The Scottish government must heed the ‘alarms bells’ as new A&E data suggests another very challenging winter ahead.
That’s the call from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Scotland as new data for Emergency Department performance in August reveals it was the worst August since records began in 2011, for patients experiencing extremely long waits.
The figures released yesterday (Tuesday 1 October) by Public Health Scotland, show that the number of patients waiting 12 hours or more in August was higher than in any January or February from 2012 to 2022, despite it being a month in summer when Emergency Department performance tends to improve.
More than a third of people (34.2%) waited over four hours, more than one in 10 (11.3%) waited eight hours or longer, while 4.65% of patients waited over 12 hours in a Scottish ED.
The data shows long waits have increased significantly since the 2010’s.
Since August 2017, for example, the numbers waiting four hours or more has increased by six times (6,743 to 39,096), eight hours or more by 37 times (347 to 12,954), and 12 hours or more by 127 times (42 to 5,312). This is despite attendance only decreasing by 0.7% in the same period.
Dr John-Paul Loughrey, RCEM Vice President for Scotland said: “It once was that the summer months provided some respite from the stresses experienced in Emergency Departments, but those days are long gone.
“Yet again the figures show the reality of the pressure we have been dealing with this summer, which is on a level with what we would have experienced during the busiest winter months just a few years ago. Overcrowding in our A&Es is now at winter crisis levels all year round.
“The alarm bells are sounding loudly as winter approaches, and the government must respond.
“Last week’s Winter Preparedness plan however gives me little hope that they will respond in the ways we have recommended. It lacks any specific measures to address the inevitable spikes in demand for Emergency Care which comes during the colder months, or the lack of capacity in the acute care system as a whole.
“Once again Scottish people seeking emergency care this winter are facing extreme waits and, for many, the indignity of so called ‘corridor care’. These are not just inconvenient, they are dangerous and potentially life threatening.
“The Scottish government must bolster its winter planning to ensure that people who need to be admitted to hospital from A&Es can be, without excessive waits, and that when they are well enough to leave there is the necessary social care in place for them to do so.
“Failure to do so puts us on course for a harmful and incredibly difficult winter which is not what we or our patients want or deserve.”
A graphical representation of the data can be found here.
The full data set can be found on the RCEM website.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has published a Child Drowning Update for 2024 which highlights that in the last four years, on average, at least one child a month drowned at home in England.
This shocking statistic follows earlier findings from the charity, which used data from the National Child Morality Database (NCMD), underlining that child drowning deaths in England have doubled since 2019-20.
Matt Croxall, Charity Director at RLSS UK, said: “We find it heartbreaking to learn that one child a month is drowning at home.
“In a bid to reduce the number of young lives lost, our latest report seeks to help shed light on the factors contributing to child drownings, so that we can help more families be aware of the risks and stay safe.”
The report highlights that 2 out of 3 drownings that occurred at home did so in the bath, and that most of the children affected were aged under five.
Matt added: “In 86% of child drownings, the child was unsupervised by an adult at the time of the incident. In some cases of bath drownings, the parent had only left the bathroom for a moment, and this emphasises just how quickly and silently a child can drown – in a matter of minutes.”
RLSS UK is keen to change the misconception held by 55% of parents, according to a new survey from the charity*, who believe that they would hear thrashing and a lot of noise if their child was struggling in the bath – which is not the case.
RLSS UK’s survey also revealed that 59% of parents of children under five said they had left the bathroom at least once in the last month whilst their child was in the bath – and for most, this was down to them forgetting something, such as a towel.
Matt continued: “We always advise parents and carers to keep young children within arm’s reach in water. And if you do need to leave the bathroom at all, take the child with you.”
In response to these findings and to dispel harmful myths around bathtime, RLSS UK is launching a brand-new campaign, Splash Safety at your Pad, which will run from 1-31 October 2024.
The campaign seeks to raise awareness among parents and carers of young children about the importance of water safety when at home, with a particular focus on bathtime. As leading experts in water safety education, RLSS UK will share hints and tips to help families enjoy water safely.
Matt said: “We are pleased to introduce our Splash Safety at your Pad campaign, which aims to share important water safety messages with families across the UK and Ireland in a fun and engaging way. We hope this campaign has a positive impact on families with young ones and can help promote fun and safe bathtimes for all children.
“Splash Safety at your Pad launched on Tuesday 1 October so keep your eyes peeled on our social channels for more!”
*Consumer survey (September 2024), geographically representative sample of n=1,003 parents of children under five years from across the UK.
For more information around RLSS UK’s 2024 Child Drowning Update, please visit our website: www.rlss.org.uk/splash-safety
For more information or media enquiries, please contact Simrit Mann by emailing simritmann@rlss.org.uk or calling 07890 900 508.
Edinburgh’s pupils continue to be among the best performing in Scotland
Results from the SQA Insight report shows Edinburgh’s learners are performing better than their virtual comparators in 14 out of 15 key measures, with 7% more pupils gaining at least one Advanced Higher than in other areas in Scotland.
Edinburgh learners are also out-performing their virtual comparators in Literacy and Numeracy for all stages and levels.
A virtual comparator is a sample of students from other areas of Scotland who have similar characteristics to a school’s students.
The news builds on the SQA exam results in August showing levels of attainment for pupils across Edinburgh remaining above those achieved before the Covid pandemic.
Insight provides teachers and lecturers with a summary of how learners have performed in their exams and coursework for each subject at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level over the past year.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This has been another positive year for our pupils. I want to congratulate them, as well as all our teaching and support staff. Their hard work has certainly paid off and praise should go to them as well as all the parents and carers who have supported the children.
“I welcome the results from the SQA Insights report. We have invested heavily in improving the skills of our workforce and I am confident that our staff will continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning to meet the needs of the city’s young people.
“Let’s not forget there is no wrong pathway for our young people as everyone’s learner journey is different. School is about ensuring all our young people are able to fulfil their potential by attaining the highest level of achievements possible and by receiving the best possible experience.
“We want all our learners to find their pathways into the world of higher and further education, employment or training and to narrow the gap between those living in different areas of affluence.”
Course reports – written by principal assessors and principal verifiers – are published to give an insight into how learners performed, detailing which areas of the course assessment where learners performed well, and which areas proved to be more demanding.
Principal assessors and other senior appointees are experienced teachers and lecturers who work with SQA to produce the course reports and highlight examples where candidates have performed well in their external assessments.
The reports also contain advice for teachers, lecturers, and training practitioners on preparing learners for the coming year’s assessments, as well as statistical data relating to grade boundaries.
Progress made towards ‘Keeping the Promise’ by 2030 has been set out in a new report.
The Promise is the outcome of the Independent Care Review and is a commitment to bring about the necessary changes to ensure all care-experienced children in Scotland grow up loved, safe and respected, with the ability to reach their full potential.
The update report, ‘Keeping the Promise to our children, young people and families’, highlights the scale of work undertaken by the Scottish Government since 2022 to deliver the commitment by 2030.
It follows the recent passing of the Children (Care and Justice) Act by the Scottish Parliament and associated measures, which include ensuring that no child will be placed in a Young Offenders Institution again.
The new report directly informs the work of The Promise Scotland’s Plan 2024-30.
The report includes updates on:
the launch of six Pathfinder and four Affiliate partnerships which aim to ensure that holistic, child-centred support is offered to children and young people in the justice system
the introduction of the Scottish Recommended Allowance for kinship and foster carers, to date benefitting more than 9,000 families across Scotland
changes introduced to transform the Children’s Hearing System
work to introduce a £2,000 Care Leaver Payment
Minister for The Promise Natalie Don-Innes unveiled the report during a visit to the Young Scot head offices in Edinburgh to meet recipients of a share of the Promise Partnership Fund.
Ms Don-Innes said: “Our commitment to The Promise is as strong today as it was in 2020 when we accepted in full all the recommendations of the Independent Care Review.
“Since then, we have taken strides in our work to keep The Promise and this report sets out clearly the scale of work and transformational change already undertaken to ensure all children in Scotland grow up loved, safe and respected.
“We know there is still much to do and such significant change takes time, but the Scottish Government will leave no stone unturned as we work with partners and stakeholders to ensure that the necessary transformation is in place by 2030.”
“Poverty statistics that hide the real scale of increases risk policymakers missing what is truly happening to poverty.”
Many households remortgaging or taking out new mortgages since 2022 have experienced sharp falls in their disposable income as higher interest rates have pushed up housing costs, and by December 2023 this is set to have pushed 320,000 such people into poverty. But official data do not measure mortgage interest payments properly, so official poverty statistics will only capture about two-thirds of this effect (230,000 people).
These are the findings of a new IFS report, released on Thursday and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which examines recent trends in poverty and deprivation. Other key findings include:
Despite the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, the overall rate of absolute poverty was the same in 2022–23 as in 2019–20 (18%, or 12.0 million people), though it did rise slightly by 0.8 percentage points (520,000) between 2021–22 and 2022–23. But there was a significant increase in more direct measures of hardship. For example, the proportion of working-age adults who reported being unable to keep their home warm enough rose from 4% to 11% (1.8 million to 4.6 million) between 2019–20 and 2022–23, and the share who reported being behind on bills rose from 5% to 6% (2.1 million to 2.5 million).
Part of the difference is likely to relate to how the official statistics measure incomes and hence poverty. Higher energy and food prices mean that lower-income households and pensioners faced a higher inflation rate than average – but this is not captured by the official poverty statistics. Taking account of higher inflation for these households implies poverty rose by 210,000 more people than implied by official statistics for 2021–22 and 2022–23 (730,000 people rather than 520,000), including 80,000 pensioners.
In addition, the official statistics do not measure households’ mortgage interest payments directly, instead modelling them based on average interest rates. This matters when there is a growing spread of interest rates as some households come off their fixed rate: in 2022–23, mismeasurement of mortgage interest payments resulted in the number in poverty being understated by 70,000; as more fixed-term mortgages end, that number is set to rise to 150,000 (based on December 2023 interest rates).
There is evidence that mortgage rate rises have pushed some adults into financial hardship. Adults remortgaging in 2022 were 2 percentage points more likely to fall into arrears on bills than those with mortgages who had not remortgaged. This suggests that, once all households have remortgaged, the number of adults behind on bills could rise by 370,000.
Sam Ray-Chaudhuri, a Research Economist at IFS and an author of the report, said:‘Rising mortgage rates have played and are likely to continue to play an important role in many households’ living standards. But, perhaps surprisingly, they are not measured properly in the official income data.
“This has led to the headline statistics understating the number of people in poverty, something set to get worse in next year’s data. Poverty rises have also been understated due to the unequal impact of inflation.
“At a time when rates of deprivation and food insecurity have risen substantially, poverty statistics that hide the real scale of these increases risk policymakers missing what is truly happening to poverty.’
Peter Matejic, JRF Chief Analyst, said:‘This research shows the cost-of-living crisis wasn’t felt equally by everyone. Compared with before the COVID pandemic, many more people, especially those on a lower income, struggled to heat their homes or keep up with their bills.
‘One reason lower-income households went without essentials is because they faced a rate of inflation even higher than the headline numbers. High interest rates also saw many households forced into financial hardship after they remortgaged.
‘This report raises many questions about whether social security is adequate for the challenges looming over struggling households. The new government can’t wait for growth, after years of cuts, caps and freezes to social security have left families without the financial resilience and security they needed to cope with higher prices and costs.’
Commenting on the IFS report IFS on poverty, which shows that 320,000 people pushed into poverty because of mortgage interest rate rises, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “This surge in poverty shows the awful impact on people’s lives of the Conservatives’ economic and policy failures.
“It’s a poverty crisis that has been created by poor growth and social security cuts. Interest rate hikes came on top of the longest period of pay stagnation for more than 200 years.
“Rapid delivery of the government’s plan to make work pay will ensure more better-paid, secure jobs and help reduce poverty among working families.”
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) today release a new report: ‘Orgreave Truth and Justice: 40 years on, the case for an Inquiry’ which contains some new information recently uncovered – including public statements of police and government vs the truth of their private acts.
Orgreave represents one of the most serious abuses of power by police and government in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State.
Instead, successive Conservative Governments and senior police have worked to cover it up. It is important that the truth is established via an independent inquiry and that the police and government are brought to account.
Today, a copy is being hand delivered to the Home Office, and the major political parties on the 40th anniversary – 18 June 2024. Courtesy copies are being sent to the Cabinet Office. A further copy shall be delivered to the new Home Secretary following the election.
To help restore public trust in government and police, through an inquiry,the OTJC wants:
• the public to know the truth; • to reset standards in public life; • to reinforce the operational independence of the police; • to reset democratic diligence in public office; • a public acknowledgement and apology.
Due to the age and health of many miners impacted we need to quickly secure an inquiry and a public acknowledgement of why and what the State did to the miners and their communities.
Orgreave, 18 June 1984 represents one of the most serious abuses of power by police and government in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State.
Instead, as this report confirms, successive Conservative Governments and senior police have worked to cover it up. Many files remain unexamined or inaccessible to the public until at least 2066.
Patrick McCarroll, Miner at Orgreave said: “At Orgreave I was terrified. Anyone that says they weren’t is a liar. We were in the field, near the back. There were dogs everywhere. I was chased all the way. The dogs were barking, I ran across the railway line, away from them.
“I ran and ran, there was an Asda, I ran through that, there were horses chasing men through the car park. There were people hiding up trees, people trying to hide everywhere”
Kate Flannery, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign Secretary said: ““It is important that the truth is established via an independent inquiry and that the police and government are brought to account for their actions at Orgreave on 18 June 1984.
“This day is particularly significant as it shines a light on what was going on in mining villages and communities throughout the year-long 84/5 miners’ strike. With the National Archive files released it is obvious that Conservative Prime Minister,
“Margaret Thatcher’s involvement alone is enough for an inquiry into Orgreave on 18 June 1984. There are STILL many government files held back – some of which are under lock and key until at least 2066. An inquiry should reveal what is in those files and what has been held back for 40 years.”
Kevin Horne, Miner arrested at Orgreave said: “There has been no accountability of policing at Orgreave. This sent a very clear message that the police could employ violence with impunity.
“This must surely have set a culture for the police cover up in 1989 at Hillsborough. The police lied in their statements and in court about what they did at Orgreave. We want the answers to questions about the lying and violent behaviour of the police. “We want to know how police officers were briefed and why they were not held to account by the Director of Public Prosecutions or their own employer.”
An inquiry of full disclosure can help to right the wrongs of the past and influence the future behaviour of public officials. An early and suitably empowered inquiry into government and police action in relation to events at Orgreave on 18 June 1984 is essential.
Nursing staff are regularly forced to provide care to patients in chairs and corridors, compromising patient safety and dignity. RCN IS asking members to call it out and join their fight to eradicate the practice.
An RCN report reveals more than 1 in 3 (37%) nursing staff working in typical hospital settings delivered care in inappropriate settings, such as corridors, on their last shift. Our survey of almost 11,000 frontline nursing staff across the UK shows the extent to which corridor care has been normalised.
Patients are regularly treated on chairs in corridors for extended periods of time, sometimes days. We say that these instances must now be determined as ‘Never Events’ in NHS services, in the same way that having the wrong limb operated on or a foreign object being left inside a patients’ body already are.
We’re asking for mandatory national reporting of patients being cared for in corridors, to reveal the extent of hospital overcrowding, as part of a plan to eradicate the practice. We also need members to raise concerns when care in inappropriate settings takes place.
Of those forced to deliver care in inappropriate settings, over half (53%) say it left them without access to life-saving equipment including oxygen and suction. More than two-thirds (67%) said the care they delivered in public compromised patient privacy and dignity.
Thousands of nursing staff report how corridor care has become the norm in almost every corner of a typical hospital setting. Heavy patient flow and lack of capacity sees nursing staff left with no space to place patients. What would have been an emergency measure is now routine.
The report says corridor care is “a symptom of a system in crisis”, with patient demand in all settings, from primary to community and social care, outstripping workforce supply. The result is patients left unable to access care near their homes and instead being forced to turn to hospitals. Poor population health and a lack of investment in prevention is exacerbating the problem, the report says.
Professor Nicola Ranger, Acting RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, said: “This is a tragedy for our profession. Our once world-leading services are treating patients in car parks and store cupboards.
“The elderly are languishing on chairs for hours and patients are dying in corridors. The horror of this situation cannot be understated. It is a national emergency for patient safety and today we are raising the alarm.
“Treating patients in corridors used to be an exceptional circumstance. Now it is a regular occurrence and a symptom of a system in crisis.
“Patients shouldn’t have to end up at the doors of our emergency departments because they can’t get a GP appointment, a visit from a district nurse or a social care package. But that is the reality. Corridor care is a scourge in our hospitals, but we know the solution is to invest in our entire health and care system – and its nursing workforce.”
Charity dedicated to preventing homelessness highlights true value to taxpayers during national housing crisis
A groundbreaking study into the impact of Scottish charity Right There has revealed it generates over £300m of savings every year for the public purse, through its unique approach to preventing and tackling homelessness.
As Scotland’s national housing crisis deepens, the report, entitled “The difference Right There makes” takes a social return on investment approach to impact evaluation, and sets out how much Right There’s work saves the taxpayer through the likes of long-term health and social care, unemployment benefits, emergency accommodation and by helping to stop people’s problems from worsening.
It has been carried out in the context of the current landscape of economic, political, social, and environmental factors that have and are continuing to shape the third and public sectors, to show the social benefit to society achieved through the charity’s work.
Right There, formerly Ypeople, part of the YMCA movement, has provided practical assistance, advocacy, and empowerment for 200 years, assisting individuals facing tough times.
The charity is built on the principle of meeting people where they are without judgement and walking alongside them, tailoring support to their ever-changing needs from providing safe homes to emotional wellbeing and family support as well as community outreach.
In addition to implementing programmes or interventions, Right There stands by individuals, offering unwavering life-improving support and a helping hand when they need it most. That includes accessing medical help, guiding them toward employment opportunities and, ultimately, a secure long-term home.
Through creating five archetypes, based on a series of ‘typical’ storylines about the lives of people that Right There helps, the study has mapped out the journey that supported individuals take, selecting relevant and realistic metrics to measure the impact of the charity as a financial cost to the public purse, had those individuals not been supported by Right There.
Savings that have been measured in the report include the cost of NHS treatment for issues such as substance use and poor mental health; the avoidance of future interactions with the criminal justice system; the benefits of individuals moving into longer term, more sustainable accommodation and savings to the Scottish economy in supporting individuals towards employment.
Janet Haugh, CEO of Right Theresaid: “As a charity we are driven by the desire to help individuals, one person at a time. Our support is tailored to each person, and we pledge to be right there for as long as it takes. To see the impact of our support defined in such large financial terms is quite overwhelming.
“Right There is saving taxpayers in excess of £300m annually through relieving pressure on NHS and social care costs, unemployment benefits and emergency accommodation.
“At a time when Scotland’s housing crisis is intensifying, budget cuts are increasing and the prediction that homelessness will increase by a third by 2026, compound just how critical our work is and the social benefits it delivers for society as a whole.”
THE sister of Ben Kinsella has paid tribute to a new report published by the anti-knife crime charity which set up following his murder.
Former Eastenders actress Brooke Kinsella said too many young people were carrying blades in the “blinkered belief it will make them safer”.
Brooke, whose brother Ben was stabbed to death in 2008, was responding to a major study by the Ben Kinsella Trust which took two years to compile.
The charity spoke to more than 9,500 children and teenagers, and over 240 teachers and youth workers over two years to conduct a review into the impact knives are having across our neighbourhoods.
It revealed more than a third of respondents (36%) no longer feel safe walking the streets, and that one in four (25%) feel carrying a knife makes them safer.
Alarmingly, the report also found 6% of kids aged just 10-11 years old have even considered carrying a blade.
Commenting on the report, Brooke said: “This important report is deeply shocking, and shows just how much more work we have to do.
“Since my brother’s death, the Ben Kinsella Trust has worked tirelessly to help reduce knife crime, and to educate young people about the misery blades bring to communities.
“This report underlines the fact that so many young people are fearful about knife crime. But also, that too many are also prepared to carry one in the blinkered belief they think it will make them safer.
“The number of young people, especially girls, who feel unsafe on the streets is particularly shocking as is the age at which people are thinking of arming themselves with knives.
“Change starts with education. And the Ben Kinsella Trust will continue to help schools to inform young people about the dangers of blades and shatter the myth they keep you safe. This is vital to ensure other families aren’t left devastated like we were by knife crime.”
The report also revealed how:
● Over one-third (36%) of young people no longer feel safe in their own neighbourhoods.
● Two-thirds (64%) feel anxious about knife crime in their area.
● And, notably, 43% of girls specifically mentioned feeling unsafe where they live.
● A quarter (25%) said they knew someone who had carried a knife.
The report, funded by the London Violence Reduction Unit, was based on data collected over a two year period (2022-2023) from participants who visited a Choices and Consequences Exhibition run by the unit in Islington and Barking.
The report features the views of 9,507 young people aged 10-17 and 247 teachers and youth workers. The workshops conducted at these exhibitions engage young people with real-life stories, immersive theatre and foster open discussions, promoting trauma-informed practices and positive interactions.
And the report found the exhibitions “not only positively impacted young people, but it empowered educators too.
It found teachers are more likely to integrate anti-knife crime lessons into their curriculum after participating in the program and that they felt more equipped and motivated to address this critical issue.
The report gauged beliefs before and after attendance at the exhibitions, and it found:
● The number of young people who thought a knife would protect them drops from 24% to 5%.
● 73% who had considered carrying a knife pledged never to do so following the workshop.
LOCAL PARENTS LAUNCH DAMNING REPORT ON HOUSING CRISIS
North Edinburgh Parents Action Group has launched an exhibition and publication highlighting the horrific housing conditions local people are being forced to live in.
The group also screened a new film about the lived experience of a local woman’s heart-breaking attempts to secure a decent home for her children.
North Edinburgh Parents Group hope that the event held at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre yesterday will draw attention to the significant impact that poor housing is having on local families’ physical and mental health and will send a clear message to politicians at all levels of government that urgent action is required to tackle North Edinburgh’s housing crisis.
Guests were welcomed by Royston Wardieburn Community Centre chairperson Billy Fitzpatrick and the event was launched by Forth SNP councillor Stuart Dobbin, who has been taking a particular interest and holding surgeries on the issue:
“Living in a home safe from Damp and Mould should be a basic right that all Council and Private tenants should enjoy.
“This important event was made all the more powerful and moving by hearing the testimony of women who, with their families, have to live with Damp and Mould and the exhibition showing pictures from inside their homes.
“Dampness creates a risk to our physical health and our mental health. It impacts on the future life chances of our children. And if not addressed, it places additional burdens on our doctors and the wider NHS services.
“This is the issue that I am most passionate about addressing as a Councillor. By my estimate about one quarter of all Council dampness cases in Edinburgh are in North Edinburgh.
“I have been raising cases and campaigning within the Council for faster action to be taken to eradicate damp from tenants homes, and as a result, the Council has now set up a dedicated, skilled team to do just that. Early days and a lot to do.
“I want to hear from residents who have damp and mould, or are having difficulty getting the problems addressed.
“I will be at Pilton Community Health Project tomorrow morning (Friday) from 09.15-11.00 if anyone needs to discuss this or any other matter that I can help with. Or you can email me – cllr.stuart.dobbin@edinburgh.gov.uk”
Few who attended the event could fail to have been moved by the heart-rending stories of local woman struggling to be heard. The women, for many of whom English is not their first language, bravely shared their dreadful experiences to a packed room.
As one said after the event: “Speaking to a big crowd made me very nervous and I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do it.
“But we all did do it – we had to do it. We want people to hear how we are living.”
A spokesperson for the group said: “We understand that there are no simple solutions or easy fixes to Edinburgh’s current housing emergency.
“However, Edinburgh is one of the richest cities in the country and it is time that all levels of government – Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Government and the UK government – come together and prioritise spending on improving housing conditions in this city.
“We are serious about our demands and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure a decent place to live. We hope that we do not have to resort to a class action which is the route that over 50 tenants from various local authorities have taken in order to secure a warm, safe home.
“However, nothing is off the table. Enough is enough!”
Sara, who spoke at the event, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to tell our stories and have our voices heard.
“We’re fed up of nobody listening to us and being blamed for causing the problem. It’s not our fault. It’s well documented that people have been having problems with dampness and mould down here for decades and its time that something was done about it for once and for all”.
Susan, another member of the group, added: “We are really disappointed that the ‘high heid yins’ didn’t come to our event to hear our stories and see for themselves the conditions that people are having to put up with.
“We will be making sure that they all get a copy of our report and we will be expecting to hear from them soon about how they are going to respond to our demands. They need to understand that we’re not going away.”
Dr Olivia Swann, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Infectious Disease at Edinburgh University, also spoke at the event.
Thanking the women for their moving testimonies, Olivia’s presentation explained how homes are much more than just physical structures and made clear that “strong scientific evidence has shown that poor housing can affect someone’s physical and mental health throughout their life”.
Sara says this is an extremely worrying fact for those of us with young children who have been living in mouldy homes for most of their young lives.
Dawn Anderson, Director of Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), who attended the event along with members of her Board, including former Leith MP/MSP and Holyrood Health Secretary Malcolm Chisholm, said: “We are very concerned about the problems the parents group has raised.
“PCHP has been supporting people to get help for some time. One parent has been working with Media Education on a new film featuring the nine year battle of Anita, a local women, desperately trying to escape her damp house”.
Dawn explained how it was fitting that the parents action group had called their exhibition ‘Home Sweet Home’: “It’s 40 years since PCHP was established in North Edinburgh and dampness and ill-health was one of the first issues the campaigners worked on. Meetings with local parents led to a womens’ group forming.
“They produced a slide show called “Home Sweet Home” and presented it to health professionals in the area. This resulted in The Scottish Executive backing a research project conducted by the University of Edinburgh who established a direct link between dampness and ill-health all those years ago.
“There have been countless studies on this issue over the years which have drawn the same conclusions. Sadly, we can see from Anita’s film and from the parents stories and photographs, little has changed and family’s in the area are still faced with health threatening living conditions.”
The Group is already planning a follow-up event to build on the momentum created by yesterday’s launch.
HOME
A poem by members of North Edinburgh Parents Action Group
