Tag: Health and wellbeing

World Cancer Day is chance for NHS to be ‘United by Unique’ innovation for more people-centred care

World Cancer Day is an opportunity to inspire Scotland’s diverse healthcare innovators to unite for patient equity in the fight against the country’s leading cause of death, says an NHS partner.

Taking place today on Saturday 4 February, the theme of World Cancer Day 2025 is ‘United by Unique’ with organisers, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), believing that the day’s focus on a people-centred, tailored approach to cancer care is a vital one.

With around 16,000 people in Scotland dying from cancer every year, UICC say that everyone’s experience of it is unique and are encouraging the sharing of personal stories and help in shaping the call to action. 

Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health insists that health service innovators must also be ‘United by Unique’ in putting forward their ideas to improve cancer care, highlighting the diverse skillsets that the country’s workforce can draw on in finding new ways to identify and treat cancer.

Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson said: “The World Cancer Day 2025 campaign explores different dimensions of people-centred cancer care and new ways of making a difference. That represents real opportunity for positive change.

“Healthcare innovators here in Scotland can reach out, answer that call with their unique perspectives, and make real progress in reducing the global impact of cancer, in turn helping to realise equity of access to innovative treatments.

“It is paramount that NHS Scotland patients get the care they need, and innovation holds the potential to offer more equal access to new treatments and technologies, while empowering patients to actively participate in the decision-making process.

“Scotland is also uniquely placed to contribute to such patient-centred, innovation-driven endeavours by bringing together the NHS, industry, and academia thanks to its history of effective collaboration, and lack of geographical barriers.”

UICC is dedicated to taking a lead in uniting the cancer community to reduce the disease’s global burden and integrating cancer control into the world health and development agenda.

World Cancer Day 2025 is the start of a three-year journey – from raising awareness to taking action, according to UICC.

Mr Watson added: “This important date will be marked by hundreds of events happening across the globe, all envisioning a future for cancer care where the needs of people and communities come first.

“The World Cancer Day ethos of ‘United by Unique’ is something that touches us all – and it can be a meaningful call to action for NHS Scotland innovators who can feel inspired in the knowledge that their unique thinking is more welcome than ever in tackling challenges.

“This includes sustaining the significant progress made in the fight against cancer in recent years.

“InnoScot Health believes that fresh ideas have the power to significantly improve health and social care, while supporting an ambitious, forward-thinking NHS.”

On World Cancer Day, InnoScot Health is encouraging healthcare staff to make a difference to NHS Scotland by submitting new ideas with innovative potential.

Incredible, life-changing projects are already underway across the country, including artificial intelligence (AI) being leveraged for the development of a 25-minute skin cancer diagnosis test, analysis of chest X-rays in near real time, and a new screening method that combines laser analysis with AI to identify patients in the earlier stage of breast cancer.

It is all part of collective efforts to use technology to drive forward cancer diagnosis, treatment and care with Scotland’s Chief Scientist for Health Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak recently highlighting that AI innovation in cancer was continuing to develop apace in Scotland.

She commented: “These programmes are developing and progressing and will be perhaps gaining momentum as we go forward.”

JRF report shows ‘shockingly high’ number of children in poverty living in working families, says TUC

The latest Joseph Rountree Foundation (2025) UK Poverty 2025 Report clearly shows that work doesn’t protect families from poverty.  

In particular, the report highlights the “shockingly high” number of children living in poverty in working families:   

  • 50% of children in families where at least one adult is (but not all adults are) in work live in poverty.  

Working-age adults are also impacted: 

  • Two-thirds (68%) of working-age adults living in poverty are in a household where at least one adult works.  

Responding to these figures, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Every worker deserves to earn a decent living. But many working households are struggling to keep their heads above water.  

“This is unacceptable. Working people should be able to put food on the table for their families and keep their children warm during the winter.   

“After 14 years of Tory chaos and stagnation, we urgently need to boost living standards.   

“That’s why this government’s Make Work Pay agenda is so crucial for millions of families up and down the country. 

“More money in working people’s pockets means more spend on our high streets – that’s good for workers and good for local economies.  

“And the Employment Rights Bill will mean more good and secure jobs – boosting productivity for businesses and giving workers more control over their lives and better chances to progress.  

“Better work is crucial for ending child poverty, but decent social security matters too. The Government must remove the two-child benefit cap which is keeping too many children in working households in poverty.” 

jrf-uk-poverty-report-25Download

UK Poverty Report 2025: RoSPA highlights increased accident risk for lowest-income Britons

  • Out of four nations only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029 – JRF
  • Deprivation increases both the likelihood and severity of accidents – RoSPA
  • A joined-up approach is needed to address uneven level of accidents among deprived Britons

Following the release of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is urging the UK government to adopt comprehensive strategies to tackle child poverty and preventable accidents.

Released this week, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s UK Poverty 2025 Report reveals that without significant investment in social security, the UK government will not ease child poverty by the end of this Parliament. It also highlights that child poverty rates are significantly higher in England (30 per cent) and Wales (29 per cent) compared to Scotland (24 per cent) and Northern Ireland (23 per cent).

It emphasises the critical role of specific welfare policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment, in reducing poverty, with Scotland projected to see a decrease in child poverty rates by 2029. The report calls for targeted policy interventions to address these disparities and improve living standards across the UK.

The release follows the recent publication of RoSPA’s ‘Safer Lives, Stronger Nation’ campaign which showed that accidental deaths in the UK have reached an all-time high, with rates increasing by 42% over the last decade.

Accidents are now the second biggest killer of people under 40. In England alone, accident-related hospital admissions for serious injuries have risen by 48% in the past twenty years, hospitalising over 700,000 people annually.

The economic cost of preventable accidents is staggering, amounting to £12 billion every year due to lost working days and NHS medical care.

Dr. James Broun, Research Manager at RoSPA and author of ‘Safer Lives, Stronger Nation’, said: “Our major review of UK accident data has already uncovered the full scale and true cost of accidents for the very first time.

“We found that deprivation significantly increases both the likelihood and severity of accidents, compounding existing inequalities and creating a vicious cycle of disadvantage.

“This is why we are alarmed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s findings and support their call for Government action to reduce child poverty, while we reiterate our own call for a national accident prevention strategy to help further reduce economic and health inequalities.”

UK Child Poverty Report 2025

The JRF’s latest UK Poverty shows that under current projections, only Scotland will see a reduction in child poverty rates by 2029, largely due to Scotland-specific welfare policies.

Key findings include:

  • Child poverty rates in Scotland are projected to fall, while rates in England and Wales remain high.
  • If the rest of the UK matched Scotland’s reduction in child poverty, 800,000 fewer children would be in poverty.
  • Specific welfare policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment, are crucial in reducing child poverty.

 Deprivation and accident risk

RoSPA notes that deprivation is often linked to an increased risk of accidents. Factors such as unsafe housing, proximity to busy roads, and hazardous work conditions contribute to this risk. Moreover, economic deprivation is associated with health inequalities, which can exacerbate the severity of injuries from accidents.

Key points include:

  • Deprivation increases both the likelihood and severity of accidents.
  • Health inequalities linked to economic deprivation can compound injury severity.
  • Accidents can further entrench material inequalities by disrupting education and employment, creating a vicious cycle of disadvantage.

A Call for a National Accident Prevention Strategy

RoSPA calls for a National Accident Prevention Strategy to address these issues comprehensively. Such a strategy would focus on improving housing safety, reducing road traffic risks, and ensuring safer working conditions, particularly for those in hazardous jobs.

The Need for Government Action

Both JRF and RoSPA stress the urgency of government intervention. A credible child poverty strategy must include policies that rebuild the social security system, while a national accident prevention strategy is essential to reduce preventable injuries and deaths.

By linking these strategies, the UK can create a more holistic approach to improving public health and social welfare, ensuring that both poverty and preventable accidents are addressed through comprehensive, targeted policies.

Acas publishes new advice to raise awareness of neurodiversity at work

Workplace expert, Acas, has published new advice on neurodiversity to help employers create inclusive organisations and raise awareness at work.

Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how people’s brains behave and process information. Some well-known types of neurodiversity include ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia:

  • ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and affects people’s behaviour;
  • Autism is sometimes called a spectrum condition and affects how people communicate and interact with the world;
  • Dyslexia mostly affects reading and writing skills and is sometimes referred to as a learning difficulty; and
  • Dyspraxia affects movement and co-ordination

A lot of neurodivergent people do not see themselves as disabled but will often be considered as having a disability under the Equality Act.

Acas Head of Inclusive Workplaces, Julie Dennis, said: “Employees may not want to tell people that they are neurodiverse or may mask their condition due to concerns about a negative reaction at work.

“Bosses also need be aware that the strengths and challenges that come with a neurodiverse condition may not be the same for everyone.

“Our new advice has tips for employers on how to raise awareness, be inclusive, sensitive and stay within the law when managing neurodiversity at work.”

The Equality Act gives disabled employees protection against discrimination and the right to reasonable adjustments at work. A reasonable adjustment is a change that an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone’s disability.

Acas ran its own poll on neurodiversity with 1650 line managers in November last year. It asked about the barriers to making a reasonable adjustment for neurodiverse employees. The barriers identified by respondents included:

  • Over seven out of ten (72%) said employees not disclosing the need for a reasonable adjustment;
  • Lack of organisational knowledge about neurodiversity was reported by 45%; and
  • 39% said it was due to line managers finding it difficult to have the conversation.

Acas advice is that employers should make their organisation more inclusive so that staff feel comfortable sharing and talking about neurodiversity.

Raising awareness can help normalise it, which can help ensure employees get the support they need. Being inclusive can help:

  • improve staff wellbeing;
  • reduce absence levels and employee turnover;
  • attract employees with a wider range of skills and experience; and
  • reduce the risk of disputes and legal claims on discrimination.

Acas has some top tips for employers on raising awareness of neurodiversity at work such as:

  • include it in their organisation’s mandatory training;
  • run awareness days and campaigns;
  • encourage senior employees to act as role models;
  • set up a staff network for neurodiversity; and
  • cover the topic in induction materials.

Acas’s full advice has information about various different types of neurodiversity, their common traits, how the Equality Act 2010 applies to neurodiverse employees, how to support people, raise awareness and approach it sensitively at work: 

www.acas.org.uk/neurodiversity

Breathing Space: Learn to Listen

With Breathing Space Day coming up on the 1st of February, we are calling on everyone to ‘learn to listen’ and support each other’s mental health. 💙

Here are some tips to practice your active listening skills:

🔹 Be attentive: Eliminate distractions, maintain eye contact, and show genuine interest.

🔹Listen without judgement: Create a safe space for open sharing without criticism.

🔹 Reflect and clarify: Repeat and ask questions to ensure understanding.

🔹 Validate feelings: Acknowledge emotions and experiences with empathy.

🔹 Use non-verbal cues: Nod, smile, and use open body language to show attentiveness.

🔹 Be patient and allow for silence: Let the speaker express themselves fully without rushing.

🔹 Ask open-ended questions: Encourage deeper conversation with thoughtful questions.

🔹 Offer support, not solutions: Sometimes just listening is the best support you can offer.

If reaching out to someone you trust feels overwhelming, remember Breathing Space is also available to provide a listening ear. More information in the comments!

#BreathingSpace

#BreathingSpaceDay

#LearnToListen

#YouMatterWeCare

#MentalHealth

#ActiveListening

#MentalWellbeing

Drylaw Litterpick Walk

MONDAY 3rd FEBRUARY from 10am – 12pm

Exciting news!

We have loads of new kit from Sustrans’ Love Your Neighbourhood project. Litterpickers, hoops, wipes, gloves, and best of all – trolleys!

FEBRUARY LITTERPICK WALK

Time: Monday Feb 3rd 10-12pm

Location: Drylaw Neighborhood Centre 67b Groathill Rd North

Fitness level: Easy

Led by: Cecile and Natalie

Edinburgh shoppers show that healthy eating is more than a New Year’s resolution

Shoppers in Edinburgh are eating healthily to live healthily, according to the latest data from Tesco.

The supermarket giant has revealed the top 20 items bought by customers across the region, with a variety of fruit, veg and milk being the main favourites.

Included in the top 10 items bought by shoppers in Edinburgh are milk, bananas, red peppers and avocados.

Tesco’s figures coincide with its recently published Clubcard Unpacked review, which analyses the shopping habits of its Clubcard users.

It shows the strong preference for fresh, locally sourced items among Edinburgh’s residents.

Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health and Sustainable Diet Campaigns, said: “The trend in what people in Edinburgh are buying most of at our stores has taken more of a turn towards the healthy option.

“Nutrition has become important for customers, with the majority of them putting an emphasis on good-quality fruit and vegetables.

“A lot of this is down to people having an enthusiasm for home-cooked meals and for experimenting with what they prepare in the kitchen.”

Also included in the top 20 items bought by shoppers in Edinburgh are red grapes, raspberries, blueberries and free range eggs.

Oonagh added: “We’re all aware that eating a healthy diet can help to reduce our risk of developing coronary heart disease and stop us from gaining too much weight.

“That’s why we at Tesco are always keen to promote the understanding that having a balance of different foods to provide all the nutrients your body needs is key when it comes to healthy living.”

The top 20 items bought at Tesco stores in Edinburgh are:

  • Tesco British Semi Skimmed Milk 2.272L, 4 Pints
  • Banana Each (C)
  • Tesco Whole Cucumber Each
  • Tesco British Whole Milk 2.272L, 4 Pints
  • Tesco British Semi Skimmed Milk 1.13L, 2 Pints
  • Tesco Red Peppers Each
  • Tesco Broccoli 375G
  • Tesco Bunched Spring Onions 100G
  • Tesco Large Free Range Eggs 6 Pack
  • Tesco Ready To Eat Large Avocados Each
  • Tesco Medium Free Range Eggs 6 Pack
  • Tesco Ripe Bananas 5 Pack
  • Tesco Red Seedless Grapes 500G
  • Tesco Clementine Or Sweet Easy Peeler Pack 600G
  • Tesco Raspberries 150G
  • Tesco Sweet Vine Ripened Tomatoes 255G
  • Tesco Small Bananas 6 Pack
  • Tesco Lemons Each
  • Tesco Strawberries 400G
  • Tesco Blueberries 150G

First Minister sets out major increase in NHS capacity

‘Protecting, strengthening and renewing the NHS’

People across Scotland will have better access to NHS treatment through increased capacity, expanded primary care services, enhanced use of digital innovations and a range of other measures, First Minister John Swinney announced yesterday.

Speaking to representatives from across the health and social care sector, the First Minister set out action to drive down waiting times and reduce pressure on frontline services.

The First Minister was joined by Health Secretary Neil Gray and announced a range of actions including:

  • A substantial increase in capacity, with 150,000 additional appointments and procedures per year
  • Increased investment in primary care, making it easier for people to get appointments with their GP
  • Improved use of data and new digital innovations including the roll-out of a Scottish health and social care app – a ‘Digital Front Door’ to the NHS for patients

The First Minister said: “Protecting, strengthening, renewing our National Health Service – that is a goal I think we can all get behind. A real focus of common purpose.

“That requires action from me, as First Minister, from my Health Secretary Neil Gray, and from my Government. We can offer the leadership and direction – as the measures outlined today seek to do.

“So, today, we commit to a substantial increase in capacity in order to significantly reduce people’s waits.

“Our plan will ensure that a greater proportion of new NHS funding goes to primary and community care. GPs and services in the community will have the resources they need to play a greater role in our health system.

“This increased investment will result in GP services that are easier for people to access. That is important in terms of people’s confidence in the health service – but equally, it will make it more likely that health issues are picked up quickly and dealt with earlier.

“Our National Health Service is there when we need it. No other public institution supports us with so much care through life’s biggest moments. We must support it in return.

“The approach I set out today charts our course to do that. It addresses both the challenges and the opportunities. It sets the NHS on a path of modernisation and renewal.”

Improving Public Services and NHS Renewal – First Minister’s speech – gov.scot