Health and wellbeing – Page 294 – The NEN

NHS staff must have parking charges waived amid crisis, say Tories

NHS staff at the three Scottish hospitals which still demand payment for parking should have their charges waived, the Scottish Conservatives have said.

Workers at the Edinburgh and Glasgow Royal Infirmaries, as well as Ninewells in Dundee, are still charged by private firms for parking there.

At First Minister’s Questions yesterday, shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said those fees should not apply during the coronavirus crisis.

Nicola Sturgeon said she agreed with the sentiments, adding that health secretary Jeane Freeman was looking into alternatives.

The Scottish Conservatives have long campaigned for the parking charges to be refunded to staff and vulnerable patients.

Mr Briggs said, given the sacrifices being made by key health workers, the move had to apply now.

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: “NHS staff shouldn’t have to pay to park at work at the best of times.

“But given this crisis, their brave and fundamental role in fighting it, and the advice given in relation to public transport, the message has to be clear.

“All those working at the three hospitals where charges still apply should be able to park there for free. Given the sacrifice they are making on behalf of all of us, that’s the very least they deserve.

“It’s vital we see urgent action now and I’m pleased the First Minister has agreed to take this forward.”

Find comfort in nature

Tackling anxiety and isolation at home with Butterfly Conservation

As we’re all being encouraged to spend more time in our homes and feeling the worry and anxiety of 24/7 news coverage of the global pandemic, Butterfly Conservation is suggesting a way to look after your mental health by spending time in your garden or outdoor spaces.

For those who are able to get outside, and who now perhaps have more opportunity to do so than normal, gardens across the UK are waking up to spring and there are plenty of species of butterfly to look out for.

Richard Fox, Associate Director (Recording & Research) at Butterfly Conservation suggests a few top butterfly species to spot: “There are a surprising number of species of butterfly which are coming out of hibernation ready for spring. In just the last few days we have had recorded sightings of Brimstone, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral all getting active as the weather is warming.

“The three common White butterflies (Large, Small and Green-veined) have also all been sighted already this year in the UK and before long it will be possible to see Orange Tips and Speckled Wood, both of which are early flying butterflies. We’ve not had any recorded sightings yet, but we’d love to receive one!

“The Holly Blue is the only blue butterfly that people are likely to see in their gardens in suburban or urban areas, which should be flying before too long. There are moths flying at night too, though they are a little harder to see in large numbers before the weather starts really warming up.”

Butterfly Conservation Chief Executive Julie Williams said: “While it’s crucial that we all stay safe and take steps to keep ourselves and others physically well at the moment, it’s also important that we take care of our mental health too.

“Anxiety, isolation and feeling stuck at home can have detrimental effects for our mental health and we’re encouraging anyone who can access an outdoor space to take a break in nature, while respecting the guidance on social distancing.

“There’s so much life waking up for Spring in our gardens and outdoor spaces and many of us might have a bit more opportunity to explore them than usual. It’s a proven fact that spending time in nature can have beneficial effects on your mental health.

“Take some mindful time to watch for our first Spring butterflies, record what you see and share it online. You could also plant some wildflower seeds now, ready for our summer pollinators.”

Stephen Buckley, Head of Information at Mind, the mental health charity, said: “We know being told to stay indoors and avoid others can be a very daunting prospect. There are a variety of things you can do to maintain wellbeing in these circumstances, one of which is engaging with nature and green space.

“For many of us, we don’t have access to our own green space in the form of a garden, so in this time of social distancing, we welcome Butterfly Conservation’s suggestion of taking time to watch for the first Spring butterflies. Even something as simple as going to a local public park or sitting by a window to watch butterflies can be beneficial to our mental health.”

If you’d like to take a break in nature, you can identify the butterflies in your garden on the Butterfly Conservation website.

We’d also love you to share your sightings on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can also contribute your sightings online to the Garden Butterfly Survey scheme which is run by the Butterfly Conservation.

BPS offers advice to schools, parents and carers to help children through the uncertainty of school closures

The British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology (DECP) has published tips for schools, parents and carers dealing with the unprecedented school closures.

This follows the announcement that schools in the UK will close for all bar a small number of children from Friday 20 March.

Being out of school for what is an open-ended period, with restricted access to their usual social spaces, is likely to be difficult for many young people.

But schools, parents and carers can take steps now to manage this difficult period, look out for signs of stress in young people, and meet their needs over the coming months.

Tips for schools:

Make plans to keep in contact with some children. Some children need a consistent relationship with an adult in school, and will benefit from consistency, reassurance and connection of key adults at school keeping them in mind.
Make time to talk during this week’s timetable. Create the opportunity for children to talk about their thoughts and feelings ahead of the final day of school, which can help to normalise feelings of worry and concern.
Schools should be mindful that providing a full timetable for parents and carers to administer at home won’t be possible, and could cause heightened stress and conflict in homes.
Online learning is not a suitable approach for the youngest children. Schools should consider how to share expertise on play-based learning with parents and carers.
Psychological wellbeing is paramount during this period, due to the general situation and possibility of a family member or friend being ill. This may mean that focusing on wellbeing and mental health is vital.
Some will choose not to send their children to school for the rest of this week due to concerns and anxieties about the current situation. Schools should consider how to maintain strong relationships with these parents and carers.
Schools should support parents and carers to address their children’s concerns and signpost them to the DECP’s advice on talking to children about coronavirus.

Tips for parents and carers:

Stress and anxiety in such an unusual and unpredictable situation is normal.
Children can sometimes believe that they are responsible for events that are beyond their control – reassure them that it is the adults’ job to keep them safe.
Friendships are key to maintaining resilience for children, so help them to maintain these relationships through phone calls, online communication, and writing letters.
Normalise the experience for young people by reassuring them that there are lots of other people in the same situation right now.
Having a routine and structure helps children to feel secure in uncertain times, and involving them in creating this structure, perhaps visually, can be particularly helpful.
Don’t put too much pressure on doing academic work. Parents and carers aren’t teachers, and it is important to also spend time building relationships, enjoying shared activities and reassuring children.
Restrict access to rolling news coverage. While it’s important to keep up to date, constant exposure to news can be overwhelming for both adults and children.
Young people may be concerned about the announcement that exams will not go ahead as planned. Acknowledge the uncertainty, but reassure them that a plan is being put together to make sure that everyone gets the qualification that they have worked towards.
Play is fundamental to the wellbeing and development of children of all ages, and a great way to reduce stress in adults.

You can access the full list of tips for schools, parents and carers, alongside the DECP’s position on the government announcement, on the BPS website.

Coalition urges government to up it’s game

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading independent and third sector providers of children’s services, is urging the Scottish Government to ‘up its game’ in response to a new report from the Mental Welfare Commission.

The report indicates that the number of young people under the age of 18 admitted to non-specialist hospital wards – mainly adult wards – for treatment of their mental illness in Scotland in 2018-19 rose for the second year running. There were 118 admissions involving 101 young people.

This is an increase on the 2017-18 figures which were 103 admissions involving 90 young people and a further increase from 2016/17 when there were 71 admissions involving 66 young people.

Admission of a young person to an adult ward should only be acceptable in rare situations.

However, despite a greatly increased demand on mental health services, there are currently only 48 specialist hospital beds provided by the NHS in Scotland for adolescents with mental health problems.

These are located in three child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) inpatient units (Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) and there is a further six place unit for five to 12-year olds in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. There is no inpatient provision north of Dundee.

Given the lack of provision, many children and young people with severe mental health problems are therefore being admitted to non-specialist adult and paediatric hospital wards, settings which are in many cases inappropriate to their needs.

The coalition has urged the Scottish Government to ensure that there are adequate specialist bed numbers that can deal with the requirements and to refocus its efforts on prevention and early intervention, ensuring that issues do not escalate so that they require the provision of these specialist services. It has also called for secure impatient facilities for young people with mental health illnesses, of which there are currently none in Scotland.

Under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment (Scotland) Act 2003 Health Boards are required to provide appropriate services and accommodation for young people admitted to hospital for treatment of their mental disorder.

Given admissions to non-specialist mental health wards, it is clearly arguable whether appropriate services are being provided.

There are a number of differences between specialist units and wards designed to treat the needs of adults with serious mental illness, both in terms of staff training and the overall ward environment. Given this, there is a clear concern that the needs of a young person may not be met in comparable way when admitted to an adult mental health ward as opposed to a specialist child and adolescent unit.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition commented: “We are clearly concerned about the increasing number of those being admitted to adult mental health wards, often inappropriate to their needs, both in terms of staff training and the ward environment.

“The Scottish Government needs to up its game on this and provide adequate facilities, ensuring that there are sufficient specialist bed numbers for those requiring them. There is also currently no provision north of Dundee and this requires to be urgently addressed.

“For children and young people who require inpatient mental health care, a lack of such services means that they frequently remain at home, often until the family reaches crisis point, leaving them feeling isolated and delaying recovery.

“These are among the most vulnerable members of our society and we owe it to them to give them the adequate care and support that they need.”

Tackling loneliness during COVID-19 outbreak

Age Scotland is encouraging people to look out for older friends, neighbours and relatives who may be staying home due to concerns over coronavirus.

Older people are more likely to be affected by the virus, especially if they have underlying health conditions. Some members of vulnerable groups are choosing to limit their social contacts, while many regular events and meetings have been cancelled across Scotland.

Age Scotland is recommending that everyone follow NHS guidelines, but has warned that older people could be at increased risk of loneliness and isolation if they choose to stay at home, missing out on regular social occasions.

Many older people may also need help with practical tasks, such as ordering groceries or caring for pets.

The charity is sharing tips on how to help people stay connected while minimising the risk of infection.

Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said: “We know that older people and those with underlying health conditions may feel more vulnerable during the coronavirus outbreak and as a result they might choose not to go out and socialise as much as they would normally.

“At this stage the NHS and Scottish Government advice is to stay at home only if you have the symptoms of coronavirus, including a fever and a cough.

“We would urge people who are well and have had no contact with others from high risk parts of the world to think about older people in their community who might be feeling anxious and alone.

“Some older people will be having fewer visits from family who live further afield, because they are unable to travel, so a friendly call or knock on the door could make a huge difference to their day.

“Being a good neighbour by checking in with vulnerable older people to offer to pop to the shops for them or pick up medication will go a long way to reducing loneliness and isolation. It will also help bring communities together at a challenging time for everyone.

“This is an opportunity to see the best of Scotland, to help and look out for another. Let’s start by supporting older family, friends and neighbours.”

Age Scotland’s 10 top tips:

• Stay in regular touch with older friends, relatives and neighbours by phone, email or video calls

• Don’t forget snail mail – everyone loves getting letters and postcards, or just a note through the door

• Check if someone needs repeat medication picking up

• If someone is self-isolating, offer to pick up groceries or other essentials and leave them on the doorstep

• Find out if someone would like help to set up an online delivery, or do it on their behalf

• Make sure the person has plenty of entertainment such as books, magazines or puzzles

• Consider if you can offer help with pets

• Try agreeing to watch the same TV programme and calling for a chat about it afterwards

• Encourage people to stay active if they are self-isolating – whether that’s moving around the house or a walk away from crowded areas

• Find out the services available in your area from local councils, charities and other organisations.

People can also call the Age Scotland helpline for advice or a friendly chat on 0800 12 44 222.

The most recent NHS advice on coronavirus can be found here.

GIVE BLOOD: Advice for donors

At the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, we take great care to minimise any risk of harm to donors or patients. This is why we place a number of restrictions on who can donate at any given time – and why these constraints can and do change over time.

Statements 11/03/2020 – Update on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Giving blood is an essential activity. We must ensure hospitals are well stocked with blood and blood products at this time.
We are open, and our sessions are going ahead as normal.
If this changes, we will let you know.

Please make an extra special effort to give blood over the coming days, weeks and months. If you are fit and well and have not been impacted by COVID-19, it’s important you come forward to donate.

Am I eligible to donate?

Currently, you must not donate if you fall into one of the following categories:

You have COVID-19
You are in self-isolation with symptoms of possible COVID-19
You are well but are in self-isolation because other household members have symptoms of possible COVID-19

If you have shown symptoms of COVID-19, you must not donate until at least 14 days after final symptoms ceased.

If you were self-isolating because other household members were sick, but you remained symptom free yourself, you must not donate until 14 days after your first day of self-isolation.

Edinburgh Leisure to close venues

Edinburgh Leisure will be closing all its venues and golf courses from close of play today (Thursday, 19 March). Community access to the 22 high schools that it manages on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council have also been suspended.

The news follows the announcement from First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon that schools will close from Friday, 20 March.

June Peebles, CEO of Edinburgh Leisure said: “These are unprecedented and challenging times for everyone and we are communicating this news to all our stakeholders which includes staff, customers, service providers, tenants, partners, suppliers and volunteers as soon as possible.

“Like so many others affected by this pandemic, it is worrying times for everyone including our staff. Edinburgh Leisure is a charity; and every penny we receive from memberships, lets, events and funding is reinvested back into our venues and funds the services that we provide – therefore shutting our venues and therefore freezing customers’ memberships has huge consequences for us and also the health of Edinburgh.

“Whilst our customers won’t be able to keep active with Edinburgh Leisure for the time being, we will be looking at offering advice to our customers on tips for keeping moving remotely and access to classes via ‘Les Mills on demand’ so that customers can workout at home. And providing advice from Public Health Scotland allows people to not require to totally self-isolate, there is also the option of going for a walk or run outside.

“We really hope that once the situation passes that customers will return to Edinburgh Leisure venues to keep active and stay active once again and to continue supporting us as they have done for the last 22 years.”

There is currently no indication as to how long the venues will remain closed – reopening will be guided by advice from the Government and Public Health Scotland.

Like every customer facing business, Edinburgh Leisure has been receiving a high volume of calls to their Customer Accounts and Customer Enquiries team, which has meant a delayed response.

An Edinburgh Leisure spokesperson said: “We have been receiving a really high level of enquiries over the last week from customers. We would urge customers to bear with us and we will be back in touch with customers directly about their memberships in the coming days.”

Coronavirus: Morrisons introduces new measures

Morrisons has set out a number of measures to support colleagues and customers during the Coronavirus outbreak.

As a British family business, Morrisons will do its bit during the emergency and today sets out a plan to protect and help colleagues and expand home delivery to many more households at a time of national need. In doing so, Morrisons will create an extra 3,500 jobs.

These measures follow on from Morrisons announcement last week that it would be implementing immediate payments for its smaller suppliers, supporting their cashflow during this very difficult time for the British economy.

The key elements of the plan announced yesterday are:

Colleague hardship fund – to support colleagues who are in financial difficulty as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak we will create a colleague hardship fund. Colleagues will be able to apply for funds if they experience a financial setback and are struggling to make ends meet.
Helping colleagues – Morrisons colleagues are very highly valued and the company is introducing the following measures if they are affected:
* Those who are sick with the Coronavirus will receive sick pay whether or not they would normally be eligible.
* Colleagues who are affected either because of self isolation, or by playing their part in looking after close family members or the vulnerable in their local community, will also be eligible for sick pay, alternative shifts or holiday.
Protecting colleagues – Morrisons will protect highly valued colleagues by:
* Asking customers at the checkout to pay, if possible, by card or smartphone to reduce cash handling.
* Issuing hand sanitiser to checkouts at all stores and significantly increasing cleaning on places that colleagues and customers touch.
* Redeploying colleagues who are vulnerable to the virus, where possible.
Expanding home delivery – Morrisons is to introduce new ways of delivering groceries and more slots for customers, which will also help vulnerable people and those affected by the virus. New measures include:
* Launching a new range of simple-to-order food parcels, including options for vegetarians, from March 23rd.
* Making more delivery slots available to customers both through Morrisons.com and the Morrisons Store on Amazon Prime Now. Morrisons will use 100 further stores to pick customers’ shopping over the coming weeks.
* Launching a customer call centre for orders to be taken over the phone so that people who do not shop online can still order food.
* To support the roll-out of these expanded home delivery methods, Morrisons will be recruiting around 2,500 pickers and drivers.
New Jobs – The outbreak of coronavirus will affect businesses across the UK and Morrisons will be offering jobs to people that are impacted. In addition to around 2,500 pickers and drivers to expand home delivery, Morrisons will be recruiting around 1,000 people to work in the company’s distribution centres. The vacancies will be advertised through a campaign on radio and social media and the Morrisons jobs website morrisons.jobs

David Potts, Chief Executive of Morrisons, said: “We expect the days, weeks and months ahead to be very testing and we are determined to do our bit.

“These measures will support our very hard-working colleagues, enable us to provide more food to more people in their homes and create opportunities for people whose jobs are affected by the coronavirus.”

NHS Scotland placed on emergency footing

Non-urgent elective care will be postponed in Scotland as part of NHS Scotland’s ongoing preparations for coronavirus (COVID-19).

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Health Secretary Freeman said that NHS Scotland would be moving to an emergency footing for at least the next three months, in order to be ready to face a substantial and sustained increase in coronavirus cases.

Ms Freeman said the decision to postpone all non-urgent elective care had been made to free up capacity in hospitals, while work to double Scotland’s intensive care capacity continues as NHS Boards retrain staff and repurpose existing facilities.

Ms Freeman said: “We have been clear from the outset about the challenges our health service will face in the weeks and months to come from coronavirus.

“While our NHS is prepared and has a proven track record of dealing with these types of outbreak, we want to free up capacity in our hospital settings, and ensure access to beds for those who need them.

“That’s why we have asked boards to start scaling down non-urgent elective operations from now until further notice.

“Vital cancer treatments, emergency, maternity, and urgent care will continue, and patients have our assurance that all appointments will be rescheduled as quickly as possible as we get through the challenge to our NHS that COVID-19 presents.

“While these are undoubtedly difficult times, we fully expect our NHS to ensure patients are treated in line with their clinical priority, and the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients has been a priority in all of our planning.”

The Health Secretary’s statement followed news that a second person who tested positive for coronavirus, an elderly patient with underlying health conditions, has died.

This follows the first death of a patient in Scotland with coronavirus, which was announced on Friday 13 March 2020.

This afternoon, First Minister @NicolaSturgeon gave a statement to the Scottish Parliament on the latest measures around coronavirus.

Find out the latest guidance ➡️ https://t.co/l7rqArB6Qu pic.twitter.com/9RTtms1dLr

— Scottish Government (@scotgov) March 17, 2020

Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood said: “I am very saddened to report that an elderly patient with underlying health conditions, who has tested positive for coronavirus, has died. The patient was being treated by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.

“I offer my deepest condolences to their friends and family at this difficult time. No further information will be available to protect patient confidentiality.”

Parliamentary Statement: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update to Scottish Parliament

Non-urgent elective activity includes procedures that are non-life threatening and can be postponed without a negative clinical impact, such as elective gallbladder and hernia surgery, non-trauma orthopaedic surgery such as hip and knee operations, and elective gynaecological operations.

Contingency planning for the supply of oxygen both in hospital and in the community is in place, and a further 450 new standard concentrators for use in the community have been ordered.

The Scottish Government is working closely with COSLA, Health and Social Care Partnerships and Chief Officers to see a reduction of delayed discharges of 400 by the end of March.
A national cancer treatment response group has been established to provide ongoing advice and support around cancer treatments, and ensure all appropriate measures are undertaken in the present situation to protect those living with cancer.
The NHS will directly contact people who are immunosuppressed next week and work closely with other social services to ensure they are supported.
Surveillance testing is being scaled up to monitor the spread of the virus in the community.
Monitoring will also continue through our laboratories and will be targeted on the following further groups:
1. admissions to hospital;
2. admissions to intensive care;
3. community testing dependent on circumstances, for example specific situations such as a nursing home outbreak.

Key workers such as frontline NHS staff will be tested to ensure they do not self-isolate unnecessarily.
In order to cope with rapid increase in numbers of people presenting with respiratory symptoms, patients will now be asked to contact via NHS 24 on the 111 number, rather than through their GPs.