We all need a little help from our friends sometimes.
Friendship is a crucial element in protecting our mental health. Our friends can help to keep us grounded, put things in perspective, and manage/navigate life’s challenges.
Talking to friends about your mental health, and supporting a friend with a mental health problem, can be difficult to do.
We have tips on how to start a conversation, offer support, and look after yourself – check them out here: http://bit.ly/3GVqjps
A new report from the Work and Pensions Committee has raised concerns that planned cuts to the health component of Universal Credit (UC health) will push disabled people into poverty despite the above inflation rise in the UC standard allowance.
In its Pathways to Work report, the Committee repeated calls to delay planned cuts in UC health reform until the full impact of the changes are better understood.
The Committee wrote to the Secretary of State in May calling for a pause of the planned reforms to UC health and Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and called for PIP policy to be co-produced with disabled people.
The Government subsequently dropped all the PIP proposals and agreed to co-produce a new PIP assessment process with disabled people and their organisations in a review led by Sir Stephen Timms.
However, under the planned reforms to UC health, from April 2026 although all existing claimants and new claimants with severe or terminal conditions will be protected, other claimants assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity will see their awards halved from £423.27 to £217.26.
This is part of the Government’s drive to get more people off welfare and into work, as described in their Pathways to Work Green Paper.
Although the intent to safeguard these people was welcomed, MPs on the Committee raised concerns that some conditions, particularly serious mental health conditions, might not be included under the severe condition criteria; this also applies to people with fluctuating conditions.
The Committee also asked the Secretary of State why an assessment of safeguarding risks had not been conducted before the Green Paper was published.
Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams said: “We welcome the concessions that the Government made to the UC and PIP Bill (now the UC Bill); but there are still issues with these welfare reforms not least with the cut in financial support that newly sick and disabled people will receive.
“The Government’s own analysis published in March indicates that from next April approximately 50,000 people who develop a health condition or become disabled – and those who live with them – will enter poverty by 2030 as a result of the reduction in support of the UC health premium.
“We recommend delaying the cuts to the UC-health premium, especially given that other policies that such as additional NHS capacity, or employment support, or changes in the labour market to support people to stay in work, have yet to materialise.
“We agree in a reformed and sustainable welfare system, but we must ensure that the wellbeing of those who come into contact with it is protected.
“The lesson learned from last month should be that the impact of policy changes to health-related benefits must be assessed prior to policy changes being implemented to avoid potential risks to claimants.”
Josie from Alness and her sister Adeline have a rare and serious genetic condition. Adeline had a stem cell transplant, and now the family are searching for a stem cell donor for Josie, so she can also have a second chance at life.
DKMS will be at the Bridge of Allan Games on 3 August and Black Isle show on 7 August adding people to the stem cell register
Josie Davidson is 6 and her older sister Adeline is 8. Sadly, the two sisters from Alness in Ross and Cromarty share a rare and life-threatening diagnosis.
Both girls were born with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS), a rare genetic disorder that poses serious health challenges, including bone marrow failure. Both girls were told that they would need a stem cell transplant from a stranger to give them the best possible chance.
Their mother, Steph, explains, “Our eldest daughter, Adeline, was diagnosed in February 2019, and it was a huge shock. At that time, I was also 6 months pregnant with twins.
“It took almost two years for Adeline to have her life-saving transplant, and at times, we thought it was never going to happen. We thought it was over until a new person popped up on the register as a match for Addie – that person gave her a new life.
“In that long wait, of course, the twins were born. At around 6 months old, I had a strong feeling that Josie had the same condition. I just thought, ‘We have to go through it all again.’
“At the moment, there is no match for Josie on the register, so we’re still searching. Because she is so fragile and her condition is so rare, it is so important that we find a perfect match for her.
“It’s a waiting game really – we either wait for that perfect match or we need to wait until she gets poorly, which we don’t want, so the more people on the register, the more likely it is that she’ll get her second chance too.”
Josie’s illness currently requires weekly appointments with many different medical professionals. But a perfect stem cell match could give Josie the chance to enjoy a carefree childhood with her twin brother, Jude, and older sister Adeline.
“Josie is a sweet, loving little girl, strong-willed but a free spirit,” explains Steph. “She loves dressing up, playing games, and doing crafts and activities – the messier, the better for Josie!
“She adores her big sister, and they sing and dance together daily. She doesn’t let her condition stop her. She just loves life and people.”
The family is working closely with blood cancer charity, DKMS, to encourage more people to join the stem cell register. Joining the DKMS stem cell register is a quick and easy process involving some mouth swabs, which takes just a few minutes.
There’s an urgent need for more people to sign up as every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer.
Anyone aged 17 – 55 years who is in general good health can register. Thousands of people have already joined the register in response to Josie and Adeline’s story, with some of them being called forward to give other patients a second chance at life. However, Josie is still waiting on her match.
The DKMS Scotland Volunteer Hub will be at the Bridge of Allan Games on 3 August and the Black Isle Show on 7 August and will be helping members of the public to join the stem cell register.
Chris Bain is a stem cell donor from Aberdeenshire and now leads the Scotland volunteer hub for DKMS. He says, “For patients like Josie, stem cell donors offer a crucial second chance.
“The fact that her sister is now doing so well shows the life-changing impact of the stem cell donor register, and having been through this process from the donor side, I know just how easy it is.
“Only a third of patients find a match in their family, so joining the register means that you could give someone more time with the people they love, and potentially save a life.
“We’ll be at the Bridge of Allan Games and the Black Isle Show signing people up to the register, so come say hello and get signed up! It just takes a few minutes – we’ll be there to answer any questions that you have”.
Things you didn’t know about blood cancer:
Every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer.
Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Every year, nearly 13,000 people die from blood cancer in the UK.
At any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant.
Parkinson’s UK has launched a new physical activity grants programme for marginalised communities across the UK to help more people living with the condition to get active.
The pilot grants programme will run from Monday2 June to Sunday 10 August 2025. It will run in conjunction with the charity’s established physical activity grants programme, which has been delivering funding of up to £3,000 for exercise professionals and local Parkinson’s groups since 2021.
In that time, more than £700,000 has been delivered and more than 200 physical activity projects have benefitted from the funding.
The grants for marginalised communities aim to deliver more innovative exercise, wellbeing and physical activity projects in targeted areas across the UK. They will also offer more opportunities for those in these communities to shape the future delivery and development of the Physical Activity Grants programme.
Funding of up to £3,000 is available for any of the following social groups affected by Parkinson’s:
Global majority (including all those who are previously categorised as ethnic minorities)
People with other disabilities, be it a physical, neurodiverse or hidden disability
People from a low socio-economic background
People from the LGBTQIA+ community
People from Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Migrant communities
Women
The following community groups and organisations that support the Parkinson’s community are also eligible to apply:
Community-based not for profit organisations (including charities, CICs, and constituted community groups, excluding Parkinson’s UK Local groups/branches)
Community Amateur Sports clubs (CASCs)
Community benefit societies and Co-operatives
Social Enterprises
Funding can be offered for exercise classes, consultation with the Parkinson’s community and towards engagement events.
Applicants will need to complete a brief project description and discuss their ideas with local Parkinson’s UK staff and area managers. Once they have spoken with a local Parkinson’s UK representative, applicants will be invited to complete an application form.
Selected locations across the UK are now eligible to receive funding if they work with Parkinson’s communities from marginalised groups.
Roma Hashim, Physical Activity Grants Manager at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We’re really excited about launching the Physical Activity Grants for Marginalised Communities pilot programme this year.
“The Physical Activity Grants Programme was established to support the Parkinson’s community and the leisure industry to develop and deliver opportunities to be active at a local and regional level.
“However, we’ve since recognised that there is an increasing number of people from marginalised communities getting a Parkinson’s diagnosis who have limited access to support groups or programmes.
“Every grant aims to support people with Parkinson’s from marginalised communities to engage in physical activity, to improve their wellbeing. Their insights will also help us understand their needs and shape the future development of exercise and physical activity from Parkinson’s UK.”
Scientists at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute have made a discovery which could help stop the spread of breast cancer – one of the leading causes of death from the disease.
The research, published in the journal Embo Reports, found there are key metabolic changes which occur in the body before the cancer spreads, offering a vital window to intervene.
Detecting these changes early could allow therapies to stop cancer cells being able to move around the body and grow tumours elsewhere.
The study was conducted in the labs of Professor Jim Norman and Professor Karen Blyth at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and the University of Glasgow.
Study lead Dr Cassie Clarke, of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and University of Glasgow, said:“This study represents a major shift in how we think about preventing the spread of breast cancer.
“By targeting these metabolic changes as early as possible we could stop the cancer progressing and save lives.”
With around 56,800 people diagnosed with breast cancer in United Kingdom each year * and around 11,300 people sadly losing their lives to the disease each year, finding new ways to tackle it is vital.**
Thanks to research, breast cancer has become a far more treatable disease, but once it spreads to other areas within the body it becomes harder to control effectively.
Understanding how and why breast cancer spreads is key to preventing the disease becoming unmanageable with current therapies.
Cancer Research UK’s Director of Research, Dr Catherine Elliott, said: “Discoveries in cancer research have made huge strides in making breast cancer a far more treatable disease than ever before.
“However, metastasis – when cancer spreads – is a major factor in breast cancer becoming harder to treat especially if the cancer returns months or even many years later.
“This discovery gives us new hope for detecting and stopping metastasis early and ensuring people have many more years with their families and loved ones.”
This new study focused on how breast cancer changes the immune system so it can’t tackle cancer cells as they begin their spread.
The researchers found that cancer changes the metabolism (the way cells make and use energy) of specific immune cells, resulting in them releasing a prominent metabolite called uracil.
Uracil is a molecule key to essential processes in the body which was found to help distant organs build a “scaffold” to grow secondary tumours elsewhere in the body.
By blocking an enzyme called uridine phosphorylase-1 (UPP1), which produces uracil, the scientists were able to stop this scaffold forming in mice and restore the ability of the immune system to kill secondary cancer cells to prevent metastasis.
This opens the door to new potentially powerful new tools to tackle cancer – detecting uracil in the blood could help spot early signs of cancer spread then blocking UPP1 with drugs could stop the spread before it starts.
The research was funded by Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, Breast Cancer Now and Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, said:“This is an exciting piece of joint research that expands our understanding of how secondary breast cancer develops.
“The researchers discovered that high levels of a protein called UPP1 may make some cancers, including breast cancer, more likely to spread to other parts of the body, where the disease becomes incurable.
“In mice, targeting the UPP1 protein before secondary breast cancer developed led to fewer secondary breast tumours and a boosted immune response in the lungs.
“Now we need more research to see if this new insight can be turned into new drugs that stop secondary breast cancer, and potentially other secondary cancers, in their tracks. With around 61,000 people living with secondary breast cancer in the UK, research like this is vital.”
The team are now further investigating exactly how UPP1 changes the behaviour of immune cells, exploring the role of immune cell metabolism in early breast cancer initiation, and testing the ability of drugs that block immune cell metabolism to prevent cancer occurring.
Residents from Strachan House care home in Blackhall, Edinburgh, were delighted to visit Ratho Canal for an afternoon with The Seagull Trust Cruises.
Residents were able to engage in some nature spotting and enjoy a brief history of the canal, including its bridges and famous aqueduct. Residents were able to spend the day cruising along the canal, and enjoyed an incredible afternoon tea provided by the home’s hospitality team.
Fran Fisher, General Manager of Strachan House, said: “Our residents have enjoyed their day out on the water.
“Trips out in the homes’ mini bus are a regular event for the residents, and we always ask for ideas on where they would best like to go. The day was so much fun. Residents were delighted to see such a diverse range of wildlife. ”
Strachan House Care Home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential, nursing and dementia care for short and long-term stays.
Proposed cuts by the EIJB would effectively end community mental health support in the city. This cannot happen.
We know that early intervention and prevention is key to better outcomes. Removing this funding just wouldn’t make sense: meaning more expensive support and longer waiting times elsewhere.
Stafford Centre and other community mental health services are vital for Edinburgh.
Sign the petition and urge the EIJB to stop these cuts:
Confused about where to go when you or a loved one needs medical help?
It can be tricky to know where to get advice when you are ill or in pain, and choosing the wrong service can mean longer waits, more stress, and extra pressure on our NHS.
Our #RightCareRightPlace guide can help you make the right choice, quickly, safely and as close to home as possible.
Tracy Gilbert MP has condemned the SNP Government over damning figures showing years long waits for vital gynaecological treatment, with NHS Lothian among the health boards failing women across Scotland.
New data obtained by Scottish Labour reveals that, despite repeated promises to prioritise women’s health, the average wait for inpatient gynaecology treatment in NHS Lothian has barely improved, in fact, it has fallen by just 12% since 2019/20, even as demand has surged.
Tracy Gilbert MP said: “This data shows a staggering failure of leadership from the SNP. Women in Lothian are being forced to wait far too long for care, often in pain, often in silence, while the Government spins promises that never materialise.A 12% decrease over five years is not progress: it’s complacency. Women deserve better.
“They deserve a health system that works for them, not against them. Scottish Labour will tackle waiting times head-on, because women’s health can’t wait.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is urging people to mark International Self-Care Day by thinking carefully about how they can take care of their own health and wellbeing.
Self-care is anything we do to keep ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually healthy. It could be something as simple as taking a walk, eating healthily or spending time with friends.
International Self-Care Day is observed every year on the 24th of July to underscore the role of self-care as a “24/7” consideration in preventing illness, managing chronic conditions, improving mental health, and helping to support the NHS.
Beatrix Von Wissmann, Consultant in Public Health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Self-care is one of the simplest and most effective ways people can help themselves while also supporting the NHS.
“We often view self-care as a ‘luxury’ and it’s usually the first thing to go when our life or work gets busy, demanding and challenging. However, if we don’t practice and prioritise self-care, we risk our well-being and invite burnout.
“Being active, having a healthy diet and planning ahead are all small steps that can make a huge difference.”
Here are a few simple ways to take care of yourself, and support the NHS:
Get active: Do what works for you. A gentle walk, wheel or some exercise can get you out in nature and fresh air, simple steps that are proven to lift your spirits and boost your physical health.
Eat a balanced diet: Healthy eating is essential for maintaining overall wellbeing. You can find advice here.
Find support: Our dedicated mental health app can help you recognise and manage triggers, be aware of your symptoms, and discover tips for managing your mental health and wellbeing, including sleep, breathing exercises, eating healthy food or starting a new routine.
Quit smoking: You can get support to stop smoking through the Quit Your Way service.
Get the right help when you need it: Getting the right help, from the right place, at the right time is one of the best things we can all do to look after ourselves and to help ease the pressure on the NHS. By doing this, people help us to prioritise care for the most urgent and life-threatening cases, while also being more convenient and simpler for you. Every community pharmacy in Scotland provides the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service, which offers advice, support and treatment for a range of minor ailments from coughs and colds to earache and heartburn. Anyone can walk in and be seen by a qualified member of the pharmacy team, with no appointment necessary.
Get ready: Here are some common treatments and can be useful to have to hand to treat minor symptoms. If you are unsure about symptoms or have concerns or questions about taking any treatment, please speak to your local community pharmacist:
Painkillers – paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets for headaches, pain or fever.
Antiseptic cream – to help clean minor cuts and abrasions.
Plasters and bandages – having a small selection to hand will help with a range of cuts and scrapes.
Antihistamines – to treat mild allergic reactions and hay fever.
Practice good hand hygiene to stop the spread of infection.
Choosing self-care where appropriate helps to support a sustainable NHS for everyone. For further information about prioritising self-care, you can download more tips here.
For urgent conditions which are not life-threatening, we would ask people to contact NHS 24 on 111. They will ensure you are referred to the most appropriate service for your condition, which could include a Minor Injuries Unit or our Virtual A&E.
Help is also available in the community, with GPs, pharmacies, dentists and opticians providing a range of services. Accessing the right care is as easy as ABC:
Ask yourself: Do I need to go out? For information on keeping yourself well and treating minor illnesses and injuries from home, go to NHS Inform or download the NHS24 app.
Be aware: There is help right on your doorstep. Your local GP, pharmacy, dentist, or optician offer a range of services.
Call 111: If it’s urgent, or you’re not sure, call NHS24 on 111. They’ll make sure you get the help you need.
Please remember, if you think your condition or injury is very urgent or life-threatening, you should call 999 or go to A&E immediately.
For more information on accessing the care you need, please go to:
