Tag: Health and wellbeing

Improving miscarriage care

£1.5 million to support delivery of compassionate, high-quality care

Women can expect improved miscarriage care Public Health and Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto has pledged, after unveiling a new framework, backed by £1.5 million funding.

The framework sets out a range of actions for Scotland’s NHS boards to implement, including ensuring that women going through miscarriage have a separate, private space. It will introduce a graded model of miscarriage care across the country. This means all women can receive tailored support and services, and won’t have to wait until a third miscarriage. This will include access to progesterone prescriptions – where clinically appropriate – both for threatened and recurrent miscarriage.

These changes will be supported by £1.5 million Scottish Government funding and aim to ensure that early pregnancy care is equitable so that no women are disadvantaged, regardless of where they access and receive care.

The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health said: “The loss of a baby, no matter at what stage of pregnancy, has a profound and lasting impact on women and their families.

“To all who have experienced such a tragedy, I offer my deepest sympathy. The Scottish Government recognises this impact and is clear that women and families who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss must be provided with the right information, care and support, tailored to their individual circumstances.

“I am very grateful to everyone in Scotland’s NHS who works to provide miscarriage care and support.

“I know there is already a lot of good work underway within NHS Boards to improve miscarriage care services. The 2025-26 Budget, if approved by Parliament, will provide £1.5 million to support NHS Boards to improve delivery of sensitive and compassionate miscarriage care.”

Kath Abrahams, Chief Executive of pregnancy charity Tommy’s commented: “We are delighted to see the Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland launching today.

“The Framework is a real milestone on the path to excellent care for women and families in Scotland and Tommy’s has been pleased to work closely with our colleagues in Scottish Government as they have developed the Framework, which aims to ensure the right support and care for parents after every tragic loss.

“With compassionate care at its heart, we are looking forward to continuing to support our Scottish colleagues as they oversee the rollout.”

The Miscarriage Association’s Chief Executive Vicki Robinson said: “We are extremely pleased to see the publication of this important Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland, which represents a significant step forward in ensuring that those experiencing miscarriage receive the compassionate, high-quality care they deserve during such a heart-breaking time.

“This framework is a vital step in providing evidence-based care and offering women additional support in early pregnancy. We are proud to have contributed to its development and look forward to seeing it bring positive change. This is a crucial milestone in ensuring that miscarriage care is accessible, equitable, and compassionate across Scotland.”

Acas tips for Time to Talk Day

Julie Dennis, Head of Inclusive Workplaces Policy at Acas (The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service), said: “Time To Talk Day is a great opportunity for employers to raise awareness of well-being at work and to be approachable and available for workers that want to talk about their mental health.

“Taking the time to talk openly about mental health can avoid problems building up and lead to improved morale at work. It might be difficult for someone to talk about their mental health so it’s important for managers to be respectful, supportive and reassuring.” 

Acas has some top tips for employers on talking about mental health at work:

  • Be approachable, available and encourage team members to talk to you if they’re having problems.
  • Keep in regular contact with your team to check how they are coping.
  • Address any individual communication preferences such as asking team members if they prefer to talk face-to-face, over the phone, through video meetings or by email.
  • Respect confidentiality and be calm, patient, supportive and reassuring if a staff member wants to have a chat about their mental health.
  • Look after your own mental health and get support if you feel under more pressure than usual. This support could be a colleague at work, a mental health first aider or a counsellor.

New Tips for “making walking a habit”

80 percent of us drop our fitness resolutions by early February

  • The founder of one of the UK’s leading health charities is sharing her five brand new tips for making walking a habit 
  • Research conducted by YouGov* shows that by the second week in February, 80% of us have thrown in the towel, particularly in relation to fitness goals. 
  • But Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of health charity Walk the Walk has the perfect solution for us all – make walking part of your life! 

Nina’s new tips for making walking a habit:-

1.  Put a walk in your diary! 
Having a routine, no matter how small, makes it easier to turn going for a walk into a habit.  Pick a time of day which suits you best and add it into your diary as an appointment. 

2. Plan several walking routes for different distances and times
Whether you have time for a quick ten- minute walk or a longer session, having different routes planned means you will always know where you are going, how far and for how long

3. Have suitable comfortable clothing and shoes for any weather
Never let the weather stop you walking. The weather doesn’t change the impact a walk can have – some of the worst weather days can deliver the best walks! 

4. Invest in a tracking device or app
A device or app which can track your walking steps and distance each day can be really motivating, tracking how far you go each day and helping you watch your progress. 

5. Every step counts! 
Whether you walk one mile, or the distance from your desk to the kettle to make a tea – engage your core, allow your shoulders to relax and think about your posture! 

Nina’s tips are backed up by Public health expert Prof Nick Cavill, who is a huge advocate for physical activity including walking:-

“I’m often asked about what I think is the best exercise. My reply is that it’s the exercise you will do every day and keep doing for life. For most people that is walking – for fun, for relaxation, for exercise or for transport.

“Walking for half an hour a day is associated with improvements in over 20 health conditions, from reducing the risk of heart disease and some cancers to improving mental health and wellbeing.

“So, if you’ve ditched the New Year’s fitness resolutions, try the most natural exercise around – walking!”

*YouGov 2017

Scotland’s national children’s charity urges the public to protect the future of Scotland’s children

With worrying levels of children experiencing anxiety, distress and fear, this children’s mental health week, Children First is asking people to leave a gift in their Will to help protect the next generation of children in Scotland.

With Scotland’s children in the grip of a mental health crisis, Scotland’s national children’s charity predicts their support services will be needed more than ever.

In November, the charity revealed that nearly 100 referrals a day were being made to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) across Scotland, following a freedom of information request (FOI). More than 60 percent of people who call Children First’s national support line are worried about a child’s emotional wellbeing.

The charity has launched a campaign asking the public to make their legacy a brighter future for Scotland’s children.

Michelle Supple, director of fundraising, marketing and communications at Children First, said: “There is a childhood emergency in Scotland and an increasing need for the vital services we offer children and families across Scotland.

“By leaving a gift in your Will to Children First, you are leaving a legacy to protect Scotland’s children and give them a brighter future, a gift for generations.

“These special gifts ensure we can keep babies, children and young people safe and help them recover from trauma today, tomorrow and in the years to come.”

For over 140 years Scotland’s national children’s charity has protected children from harm and supported them to recover from trauma and abuse through its national and local services, including a support line for anyone in Scotland who is worried about a child.

Thanks to gifts left in Wills to Children First, young people  can have a better future, due to the emotional and practical support the charity provides for children and young people to recover and move forward after difficult experiences.

Reflecting on their experience with Children First, one young person said: “Children First really helped me. I’ve grown more confidence, have volunteered at a mental wellbeing group and got my first proper job.”

Anyone interested in leaving a gift in their Will to Children First or receiving a free legacy guide can visit www.childrenfirst.org.uk/legacy.

Children First’s new legacy advert began airing on STV yesterday, which you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRz7wEn6Qcc 

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