If you’ve returned from Hajj in the last 2 weeks and feel unwell, it’s important you call your GP for medical advice.
For more information visit https://nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/travel-health/travel-health-and-vaccinations/ or call 0800 22 44 88.
VOLUNTEER WEEK 2026: MONDAY 1st – SUNDAY 7th JUNE
Volunteers Week is an annual UK-wide celebration recognising the incredible selfless work of volunteers. In NHS Lothian we are incredibly proud of all our volunteers from the community, our estates and our hospitals.
Kosar Bibi started as a Volunteer Driver in November 2024 to support NHS Lothian’s Flow Centre with patient transport from hospital to home. In short, Kosar picks up patients from hospital discharge lounges across our sites and drives them directly home. While some journeys for Kosar may be short, such as travelling to Forth Valley, others may see Kosar drive all the way up to Inverness and other parts of the Highlands.
Since starting in her role, Kosar has safely transported home more than 120 patients, clocking up an incredible 21,000+ miles in the process.
Kosar explained: “I decided to become a volunteer driver after seeing first-hand the difficulties people have getting home from hospital due to grown children, carers etc. having other commitments.
“I love meeting such interesting people from all walks of life and all ages. I also get to see and hear how hard the NHS work to improve people’s lives. The best bit is reuniting the patient with their loved ones.”
Supporting the Flow Centre to help get patients home as quickly as possible also helps our hospitals frees up beds for new patients coming into the system. Additionally, Kosar provides a service when all other patient transport options have been exhausted, saving NHS Lothian the cost of having to use the last resort option of paying for external transport.
Ross Lamb, Voluntary Services Manager, describes Kosar as a friendly, empathetic, and committed person. Kosar averages several patient transfers per month and proceeds with her duties regardless of the weather (obviously taking weather warnings into account!).
Ross explains: “As Kosar’s Voluntary Services Manager, it’s always interesting to see all the places she transports patients to around Scotland each month, and it’s also rewarding to see the number of patients she gets home safe and sound to the comfort of their own surroundings.”
“When nominating Kosar for this award, I also worked out that over 35% of the patient transfers Kosar has completed have been round trips of 200 miles or more. This is quite simply an extraordinary effort from a volunteer and something that should quite rightly be celebrated and appreciated.
“The Voluntary Services Team and Flow Centre are extremely grateful for all Kosar’s kind support and outstanding commitment. We are very lucky to have her!”
Kosar has now also been shortlisted for the Voluntary Service Award at this year’s upcoming Celebrating Success Awards.
Depending on your age, health conditions, or other factors, you could be eligible for a Covid Spring Booster Vaccine.
Our team will be at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North, Edinburgh, EH5 1NF on the 26th May from 10am till 1pm and 1.40pm till 4pm.
For eligibility and details about other pop-up clinics, please click the link below or call the Vaccination Enquiries Helpline: 0300 790 6296.
A new service to help expectant parents with their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy has been launched in NHS Lothian by NSPCC Scotland this Maternal Mental Health Week (4-10 May).
Pregnancy in Mind (PiM) is an online group service that supports parents, who are expecting a baby, with complicated feelings that can arise during pregnancy. It is designed to create a safe and reassuring space for parents in weeks 12-26 of pregnancy so they can reflect on any concerns, worries, or low mood they may be experiencing.
PiM encourages them to reflect on their pregnancy as it progresses and their connection to their growing baby, encourages social support with other parents-to-be, and builds confidence for when their baby is born.
The programme has eight online group sessions, usually delivered weekly (for 90-120 minutes), from the start of the second trimester (12 weeks) plus two one-to-one online post-birth sessions.
The service is delivered by practitioners who are experienced in creating a warm, safe and supportive space where expectant parents can build confidence, develop helpful ways of coping, and connect with others as they navigate pregnancy and prepare for the arrival of their new baby.
The service brings together a range of evidence informed approaches, including mindfulness, relaxation, coping strategies, building confidence in understanding emotional wellbeing and developing supportive social connections.
Parents do not need to be experiencing severe symptoms to take part, the service is open to those who feel they would benefit from extra support during pregnancy. Introductions by health and social care workers to the service can be made at any point up to 26 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant person, their partner, support person or the baby’s other parent can take part in the programme.
Alison MacDonald, Executive Nurse Director for NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the NSPCC to add this programme to the range of support available to expectant parents.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health and this service offers early, practical support to parents who need it most, helping them to give their babies and children the best possible start in life.”
Jen Dixon, Team Manager at NSPCC Scotland, said: “Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us of the importance of emotional wellbeing during pregnancy.
When parents are finding things difficult, offering support to them as early as possible, can help them feel less alone as they prepare to meet their baby.
“Often parents join Pregnancy in Mind feeling uncertain, isolated or overwhelmed. Through the sessions, they connect with other parents who are experiencing similar feelings. The programme supports them to develop ways to improve their own wellbeing, leading them to feel more hopeful, confident and less overwhelmed when their baby is born.
“This supports their ability to create nurturing foundations and connections with their babies from the very beginning, including during pregnancy.”
For further information about PiM contact NSPCC Scotland by email:
Not sure if what you’re feeling is normal? This perinatal mental health symptom checker highlights signs you shouldn’t ignore.
Trust yourself, reach out early, and ask for help.
Visit: https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/about-maternal-mental-health/perinatal-mental-health-symptom-checker/ to learn more.
A new service to help expectant parents with their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy is being launched by NSPCC Scotland as the UK marks Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (May 4 to 10).
Pregnancy in Mind (PiM), which is being delivered by the charity in partnership with NHS Lothian, is an online group service that supports parents, who are expecting a baby, with complicated feelings that can arise during pregnancy.
It is designed to create a safe and reassuring space for parents in weeks 12-26 of pregnancy so they can reflect on any concerns, worries, or low mood they may be experiencing.
PiM encourages them to reflect on their pregnancy as it progresses and their connection to their growing baby, encourages social support with other parents-to-be, and builds confidence for when their baby is born.
The programme has eight online group sessions, usually delivered weekly (for 90-120 minutes), from the start of the second trimester (12 weeks) plus two one-to-one online post-birth sessions.
The service is delivered by practitioners who are experienced in creating a warm, safe and supportive space where expectant parents can build confidence, develop helpful ways of coping, and connect with others as they navigate pregnancy and prepare for the arrival of their new baby.
The service brings together a range of evidence informed approaches, including mindfulness, relaxation, coping strategies, building confidence in understanding emotional wellbeing and developing supportive social connections.
Parents do not need to be experiencing severe symptoms to take part, the service is open to those who feel they would benefit from extra support during pregnancy. Introductions by health and social care workers to the service can be made at any point up to 26 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant person, their partner, support person or the baby’s other parent can take part in the programme.
Jen Dixon, Team Manager at NSPCC Scotland, said: “Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us of the importance of emotional wellbeing during pregnancy.
“When parents are finding things difficult, offering support to them as early as possible, can help them feel less alone as they prepare to meet their baby.
“Often parents join Pregnancy in Mind feeling uncertain, isolated or overwhelmed. Through the sessions, they connect with other parents who are experiencing similar feelings. The programme supports them to develop ways to improve their own wellbeing, leading them to feel more hopeful, confident and less overwhelmed when their baby is born.
“This supports their ability to create nurturing foundations and connections with their babies from the very beginning, including during pregnancy.”
Alison MacDonald, Executive Nurse Director for NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the NSPCC to add this programme to the range of support available to expectant parents.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health and this service offers early, practical support to parents who need it most, helping them to give their babies and children the best possible start in life.”
For further information about PiM contact NSPCC Scotland by email:
A quick reminder: On Monday 4 May 2026, GP practices and many community pharmacies will be closed.
If you need a prescription, please arrange to collect soon.
Visit our website: https://services.nhslothian.scot/rightcare/public-holidays/
THE EXCEPTIONAL GIFT
Interested in learning about living kidney donation?
Join our free information event on Thursday 14 May, 6–8pm at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Register here:
For more information, email: Loth.LivingKidneyDonation@nhs.scot.
The lives of deaf people have been put at risk by Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s (EIJB) decision to withdraw specialist social work funding, according to Scotland’s leading deaf-led charity.
Deaf Action is urging Edinburgh’s health and social care body to reinstate the services, including social work support, specialist equipment and preventative, community-based assistance with immediate effect.
The organisation argues that the EIJB’s decision contradicts council leader Jane Meagher’s claim that a four percent rise in Council Tax will see it “protecting frontline services for those most in need of our support”.
Deaf Action has highlighted numerous examples of how the decision has affected the deaf community in the city, including one of a woman who had a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) order added to her medical records after a stroke because staff thought she couldn’t communicate.
In fact, as a British Sign Language (BSL) user she needed an interpreter and it was only an ad hoc welfare visit to the woman in hospital by a BSL-using Community Care Assistant that identified the problem. The woman involved was too unwell to be interviewed for this press release.
Deaf Action’s campaign has won the support of several MPs and MSPs, including the deputy first minister, Kate Forbes.
Philip Gerrard MBE, chief executive of Deaf Action, said: “Edinburgh once had specialist, deaf-led BSL-first services that helped people navigate daily life in their own language. Those services have been dismantled, one after another, and the result is that deaf people are now being pushed into generic systems that are not designed for BSL users.
“When you take away that language provision, you take away accessibility. It increases the risk of people being misunderstood, left isolated or falling through safeguarding gaps. The Council must restore these services as a matter of urgency.”
Jennifer Staples, who was born deaf and has lived in Edinburgh all her life, relied on Deaf Action’s specialist BSL-led support for more than four decades.
Through regular access to a dedicated social worker and later community-based services, she was able to manage everyday tasks, understand important correspondence and live independently with confidence.
Since the withdrawal of these services, Jennifer says she has been left struggling to navigate basic aspects of daily life, facing increasing isolation and uncertainty.
Jennifer said: “Every Thursday I knew that there was a two-hour slot, I could see a social worker, a person I knew, and I would go regularly. They could sign fluently and we communicated directly. But then the contract was changed and I was lost. It’s so different going through an interpreter. There were barriers everywhere.
“For example, I had a problem with my gas meter. The company stopped sending me printed bills and sent emails instead. They put on my account that I was deaf, but they kept trying to call me and I obviously can’t take a phone call.
“Nowadays I have to ask my family for help, but they don’t have any time, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It’s really stressful. I’m worrying about it all the time and I don’t sleep well because of it.
“I really hope that the Council brings something back for deaf people in Edinburgh – we need support.”
Deaf Action points to a further example of a deaf man with special educational needs who went without heating for four months over the winter due to communication failures within generic social care services.
Despite raising concerns, he did not fully understand the advice given by a visiting social worker about arranging an engineer, leaving the problem unresolved from November until February.
Deaf Action argues that the replacement of specialist provision with generic services is a false economy. The charity produced a cost analysis study which concludes that removing specialist deaf-led support does not eliminate need or reduce public spending; instead, it shifts demand into far more expensive crisis services.
Three key services have been cut in sequence over the past 18 months:
Philip Gerrard added: “The cuts contradict Scotland’s stated ambition under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act, passed a decade ago, to be the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, learn and visit,
“And this all comes just a few months after a UK Government report (link below [1] ) called for the reintroduction and strengthening of the role of specialist social workers and sensory teams across local authorities”.
As well as calling for the reintroduction of the specialist services, Deaf Action wants the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership to publish a full equality and social impact assessment that considers the cumulative effect of the cuts.
Philip Gerrard, who has met with the City of Edinburgh’s leader, Jane Meagher, and Connor Savage, the Chair of its Integration Board, said he hopes constructive discussions can continue.
The Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Little France recently welcomed a news crew from CNN International to highlight a world‑leading partnership between the neurosurgery team and researchers at the University of Edinburgh.
Spearheaded by neurosurgeon Paul Brennan and Race Against Dementia Fellow Dr Claire Durrant, the programme involves keeping living human brain tissue – removed during routine neurosurgery – alive for study in the laboratory.
This pioneering research has enabled scientists to show, for the first time, how a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer’s can attach to and damage the connections between brain cells.
The team hopes the discovery will help identify medications with the greatest potential to prevent the loss of synapses—the vital connections that allow messages to flow between brain cells and support healthy brain function.
Paul Brennan said: “During neurosurgery, there is always a small amount of healthy brain tissue that must be removed in order to reach, for example, a tumour and typically that tissue would be thrown away. Our partnership with Claire and her team means we can package up that healthy, living tissue and send it to the lab for testing.
“Even the tiniest piece “contains thousands of cells, and we can learn a great deal from it. Research of this type has been underway for some time, but this collaboration allows us to study living human brain tissue in a way that hasn’t routinely been possible before.”
The tissue is collected with the patient’s consent, in a process similar to organ donation. Aidan McAllister (28) chose to donate his healthy brain tissue during an operation to remove a tumour. He said: “My grandad passed away from Alzheimer’s a few years ago. We were really close – he lived just across the road and we saw each other every day. His dementia became so severe that he didn’t know who he was or who we were.
“It’s a really brutal disease. When Paul asked if I’d consider donating some of my brain tissue during surgery, I thought if it could help people like my grandad, then I wanted to do it.”
Dr Claire Durrant said: “We believe this research could accelerate the journey from lab findings to patient treatments, bringing us one step closer to a world free from the heartbreak of dementia.
“It was fantastic to be able to show the CNN team what we do and to highlight the vital, world-leading research taking place in Edinburgh.”
