New research from environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has revealed the depth of the perceived litter problem across Scotland. 88% of survey respondents believe that litter is a problem nationally, while 70% believe it is an issue in their local area.
Worryingly 38% of respondents reported litter becoming more common, especially in urban areas over the past 12 months too.
This reflects our on the ground national litter surveys which recorded a higher number of locations with unacceptable amounts of litter than last year. We previously highlighted the scale of the challenge facing Scotland in our report ‘Time for a new approach to tackling litter’ published at the end of 2020.
The publication of ‘Scotland’s Litter Survey’ – the first comprehensive baseline assessment of public perceptions and attitudes towards litter and littering behaviour in Scotland – comes in advance of the publication of a consultation paper by the Scottish Government on a new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy before the end of the year.
The survey covered public attitudes to litter, changes in levels of litter, the wider impacts of litter and potential options for tackling litter. The outputs will be used to inform our work nationally and locally with communities, local authorities and other stakeholders to drive practical action to improve local environmental quality, reduce consumption and tackle litter across Scotland.
Other key stats highlighted by the survey include:
Food and drink packaging were perceived to be the most frequent types of litter.
The environmental impacts of litter, particularly on the natural environment and animals, top people’s concerns with financial and economical impacts a less potent concern.
Young people deemed litter to have a larger impact on the natural world than other age brackets.
Positively, there was a clear appetite from those surveyed for greater action to tackle and prevent litter in Scotland, with particular support for improving waste disposal facilities and educational campaigns.
Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented: “The findings in this report reinforce our data collected from more than 10,000 locations across Scotland which has shown an increase in litter and decline in the local environmental quality of our neighbourhoods.
“We know from those we support through our campaigns and programmes to tackle litter that the looming litter emergency is becoming closer – but we also believe that the real answer to tackling the issue lies within our communities and true collaboration.
“It is clear that people feel strongly about litter and want more done to tackle which is why I am clearly calling for people to make their voices heard on litter and contribute positively to the Scottish Government consultation over the coming months.
The UK Government Office for Science has launched a new Foresight Project to help inform the government’s long-term net zero strategy.
The report titled A net zero society – scenarios and pathways follows the COP26 summit in Glasgow where global leaders convened to outline coordinated action to tackle climate change.
The UK government has committed to achieve net zero by 2050 which is essential to keeping global temperature rises limited to 1.5C.
Societal norms, practices and behaviours will play a significant role in emissions reduction, but these are uncertain and likely to change in the future. This project will provide the evidence and tools to help understand how behaviours could impact net zero.
Patrick Vallance, the government Chief Scientific Adviser, said: “If we are to keep warming below 1.5C, changes within society will matter as much as big technological changes. Through this research, we can understand the impact of potential societal changes on our path to achieving net zero.“
This project, due to run until late 2022, will produce an expert evidence review and a set of future scenarios and their implications for the energy system and for different groups within society.
Researchers in Scotland are investigating a new treatment for diabetes which they hope could reduce one of the most common complications of the condition – sight loss.
The team of scientists, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), are aiming to find new ways of preventing diabetic retinopathy (DR) and have been given a grant of £286,000 for the study, which is being led by Professor Mirela Delibegovic in collaboration with clinical colleagues Professor John Forrester and Dr Lucia Kuffova at the University of Aberdeen.
People living with cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure can develop a condition called retinal microvascular disease and this is increased in the presence of diabetes.
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes. Those with DR develop damage, often permanent, to the retina – the light-sensing layer inside the eyeball – and as a result, are at risk of losing their sight.
People in the UK known to have diabetes are offered retinal screening once a year to detect signs of changes in the retina caused by DR. This new project aims to identify physical signs of DR when they occur, but before they lead to loss of vision, and to help find treatments to prevent it from developing.
Professor Delibegovic (above), who is the Director of the Aberdeen Cardiovascular Disease Centre at the University of Aberdeen, explains: “Given its nature, DR is a significant and worrying complication of diabetes and so it is important that we understand more about it and find ways to reduce and prevent it.
“In addition, as Type 2 diabetes – the most common type of diabetes – can often go undetected and undiagnosed for many years, up to 40% of people with Type 2 diabetes already have signs of DR when they are first diagnosed with the condition. Being able to intervene sooner could make a real difference for people living with diabetes.”
Over the next 3 years, the team will investigate if inhibition of an enzyme, called PTP1B, will lead to protection against retinal microvascular disease and diabetic retinopathy.
The BHF is the largest independent funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases in Scotland and this project is one of more than 100 research projects currently underway in ten universities across Scotland.
James Jopling, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “This is an important project which could benefit patients living with heart and circulatory disease and diabetes. As such, it is vital we understand more about diabetic retinopathy.
“Research projects like this one in Aberdeen help inform how we treat patients, identify those at particular risk and ultimately find new ways to save and improve lives.”
For more information on the BHF’s life saving research and the work of the BHF visit www.bhf.org.uk
While urban greenspace is often associated with improved mental health, new research has found the benefits are dependent on the characteristics of the population using the space – and their proximity to it.
Researchers at the James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) looked at the link between greenspace and prescription rates to treat mental health disorders across all Scottish towns with more than 10,000 residents.
They found a significant relationship between mental health and the amount of urban greenspace in areas with high proportions of people from black and minority ethnic and/or in areas of high deprivation.
However, the link between lower prescription rates and greenspace in these communities was only evident when looking at those spaces in the immediate neighbourhood. When considering greenspace within a 30-minute walk, no significant relationship was found between greenspace and mental health disorders.
This suggests that the mental health benefits of greenspace for these groups occur where it is closest to home – with previous research finding they are often the least likely to use their nearest greenspace.
Researchers found no significant relationship between mental health and green space in all other population groups.
The research, which has been published by the Urban Forestry & Urban Greening journal, will provide valuable information for urban and land-use planning, where decisions are taken at the population level.
The lead author Dr Michaela Roberts, Environmental Economist at the James Hutton Institute, said: “Our work supports the broad supposition that greenspace and mental health are positively related, and adds further support for the need to understand a populations’ relationship with greenspaces, to ensure urban greening achieves the highest gains for communities.”
Co-author Alistair McVittie, Ecosystem Services Economist at SRUC, said: “Our results highlight that the relationship between greenspace and mental health relies not only on the presence of greenspace itself, but also on the characteristics of the population using the greenspace.”
The research was funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services Division.
The British Heart Foundation has received high value and unique donations via its postal donation service
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has received an array of high value and rare items through its freepost donation service, helping to raise funds for life saving research.
The UK’s largest charity retailer was delighted to be sent treasures, ranging from incredible World War Two memorabilia, OMEGA watches and designer clothing, to electric guitars and the newest phones, cameras and gaming consoles.
The charity believes the boost in these eclectic donations can be credited to the nation decluttering during lockdown and the convenience of its freepost donation service. This service allows people to send smaller quality donations for free, by simply downloading a freepost label via the BHF’s website and dropping to a local Collect+.
These one-of-a-kind items went on to be sold on the charity’s eBay store, helping to raise just shy of an incredible £70,000 in just five months, for research into heart and circulatory diseases.
Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the thousands of UK households who have and continue to dig out some of their very best preloved items and post them off to us.
“We’ve been thrilled to receive such a vast array of high value and collectable items from vintage Lego sets, Sigma camera lenses, to Vivienne Westwood shirts and a collection of Hornby Dublo tin trains, via our freepost donation service.
“Our team of experts at eBay are trained in recognising the true value of donations so everything auctioned on the site goes for the absolute best price.
“We rely on the generosity of the public whose donations of quality items deliver much-needed stock for our shops and online outlets. Every item sold helps raise funds for life saving research. That’s why we are appealing to the nation to keep donating unwanted pieces to us and take on our Declutter Challenge, so we can support the 700,000 people living with heart and circulatory diseases in Scotland.”
This September, the charity is calling on the nation to have a clear out and donate any quality preloved and unwanted items by taking on its Declutter Challenge.
Donating to the BHF couldn’t be easier. Simply drop your items to one of BHF Scotland’s 76 shops and stores, send them straight to the charity via its free post donation service, or arrange a free collection.
Every item sold by the BHF in store or online, through the charity’s eBay shop and Depop site, will be turned into funds for life saving research.
The charity retailer says its shops are particularly keen to receive winter wear to sell throughout the coming season as well as clothing, jewellery, toys, books and vinyl, and larger items such as sofas, furniture, homewares, tech and electronic gadgets.
Take on the Declutter Challenge this September:
Declutter and donate today at: www.bhf.org.uk/declutter
MND letter relays the country in bid for £50 million from UK Government
Doddie Weir OBE and Euan MacDonald MBE have kickstarted a nationwide ‘MND letter relay’ from Scotland to 10 Downing Street. The letter, which has already been signed by hundreds of motor neurone disease (MND) patients from across the country, calls for the UK Government to invest in MND research.
United to End MND – a campaign led by charities MND Scotland, the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and MND Association, as well neurologists and people living with MND – calls for £50 million of UK Government funding over five years to target MND research.
To catapult the campaign, patients throughout the UK have now written and signed a personal letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which will be presented at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday 21st September, by rugby legends Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast to launch activities on Thursday, Doddie said: “We are continuing to fight to try and make a difference, and to try and find a cure for this horrific issue of MND.The UK has the best researchers in the world and at the moment we’re nearly there to find a stoppage or a cure.
“So this letter, and the money from the Government, will make a massive difference. This will give a lot of hope to people with MND. We need to take it to the next level and with that we need the Government’s help.”
Before his departure to London, Doddie is leading the charge by sending the patient letter on a relay across the nation, to encourage more people living with MND to sign it, starting with fellow MND campaigner, Euan MacDonald in Edinburgh.
Euan, who has MND, is the co-founder of the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research. He was joined there by Dr Suvankar Pal, Consultant Neurologist from the University of Edinburgh and Rachel Maitland, MND Scotland’s Chief Executive, who are showing their support for the letter.
The letter states ‘MND is a death sentence’ but that ‘research has now reached a point where a cure or life-saving treatments can be found’. It continues ‘The current piecemeal and protracted approach of funding individual projects will not deliver the life-saving treatments we need …we urgently appeal for action and investment now’.
Euan said: “I very much believe the goal of finding treatments for MND is achievable. The letter and supporting statements highlight the personal impact this disease has had on families like mine and others up and down the country.
“We are trying to ensure other people’s children, spouses, parents and siblings don’t have to go through what ours have. I’d like to appeal to the Prime Minister to back MND patients and have confidence in UK Science achieving what may have previously seemed impossible – a cure for MND.”
Currently the UK Government’s funding for targeted MND research stands at less than £5 million a year, which the campaign coalition says is not enough. £50 million from the UK Government over five years would fund a virtual institute for MND Research, providing the infrastructure needed for accelerating treatments for MND.
The funding bid has already been debated in the UK Parliament after a petition to garner public support gathered more than 100,000 signatures in just three weeks. Members of the campaign coalition have met with key politicians to explain the desperate need for the cash, to shore up the investment made by charities and industry.
With the support of MND charities and neurologists, campaigners are now taking the call directly to Downing Street and people living with MND still have the opportunity to add their signature here: patientsunited2endmnd.org.
Dr Suvankar Pal, the Co-Lead Investigator of MND-SMART, the UK’s biggest drug trial for MND, said: “This is an exciting time for MND research with many centres across the UK working on important areas ranging from drug discovery to delivery of treatment trials.
“We fully support this initiative which promotes collaborative working and much needed investment in research with the aim of delivering new treatments for MND in a timely way.”
Rachel Maitland, MND Scotland’s Chief Executive, said: “We are united here today to ensure the voices of those living with MND are heard by the UK Government.
“The average life expectancy for someone with MND is just 18 months from diagnosis. People like Doddie and Euan do not have time to wait, and neither does our search for a cure.
“MND Scotland’s vision is a world without MND. But we are only able to fund the pioneering research taking place at the Euan MacDonald Centre, and other institutes across the UK, because of the generosity of our supporters. MND isn’t incurable, it’s just under-funded. Together, we will beat MND, but we cannot do it without the UK Government’s support.”
To find out more about the campaign visit www.mndscotland.org.uk/united or tweet your support @MNDScotland @MNDAssoc and @MNDoddie5 using #United2EndMND.
A new study has revealed the biggest modern communication barriers for Scots
The survey, conducted by modern hearing specialist Hidden Hearing, revealed that conversing digitally can be a huge barrier, with just under a fifth of Edinburgh adults having fallen out with someone after misreading a text message
But communication barriers can occur in-person too, with the biggest barriers revealed to be several people talking at once, background noise, struggling with face masks, people talking too quietly or fast – all of which are linked to your ability to hear
36 per cent of those from Edinburgh are currently worried about a family member’s hearing, and worry their relationship would suffer if left untreated
One in ten local adults put off making a call to family members as they are worried about their own, or the other person’s hearing
GP and medical broadcaster Dr Hilary Jones said, “People want to communicate better, but they aren’t recognising that some of the biggest barriers are linked to hearing loss. When you struggle to hear, communication can become challenging, and feelings of frustration may arise, which is why getting regular hearing tests is so important.”
New research by high street hearing specialist Hidden Hearing has revealed the biggest modern communication barriers – from digital disasters to face masks.
The research revealed that a fifth (18 per cent) of those from Edinburgh have fallen out with someone after misreading text messages, with just one in five also admitting they can spend ‘hours’ puzzling over someone’s wording or tone in a text trying to work out if they are actually annoyed or joking.
Nationally, undetected sarcasm (42 per cent) was revealed as the most common miscommunication, followed by jokes being taken the wrong way (41 per cent) and misunderstanding the tone of the message (36 per cent), leading to one fifth wrongly assuming someone was in a mood with them.
Adults are most likely to over analyse texts and emails from work colleagues (35 per cent), followed by a partner (20 per cent) or a love interest (13 per cent).
Hear this: The biggest communication barriers revealed
But communication barriers don’t just happen digitally, they can occur in-person too, with the biggest barriers being several people talking at once (39 per cent), background noise (39 per cent), face masks (38 per cent), people talking too quietly (37 per cent) or fast (32 per cent) – all of which are linked to hearing loss.
“People want to communicate better, but they aren’t recognising that some of the biggest barriers are linked to hearing loss,” said GP and medical broadcaster Dr Hilary Jones.
“When you struggle to hear, communication can become challenging, and feelings of frustration may arise, which is why being proactive and getting regular hearing tests is so important.”
Additionally, mumbling was revealed to be the most frustrating communication habit (41 per cent) – however thinking someone is mumbling is common sign of hearing loss – so the issue is likely to be with the listener rather than the ‘mumbler’.
The survey revealed that men struggle to hear more than women, with the average male struggling to hear nearly once a day, in comparison to women who have difficulty hearing 273 times a year.
One in three people believe hearing is critical for a conversation to flow, however over 50 per cent of those who experience hearing loss choose not to have their ears tested, highlighting that the issue is being ignored.
Hearing loss: It’s a family matter
More than 2 in 5 (41 per cent) adults put off calling people as they are worried about their own, or the other person’s hearing, with 17 per cent revealing that they have experienced a communication breakdown with a friend or family member because of a hearing loss. Shockingly, 45 per cent of adults’ struggle to hear someone speaking at least four times in a week.
Over one third (35 per cent) of people feel untreated hearing loss is frustrating for everyone involved in the conversation.
When it comes to the best place for conversation to flow – sitting around the family dinner table came up tops, as chosen by a third.
Dr Hilary Jones said, “If you, or a family member, are finding it hard to keep up with conversations when socialising, it may be a sign of hearing loss.
“Taking a hearing test and wearing hearing aids can help you listen better, feel connected and tune into conversations. Hidden Hearing’s 5-minute online hearing test can provide an immediate insight into how well you, or a family member, can hear.”
Time to embrace face-to-face
Nearly one third (31 per cent) of Brits reported feeling frustrated as a result of digital miscommunication, as well as anxious (27 per cent) and stressed (25 per cent). Feelings of anxiety were especially apparent in the younger generation, with 41 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds stressing over a text or email, in comparison to 1 in 10 over 55s.
Nearly one quarter (23 per cent) have waited to say something to someone in person to avoid it being misunderstood over text – even if it meant waiting weeks to have the conversation.
The OnePoll nationwide study of 2,000 adults found that a huge 79 per cent believe face-to-face is the best way to talk to someone, rather than through a gadget, with 41 per cent of adults believing that ‘people these days have lost the art of communication and rely too much on technology.’
The top phrases Brits would most like to hear in person rather than over a phone were ‘I love you’ and ‘Will you marry me?’ – both selected by 44 per cent of respondents. Nearly one third would also much rather be broken up with face-to-face, rather than over the phone.
The main benefits adults find in having conversations in person include being able to look someone in the eyes (51 per cent), paying attention to body language (47 per cent) and finding it easier to note tone (46 per cent).
Dr Hilary Jones explained: “Spending time with your loved ones or friends, especially in-person as opposed to digitally, has a profound positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing, wellbeing”.
“In person communication enables us to understand tone, pay attention to body language, and feel better connected, reducing feelings of frustration, depression and anxiety, shown to be the most common feelings from miscommunication. These feelings can be heightened even more for those who struggle to hear.”
Visit www.hiddenhearing.co.uk to find your nearest clinic or take Hidden Hearing’s free online hearing test.
The biggest communication barriers
Several people talking at once Background noise Face masks People talking too quietly People talking too fast Language barriers Zoning out of the conversation Difference of opinions Misunderstanding or misinterpreting a written message (e.g. email or text) Not understanding jargon or vocabulary Not understanding the tone of voice or intention behind a written message Multi-tasking Hearing problems Fear of how the other person would react Social distancing
The best places to communicate
At home Around a family dinner table On holiday Outside in nature In a restaurant or café On the sofa On a walk or bike ride Over a shared hobby In bed While drunk Via phone calls While driving At work Via text message In a meeting room
Study suggests relocations took place with little consideration of people’s needs and adversely affected their health and wellbeing
Asylum seekers who were moved to temporary accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic have faced unsafe conditions, mobility restrictions and a lack of communication from service providers, according to a new study.
Edinburgh Napier researchers said the asylum seekers’ accounts – in which they likened their hotel-type accommodation to detention centres – “pointed to a provision that was inattentive towards their needs, vulnerability and wellbeing.”
The study, which focuses on accommodation in Glasgow, is particularly critical of a “mothers and baby” unit in the south of the city, which was opened last October. Mothers, who were moved there by Home Office accommodation contractor Mears Group who run the facilities, criticised the cramped and noisy living conditions, unsuitable furniture and inadequate washing facilities.
The report authors call for an independent assessment of the facility to be carried out as a matter of urgency, and say no more families should be moved there until this has taken place.
Other recommendations in the interim report include calls for risk assessments for individuals in advance of any relocation, the minimising of stays in hotel-type accommodation, a review of limits on travel luggage, and the lifting of restrictions requiring residents to stay ‘on-site overnight’.
Edinburgh Napier researchers carried out the study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, as part of UK Research and Innovation’s response to Covid-19. They worked with migrant-led grassroots organisation Migrants Organising for Rights and Empowerment (MORE) to explore the impact of the pandemic on those placed in temporary accommodation in Glasgow.
Around 350 asylum seekers were moved from their settled flats into various hotels in the city centre following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March last year, which Mears Group claimed was an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
Researchers spoke to more than 50 asylum seekers and followed closely the lives of 14 participants of varied ages and backgrounds from December 2020 to June 2021, during the ‘second wave’ of the virus in the UK, through weekly online meetings.
Accommodation for asylum seekers during the pandemic has long been a controversial topic. A mass outbreak of Covid at the repurposed Napier military barracks in Kent last winter and a mass stabbing at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow the previous June sparked debate and criticism of the government’s handling of asylum housing from parliamentary select committees.
The interim findings of the new Edinburgh Napier study suggest relocating asylum seekers to hotel-type accommodation had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing, and that they found social distancing almost impossible in their new environment.
Individuals living in hotels also faced a number of restrictions. They were unable to cook their own food or have visitors, had their weekly allowance withdrawn, and were told they could not spend nights away from the accommodation. The food served was said to be of poor quality, and it did not reflect their religious or cultural backgrounds.
The Glasgow-based mother and baby unit, the only such facility in the whole of Scotland, was reportedly noisy – with doors frequently banging and staff knocking, and had small beds, insufficient room ventilation and furniture which was unsuitable for breastfeeding. One mum told of her humiliation when the driver taking her to the unit told her she had too many belongings for a “destitute” asylum seeker.
The report said relocations to temporary accommodation took place with little consideration of people’s needs and with no consultation with asylum seekers themselves. There were cases of people being given less than 15 minutes to get ready for their move, and of individuals being threatened with deportation if they resisted.
Dr Taulant Guma, Principal Investigator and lecturer in Edinburgh Napier’s School of Applied Sciences, said: “While issues around asylum accommodation have received a significant amount of media and public attention since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, little attention has been paid to the experiences and perspectives of asylum seekers themselves, who are directly and mostly affected by these housing arrangements.
“As a collaboration with a grassroots organisation, our study offers a unique and in-depth insight and understanding into the day-to-day realities of asylum seekers’ housing experiences during the pandemic.
“In the context of the current Afghan crisis and discourses of ‘warm welcome’, our findings offer a timely reminder of the cold realities that may await Afghan asylum seekers and refugees once they are relocated to their accommodation across the country.”
Robert Makutsa, Community Researcher with MORE, said: “The asylum accommodation system is broken because the level of duty of care that is required does not need to be met. Think about it; what legal action can an asylum seeker raise against Mears or the Home Office in their failure to adhere to the accommodation provision? None.
“Their lives are defined and controlled by their agents and often it is us, migrant led organisations and grassroots groups, who put pressure on Mears when asylum seekers make complaints.”
A UK-wide study, led by Queen’s University Belfast, has shown how a new surveillance pathway for people with stable diabetic eye disease is safe and cost-saving, freeing up ophthalmologists to evaluate and treat people requiring urgent care.
The new health care surveillance pathway may help ophthalmic units across the world to improve their capacity whilst saving patient’s sight. It is already having a positive impact on the re-design of NHS services across the UK, having been implemented successfully in several hospitals.
The research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has been published in leading journals including Ophthalmology, BMJ and NIHR’s Health Technology Assessment.
The EMERALD (the Effectiveness of Multimodal imaging for the Evaluation of Retinal oedemA and new VesseLs in Diabetic retinopathy) diagnostic accuracy study tested a new “ophthalmic grader” pathway. Rather than ophthalmologists, this pathway involves trained graders monitoring people with previously treated and stable complications of diabetic eye disease, namely diabetic macular oedema (DMO) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), based on the reading of images and scans of the back of their eyes.
The grader’s pathway can save £1390 per 100 patients, and the real savings are the ophthalmologist’s time, which can then be redirected to the evaluation of people at high risk of visual loss.
Professor Noemi Lois, lead researcher and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, explains: “Diabetic macular oedema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy, the main sight-threatening complications of diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness if left untreated. It is therefore important to diagnose them and to treat them timely.
“NHS hospitals eye units are under significant pressure given the extremely high number of people that need to be examined and treated and given the insufficient number of ophthalmologists in the UK. Currently, ophthalmologists need to evaluate all patients, even those that are stable after treatment and who are doing well.”
In EMERALD, trained ophthalmic graders were found to achieve satisfactory results when compared to standard care (i.e., ophthalmologists evaluating patients in clinic) while releasing ophthalmologist’s time.
Professor Lois added: “EMERALD showed trained ophthalmic graders are able to determine whether patients with diabetic macular oedema or proliferative diabetic retinopathy previously successfully treated remain stable or if on them the disease has reactivated.
“Thus, they would be able to follow people that have been already treated, releasing ophthalmologists’ time. Ophthalmologists could then use this time to treat timely other patients, for example, those who have indeed diabetic macular oedema or active proliferative diabetic retinopathy and who have not yet received treatment saving their sight.”
Dr Clare Bailey, consultant ophthalmologist at the Bristol Eye Hospital, said: “The important data from the EMERALD study has helped us to significantly increase the numbers of people with diabetic retinopathy being seen in ‘imaging/grading’ pathways.
“This has hugely increased our follow-up capacity, whilst allowing ophthalmologists’ time to be directed to the people with diabetic retinopathy who need treatment or further assessment.
“This has helped us to deal with the capacity pressures as a result of Covid -19 as well as the longer-term capacity demands due to the increasing prevalence of diabetic retinopathy.”
Dr Caroline Styles, Consultant Ophthalmologist with NHS Fife, added: “Emerald provided us in NHS Fife with the relevant evidence that allowed us to redesign our pathways for people with diabetic eye disease.
“The involvement of people with diabetes in this study reassures our population that these are safe and appropriate changes, and not just based on cost.”
The EMERALD study was set in 13 National Health Service (NHS) hospitals across the UK and is a large multicentric, UK-wide, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded diagnostic accuracy study.
The Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), Police Scotland, and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), have joined together to provide £62,000 to fund projects which will support the police to improve engagement with seldom heard communities.
The term ‘seldom-heard’ refers to communities which are historically under-represented and may be less likely to engage with police for a variety reasons (including race, religion, sexuality, disability, and age, as well as communities isolated through geography or economic disadvantage).
Dr Megan O’Neill, SIPR Associate Director and Lead for the Police-Community Relations network said: “The focus of these grants is to understand seldom heard communities and emphasise the role of police, researchers, and policy makers in building effective and meaningful connections.
“Many of these communities feel they are not being listened to, and we have an important role to play in support research which will ensure their voices are heard; their needs are met; and their perspectives are understood.”
Following a successful public event in May 2021, which saw almost 200 attendees come together to explore public confidence in Police Scotland for seldom heard communities, SIPR, Police Scotland and the SPA launched the ‘Seldom Heard Community Grants’ and invited all interested parties to apply for funding for projects which would support Police Scotland to further enhance its support to these communities.
Fifteen applications were received from UK-based researchers and were subject to a rigorous assessment via an award panel which consisted of senior Scottish academics, senior police officers and staff, and senior representatives from the Scottish Police Authority.
The field was highly competitive; however, it was agreed that five applications selected stood out for the relevance of their focus; innovative approaches; and robust methodologies.
Assistant Chief Constable John Hawkins, who led this work for Police Scotland said: “It is really positive to have received so many applications of such good quality and of varying subject matters to assist Police Scotland in improving engagement with seldom heard communities.
“This is an extremely important area of work for Police Scotland, and I look forward to receiving the outcomes from the research.”
Amanda Coulthard, Head of Strategy & Performance at Scottish Police Authority, said: “We were delighted with the range of applications received for this fund, which focuses on improving engagement with groups who may be seldom heard.
“The SPA commitment to policing in the public interest means it is critical we work to understand any possible barriers to engagement from seldom heard groups, and seek to evolve practice”.
Our congratulations go to:
Dr John Mendel (University of Dundee) who will lead the project ‘Inquiring together: Collaborative Research with BAME communities and serving officers’.
Dr Mendel will work with Dundee City and Aberdeenshire Councils, as well as the Scottish Refugee Councilto support police officers to engage, as co-inquirers (utilising action research), with people who are seldom heard: refugees, migrants and those from BAME communities in Dundee, Glasgow and Aberdeenshire.
This will allow a set of policing guidelines to be developed by the community of police officers and the BAME and migrants working together.
Dr Andrew Williams (St Andrew’s University) as Principal Investigator for the research project ‘To be seen and heard: developing photovoice as a method for the police to engage with young people in underserved communities”.
Working with the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, the Wallacetown Strategic Community Partnership, and the University of Exeter Relational Health Group, this project aims to support the police in adopting creative methods to engage young people in an area of significant economic disadvantage and understand the places and people that matter to them.
Dr Julie Berg (University of Glasgow) who will head up the project“Accounting for Complexities: an Intersectional Approach to Enhancing Police Practitioner Accountability, Legitimacy & Sustainable Reform” which aims todevelop an intersectional good practice tool kit through which Police Scotland can better engage with seldom heard communities in order to underpin sustainable reform and improved accountability mechanisms.
Professor Jim Moir (Abertay University) who will lead the project ‘Hearing seldom heard groups: Policing with empathy in conversation with LGBT and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds’.
Delivered in collaboration with the Articulate Cultural Trust (a charity which supports young people to enable creativity) and Dundee City Council, this research aims to not only explore the experiences of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds where there may also be intersectional aspects at play (e.g., (LGBT-Q identifications) in encounters with the police, but also to examine the extent to which empathy and understanding of different seldom heard voices is apparent in Police Scotland.
Dr Nicole Vidal (Queen Margaret University) as Principal Investigator for ‘Refugee and asylum-seeker experiences, trust and confidence with Police Scotland’ which will collaborate with third sector organisations that provide psychological support to refugees and asylum seekers with the aim of building an understanding of the quantity and quality of refugees’ social networks and their role in influencing engagement with the police.
Dr Liz Aston,Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, which will administer these grants, said:“The projects funded through the Seldom Heard Community scheme will explore some of the most pressing issues facing police-community relationships today.
“While the research will explore Scottish experiences and examples, they represent challenges being faced globally within policing. There is enormous potential for these projects to impact current policing policies and practices, and SIPR is looking forward to working with all five teams to support this wherever possible.”
For more information on these grants, or about the work of SIPR, please visit our website at sipr.ac.uk
