It’s good to talk: FREE, AWARD-WINNING AWARENESS & SCREENING TALKS
Bowel Cancer UK is a small but proactive UK-wide charity which offers free awareness and screening talks to raise awareness of the disease. Continue reading Getting to the bottom of bowel cancer
Partnership Centre construction starts next Spring
Around £330 million of investment in health and education facilities has been given the go-ahead by Deputy First Minister John Swinney. Among the projects to be given the green light is the long-awaited North West Partnership Centre in Muirhouse (above). Continue reading Green light for Partnership Centre
Dr Owl takes flight across Scotland!
People in Edinburgh and the Lothians are being encouraged to get Healthwise with the official return of wise Dr Owl! Continue reading Be healthwise this winter
A few minutes of physical activity aids health and boosts performance
The Education and Health Secretaries have written to all primary schools in Scotland to encourage them to implement daily physical exercise as part of the school routine, through the roll out of the Daily Mile or other initiatives. Continue reading Primary kids get set for Daily Mile
Penumbra Milestone wins innovation award
An Edinburgh service for people with Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) has been recognised for its innovative approach at this year’s Scottish Health Awards, held in the capital this week. Continue reading Milestone reached as Penumbra wins health award
‘Emotional wellbeing is just as important as physical health’ – Alison Johnstone MSP
Relationships with friends, playing sport at least once a week and reading books all have a positive effect on mental wellbeing in teenagers, according to a new report.
Mental Health and Wellbeing among Adolescents in Scotland looks at trends and key associations for the mental health of boys and girls aged 13 and 15.
The report found that friendships and a positive experience of school are the two things most closely aligned with mental wellbeing. Other factors with a close positive association include expecting to go to university and belonging to a club.
Higher levels of deprivation and poorer physical health both correlate with lower levels of mental wellbeing.
Overall, levels of mental wellbeing have remained largely stable since 2006. Conduct problems, hyperactivity and inattention and social behaviour have improved since 2006. Emotional and peer relationship problems have worsened, which is largely attributable to an increase in the numbers of 15-year-old girls reporting emotional problems.
Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “I welcome this report, which contains useful data that will improve our understanding of why some teenagers experience poor mental health. It’s encouraging to see positive movements in several measures of mental wellbeing, including hyperactivity, conduct problems and social behaviour.
“Child and Adolescent Mental health is a key priority for the Scottish Government. We have recently announced an additional £100 million of funding for mental health services over the next five years. Some of this will be directed towards further improving child and adolescent mental health services. This is on top of a £19.8 million investment since 2009/10 that has led to a 70 per cent increase in the number of specialist psychologists working in this area.
“Every school in Scotland has access to a specialist in mental health, who can be contacted for advice and on-going support if teachers have concerns about any pupils.
“We know that the patterns and prevalence of different mental health problems through childhood and adolescence vary according to age, gender and deprivation. It is essential that services match their interventions to this dynamic background.
“The apparent increase in the number of 15-year-old girls who are experiencing emotional problems is something that we will look at carefully. We have seen a significant increase in the number of young people asking for help with their mental health in recent years, which may be attributable to greater awareness and lower stigma.”
Alison Johnstone MSP, health and wellbeing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, urged ministers to act on the report, which shows a sharp decline in teenage girls’ emotional wellbeing.
The report highlights a Scottish Schools Survey showing that while fewer young people have conduct problems in 2013 compared to 2006, emotional problems have worsened, with 15 year old girls particularly affected. In 2010, 28 per cent of 15 year olds girls had a borderline or abnormal emotional problems score. This increased to 41 per cent in 2013.
Other surveys in the report also show girls have worse mental health and wellbeing than boys. Just 4 per cent of 15 year old girls always feeling confident, compared to 15 per cent of 15 years old boys.
Alison Johnstone MSP said: “These are significant findings and must be investigated further. The sharp drop in emotional wellbeing of 15 year old girls in recent years is a cause for concern and we should draw on the experiences of pupils, parents and teachers to understand what is causing this and how to turn the situation around.
“In general we know that good mental health and wellbeing among young people is at risk if they have fewer friends, dislike school and feel pressured. Encouraging support networks in and out of school and helping pupils play an active part in how their school is run would seem sensible steps to pursue. The finding that girls who play sport on a weekly basis have lower levels of emotional and behavioural problems underlines the need to invest in active lifestyles in and out of school.
“Emotional wellbeing is just as important as physical health. Ensuring good mental health in young people helps them grow into resilient adults able to handle life’s ups and downs.”
More young people than ever living in poverty
The most comprehensive review ever carried out on progress towards greater equality and human rights protection across Scotland and the rest of Britain has been published. Continue reading It’s not fair: ‘many people are being left behind’
This year’s Hummingbird Ball in aid of Diabetes UK marks 15 years of successful fundraising in the Scottish capital at the event on Saturday 7 November.
Organised by a group of local Diabetes UK volunteers, the Ball has raised over £300,000 for research projects since the inaugural event in 2001. Diabetes UK is the leading charitable funder of diabetes research which increases understanding of the causes of diabetes, brings about life-changing breakthroughs in care, treatment, prevention and, one day, a cure.
Craig Cameron, one of the event organisers, said: “When we arranged the first Hummingbird Ball in 2001 we thought it would be a one off event. No one could have imagined in those early days that we would reach 15 years and raise in excess of £300,000. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported this incredible achievement.”
The 15th Hummingbird Ball takes place at Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh on the evening of Saturday 7 November 2015. A five star black tie event hosted by master of ceremonies, Grant Stott, guests are invited to enjoy a lavish dinner with fabulous entertainment, charity auctions and raffles.
Auction items up for grabs include an evening at the ATP Tennis Finals as well as a weekend hire of a Harley Davidson motorbike. The organising committee is keen to hear from any individuals or companies who wish to donate auction or raffle prizes.
Craig added: “The Hummingbird Ball is a fantastic night that’s enjoyed by all. We have already sold many tickets but there are still some available if people would like to join us. Diabetes is a major health issue which affects over 276,000 people across Scotland including over 37,700 in Lothian. Diabetes UK is leading the way in cutting edge research, including some ground-breaking projects across Scotland, which will have a positive impact on the lives of people affected by the condition.”
Jane-Claire Judson, National Director of Diabetes Scotland, said: “The success of the Hummingbird Ball over the past 15 years is truly amazing given that the event is organised entirely by volunteers. Over £300,000 raised through the event is testament to the volunteers’ commitment to funding Diabetes UK research in Scotland. It’s a fantastic achievement and we’re truly grateful.”
Tickets for the event, priced at £90 each, are not cheap but for those who can afford to support a very worthy cause tickets can be purchased by contacting Diabetes Scotland office on 0141 245 6380 or email scotlandfundraising@diabetes.org.uk. Prizes can also be donated in this way.
“Poverty has a huge impact on health and wellbeing, including damp housing, hunger, lack of access to healthy food, and stress and depression.” – Graham Mackenzie, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lothian
Two Lothian projects that began with a midwife helping mums improve their nutrition have evolved into a support network ensuring low income families access thousands of pounds of unclaimed entitlements.
The projects in Leith and West Lothian have each had a welfare rights adviser working since March with a team of NHS Lothian, council and voluntary sector workers.
The welfare rights advisers are funded by the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) as part of its Tackling Money Worries programme.
In Leith, Granton Information Centre (GIC) has provided money and welfare rights advice to 89 families referred by midwives, health visitors, Dr Bell’s Family Centre, Citadel Youth Centre, nurseries and early years centres, and working with Edinburgh Community Food.
For these families the total financial gain during 2015-16 is projected to be £404,000, or an average of £4,500 per client. The maximum financial gain for one client so far has been £15,000.
This is in addition to the support GIC (pictured below) has already provided to the most vulnerable families in the North Edinburgh area, who are not included in these figures.
Citizens Advice Bureau West Lothian has been supporting families in West Lothian in a similar project, also funded by SLAB. In that project around 200 clients have gained £300,000, an average of almost £5,000 per client.
Over half of those accessing support for the first time have been in work, and were not aware of their unclaimed entitlements (e.g. tax credits, benefits) and other help available (e.g. advice about debt, access to hardship funds).
The figures have been released during Challenge Poverty Week 2015 which aims to raise awareness of poverty and to highlight the great work that community organisations are doing to help those in crisis.
Graham Mackenzie, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lothian, said the success of the advice projects illustrated the importance of the NHS and other services working with welfare rights advisers, and could be repeated in many other parts of the UK.
“This work, which started with a single midwife focusing on ensuring families were claiming food vouchers they were entitled to, has expanded into a sophisticated package of support that we are aiming to offer to hundreds of families over the coming year.
“Poverty has a huge impact on health and wellbeing, including damp housing, hunger, lack of access to healthy food, and stress and depression.
“With hundreds of thousands of pounds secured for families, and more to come, we are taking practical steps to help families tackle the consequences of poverty.”
The Lothian projects were formed following work started with Healthy Start food and vitamin vouchers, a UK-wide scheme designed to improve nutrition for low income families. Across the UK around a quarter of eligible families miss out on these valuable vouchers, with the number of pregnant women and children under four years old in receipt of vouchers falling over recent years. In Lothian, however, after concentrated work with NHS Lothian staff and families, the number of pregnant women in receipt of vouchers increased from 294 in March 2014 to 368 in July 2015.
The work started with simple insights from a single midwife about how to make the application process more reliable, and secure vouchers for women earlier in pregnancy.
From 10 weeks of pregnancy to the child’s fourth birthday Healthy Start vouchers are worth up to £899 in total.
With 76 more women benefitting across Lothian as a result, this work has boosted family budgets by tens of thousands of pounds; this in addition to the hundreds of thousands secured through the Tackling Money Worries work. Vouchers can be spent on fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, milk and formula feed. Vitamin vouchers are provided separately.
This work, part of the Scottish Government Early Years Collaborative, provided insights that have now been applied to much greater effect through the Lothian Tackling Money Worries projects by providing families with money and welfare rights advice.
Alison Johnstone will ‘wear it pink’ on Friday
Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, has shown her support for women with breast cancer by dressing up in pink and encouraging her constituents to take part in Breast Cancer Now’s flagship fundraiser, wear it pink, this Friday (23 October).
wear it pink, the UK’s biggest pink fundraiser, is calling on supporters across the country to ditch the day-to-day colours and pull on some pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Now’s life-saving breast cancer research.
Alison joined fellow parliamentarians in wearing it pink in Holyrood to encourage people across Scotland to get involved. Now in its 14th year, wear it pink raises over £2 million each year for world-class research into breast cancer, and this year it is back and bigger, brighter and bolder than ever before.
Anyone can take part, whether in school, at work or at home. All you have to do is wear something pink and donate whatever you can.
Alison Johnstone said: “Breast cancer is at a tipping point. Every year around 4,600 women in Scotland are diagnosed with the disease, and sadly nearly 1,000 people still lose their lives.
“Due to incredible research by organisations like Breast Cancer Now, more people are surviving breast cancer than ever before. I’m proud to support this brilliant work by wearing it pink – it’s a fun way for people to get involved in the fight against cancer.
“Together, we can make a huge difference for women living with breast cancer. I hope everyone in my community will join me in wearing it pink on Friday 23 October and show their support for Breast Cancer Now.”
Launched in June 2015 with the ambition of ensuring that no one dies from the disease by 2050, Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, created by the merger of Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
This is a day when we stand out, stand together and stand for something: wear it pink on Friday 23 October to support Breast Cancer Now’s life-saving research.
For more information or to register for wear it pink visit
