Tag: Scottish Goverment

COVID: More than 53,000 heath and social care staff in Scotland seek psychological support

More than 53,000 health and social care staff have received psychological support from the National Wellbeing Hub since it was launched in May, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced yesterday.

Established during the first phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the hub supports all health and social care workers, including unpaid carers, who need help due to COVID-19, alongside a new 24/7 National Wellbeing helpline.

The hub helps people facing challenging situations at home or at work and includes digital programmes designed to help manage stress and reduce anxiety.

Trained practitioners at NHS24 offer callers to the helpline a compassionate and empathic listening service based on the principles of psychological first aid, as well as advice, signposting and onward referral to local services if required.nvnvnv

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “We are all deeply grateful for the continued hard work, commitment and professionalism of those working in health and social care services. With a second phase of COVID-19 and additional winter pressures, I know our frontline workers continue to face increased anxiety and fatigue due to the unprecedented public health challenge we continue to face.

“The Hub has already helped more than 53,000 people and I hope all health and social services workers in hospitals and in the community make use of the high quality resources and advice available on managing stress and anxiety, fatigue, sleep, relaxation and exercise. For those who need one-on-one support, our wellbeing support line continues to provide around the clock help.

“I would also encourage everyone, especially those who receive health and social care support, to remember the challenges facing key workers and continue to thank them for their incredible work.

“We are continuing to monitor the impact of the pandemic on our valued workforce and will do our best to ensure that appropriate support services are put in place to help them.”

To access the helpline, health and social care staff should dial 0800 111 4191.

The National Wellbeing Hub is designed to be the first point of contact for all employed health and social care staff but also for their families, as well as unpaid carers and volunteers looking for support.

Scottish Government support for Fringe

Backing for world’s largest performing arts festival

The Scottish Government has agreed a funding package for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the charity that underpins the world-famous Fringe Festival.

As part of a commitment to support cultural, social and economic recovery, the Fringe Society will receive a £1 million interest-free loan from the Scottish Government. It will also benefit from a £149,000 Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund grant and a £100,000 grant from City of Edinburgh Council.

The money will be used to mitigate the significant losses incurred as a result of this year’s festival not going ahead as planned due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and to support the thousands of Fringe artists, companies and venues whose livelihoods have been affected.

The Fringe is estimated to be worth around £200 million to the wider Scottish and UK economy. Thousands of artists and cultural entrepreneurs across the UK rely on the Fringe annually as a key milestone for employment.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This has been an extremely worrying time for people whose livelihoods, careers and wellbeing have been affected by COVID-19 and the cancellation of festivals such as the Fringe.

“I am one of many thousands of people who will miss the Fringe this year. It is one of Scotland’s greatest cultural exports and this funding package will help ensure the world-renowned festival can bounce back in 2021. Many performers, cultural organisations and businesses rely on the festival and I hope it can build on its previous major successes to safely return to the international stage.”

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Chief Executive Shona McCarthy said: “This funding is a life raft to the Fringe Society, enabling us to properly support the extensive ecosystem of artists, venues and businesses who rely on the Fringe.

“This festival is about much more than three weeks in August. It’s an embodiment of how culture and creativity unites us, and in this incredibly difficult time, we’re grateful to be working so closely with our partners at Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and City of Edinburgh Council on this common goal.”

Edinburgh City Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We’re incredibly proud to be known as the world’s Festival City and are well aware of the positive cultural, social and economic life of the city contribution our festivals make to our residents and visitors.

“We worked quickly to help our Fringe festival get through the enormous challenge of COVID-19, working with Government to put resources in place to ensure the festival’s survival.

“I look forward to welcoming back the Fringe, and all our summer festivals.”

The loan will be repaid over six years.

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has welcomed the support. He said: “The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe every year and is an important part of Scotland’s tourism industry. 

“This funding will allow the festival to bounce back next year, so that the much loved event can be enjoyed again by Edinburgh residents, people across Scotland, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.”

More support for new home buyers

Scottish Government increases ‘Help to Buy’ funding

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An extra £40 million will be invested in a scheme that helps people get on the housing ladder for the first time or move to a new property, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed yesterday.

The Scottish Government’s Help to Buy (Scotland) initiative has allowed more than 1,100 people to buy a new home since its launch in September 2013.

This latest financial boost brings the overall investment to £275 million – investment that has brought much needed financial support to the Scottish construction sector.

The scheme helps people to buy a new-build house from a participating home builder without having to fund all of the purchase price. The buyer is required to contribute a five per cent deposit, with the Scottish Government taking an equity stake of up to 20 per cent of the value of the property.

The buyer then receives the outstanding sum through a repayment mortgage from a participating lender, repaying the Scottish Government’s equity stake when they can financially afford to do so.

So far 156 house-builders have signed up for the initiative, with six mortgage lenders offering mortgages to buyers wanting to benefit from it.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This additional £40 million funding will allow more people in Scotland to buy their first home and continue to make it easier for ‘second-steppers’ and others to move to a new property.

“Since it launched in September last year, our Help to Buy scheme has already helped over 1000 households into home ownership and this additional funding will benefit even more families.

“It is also bringing much needed economic growth to Scotland by supporting our housing industry and creating employment opportunities. This is alongside our continued commitment to investing in affordable housing for communities across Scotland.”

New Homes for Scotland Chair Sandy Adam said: “A significant proportion of new homes are now sold through Help to Buy, delivering on the Scottish Government’s key objectives of providing more homes, creating more jobs and stimulating the economy.

“Additional investment, such as that announced today, and longer term support assisting developers with investment planning will help the industry to, quite literally, build on the scheme’s initial success and step up production to the levels required to meet housing need across all tenures.

“But this welcome boost for Help to Buy (Scotland) is valuable in another way. Many people in Scotland want to own their own home. Raising aspiration and confidence in this way can only be achieved through initiatives such as this.”

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