Tag: new survey

Haste ye back!


Visitor voices vital part of promoting Scottish tourism, says new survey

Scotland’s reputation as a must-visit, must-return destination is growing according to new research by VisitScotland.

The Scotland Visitor Survey 2023, one of the biggest undertaken by the national tourism organisation*, found that 82% of visitors are likely to recommend Scotland to others, compared to 75% when the survey was last conducted in 2015/2016.

It also showed that more than three quarters (80%) of visitors said they are quite or very likely to come back to the country in the next five years.

With tourism worth an estimated £10.6bn to the economy, repeat visits and word of mouth recommendations have become vital for many businesses still recovering from challenges posed by the pandemic and the cost of living.

Recent figures show that international tourism in Scotland is recovering at a stronger rate than other UK nations and regions but visits from UK holidaymakers may have been impacted by the cost of living.

Typically conducted every three or four years, this is the first time the Scotland Visitor Survey has been undertaken since the pandemic**.

It aims to help understand why visitors take a holiday or short break in Scotland and how they rate their experiences when here.

From March to October 2023, visitors were surveyed both while in Scotland and when they returned home to help build a complete picture of their journey from start to finish.

As well as looking at the profile of visitors and their experiences, the first wave of results*** also focused on motivations and inspiration.

Other highlights include:

  • Scenery and landscape was the top reason visitors chose Scotland (70%), followed by history and culture (48%), outdoor activities (27%), visiting friends and family (22%) Scotland’s people (21%) and visiting attractions (19%).
  • Over half of visitors said personal recommendations were the most influential source of inspiration.
  • 71% of visitors rated their experience in Scotland as a 9 out of 10 or higher.
  • Almost 60% of long-haul visitors stated this was the best holiday they had ever taken.

Tourism Minister Richard Lochhead said: “It’s very heartening to see such a positive response, particularly given this is the first major survey of its kind undertaken since the pandemic.

“Repeat visits and word of mouth recommendations are vital to the sector, so it’s great to see that results are now even stronger than pre-pandemic figures, with over 80% of visitors sharing that they are likely to return to Scotland or would recommend a visit to others, and international tourism recovering at a stronger rate than the UK as whole.

“Scotland’s visitor sector is of huge importance to our economy, and these results showcase the strength, creativity and ingenuity of our tourism providers, who continue to offer a vast choice of unique events, attractions and experiences to visitors from all over the world. Scotland can be proud.”

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: “This valuable research gives us an important benchmark for where Scotland’s tourism offering is, post pandemic, helping inform and drive our activities as an industry going forward.

“Knowing what our visitors think and what they want is crucial in ensuring Scotland is kept front of mind in a competitive marketplace.

“The strong support demonstrated in the survey is testament to the tireless work and dedication of those within our tourism and events industry, who on a daily basis help create unforgettable and unmissable holiday experiences.

“It is clear the voices of our visitors have a vital role to play in promoting Scotland as a must-visit, must-return destination. This in turn helps grow the economy, creating jobs, sustaining communities and attracting further investment in the future.”

To view the Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 visit: 

Scotland Visitor Survey – Domestic & International | VisitScotland.org

Carers Trust Scotland research reveals family carers experiencing unprecedented financial hardship

“All general bills are a worry. It’s crushing to not even be able to afford the most basics in life due to being an unpaid carer.” (unpaid carer responding to the Carers Trust survey)

  • Almost three quarters (74%) of unpaid carers in Scotland are worried about being able to afford energy bills.
  • Almost two thirds (58%) of unpaid carers in Scotland have either had to give up work altogether or reduce their paid hours because of their caring role.
  • One in eight (12%) unpaid carers in Scotland have had to use a food bank.
  • Carers Trust is urging the Scottish Government and the UK Government to provide additional cost-of-living support to unpaid carers now and to develop long-term solution for funding of social care.

A new survey of unpaid carers in Scotland provides a stark assessment of how many of Scotland’s 800,000 unpaid family carers have been plunged even further into financial misery by the cost-of-living crisis. 

The research, undertaken by Carers Trust, the UK infrastructure charity for local carer organisations, revealed that 38% of all unpaid carers have had to give up paid work altogether to provide the dedicated care at home that a sick or disabled relative needs. A further 20% of respondents reported having reduced the number of paid hours they work because of their caring role.

The research, which was responded to by 531 family carers, uncovered the shocking fact that one in eight (12%) unpaid family carers are now using food banks as a result of soaring living costs. In addition:

  • 28% have had to cut back on food
  • 7% have either sold their home or released home equity to pay for essential items
  • 17% have not been able to pay household bills on time
  • 38% have had to cut back on other household items
  • 27% have had to use a credit card to pay for essential household items.
  • 25% have had to borrow money from a friend or a relative
  • 17% have had to take out a loan

One survey respondent said: “I am terrified that I won’t be able to pay the bills this winter”.

Responding to a survey question about what essential costs they would no longer be able to afford, almost half (48%) said transport, almost three quarters (74%) said energy bills and over one third (34%) said rent or mortgage costs.

Carer’s Allowance failing to prevent poverty among unpaid carers

The survey also starkly highlighted the inadequacy of Carer’s Allowance, the principal state benefit for unpaid carers.

Currently set at £69.70 per week, providing this is the lowest level benefit of its kind, despite more than one third (34%) of unpaid carers spending 50 hours or more a week caring for a sick or disabled relative.

The Scottish Government does provide a Carer’s Allowance Supplement of £245.70 twice per year to provide additional support to unpaid carers in Scotland.

However, eligibility criteria for Carer’s Allowance benefit are strict: claimants must earn £132 a week or less after tax and must be spending a minimum of 35 hours a week caring for someone.

Over half of all survey respondents said that they do not receive the allowance and, of those who did, 56% of respondents in Scotland said it was not enough to meet their needs as an unpaid carer.

The survey also found that, instead of preventing poverty among recipients, Carer’s Allowance recipients were more likely to be experiencing financial hardship.

  • 58% of respondents receiving Carer’s Allowance said they were struggling to make ends meet, compared to 38% of respondents who don’t receive Carer’s Allowance.

More support needed for local carer organisations supporting unpaid carers

A parallel survey of Carer’s Trust’s UK network of over 120 local carer organisations, who provide services to unpaid carers, has also highlighted the impact of recruitment challenges and funding shortages on their ability to support unpaid family carers. 

48% of services cited fundraising and sustainability as the principal challenge to work supporting unpaid carers, whilst 40% of respondents cited staff recruitment and retention as a challenge – almost twice the level (23%) reported the year before.     

Carers Trust Scotland’s Director Louise Morgan said: “Scotland’s health and social care system relies on the hard work of millions of unpaid family carers. However, the double whammy of lack of financial support and struggling local services means that thousands of unpaid family carers are being pushed into dire poverty. 

‘With little ability to work, unpaid carers simply cannot boost their earnings to meet the cost-of-living crisis. Yet they need to keep the heating on and equipment running to keep their sick and disabled relatives warm and safe.

“The recent Autumn Statement simply did not recognise the extra cost of being an unpaid carer. We therefore need to raise Carer’s Allowance urgently, provide and to add it to the list of benefits qualifying for the additional £900 cost-of-living support payment and provide double payments of Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments to help unpaid carers to pay their rising bills during the cost-of-living crisis.

“As a country we’re relying on unpaid carers to keep the health and care system afloat. The least we can do in return is ensure they get a fair deal in return”.

Find out about how your Giving Tuesday donations can help support #UnpaidCarers👉https://bit.ly/3zEj3aE

Mounting Scottish maternity service staffing shortages spark safety fears, says RCM

Understaffing, staff burnout and fears they cannot provide safe care could see many midwives heading for the exit, according to a Royal College of Midwives (RCM) survey of its members in Scotland. A staggering half of respondents say they rarely have enough staff to provide safe care for women.

The RCM said it is deeply concerned by the survey results, which showed seven out of 10 midwives are also thinking of leaving due to low staffing levels and frustration with the quality of care they can provide. As one midwife responding to the survey said, “I love being a midwife, but I hate the care I am giving.”

The RCM lays out several recommendations to move forward positively and address the issues in the survey. These include a call for more support for midwives early in their career to ensure they feel well supported and positive about their chosen career rather than leaving.

There is also a need to ensure midwives have time to undertake essential education and development which is key to delivering safer and better care. An accurate tool to determine midwifery staffing levels is also overdue and a proportionate and substantial increase in the number of consultant midwives and clinical educators – who play a key role in ensuring safe care.

Jaki Lambert, RCM Director for Scotland said: ‘I know midwives and maternity support workers provide excellent care daily to families, but we cannot rely on goodwill alone.

“This shows deep seated and longstanding issues, certainly worsened by the pandemic which midwives fear are already impacting on the quality of care for women and their babies. There is a worrying catalogue of issues and discontent with an exhausted and a fragile maternity workforce with rock bottom morale.

“They have also been emotionally and physically battered by the pandemic and left feeling that their work and efforts are not valued. We need to move forward together with the Government from this point.

“There is a real disconnect between what maternity services need and what resources are available to them in terms of funding, professional development, resources, and staffing. It is only the incredible determination, skill and sheer willpower of midwives and their colleagues that are holding services up.

“Without action the staff, and the system they are propping up, will break. This is not safe, it’s not sustainable, and it’s not acceptable.”

Fears about understaffing run through the survey. Levels of staffing were consistently described as unsafe, with midwives raising concerns for the safety of women using seriously overstretched services.

Concerns with the quality of care being given was cited by six in 10 of those thinking of quitting.

Women with complex care needs benefit from additional midwifery support but the resources needed to support these women are often not factored into funding calculations, says the RCM.

The RCM says they are concerned that more experienced midwives and those near retirement who delayed leaving to help in the pandemic are starting to head for the exit. The loss of such rich experience impacts on the support available to early career midwives and the students following in their footsteps.

Mandatory training, designed to improve safety in maternity services, has also been a casualty of the workforce crisis, with more than four in 10 respondents unable to do this training during working hours, instead having to do it in their own time or not at all.  

The RCM calls for staff to be given the time to do this vital training. One midwife summed up the situation saying, “mandatory safety training cancelled due to short staffing making a dangerous situation even less safe.”

Growing pressures are also leading to worrying levels of strain and anxiety for maternity staff. Nearly all (88%) in the survey say they have significant levels of work-related stress. One midwife said, “I have nothing left to give my own children and family at the end of the day. I am at breaking point.”

Nearly every respondent said they are missing breaks with over half (52%) saying this happens two to three times a week and has become the norm. Many are not even getting the chance to have a drink or go to the toilet on shifts that can be as long as 12 hours. One midwife reported, “When I say no break, I mean flooding through sanitary products onto my clothing because I cannot take 10 minutes to change my tampon in a 12-hour shift.”

Jaki Lambert added, “The pain and anguish of midwives was very difficult to read about and I hope their words are captured in this survey.  It paints a deeply worrying picture of staff that are on their knees and are not currently seeing a way forward or access to the support they need to deliver the safest and best possible care.

“We can and must do better for midwives, women, babies, and families in Scotland. We know that the Scottish Government wants to fix this and we want to work with them to make sure that midwives are valued and their expertise recognised.

“It is essential that we recruit new midwives into the service, treat the midwives we have better to make sure they stay in post, and that they can continue to develop throughout their careers so that women in Scotland get the maternity care they deserve.”

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Scotland’s teachers report soaring workload in new EIS survey

Scotland’s teachers have faced soaring levels of workload throughout the pandemic, and at a time when they are being offered a significant real-terms cut in their level of pay by COSLA and the Scottish Government.

The EIS conducted an online survey in November, and more than 16,000 teachers across Scotland took part. Amongst the key workload-related findings in the EIS survey are:

  • 88% of teachers indicated that their workload burden has increased during the pandemic.
  • 61% of teachers report that workload levels have increased “significantly” during this period.
  • 80% of Secondary teachers reported significantly increased workload related to SQA qualifications.
  • The vast majority of teachers (93%) work above their contracted hours each week.
  • 45% of full-time teachers work more than 8 extra hours every week – equivalent to over one extra full day of work each week, over and above contractual commitments.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “Teachers have continued to face a rising tide of workload throughout the pandemic, for a wide range of reasons. Clearly, changes brought about in response to the pandemic have had an impact on teacher workload with additional tasks requiring to be undertaken on a daily basis to help keep classrooms safe.

“The increased emphasis on digital learning – be that in the classroom or remotely from home – has created challenges for teachers, often associated with a lack of suitable equipment and resources. Teachers are also reporting a significant amount of time dealing with pupil behaviour as many young people continue the struggle to overcome the negative impact of the pandemic on their lives.”

Mr Flanagan continued: “The survey also identifies a substantial increase in the workload associated with supporting pupils with Additional Support Needs. 61% of all teachers identified meeting the Additional Support Needs, including the mental health support needs, of pupils as a significant driver of workload increases over the past year – with the figure even higher (66%) within the primary sector.

“This is a vital area of work, but the level of demand is increasing and this is clearly placing additional strain on already hard-worked teachers.”

Mr Flanagan added, “In addition to the challenges of keeping up to date with government Covid safety protocols, which affect all teachers, teachers in Secondary schools face additional difficulties with SQA-related workload.

“The challenges brought about by short-notice changes to the qualifications system have been a major driver in additional workload over the past two years for Secondary teachers. Meaningful reform of the examinations system is now required to ease the workload burden of teachers and students alike.”