Strict infection control measures have been reinforced across NHS Lothian amid concerns that the winter vomiting virus is still circulating. Continue reading Hospital visitors urged to help stop spread of Norovirus
Tag: health
Health in focus at today’s Holyrood hustings
Get your questions answered at Royston Wardieburn this morning
Funding for community health projects
£900k for schemes that support local communities
Over £900,000 of grants have been awarded to voluntary organisations working to improve Scotland’s health.
Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn, announced the awards during a visit to the Food Train in Dumfries, one of the successful bidders, on Friday.
The funding has been awarded as part of the Section 10 grants scheme. Including on-going grants, this year’s pot of £912,990 brings the current Scottish Government investment in this scheme to £2.7 million.
The Food Train, which received a grant for £42,890, delivers food to older people who are unable to go shopping. It started in Dumfries in 1995 and now helps more than 1,400 people a year across Dumfries and Galloway, West Lothian, Dundee, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Stirling and North Ayrshire. This additional funding will help them to expand their services to help more older people in Scotland.
The full break down of grants is as follows:
Headway, various locations, £80,000
SAMH, Glasgow, £90,000
Scottish Huntington’s, Paisley, £73,000
PAMIS, Dundee, £100,000
People First (Scotland), Edinburgh, £79,568
Sandyford Thrive, Glasgow, £35,000
Stop it Now, Edinburgh, £90,000
Arthritis Care Scotland, Glasgow, £30,000
COSCA, Stirling, £70,000
SDEF, Alloa, £80,132
Contact the Elderly, Kilmacolm, £42,400
Food Train, Dumfries, £42,890
Alzheimer Scotland, Edinburgh, £100,000
Mr Hepburn said: “Through these grants the Scottish Government helps the third sector in its vital work in Scotland’s communities. These organisations are all working to improve health, reduce inequalities and build social inclusion. Many are run largely by dedicated volunteers, who give up their free time and expertise to help others.
“I’m delighted to be here in Dumfries to visit the Food Train, which has been doing excellent work for more than two decades, both here in the south west and now right across Scotland. Food Train is typical of the kind of organisation that want to help through this scheme. They help their members to live independently and to play a full and active role in society.”
Michelle McCrindle MBE, Chief Executive of the Food Train said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this funding support from the Scottish Government who continue to play a key role in the national expansion of our food access service to older people.”
PEOPLE FIRST is based on Easter Road – click on link below to find out more about the member-led organisation
https://youtu.be/eCBpNiwSMls
Scottish Fire & Rescue Service backs No Smoking Day
More than half preventable fire deaths involve smoking – giving up reduces the risk to everyone in a household
Smoking is the most common cause of fires where someone is killed – and Scotland’s firefighters are throwing their weight behind No Smoking Day today (9 March). Continue reading Scottish Fire & Rescue Service backs No Smoking Day
Can Hibs fans walk 500 more?
Hibees proclaim to walk 500 miles
Hibernian staff and players have joined forces with health website Living it Up to walk 500 miles … and they are challenging fans to walk 500 more! Continue reading Can Hibs fans walk 500 more?
Review of children’s inpatient services – public meetings
NHS Lothian is to hold a series of public meetings this month as part of a review of inpatient hospital care for children. Continue reading Review of children’s inpatient services – public meetings
Get on your bike in March!
With spring in the air, Edinburgh residents and organisations are being invited to get on their bikes this March for the Edinburgh Cycle Challenge. Continue reading Get on your bike in March!
NHS24 repeat prescription reminder
NHS 24 is reminding anyone taking long-term medication to plan for the festive holidays as part of this year’s ‘Be Health-Wise This Winter’ campaign. Continue reading NHS24 repeat prescription reminder
FACE Christmas Fair this Saturday
Fighting Against Child Edinburgh (FACE)
Christmas Fair
Saturday 4 December 11am – 3pm, Western General Hospital
‘Shocking’: Johnstone calls for action on health inequality
Life expectancy gap between rich and poor continues to grow
Lothian MSP and Scottish Greens’ spokesperson on Health and Wellbeing, Alison Johnstone has branded figures that show funding discrepancies between GPs in poorer and wealthier areas of Scotland as “shocking”.
The figures, published yesterday, were obtained by researchers at the University of Glasgow and University of Dundee, and demonstrate there is a £7 per person per year funding gap between GP practices in the top 10% most affluent and the 10% most deprived areas.
Johnstone highlighted that health inequalities in her home region and around Scotland are rife, with a 7.3 year gap between Local Authorities in overall male life expectancy, and a 5.2 year difference between Local Authorities in overall female life expectancy.
Johnstone urged the Scottish Government to ensure that GPs in more deprived communities are able to deliver a high-quality health service, and called for resources to be distributed according to need, not wealth.
Alison Johnstone said: “These shocking figures highlight the challenges our NHS is facing trying to provide a decent service to all those who need it. It’s vitally important that help goes where it’s most needed, and the unequal distribution of funding means that doctors in deprived communities are unlikely to have the resources to meet their patients’ needs.
“In Lothian, a person living in one of the more affluent parts of the region can expect to live nearly two decades longer than those from the poorest. If we don’t ensure that people in the poorest areas get the same quality service as wealthier communities, we have no chance of eradicating health inequalities.
“I urge the Scottish Government to take these figures very seriously and to reconsider how it distributes GP resources. It’s time to get back to basics – every single person from in Scotland deserves high quality healthcare, and we must make sure our NHS can deliver.”
Highest life expectancy for men in Scotland is in East Dumbartonshire at 80.7 years, with lowest in Glasgow City at 73.4 years. For females, highest life expectancy is in East Dunbartonshire at 83.9 years, and lowest at 78.7 years.
Figures available at: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.