public health – Page 60 – The NEN

Care sector ‘safety net’ proposed

New measures have been proposed to ensure swift intervention if care home residents are being put at serious risk due to services failing.

The move comes after the Care Inspectorate began legal action which could prevent operator HC-One running the Home Farm Care Home in Portree, where nine residents have now died.

The planned emergency powers are being put forward as a Scottish Government amendment to the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill ahead of Stage 2 next week.

The amendments make clear that, if there was a significant risk to the life, health or wellbeing of individuals, or that a provider was unable to deliver care due to failure, that strengthened emergency powers will be available to ensure continuity of care.

If passed by the Scottish Parliament, the emergency powers will provide assurance to those who depend on care services, their families, and the staff that deliver care, that additional oversight and support is available in the rare circumstances that it may be required.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted social care services around the world. In the face of this challenge, staff in care homes across Scotland have been working incredibly hard to care for their residents.

“It is of paramount importance that anyone living in a care home or using other care services, as well as those supporting them, are provided with the best possible care. We will do everything we can to ensure that remains the case. We are fortunate that this high standard of care is the norm for the vast majority of care home residents in Scotland.

“However, for the duration of this pandemic I believe that it is critical that a clear safety net is in place to ensure that if a care provider was unable to continue to deliver services, that the people who depend on those services should not be impacted. Our proposals build on established powers and would put beyond doubt that immediate action can be taken if continuity of care was jeopardised for any reason.

“The Care Inspectorate has a robust inspection regime for the care sector and the further steps we are hoping to take, if the parliament agrees, help bolster that work and would only be exercised as a last resort. There is guidance available for care providers on how to manage the current situation, which the Scottish Government expects to be followed.

“Every resident in our care homes, their family and the staff who work there should be kept safe from harm and we are prepared to take action where this is not the case.”

Shapps: ‘We want to keep this momentum going’

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps gave the UK Government’s daily media briefing yesterday.

He described how the time during lockdown has been used to fix and upgrade road and rail infrastructure, including plans to help the economy bounce back.

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s Downing Street press conference. I’m pleased to be joined by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.

Latest data

Let me start by updating you on the latest information from the Government’s COBR data file.

Through our monitoring and testing programme, as of today:

2,219,281 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including a new record of 126,064 tests carried out yesterday
233,151 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 3,446 cases since yesterday
11,041 people are in hospital with COVID-19, down 14% from a week ago, when 12,802 patients were hospitalised
and sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, 33,614 have now died – that’s an increase of 428 fatalities since yesterday.

This new figure includes deaths in all settings not just in hospitals.

Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends as the nation battles to defeat the disease.

Main content

Today I’m going to set out how – whilst the country has been at a virtual standstill – this downtime has been used to fix and upgrade the nation’s road and rail infrastructure, along with plans to help our economy bounce back.

But before I set out today’s transport announcements, let me briefly remind you of the government’s roadmap out of this crisis.

As you know, we have established a new COVID Alert System, with five levels – based primarily on the R value and the number of cases.

Throughout the lockdown, we have been at Level 4.

Thanks to the British people, we have brought the R down and we can now begin moving carefully to Level 3.

From this week we’re at Step 1, meaning that:

those who cannot work from home should now speak to their employer about going back to work
you can now spend time outdoors and exercise as much as you like
you can meet one person who’s not part of your household outside, provided you stay 2 metres apart

Step 2 – from June 1, at the earliest, as long as it’s safe, we aim to allow:

primary schools to reopen for some pupils, in smaller class sizes
non-essential retail to start to reopen
cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed doors, without crowds

And then Step 3 – no earlier than July 4, and again, only if the data says it’s safe, we aim to allow:

more businesses to open, including those offering personal care, those in the leisure sector, together with places of worship

We can control this virus if we stay alert.

But what does staying alert actually mean?

Staying alert, for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible, and working from home if you can.

But it also means:

limiting contact with other people
keeping your distance if you go out
washing your hands regularly
wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces where it’s difficult to be socially distant – for example on public transport
and if you or anyone in your household has symptoms, you all need to self-isolate

If everyone stays alert and follows the rules, we can control coronavirus by keeping the R down and reducing the number of infections.

This is how we can continue to save lives, and livelihoods, as we begin as a nation to recover from coronavirus.

Transport context

Today I want to update you on the measures we’re taking to speed up our economic recovery while keeping people safe.

For 2 months, we’ve remained in lockdown, travelling as little as possible, and in doing so, the whole country has protected the NHS and helped reduce the number of COVID infections.

But as we begin making tentative steps towards restarting our economy and people in some sectors who can’t work from home begin to return to their workplaces, it is clear that transport has a critical role to play.

Last Saturday, I explained why it’s our civic duty to avoid public transport, if at all possible.

Because, even when we have 100% of services up and running, there may only be socially-distanced space available for 1 in 10 passengers.

Therefore, in order to help reduce crowding, we set out a £2 billion programme to put cycling and walking at the heart of transport, with £250 million emergency spending already underway.

Over the past week, we have followed this up by publishing 3 pieces of detailed guidance.

First, for local authorities in England, explaining how they should prepare for significantly-increased numbers of cyclists and pedestrians.

Next, for the transport sector, to ensure they provide safer services for those travelling, and safer workplaces for their staff.

And third, and most importantly, for passengers.

We’re asking the public to help ensure that the transport system does not become significantly overwhelmed by returning commuters.

The guidance makes clear, that if you can’t walk or cycle but you do have access to a car, please use it, rather than travelling by bus, train or tram…..

Especially where that public transport is liable to be overcrowded.

And, for those people who absolutely need to use public transport…

It also explains how you can best protect yourself and those around you.

Transport upgrades during lockdown

In the coming weeks, as we carefully and cautiously restart sectors of our economy, and people begin to travel once again…

They should notice that, whilst the country has been in down-time …

…with the roads and railways quiet…

We’ve been busy…

Getting on with essential work….

Fixing the nation’s infrastructure…

So we can recover faster when the time comes.

This upgrade programme…

…the kind of work that – at any other time – would cause inevitable disruption and service delays, whilst costing the taxpayer more…

…has instead been carried out in previously unimaginable circumstances of a largely unused transport network.

For example, we completed 419 separate Network Rail projects over Easter, with a further 1,000 upgrades being carried out throughout the May bank holidays.

Meanwhile, Highways England has been busy accelerating maintenance projects on the nation’s roads.

Last week, for example, we opened the vital A14 upgrade 7 months ahead of schedule.

This is a route normally used by 85,000 drivers daily, which will dramatically improve access to the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe and permanently boost the distribution of goods around the UK.

As Northern Powerhouse minister – I can report that – in the North, we’ve delivered £96 million of rail infrastructure improvements during April.

And throughout the country, we’ve accelerated maintenance projects on road and rail…

Whilst always sticking to PHE safety guidelines…..

So that altogether, Highways England has delivered over £200 million of upgrades, and Network Rail £550 million worth, during April alone.

I’d like to thank the army of transport and construction workers who have been grafting very hard throughout the lockdown.

Building future infrastructure

But to make sure that Britain is ready to bounce-back from coronavirus…

Today I can announce nearly £2 billion to upgrade our roads and railways, to put our transport infrastructure in the best possible shape and to get our economy growing once again.

This package includes £1.7 billion for local roads – making journeys smoother and safer for drivers, hauliers, cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and others…

By filling millions of dangerous potholes, we will make our roads safer – and encourage more people to cycle, or even take part in the upcoming e-scooter trials…

Helping more people play a part in relieving pressure on public transport.

This investment will also help fix damage caused by winter flooding, repair roads and bridges, and fund numerous road improvement schemes.

As more people become mobile again, we’ll be building a network of rapid charging stations for electric cars…

Including a big expansion of rapid-charging facilities at motorway service stations…

Helping the country to lock-in the dramatic air-quality improvements we’ve experienced during the coronavirus lockdown.

A better future

Amid all the sad news and tragedy of loved ones we’ve lost, we’ve somehow managed to do things in weeks that would normally take years…

Building new hospitals…

Moving public services online…

Making instant reforms and fast-tracking new laws…

Extraordinary changes in the way that employers and employees work…

Effectively taking large swathes of the economy online almost overnight…

Now we want to keep this momentum going.

If building a new hospital takes 2 weeks, why should building a new road still take as long as 20 years?

If GP surgeries can quickly move online, why are most rail passengers still travelling on cardboard tickets?

We must exploit our newfound capacity to respond at pace and apply it to rapidly improving our infrastructure.

And we must examine why it is that bureaucratic bindweed makes British infrastructure some of the costliest and slowest in Europe to build.

Because whilst many will continue to work from home even after this immediate crisis…

…both the long-term transport trend and the pressing need to level-up communities across the country, dictate that infrastructure will be even more important in stimulating our recovery and supporting new jobs.

So by combining fast home-internet access, with vastly upgraded transport connections, we can help revive many of our small and medium-sized towns which over decades have been left behind.

Closing remarks

This has been a devastating start to the year, not just for Britain, but for the world.

And we are only at Phase 1 of the recovery plan.

But we all know that it is our reaction to adversity that will ultimately define how we recover.

We must harness our approach to tackling the pandemic….

And apply it to rebuilding our own infrastructure.

With the same swift action, innovation, and collective determination that has characterised the past few months…..

And in doing so, we can emerge stronger.

70 million face masks for NHS and care workers through new industry deal

Government agrees deal with technology company Honeywell to manufacture 70 million face masks for frontline workers
New deal part of plan to unleash potential of UK industry to scale up domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing
The production line has capacity to produce up to 4.5 million masks each month and will create 450 new jobs at the production site

More than 70 million face masks will be manufactured in Scotland and delivered to frontline health and care workers following an agreement with a global technology company, the UK government has announced.

FFP2 and FFP3 masks will be produced over an 18-month period at Honeywell’s site in Newhouse, Scotland, with production set to begin as early as July. Each month will see up to 4.5 million masks roll off the production line, ready for distribution to frontline NHS and social care workers.

It marks a significant moment in the government’s ‘make’ programme, headed up by Lord Deighton, which seeks to unleash the potential of UK industry to scale up domestic PPE manufacturing.

The move supports the government’s continued efforts to ensure PPE reaches those fighting the virus on the frontline, with over 1.25 billion items of PPE delivered to health and social care workers since the outbreak began.

Additionally, the new production line will create approximately 450 new jobs at the Scotland site.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “These 70 million masks are the result of our challenge to UK industry to scale up domestic PPE manufacturing.

“This deal is brilliant news for the whole United Kingdom which will not only deliver the masks we need but create around 450 jobs in Newhouse, Scotland.

“I’m delighted to team up with Honeywell to open up another avenue to get millions of masks to the frontline and strengthen our ongoing response to the outbreak.

Lord Paul Deighton, adviser to the Secretary of State on PPE, said: ““As countries around the world face unprecedented demand for PPE, British industry is stepping forward to make sure vital pieces of equipment reach our workers on the frontline.

“My role is to increase our homegrown PPE supplies, both now and in the future, by investing in the potential of UK manufacturing. This fantastic deal announced with Honeywell today marks a significant step along the way.”

The government has ordered 70 million of the locally produced FFP2 and FFP3 Honeywell SuperOne disposable respirator masks. These are certified to the highest international PPE standards, compliant with EU regulations, and must meet UK quality and safety standards before being delivered to healthcare settings via the NHS Supply Chain from July.

Will Lange, President of Honeywell’s PPE business, said: “As a global leader of high-quality personal protective equipment, Honeywell is committed to getting safety gear to those who need it most, including workers on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.

“Our Newhouse facility has both the physical capacity and technical capabilities to launch a large-scale respirator production line in such a short timeframe, and we are proud of our teams who are bringing new manufacturing capabilities to the United Kingdom as quickly as possible to support the country’s response to the pandemic.”

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “As well as creating 450 new jobs and boosting the local economy it is great a company with manufacturing facilities in Scotland can help ensure our heroic frontline workers have the PPE they need to carry out their lifesaving work.

“Our UK-wide strategy is continuing to manage and supply protective equipment to the people that need it in all 4 nations.”

The agreement announced today is the latest in a number of steps the government is taking to ramp up PPE production and distribution. New collaborations between the government and organisations including Amazon, the Royal Mint and Jaguar Land Rover, will see increased production and delivery across all PPE products.

A PPE distribution network with the NHS, industry and armed forces, and a 24-hour NHS-run helpline that’s received around 35,000 calls since it was set up, have also been established as part of the government’s national PPE plan.

Care Inspectorate takes legal action over Skye’s Home Farm Care Home

The Care Inspectorate has taken legal action over the running of a private care home on Skye where seven residents have died in a coronavirus outbreak.

The inspectorate has asked the Sheriff Court to cancel the registration of the HC-One-owned Home Farm 40-bed nursing home facility in Portree.

It follows an unannounced inspection of the home on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “An inspection has identified serious and significant concerns about the quality of care experienced by residents at Home Farm Care Home in Skye.

“We understand this is a difficult and distressing time for residents, their loved ones and staff at the home.

“However, our first priority is always the health and wellbeing of residents.

“We have submitted an application to the sheriff court seeking cancellation of the care home’s registration.

“This could mean new care arrangements will be put in place for residents at Home Farm care home.

“We are working closely with partners including NHS Highland to ensure that residents experience appropriate care during this difficult time.”

In addition to the seven deaths, 30 of the nursing home’s 34 residents and 29 staff have tested positive for Covid-19.

A spokesman for HC- One, who operate 56 homes in Scotland, told the BBC: “We have accepted the shortcomings at Home Farm and apologise to our residents, their families, and the local community. We are fully committed to making significant improvements at the home and determined to put things right.”

On HC-One’s website – their slogan is ‘the kind care company’ – Home Farm is described:

‘The home’s caring team has created a family atmosphere, encouraging everyone to eat and celebrate special occasions together. Residents are invited to decorate their rooms with small items of their own furniture and treasured belongings so that it feels just like home. Daily life is carefully designed to support mind, body and soul.

‘Home Farm’s Home Manager makes sure that all Residents receive the kindest possible care. Our extensively trained team will deliver all the nursing and specialist care and support services that your loved one requires.

‘Personalised care plans consider not only medical, personal and dietary needs, but also the individual’s likes and dislikes, religious preferences, and suggestions from family members that might make their stay with us that little bit more enjoyable’.

On 29 April, HC-One wrote to local authorities seeking additional funds:

As we have done throughout the coronavirus crisis, we firmly believe we have a responsibility to our Residents, our Colleagues and to the wider public to highlight the challenges facing care homes at this unprecedented time.

This is why we have published online each day the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths experienced at our homes, and why we are also publishing in full the letter we have sent to the Local Authorities we work with regarding our request for financial support.

The Government has previously announced £3.2bn of additional funding for Local Authorities in response to the additional costs placed on them and their partners, which include all social care providers, by the coronavirus outbreak. We welcomed this announcement and the priority now is that this money reaches the front line.

As set out in our letter, HC-One has been significantly impacted by coronavirus including most importantly and most sadly the loss of more than 700 Residents and three Colleagues from this terrible virus. Alongside this, admissions have understandably fallen, and costs have significantly increased as we invest in the PPE needed to keep our Residents and Colleagues safe.

As a responsible provider, we entered this year and this crisis in a very strong financial position. In response to the financial impact of coronavirus we have taken a range of measures, including engaging with our lenders and our owners, to make sure we have the balance sheet resilience needed to see us through this challenging time.

These are prudent and responsible steps to take, as is looking at our income in the short term and engaging with the organisations that pay for the Residents living in our homes.

The Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, which represents Local Authorities and Social Care Commissioners respectively, have highlighted that care providers experienced a predicted 10% increase in costs linked to their coronavirus response.

Our letter therefore seeks to start a conversation with our Local Authority partners on how we can access some of the additional funding provided by Government to cover these additional costs.

We clearly set out the impact of the virus on our organisation, the statistical modelling we’ve completed that shows the predicted future impact of this deadly virus, the proactive steps we have taken to build financial resilience, and our request to discuss an income guarantee to assist us in the short term.

This request aligns with the Government’s COVID-19 Social Care Action Plan, which states Local Authorities must “protect providers’ cashflow”, and reflects the offers we’ve already received from some of our Local Authority partners who recognise the vital role our homes play in communities across the UK.

We are fortunate to be in a financially stable position, and to have the support of owners who are invested in the organisation and its mission for the long-term. We are therefore confident we can ‘weather the storm’ caused by coronavirus. Nevertheless, the responsible and prudent action was to engage with our funders, commissioners and lenders to make sure we build the most resilient financial position possible to achieve this.

As we move forward during this public health emergency, HC-One will continue to focus solely on protecting the health and wellbeing of our Residents and Colleagues.

This includes providing the PPE, training and wellbeing support our teams need, but also engaging transparently in conversations with our funding partners about the additional financial support required to support our organisation.

Since the Care Inspectorate’s intervention it has been announced than an eighth resident has died.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and Scottish Care CEO Donald Macaskill have wriiten a joint letter to all care home staff in Scotland this morning.

JF_and_DM_-_CARE_HOME_STAFF_letter_-_May_2020

An inspection report will be published in due course.

WHO: Substantial investment needed to avert mental health crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the need to urgently increase investment in services for mental health or risk a massive increase in mental health conditions in the coming months, according to a policy brief on COVID-19 and mental health issued by the United Nations today.

“The impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health is already extremely concerning,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “Social isolation, fear of contagion, and loss of family members is compounded by the distress caused by loss of income and often employment.”

Depression and anxiety are increasing

Reports already indicate an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety in a number of countries. A study in Ethiopia, in April 2020, reported a 3-fold increase in the prevalence of symptoms of depression compared to estimates from Ethiopia before the epidemic.

Specific population groups are at particular risk of COVID-related psychological distress. Frontline health-care workers, faced with heavy workloads, life-or-death decisions, and risk of infection, are particularly affected. During the pandemic, in China, health-care workers have reported high rates of depression (50%), anxiety (45%), and insomnia (34%) and in Canada, 47% of health-care workers have reported a need for psychological support.

Children and adolescents are also at risk. Parents in Italy and Spain have reported that their children have had difficulties concentrating, as well as irritability, restlessness and nervousness. Stay-at-home measures have come with a heightened risk of children witnessing or suffering violence and abuse. Children with disabilities, children in crowded settings and those who live and work on the streets are particularly vulnerable.

Other groups that are at particular risk are women, particularly those who are juggling home-schooling, working from home and household tasks, older persons and people with pre-existing mental health conditions. A study carried out with young people with a history of mental health needs living in the UK reports that 32% of them agreed that the pandemic had made their mental health much worse.

An increase in alcohol consumption is another area of concern for mental health experts. Statistics from Canada report that 20% of 15-49 year-olds have increased their alcohol consumption during the pandemic.

Mental health services interrupted

The increase in people in need of mental health or psychosocial support has been compounded by the interruption to physical and mental health services in many countries. In addition to the conversion of mental health facilities into care facilities for people with COVID-19, care systems have been affected by mental health staff being infected with the virus and the closing of face-to-face services. Community services, such as self-help groups for alcohol and drug dependence, have, in many countries, been unable to meet for several months.

“It is now crystal clear that mental health needs must be treated as a core element of our response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “This is a collective responsibility of governments and civil society, with the support of the whole United Nations System. A failure to take people’s emotional well-being seriously will lead to long-term social and economic costs to society.”

Finding ways to provide services

In concrete terms, it is critical that people living with mental health conditions have continued access to treatment. Changes in approaches to provision of mental health care and psychosocial support are showing signs of success in some countries.

In Madrid, when more than 60% of mental health beds were converted to care for people with COVID-19, where possible, people with severe conditions were moved to private clinics to ensure continuity of care. Local policy-makers identified emergency psychiatry as an essential service to enable mental health-care workers to continue outpatient services over the phone. Home visits were organized for the most serious cases.

Teams from Egypt, Kenya, Nepal, Malaysia and New Zealand, among others, have reported creating increased capacity of emergency telephone lines for mental health to reach people in need.

Support for community actions that strengthen social cohesion and reduce loneliness, particularly for the most vulnerable, such as older people, must continue. Such support is required from government, local authorities, the private sector and members of the general public, with initiatives such as provision of food parcels, regular phone check-ins with people living alone, and organization of online activities for intellective and cognitive stimulation.

An opportunity to build back better

“The scaling-up and reorganization of mental health services that is now needed on a global scale is an opportunity to build a mental health system that is fit for the future,” said Dévora Kestel, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at WHO.

“This means developing and funding national plans that shift care away from institutions to community services, ensuring coverage for mental health conditions in health insurance packages and building the human resource capacity to deliver quality mental health and social care in the community.”

Call to restart cancer services in Scotland

Scottish Conservatives Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called for the Scottish Government to publish an NHS Scotland Recovery Plan to restart services disrupted by Covid-19, particularly cancer services.

In preparation for the Covid crisis NHS Scotland went to great lengths to free up capacity and many services were paused.

Elective surgeries were postponed for three months to free up beds and cancer screening programmes for breast, cervical and bowel cancer as well as some cancer operations were also indefinitely halted.

Now cancer charities have issued a plea to the Scottish government to get cancer services up and running again and the Scottish Conservatives have asked for a plan to deal with the backlog in treatment and operations.

In NHS England cancer treatments restarted over two weeks ago.

In addition, this morning ISD Scotland published figures showing that attendances at A&E services have dropped dramatically since the end of march, due to the measures put in place to respond to COVID-19.

The statistics highlight that during the week of the 3 May only 16,107 people were seen at A&E, compared to 27,845 for the same week in 2019, the previous year, a staggering drop of over 40%.

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary said: “It is vital that the Scottish Government brings forward an NHS Recovery Plan – a plan to restart our health service, particularly cancer services and operations, in Scotland.

“Over the last two months, in so many ways, people have selflessly put their own needs on hold.

“The A&E figures show that people have been staying away from the NHS meaning many people may be suffering in silence.

“But further delays will mean more patients could have poorer outcomes.

“It is now over two weeks since NHS England restarted cancer treatments, we could too.

“Thanks to the incredible work from everyone who works in our NHS, our health service has not been overwhelmed during this crisis.

“The Scottish Government must publish a plan to deal with the current backlog of operations and treatments and give everyone access to the healthcare they need before it’s too late.”

Working safely during coronavirus?

Guidance launched to help get ~~Brits~~ ENGLAND safely back to work

The UK Government has published guidance for employers in England to help them get their businesses back up and running and workplaces operating safely – but the TUC says the plans won’t make workplaces safe.

For the timebeing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are sticking to their ‘stay at home’ message.

Practical guidelines published to make workplaces as safe as possible and give people confidence to go back to work during coronavirus pandemic
documents developed in consultation with approximately 250 businesses, unions, industry leaders as well as devolved administrations
up to an extra £14 million made available for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for extra call centre employees, inspectors and equipment
guidance provides employers with a downloadable notice businesses should display to show people they have followed the guidance

New ‘COVID-19 secure’ guidelines are available to employers to help them get their businesses back up and running and workplaces operating as safely as possible.

This follows the Prime Minister setting out steps to beat the virus and restart the economy, so we can protect jobs, restore people’s livelihoods and fund the country’s vital public services.

The government has consulted approximately 250 stakeholders in preparing the guidance. It has been developed with input from firms, unions, industry bodies and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to develop best practice on the safest ways of working across the economy, providing people with the confidence they need to return to work.

The new guidance covers 8 workplace settings which are allowed to be open, from outdoor environments and construction sites to factories and takeaways. This sets out practical steps for businesses focused on 5 key points, which should be implemented as soon as it is practical:

1. Work from home, if you can

All reasonable steps should be taken by employers to help people work from home. But for those who cannot work from home and whose workplace has not been told to close, our message is clear: you should go to work. Staff should speak to their employer about when their workplace will open.

2. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment, in consultation with workers or trade unions

This guidance operates within current health and safety employment and equalities legislation and employers will need to carry out COVID-19 risk assessments in consultation with their workers or trade unions, to establish what guidelines to put in place. If possible, employers should publish the results of their risk assessments on their website and we expect all businesses with over 50 employees to do so.

3. Maintain 2 metres social distancing, wherever possible

Employers should re-design workspaces to maintain 2 metre distances between people by staggering start times, creating one way walk-throughs, opening more entrances and exits, or changing seating layouts in break rooms.

4. Where people cannot be 2 metres apart, manage transmission risk

Employers should look into putting barriers in shared spaces, creating workplace shift patterns or fixed teams minimising the number of people in contact with one another, or ensuring colleagues are facing away from each other.

5. Reinforcing cleaning processes

Workplaces should be cleaned more frequently, paying close attention to high-contact objects like door handles and keyboards. Employers should provide handwashing facilities or hand sanitisers at entry and exit points.

A downloadable notice is included in the documents, which employers should display in their workplaces to show their employees, customers and other visitors to their workplace, that they have followed this guidance.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “This guidance provides a framework to get the UK back to work in a way that is safe for everyone.

“These are practical steps to enable employers to identify risks that COVID-19 creates and to take pragmatic measures to mitigate them.

“And as we are able to reopen new sectors of the economy, we will continue our collaborative approach working with a wide range of stakeholders, to provide guidance for additional workplaces.”

Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive, said: “The BEIS guidance issued today sets out practical steps employers can take to enable staff to continue and return to work.

“We have worked with BEIS to ensure businesses have access to the information they need to put in place measures to help them work safely. This will assist employers in carrying out risk assessments and putting practical measures in place.

“At the heart of the return to work is controlling the risk posed by the virus. Ensuring safe working practices are in place will help deliver a safe return to work and support businesses across the country.”

Craig Beaumont, Director of External Affairs and Advocacy at the Federation of Small Businesses commented: “FSB has engaged through this process with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and we appreciate that our points have been taken on board for the UK small business community.

“Today’s guidance is practical, workable and proportionate for small businesses.

“It will be a long journey but this guidance will provide the basis for small employers to have the positive conversations needed with their staff. This is the first step to getting the economy back on its feet.”

Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General of the CBI, commented: “Safety is at the heart of business thinking. Unless people feel safe, employees won’t return, customers will stay away and the restart will falter, harming livelihoods and public services.

“This guidance will help. It gives firms a clearer picture of how to reopen safely and gradually.

“The guidance builds on the good proactive plans many firms have developed during lockdown. Excellent employee engagement, fast workplace innovation and transparency have helped many companies support livelihoods. It’s right to build on this.

“The UK faces months of change and challenge. These guidelines will need to continue to evolve based on insight from the ground.

“And employers, employee representatives and relevant enforcement agencies must work together, supporting these plans to build public trust and get our economy back on its feet.”

Jonathan Geldart, Director General of the Institute of Directors. commented: “This guidance is an important first step. It won’t provide every answer, no guidance can, but directors can use it to inform their risk assessments for operating in this pandemic.

“Ultimately, the decision lies with a company’s directors, and they need to feel comfortable they can operate safely. Decisions on re-opening will not be taken lightly. Business leaders want to stand on their own two feet, but most can’t operate at anything like normal capacity at the moment, and making adjustments to protect staff and customers will be a big challenge for many workplaces.

“We hope and expect the guidance to evolve over time, but this is a place for employers to start on the long path to getting the economy going again.”

The guidance applies to businesses currently open. This also includes guidance for shops which we believe may be in a position to begin a phased reopening at the earliest from the 1 June.

Guidance for other sectors that are not currently open will be developed and published ahead of those establishments opening to give those businesses time to plan.

The UK government will also shortly set up taskforces to work with these sectors to develop safe ways for them to open at the earliest point at which it is safe to do so, as well as pilot re-openings to test businesses’ ability to adopt the guidelines.

As part of Monday’s announcement, the government has made available up to an extra £14 million for the HSE, equivalent to an increase of 10% of their budget, for extra call centre employees, inspectors and equipment if needed.

REMEMBER – this guidance is for ENGLAND ONLY

Government guidance on returning to work is a step in the right direction, but more must be done to ensure employers manage safe working properly, says the TUC’s Antonia Bance:

On Sunday night, 10 May 2020, the prime minister encouraged workers to start returning to work.

Although he meant workers who can’t work from home in industries that haven’t been closed, his words took unions and employers by surprise.

And they created real confusion and anxiety overnight, as workers wondered if they had to report for work in the morning.

Unions want to support a safe return to work. That’s how we will get on with rebuilding Britain.

We don’t take a view on the speed of the return to work – we’re not scientists. What we are expert in is how to keep working people safe at work.

The UK needs a safe and managed return to normal working. That means consulting properly with unions and employers on guidance, getting it out to firms, giving them time to implement it, making sure the right PPE is available, ensuring that our transport systems and schools are safe, and then announcing dates when people could safely return to work.

This process must be gradual, and it must be safe – but that’s not what has happened.

Why workplace safety matters

This stuff really matters, because the impact of this government’s failures on workplace safety has already been horrific.

According to TUC analysis of new figures released by the ONS this week, a male security worker is four times more likely to die of Covid-19 than the male average. A female hairdresser is over three times as likely to die than the female average.

The government has to take a tough new approach to keeping people safe at work to protect as many lives as possible.

Late last month, the business department consulted unions and employers on detailed back-to-work guidelines.

The first draft was poor – it misrepresented the existing law, left out key protections for vulnerable groups, and there was a blank space where the section on PPE should have been.

We demanded immediate and substantial changes to the guidance – and were clear that we could not support them as they stood. The government went quiet.

Fast forward to yesterday. After 24 hours of chaos and concern over the PM’s premature announcement and news that low-paid workers were disproportionately dying from coronavirus, the business department finally published their detailed guidelines.

And though they aren’t everything unions wanted, they are a step in the right direction.

Union pressure worked.

So what changed?

We said every employer should publish their risk assessment – and the government will encourage employers to do this.

We demanded more money for the Health and Safety Executive – and £14m has been allocated.

We raised real concerns about the language and tone of the guidance – and are glad to see it is now tougher, reminding employers of their responsibilities and not just asking them to “consider” taking action.

Social distancing has been reinstated as the key risk control measure, with only very few exceptions. And vulnerable workers will get the extra protection they need.

But the new detailed guidance still falls short. Covid-19 will pose a risk for months to come, so it’s vital that employers manage safe working properly.

Unions will keep up the pressure on government to improve the rules as more and more people go back to work.

What still needs to change?

First, there must be a legal requirement for employers to publish their risk assessment.

Everyone needs to be able to see what a firm is doing to keep their workers – and their customers and the wider community – safe. This works well for gender pay gap reporting, and it’s a great resource for proactive enforcement.

We need the government to get to grips with the PPE crisis. The priority is workers in health and social care but other workers may need forms of PPE too, depending on the risk assessment in their workplaces.

Getting the right rules is only half the battle

Now it’s for employers to comply with the new, transparent, risk assessment regime. They need to consult their unions and workforces and get union agreement to the actions they are taking to keep workers safe.

The UK’s 100,000 health and safety reps – experts in workplace hazards – are ready to make sure every employer complies, including providing advice and guidance in non-unionised workplaces.

And when employers get it wrong, we need strong and swift enforcement

The Health and Safety Executive got £14m extra funding yesterday. Unions want to make sure it’s used to proactively get out to the riskiest workplaces and crack down on rogue employers.

Both inspections and prosecutions have fallen by more than 80 per cent since 2001. The HSE must have the capacity to inspect and challenge every employer that breaks the rules, and prosecute those who neglect worker safety.

And it must be matched by local authority enforcement teams getting out to make sure shops and warehouses are safe.

Questions remain

We still have big questions about how we manage public transport safely – for passengers and transport workers.

The government’s rushed plans to reopen schools are deeply worrying for staff and parents alike. And we know that without childcare, going back to workplaces will be impossible for many.

Working people are rightly worried about how to protect themselves and their loved ones. We need a gradual, safe return to workplaces. That’s how to build public confidence – and get the economy moving again.

There are 8 workplace guidance documents now available under Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance.

REMEMBER – this guidance is for ENGLAND ONLY

First Minister hammers home the STAY AT HOME message

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St. Andrew’s House, Edinburgh on Monday 11 May:

Good afternoon. Thanks for joining us for today’s briefing.

I want to start – as I always do – by updating you on some of the key statistics in relation to COVID-19 in Scotland.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 13,627 positive cases confirmed – an increase of 141 from yesterday.

A total of 1,453 patients are in hospital with COVID-19 – that is a decrease of 31 from yesterday.

A total of 80 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID 19. That is a decrease of 2 since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3114 patients who had tested positive for the virus have been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

And unfortunately I also have to report that in the last 24 hours, 5 deaths have been registered of patients who had been confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 1,862.

I want to emphasise again today that those figures should be treated with some caution. Although deaths can be registered at weekends, registration numbers at weekends are usually relatively low, and can be particularly low following a Sunday. This should be taken into account when looking at today’s figures.

And as always, I want to stress that these numbers are not simply statistics. They represent individuals whose loss is being felt deeply by their loved ones. I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who is grieving as a result of this virus.

I also want to thank, as I always do, our health and care workers. You are doing extraordinary work going above and beyond the extra mile in incredibly challenging circumstances. All of us owe you a huge debt of gratitude.

In a moment, I’ll ask the Cabinet Secretary to set out the details of a new wellbeing programme which is being launched today – to support the mental health of those working in our health and care sector, at this very difficult time.

Before that, there are two items I want to address.

Firstly, the Scottish Government has today published our second coronavirus bill.

The Bill includes a range further measures, to help Scotland through this pandemic. Among other things, it provides additional support for unpaid carers.

It ensures that Carers Allowance recipients will receive an extra payment, on top of the Carers Allowance Supplement. That will see around 83,000 carers receive an additional £230 – to support them through this period.

Being a carer is incredibly demanding at the best of times – and I know it’s only more difficult right now. So I want to thank each and every one of Scotland’s carers for the incredibly important role that you are playing.

The bill is due to go through parliament in the next two weeks. And I hope that when it does, this additional payment – alongside the other support we’re providing – helps to make things a little bit easier for you.

The second item I want to cover today concerns the lockdown restrictions.

Last night, the Prime Minister set out some of the details of his plan, for easing restrictions in England. More of the detail of that has emerged this morning – and will continue to come out, during the day.

I want to reiterate that those announcements do not apply here. That is not, I want to stress, for any political reason. It is because the Scottish Government is not yet confident that these changes can be made in Scotland without us running the risk of the virus potentially running out of control. Scotland’s lockdown restrictions remain in place for now.

And our key message remains the same.

We need you to stay at home. We do not, at this point, want to see more businesses opening up – or more people going to work. We do not yet want to see more people using public transport. And we are not yet changing who can or should be at school.

The only change we’ve made, here in Scotland is to the guidance on exercise.

As of today, we have removed the once-a-day limit on exercise. It means that – if you want to go for a walk more often – or to go for a run and also a walk – then you can now do so.

That change obviously doesn’t apply if you or someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19, or if you received a letter explaining that you are in the shielded group. In those cases, you should still stay at home completely.

For everybody else, you will still need to stay relatively close to your own home. And at all times, you need to stay at least 2 metres away from people from other households.

I also want to stress that by exercise we mean activities like walking or running or cycling – not sunbathing or having a picnic. This does not give people a license to meet up, at the park or at the beach.

It’s just one very minor change to the existing rules. But all of the restrictions in Scotland for now remain in place.

And let me, for a moment, give one example of why this matters.

I read this morning, in the Evening Times, the tragic story of a family in Castlemilk, Glasgow.

Andy Leaman has told how his mum, dad and father in law have all died from the virus. He talks too of the impact on his nine year old daughter.

Their story is heartbreaking. And it could be any of us.

That family have told their story because they want people to listen to the advice.

In today’s paper they say: “People need to realise it’s real. The guidelines that are set out need to be followed.

“It may be them next and their families, and we would not want anyone to go through what we have had to go through.

“Stay in the house, social distance. That is the way to keep people you love safe.”

I think that is a very powerful message. It underlines the importance of the restrictions – and why we need to stick with them.

So to close today, I want to reiterate today – simply and I hope clearly – what the restrictions continue to be while our progress against this potentially deadly virus remains fragile.

Except for essential purposes such as exercise, buying food or medicines, or going to do essential work that you can’t do from home – you should not be going out. You must stay at home.

If you do go out, you should stay more than two meters from other people, and you should not be meeting up with people from other households.

You should wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport.

And you should isolate completely if you or someone else in your household has symptoms.

I know that these restrictions continue to be extremely tough. And I know that hearing any talk about easing the lockdown, might make them seem even tougher. But please, stick with it.

We are making progress. But to combat this virus, we still need to stay apart from each other. We still need to stay at home.

And the more we do that now, the sooner we will be able to ease more of these restrictions.

I set out yesterday the further changes that we are considering making as soon as we judge it safe to do so.

We all want to see our friends and families – we all miss them more with each day that passes. We all want to see children go back to school, and we all desperately want to get back to some kind of normality.

Please know that I want all of that too – I want that as your First Minister.

But I also want it as an ordinary person who is missing my own family very much.

But I know we will get there more quickly if we all keep doing the right thing now.

If we take our foot off the brake too soon, the real danger is we will end up in this lockdown for longer – and worse of all, we will lose many more people along the way.

None of us want that. So please be patient. And please try not to get distracted by messages from other parts of the UK. All governments across the UK are trying to do the right thing and all of us have a responsibility to take the steps we think are right, at the right time.

So please if you live in Scotland, abide by the law that applies here and follow the Scottish Government guidance.

Can I also make a respectful plea to the media. Your scrutiny role is essential and you perform it robustly – rightly so. But at a time like this – when health is at stake – all of us have a public duty too. Please make it clear to your readers, listeners and viewers what the actual situation is in different parts of the UK.

Moving at different speeds in different parts of the UK for good, evidence based reasons need not be a cause of confusion – indeed other countries are taking different steps in different areas at different times.

Confusion only arises if we as politicians and the media who report on us are either unclear in what we are asking people to do – or if we give a misleading impression that decisions that apply to one nation only are actually UK wide.

Never has the duty on political leaders to communicate clearly been greater. And in the provision of basic public health information, I hope the media will continue – as you most of you have been doing – to appreciate the importance of that too.

This matters to all of us.

If we see continued high compliance with the restrictions in Scotland for a bit longer, we will continue to slow the spread of the virus, we will protect the NHS, we will save lives and we will all move on quickly to the day when these restrictions start to be eased.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who is doing that.

First Minister: Forget ‘Stay Alert’ … STAY AT HOME!

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Sunday 10 May).

Good afternoon. Thanks for joining us for today’s briefing. I want to start – as I always do – by updating you on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19 in Scotland.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 13,486 positive cases confirmed – an increase of 181 from yesterday.

A total of 1,484 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 – that is a decrease of 101 from yesterday.

A total of 82 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus. That is a decrease of seven since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,100 patients who had tested positive and been hospitalised for the virus have been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

Unfortunately I also have to report that in the last 24 hours, 10 deaths have been registered of patients who had been confirmed through a test as having the virus – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 1,857.

These figures should be treated with some caution. Although deaths can now be registered at weekends, registration of numbers over weekends are usually lower than they are during the week. This should be taken into account when considering today’s figures.

As always, I want to stress that these numbers are not simply statistics. They represent individuals whose loss is being felt and mourned by many. As always, I send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus. We are all thinking of you at this time.

I also want to thank, as I always do, our health and care workers. You are continuing to do extraordinary work in very challenging circumstances. There is not a day that passes that I don’t feel a deep debt of gratitude to you.

I have one issue that I want to talk about today and it relates to lockdown. Let me emphasise at the outset that the lockdown in Scotland remains in place.

As I have set out before, the rate of transmission of the virus in Scotland – the R number you are used to hearing about – is still too high for any significant change to be safe at this stage. Indeed, the R number may, as I said earlier in the week, be slightly higher here than in other parts of the UK at this point.

That means we must be very cautious and very careful about where we proceed to from here. Having made real progress in recent weeks and I think you can tell from the figures that I am setting out day after day that we have made real progress.

The objective now for all of us must be to consolidate and solidify that progress – we must not squander our progress by easing up too soon or by sending mixed messages that result in people thinking it’s ok to ease up now.

Let me be very blunt about the consequences if we were do that – people will die unnecessarily and, instead of being able to loosen restrictions hopefully in the near future, we will be faced instead with having to tighten them.

We must not take that risk.

For that reason, my basic message for Scotland remains the same as it has been – please stay at home, except for essential purposes.

I have made clear, however, that the Scottish Government will keep what constitutes an ‘essential purpose’ under review, and I told you last week that we were considering making one immediate change – a change to the guidance relating to exercise.

I can confirm that the Scottish Cabinet met earlier this afternoon and agreed a change to that guidance.

At present, you are only permitted to leave home to exercise once a day. From tomorrow, that once-a-day limit will be removed. So if you want to go for a walk more often – or to go for a run and also a walk later on in the day – then you can do so.

It is important to stress this new advice does not apply if you or someone in your household has symptoms of the virus, or if you received a letter explaining that you are in the shielded group. In those cases, the advice is still to stay at home completely and not go out at all.

And for everybody, all other lockdown restrictions remain in place.

When you are exercising, you must stay relatively close to your own home and at all times at least two metres away from people from other households. And although the rules permit exercise – such as walking, running or cycling – they do not yet extend to outdoor leisure activities such as sunbathing, picnics or barbecues.

The fact that you are allowed to exercise more than once is definitely not – and I want to stress this point – a licence to start meeting up in groups at the park or the beach. Doing that really does risk spreading the virus, and could potentially force us to reintroduce stricter guidelines or toughen up the regulations and penalties in future.

What we are confirming today is instead a small but important change, to one part of the lockdown requirements.

We believe that it will bring benefits to health and wellbeing – particularly for people who live in flats and don’t have access to private gardens, and for children, who I know will have found the once a day limit particularly difficult. The most important point is this – it will bring those benefits without, in our judgement, having a major impact on the spread of the virus.

However – and this is really important – the other basic principles and rules of lockdown remain for now the same. Unless you are doing exercise, or performing another essential task such as buying food or medicine, you should stay at home.

And you should not meet up with people from other households – because that is how we give the virus a chance to spread, giving it bridges it can travel over and lead to increased spread.

The change I have confirmed today is the only change the Scottish Government judges that it is safe to make right now, without risking a rapid resurgence of the virus.

We do not, at this point, want to see more businesses opening up – or more people going to work. Our guidance to business remains the same as it has been.

And we are not yet changing who can or should be at school.

You may hear the Prime Minister announce other immediate changes tonight for England – and that is absolutely his right to do so. I’ve just come from a Cobra meeting with the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Now it’s important to say that I don’t expect the detail of these immediate changes that the Prime Minister will announce to be significant and I predict that any differences with the position here in Scotland will be relatively minor.

However, for the avoidance of doubt, let me be clear – except for the one change I have confirmed today, the rules here have not changed. We remain in lockdown for now and my ask of you remains to Stay at Home.

However, we will continue to monitor the evidence closely and make further changes as soon as we consider it safe to do so.

In the interests of openness and transparency and the grown up conversation I keep talking about that I want to have, I want to give you as much visibility of that as I’m going to share with you now that over this coming week – as we hopefully see more evidence of a downward trend in the virus – we will assess further whether it is possible to further extend the range of permissible outdoor activities that you can do on your own or at a safe distance.

We will also consider over the coming days whether garden centres can re-open; and we will think about whether some additional forms of outdoor work – particularly where people work on their own or at a distance – can safely resume. We will also be looking urgently – in close discussion with councils – at the possibility of reopening waste and recycling centres.

I will update you on these further issues next weekend.

Beyond that we will continue to consider when and how more businesses can safely start to re-open, what changes will be required to public transport, and when and how children can start returning to school.

On that latter point, though, I do not expect that schools in Scotland will start to return as early as 1 June.

As well as announcing immediate changes, I understand that the Prime Minister will also tonight set out a longer term plan for England. The Scottish Government has not yet seen the detail of this plan, so it is not possible for us to simply adopt it for Scotland – and indeed the evidence may well tell us that moving at exactly the same pace is not appropriate.

We will consider it carefully and we will take our own expert advice on it. And as soon as possible we will set out our own view on the phasing of a more substantial lifting of the lockdown.

We are already working with businesses to produce guidance specific to the needs of industry, workers and public health in Scotland. We will publish that guidance, sector by sector, in the coming days and weeks – our early priority is to give guidance and visibility to the construction, manufacturing and retail sectors.

Lastly, in areas which are the responsibility of the UK Government in Scotland, we will make sure that our views and concerns are known. For example – we expect confirmation tonight of a period of quarantine for people travelling into the UK. I have made it clear that I believe this is vital to our efforts to contain the virus in the period ahead, and I would encourage the UK Government to introduce it as soon as possible.

Lastly, let me say something about co-operation between the four nations of the UK.

I remain committed to the closest possible co-operation, collaboration and alignment. And, let me stress again, I have no interest in politics when it comes to tackling this virus.

It is perfectly consistent with an overall four nations approach to have a pragmatic acceptance that we may move at different speeds if the evidence tells us that is necessary – and I believe we do now have that acceptance.

But genuine consultation and alignment of messages – even, perhaps especially, when the evidence is putting us on slightly different timelines – remains really important.

We should not be reading of each other’s plans for the first time in newspapers. And decisions that are being taken for one nation only – for good evidence based reasons – should not be presented as if they apply UK wide.

Clarity of message is paramount if we expect all of you to know exactly what it is we are asking of you. As leaders, we have a duty to deliver that clarity to those who we are accountable to, not confuse it.

To that end, I have asked the UK Government not to deploy their ‘Stay Alert’ advertising campaign in Scotland. Because the message in Scotland at this stage is not stay at home if you can, the message is, except for the essential reasons you know about, stay at home full stop.

Fundamentally, we all have a responsibility – and it is a heavy one for all of us – to make decisions and set policies for based on our own data of what is safe and what is not.

I am clear that for Scotland, at this present moment, relaxing too many restrictions too quickly creates the risk that the virus will take off again. I am not prepared to take that risk.

That is why – except for the fact that from tomorrow you can go out to exercise more than once a day – the current lockdown restrictions remain in place.

I very much hope that it will be possible to lift more of them in the days and weeks ahead – and we are making plans for that – but at the moment, the risks are still too great.

For all of us, in fact, the way in which we can emerge from lockdown that bit more quickly, is to stick with the current restrictions now.

It is easier for us to start leaving lockdown, the lower the R number is, and the fewer infectious cases there are.

So please, stay at home except for when you are buying food or medicines, or exercising.

Go for walks or runs more than once a day if you want to – it’s good for your health and your physical and mental wellbeing. But stay more than two meters from other people when you are out, and do not meet up with people from other households.

Please wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport. And isolate completely if you or someone else in your household has symptoms.

I know that these restrictions continue to be really tough. And I know that hearing any talk about easing the lockdown, might make them seem even tougher. But please, I am asking you to stick with it.

We are making progress – never lose sight of that. But – even as we stay in touch by phone, by social media or by video calls – we still need to stay apart physically from each other. We still need to stay at home.

By doing that, we will continue to slow down the spread of the virus, we will continue to protect the NHS, and we will save lives. Thank you, once again, to all of you from the bottom of my heart for what you have been doing.

And please, for now, stay at home.

‘If it’s urgent, it’s urgent’: more Scots taking medical advice

New research has highlighted that people in Scotland are more likely to go to their GP practice or to hospital with an immediate medical concern not related to coronavirus (COVID-19) than they were two weeks ago.

The research, commissioned to support the recently launched NHS is Open campaign, shows just over half of those surveyed (51 per cent) stated they wouldn’t avoid going to their GP practice or a hospital at the moment, compared to 41 per cent a fortnight before – a shift that has been welcomed by the GP fronting the campaign, Dr Carey Lunan, and the Scottish Government’s National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch.

While around a third (34 per cent) agreed they would still delay attending their GP or hospital at the moment, this figure has fallen from 45 per cent before the campaign began.

The Scottish Government is encouraging people to seek medical help for urgent health issues not related to COVID-19, and has launched a campaign in response to figures indicating patients were delaying contacting their GP or going to hospital during the pandemic, that there was a drop in urgent suspected cancer referrals, and a reduction in families bringing their children for immunisation appointments.

People who need immediate medical assistance are being urged to call their GP surgery, or 111 out of hours, and in emergencies to dial 999.

https://youtu.be/lDaVtO81e2k

Dr Carey Lunan, a working GP and Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland, who features in the TV adverts said: “The NHS is open and it’s encouraging to see that the campaign is getting the message across.

“However, I want to reiterate that if it’s urgent, it’s urgent, and it is just as important as ever for people to seek help if they have an urgent health concern, or are worried about a potential cancer symptom. You are not being a burden, it’s what the NHS is here for and we want to hear from you.

“Your health and safety are our top priorities, and both GP practices and hospitals are working differently during the pandemic to minimise infection risk. It’s important to reassure you that patients with coronavirus are treated in separate parts of hospitals.

“Likewise, immunisations against other infectious diseases remain a vital part of protecting the people of Scotland, so please do attend your appointments for these. They can easily be rescheduled if you or your family members are showing signs of coronavirus at the time of your appointment.”

Jason Leitch said: “Thank you to all our health and social care staff for their continuing extraordinary efforts as we face this pandemic. Thanks to them, the NHS remains open because it is vital that you receive urgent medical attention if you need it.

“Your community pharmacy and your GP are open. Your first GP appointment may be by telephone or video but it is still a hugely important step in finding out if you, or your loved one, needs urgent medical help.

“Don’t ignore early cancer signs and symptoms, and certainly don’t delay getting checked – your GP practice is still here for you. If you or anyone in your household notices a rapid deterioration in health, seek help immediately – please don’t ignore the early warning signs of serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, severe asthma, or diabetic collapse.

“Immunisation appointments are a legitimate reason to leave your home and now more than ever vaccinations in children and pregnant women should be up to date. Our childhood immunisation programmes continue, and we urge parents to take their children to be vaccinated so they can be protected against very serious disease, including meningitis and measles.

“We are so thankful to those who are staying inside to save lives and our NHS, but the NHS is still open and there for you.”