At the end of the War in 1945 the population including the armed forces were exhausted, having also lived throught the 1930s of unemployment and poor living conditions. The population were determined to change things after 6 years of war.
The main thing to tackle was the formation of a National Health Service. In 1948 this would tackle the poor state of the nation and provide an example of how the nation could be organised for the people.
Now 70 years on, the foresight of setting up the NHS has been experienced and it is paying off, particularly in the circumstances of the Covid19 epidemic.
Millions of people have expressed their gratitude for the NHS, for its originators and for all the people who work within it.
But now a danger looms over our NHS. The Conservatives, who voted AGAINST the formation of the NHS feel they are able to start ‘ Reorganising’ the service to allow the private sector a controlling role in it.
This infiltration is a first step by the Tories in a plan to kill off the NHS as a service for all.
Six years ago, completely out of the blue I had a sudden and life-changing stroke. I’m not alone in this: stroke strikes every five minutes in the UK, and around 1.2 million survivors are living with its devastating effects.
Yet, despite this research into stroke is severely underfunded. Just 1% of the total UK public and third sector health research spend goes towards stroke research.
When I had my stroke I was incredibly frightened and I thought I was going to die. But three weeks later, I was out of hospital and started physiotherapy. Within months I was able to start working again. My recovery has been made possible thanks to stroke research, which continues to improve care and find new ways to rebuild lives.
The Stroke Association have launched a unique opportunity for stroke survivors, like myself, and those who care for stroke survivors, both informally and as health and social care professionals, to have our say on the future of stroke research.
Partnered with the James Lind Alliance, the charity will find out what matters to us most so research can make the biggest difference to our lives.
With such limited funds for stroke research, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s vital that we come together and make our voices heard. If you’re a stroke survivor, or you care for or work with someone affected by stroke, join me and speak up for stroke.
When Bliss was founded in 1979 by a group of parents, our objective as a charity was set out “to support the life of babies in distress at birth”, and since our foundation we have always sought to deliver this for all babies admitted to neonatal care, whether they were born prematurely or at full term.
Over the past 41 years our reach has grown and we now work with many neonatal units in Scotland and across the UK.
Having a baby in neonatal care can be incredibly distressing for families and Bliss Scotland offers emotional and practical support to empower families and equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to provide the best possible care to their baby, for however long they live and for however long their stay in neonatal care.
One in seven babies is born needing neonatal care in the UK, equating to 100,000 babies every year, but despite a common perception that neonatal care is only for babies born premature, more than 60 per cent of babies admitted to neonatal care are born at full term (at 37 weeks or more).
Our research shows these parents often feel that their experience on the neonatal unit differs to the experiences of families with premature babies. Many feel out of place, or that they don’t ‘belong’ on the unit, as they are often the only family with a full term baby there at the time.
Some of those babies may only spend a few days on a unit, some much longer, but they all need the same specialist care as premature babies, and their parents’ practical and emotional needs should be treated with the same care and respect.
That is why we have launched Hidden Neonatal Journeys, our new campaign to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the parents of full term but sick babies. If you have had a neonatal experience with your full term baby and been supported by Bliss Scotland, we would love to hear from you.
Sharing stories like yours helps Bliss Scotland to reach more parents in your local area, shows them that they are not alone, and also means we can continually improve the care provided to families. Only with your support can Bliss Scotland continue to work to ensure every baby gets the best start in life for generations to come.
With World Spay Day coming up on 23 February, Cats Protection is urging that unneutered pet cats are kept indoors to prevent a potential kitten crisis.
We estimate that around 70 per cent of kittens born in the UK are the result of unplanned pregnancies, which puts severe pressure on owners to arrange for their feeding, care and rehoming.
The pandemic has meant that we are currently only able to take in a small number of cats as emergency cases. This is why we’re asking the public to help us by ensuring that unneutered cats are kept indoors, and unneutered siblings kept apart.
The coronavirus has affected many vets too. Many have had to prioritise emergency appointments, meaning access to neutering operations will vary. It is important to check with your vet for availability and make an appointment in advance if you can.
Cats Protection can help owners on limited incomes with the cost of neutering pet cats.
To find out if you are eligible, call our Neutering Line on 03000 12 12 12 (option 2) or visit www.cats.org.uk/neutering where you can also find out more about neutering and its benefits.
2020 was a difficult year for everyone. Though hope is on the horizon, starting 2021 in lockdown is not how most of us wanted for January. It’s understandable that many people are feeling down and in need of a little extra emotional support.
The situation is especially challenging for those living with sight loss. Many have faced anxiety, sadness and even fear about the unique challenges they have experienced – problems such as social distancing, difficulty shopping without guidance and isolation from losing tactile contact with friends and family during lockdown.
That’s why RNIB has launched Emergency Mental Health Sessions for blind and partially sighted people.
The sessions are completely free and offer people with sight loss the opportunity to speak to a counsellor for an hour over the phone, about however they are feeling and any problems that are on their mind. It doesn’t have to be about their sight at all.
We know that the next few months might still be tough for many, so we want to remind you that RNIB is here to help. If you or someone you know could benefit from speaking to someone, please call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999. We can set up a chat within 36 hours and the service can be used as many times as needed.
No one with sight loss has to suffer on their own. Blind and partially sighted people deserve the same expectation of mental wellbeing as everyone else. That’s why RNIB in Scotland will always be here.
Thank you
James Adams
Director, Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland
The serious neurological condition Myalgic Encephalomylitis (M.E.) will sadly be all too familiar to some of your readers: at least 20,000 children and adults in Scotland live with M.E., also diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or M.E./CFS).
Many face barriers in accessing health and social care services that meet their needs, and some professionals still don’t understand the impact of M.E. and its symptoms.
UK charity Action for M.E. is trying to change this by offering people with M.E. across Scotland one-to-one advocacy, via phone and email, to help them be heard, understand their rights and access support.
We want to expand this much-needed service, and are seeking enthusiastic volunteers in Scotland who can make the most of our online advocate training programme to develop their skills, gain valuable experience, and help improve the lives of vulnerable people with M.E., all from home.
Anyone who is interested in finding out more can call, email or visit our website – we would love to hear from good listeners who can spare two hours a week.
Earlier this month the Prime Minister announced a third national lockdown. Although necessary, these measures mean many of our veterans will be facing the next several weeks – or months – completely alone.
And while the vaccine rollout out across the country provides some hope, social isolation and loneliness poses a real threat to our elderly this winter, among them many former RAF personnel and their partners supported by the Fund.
To help combat this, last year the RAF Benevolent Fund introduced a weekly Check and Chat service to support members of the RAF Family experiencing loneliness. I speak to one such gentleman every Tuesday. He lives alone and spent much of 2020 totally isolated, and for him, this service truly is a lifeline. We chat about what he’s been up to, what he’s cooking for tea, to his time in the RAF and often I’m the only person he will speak to for days.
The Fund also facilitates weekly Telephone Friendship Groups, provides access to a Listening and Counselling Service, relationship counselling support, and an online wellbeing portal to help support emotional wellbeing amongst the veteran community.
Throughout the pandemic, many of us have learnt more about our neighbours and local community. That’s why we are calling on the people of Scotland to consider whether they know any RAF veterans, or their spouses or widows, who may be experiencing loneliness.
To refer someone to the RAF Benevolent Fund, please visit rafbf.org or call 0300 102 1919.
The New Year is usually a time for a fresh start – making resolutions, getting fit, setting new challenges and goals. But with the continuing uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems harder to commit to making a change.
With restrictions ongoing, it’s becoming even more important for us to find new and innovative ways to raise vital funds for NSPCC Scotland to help children at risk of abuse and neglect.
Children have been greatly affected by the pandemic. Since the first lockdown measures were introduced, the average monthly number of referrals from the NSPCC’s helpline to agencies in Scotland, such as the police or children’s services, have been more than 50% higher than the first three months of 2020. And the effects are far from over.
Even with social distancing, there are still many ways you can fundraise for us. From hosting a virtual quiz or coffee morning to selling handmade crafts, cakes or old clothes, we’ve got lots of great virtual fundraising ideas you can try while following the Scottish Government’s advice on social distancing.
By volunteering just a couple of hours each month, fundraising in your local area, you can help make 2021 a better year for children.
So please think about using your New Year passion and enthusiasm to come up with some ideas to fundraise and help us be there when children need us most.
As we move into 2021 and parents, teachers and pupils once again find themselves facing additional challenges to deliver and attain a full and rounded education, it is worthwhile remembering the role that music can and should play in improving our lives.
Firstly, music will help support and sustain our young people through the coming months. For children and adults alike, the creative arts play a vital role in promoting wellbeing and positive mental health, providing both a means of expression during the isolation of “lockdown” and a practical as well as enjoyable pastime.
Secondly – and just as importantly – playing an instrument is complementary to academic subjects and has been shown emphatically to improve wider educational success. As we consider the often daunting challenge of the return to home schooling, those parents whose children can mix domestic timetables with musical lessons will understand the release and stimulation playing an instrument can deliver.
Across society music is integral to our identities and is made to be shared. We now have the means to do that successfully and safely with online tools whose use has been well-honed by recent experience.
So whether you’re at the start of a musical journey, or are well advanced in music -let’s keep singing, keep dancing and keep music lessons flowing, particularly while the restrictions necessitated by the pandemic keep us apart in our own homes.
Landmark moment for child safety online as UK Government takes major step towards delivery of an Online Harms Bill
Dear Editor
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, online grooming crimes in Scotland were more that 30% higher when children were not at school compared with the same months last year.
The NSPCC has been calling for legislation to protect children from grooming, abuse and harmful content online, since 2017. After years of the charity campaigning, on December 15th, the UK Government announced the framework for a future Online Harms Bill that has the potential to provide much greater protection for children when they use the internet.
This is a landmark moment – a major step towards legislation that can make an enforceable legal Duty of Care on tech companies a reality. For too long children have been exposed to disgraceful abuse and harm online.
Social media companies will have a duty to protect young users from child abuse and harmful content online and face fines of up to £18million or 10% of their global turnover if they fail.
But that doesn’t mean that the work we do stops now. For instance, the proposals fall short of ensuring criminal sanctions against named directors whose companies fail to uphold their Duty of Care.
Child protection and children’s voices must remain front and centre of regulatory requirements. We have set out six tests for robust regulation – including action to tackle both online sexual abuse and harmful content and a regulator with the power to investigate and hold tech firms to account with criminal and financial sanctions. Failing to pass any of the six tests will mean that future generations of children will pay with serious avoidable harm and sexual abuse.
We will now be closely scrutinising the proposals against those tests. Above all, legislation must ensure Ofcom has the power and resources to enforce the Duty of Care and be able to identify and then take appropriate action against tech firms that fail.
For more information, search ‘NSPCC six tests’.
Joanna Barrett,
Policy and Public Affairs Manager for NSPCC Scotland
