New aquatic exercise research for fall prevention looking for participants to get involved
An exciting new aquatic exercise research study is looking for participants to get involved.
Aqua Steps, is a new exercise programme, developed by experts in the field from the University of Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Leisure. The programmes are delivered as part of a research project, and aims to improve the balance, strength, endurance, confidence, and independence of the participants.
One-third of people aged 65 years or over fall every year with more than 4 million people falling each year in the UK, which is approximately 11,000 people daily. Falls reduce quality of life, lead to nursing home admissions, cause about 90% of hip fractures and half of deaths due to injury. The annual NHS and social care cost for fall-related injuries is more than £3.3 billion.
Older adults who have some of the following: feel unstable/unsteady; have poor gait or balance, have a history of falling or are at risk of falling, have low bone density or previous fracture are encouraged to get in touch to take part.
Dr Stelios Psycharakis, Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics at the University of Edinburgh said: “Aquatic exercise can improve many of these factors and has many benefits.
“For example, the buoyancy of the water reduces spine and joint loads and allows exercising without having to support one’s weight, while the pressure of the water on the body assists with balance and mobility which may be preferable for people who find land exercise challenging or have high risk/fear of falling.”
Amy Fastier, Health Development Officer (Falls Prevention) at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.
“The study is looking to see if water-based classes have similar benefits as land based as there is no current research on water based activity in preventing falls.
“Participants don’t need to be strong swimmers as the exercises take place in shallow water and everyone will be encouraged to work at their own pace during the class, guided by our expert instructors.
“People who may have difficulty getting in and out of the pool without some help, are welcome to bring along a family member, carer, or friend.
“Pools hoists (for safe entry/exit from the water) are available at swimming pools and will be used when necessary.”
High-quality research on aquatic exercise in fall prevention is scarce. This programme will deliver an aquatic intervention for people with high risk of falls. The data we get will be used to look at the programme’s effects on falls risk and compare it with an established land-based programme, Steady Steps, which is delivered by Edinburgh Leisure to see whether there are similar benefits to the existing research on land-based classes.
The classes are free, with the cost covered by funding provided by the Chief Scientist Office for Scotland. The exercise sessions will take place in the shallow water only in one of five swimming pools in Edinburgh and Midlothian*.
The pools are Warrender Swim Centre (Marchmont), Dalry Swim Centre (Dalry), Ainslie Park Leisure Centre (Inverleith/Pilton), Glenogle Swim Centre (Stockbridge) and Penicuik Leisure Centre (Penicuik).
Participants would be required to attend for two sessions per week (30 minutes in the water for each session) over a course of 16 weeks. Different time slots will be available.
The programme will start in the first week of March 2024 (last week of March for Penicuik).
Interested parties willing to take part should contact the Aqua Steps administrator, Diane Chirnside on AquaSteps@ed.ac.uk and will be assessed for their willingness/ability to participate and complete the intervention.
Spaces are limited so people are encouraged to get in touch as soon as possible, and ideally by early to mid-February.
Three-minute bouts of yoga have been found to significantly lower blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of diabetes, a study from Glasgow Caledonian University has revealed.
The research carried out by a team of physiotherapists, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde team member, Alex Colvin, investigated the effects of breaking up sedentary behaviour with short bouts of yoga and tai-chi on glycaemic control, concentration, and wellbeing in healthy individuals.
The study, which involved 15 adults aged 26-28, found that the effects of short bouts of yoga to break up the working day significantly lowers glucose levels to reduce the risk of diabetes without compromising concentration or wellbeing.
However, tai-chi did not provide the same significant effect on glucose levels but allowed better maintenance of concentration and wellbeing. The research concluded that these interventions provide effective ways to combat the harmful effects of prolonged sitting while maintaining concentration and wellbeing.
Alex, also lead author of the study, said:“Through this research, I want to make people aware that you can break up your sedentary time with things that are good for your mental and physical wellbeing, and to reduce the risk of diabetes.
“There has been a lot of research into the benefits of yoga and tai-chi, which show favourable effects, but this is the first research that I am aware of that investigates the use of shorter three-minute bouts to break up a working day and shows results that this can help to reduce the risk of diabetes.
“This is also good news for employers who dislike the use of physical activity to break up sedentary time because they have this misplaced perception that it will negatively impact on production, as we have found it’s quite the opposite. We measured concentration and wellbeing throughout the study. Although there wasn’t a change with yoga and tai-chi, at least it didn’t get any worse, which disproves that doing these types of things is bad for worker productivity.”
Alex graduated with a Masters in Physiotherapy in 2020 from Glasgow Caledonian and became an NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde specialist physiotherapist. He began the research during his studies with fellow students Lynne Murray and Jillian Noble, under the supervision of Professor Sebastien Chastin, but results were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alex explained more about the methods used in the two-year study: “We took finger-prick glucose readings every half an hour throughout a seven-hour working day and standardised the participants’ diet as much as we could, along with that we broke up the sedentary time and the groups with either three minutes of yoga or tai-chi, or just sitting for the whole time and measuring their glucose.
“Although the study involved a small number of 15 mostly healthy adults aged between 26-28, it doesn’t change the fact that the glucose levels were still lowered. By using this group it might even be more beneficial to people who are prediabetic and the results might even be more significant.”
Professor of Health Behaviour Dynamics Sebastien Chastin, from the University’s School of Health and Life Sciences’ Research Centre for Health (ReaCH), highlighted the benefits of this research study.
He said: “Clearly we all spend far too much time sitting in the office or working from home. This shows that short bouts of yoga that can be done anytime during the day and it has the impact we expected that it can be turned into one of the interventions or reduce the risk of diabetes.
“What’s also really important about this research is that it demonstrates that it doesn’t reduce the productivity of workers. That’s always the worry of the bosses. Allowing them to have that time shows that it actually doesn’t reduce productivity at all, if anything it probably increases productivity so there’s not just a health incentive for the workers to do it but also for the employers to support that and implement it.”
In a major report today Westminster’s Science, Innovation & Technology Committee calls for steps to develop the potential of bacteria-killing viruses – called bacteriophages or phages for short – that can provide an alternative to antibiotics that are attracting growing resistance.
Phages have been used as therapy for over a hundred years, but interest has increased in recent years as the widespread use of antibiotics is leading to alarming antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to even the most effective treatments. But they have never been licensed for therapeutic use in the UK. They have only been used as “compassionate” treatments of last resort in isolated cases of otherwise intractable infections.
One of the problems has been an impasse: in order to be deployed in clinical trials phages must be manufactured to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standard – but investment in compliant manufacturing plants will only be justified following successful clinical trials.
Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “Phages offer a possible response to the increasing worldwide concerns about antimicrobial resistance.
“But the development of phage therapies is at an impasse, in which clinical trials need new advanced manufacturing plants, but investment requires clinical trails to have demonstrated efficacy.
“The Committee is asking the Government to consider whether the mothballed Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in the West Midlands could provide a suitable facility.
“The Laboratory, which has already received over £1 billion of public funding, was established by the Government to bring to an end the inadequacy of testing capacity that so hampered the national response to Covid.
“It consists of modern, secure laboratory facilities and was meant to be an important source of national resilience against future pandemics. But the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory has suddenly appeared for sale on the property website Rightmove, to the astonishment of the science and health communities.
“Our Committee’s report on phages asks for the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory to be considered for this purpose, rather than be lost to the nation and to science in a firesale.”
The Committee recommends that the Government should consider establishing a small GMP facility on the lines of the Catapult network which provides shared facilities for companies who cannot afford to make the level of investment on their own.
The Committee also calls on the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), and phage researchers to work together to make for a more promising route for phage research to be funded and its products licensed for use.
The Committee calls for:
Awareness-raising for healthcare students and professionals of the antimicrobial potential of phages where antibiotics have failed or are failing
Government and its agencies to make a definitive and positive statement on the role of phages in the national approach to anti-microbial resistance (AMR), which is important in research funding decisions and for private investment in commercial phages
The MHRA to consider allowing the compassionate use of non-GMP phages produced in the UK for last resort medical cases where other medical approaches have failed or are failing
The MHRA to review how current regulations would govern liability for clinicians and hospitals who used UK non-GMP phages,
UNION CALLS FOR ACTION FOLLOWING ALARMING WORKPLACE SURVEY
New survey data from UNISON’s recent research among Edinburgh City Council workers sheds light on the challenges faced by school support staff, echoing the findings of the Scottish government’s Behaviour in Scottish schools: research report 2023.
UNISON Edinburgh City Branch emphasises that the impact of pupils’ behavioural challenges is disproportionately falling on the shoulders of support staff, who are often the lowest paid and receive minimal training and support.
The violence at work survey, conducted among our members, saw the highest response rate from staff working in schools with 82% of respondents in that area. The Edinburgh Branch survey indicated a need for clearer reporting procedures and improved feedback mechanisms to ensure member concerns are addressed promptly and effectively.
The return aligns with the government’s findings, revealing that 86% of support staff encounter low-level disruptive behaviour daily. Additionally, 66% experience verbal abuse, and 59% face physical aggression on a regular basis. This supports what UNISON members have been telling us – the lowest-paid support staff, mainly women, are the frontline responders to challenging pupil behaviour.
Pauline Henderson, UNISON Edinburgh Convenor for education, stated: “No one should face violence and abusive behaviour at work, and if they do, they need proper support.
“Yet, in our schools in Edinburgh, it is the lowest-paid, mostly women support staff who deal with challenging and disruptive behaviour every day.”
“UNISON stresses that support staff are more likely than teachers to report the greatest negative impacts from serious disruptive behaviours”.
Tom Connolly, UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch Secretary, emphasised UNISON’s consistent advocacy on the issue: “UNISON has consistently raised violence and abuse of school support staff with employers and the government.
“Now that we have evidence backing up this growing problem, we need government funding and action to help schools deal with it.”
“More than half of the respondents (57.6%) feel their employer does not take violence at work complaints seriously. Addressing this perception is crucial for fostering a supportive and protective workplace culture.”
Key Points from UNISON Edinburgh City Survey:
Daily Challenges for Support Staff:
66% experience verbal abuse, and 59% encounter physical aggression regularly.
Comparisons with Government Report:
UNISON’s survey findings align with the Scottish government’s report, emphasising the universal nature of challenges faced by support staff.
Impact on Support Staff:
Support staff report the greatest negative impacts from serious disruptive behaviours, underlining the urgent need for comprehensive support and strategies.
Call for Edinburgh City Council Action:
Urgent action is needed to protect council staff. UNISON continues to advocate for enhanced reporting, substantial local authority investment, and comprehensive support for all council staff.
Call for Government Action:
UNISON Edinburgh City urges the Scottish government to recognise the inadequacy of current council funding and take substantial action to address the challenges outlined in both the survey and the government report.
RNIB guide shows how football clubs can make simple easy adaptions so match days are enjoyable and welcoming for fans with sight loss
To tie in with International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB) has published new research which highlights how blind and partially sighted fans want to attend football matches and identifies some of the challenges that they face when attending live matches.
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of all blind and partially sighted people said they couldn’t experience or access a sporting event properly because a venue doesn’t accommodate for people with sight loss
41 per cent of blind and partially sighted fans say lack of accessible communication like audio-described commentary during a match, accessible event day programme in large print and braille puts them off attending a live sporting event
However, the research showed some positives with nearly two fifths (38 per cent) of blind and partially sighted people saying that their football stadiums had made a lot of adaptions to make the live viewing experience more accessible.
Tied in with this research, RNIB has created a new guide, See Sport Differently Guidance, showing how sports venues can make the match day experience accessible for fans with sight loss, having worked closely with Arsenal, Everton, Plymouth Argyle, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wrexham to develop best practice, as well as holding focus groups with blind and partially sighted people to better understand the issues they face when attending live football matches.
RNIB has showed the clubs how best to welcome blind and partially sighted fans into their stadiums to ensure they are able enjoy football matches without feeling excluded. RNIB is now proactively sharing the guide with all English Football League (EFL) and Premier League clubs to make their stadiums more accessible to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2023 on 3 December.
Matt Stringer, RNIB’s Chief Executivecommented on the launch of the RNIB’s See Sport Differently Guidance: ‘Working with clubs across the football pyramid to create a guide that will enhance the match day experience for people with sight loss has been a fantastic experience for us.
“I’m also thankful to the EFL for sharing the guidance with all its 72 member clubs. It contains some handy checklists and quick wins that clubs can implement to help make stadiums easier for blind and partially sighted fans to navigate.
“Live sporting events need to be easier for blind and partially sighted fans to enjoy. Our new research shows that getting to and from a stadium can be a difficult task for people with sight loss, coupled with when at the stadium, the facilities on offer are not accessible. I enjoy the match-day experience at Watford and blind and partially sighted fans should be able to do so as I do.
“It would make a big difference if match day stewards and all fan-facing staff are trained to be sight loss aware. Making stadiums physical environment easy to navigate through clear signage, marked steps and marked handrails make a big difference in making blind and partially sighted people feel welcome.
“Also, technology such as audio description and quality match day commentary really helps brings the game to life and should be available at every fixture so that blind and partially sighted fans can fully enjoy the beautiful game.”
Charlotte Jones, partially sighted Wolverhampton Wanderers FC season ticket holder and from Wolverhampton, said: ““We need everyone to join in to help create a more inclusive match day for fans with sight loss.
“On match days, my Dad assists me with the challenges I face when attending matches, such as accessing the stadium and navigating through crowds and steps to get to our seats.
“We’ve received great support from the club who have helped us to select seats so that I can have the best spectator experience possible like sighted fans do. They’ve helped to locate seats where the sun wouldn’t be in my eyes during a game, which is very important as glare can affect my vision, and seats near to the halfway line so I can follow the game more easily.”
RNIB See Sport Differently Guidance
RNIB’sSee Sport Differently Guidance on making the match day experience accessible for spectators with sight loss is available to download here and can be shared with your football club to show how they can make their stadium more accessible for fans with sight loss.
The launch of the guidance is part of the See Sport Differently campaign, a campaign partnership between RNIB and British Blind Sport.
92 per cent of the private rented sector in Scotland is unaffordable for people claiming benefits
New research commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland in partnership with Fife Council highlights the shortfall between Local Housing Allowance (LHA) and the actual cost of renting a home in the private rented sector (PRS).
The research, conducted by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and based on analysis of Zoopla data on advertised rents, found that:
Across Scotland, just one in 12 advertised properties in the PRS (eight per cent) are covered by LHA
Aberdeen and Shire had the largest percentage of “affordable” properties at 19.7 per cent, still significantly below the 30th percentile West Dunbartonshire had no properties available at or below the LHA rate
The average shortfall in rent for a two-bedroom home was £108.10 per month
The smallest difference was found in Aberdeen and Shire at £6.64 per month, in Greater Glasgow the shortfall was £201.78 per month.
The report concludes that, “the PRS is now largely unaffordable to new entrants or those seeking to move within the sector who are in receipt of LHA.” It recommends:
Reinstating LHA at the 30th percentile in the short-term. This is likely to cost around £98 million per year in Scotland. This cost could be covered by the UK Government or a ‘top up’ by the Scottish Government similar to ‘bedroom tax’ mitigation in the social rented sector.
Reviewing the process for setting LHA in the longer-term, including consideration of how rental data is gathered and the geographical boundaries of BRMAs.
The Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) which limits single people under the age of 35 to a room in a shared home, rather than a one bedroom home, is unfair and impractical, and consideration should be given to scrapping it.
Gavin Smith, Chair of CIH Scotland said:“The PRS is a vital part of our housing system and can play a greater role in preventing and responding to homelessness in Scotland.
“We cannot ignore the link between affordable housing supply, the rising number of people in temporary accommodation and the emergence of Scottish councils having to declare housing emergencies.
“The PRS plays a vital role but must be affordable and as this research shows freezing LHA rates has had a devastating impact on its affordability for those that need it the most. All UK governments must urgently unfreeze LHA rates”
Andrew Watson, lead author of the research by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) added:“Due to changes in housing choices and a lack of social housing, the PRS plays a critical role in the provision of homes for households in receipt of LHA.
“A combination of rising rents and frozen LHA rates have rendered the sector unfordable for those seeking entry, whilst also limiting the ability of existing tenants to move within the sector.
“The lack of affordability has many drivers, but the actions of UK and Scottish Governments (and in particular the freeze in LHA rates and the introduction of rent caps) have played a significant role. It is therefore reasonable to expect that government action will play a key role in addressing the problem.”
You can read the research report in full here, which includes a breakdown of the findings by region and property size.
A new mission announced by the Prime Minister will accelerate the use of AI in life sciences to tackle the biggest health challenges of our generation
Missed opportunity, say civil society organisations
A new mission announced by the Prime Minister will accelerate the use of AI in life sciences to tackle the biggest health challenges of our generation.
In a speech on Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that a £100 million in new government investment will be targeted towards areas where rapid deployment of AI has the greatest potential to create transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases.
The AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission will capitalise on the UK’s unique strengths in secure health data and cutting-edge AI.
The Life Sciences Vision encompasses 8 critical healthcare missions that government, industry, the NHS, academia and medical research charities will work together on at speed to solve – from cancer treatment to tackling dementia.
The £100 million will help drive forward this work by exploring how AI could address these conditions, which have some of the highest mortality and morbidity.
For example, AI could further the development of novel precision treatments for dementia. This new government funding for AI will help us harness the UK’s world-class health data to quickly identify those at risk of dementia and related conditions, ensure that the right patients are taking part in the right trials at the right time to develop new treatments effectively, and give us better data on how well new therapies work.
By using the power of AI to support the growing pipeline of new dementia therapies, we will ensure the best and most promising treatments are selected to go forwards, and that patients receive the right treatments that work best for them.
AI driven technologies are showing remarkable promise in being able to diagnose, and potentially treat, mental ill health. For example, leading companies are already using conversational AI that supports people with mental health challenges and guides them through proactive prevention routines, escalating cases to human therapists when needed – all of which reduces the strain on NHS waiting lists.
This funding will help us to invest in parts of the UK where the clinical needs are greatest to test and trial new technologies within the next 18 months. Over the next 5 years, we will transform mental health research through developing world-class data infrastructure to improve the lives of those living with mental health conditions.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunaksaid: “AI can help us solve some of the greatest social challenges of our time. AI could help find novel dementia treatments or develop vaccines for cancer.
“That’s why today we’re investing a further £100 million to accelerate the use of AI on the most transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases.”
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelansaid: “This £100 million Mission will bring the UK’s unique strengths in secure health data and cutting-edge AI to bear on some of the most pressing health challenges facing the society.
“Safe, responsible AI will change the game for what it’s possible to do in healthcare, closing the gap between the discovery and application of innovative new therapies, diagnostic tools, and ways of working that will give clinicians more time with their patients.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclaysaid: “Cutting-edge technology such as AI is the key to both improving patient care and supporting staff to do their jobs and we are seeing positive impacts across the NHS.
“This new accelerator fund will help us build on our efforts to harness the latest technology to unlock progress and drive economic growth.
“This is on top of the progress we have already made on AI deployment in the NHS, with AI tools now live in over 90% of stroke networks in England – halving the time for stroke victims to get the treatment in some cases, helping to cut waiting times.”
Building on the success of partnerships already using AI in areas like identifying eye diseases, industry, academia and clinicians will be brought together to drive forward novel AI research into earlier diagnosis and faster drug discovery.
The government will invite proposals bringing together academia, industry and clinicians to develop innovative solutions.
This funding will target opportunities to deploy AI in clinical settings and improve health outcomes across a range of conditions. It will also look to fund novel AI research which has the potential to create general purpose applications across a range of health challenges – freeing up clinicians to spend more time with their patients.
This supports work the government is already doing across key disease areas. Using AI to tackle dementia, for example, builds on our commitment to double dementia research funding by 2024, reaching a total of £160 million a year.
The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission is at the heart of this, enabling us to accelerate dementia research and give patients the access to the exciting new wave of medicines being developed.
Artificial Intelligence behind three times more daily tasks than we think
Most people believe they only use AI once a day when in fact it’s three times more
One in two of us (51%) feel nervous about the future of AI, with over a third concerned about privacy (36%) and that it will lead to mass unemployment (39%)
However, nearly half of people recognise its potential for manufacturing (46%), over a third see its role in improving healthcare (38%) and medical diagnosis (32%), and a quarter of people think it can help in tackling climate change (24%)
As the AI Safety Summit nears, over a third (36%) think the government needs to introduce more regulation as AI develops
The surge in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has left a third of us fearing the unknown, yet we have three times as many daily interactions with AI than most people realise, new research from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) reveals.
On average, the UK public recognises AI plays a role in something we do at least once a day – whether that be in curating a personalised playlist, mapping out the quickest route from A to B, or simply to help write an email.
However, hidden touch points can be found in search engines (69%), social media (66%), and streaming services (51%), which all discretely use AI, as well as tools such as Google translate (31%) and autocorrect and grammar checkers (29%).
Despite its everyday use, over half of us (51%) admit nervousness about a future with AI – with nearly a third of people feeling anxious about what it could do in the future (31%). Over a third are concerned about privacy (36%) and feeling it will lead to mass unemployment (39%).
Those surveyed who felt nervous, do so because of not knowing who controls AI (42%) and not being able to tell what is real or true with AI generated fakes (40%). They also expressed concerns that AI will become autonomous and out of control (38%). And that it will surpass human intelligence (31%).
But people do recognise and welcome the role it will play in revolutionising key sectors, such as manufacturing (46%) and healthcare (39%) and specifically medical diagnosis (32%), as well as tackling issues such as climate change (24%).
Dr. Gopichand Katragadda, IET President and a globally recognised AI authority, said: “Artificial Intelligence holds the potential to drive innovation and enhance productivity across diverse sectors like construction, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Yet, it is imperative that we continually evolve ethical frameworks surrounding Data and AI applications to ensure their safe and responsible development and utilisation.
“It is natural for individuals to have concerns about AI, particularly given its recent proliferation in technical discussions and media coverage. However, it’s important to recognise that AI has a longstanding presence and already forms the foundation of many daily activities, such as facial recognition on social media, navigation on maps, and personalised entertainment recommendations.”
As the UK AI Safety Summit nears (1-2 November) – which will see global leaders gather to discuss the risks associated with AI and how they can be mitigated through coordinated action – the research reveals 36% of Brits think the government need to do more to regulate and manage AI development, with 30% of those who feel nervous about AI, feeling that Government regulations cannot keep pace with AI’s evolution.
Those surveyed also shared their concerns on the lack of information around AI and lack of skills and confidence to use the technology, with over a quarter of people saying they wished there was more information about how it works and how to use it (29%).
Gopi added: “What we need to see now is the UK government establishing firm rules on which data can and cannot be used to train AI systems – and ensure this is unbiased.
“This is necessary to ensure AI is used safely and to help prevent incidents from occurring – and it is fundamental to maintaining public trust, which underpins the economic and social benefits AI can bring.”
The research for the IET was carried out online by Opinion Matters from 16 October – 18 October 2023 amongst a panel resulting in 2,008 nationally representative consumers responding from across the UK.
AI Summit dominated by Big Tech and a “missed opportunity” say civil society organisations
More than 100 UK and international organisations, experts and campaigners sign open letter to Rishi Sunak
Groups warn that the “communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit.”
“Closed door event” is dominated by Big Tech and overly focused on speculative risks instead of AI threats “in the here and now”- PM told
Signatories to letter include leading human rights organisations, trade union bodies, tech orgs, leading academics and experts on AI
More than 100 civil society organisations from across the UK and world have branded the government’s AI Summit as “a missed opportunity”.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the groups warn that the “communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit” while a select few corporations seek to shape the rules.
The letter has been coordinated by the TUC, Connected by Data and Open Rights Group and is released ahead of the official AI Summit at Bletchley Park on 1 and 2 November. Signatories to the letter include:
Major and international trade union confederations – such as the TUC, AFL-CIO, European Trade Union Confederation, UNI Global, International Trade Union Confederation representing tens of millions of workers worldwide
International and UK human rights orgs – such as Amnesty International, Liberty, Article 19, Privacy International, Access Now
Domestic and international civil society organisations – such as Connected by Data, Open Rights Group, 5 Rights, Consumers International.
Tech community voices – such as Mozilla, AI Now Institute and individuals associated to the AI Council, Alan Turing Institute & British Computing Society
Leading international academics, experts, members of the House of Lords
Highlighting the exclusion of civil society from the Summit, the letter says: “Your ‘Global Summit on AI Safety’ seeks to tackle the transformational risks and benefits of AI, acknowledging that AI “will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another.
“Yet the communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit. The involvement of civil society organisations that bring a diversity of expertise and perspectives has been selective and limited.
“This is a missed opportunity.”
Highlighting the Summit’s lack of focus on immediate threats of AI and dominance of Big Tech, the letter says: “As it stands, the Summit is a closed door event, overly focused on speculation about the remote ‘existential risks’ of ‘frontier’ AI systems – systems built by the very same corporations who now seek to shape the rules.
“For many millions of people in the UK and across the world, the risks and harms of AI are not distant – they are felt in the here and now.
“This is about being fired from your job by algorithm, or unfairly profiled for a loan based on your identity or postcode.
“People are being subject to authoritarian biometric surveillance, or to discredited predictive policing.
“Small businesses and artists are being squeezed out, and innovation smothered as a handful of big tech companies capture even more power and influence.
“To make AI truly safe we must tackle these and many other issues of huge individual and societal significance. Successfully doing so will lay the foundations for managing future risks.”
Calling for a more inclusive approach to managing the risks of AI, the letter concludes: “For the Summit itself and the work that has to follow, a wide range of expertise and the voices of communities most exposed to AI harms must have a powerful say and equal seat at the table. The inclusion of these voices will ensure that the public and policy makers get the full picture.
“In this way we can work towards ensuring the future of AI is as safe and beneficial as possible for communities in the UK and across the world.”
Senior Campaigns and Policy Officer for Connected by Data Adam Cantwell-Corn said: “AI must be shaped in the interests of the wider public. This means ensuring that a range of expertise, perspectives and communities have an equal seat at the table. The Summit demonstrates a failure to do this.
“The open letter is a powerful, diverse and international challenge to the unacceptable domination of AI policy by narrow interests.
“Beyond the Summit, AI policy making needs a re-think – domestically and internationally – to steer these transformative technologies in a democratic and socially useful direction.”
TUC Assistant General Secretary Kate Bell said: “It is hugely disappointing that unions and wider civil society have been denied proper representation at this Summit.AI is already making life-changing decisions – like how we work, how we’re hired and who gets fired.
“But working people have yet to be given a seat at the table.
“This event was an opportunity to bring together a wide range of voices to discuss how we deal with immediate threats and make sure AI benefits all.
“It shouldn’t just be tech bros and politicians who get to shape the future of AI.”
Open Rights Group Policy Manager for Data Rights and Privacy Abby Burke said: “The government has bungled what could have been an opportunity for real global AI leadership due to the Summit’s limited scope and invitees.
“The agenda’s focus on future, apocalyptic risks belies the fact that government bodies and institutions in the UK are already deploying AI and automated decision-making in ways that are exposing citizens to error and bias on a massive scale.
“It’s extremely concerning that the government has excluded those who are experiencing harms and other critical expert and activist voices from its Summit, allowing businesses who create and profit from AI systems to set the UK’s agenda.”
The Scottish Government is teaming up with MND Scotland to fund research to investigate potential causes of and therapies for motor neurone disease (MND).
Each partner is contributing £125,000 to provide the opportunity for a clinical professional to undertake a PhD to both enhance MND research and MND clinical capacity in NHS Scotland. The three-year Clinical Academic Fellowship will start in 2024.
According to MND Scotland, in the UK, there is a 1 in 300 lifetime risk of getting MND and there is currently no cure or effective disease modifying treatment available. Average life expectancy following diagnosis is just 18 months.
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison announced the funding in Paris where she welcomed charity cyclists who had travelled from Edinburgh to raise funds for the MND charity My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Ms Robison said: “MND is a devastating condition, and we are committed to ensuring that all people living with MND in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support.
“MND is incredibly distressing for the person with the condition and their family. The research funding in collaboration with MND Scotland will allow vital work to study the progression of the condition and help inform the development of future treatments.”
Dr Jane Haley, Director of Research at MND Scotland, said: “We are proud of our ongoing partnership with the Scottish Government. This is our third joint funded fellowship and will further build MND research capacity within the NHS in Scotland.
“MND is a brutal disease that affects too many lives. With this joint funding, we are taking a further step towards understanding the causes of MND and the search for effective treatments.
“We look forward to future collaborations with the Scottish Government, including ensuring that Scotland is equipped to roll out any emerging treatments for MND which may arise from the clinical trials currently underway.”
Edinburgh Napier report highlights significant reduction in speeds, as Wales implements country-wide change at the weekend
A study by Edinburgh Napier University has shown that the rollout of 20mph speed limits across the Scottish Borders has reduced average speeds by 3mph.
With previous research showing that there is an average 4% reduction in collisions with each 1mph reduction in average speed on rural roads, the study demonstrates the significant knock-on effect the new speed limit is likely to have, particularly when seen within the context of the national Road Safety Framework to reduce deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2050.
The trial, which took place across 97 villages and towns in the Borders since October 2020, showed that 85% of drivers dropped their speed by 3mph. It also showed that the largest speed reductions were observed in locations where higher speeds had been seen in the past – with those areas seeing an average reduction of 5.4mph.
Significantly, the report also concluded that the change in driver behaviour continued well after the beginning of the trial, with average speeds still well below previous levels eight months after the start of the trial.
The trial in the Borders is the first one in the world to look at the effects of a 20mph speed limit on such a large, rural area and the results will be studied by governments, local authorities and organisations across the UK and the world.
The study also comes just days before the Welsh Government made Wales the first nation in the UK to adopt 20mph as the default speed limit on restricted roads – generally roads that are located in residential and built-up areas where there are significant numbers of pedestrians.
Professor Adrian Davis of Edinburgh Napier’s Transport Research Institute who led the research said: “Previous research has shown that 20mph speed limits are effective in large towns and cities in both reducing speed driven and in reducing casualties.
“Our work looking at speed changes reveals that speed reduction to 20mph from 30mph in rural settlements produces similar results for speed reduction as in urban areas.
“Communities which have been asking for action to reduce speeding have been given a response, in this case by Scottish Borders Council who have taken action to address the dangerous and anti-social impacts of inappropriate speed.
“Our research findings consequently support the switch in Wales on Sunday from default 30mph to default 20mph speed limits.”
FRASER OF ALLANDER INSTITUTE PUBLISHES INITIAL FINDINGS
Disabled adults are significantly less likely to be in work compared to adults without disabilities (write ALLISON CATALANO and CHIRSTY McFADYEN).
In Scotland, 81% of working aged adults without disabilities had jobs in 2021, compared to just under 50% of adults with disabilities. This discrepancy of 31 percentage points – called the “disability employment gap” – is larger in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK (Chart 1).
Scotland has a goal of reducing the disability employment gap by half between 2016 and 2038. The 2021 numbers, encouragingly, show an improvement of 6 percentage points. A higher proportion of disabled people moved into work in Scotland between 2014 and 2021 compared to the UK as a whole, as well.
Chart 1: Gap in employment between people with and without disabilities in Scotland and in the UK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
In 2023, the DWP published a report on the employment of disabled people in the UK. This report looked at the reason why employment among people with disabilities has increased, while employment for the rest of the population has stayed roughly the same.
The DWP report highlighted four reasons behind the growth in the number of disabled people in employment:
Disability prevalence has increased in the UK, and the most common types of disabilities have changed.
The non-disabled employment rate has increased, implying that more jobs are available to both groups.
The disability employment gap has been narrowing overall.
There are more individuals in the working-age population.
The level of detail provided in the DWP report for the UK is difficult to replicate for Scotland with publicly available data: smaller sample sizes north of the border mean that more restrictions are placed on the data available to ensure that appropriate care has been taken with interpreting the robustness of results.
The Fraser of Allander Institute, in collaboration with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) are undertaking work to understand whether the same factors are driving changes in Scotland, and if not, what is different here and why.
This work is ongoing and future articles will get into more of the detail. This article sets the scene about the scale of the issue in Scotland vs the UK based on what know from data currently available.
What’s the state of disability employment in Scotland?
Scotland has a higher proportion of working-aged disabled people compared to the UK. It also has a lower rate of employment among disabled people, and a larger gap in employment between people with and without disabilities. Employment rates are noticeably different for different types of disabilities in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, and disabled peoples are less likely to have educational qualifications in Scotland.
How is disability defined?
The current definition used in UK (and Scottish) surveys comes from the Government Statistical Service and the 2010 Equality Act. This change affected data collection from mid-2013 onwards, meaning that it’s not possible to compare current data to data before 2013. Our analysis specifically looks at the data since 2014 as a result.
This definition covers people who report “current physical or mental health conditions of illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more; and that these conditions or illnesses reduce their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.” Previously, the definition was based on the Disability Discrimination Act (2005) (DDA), which applied to “all people with a long term health problem or disability that limits their day-to-day activities.” The slight difference in these terms means that some people may qualify as DDA disabled but not as Equality Act disabled.
Scotland has consistently had a higher proportion of working-aged disabled people.
In 2014, around 18% of the Scottish working-age population were classified as Equality Act disabled.
Since 2014, the number of disabled working-age adults has grown by around 222,000 people, making up over 24% of the working-age population as of 2021. By comparison, the total size of the working-age population only grew by around 31,000 people over the same time period. had a higher proportion of disabled adults in 2014 than the UK average, and this gap has widened over time. The 2021 data shows a further significant divergence, but this may be due to particular issues related to the pandemic and may not persist (Chart 2).
Chart 2: The size of the Scottish population with and without disabilities, and the proportion of the population with disabilities from 2014-21.
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Scotland has a higher disability gap and a lower rate of employment among disabled people.
Employment rates for working-aged people without disabilities in Scotland is roughly the same as in the rest of the UK. Employment rates for disabled people is much lower, however.
Since 2014, disabled people have moved into work faster in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK. The employment gap fell by around 6.5 percentage points between 2014 and 2021 in Scotland, compared to a fall of around 4.5 percentage points for the entire UK (Chart 3).
Chart 3: Proportion of adults between 16-64 that are in work by disability status, Scotland and the UK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Scotland has different employment rates for people with different types of disabilities.
Unsurprisingly, Scotland has lower employment rates than the UK as a whole for the vast majority of types of disability.
The largest differences in employment rates are for people with diabetes, chest or breathing problems, and difficulty with seeing, hearing, or speech. Scotland fares better in the employment of people with stomach, liver, kidney and digestion problems, for instance, and slightly better for people with autism.[1]
Chart 4: Proportion of the working-age population with disabilities by working status and type of disability, 2022
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021. * Estimates are based on a small sample size and may not be precise.
Disabled people have lower qualification levels in Scotland.
Disabled people are more likely to have no qualifications than those without disabilities, both in Scotland and the UK. Scottish adults are also more likely to have no qualifications compared to the rest of the UK, although the gap in qualifications for disabled people is larger for Scotland than for the rest of the country (Chart 4).
The proportion of people with no qualifications has been falling in recent years. This may be due to older people, on average, being less likely to have formal qualifications, and as they move to retirement age, the number of working age people without qualifications goes down.
For disabled people, it may also be true that the increase in the number of disabled people have changed the make-up of the disabled population, especially for people who are becoming disabled later in life (for example, due to mental health issues that present post-education).
Chart 5: Proportion of working-age adults with no qualifications by disability status, Scotland & rUK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Where are there gaps in our knowledge?
As discussed at the start, publicly available data on disability types is severely limited. For example, survey data in Scotland has detailed disaggregation on different types of disability, but only publicly provides information on whether or not someone qualifies as disabled under the 2010 Equality Act definition. The Scottish Government has been making strides to improve this data, however – a 2022 publication analyses disability employment by type of disability, but only examines one year.
One particular issue that we have found is for people who have a learning disability where the data is extremely poor. We will be publishing a new article later this week that sets out some of the particular issues for people with a learning disability.
Our next phase of research will look into more of the detail around employment levels for people in Scotland living with different disabilities based on access to non-public secure data held by the ONS. There may still be limits on the data we are able to use (for example, where robustness thresholds set by the ONS are not met), but we hope we will be able to add to the evidence base here in Scotland and provide better insights for policy makers and stakeholders on where support needs to be focussed.
