous for patients and becoming incredibly difficult for staff.
“We welcome this afternoon’s announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf MSP, including the recruitment of more staff and funding for hospital and community care. We hope that these measures will begin to alleviate pressures across the health system, and in particular reduce ambulance handover delays, long stays in Emergency Departments and exit block in our hospitals.
“However, while we welcome this investment, short-term cash injections do little to resolve long-term problems. We must see a long-term workforce plan that includes measures to retain health workers, particularly Emergency Medicine staff, as well as a long-term strategy for social care.”
Responding to the Scottish Government’s announcement to uplift care workers pay to just over £10 an hour, GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour said:“If we want to tackle the understaffing crisis in social care then we need to substantially increase the basic rate of pay, and for GMB that mean’s a £15 an hour minimum.
“Many of our frontline services are already being delivered on the back of wages of just under or over £10 an hour, and we know this isn’t nearly enough.
“To transform social care for the people who need it and the people who deliver it, particularly as we roll-out a national care service, then we must go further.”
The Scottish Government may also be facing industrial action from nursing staff over the winter …
NHS pay dispute in Scotland: Royal College of Nursing members to be asked about willingness to take industrial action
RCN members working for NHS Scotland are to be asked what industrial action they would be willing to take in support of their ongoing trade dispute with the Scottish government and NHS employers over pay.
The indicative ballot will open on 12 October and close on 8 November.
Eligible members will receive information on the different forms of industrial action.
The indicative ballot will be run by Civica, the independent scrutineer that organised the consultative ballot earlier this year. Eligible members will receive an email from Civica with a personal link to the online voting site on Tuesday 12 October. Weekly reminder emails will also be sent.
The result of the indicative ballot will not formally authorise industrial action. It will be used to inform the next steps RCN members might take.
Julie Lamberth, Chair of the RCN Scotland Board, said: “Industrial action is always a last resort but the current staffing challenges are causing unacceptable risks to patients and staff. The Scottish government has the opportunity to do the right thing by nursing.
“I would urge all eligible RCN members to seek out the available information on what taking industrial action means and what the implications of doing so might be. We need each member to make up their own mind and have their say in the ballot.”
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director, added: “This is your chance to speak up – for your patients and your colleagues. Many of you rejected the pay offer and you know the link between fair pay and safe staffing.
“This is your opportunity to tell us what action you are prepared to take. To let the Scottish government know that the time to protect patient safety and value the safety critical role of nursing is now.”
Edinburgh School Uniform Bank has successfully secured £15,000 thanks to Scotmid Co-operative’s Community Connect award scheme.
Edinburgh School Uniform Bank, which distributes school uniform to families in Edinburgh who are facing financial hardship, was awarded the funding after being shortlisted by the convenience retailer as one of three good causes and charities in the East of Scotland to receive financial support from an £25,000 pot.
Other recipients of funding in the East include Canine Concern Scotland Trust, which provides therapy dogs for patients in hospital after a stroke or suffering traumatic brain injuries, and Scottish Huntington’s Association (see below).
Julia Grindley, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Edinburgh School Uniform Bank (above) said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a £15,000 Scotmid Community Connect Award.
“This award will allow us to provide school uniform and warm jackets to over 600 local children. This funding will make a huge difference to their confidence and their sense of belonging, as well as keeping them cosy through the winter.”
Since Scotmid’s Community Connect launched in 2017, more than £460,000 has been awarded to 42 good cause groups, enabling key projects to come to life in local areas.
Shirley MacGillivray, Head of Communities and Membership at Scotmid, said: “Community Connect is one of the main ways we can support those communities that we serve and we are delighted to provide Edinburgh School Uniform Bank with this funding, which will help them to continue providing vital services.
“Times remain challenging for many people; being able to help improve the lives of others across the country is one of the very reasons we exist.”
Scottish Huntington’s Association has successfully secured £5,000 thanks to Scotmid Co-operative’s Community Connect award scheme.
The Association, which provides 1-1 advice, peer group work sessions, youth mental health services for children with a parent living with Huntington’s Disease and have a 50% chance themselves of inheriting the condition, was awarded the funding after being shortlisted by the convenience retailer as one of three causes and charities in the East of Scotland to receive financial support from an £25,000 pot.
Gemma Powell, Senior Fundraiser from Scottish Huntington’s Association said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a £5,000 Scotmid Community Connect Award towards Scottish Huntington’s Association Youth Service.
“This funding will help us bring back our annual youth camp which is attended by young people growing up in families impacted by Huntington’s disease across Scotland.
“This camp offers young people the chance to make and catch up with friends, share experiences, learn more about Huntington’s disease and, for many, enjoy a break from caring responsibilities. We’re so grateful to Scotmid and their members.”
Mel Hughes, CEO of Canine Concern Scotland Trust said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a £5,000 Scotmid Community Connect Award.
“This award will allow us to develop our Therapet® Visiting Service in the NHS Lothian area, starting with the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
“This funding will make a huge difference to patients recovering from a stroke or neurological condition, who will benefit from a Therapet® visit which will aid their physical, mental and emotional recovery.”
Since Scotmid’s Community Connect launched in 2017, more than £460,000 has been awarded to 42 good cause groups, enabling key projects to come to life in local areas.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and RSA Insurance Group have launched the ground-breaking Fall Fighter initiative with the aim of tackling the UK’s biggest forgotten killer – falls in the home.
Falls are the single biggest cause of accidental injuries in the home and the largest cause of death among over-65s in the UK. Every year more than a third of people over the age of 65 (and half of those over 80) have a fall that requires hospital treatment, costing the NHS and wider healthcare system more than £2.3billion every year.
As well as having a huge impact on society at large, falls can also have a devastating effect on individual lives; from physical injuries, long-term health effects and disabilities to trauma and poor mental health, loss of mobility, loneliness, social isolation and loss of independence.
Despite this, making simple and low-cost changes can prevent falls from happening. The new Fall Fighter movement is designed to educate and empower people of all ages, transforming each of them into a “Fall Fighter” who can then help family, friends and others in their communities.
RoSPA and RSA will be providing short free awareness sessions and resources to give every Fall Fighter information and advice on how to reduce falls.
This could include, for instance, discussing what medication your friend, relative or loved one is currently prescribed and whether it needs to be reviewed, finding out whether they need an eye test, doing a home safety check and looking at what cheap and straightforward changes around the house could improve safety.
The resources will also contain guidance on what to do if someone has a fall – both in the short and longer-term, plus a digital toolkit to help each Fall Fighter inspire others.
RoSPA’s Relationships Director, Becky Hickman, said:“It takes just 20 minutes to become a Fall Fighter, but by doing so you have the power to change, and even save the lives of loved ones, friends and family.
“This simple but hugely effective project is free and open to all and we would encourage individuals or organisations to get involved.”
“This Fall Fighter community will now build, and in doing so, inspire others to prevent thousands of falls every year. By joining together, we can be a powerful and positive force for good.”
RSA’s Head of Social Impact and ESG, Laura Spiers, said: “Our partnership with RoSPA forms part of a wider programme to support our customers and communities, by increasing awareness to help them manage the risks they face every day.
“Preventing falls amongst loved ones in the home is an issue that’s often overlooked, but taking simple actions can minimise the devastating impact they have on people and their families. By harnessing RSA’s relationships, and encouraging people from every community to get involved in the Fall Fighter campaign and help those around them, I’m very hopeful that we can make a real difference across the country.”
The data show in 2020-21 in the most deprived areas of England there were 39,161 attendances per 100,000, while in the least deprived areas this figure is almost halved to 20,784.
Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:“The pandemic has highlighted the scale of health inequalities across the country. The data show that those from the most deprived area are almost twice as likely to visit their Emergency Department than those from the least deprived area.
“We welcome NHS England’s willingness to engage on the issue and address health inequalities, but we must see real action taken. We also look forward to the formation of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and would welcome the opportunity to input into their agenda.
“The health inequalities are clear and tackling them will be a serious challenge. On a fundamental level, if the government is serious about levelling up and tackling these inequalities, the first steps must be to fund and support local authorities and Integrated Care Systems and invest in preventative health.
“The scale of health inequalities means tackling homelessness; immigrant health; domestic violence; and youth violence. While supporting those with; mental health illnesses; learning disabilities; and both drug and alcohol addiction.”
There were also 1.39 million reattendances in 2020/21 which is equal to 10.4% of all unplanned attendances. This is the highest figure on record and up 1.7 percentage points when compared to the previous year 2019/20.
Dr Henderson continued:“It is also deeply concerning that one in ten patients reattended the Emergency Department (ED), it is vital that patients have the appropriate information and support available to manage their condition following their visit to the ED. We need better data on this issue to understand what is driving people to reattend.”
In 2020/21 302,784 patients stayed in an Emergency Department for 12-hours or more from time of arrival, this is 21 times higher than the 12-hour figure from decision to admit, which is 14,150.
Dr Henderson concluded:“Utilising the right metrics in Emergency Departments is crucial to improving patient safety. It is vital that we measure health equalities, reattendances, and 12-hour stays from time of arrival across the country.
“Analysing these metrics will help us, NHS England and the government to take effective action to support the patients, communities and areas that need it most. That means fewer reattendances, closing the gap on health inequalities, reducing long stays, and improving the patient experience.
“This data paints a very real picture of the state of health and the state of healthcare in this country. We welcome the engagement of NHS England and the government’s agenda on these matters, but we must now see the tangible actions taken to tackle these issues.”
