A dedicated fund to repay mesh removal costs will open for applications on 6 June.The Transvaginal Mesh Removal Reimbursement Scheme will enable women who have paid for surgery to claim their money back.
To be eligible, arrangements for treatment must be made by 3 June.
After this date, patients wishing treatment funded by the NHS will be seen through the Complex Pelvic Mesh Removal Service in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Any woman who expresses a preference to be treated outside of Scotland will be able to request a referral to one of the NHS England specialist centres.
Progress in making arrangements for future mesh removal surgery to take place in independent hospitals, where women wish, continues. An agreement is in place for Spire Health Care in Bristol to accept referrals and positive discussions continue with Dr Veronikis, in Missouri, United States.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The opening of the scheme is a significant milestone enabling women to claim back the money they felt they had to use to get their treatment. The cut-off date will give sufficient time for anyone who is currently in the process of finalising arrangements to do so before it opens.
“Women who require mesh removal surgery are now also able to ask to be referred to a specialist NHS centre in England or to an independent provider. These options are being offered in conjunction with the service already provided in NHS Scotland and all options will be provided free of charge to the patient.
“I encourage anyone who wishes referral to one of these services to make their wishes known to their clinical team, if they have not already done so.”
The scheme will be administered by NHS National Services Scotland (NSS).
Further information on the scheme and how to apply will be available on the mesh pages of NHS NSS website.
Projects to improve the care and support available for people with long COVID are to benefit from an initial tranche of £3 million of Scottish Government funding.
Following a thorough planning process undertaken by health boards to determine the key priorities, the first allocations of the long COVID Support Fund across 2022 will provide £3 million for boards to introduce care co-ordinator roles, extra resource to support a patient-centred assessment, including a multi-disciplinary assessment service, and additional capacity for community rehabilitation to support people with issues affecting their day-to-day quality of life.
Support for people with long COVID is already available across a full range of NHS services. However, this additional investment has been informed by patient experience and expert views brought together by the long COVID Strategic Network set up by the Scottish Government – drawing on priorities identified by people affected by long COVID and recommendations from clinicians.
As well as the awards to boards, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) has also been awarded £370,000 to support a national programme of improvement work led by the National Strategic Network – this includes £200,000 to provide digital tools to support the care of people with long COVID. The network will also provide an analysis of the specific needs of children and young people living with long COVID in Scotland.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, who announced the allocation during a Scottish Parliament debate, said: “We have already supported thousands of people struggling with long COVID through a wide range of measures but the investment announced today has been shaped by priorities highlighted by people with long COVID themselves.
“We’ve engaged directly with NHS Boards, alongside clinical experts and those with lived experience, to identify the support that they need. This will help ensure the investment through our £10 million long COVID support fund will make the biggest different to people living with long COVID.
“Given the range of symptoms which can be involved, we know there’s no ‘one-size fits all’ response and our approach is to support people with long COVID to access care and support in a setting that is appropriate and as close to their home as practicable.
“It’s for each board to explore what is the best service they can provide, this can include a Long COVID Clinic if they believe that is the best model to adopt – and today’s funding will help boards to bolster existing provision for those with long COVID.
“However, just because a service doesn’t say ‘long COVID’ on the plaque when you walk through the door, it doesn’t mean that these services cannot provide, or are not providing, a long COVID service. There is not a specific treatment being provided within long COVID clinics elsewhere that is not already available to those accessing NHS Scotland services.”
NHS Highland Associate AHP Director, Linda Currie said: “The funding allocation is welcomed. Self-management will be offered and we will recruit Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy to support holistic interventions like fatigue management, vocational rehab, goal planning and dysfunctional breathing.This funding will support coordination of care across the relevant clinical teams and our partners.”
New funding to help public bodies unlock and realise further investment in measures to improve energy efficiency and install low and zero carbon heat systems in buildings has been launched.
The Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant scheme will make £100 million available during this parliamentary session.
The funding launch coincides with the publication of the latest analysis of public bodies’ emissions, which shows a 5.8% reduction in reported emissions in 2020/21 compared to the previous year.
Overall public bodies’ reported emissions have now fallen by a third since reporting began six years ago. Over the same period, emissions generated by electricity use have more than halved across public bodies.
There has been a 64% cut in NHS buildings emissions since 1990, with the £10 billion, 10-year NHS capital programme supporting its net zero commitment. Scotland’s first net-zero hospital, NHS Balfour Hospital, opened in 2019.
Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie said: “The ongoing cost of living crisis and energy security issues caused by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine make the case for pursuing our vision to improve energy efficiency across Scotland’s homes and buildings, and transition away from high-carbon heating systems, even more compelling.
“Our heat in buildings strategy sets our plans for more than 1 million homes and 50,000 non-domestic buildings to be running on low or zero carbon heating systems by 2030. Our support to help property owners and tenants to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and buildings will help to reduce both domestic and non-domestic energy bills while also tackling climate change.
“It is imperative that every sector across Scotland, including public bodies, takes action to meet our climate obligations. The latest analysis shows further positive steps being taken by the public sector, and this funding will help accelerate action in the crucial years ahead while also realising energy savings that can be reinvested into important public services.”
Payments made to over 3,000 children and young people across Scotland
More than £3.25 million has been issued in disability payments to children and young people since Child Disability Payment launched.It is estimated that as of 31 March 2022 a total of 3,050 children and young people were in receipt of the payment.
The total number receiving payments includes 555 people who have had their Disability Living Allowance for children payment transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Figures for 26 July 2021 to 31 March 2022 include an initial pilot period where Child Disability Payment was only available in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles local authority areas. The benefit opened to people across Scotland in November 2021. Payments began in February for children and young people whose awards transferred from DWP.
Almost three quarters (74%) of applications were made online, with 16% by phone.
Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “Social security is a shared investment in building a fairer Scotland and we encourage those who are eligible for support to apply.
“It is excellent to see that Child Disability Payment is already making a difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people, and their families. Families who find themselves in need of support can access this help in a way that suits them best.
“For the first time anywhere in the UK, we have an online application facility for applying for our disability benefits , and the high number of people choosing to use this demonstrates that we have been responsive to the way people want to access social security.
“We are determined to ensure there is a seamless process for all recipients whose payments are moving from DWP to Social Security Scotland, and we will continue to transfer cases in a safe and secure manner. Importantly, the process is automatic – people do not need to reapply and they will be kept informed at all times.”
Mark Ballard, Head of Policy for the National Deaf Children’s Society Scotland, said: “It’s been very important to have such positive and productive discussions with Social Security Scotland around our shared goal of making the new Child Disability Payment work for deaf children.
“Social Security Scotland has consistently taken on board our feedback, which is based on both the lived experience of the families we work with and our own specialist knowledge.
“We look forward to continuing to work with them to develop and enhance Scottish benefits for deaf children and their families.”
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, will host Bookbug Week from Monday 16 May – Sunday 22 May.
This year’s theme is Bookbug’s Big Journey, and Bookbug jumped on a vintage bus with families at the Riverside Museum to mark the occasion.
Bookbug Week will focus on all kinds of journeys, whether it’s the excitement of riding on the bus or a train, strolls through the park, an adventure to outer space or even just a trip out in a buggy. Scottish Book Trust is also reminding families that wee ones love hearing stories and songs when they’re out and about.
Bookbug Week is an annual celebration of Scotland’s national book-gifting programme and Song and Rhyme Sessions.
This year, Scottish Book Trust ran a competition for a new Bookbug Week illustration, and the winner was Dylan Gibson.
He illustrates picture books and illustrated stories for older children and reluctant readers and has produced artwork for dozens of books and covers. Dylan will run an online event showing children how they can draw their very own Bookbug Week picture.
Award winning illustrator Nick Sharratt and author Katrina Charman will host a live online event jam-packed with rhyming fun. They will be sharing book readings of their book, Car, Car, Truck, Jeep and The Whales on the Bus, with a fun draw-along to take part in too.
Many Bookbug Sessions will return in person – check Scottish Book Trust’s website to find a Session near you. The popular live Bookbug Session on Facebook will run on Friday 20 May at 10am.
Bookbug has recently launched their very own Instagram, and members of the public can join in the fun by sharing their own #BookbugWeek pictures and stories.
Families can access Bookbug’s Song and Rhyme library, via Scottish Book Trust’s website, or on the free Bookbug app. There are also fun activities for children available on Scottish Book Trust’s Home Activities Hub.
An exciting Bookbug Week competition will run across Bookbug social media from Monday 16 May, and you could be in with a chance of winning a bundle of books and some transport goodies.
Clare Haughey, Minister for Children and Young People said:“I am very excited for Bookbug Week 2022 ‘Bookbug’s Big Journey’, knowing families will be able to enjoy sessions in libraries and community settings.
“Bookbug helps to encourage an early love of books among children while also providing great opportunities for parents and their wee ones to spend time together, having fun and learning.
“I am very proud that we have a universal national programme in Scotland, which supports all families to enjoy reading with their children from the earliest opportunity. As well as laying the foundations of early literacy, the Bookbug sessions help to promote positive interactions and attachment for families, which we know is key to children’s health and wellbeing in the long term.
“I’m delighted that the Scottish Government are able to provide increased funding for 2022/23 of £1.7m for the continuation of the fabulous Bookbug programme.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:“It’s wonderful to welcome families back to libraries and community groups for Bookbug Week and Bookbug Sessions.
“Our thanks to Dylan Gibson for designing this year’s wonderful Bookbug Week illustration. We hope everyone enjoys their Bookbug Week journey, and we look forward to seeing people across Scotland joining us in person and online.”
COP26 PRESIDENT ALOK SHARMA RETURNS TO GLASGOW TO DELIVER SPEECH
The First Minister will urge countries to ensure current strains placed on the international order, including by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, do not result in the promises made at COP26 being broken on a visit to the USA this week.
In a keynote address to the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will today call on global partners to lead by example as they step up actions to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees whilst addressing concerns over energy security.
The speech is part of a series of engagements the First Minister will undertake in Washington DC. In meetings with policymakers and business leaders, the First Minister will stress that policy and economic goals must align to ensure a just transition to a decarbonised economy.
The First Minister will also meet with Congressional Caucuses including the Caucus for Women’s Issues, the Friends of Scotland Caucus, the European Union Caucus and members who attended COP26.
During Monday’s address, the First Minister is expected to say: “Six months on from COP26, the world looks very different, but many of the challenges we faced then remain. As things stand, the world is on course to exceed both 1.5 degrees of global warming and the 2 degree threshold – and scientific consensus is overwhelming that this will be catastrophic.
“We have seen the rules-based international order come under increasing strain, made more severe due to Russia’s brutal, illegal and entirely unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Many European nations are reassessing their defence and security priorities – however, the security debates in Europe are not just about military capabilities and strategic alliances. The invasion of Ukraine is also forcing countries in Europe to rethink long-held assumptions about energy policy and energy security.
“Countries must prioritise, as far as we can, an approach to energy security that focuses on sustainability, with measures to promote energy efficiency, and to accelerate the development renewable and low carbon energy. In many countries those options are already the most secure and sustainable ways of meeting our needs, and increasingly they are becoming the most affordable options too – for example wind power is already the cheapest form of power in Scotland’s energy mix.
“Scotland is positioning ourselves as a testbed for green technologies – we are the location for the world’s largest floating windfarm, we are an established centre for the development and testing of new wave and tidal technologies, we have developed plans to trial carbon capture and storage, and we produced a hydrogen action plan last year. Our hope is that this innovation can benefit other countries, and create jobs and opportunities at home in Scotland.
“We need to move at pace to develop clean energy sources and act in a way which shows solidarity with communities in our countries who might otherwise get left behind, and with the global south.
“Europe’s debates on energy security matter to the wider safety and security of the entire world. Where we can, will be a constructive partner in those discussions. We will lead by example in our own actions, we will contribute to international energy security, and we will work with allies across the globe as we strive, together, to build a fairer, more secure and more sustainable world.”
While the First Minister makes her speech in Washington, COP 26 President Alok Sharma will be speaking closer to home – he’s back in Glasgow, home of the COP 26 event …
COP President Alok Sharma marks six months since landmark COP26 conference with Glasgow speech
Mr Sharma expected to say that while Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has put unprecedented pressure on global energy security, the fundamental challenge of climate change must remain a top priority of governments around the world
The event follows last week’s productive May Ministerial on Implementation, hosted by the Danish Government in Copenhagen and co-chaired by the UK and Egypt, as COP27 President-designate
COP President Alok Sharma will today (16 May 2022) return to Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus to mark six months since the conclusion of COP26 to warn world leaders that failure to honour commitments made at COP26 would be an ‘act of monstrous self-harm’.
Mr Sharma will set out his vision for the second half of the UK’s COP Presidency, as he is joined by representatives from business, civil society and young people in Scotland, alongside a virtual global audience.
Mr Sharma will outline the crucial importance of addressing the chronic climate crisis alongside more immediate concerns.
He will say that the world is facing serious crises. Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine has shifted geopolitics. As governments are responding to rising prices, food and energy security challenges and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Mr Sharma is also expected to say that ‘the current crises should increase, not diminish, our determination to deliver on what we agreed here at COP26, and honour the Glasgow Climate Pact.’ He is expected to urge world leaders to show that ‘though the world has changed our resolve has not’
The COP26 President is expected to stress the urgency of countries fulfilling promises made at COP26 and that the global community must move much faster in taking climate action over the next six months, than over the last. ‘Work to deliver on the commitments made here in Glasgow has quietly continued.’ he is expected to say, yet “we need every nation to pick up the pace”.
Mr Sharma will also outline the increasingly stark scientific warnings of the impacts of climate change as recently set out in two major reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This evidence, Mr Sharma is expected to say, ‘demonstrates unequivocally that the window of time we have to act is closing fast, that we must urgently adapt and reduce emissions, because current targets are not enough.’
Mr Sharma will also highlight the devastation caused by extreme weather conditions around the world, including ongoing heatwaves in India and Pakistan, where a billion people have been exposed to extreme heat of almost 50C.
While welcoming progress made in the six months since COP26, Mr Sharma will look ahead to priorities in the lead up to COP27 and the UK’s work with Egypt to drive delivery ahead of the Summit in Sharm-El-Sheikh later this year.
Underscoring this urgent priority, Mr Sharma is expected to say: ‘Every country must respond to the call to revisit and strengthen their nationally determined contribution (NDC). And they must do so in 2022. The Glasgow Pact calls on countries to look again at their NDCs, not at some vague point in the future, but this year, in 2022.’
The Ministerial, held in Copenhagen on May 12 and 13, saw over 40 countries renew their urgent focus on implementation and practical action to deliver commitments and pledges made at COP26 and within the Glasgow Climate Pact.
At the meeting countries agreed that, despite the challenging global context, climate ambition and commitments remain serious and credible, from adapting to climate impacts, averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage, to reducing emissions and keeping 1.5C alive and mobilising finance.
Today, May 16, also sees the publication of the COP26 Sustainability Report, which demonstrates the lasting, positive legacy of COP26 on the city of Glasgow and beyond.
The report sets out the conference’s impact on Scottish charities and low-income families, including donations of 6,000 items of furniture, 15,000 square metres of carpets, and 600 laptops, some of which it is hoped will soon go to Ukrainian refugees.
It also confirms the UK’s achievement in implementing the International Standard for Event Sustainability Management making it the first COP summit to meet the international standard for carbon neutrality, PAS 2060.
Communities, groups and individuals are being invited to share their views in a consultation on the creation of Scotland’s first new National Parks in almost twenty years.
The Scottish Government committed to establish at least one new National Park in Scotland by the end of this Parliamentary session in 2026, as part of the Bute House agreement with the Scottish Green Party and the Programme for Government.
The public consultation is looking at what people value about Scottish National Parks, and what these areas should deliver in future – in particular, how they can help to protect and restore nature, tackle climate change and promote sustainable land use. This will be followed by a longer period during which communities, local government and organisations will be encouraged and supported to develop proposals for new Parks.
Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater visited Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park to open the consultation, and speak to pupils at Luss Primary School who have been involved in a local COP 26 legacy tree-planting project.
Ms Slater said: “It is almost two decades since Scotland’s first National Parks in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and the Cairngorms were established. Both are home to some of the country’s most outstanding scenery, are internationally important areas for nature and receive millions of visitors each year.
“They work hard to tackle the biodiversity and climate crisis, help manage facilities for visitors, promote responsible access and develop sustainable communities. They have become jewels in Scotland’s crown, and now is the time to add to them.
“We are committed to establish at least one new National Park in Scotland by the end of this Parliamentary session in 2026. To be able to do this in an open and transparent manner, we need to be able to assess any new area which is to be considered for National Park status against a set of agreed expectations.
“This is where we need your help and ideas. We want to gauge what people want their National Parks to deliver for the environment, culture and the communities within their boundaries.
“I would strongly encourage everyone to take part and ensure your views are heard and reflected in the shaping of this historic expansion of Scotland’s National Parks.”
A further £3.6 million is being made available to support the expansion of Hospital at Home services, with the aim of doubling current capacity by the end of 2022.
The purpose of the service is to reduce hospital admissions for elderly patients by providing treatments in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
The service enables people to receive treatments that would otherwise require them to be admitted to hospital, such as an intravenous drip or oxygen supply. It also provides access to hospital tests under the care of a consultant in their own home.
Evidence shows that those benefitting from the service are more likely to avoid hospital or care home stays for up to six months after a period of acute illness. For older patients, it means being able to stay at home longer without losing their independence and this has contributed to overall improvements in patient satisfaction. It also helps alleviate pressure on hospital beds.
The Scottish Government’s total investment in these services is now £8.1 million since 2020.
As well as Hospital at Home, the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Treatment scheme and Respiratory Community Response Teams now offer more than 600 virtual beds to treat patients for conditions that would traditionally need hospitalisation, an increase of more than a third from 440 virtual beds at the start of January 2022.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf announced the further funding on a visit to NHS Forth Valley’s Hospital at Home service. He said: “Hospital at Home is one of the many ways we are providing more care in the community and reducing pressure on hospitals.
“From the success of the scheme so far, we can see that there is a real benefit to treating people at home where possible.
“We know that frail patients tend to occupy hospital beds for a longer period of time and that is why we are expanding the scheme. In reducing the number of prolonged hospital stays, we will free up more hospital beds.
“With additional funding, all health boards can apply for money to either develop or expand their services with the aim of doubling the capacity of Hospital at Home by the end of the this year.”
Dr Sarah Henderson, Consultant Geriatrician for NHS Forth Valley’s Hospital at Home Team, said: “Developing this important service has enabled us to provide the same high standard of clinical care and treatment patients would receive in hospital without the need for them to leave their own home.
“We know from feedback how much local patients have valued being able to stay in familiar, comfortable surroundings without the anxiety and disruption often associated with an admission to hospital. This is also less stressful for family and friends who know that their loved one is getting all the medical care and attention they require at home.”
Helen Sammels from Alloa has been supported twice by the Hospital at Home team when she required treatment for a respiratory condition.
She said: “I am sure I got better, quicker by being able to stay at home. It really made a difference being in my own surroundings, but I still got the care, services and tests I required. The Hospital at Home team were great, and I feel really grateful for all the treatment and support they provided.
“I also have a little dog and I didn’t want to leave her so being able to stay at home with her was very important to me and fortunately with the support of the Hospital at Home team I was able to do this.”
A consultation on improving victims’ experiences of the justice system, with a particular focus on sexual offences, has opened.
It takes forward the work of the Victims Taskforce and Programme for Government commitments to establish a Victims’ Commissioner, introduce a statutory right to anonymity for complainers in sexual offence cases and carefully consider the recommendations from Lady Dorrian’s Review into the management of sexual offence cases.
The 12 week consultation is part of a wide-ranging programme of work to transform the justice system and deliver the Scottish Government’s new Vision for Justice in Scotland.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government recognises that the justice system can be distressing and re-traumatising for those who come into contact with it. We are committed to improving victims’ experiences of the system by putting them at its centre.
“This consultation explores how to do this by making the justice system more trauma informed and person centred.
“It is an important part of far-reaching and ambitious plans to bring about transformational change necessary to ensure our justice system is trusted, modern, smart and effective.
“We will continue to take an open and collaborative approach to achieve this aim, and this consultation will seek to capture the views of legal professionals, the third sector and those with experience of the system.”
Scottish Government Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Neil Gray MSP, attended a literary lunch at Stockbridge Library yesterday to celebrate the ‘national reading moment’, as part of the Keep the Heid and Read! campaign.
Joining local book groups, as well as the library’s visually impaired audio book group, Mr Gray listened to live reads from renowned local crime author Gillian Galbraith at a special event coordinated by Edinburgh Libraries.
Hosted as part of the Keep the Heid and Read! campaign, led by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) in partnership with MHF the Mental Health Foundation and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), with support from Baillie Gifford and many more, Gillian led a series of six-minute reads, followed by a Q&A session, to inspire people of all ages and abilities to read every day to help boost their mental health and wellbeing.
Joan Parr, Service Director Culture and Wellbeing for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Reading for pleasure can have a hugely positive impact on our wellbeing and the ‘Keep the Heid and Read’ campaign is a great way of reminding people about the health benefits of reading.
“Taking time out and reading something for just six minutes a day helps boost your mental health and there’s no better place to do this than our libraries which are full of a wide range of great materials.
“Our libraries are invaluable resources for local communities and we all know there’s so much more to them than just borrowing books – they are trusted and much-loved services which strengthen local communities and are essential for the wellbeing of everyone using them.”
Taking place during Mental Health Week 2022 (9-15 May 2022), the campaign, conceptualised by the post-lockdown plea for public libraries to reopen, encouraged people in Scotland to take part in the ‘national reading moment’ on Wednesday 11 May, with a pledge to read for just six minutes.
Research shows that reading for six minutes a day can reduce stress by 68 per cent – in people of all ages.
At the time of the event, the campaign had already surpassed its target of 300,000 pledged reading minutes, with support from around the country.
An online totaliser, capturing the growing number of reading minutes pledged towards the national reading moment, is available at: www.keeptheheid.scot.
Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “I’m delighted that so many people took part in the Keep the Heid and Read campaign led by the Scottish Library and Information Council.
“Reading not only sparks our imaginations but also boosts our mental health and well-being. I hope that everyone who took part will continue to enjoy these benefits by making reading a routine part of their daily lives.”
Pamela Tulloch, chief executive at SLIC said: “There has been such a positive response to the Keep the Heid and Read! campaign and we have seen such creativity go into special events around the reading moment, like the literary lunch at Stockbridge Library, which have helped bring people together and inspire the public to support the reading pledge.
“Our libraries are a fantastic resource, filled with an abundance of free reading materials – whatever your interests and ability; but they also play a valuable role in reconnecting communities. With the majority of libraries now reopen across Scotland following the pandemic, we hope these services will help the public take this easy-to-implement reading habit forward in daily life to benefit their wellbeing.”
