How is your emotional health? 
It’s important to understand and manage our emotions, so we can feel good within ourselves and our relationships. 
Managing our emotions is a skill – and it’s never too late to learn new techniques.
Read our 9 top tips: https://tinyurl.com/yn7rvykn
Charity Starlight highlights the need for play to reduce healthcare-induced trauma
Only one in four (25%) health boards in Scotland report having budgets for essential mental health play services for seriously ill children, according to a freedom of information request carried out by Starlight, the national charity for children’s play in healthcare.
Areas with the most children living in areas of highest deprivation tended to have less or no resourcing. As noted in Starlight’s recent report2, these children are most at risk of trauma.
Cathy Gilman, chief executive of Starlight said: “Play services, which include evidence-based activities, games and toys, are one of the most effective ways to reduce trauma in children undergoing healthcare treatment.
“It can explain complex procedures in child-friendly ways, distract children from pain and help professionals do their jobs by reducing children’s stress.
“The lack of budget for this vital support in Scotland is as shocking as it is sad, with so many children facing incredibly harrowing circumstances without support.”
Starlight’s research also revealed that even those trusts with budget for play services did not extend support to evenings and weekends – quiet periods that can be hardest of all for children to face.
Claire’s daughter Lucy, 12, has had a rare condition affecting her oesophagus and trachea since birth. Claire said: “We live two hours away from Aberdeen and Lucy’s dad is in the RAF, so it’s hard for him and Lucy’s two siblings to visit when we are staying there, and other family are five hours away.
“This means it’s usually just me there, so having the play workers in hospital organising fun things to do, for example face painting and having visits from exotic animals, means that Lucy can have some fun, and I can do things such as have a shower, and not have to worry about her being alone in hospital, as I know she is with the play workers and having fun.”
Heather Beattie, play service manager at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, said: “I genuinely believe that a paediatric hospital couldn’t function properly without a solid, well-trained play team.
“Play is such a vital component of creating a positive experience for both the child and their family and is an inseparable part of their treatment journey.
“You can’t separate children from play, it’s inherent to who they are. But it’s crucial that this play is appropriate and provided by trained professionals who understand the unique needs of these young patients.”
In October 2024, Heather’s team won Play Team of the Year award at Starlight’s annual Play in Healthcare Awards.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and NHS Fife, regarding access to single-sex changing facilities for NHS staff.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “As Britain’s equality regulator, we promote and enforce compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
“Health bodies in Scotland, England and Wales must have an accurate understanding of the operation of the Equality Act as it relates to the provision of single-sex services and spaces.
“Today we reminded NHS Fife of their obligation to protect individuals from discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, including sex, religion or belief and gender reassignment.
“Under the Public Sector Equality Duty, all Scottish health boards must assess how their policies and practices affect people with protected characteristics. We have requested that NHS Fife provide us with a copy of any equality impact assessment relating to the provision of changing facilities for staff; any information relevant to how such policies have been kept under review; and any details on steps taken to ensure that the rights of different groups are balanced in the application of these policies.
“We also highlighted that the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that changing facilities will not be suitable “unless they include separate facilities for, or separate use of facilities by, men and women where necessary for reasons of propriety”.
The Health and Safety Executive have an Approved Code of Practice and guidance that NHS Boards can refer to.
“This week media reported on NHS Scotland’s forthcoming Guide to Transitioning, which the Scottish Government confirmed has been shared with health boards in preparation for its implementation. It is important that this guide, and all guidance, policies and practices which rely on it, faithfully reflect and comply with the Equality Act 2010.
“We have asked to meet with the Cabinet Secretary to discuss the Scottish Government’s role in ensuring that NHS Scotland and other bodies meet their legal obligations under the Equality Act.”
NHS Scotland’s new ‘Digital Front Door’ app must inspire the charge to further interconnected innovation, a formal health service partner insists.
NHS Lanarkshire has been chosen to pilot the platform which is aimed primarily at giving patients more access to, and control over, their own care, as well as the ability to interact with a range of different services, while cutting waiting times across Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney recently pledged to fully launch the National Digital Front Door – which will include access to health and social care data – later this year.
Outlining government plans for NHS renewal, he called the app “a much-needed addition to improve patients’ interaction with the NHS”.
He added: “Over time, it will become an ever more central, ever more important access and managing point for care in Scotland.”
Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health believes that a digital first approach to care is exactly what is required for a modern, interactive health service which empowers patients while reducing the need for travel and in-person appointments – with vast potential to go further.
Executive Chair Graham Watson said: “The Digital Front Door app is set to be a very welcome addition and is a natural step towards patient-centred empowerment that reduces health service pressures.
“It can also be a springboard to so much more, acting as a central tenet of NHS Scotland’s digital innovation ambitions, helping to inspire fresh, interlinked workforce-led ideas which aim for greater efficiency, better use of resource, and improved patient outcomes.
“I believe the potential is huge with the Digital Front Door complementing the integration of a wide spectrum of new technologies across NHS Scotland– from artificial intelligence to telemedicine advances, virtual reality and robotics.”
The app announcement formed part of the First Minister’s speech on the overall renewal of the NHS, including assurances that increased use of digital solutions and technology would improve capacity, and delivery for health and social care services.
Mr Watson insists that the Digital Front Door can be immediately transformative for Scotland’s patients. “The app holds the promise of much-needed support in areas such as digital dermatology, mental health, and the management of long-term conditions, to name just a few examples of how it can work flexibly around daily demands,” he said.
“I am in no doubt that the ability for people to access their health information online and manage their data, alongside options for interacting with services, and receiving notifications will be life-changing for the people of Scotland.
“The NHS Lanarkshire pilot is a very positive development prior to wider rollout for an ambitious, digital first health service.”
Professor Jann Gardner, former NHS Lanarkshire Chief Executive, welcomed the opportunity to trial the app. She said: “This launch is an exciting step forward, broadening patient access to care and giving people greater control over their healthcare journey.”
The NHS Scotland Event to be held on 9 June in Glasgow will explore work being taken forward on ‘Delivering a stronger digital first approach to all our health and social care services – improving access to services through innovation and technology’.
Cancer death rates are around 80% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived, a new report from Cancer Research UK reveals.
The report, titled Cancer in the UK 2025: Socioeconomic Deprivation, found that there are around 4,300 extra cancer deaths in Scotland each year linked to socioeconomic inequality. This equates to 12 additional deaths each day – around a quarter of all deaths from cancer.
Almost half of these additional deaths are caused by lung cancer, where the death rate for the most deprived areas is almost three and a half times that of the least deprived areas of Scotland.
More than a tenth of all cancer diagnoses in Scotland are linked to deprivation. Many of these cases are caused by preventable risk factors such as smoking.
Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in Scotland, and rates in the most deprived parts of the country are more than four times those in the least deprived.
In publishing the report, Cancer Research UK is calling for urgent action to tackle these stark inequalities.
One vital opportunity to do so is the upcoming vote in Scotland for new legislation which will see an increase in the age of sale of tobacco.
If MSPs vote for the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it would become illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1st January 2009.
This vote will pave the way for the Bill to become law in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK.
Dr Sorcha Hume, Cancer Research UK’s public affairs manager in Scotland, said: “Where you live shouldn’t increase your risk of dying from this devastating disease. These figures are shocking and unacceptable and crucially many of these cancer deaths are avoidable.
“With almost half of the additional deaths being caused by lung cancer, it’s clear that action on smoking is needed urgently.
“Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, a disease that is often diagnosed late when treatment options are more limited.
“One of the ways we can prevent lung cancer is to deter people from ever taking up smoking in the first place.
“If MSPs vote in support of the age of sale legislation in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it could be one of the most impactful public health interventions in living memory, helping people to live longer, better lives, no matter where they live in Scotland.”
Introducing a lung cancer screening programme in Scotland would also help address these inequalities.
The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that all UK nations move towards implementing a national lung cancer screening programme to target those considered to be of high risk of developing lung cancer – people aged between 55 and 74 who either smoke or used to smoke.
A targeted lung screening programme is being introduced in England, but no such commitment has been made by the Scottish Government.
If lung screening were to be introduced, around 400 extra cases each year in Scotland could be diagnosed at an early stage (stages 1 and 2) rather than a late stage (stages 3 and 4).
Dr Hume added: “Lung screening matters because it means more people can be diagnosed at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful.
“Research has consistently shown that lung screening is effective at reducing deaths from cancer so it’s essential a Scotland-wide programme is introduced here as soon as possible.”
The pledge to carry out 64,000 surgeries and procedures with additional funding by the end of March 2025 has been exceeded, new figures released to the Scottish Parliament have revealed.
More than 75,500 NHS surgeries and procedures were delivered between April 2024 the end of January 2025, around 11,500 more than pledged.
Funded through £30 million investment, the targeted activity has resulted in significant reductions in inpatient/daycase waiting lists across a number of health board areas and specialities. Between April 2024 and September 2024 there has been:
The targeted funding has also helped reduce the total national waiting list size between April 2024 and September 2024 for imaging by 7.5% and for scopes by 7.3%.
In April 2024 the Scottish Government funded NHS boards to deliver 64,000 procedures (40,000 diagnostic procedures, 12,000 surgeries and 12,000 new outpatient appointments) by March 2025. By January 2025, 56,500 diagnostic procedures, almost 9,200 surgeries, and over 9,800 outpatient appointments took place.
The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the impact of the funding until the end of March 2025 with boards reporting they expect to see further progress.
Latest published data also shows a rise in planned care activity between April 2024 and September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 – with an 8.3% increase in inpatient/daycase procedures and a 2.5% increase for new outpatient appointments.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I am pleased to see health boards are now reporting the tangible impacts of our investment to clear the longest waits. Our plan is delivering and we are seeing progress across a number of speciality areas. I thank staff for their outstanding effort in carrying out this additional activity which is having a positive impact on people’s lives.
“This is a good start, however, we know many people are still waiting too long. We are determined do more and our 2025-26 Budget, with cross-party support now agreed, will provide a record £21.7 billion for health – including £200 million to help clear waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and reduce delayed discharge.
“This record funding will help us ensure no one waits more than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment or inpatient/daycase treatment by March 2026. We will also deliver over 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in the coming year which will ensure people receive the care they need as quickly as possible.”
The Eric Liddell Community has received crucial funding from The Garfield Weston Foundation to help sustain its vital work in combating loneliness and isolation in Edinburgh.
The Eric Liddell Community, an Edinburgh-based care charity, is delighted to announce that it has received a generous £150,000 grant from The Garfield Weston Foundation. This three-year funding award will support the charity’s core operating costs, helping to continue its crucial work in dementia care and community support services.
For over four decades, The Eric Liddell Community has been at the heart of Edinburgh, providing a range of essential services, including its flagship Dementia Day Care service, a wellbeing programme for unpaid carers, and a Community Hub programme.
The Garfield Weston Foundation has been a dedicated supporter of The Eric Liddell Community since 2008, including providing multi-year grants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, foundation representatives visited the Community Hub, where they engaged with members of staff from the Dementia Day Care Service and spoke with members of the local community.
Their visit reaffirmed their commitment to the charity’s mission, leading to this significant funding award.
John MacMillan, CEO of The Eric Liddell Community, expressed his gratitude for the support: “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to The Weston family and entire Garfield Weston Foundation team.
“The cost-of-living crisis has impacted us all – we are more grateful than ever to partners like Garfield Weston for giving us the support and flexibility we need to thrive despite these challenges.
“Unlike project-specific funding, this grant gives us the flexibility to direct resources where they are needed most, ensuring we can respond effectively to emerging needs. It is a powerful endorsement of our work.”
Securing funding for core operational costs is one of the greatest challenges which charities face. The Garfield Weston Foundation is among a select group of charitable partners that recognise the importance of unrestricted funding, allowing organisations to allocate resources where they are most critically needed.
Through this generous grant, The Eric Liddell Community will continue to expand its essential services, ensuring that those facing loneliness and isolation across Edinburgh receive the vital support they need.
For further information about The Eric Liddell Community, please visit:
A discovery by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists in Scotland could finally offer hope to patients with a particularly hard to treat cancer.
Researchers found a new combination of drugs was able to almost completely eradicate hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer.
Led by Professor Tom Bird of the University of Edinburgh and the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, the laboratory research focused on specific areas where genetic alterations can cause liver cancer to begin.
Cancer is often caused by a breakdown in DNA, our genetic blueprint, causing cells to grow in the wrong place or out of control.
This new study, published in Nature yesterday (Wednesday 19 February), was able to take these specific areas, where genetic instructions go wrong in people, and replicate them in mice creating genetic avatars which could be targeted with a range of treatments.
An existing cancer drug, commonly used to treat leukaemia and multiple sclerosis, was found by the team to be effective at targeting difficult to treat hepatocellular carcinoma tumours.
The drug, called cladribine, is from a group of drugs called antimetabolites. These interfere with DNA synthesis and stop the cancer cells in their tracks.
Funded by Cancer Research UK and Wellcome, the study found cladribine notably reduced the number of tumours but was most effective when combined with another drug called lenvatinib when almost all the tumours were completely eradicated.
Next steps would be to run a clinical trial over a period of years to confirm the results in liver patients over a long-term period.
Lead author on the study, Professor Tom Bird of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and the Institute for Regeneration and Repair at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This exciting discovery provides new hope for the thousands of people living every day with a liver cancer diagnosis.
“Finding new and effective ways to combine and use treatments already approved for other cancers may be a faster way to achieve successful outcomes for future patients.
“Taking a precision approach to treatment by tailoring therapies to the particular types of tumours based upon their genetic alterations, has the potential to transform how we understand, and treat, cancer.”
There are around 6,600 new liver cancer cases in the UK every year, with around 630 in Scotland, and the number diagnosed is increasing.* Liver cancer incidence rates are also significantly higher in Scotland than the UK average.**
Less than half of those diagnosed with liver cancer in Scotland survive their disease for a year or more making finding new ways to tackle this disease vital.***
Survival across the UK varies, but in all cases, fewer than half of those diagnosed with liver cancer survive their disease for a year or more.****
Diagnosis of liver cancer is often late with many patients diagnosed only when already receiving treatment for existing diseases such as cirrhosis or fatty liver disease. Late diagnosis makes liver cancers hard to treat as, due to the function of the liver, the disease often responds poorly to chemotherapy drugs.
Cladribine helps to stimulate the body’s own immune system to clear tumours but had never been used for liver cancer before.
Cancer Research UK’s Science Engagement Lead, Dr Sam Godfrey, said: “We are delighted to have funded this exciting research which could lead to new treatments and improved outcomes for patients with liver cancer.
“Liver cancer is a difficult cancer problem – it’s the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK and it can be hard to diagnose it at an early stage when treatment can be more effective.
“That’s why research like this is so important – it lays the foundations for improved cancer treatment, driving us towards a time when no one fears cancer.”
This new research offers potential for broader and more complex treatment regimes, known as precision medicine, to treat patients for their individual liver cancers, improving their chances of successfully treating tumours.
This personalised medicine approach which aims to tailor treatments to specific patients is a growing area of cancer research.
John O’Donnell from Glasgow welcomed the new research. The 75-year-old was just about to leave for a three-month break in Spain when he was diagnosed with liver cancer two and a half years ago.
The retired health and safety manager was only referred for an ultrasound after a routine blood test for his type 2 diabetes showed an abnormality in his liver function.
John said: “They told me the GP had no real reason for referring me – I’m lucky she was so diligent as otherwise I would never have known.”
John was told he had an 8.5cm tumour on his liver and his hopes for his holiday, and his future, were put on hold.
He said: “The only advice my GP could give me was to get a power of attorney. I was told chemotherapy only has a 30 per cent chance of reducing liver cancer tumours and surgery wasn’t an option as the tumour was considered too big to operate.”
Fortunately, John who lives in Muirhead, was accepted onto a clinical trial for people with advanced liver cancer through the Cancer Research UK Experimental Cancer Medicines Unit led by Professor Jeff Evans.
After just a few months on a new immunotherapy drug combination, John’s tumour had reduced by 35 per cent and it’s now less than half the size with no change in a year.
John said: “I’m living with liver cancer and I feel perfectly well now treatment has finished.
“It was hard at times but I’m absolutely delighted with the result and I’m proud that I was able to contribute in a small way to helping find new ways to tackle liver cancer.
“There lots of exciting things happening in cancer research and I hear about it every time I am in for a check-up.
“I’ve been told that if the treatment I’m on stops working there are other options so I’m delighted to hear of new developments like this.”
John and his wife Jeanette, 73, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year are now hoping to go on that holiday with a trip to France also planned soon.
He said: “I feel good, my wife has been a great support throughout, and the hospital said I can perhaps miss one check-up appointment so we can take that long holiday at last.”
We’re proud to announce the launch of the “This is Hospice Care” campaign, a ground breaking collaboration between 143 hospices across England, Scotland, and Wales, brought together by Hospice UK .
Hospices like ours are at the very heart of communities, offering compassionate care and support when we need it most. For many of us, a hospice will touch our lives, whether for ourselves, a loved one, or a friend, providing comfort, dignity, and expert care through life’s most challenging times.
But just as this incredible support wouldn’t exist without hospices across the UK, hospice care wouldn’t exist without you. We rely heavily on charitable donations to keep our doors open.
That’s why we’ve come together to shine a light on the essential role hospices play in our communities and protect our futures.
We’re asking everyone to consider leaving a Gift in their Will to a hospice close to their heart. By doing so, you can help us continue to provide this vital care, ensuring that everyone has the support they need for generations to come.
Together, we can make sure that hospice care lives on for all, for now, forever.
FORMER Scotland rugby international Andy Irvine has officially opened a brand-new social space at one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious care homes.
The Scotland and British and Irish Lions star joined residents at Cramond Residence to open its very own pub, marking the latest addition to the home’s outstanding facilities.
Created as a vibrant social hub, the new space now offers residents a welcoming environment to enjoy sporting events, themed gatherings and special celebrations designed to enhance residents’ social lives and wellbeing.
Decorated with an impressive array of sporting memorabilia, the pub features a signed British and Irish Lions jersey donated by Irvine from his playing days, along with a collection of Scotland rugby keepsakes.
Andy said: “It was a pleasure to be invited to open the new pub at Cramond and spend time with the residents. It’s fantastic to see a space like this created for them, where they can come together, share stories, and enjoy the social side of sport.
“The pub has a great atmosphere, and with all the memorabilia on the walls, it feels like the perfect place to watch a match or catch up over a drink.”
Richard Annan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Cramond Residence said: “The new pub space has rapidly become the heart of our home. It’s wonderful to see residents connecting over shared interests, making new friends and maintaining the active social lives they’ve always enjoyed.
“Many of our residents were previously members of clubs such as rugby, golf and tennis. This new space allows them to relive those experiences while enjoying live events together in a setting that encourages natural socialisation.”
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re excited to see how the pub continues to bring people together.”
With nine lounges spread across different suites, the care home’s team embarked on a mission to transform select areas into purposeful, engaging and social spaces.
Head of Maintenance at Cramond Residence, Billy Early, played a key role in bringing the pub to life, using his skills to craft a bespoke wooden bar and transform the space into a warm and welcoming social hub.
Billy said: “It’s been a real privilege to work on this project and see how much the residents are enjoying it already. We wanted to create a space that felt special but also comfortable – somewhere people would naturally want to spend time.
“It’s all about tailoring our spaces to the interests and passions of our residents, ensuring they can continue to enjoy the things that matter most to them.
“The pub has already become a hub of activity, and we’re looking forward to making the most of it with events such as Wimbledon, The Grand National, and the rest of the Six Nations.”
Plans are already in motion to introduce further dedicated spaces at the home, including a fully equipped gym, a hobby and games room and a nostalgic 1970s-themed living area to support residents living with dementia.
Cramond Residence prioritises the residents’ needs and offers a tailored activity programme that combines a luxury hotel ambiance with the comfort of home living.
The residence was purpose-built for £8m and opened in October 2018, adopting a small-group living philosophy with a major emphasis on socialisation.
To find out more about Cramond Residence, please visit:
