Staff and volunteers at a mental health and wellbeing charity have received a £2,000 donation from Amazon Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh.
Health in Mind has been promoting mental health and wellbeing in Scotland since 1982. The charity provides a wide range of services such as Peer Connections Edinburgh, which helps adults who want to improve or manage their mental health by spending time with a peer volunteer that has their own experiences of mental health recovery.
The charity also runs iThrive Edinburgh, an online resource hub for the people of Edinburgh that provides information on mental health and wellbeing.
The donation from Amazon will go towards supporting their vital work in Edinburgh, including our Peer Connecting Service and Equal Access, which supports people from ethnic minority communities
Commenting on the donation, Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “We are pleased to support the great work of Health in Mind with this donation.
“The staff and volunteers go the extra mile to ensure the people of our community struggling with their mental health are supported.”
Lynne Stanford, Fundraising Manager from Health in Mind, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to Graeme and the Amazon team for this donation.
“It means a great deal to us to have this support at this time – COVID-19 has had a huge impact on people’s mental health. This donation helps raise awareness and importance for the support we provide and ensures we are here for people when they need us the most.”
Amazon Development Centre Scotland has been based in Edinburgh since 2004 and is responsible for devising and growing innovations that bring new levels of choice and convenience to hundreds of millions of customers around the world.
It houses teams of leading engineers, scientists, designers and product managers who work on everything from interactive user interface design to large-scale distributed systems and machine learning. The team is currently recruiting for a number of positions including software developers, engineers and applied scientists.
The donation was made as part of the ‘Amazon in the Community’ programme, whereby the company supports the communities around its operating locations across the UK.
Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided students with free online STEM resources and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS. The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver over 3 million healthy breakfasts to disadvantaged children around the UK.
For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click here.
That’s the message from NSPCC Scotland, which says to deliver on long-held policy aspirations and to make Scotland a country that fully respects children’s rights, the new Scottish Government needs to radically transform early childhood.
Ahead of May’s election, the charity has outlined its call for a £100m Fair Start Fund to be invested in public services, as the country emerges from the pandemic, to support the emotional wellbeing of babies’ and their families. This will ensure that all young children in Scotland receive nurturing care and thrive; not just survive.
The charity is setting out its calls as it holds its UK flagship How Safe conference online, which brought together a panel of guest speakers who discussed mental health in pregnancy and the child’s first year, and the impact of the pandemic.
Despite overwhelming evidence that people’s experiences in early childhood lay the foundations for their future health and wellbeing, and over a decade on from the Scottish Government’s Early Years Framework, there is still a massive gulf in the support young children need, and the support they receive.
NSPCC Scotland research shows that before the pandemic hit, there were very few services across the country that specifically addressed the emotional and developmental needs of infants or children under the age of two1.
Research undertaken during Covid-19 has underlined how closely attuned a young child’s mental and emotional wellbeing is with that of their parents. A UK-wide survey by Parent-Infant Foundation, Best Beginnings and Home Start found that six in 10 new parents shared significant concerns about their mental health and a third of parents reported that interaction with their child had changed2.
Also, a Public Health Scotland survey found a clear association between a child’s wellbeing and their parents mental and emotional health during the lockdown period3.
It is vital to scope out the level of need among young children and families and ensure that sufficient community and specialist services are available across Scotland to support very young children’s social and emotional development.
“With plans to incorporate the UNCRC into Scots law, which places the rights of all children, including babies, on a statutory footing, it is vital we radically transform early childhood in Scotland – a challenge we urge the new government to fully embrace.
“We recognise that advances in early years policy have been made in Scotland in the last decade but this needs to be matched with funding. Huge investment is needed to ensure that all children in our country are offered the best start in life. Also, it is imperative that those who have experienced early adversity, including the effects of the pandemic, receive the specialist mental health support they and their carers need to heal and move on.”
NSPCC Scotland’s Fight for a Fair Start campaign is calling on the public to back its petition urging the next Scottish Government to invest heavily in early childhood.
Fight for a Fair Start is supported by Jo Malone London who have also funded direct services to new and prospective parents, focusing on support with their mental health problems, to help them develop secure and healthy relationships with their children.
The Stroke Association in Scotland is reminding people that stroke remains a clinical priority in Scotland amidst concerns that current stroke improvement work could be lost to Covid-19.
The charity is highlighting this on the day it launches its manifesto ahead of the Scottish Elections.
Colin Oliver, Public Affairs Officer for the Stroke Association in Scotland said: “Covid-19 has been tough for all of us.
“Thanks to the amazing commitment of some truly dedicated people working in the NHS and in social care, lives have been saved and people have been cared for. Stroke teams up and down the country, have in many areas managed to continue to offer specialist care and treatment to patients throughout the pandemic.
“We cannot thank them enough. We really do owe them a huge amount.
“But we are concerned. The fallout from Covid-19 is going to pose challenges for everyone in health and social care. Our Recoveries at Risk report[i] last autumn highlighted the real life impact of the pandemic on people recovering from a stroke. Emerging evidence of links between Covid-19 and stroke[ii] means that now, more than ever, a renewed national focus on stroke is needed in Scotland.
“Health officials have been working during the pandemic to review evidence and define what ‘a progressive stroke service for Scotland’ should look like. This will include improved stroke care bundle figures, improved stroke prevention measures, a national thrombectomy service and stroke-specific, person-centred rehabilitation. The charity is pleased that people affected by stroke will be included in the development of this work.”
A draft paper will be with the Scottish Government in the next few weeks. Whatever the outcome of May’s election the Stroke Association in Scotland expects the next government to push this work on, and for a new, improved, progressive stroke service to be implemented.
Around 10,000 people have a stroke every year in Scotland.[iii] Stroke and cerebrovascular diseases kill over 3,800 people annually.[iv] Many more have to live with the effects. There are now over 128 000 stroke survivors living in Scotland.[v] It’s estimated there will be almost 175 000 by 2035.[vi]
Stroke is a brain attack and happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off and brain cells are damaged or die. The impact varies from person to person depending on which part of the brain is affected. It could be anything from wiping out speech and physical abilities, to affecting emotions and personality.
Brenna Collie from Strichen near Fraserburgh, had a stroke four years ago when she was just 14. Brenna was in her bedroom texting a friend when the phone slipped from her hand and she realised she couldn’t pick it up again.
“It happened very quickly. I lost all movement down the left side of my body. I couldn’t walk. My speech was all slurred and I couldn’t call for help. I have never felt so scared.”
She knows only too well that her life would be very different without the stroke specialist treatment and support she received.
Brenna received good care throughout her stroke journey. She underwent thorough investigations and received speedy access to treatment. She had intensive rehabilitation which helped her to walk again and begin to return to an independent life.
“I had to learn how to do things I took for granted like getting dressed and brushing my teeth. I have received amazing support from health professionals, my teachers at school, family and friends. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say how tough it’s been.
“After coming home from hospital, I started to have problems with anxiety and my self-esteem. At school, I was ‘the girl who’d had a stroke’, and many of my classmates didn’t understand what had happened, which made school challenging. That was hard and I felt very alone. But I’ve pulled through and my family have been my rock.”
After returning to school Brenna slowly picked up her hobbies again including cycling, archery and photography. In 2019, she won the prestigious Scottish Portrait Award Young Photographer Award for a self-portrait of how she felt the night she had her stroke.
During lockdown, Brenna took to cycling and has cycled 22 miles to Fraserburgh and back –a big moment for her. Her granny has also taught her how to knit over the lockdown period, which helps strengthen Brenna’s weak arm.
Brenna is now studying Primary Education at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.
The Stroke Association in Scotland, is urging people to read its election manifesto launched today and to support its call for the implementation of a new progressive stroke service.
Colin said: “The implementation of a new, improved stroke service across the entire pathway from prevention to hospital treatment, rehabilitation and support, in tandem with forthcoming changes nationally to delivery of social care presents an opportunity for the next government to make a profound difference to the lives of thousands of Scots families.”
Scottish Ensemble is putting wellness centre stage with brand new events aimed at enhancing wellbeing through both music, and techniques and tools aimed at helping people find calm.
At a time when so many are struggling in terms of their mental health – coping with working from home, home-schooling, loneliness and even bereavement – SE launch Breathe: Music and Your Mind with Maggie’s, three events inspired by their longstanding relationship with the charity.
Supporting and developing their brilliant work with people with cancer and their families by bringing live music into their centres, which they have been doing since 2016, SE are taking their music and mindfulness sessions online with three free, one-hour events on Sunday 28 March at 3pm and Tuesday 30 March at both 2pm and then again at 5.30pm.
The ensemble will continue to share its trademark music for strings alongside reflections from Maggie’s Lead Psychologist, Lesley Howells, on how we can all use music in our daily lives to help us feel better.
Listening to music is one of the easiest ways to enhance well-being and the ensemble are encouraging audiences from all over the world to join them in escaping the rigmarole of the daily grind and restrictions and to help restore focus in an undeniably tumultuous world.
Young people’s mental health is also at risk due to the pressures and anxieties stemming from the pandemic, so the ensemble has also programmed a Maggie’s event for schools on Monday 29 March at 12.30pm.
Like the events for adults yet tailored to the needs of school age children (years P6-S6) this event will address the types of stresses these young people might be encountering, while perhaps also introducing them to new music.
With the increase in pressure on everyone’s mental health, we could all do with taking some time out for ourselves and these special performances will help viewers find new ways to listen and give them a taste of how to channel music to sweep away daily pressures.
William Norris, Interim Chief Executive at Scottish Ensemble said:“These free events give people a much-needed opportunity to switch off, step back, and put their own wellbeing centre stage.
“Maggie’s Centres are at the forefront of the quest to improve mental wellbeing with music and conversation, and the way they resiliently continue to improve the lives of so many every single day is truly inspiring.
“We’re delighted to be working with them again to help bring the soothing and stress-relieving power of music to as many people as possible, and can’t wait to see what this partnership brings in the future.”
In addition to these events, Scottish Ensemble continue to promote innovation and collaboration with 2021 digital programme as they announce new film First Light with celebrated Guest Director Max Baillie.
Premiering online on Thursday 29 April at 7.30pm (and available to view online thereafter for ticket holders until midnight on Monday 7 August) First Light is a collaboration between SE and self-described cross-pollinator, soloist, chamber musician, improviser and member of Lodestar Trio and ZRI, Max Baillie.
First Light is an uplifting concert featuring works by Haydn, Vivaldi, Jessie Montgomery, Steve Martland and Max Baillie himself, performed by SE musicians Kate Suthers, Kana Kawashima, Tristan Gurney, Laura Ghiro and George Smith on violin, Jane Atkins and Andrew Berridge on viola, Alison Lawrance and Naomi Pavri on cello, Diane Clark on bass and Jan Waterfield on the harpsichord.
Bringing life and energy to audiences via their screens, First Light signals the transition from darkness to brighter times and Max will lead viewers on a journey through joyful, uplifting and optimistic music, bursting with luminosity.
From Jessie Montgomery’s explosive Starburst, through the tempestuousness of a new string ensemble arrangement of Haydn’s ‘Fifths string quartet to Vivaldi’s vivacious Concerto Grosso in G minor, the programme presents a visual and sonic dialogue between old and new, between the human and the natural, between darkness and light.
Working with Flux Video to create a striking film, Scottish Ensemble invite audiences old and new to join them online to re-energise. Created under Covid-secure conditions First Light was filmed in the Engine Works, Glasgow; a venue that brings the tradition of Glasgow’s proud industrial history and blends it with a modern, contemporary and visionary concept.
William Norris,Interim Chief Executive at Scottish Ensemble, said: “First Light symbolises the transition that we are all going through right now, both in terms of slowly coming out of restrictions and also the changing of the seasons.
“Max brings a unique creative flare to everything he does, and his music-making reflects our values around innovation, reaching new audiences and promoting cross pollination of sounds and styles; it has been a privilege to have worked with him.
“We really hope our audiences, both new and existing, enjoy tuning in.”
Max Baillie, First Light Guest Director, said:“It was an absolute pleasure working with Scottish Ensemble to create First Light, which to me symbolises positivity and hope as we look towards spring and the rest of 2021.
“We have all had to adapt over the past 12 months and to be able to work with such a forward thinking, adaptable and innovative organisation was a hugely refreshing and rewarding experience. I really hope that audiences the world over enjoy First Light as much as I enjoyed making it.”
National charity Heart Research UK have launched their first charity cookbook, featuring 17 recipes from celebs, chefs and some of the web’s biggest food bloggers.
The e-book, which is available to download here for a suggested donation of £5, features a selection of well-balanced recipes from some of the best known faces in food and fitness, including Joe Wicks, The Hairy Bikers, Heart Research UK ambassador Sally Bee, Gennaro Contraldo, Michelin Star Chef Tom Kitchin, Masterchef winner Shelina Permaloo and many more.
Recipes range from light breakfasts and brunches, through to healthy snacks, show-stopping main meals and family favourites, and even a few desserts.
Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK, said: “As someone who loves cooking and eating nutritionally balanced dishes, I know that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or expensive.
“We put together this cookbook to provide everyone, from families and first time cooks to the home-chef extraordinaire, a selection of recipes that are healthy, full of flavour and unpretentious.
“I often advise people on making dietary changes to reduce their risk of heart disease and manage their weight. A healthy, well-balanced diet contains plenty of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods and not too much fat, sugar or salt. By using this cookbook, we hope you will discover some delicious new recipes that will enable you to keep looking after your heart.”
The cookbook can be downloaded here, for a suggested donation of £5.
All of the money raised will support Heart Research UK’s life-saving work, funding pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of children’s services, has called for the Scottish Government to urgently increase mental health spend in its budget.
The call comes as new figures published today (2nd March 2021) from Public Health Scotland indicate that at the end of December 2020, 1,560 children and young people had been waiting over a year for mental health treatment.
These figures are the worst on record and represent a near tripling from December 2019 (589).
The SCSC has urged greatly increased investment in services for children and young people to tackle a current mental health pandemic. It has also called for a ‘national crusade’ as referrals begin to return to pre-lockdown levels.
The call comes amid growing concerns over a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted by the pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access services.
However, just over 50p in every £100 of the NHS budget is being spent on specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). A frighteningly low figure even though mental health services are literally creaking at the seams due to greatly increasing demand.
The figures from Public Health Scotland also indicate that only four Scottish health boards are meeting the Scottish Government’s waiting time target of 18 weeks from referral to treatment over the quarter to December 2020. One out of four individuals are not being seen within this already lengthy 18-week target.
While 4,091 children and young people were treated over the period October to December 2020 by child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), only 73.1 per cent were seen within the 18-week waiting target and only four health boards met this target.
The SCSC has warned that mental health services will face an overwhelming and unprecedented pressure due to pent-up demand created by the Covid-19 lockdown, coupled with a cut in youth support services. This could potentially lead to a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people who are missing out on the support they vitally need.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “These latest figures are deeply troubling and point to a highly challenging environment for both our young people and our mental health services.
“We welcome the fact that the Scottish Government is intending to invest more than £1.1 billion in mental health services overall, but significantly greater funding is needed to address the current crisis facing our children and young people.
“While referrals are beginning to return to pre-lockdown levels, it is vital that children and families are provided with the support they so desperately need, especially given the impact of the pandemic on mental health. The fact that more than 1,500 of our most vulnerable children have been waiting more than a year for treatment in this respect is deeply disturbing.
“We would urge the Scottish Government to look to not just the NHS, but the third sector and other private sector organisations to play a key role in this, renewing its focus on prevention and early intervention.
“Our mental health services must receive the funding they vitally need or we face having a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people.”
A group of charities is urging for the approval of a drug that can treat an underlying genetic cause of a life-limiting muscle-wasting condition.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) primarily affects boys and causes muscles to weaken and waste over time, with most of those affected needing to use a wheelchair by the age of 12. The life-limiting condition also causes other severe health problems to the heart and breathing muscles.
The drug Translarna, however, can help treat cases of a version of Duchenne that is caused by nonsense mutations.
Today, Muscular Dystrophy UK, Action Duchenne, Duchenne Family Support Group and Duchenne UK are appearing before the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to represent patients who could benefit from Translarna and to seek its approval for use on the NHS in Scotland.
In its joint submission to the SMC ahead of today’s meeting, the charities outlined evidence from a survey conducted earlier this year.
They provided evidence that highlights clear improvements to quality of life reported by those receiving the drug. Significantly, many families of children receiving Translarna say they retained the ability to walk for longer than expected, and that this gave their child greater independence to complete daily tasks and take part in activities with friends.
Families also reported huge behaviour improvements at school and home, as well as positive mental health outcomes.
If SMC approves the submission, Translarna would be the first treatment routinely available through the NHS in Scotland that addresses an underlying genetic cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
One parent who took part in the survey, and whose thoughts were included as evidence in the submission, explained: “For our son knowing that he has a medication to help his muscles is a massive boost to him.
“We believe that every time we receive our Translarna it lifts his spirits in this fight. We never for a moment take for granted how lucky we are to be receiving this drug and feel it’s something in our corner as we face this battle head on.”
If approved, Translarna would be given in addition to the current standard treatments on the NHS in Scotland.
A spokesperson for the four charities said: “Every day is a race against time to slow down Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive condition that robs children of their ability to walk and their independence.
“Muscular Dystrophy UK, Action Duchenne, Duchenne Family Support Group and Duchenne UK are pleased to have represented the voices of patients in our joint submission to the SMC.
“We believe our submission highlights both the physical and mental health benefits of Translarna, a drug that has the potential to improve lives for so many families living with Duchenne. We very much look forward to hearing the SMC committee’s thoughts on our submission.”
British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF), a Kent-based sight loss charity that provides free, specially adapted audio equipment to those living with sight loss, is proud to announce that its popular BWBFConnect service will continue throughout 2021.
The dedicated service was initially launched in April 2020, shortly after the UK entered its first COVID-19 lockdown. Designed to better connect vulnerable people to essential support networks, the scheme a free audio device, delivered direct to the door, to ensure critical information is communicated effectively, and that vulnerable people can access vital support.
To date, more than 2000 radios have been delivered under the BWBF initiative. Having proven to be highly successful, and in great demand, BWBF hopes that the continuation of the scheme throughout 2021 will enable even more people with sight loss to stay connected, rebuild their confidence, and reduce feelings of isolation. BWBF is striving to provide another 2000 devices this year.
Sophie Wheldon, BWBF Regional Development Manager said, “BWBFConnect was so successful during 2020 that we are extending the project to support more people with sight loss across the coming year.
“While we have had some very positive news lately about the roadmap out of lockdown, what many don’t realise is that life won’t return to normal until much later for those with sight loss.
“With the continuation of the scheme, we want to make sure that people living with sight loss do not become COVID’s forgotten; we want to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to provide mental stimulation, news, and entertainment during lonely times.”
The radios play a significant role in delivering news and information, along with entertainment and, perhaps most importantly, a friendly voice and companionship at a time when many people are separated from their friends and families.
“I love this device, it keeps me company all day. I can’t see my children or grandchildren so this is all I have to keep me company. I have the radio on all day and in the evening I listen to my talking books, it’s a Godsend,” says Jean, aged 75 from Birmingham, who received an audio device under the BWBFConnect scheme.
According to research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), many of those living with sight loss are fearful of going out because they are unable to clearly see social distancing markets.
The RNIB reports that some have been confronted for a failure to abide by the 2-metre regulation. Additionally, around one quarter have been unable to carry on as normal as social distancing laws have meant they no longer have access to a necessary guide.
BWBF phone lines have remained open during the pandemic, and will remain open with staff and volunteers carrying out many of their duties from home to continue providing necessary support for those with sight loss as the UK’s lockdown continues.
To find out if someone you know is eligible for a free device under the BWBFConnect scheme, visit www.blind.org.uk or call 01622 754 757.
Health and social care professionals will have access to a new specialist service offering confidential mental health assessment and treatment.
The Workforce Specialist Service will be delivered by experts with experience in treating a range of issues such as stress, anxiety, depression or addiction, with a focus on the impact this may have on a person’s work.
A multidisciplinary team will support anyone who belongs to one of the regulated professions within health and social care.
It is the latest part of a package of resources available to the workforce, including the National Wellbeing Hub, the National Wellbeing Helpline and specific psychological services provided by health boards at a local level.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “We are doing our best to support health and social care staff to ensure that they have the resources they require to look after themselves, and that they can get the help they need at an early stage.This is especially important given the challenges of responding to the pandemic in the past year.
“We know that some health and social care professionals can find it difficult to access mental health or addictions services due to concerns about receiving a confidential service or the professional implications of seeking support.
“Our Wellbeing and Mental Health Network offers a broad package of wellbeing and mental health support that is available for all health and social services staff, their families and unpaid carers and volunteers.
“The Workforce Specialist Service is the most comprehensive of its kind in the UK and has been established to ensure that people who access the service are afforded maximum confidentiality. We have worked closely with the professions regulators to ensure appropriate agreements are in place.”
Dr Jude Halford, Lead for Clinician Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland said:
“We welcome the development of a much-needed specialist mental health service for Scotland’s health and social care staff.
“Currently, there are barriers which stop some health and social care professionals from accessing mental health services including stigma, fears for their careers, concerns they will be treated by colleagues and worries about confidentiality. They may feel unable to seek the help they need.
“Improvement in staff mental health is essential. It benefits them and keeps health and social care services running for the public.
“The pandemic has caused extra demands, stress and pressure for staff making the requirement for mental health care even greater.
“The need for a specialist service predated the pandemic, was compounded by it, and will persist beyond it. It is very positive to see the Workforce Specialist Service being developed to address these needs.”
Lorraine Gray, Chief Executive, Scottish Social Services Council said:
“The Workforce Specialist Service is a great resource and I welcome the support it will give to the social service and health workforce, their families and colleagues.
“Their roles are demanding and they are working tirelessly to support our communities in the midst of the pandemic response. And, perhaps even more importantly, this support will be vital for our workforce in the longer term as we move from the crisis response towards normality.”
If you are a regulated practitioner working in Scotland, find out more about what the service provides and how to refer yourself by visiting:
The National Wellbeing Hub – www.promis.scot – contains a broad range of advice and evidence-based resources including digital apps to help staff and unpaid carers cope with issues such as stress, anxiety, sleep problems, and to enhance personal resilience. It also signposts to a range of other national and local services.
The National Wellbeing Helpline – 0800 111 4191 – provides a 24/7 service to those who require psychological support and can offer advice, signposting and onward referral to local services where required.
