Scotland has achieved full UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation in all of its maternity and community health visiting services, following NHS Lothian receiving the honour. The accreditation demonstrates that health boards across the country are providing new mums and babies with the best possible support and care. Continue reading Baby friendly Scotland!
Scotland is aiming to be a world leader in improving the public’s health, through a new vision for organisations and communities across the country. The Scottish Government and COSLA have jointly published public health priorities for Scotland, aimed at focussing action across the public sector and voluntary sector and in communities. The priorities are the first milestone in a wider reform of public health. Continue reading An appetite for change: new public health priorities for a healthier nation
Scotland will move to a soft opt out system for organ and tissue donation, under legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill will change organ and tissue donation from the current ‘opt in’ system to an ‘opt out’ system.
Under the proposed system, if someone has not stated a decision about donation, they may be deemed as having authorised it.
The Bill contains safeguards to ensure people’s wishes regarding donation are followed and that families will be asked about their loved one’s views to ensure donations don’t occur where the person would not have wished it.
The move to an opt out system received 82% support from respondents in a public consultation in 2017. It will add to measures that have contributed towards improvements in organ donation over the last decade in Scotland, which has seen an 89% increase in the number of deceased organ donors and a 78% increase in organ transplants.
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell (above) said: “We need to do all we can to further reduce the number of people in Scotland waiting for transplants. We have made significant progress over the past decade, and moving to an opt out system will be part of driving a long term change in attitudes towards organ and tissue donation.
“Organ and tissue donation is an incredible gift. Importantly, under the proposed system, people will still be able to make a choice about donation as they can now and there are safeguards to ensure their wishes are followed. I would encourage people to continue to make a decision about donation and to tell their family.
“Organ donation can only occur in tragic circumstances, and every donor, supported by their family, makes a selfless decision that can save other people’s lives.”
Under the proposed system there will be protections for adults without capacity to understand deemed authorisation, adults resident in Scotland for less than 12 months and children under 16 who will not be subject to deemed authorisation and will only be able to donate if they, or someone on their behalf, explicitly authorises it.
Less than 1% of people die in circumstances that enable organ donation to proceed, as a potential donor usually has to be in an intensive care unit and there may be medical reasons that mean organs are unsuitable for transplantation.
Since 2008 in Scotland, there has been:
A Scotland-wide campaign to raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis will be launched today by Health Secretary Shona Robison. The radio, print and social media campaign will reach more than 1.3 million people across the country, and every community pharmacy in Scotland will display posters warning of the signs of sepsis. Continue reading Sepsis awareness campaign launched today
The Health Secretary and Chief Medical Officer have joined to urge all eligible adults to take up the offer of the free flu vaccination. Latest figures from Health Protection Scotland show just over 41% of those aged under 65, who are considered ‘at risk’, have had their flu jab this winter – but cases of flu have more than doubled compared to the same time last year. Continue reading Free vaccination is best protection against flu
January will see the revamp of the ‘Eat Better Feel Better’ website, which offers practical advice with the aim of increasing fruit and veg consumption, and cutting unhealthy snacking and sugary drink consumption in children. The site has tips and tools for families to help them make simple, quick and cheap changes to how they shop, cook and eat. Continue reading Eat green in 2018: Scots urged to eat more fruit and veg
A poster highlighting free NHS stop smoking services will be in every community pharmacy in Scotland from next week. The brand ‘Quit Your Way – with our support’ was created after research by Health Scotland found smoking cessation services should have one national identity to improve uptake. Continue reading Quit smoking your way
More than 60,000 people across Scotland have been given life-saving CPR training in the last 12 months – as part of an unprecedented national collaboration of more than a dozen organisations including emergency services, defence and third sector – to improve the response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Continue reading Lifesavers: 60,000 Scots trained in CPR
A drive to tackle rubbish, fly-tipping and dumped trade waste on city streets was kicked off this week. The second phase of the Our Edinburgh initiative, which aims to address anti-social behaviour like littering, has begun in the Leith Walk area, identified as a hotspot for overflowing bin complaints. Continue reading City cleanup initiative targets Leith Walk
