ONLY 38% of Type 1 diabetics in NHS Lothian have aces to a Flash Glucose Monitor, compared to 51.8% across Scotland – and only a quarter of paediatric patients in NHS Lothian have access to a Flash Glucose Monitor compared with 35.5% across Scotland.
Commenting on the figures, Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: ““Diabetes patients in NHS Lothian are simply not getting the same level of treatment that they would be if they lived in other parts of Scotland.
“We know that this technology is really significant for a person’s quality of life and we need to improve access to Flash Glucose Monitors across the health board.
“Children in particular are not receiving the same level of care as they would get in other parts of Scotland.
“Years of underfunding of the health boards by SNP Minister has led to a position were NHS Lothian are cutting services that they do not want to cut.
“We need to see a review of the wording to treatment guarantees in Scotland.
“Flash Glucose Monitors count as equipment, rather than medicine, which mean that diabetes patients are not automatically entitled to the technology.”
£3.6 million investment as capacity increases by 57% to exceed targets
The Scottish Government is continuing to invest in Hospital at Home for Older People with £3.6 million allocated for 2024/25, bringing total funding allocation for the initiative to over £15 million since 2020.
Recent statistics released by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) show that last year the Hospital at Home service for Older People, which provides a safe, alternative to being admitted to an acute hospital, exceeded targets in several key areas between April 2023 and March 2024, including:
total bed numbers have increased by over 57%, ahead of the Scottish Government’s 50% target
14,467 patients used Hospital at Home, up from 11,686 in the previous 12-month period
the Hospital at Home service is now the eighth biggest “hospital” for older people emergency inpatients, alongside Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Stirling.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “These figures from HIS show that Hospital at Home is becoming an increasingly popular care alternative for elderly patients to receive acute treatment in a place they feel comfortable and familiar with.
“There are more Hospital at Home beds available and an increasing number of patients choosing to use the service.
“Hospital at Home gives people greater independence during their recovery process. Evidence shows that those benefitting from the service are more likely to avoid hospital or care home stays for up to six months after an acute illness.
“It is also one of a range of measures that we have put in place to tackle delayed discharge numbers and free up beds within our hospitals.”
Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of Improvement, Healthcare Improvement Scotland said: “This announcement of additional funding will continue to improve access to Hospital at Home services and make them more sustainable to the benefit of patients across Scotland.
“It’s heartening to see that Hospital at Home services prevented over 14,400 people spending time in hospital over the past year.
“Moreover, with our support we’ve witnessed more NHS boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships embracing Hospital at Home by establishing and developing services.
“We look forward to continuing to help services develop and share learning in the year ahead.”
Survivors of sepsis, along with those running in memory of loved ones, took part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival two weeks ago to support research into the number one cause of preventable death worldwide
Two weeks ago, Edinburgh Marathon Festival saw a total of 21 runners come together as they raced to raise money, and awareness, for Sepsis Research FEAT. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that is the result of the body’s extreme response to infection.
When it strikes, the body’s immune system overreacts and starts attacking not just the infection, but everything else around it including the body’s own tissues and organs.
Colin Graham, Chief Operating Officer of Sepsis Research FEAT, said: “Sepsis is not uncommon; people are just not as aware of it as they should be, partly because its symptoms can mimic other common conditions.
“It affects around 50,000 people across the UK, with approximately 50,000 people dying from sepsis every single year – that’s five people per hour.
“Out of those who survive, roughly 40-50% will be left with life-changing physical and psychological conditions.”
Colin added: “Worldwide, sepsis kills 11 million people every year, which is higher than cancer.
“The magnitude of the problem highlights the urgent need for funding. Sepsis is the number one cause of preventable death in the world, and to every runner who raised money for our charity over the weekend, we want to say a big thank you.”
Among the runners, who raised a total of £ 14,105 were sepsis survivors Erin Montgomery and Lori McIvor, along with Nadia Imbabi, Megan Kane and Alison McNeil who were running in memory of loved ones.
Erin Montgomery, who survived sepsis in 2023, said: “Today was for myself and anyone else who has battled sepsis. All the pain is worth it when the money raised is going to the charity Sepsis Research FEAT.”
Although the charity carries out invaluable work across the UK: funding research; raising awareness; supporting fundraisers and speaking with and sharing the stories of those with lived experience of sepsis, Scotland’s capital has always been close to the charity’s heart.
When living in Edinburgh, Sepsis Research FEAT’s founder and chair Craig Stobo developed sepsis, before losing both his wife Fiona and unborn daughter Isla to the immune response within a 36-hour period.
As a result, Colin Graham said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many individuals touched by sepsis come together in order to raise money and remember loved ones where it all began”.
To find out more information about sepsis, or get involved with Sepsis Research FEAT, please head to https://sepsisresearch.org.uk/
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Is open water swimming good for your heart?
Open water swimming is becoming increasingly popular with almost three million people taking part in the UK. But what is it?
Open water swimming takes place anywhere outdoors that isn’t a swimming pool. This includes lakes, rivers, lochs, seas and reservoirs, all places where there are no man-made sides or bottoms and no lane ropes for you to follow.
Swimming in general is one of the most common forms of physical activity and it is a great workout for your heart. But is open water swimming good for your heart too? Here we look at the benefits and risks of open water swimming and how to stay safe out there.
The benefits
Swimming in general is a great form of aerobic exercise that requires muscular strength and endurance. By adding in the challenges of the open waters varying conditions, it becomes a more intense workout that requires your heart to engage differently with each swim.
Open water swimming has been found to reduce your risk of heart disease through improvements in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and inflammation when practised regularly. It is also an effective weight management method that can help to reduce your body fat.
Due to the horizontal swimming position, your heart must pump blood against gravity, meaning it works harder to get oxygenated blood to your extremities. This means that your heart gets stronger and open water swimming can help improve your circulation.
Being outside in nature and open water can help to reduce stress, anxiety and improve your mood. Submerging your body in cold water can boost your dopamine levels and release endorphins. This has also been found to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system and so improve the quality of your sleep.
The risks
By submerging yourself into cold water, your blood vessels narrow, and your heart rhythm becomes disturbed. This can put your body into shock and can cause a cardiac arrest. Always try to submerge your body gradually and try to control your breathing.
If you swim in cold water for a prolonged period or are exposed to cold air, then you are at risk of hypothermia. Once you exit the water, your body temperature will continue to cool so make sure you get dry and changed as quickly as possible.
If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, then the increased work rate on your heart could be dangerous.
Make sure you check with your GP before taking part.
How to stay safe
Swimming in open water can be dangerous, especially if you are new to the sport or have an underlying health condition. Make sure you never swim on your own, always go with friends or join a group. This way you have people to look out for you, and you can enjoy the benefits of socialising.
Make sure you wear the correct equipment; this will help to keep you safe, warm, and visible. A brightly coloured swimming cap, goggles and wetsuit are essential.
The colder the water is, the less time you should spend in it. Make sure you spend the right amount of time in the water if you’re in it for too long you’re risking your health.
If you begin to feel unwell at all whilst you’re swimming, get out immediately, get warm and seek help.
Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill approved by Parliament
Protections for people who are in debt and experiencing mental health problems have been approved by the Scottish Parliament.
The Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill includes the power to bring in a pause on debt recovery action until six months after the person has finished treatment.
People may be eligible to apply for the mental health moratorium if:
they are receiving crisis mental health care
a mental health professional has confirmed that their debt is contributing to their mental illness or is hindering their recovery
Further detail of how the moratorium will work is included in separate regulations now before MSPs and will be subject to a public consultation.
The Bill also makes a number of technical changes to the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016, such as clarifying the time periods for appeals against decisions by the Accountant in Bankruptcy, the organisation responsible for overseeing bankruptcies. It also makes some minor changes to the law covering how debt recovery is carried out in Scotland.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said: “Mental health problems can have a significant impact on a person’s ability to manage their finances. This legislation will give them breathing space during which creditors cannot contact them, enabling them to complete their mental health treatment and access money advice services.
“There has been broad support for the mental health moratorium and we will continue to work with our partner organisations as we put the new system in place.”
Chief Executive of the Accountant in Bankruptcy, Richard Dennis, said: “It has been good to see those with an understanding of debt and those with an understanding of mental health crises coming together to design an approach that can offer hope to those facing both these concerns.”
Jo Anderson, Director of Influence and Change at SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), said: “The relationship between poor mental health and debt is well established: debt problems can lead to mental health problems, and mental health problems can result in debt.
“The passage of this Bill, which makes it possible to create a debt moratorium for people with mental health problems that prioritises mental health recovery over the recovery of debt, is really welcome.
“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and partners to ensure that a moratorium provides robust protections and is accessible to everyone that needs it.”
New figures show 137 children waiting more for a year for mental health treatment
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for the Scottish Government to renew its focus on tackling the child mental health emergency.
The SCSC has also warned that the Scottish Government is in in danger of missing its Programme for Government commitment to Increase direct investment into mental health by the end of the parliamentary term, noting that only 75p in every £100 is spent on specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
While health is a devolved matter, it has also noted that the General Election provides an ideal opportunity to talk about this crucial matter in Scotland.
The call comes as the latest waiting time figures from Public Health Scotland, published on 4th June, indicate that 137 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from CAMHS in the quarter ending March 2024.
The figures also show that a total of 5,557 children and young people were still stuck on waiting lists to start treatment at the end of that quarter.
In addition, just 86.0 per cent of patients with mental health problems were seen within 18 weeks from referral to treatment at CAMHS. This falls short of the Scottish Government’s waiting time target of 90 per cent being seen within 18 weeks.
This comes against the background of an increasing level of violent incidents in the classroom, a result in part due to the current mental health emergency, exacerbated by the long shadow of the Covid lockdown and cost-of-living crisis.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of poor mental health in children and young people were at unprecedented levels, with under-resourced services struggling to keep pace with growing demand, leaving an increasing number of vulnerable individuals unable to access support.
The Scottish Government in its NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 committed to Increase direct investment into mental health by the end of the parliamentary term in 2026, ensuring that 10 per cent of the frontline NHS budget is invested in mental health, with 1 per cent directed specifically to children and young people through CAMHS.2
However, it should be noted that despite greatly increased demand, only 0.75% of the total frontline NHS budget was spent on CAMHS in the 2022/23 financial year, amounting to £114.799 million (real terms), just 75p in every £100 of the NHS budget.
The mental health budget overall amounts to only 8.53% of total frontline NHS expenditure, a decrease of 0.59% from 9.12% in the past decade (2011/12).3
The SCSC is calling the Scottish Government to refocus on the treatment of mental health issues, prioritising spending and avoiding a potential lost generation of children and young people with mental health problems.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “The latest figures, highlighting that 137 children and young people have been waiting over a year for treatment from mental health services, is extremely alarming.
“We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels. Despite this, too many are waiting too long for treatment, and if the Scottish Government is to reach its financial commitment to spend 1 per cent of the frontline NHS budget on CAMHS, it will need to radically increase investment.
“While health is a devolved matter, this General Election provides an opportunity to talk about it, and we would urge the Scottish Government to refocus its efforts on delivering services that adequately address the needs of our children and young people.”
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is urging whoever forms the next Westminster Government to ensure the Scottish executive has sufficient funding for Emergency Medicine as the country’s A&E crisis continues.
The call comes after the latest Emergency Department (ED) performance data for Scotland was released today (4 June 2024).
Published by Public Health Scotland, the data shows that in April:
112,005 people visited a major Scottish ED (down 4.6% on March 2024)
64% of those people were treated, discharged or admitted within the target time of four hours
14,237 people waited more than eight hours (12.7%) and 6,412 (5.7%) patients had to endure waits of more than 12 hours
This represents the worst four-hour, eight-hour and 12-hour performance for any April since records began in 2011.
The number of patients who were unable to leave hospital despite being well enough to do so – which is a key contributor to overcrowding in Emergency Departments – was up 12% on the same month the previous year.
Dr John-Paul Loughrey, Royal College of Emergency Medicine Vice President for Scotland, said: “Extreme waits in A&Es are degrading and dehumanising and critically they are dangerous.
“We must not allow this vitally important message to be drowned out by the posturing and political coverage which naturally comes ahead of an election.
“The crisis in our departments continues and whoever forms the next Westminster Government must be pragmatic, proactive and provide adequate resources so the devolved governments including here in Scotland can really address this issue.
“It is nothing less than our members and their patients deserve.”
A graphic illustration of the data can be found here. The full data can be found here.
Male sexual abuse charity, We Are Survivors, has launched its brand new quarterly magazine, Beyond The Silence, with the help of the creator of the Netflix international smash hit Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd.
This is the first ever magazine from the organisation and has been created to ensure that space is created for the important discussion on male victims / survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation.
Magazine Editor, Grahame Robertson, said: “Whilst the newsletter format served us well, our organisational vision is for a society where NO male survivor is left behind and with such a bold vision, we need an equally bold way to get the UK talking.”
This first edition is packed full of the latest news from the sexual violence sector; the lowdown on the organisation’s two new digital campaigns that look at ChemSex and being the best survivor ally you can be; and even takes the reader on a tour of the amazing new community space.
But is the issues cover star that we’re most excited to present. For around a decade now, writer, comedian, actor and now creator of the biggest Netflix series – Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd has been an ambassador of the organisation and stood with us as a male survivor and in support of male survivors.
Talking exclusively in the magazine, Richard talks about the positive effect Baby Reindeer has had and why he is such a proud supporter of We Are Survivors.
In the interview, Richard describes how talking about using his lived experience as a survivor has been cathartic and how that conversation with the charity’s founder, Duncan Craig OBE, helped him see how vital the support for male survivors is from a first hand perspective.
Open day offers first-hand insight into home more akin to a lux hotel
FAMILIES are being given an opportunity to visit Scotland’s most upmarket care home as it opens its doors for the public to see its “luxury hotel” facilities.
Taking place on June 8th between 10am-2pm, Cramond Residence is set to host a family-friendly day featuring arts and crafts for kids, along with homemade baked goods, teas, and coffees.
The day aims to give those looking at care options a glimpse into the home’s world-class amenities including a private cinema, library, salon, and bespoke therapy areas.
It will also allow guests to find out more about the nurse-led care provision and expertise in supporting residents living with forms of dementia.
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager at Cramond Residence said: “This open day will be the perfect occasion for families to witness first-hand the comforting, homely atmosphere that we pride ourselves on.
“Our open days are always an enjoyable experience for both our team and those who come to see us.
“We have a fun-filled day planned with plenty of arts and crafts to entertain the kids. Meanwhile, adults can enjoy a cup of coffee and some delicious baked goods from our incredible kitchen team, while our specialist staff will be available to answer any questions you might have about our home.”
Set in a purpose-built facility that represents a £8m investment, Cramond Residence boasts small group living in nine distinct houses. Each house provides a nurturing environment where residents can socialise, dine, and engage in activities, contributing to a vibrant community life.
The residence not only offers a high staff-to-resident ratio but also features advanced dementia care within its general setting or in a specialised area tailored for those in more advanced stages of the condition.
Christian added: ” At Cramond Residence, residents can look forward to exceptional care in an environment designed for them to thrive during their golden years.
“Our fantastic lifestyle team constantly arranges wonderful activities, ensuring there’s always something to look forward to. The residence itself offers a warm, homely feel that provides comfort to those who stay with us.
“We’re excited to welcome guests into our home and address any questions they may have. Choosing a care home is a significant, life-altering decision, and our team is here to help ease any concerns, providing the information needed to make this important choice with peace of mind.”
Cramond Residence offers a wide range of activities tailored for dementia care, enhancing residents’ quality of life and providing relief and support through specialist facilities and trained staff.
Nursing staff are regularly forced to provide care to patients in chairs and corridors, compromising patient safety and dignity. RCN IS asking members to call it out and join their fight to eradicate the practice.
An RCN report reveals more than 1 in 3 (37%) nursing staff working in typical hospital settings delivered care in inappropriate settings, such as corridors, on their last shift. Our survey of almost 11,000 frontline nursing staff across the UK shows the extent to which corridor care has been normalised.
Patients are regularly treated on chairs in corridors for extended periods of time, sometimes days. We say that these instances must now be determined as ‘Never Events’ in NHS services, in the same way that having the wrong limb operated on or a foreign object being left inside a patients’ body already are.
We’re asking for mandatory national reporting of patients being cared for in corridors, to reveal the extent of hospital overcrowding, as part of a plan to eradicate the practice. We also need members to raise concerns when care in inappropriate settings takes place.
Of those forced to deliver care in inappropriate settings, over half (53%) say it left them without access to life-saving equipment including oxygen and suction. More than two-thirds (67%) said the care they delivered in public compromised patient privacy and dignity.
Thousands of nursing staff report how corridor care has become the norm in almost every corner of a typical hospital setting. Heavy patient flow and lack of capacity sees nursing staff left with no space to place patients. What would have been an emergency measure is now routine.
The report says corridor care is “a symptom of a system in crisis”, with patient demand in all settings, from primary to community and social care, outstripping workforce supply. The result is patients left unable to access care near their homes and instead being forced to turn to hospitals. Poor population health and a lack of investment in prevention is exacerbating the problem, the report says.
Professor Nicola Ranger, Acting RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, said: “This is a tragedy for our profession. Our once world-leading services are treating patients in car parks and store cupboards.
“The elderly are languishing on chairs for hours and patients are dying in corridors. The horror of this situation cannot be understated. It is a national emergency for patient safety and today we are raising the alarm.
“Treating patients in corridors used to be an exceptional circumstance. Now it is a regular occurrence and a symptom of a system in crisis.
“Patients shouldn’t have to end up at the doors of our emergency departments because they can’t get a GP appointment, a visit from a district nurse or a social care package. But that is the reality. Corridor care is a scourge in our hospitals, but we know the solution is to invest in our entire health and care system – and its nursing workforce.”
