Tag: health

Side by Side? Labour councillors to host community event

sidebyside

Housing and care services are in crisis. Can local community co-operatives help to meet local needs?

These are questions for a ‘radical’ new community project in Edinburgh Northern and Leith. Side by Side aims to explore how we can learn from each other and work together to create positive practical change in our local neighbourhood.

Housing, environment and care of the young and elderly were the top concerns to emerge from two community Open Space events in the last 12 months.  The first event identified the needs; the second came up with bold ideas to fill gaps in local services – including housing and childcare co-operatives

Now Side by Side aims to take the next step with The Gathering, at Norton Park Conference Centre on Saturday 3 December.  And this time the event will start by celebrating the successes and achievements of local groups who are already changing lives.     

‘Through our events we discovered fantastic creative enterprises in Edinburgh Northern and Leith,’ says Fay Young, one of the organisers, ‘But not everyone knows about them. We hope to learn from each other to build on what is here already and generate new ideas to enhance quality of life in our area.’  

Keynote speaker Josh Littlejohn, co-founder of Social Bite, will set the tone of an event which seeks to ‘share best practice and build on local achievements’. A panel of experts from Pilton Community Health Project, Port of Leith Housing Association, Shrub Swap and Reuse Hub and North Edinburgh Childcare will also provide first hand accounts of successful community enterprises and projects.

Workshop discussions and outcomes will be led and decided by the audience and facilitated by Judith Chivers. Proposals put forward by The Gathering will contribute to a community manifesto for our neighbourhood in time for the local authority elections in May 2017. 

Side by Side has grown from two Open Space community discussion events hosted by Councillor Lesley Hinds, in December 2015 and April 2016.  Local organisations and residents were invited to explore how we might make use of new powers coming to the Scottish Parliament to improve life in our part of Edinburgh. 

Councillor Hinds who is standing down after 33 years on City of Edinburgh Council said:  ‘I promised to turn words into action and that is what The Gathering aims to do. My colleagues will ensure this is taken forward”.

Side by Side is a community project open to all. The Gathering will be introduced and hosted by Labour Councillors for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, and is supported by Leith Open Space, an intercultural community discussion group formed in 2005.

Edinburgh based Selah Corbin, a cinematic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work has been likened to “paintings that come alive”   will provide the music and a light lunch of delicious food from Punjabi Junction will be served.

To take part, book now on   Eventbrite   https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/side-by-side-edinburgh-northern-and-leith-gathering-tickets-28336222404?aff=es2

and follow Facebook.com/SBSGathering   and   http://www.edinburghlabournorthernandleith.org.uk/ for updates.

For further information please contact Marion Donaldson councillormariondonaldson@gmail.com

GP Practice payments for deprived areas not enough, say Greens

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The difference in payments per head to GP practices in the most and least deprived areas does not do enough to tackle health inequalities says a Green MSP.

Alison Johnstone, health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, believes the difference of £3.97 per person should be considerably more, considering that practices in areas listed as Scotland’s most deprived by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation see significantly more patients than in less deprived areas.

A report by ISD Scotland reveals that the overall payment to General Practice service providers of £753.9 million is “virtually the same amount” as last year.

Alison Johnstone, health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “GP practices in the most deprived areas typically have more patients on their lists and less capacity to address patient needs.  Greens want to see increases in spending for general practice, and primary care more broadly, to be targeted towards practices with high levels of deprivation.

“Greater and more targeted spending for general practice can play a key part in an overall preventative spending strategy. By preventing ill-health, we can ease the pressure on our NHS and ensure that fewer patients end up needing more expensive treatment.” Continue reading GP Practice payments for deprived areas not enough, say Greens

Government sets out five year plan to tackle hospital infections

RIE Simpsons

The Scottish Government has set out its commitment to controlling healthcare associated infections and containing antimicrobial resistance. The five-year strategic framework, published today, seeks to ensure the safety of patients, the public and all healthcare staff and to make hospitals and communities a safer place.

The prevention and control of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) remains an important issue for all environments where healthcare is delivered – for example, care homes, community pharmacies, and primary care – and for everyone involved in the delivery of care. 

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “Tackling antimicrobial resistance and reducing healthcare associated infections remains a key priority for this Government. Good progress has been made so far with the latest quarterly figures showing that, since 2007, MRSA rates have fallen by 90% and CDI rates for those aged 65 years and over have reduced by 88%.

“These significant reductions have only been possible due to the hard work, diligence and commitment of Scotland’s NHS staff and key stakeholders.

“Patients and the public deserve to have complete confidence in the cleanliness of Scottish hospitals and the quality of NHS services and I have made clear my expectation that all health boards must take cleanliness and infection control extremely seriously.

“Today’s publication of the 5 Year AMR/HAI Strategic Framework will inform government policy and will help key stakeholders and NHS Boards implement and deliver HAI and AMR policies consistently and reliably across the healthcare system so that we can continue to provide a culture that promotes the delivery of person-centred safe and effective care.”

The overarching aims of the Strategic Framework are:

  • Containment of AMR and prevention of HAI;
  • Advance AMR and HAI scientific knowledge & innovation;
  • Improved AMR and HAI efficiency;
  • Transparency & accountability; and,
  • Improved workforce capacity for AMR and HAI.

The Strategic Framework has been published on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Preventing-Healthcare-Infections

 

Heart condition? Get the flu jab!

One third of people hospitalised last winter had heart condition

RIE

People with heart conditions and other underlying health conditions are being urged to get their flu vaccination as early as possible this winter to protect themselves from an unpredictable virus. Continue reading Heart condition? Get the flu jab!

#KeepOctoberFree – Edinburgh Leisure launches September Campaign

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Edinburgh Leisure has unveiled their September offer, designed to help thousands of new customers to try new activities and get more active this autumn. With recent research highlighting the dangers of inactivity, the not-for-profit company which manages City of Edinburgh’s Council leisure services is offering new members joining in September a free month in October.

With 30+ venues offering 9 swimming pools, 14 gyms and 700+ fitness classes per week, Edinburgh Leisure is the ‘biggest club in town’ providing the widest range of fitness classes, state of the art facilities and community based programmes across the capital, creating opportunities for everyone to get active, stay active and achieve more.

Catherine Wilson, Marketing Officer at Edinburgh Leisure said: “With the Paralympics just around the corner and with the Olympics recently finished, we hope it’s inspired people to sit less and move more. We’re passionate about providing opportunities and support for people to participate in physical activities and sport, whatever their age and stage.

“And for those joining in September, they’re going to be so busy with all the wonderful facilities that Edinburgh Leisure has on offer across the city centre that we’re urging them to keep October free, as well as giving them that month for free.”

From 26 August, new joiners will get one month free (October) when they join before the end of September. Existing members who refer a friend, who then joins, will receive £30 cash back.

With adult memberships starting from as little as £29.90, there is a range of packages, including swim, fitness, gym and climbing.

Many of Edinburgh Leisure’s gyms have had a recent refurbishment including Glenogle, Portobello, Craiglockhart, and The Royal Commonwealth Pool. Drumbrae Leisure Centre is also undergoing a major refurbishment, and is due for completion in October 2016. At the end of last year, Edinburgh Leisure had invested £1 million in fitness equipment in five of its 15 gyms.

Edinburgh Leisure gyms have the latest state of the art equipment including some of the newest cardiovascular machines; offer over 750 fitness classes per week including Les Mills Programmes; and have five modernised Victorian pools and the Royal Commonwealth Pool in their portfolio. They also recently launched Clip ‘n Climb at Edinburgh’s International Climbing Centre at Ratho, the first of its kind in Scotland.

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Edinburgh Leisure is also running a weekly competition on their Facebook page to win one of five ‘My Zone’ belts. Visitors will be encouraged to tell Edinburgh Leisure what they are going to do to #SitLessMoveMore and #KeepOctoberFree. Winners will be picked at random on 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 September.

My Zone uses new technology and is a motivational belt which straps to the chest during exercise and tracks physical activity in real time and online.

The device measures the customer’s My Zone Effort Points (MEPs), a unique way of measuring activity and the results of exercise. It calculates calories burned, duration and time of activity, as well as factors including weight, muscle mass, body fat and heart rate.

For further information about the offer and to be inspired with hundreds of ways to get active, visit www.edinburghleisure.co.uk, like Edinburgh Leisure on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EdinburghLeisure/)  or follow on Twitter (@Ed_Leisure)

Summer Holidays – but not for all …

Can’t afford to get away on holiday this summer? You’re not alone – it’s a Europe-wide issue, as EC economic analyst M. Vaalavuo explains ...

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Schools are closed, summer holidays are here, and also this blog is having its well-deserved summer break. Like many of you, authors of Evidence in Focus are leaving their desks to travel in Europe and beyond. However, without wanting to spoil your holidays, this may be a good time to recall that 39 per cent of Europeans cannot afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home.

This is a form of deprivation that is taken into account in the calculation of the EU’s indicator of the risk of poverty and social exclusion (AROPE) which counts people who face

  1. monetary poverty (discussed already in several blog posts e.g. comparing the situation of young and old Europeans and looking at parental employment and child poverty), and/or
  2. low work intensity, and/or
  3. severe material deprivation.

The last one is an absolute measure of living standards that complements the measure of relative monetary poverty (people with disposable income below 60 % of the country’s median income). The EU severe material deprivation rate is currently defined as the share of the population living in households that cannot afford at least four out of nine items. 8.9 per cent of the EU population were in this situation in 2014.

One week annual holiday away from home is one of these nine items. Other items are for example the capacity to face unexpected financial expenses, to afford a washing machine or a car, and the ability to avoid arrears in mortgage or rent payments. The most prevalent forms of deprivation concern holidays and the capacity to cope with unexpected expenses.

Across countries, there is a huge variation in the share of people who cannot afford holidays away from home (see chart). In the Nordic countries, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria, fewer than 20 per cent of the population are deprived of an annual holiday in 2014, while in Hungary, Croatia and Romania this concerns more than 60 per cent.

Not surprisingly, people who are at risk of monetary poverty are also most likely to be deprived of holidays away from home: 70 per cent of them cannot afford holidays. But even among those who are not poor in monetary terms, a third is deprived of holidays away from home.

However, the situation is improving in many countries. Since 2008, the share of people not affording holidays away from home has decreased in 15 EU Member States: especially in Poland (11 pp.), Malta (10 pp.), Portugal (9 pp.), Austria (9 pp.), and Bulgaria (9 pp.). Furthermore, after an initial increase in the share from 2008 to 2010 in the Baltic countries, the share has since then fallen in Lithuania by 20, in Latvia by 18 and in Estonia by 16 percentage points. This development can be considered a real improvement in living conditions of these people, but it still leaves us many to be worried about.

After the holdidays … Evidence in Focus will be back in September. We wish you a great summer!

Author M. Vaalavuo is a socio-economic analyst in the unit of Thematic Analysis of DG EMPL

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Editor’s note: this article is part of a regular series called “Evidence in focus“, which will put the spotlight on key findings from past and on-going research at DG EMPL

European Health Insurance Card

European Health Insurance Card

What is the European Health Insurance Card?

A free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country.

Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider.

Important – the European Health Insurance Card:

  • is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property,
  • does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the express purpose ofobtaining medical treatment,
  • does not guarantee free services. As each country’s healthcare system is different services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country.

Please note: when you move your habitual residence to another country, you should register with the S1 form instead of using the EHIC to receive medical care in your new country of habitual residence.