Tag: Health and wellbeing

Funding for Nature

£10 million for local and national projects

Projects that restore nature, safeguard wildlife and tackle the causes of biodiversity loss and climate change will get a share of £10 million through a new Scottish Government fund.

The Nature Restoration Fund will support a mix of urban and rural-focused projects, such as improving greenspace for outdoor learning, green active travel routes, planting of wildlife corridors and natural flood management.

Half of the funding will go to local authorities to develop new or existing projects which help address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, but which also aim to promote the health and wellbeing of local communities and reduce inequalities.

The remaining £5 million will include a small project competitive fund of £1 million to be distributed by NatureScot, and the balance will go directly to established nature restoration projects across Scotland, including native-tree planting, nature restoration in rivers, lochs and coasts, and improving and connecting habitats.

To announce the new funding, Environment Minister Mairi McAllan (below) visited Malls Mire, a community regeneration project in North Toryglen, Glasgow where 15 hectares of land has been turned by Clyde Gateway and Urban Roots into park, wetland and woodland with accessible paths.

She said: “Our new £10 million fund will  help address the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change in a way that supports Scotland’s urban and rural communities and tackles inequalities.

“And it’s just one of a range of actions we’re taking. From our ground breaking work leading the international ‘Edinburgh Process’ to investing in locally driven nature restoration projects in urban, rural and coastal Scotland, we’re helping to improve the health and wellbeing of communities, improve air and water quality, create green jobs and tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.

“As we prepare to welcome COP26 to Glasgow later this year, we’re committed to raising our ambition for nature’s recovery. Our Statement of Intent sets out our ambitions and includes a new voluntary commitment to protect 30% of our land for nature by 2030.”

NatureScot Chief Executive Francesca Osowska said: “More people than ever now understand and support the need to put nature at the heart of our recovery from the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. With COP15 and COP26 coming up, Scotland has a huge opportunity to address the many challenges and pressures that nature is facing.

“This £10 million investment is a significant boost for nature restoration, allowing us to support many more projects working to put our woodlands, peatlands, rivers and seas back on the road to recovery – taking carbon out of the atmosphere, adapting to climate change and reducing the risks of flood, drought and wildfire.

“These nature-based solutions will not only help us reach net zero by 2045, they’ll provide the nature-rich future we need for a healthier, more resilient Scotland.”

The competitive element of the Nature Restoration Fund is now open for applications, with a closing date of 27 July. See the NatureScot website for application details.

Young Scot Youth Loneliness Panel calls for action in new report

The Youth Loneliness Panel has worked in collaboration with Young Scot, funded by the Co-op Foundation, as part of a two-year project focused on raising awareness of and tackling Youth Loneliness.

The Panel focused on developing a set of recommendations and actions of what needs to happen to ensure youth loneliness is being addressed in Scotland at a strategic level, ensuring consistency and sustainability locally and nationally.

They developed a survey to gather insights and experiences from young people on what the main issues are around loneliness and what needs to be implemented to support any young people who are experiencing loneliness.

This report details the findings of the survey and the recommendations made by the Youth Loneliness Panel based on these results:

YS_Loneliness_Report_2021_BDownload

Emergency! Key staff shortages are increasing the pressure on struggling ED workforce

Census by RCEM Scotland shows a shortage of key senior decision-making clinicians and a workforce below adequate staffing levels

A census of the Emergency Medicine workforce in Scotland by the Royal College of Emergency has found shortages of key senior decision-makers, and a workforce that is below adequate staffing levels to deliver the best and most effective care to patients.

When asked for immediate staffing needs, Emergency Departments across Scotland reported they needed an increase of:

  • 25% in consultants
  • 45% in Advanced Clinical Practitioners/Advanced Nursing Practitioners/Physician Associates
  • 16% in Emergency Nurse Practitioners
  • 22% in Higher Specialist Trainees/Non-consultant Senior Decision-Makers
  • 21% in Junior Doctors

RCEM analysis shows that to resolve the shortages of senior decision-makers and to achieve adequate staffing and aspirational staffing levels by 2026 the current workforce in Scotland needs a total of 405 more health care staff broken down as:

  • 113 more consultants
  • 74 more Higher Specialist Trainees/Non-consultant Senior Decision-Makers
  • 38 more Advanced Clinical Practitioners/Advanced Nursing Practitioners/Physician Associates
  • 180 more Junior Doctors

RCEM’s Scotland workforce census consisted of a 64-question survey and was sent to Emergency Department Clinical Leads across Scotland.

Responses were received from 24 Emergency Departments, including all 20 consultant-led Emergency Departments, one Minor Injury Unit, and three Remote and Rural Hospitals.

Commenting on RCEM’s Scotland workforce census, Dr John Thomson, Vice President (Scotland) of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The census clearly shows that the Emergency Medicine workforce in Scotland is not adequately staffed to deliver the highest quality patient care.

“This has led to an increase in intense pressures on the existing workforce and is very likely to be a contributing factor to the continued deterioration in performance.

“We have always been proud of Scotland’s performance in Emergency Medicine, ensuring quick and effective care that outperformed the rest of the United Kingdom. But, even before the pandemic, the increase in demand put severe pressure on staff, and departments began to struggle to meet the four-hour access standard, but more seriously began to struggle to deliver appropriate treatment to patients, resulting in more delays and longer stays.

“The pandemic certainly exacerbated these issues and now there are some major challenges that face Emergency Medicine in Scotland. Emergency Medicine can be relentless; a service delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will always take its toll, and the pandemic has highlighted the severe burnout that Emergency Medicine staff, especially face.

“Departments must be staffed with a workforce trained and qualified in Emergency Medicine. Shortages in senior decision-making staff groups can lead to Emergency Departments over-depending on junior staff. The census shows that we need considerable expansion of funded consultant and senior decision-maker posts in order to prioritise patient safety and quality of care.

“We managed to survive the first two waves of pandemic with an insufficient workforce, but now these existing staff are facing burnout and exhaustion – with some clinicians reporting they are planning on retiring early. This census clearly shows that we must act and address these problems without delay.

“The Scottish Government must work with the specialty to devise an adequate workforce plan for the emergency care system, taking into account population needs and rising demand on the service. Plans must ensure sustainable and fulfilling careers for all staff, allowing for the delivery of quick, safe, and effective care for patients.

“Without a sufficient workforce plan that addresses the findings of the census, it is likely that there will be continued deterioration in Emergency Department performance and rates of burnout will continue to increase amongst Emergency Medicine staff.”

Health Secretary Sajid Javid: “We cannot eliminate COVID-19”

Learning to live with Coronavirus

Moments after the Prime Minister called to ask me to become Health and Social Care Secretary last Saturday night, I spoke to my teenage daughter in the kitchen (writes UK Health Secretary SAJID JAVID).

‘You won’t have much to sort out then, dad,’ she said sarcastically.

When I came back to Westminster on Sunday morning, I found the biggest in-tray I’ve had at any department – and I’ve run 5.

I’ve spent the last year working with Harvard University on how governments can learn from this pandemic and be better prepared for future challenges, now I’m the one faced with so many of those tough choices.

I feel both the heavy responsibility and urgency that comes with this job.

My first video call on vaccine progress had to be at the same time as the England-Germany match. It was all going well until JVT (Jonathan Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England) suddenly took off his headphones because he didn’t want to hear the score before he watched a recording of the match.

It was an honour to start the meeting by thanking the team who have delivered the rollout, including everyone in the NHS, the Vaccines Taskforce and the officials in my department.

Amid the endless policy memos and reams of data, I see 2 immediate challenges. The first is how we restore our freedoms and learn to live with (coronavirus) COVID-19. The second is to tackle the NHS backlog – something that we know is going to get far worse before it gets better.

We are on track for 19 July and we have to be honest with people about the fact that we cannot eliminate COVID-19.

We also need to be clear that cases are going to rise significantly. I know many people will be cautious about the easing of restrictions – that’s completely understandable. But no date we choose will ever come without risk, so we have to take a broad and balanced view. We are going to have to learn to accept the existence of COVID-19 and find ways to cope with it – just as we already do with flu.

The economic arguments for opening up are well known, but for me, the health arguments are equally compelling. The pandemic has hit some groups disproportionately hard.

Rules that we have had to put in place have caused a shocking rise in domestic violence and a terrible impact on so many people’s mental health. All the progress we have made is thanks to the sacrifices of the British people – and our phenomenal vaccine programme.

The jabs are working. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 8 in 10 UK adults have the COVID-19 antibodies that help the body fight the disease. The implications of this are huge.

Tragically, the last time we had 28,000 new cases of COVID-19 in a day, we saw about 500 people die each day. On Friday, we had almost 28,000 cases a day, but 24 times fewer people lost their lives.

There will always be the possibility that we have to deal with dangerous new variants that evade the vaccine but I encourage everyone to get their jabs now if they haven’t already done so. It is the single biggest contribution you can make to this national effort.

We have many other crucial health challenges that we need to confront. We protected the NHS to make sure it was there for everyone who needed care. The steps we took saved countless lives but also led to the build-up of a vast ‘elective’ backlog – checks, appointments and treatments for all the less urgent, but often just as important, health issues.

Because of the pandemic, we estimate that about 7 million fewer people than normal came forward for healthcare. Even if only some of that demand returns, we will see enormous pressure on the NHS.

To help meet this demand, build a better NHS and bust the backlog, we need to build on the changes we’ve all embraced through the pandemic, such as using NHS 111 to direct patients to the most appropriate setting to receive care, expanding the use of our pharmacies and encouraging more people to use the NHS app.

We have to keep doing all of that, and more.

Of course, if you are feeling unwell, you need to come forward. The NHS is always there for you – and now in many different ways.

We’re putting record levels of funding into the NHS. In March, we committed a further £7 billion of funding – including £1 billion to begin tackling the elective backlog and about £500 million for mental health services and investment in staff.

And we’re bringing so many more talented colleagues into the workforce. We have record numbers employed in the NHS, with more than 58,300 more staff in hospital and community health services since March last year, including over 5,600 more doctors and 10,800 nurses.

We’re also embracing technology to help staff spend less time on paperwork and more on patients.

It’s time to build on the spirit of innovation we’ve all embraced and use it for the other challenges we face: from finally fixing social care and putting it on a sustainable footing, to tackling the health inequalities that the pandemic has brought to the fore.

I’m determined we get that right.

There’s a lot of work ahead, but if we hold on to the spirit that has seen us through these difficult days, we will have a country that is not just freer, but healthier, too.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is likely to confirm later today that all COVID restrictions will be lifted in England from 19th July, so-called ‘Freedom Day’, despite a rising number of COVID cases.

Scotland is more cautious, with a tentative date of 9th August, and Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to make any decision on further relaxation on restrictions.

Stroke Association responds to Improvent Programme report

The Stroke Association has responded to Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme report 2021 which was published this week.

John Watson, Director Scotland of the Stroke Association said: “Two things leapt out to me in reading “The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme annual report 2021″ launched today.

“First of all I am struck by how well stroke care teams around Scotland have managed to maintain specialist care and treatment to patients, in the face of unprecedented challenges.  Those teams deserve our thanks and respect.

“Of more concern was the reduction in the number of people coming into hospital with the signs of stroke. Although we are not fully sure why this is the case, it is presumed in this report that it has been due to a fear of hospital admission – likely due to hesitancy and fear of contracting COVID-19.

“This is a concern to us because stroke is a medical emergency and it’s essential to call 999 straight away if you suspect you or someone around you is having a stroke.  

“We continue to urge the public to use the world-famous stroke acronym, “FAST”, to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of a stroke: Face, Arms, Speech and Time (to call an ambulance) – Act FAST.  

“FAST remains an important message that both we and others continue to promote.  

“The Scottish Government recognised pre-pandemic that stroke needed significant improvement and made welcome commitments towards that.  We are pleased to see increasing awareness of the signs of a stroke is included, alongside commitments relating to improved hospital care. We look forward to seeing further progress on those commitments in the coming months.”

For more information on FAST, go to: https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/what-are-the-symptoms-of-stroke

A link to the summary and full report:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme-2021-national-report/

Rhythm of Life: Celebrities back COVID-19 vaccination programme

  • The star-studded film is released today ahead of the NHS’s 73rd birthday celebrating the success of the vaccination programme to support the easing of restrictions
  • Everyone aged 18 and over is eligible to get a vaccine and people are urged to get their second doses
  • Watch the film

Celebrities including Jim Broadbent and David Walliams have joined forces to encourage everyone to get their coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines in a new uplifting film released today.  

Set to the toe-tapping tune The Rhythm of Life, written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, from the 1966 classic musical, Sweet Charity, and donated by the Cy Coleman estate, the heart-warming film will celebrate the success of the vaccination programme in supporting the easing of restrictions as outlined in the roadmap.

Conceived and directed by Josie Rourke, the former artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, the short film, written by Rourke and James Graham, is being released ahead of the NHS’s 73rd birthday.

It first sees Jim Broadbent enter an empty theatre before a star-studded cast of David Walliams, Asa Butterfield, Colin Salmon, Derek Jacobi, Don Warrington, Nicola Roberts, Russel Tovey, Sandra Marvin and West End dancers – dressed in iconic NHS blue – take to the stage to passionately perform the song

In-between the dancing, Asa Butterfield calls on viewers to “get that vaccine”, Don Warrington advocates “I’ve had mine!” and Jim Broadbent delivers the final “just get that vaccine” concluding plea to encourage people to play their part in getting us back to the ‘rhythm of life’. 

The film was produced by Charles Finch and Peregrine Kitchener-Fellowes at Standalone Pictures.

Comedian, writer and actor David Walliams said: “The NHS has done an absolutely fantastic job rolling out COVID-19 vaccines at such speed and, as we do in the film, I want to implore everyone to get their vaccine when called, so we can get back to the all-singing, all-dancing, rhythm of life that we love.“

Actor Jim Broadbent said: “The film gave us the chance to show our appreciation and celebration for the vaccine roll-out in the best way we know how. 

“Thank you to the millions who have already received their vaccinations and please ‘just get your vaccine’ to the rest. Vaccines are helping us get back to everything we love and every industry – including the arts – couldn’t be more grateful to each and every person for getting their vaccine.”

The film follows the launch of a national campaign urging people to get their vaccine and join the millions of people who have already received their jabs, as ‘every vaccination gives us hope’.  

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Vaccines save lives so it is fantastic to see some of our most beloved stars in entertainment back the vital vaccination roll-out, which is helping this country fight this pandemic.

“The evidence is clear: the vaccine is the best way to help protect yourself and your loved ones, so if you get the call do not delay in booking your appointment as we do everything we can to get back to normal life.”

Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms and even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus to others.

In June, the Prime Minister announced that second doses for all over 40s will be accelerated by reducing the dosing interval from 12 weeks to 8 weeks.

The move follows advice from the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which has considered the latest available evidence and has recommended reducing the dosing interval to counter the threat of new variants of concern. 

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “I’m extremely humbled every day when I see how many people are booking and receiving their jabs, joining the millions of adults who have already received theirs, as the country continues to play its part in helping us defeat this virus. 

“Vaccines have prevented an estimated 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England alone, and each vaccine delivered is another step forward in helping us get out of this pandemic as we fight it together, side by side.”

Latest modelling analysis from Public Health England (PHE) and Cambridge University’s MRC Biostatistics Unit suggests that the COVID-19 vaccination programme has so far prevented an estimated 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England alone.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Vaccines are saving lives, protecting the NHS and will ensure we get bums back on seats safely. Every adult in the country can now get their jab.

“Thank you to all these stars for getting the message out. Let’s get them back on stage by finishing the job with the vaccine roll-out.”

ONS polling also shows the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated and ONS data published on 2 July shows that more than 9 in 10 (96%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.

Vaccines are available free of charge and from thousands of vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies.

Royal College of Emergency Medicine: Winter crisis looming?

16,000 additional beds may be needed for the NHS to cope this winter

The NHS urgently needs a rapid increase in bed numbers if it is to meet potential demand this winter according to new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

The College’s new briefing document ‘RCEM Explains: Hospital Beds’ looks at how bed numbers have declined in the past decade, the impact of covid, and the potential number of beds needed this winter, based on previous levels of demand.

The briefing uses the ratio of emergency admissions to beds to model the numbers of beds that will likely be needed, based on the levels of demand seen each winter prior to the pandemic.

In the last five years in England this figure has fluctuated between 11.07 admissions per bed (winter 2015/16) and 12.50 (winter 2018/19). Excluding the most recent winters (both of which saw demand and capacity fall due to the pandemic), there was an average of 11.77 admissions per bed.

If the NHS is to achieve a similar ratio this winter, and there are a similar number of admissions as in the winter of 2017/18, the NHS will need just over 7,500 additional beds. If demand is similar to 2018/19, then this figure rises to 15,788 extra beds.

President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Katherine Henderson said: “We are currently seeing record levels of attendances at Emergency Departments and if this continues into winter – an extremely likely situation – the NHS will have too few beds to be able to cope.

“The consequences of having too few beds could be dire. If we do not have the capacity to admit patients into hospitals, then A&E waiting times will go up, patients will end up being treated in corridors – a very real threat to their safety before the pandemic, but now with the added risk of hospital acquired infection – and the elective backlog will grow further as beds earmarked for surgeries will be used for emergency patients.”

The briefing also makes clear the relationship between high bed occupancy and an increased rate of cancelled elective operations.

Dr Henderson said: “Too few beds means higher rates of occupancy, which in itself puts patient safety at risk, but it is clear that this has a huge knock-on effect on elective care. Lack of beds is one of the top reasons for cancellation of surgeries and if we do not address the shortage now, before winter, the elective recovery will fail.

“We know that access to services is an issue throughout the NHS at the moment with resources short all-round, but Emergency Departments act as the safety net for the NHS – if they cannot function properly the entire system stalls – so it is vital that the new Secretary of State does all he can to enable the NHS to expand hospital capacity. 

“The safe restoration of bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels is no easy fix though – as we’ve seen with the Nightingale initiative, capacity cannot be expanded if we do not have enough doctors, nurses, and clinicians.

“The capacity and staffing issues we face now have been over a decade in the making. Social care is still unfixed. Waiting lists are growing. Structural reconfiguration is in progress. Covid is less of an immediate threat but is unlikely to disappear. The Secretary of State has much to do, but he must start by making the beds.”

Yousaf: Get Jagged in July

All mainland health boards will offer drop-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination clinics from Monday as the programme nears completion of first doses for all adults in Scotland.

Everyone aged 18 and over can attend for their first dose or – if eight weeks have passed – their second dose. Separate queues will be in operation for those with a scheduled appointment.

From Monday, mobile vaccination units run by the Scottish Ambulance Service will visit local communities and busy city centre spots in Edinburgh and Glasgow for a two week period.  

Anyone who has not yet received an invitation or would like to rearrange an existing appointment can continue to self-register on the NHS Inform site.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Our route out of this pandemic is getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, that is why I am urging people to get jagged in July.

“The vaccination programme continues to progress at pace and, as always, I want to thank everyone involved and all those who have taken up the offer of vaccine.

“As we approach the final stages of the first COVID-19 vaccination programme we are increasing the options available for how and when you choose to be inoculated.

“You can attend one of the drop-in clinics being run in all mainland health boards or pop into a mobile unit. You can also rearrange the location of your appointment online if, for example, it is more convenient for you to be vaccinated closer to your work than home.

“You can find out where your nearest drop-in clinics are by visiting NHS Inform which will direct you to the latest information from your local health board.

“All those aged 18 and over can also self-register to receive their appointment by text or email which will be convenient for anyone who has recently moved house or is new to Scotland.

“All of the evidence says that the vaccines are working as we continue to battle the faster-transmitting Delta variant which is now dominant so I urge everyone to take advantage of the vaccination programme which is open to every adult in Scotland.”

Mr Yousaf’s appeal follows the announcement of 4234 new cases in Scotland yesterday – a new record.