Scottish Government – Page 300 – The NEN

Care Inspectorate takes legal action over Skye’s Home Farm Care Home

The Care Inspectorate has taken legal action over the running of a private care home on Skye where seven residents have died in a coronavirus outbreak.

The inspectorate has asked the Sheriff Court to cancel the registration of the HC-One-owned Home Farm 40-bed nursing home facility in Portree.

It follows an unannounced inspection of the home on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “An inspection has identified serious and significant concerns about the quality of care experienced by residents at Home Farm Care Home in Skye.

“We understand this is a difficult and distressing time for residents, their loved ones and staff at the home.

“However, our first priority is always the health and wellbeing of residents.

“We have submitted an application to the sheriff court seeking cancellation of the care home’s registration.

“This could mean new care arrangements will be put in place for residents at Home Farm care home.

“We are working closely with partners including NHS Highland to ensure that residents experience appropriate care during this difficult time.”

In addition to the seven deaths, 30 of the nursing home’s 34 residents and 29 staff have tested positive for Covid-19.

A spokesman for HC- One, who operate 56 homes in Scotland, told the BBC: “We have accepted the shortcomings at Home Farm and apologise to our residents, their families, and the local community. We are fully committed to making significant improvements at the home and determined to put things right.”

On HC-One’s website – their slogan is ‘the kind care company’ – Home Farm is described:

‘The home’s caring team has created a family atmosphere, encouraging everyone to eat and celebrate special occasions together. Residents are invited to decorate their rooms with small items of their own furniture and treasured belongings so that it feels just like home. Daily life is carefully designed to support mind, body and soul.

‘Home Farm’s Home Manager makes sure that all Residents receive the kindest possible care. Our extensively trained team will deliver all the nursing and specialist care and support services that your loved one requires.

‘Personalised care plans consider not only medical, personal and dietary needs, but also the individual’s likes and dislikes, religious preferences, and suggestions from family members that might make their stay with us that little bit more enjoyable’.

On 29 April, HC-One wrote to local authorities seeking additional funds:

As we have done throughout the coronavirus crisis, we firmly believe we have a responsibility to our Residents, our Colleagues and to the wider public to highlight the challenges facing care homes at this unprecedented time.

This is why we have published online each day the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths experienced at our homes, and why we are also publishing in full the letter we have sent to the Local Authorities we work with regarding our request for financial support.

The Government has previously announced £3.2bn of additional funding for Local Authorities in response to the additional costs placed on them and their partners, which include all social care providers, by the coronavirus outbreak. We welcomed this announcement and the priority now is that this money reaches the front line.

As set out in our letter, HC-One has been significantly impacted by coronavirus including most importantly and most sadly the loss of more than 700 Residents and three Colleagues from this terrible virus. Alongside this, admissions have understandably fallen, and costs have significantly increased as we invest in the PPE needed to keep our Residents and Colleagues safe.

As a responsible provider, we entered this year and this crisis in a very strong financial position. In response to the financial impact of coronavirus we have taken a range of measures, including engaging with our lenders and our owners, to make sure we have the balance sheet resilience needed to see us through this challenging time.

These are prudent and responsible steps to take, as is looking at our income in the short term and engaging with the organisations that pay for the Residents living in our homes.

The Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, which represents Local Authorities and Social Care Commissioners respectively, have highlighted that care providers experienced a predicted 10% increase in costs linked to their coronavirus response.

Our letter therefore seeks to start a conversation with our Local Authority partners on how we can access some of the additional funding provided by Government to cover these additional costs.

We clearly set out the impact of the virus on our organisation, the statistical modelling we’ve completed that shows the predicted future impact of this deadly virus, the proactive steps we have taken to build financial resilience, and our request to discuss an income guarantee to assist us in the short term.

This request aligns with the Government’s COVID-19 Social Care Action Plan, which states Local Authorities must “protect providers’ cashflow”, and reflects the offers we’ve already received from some of our Local Authority partners who recognise the vital role our homes play in communities across the UK.

We are fortunate to be in a financially stable position, and to have the support of owners who are invested in the organisation and its mission for the long-term. We are therefore confident we can ‘weather the storm’ caused by coronavirus. Nevertheless, the responsible and prudent action was to engage with our funders, commissioners and lenders to make sure we build the most resilient financial position possible to achieve this.

As we move forward during this public health emergency, HC-One will continue to focus solely on protecting the health and wellbeing of our Residents and Colleagues.

This includes providing the PPE, training and wellbeing support our teams need, but also engaging transparently in conversations with our funding partners about the additional financial support required to support our organisation.

Since the Care Inspectorate’s intervention it has been announced than an eighth resident has died.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and Scottish Care CEO Donald Macaskill have wriiten a joint letter to all care home staff in Scotland this morning.

JF_and_DM_-_CARE_HOME_STAFF_letter_-_May_2020

An inspection report will be published in due course.

Call to restart cancer services in Scotland

Scottish Conservatives Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called for the Scottish Government to publish an NHS Scotland Recovery Plan to restart services disrupted by Covid-19, particularly cancer services.

In preparation for the Covid crisis NHS Scotland went to great lengths to free up capacity and many services were paused.

Elective surgeries were postponed for three months to free up beds and cancer screening programmes for breast, cervical and bowel cancer as well as some cancer operations were also indefinitely halted.

Now cancer charities have issued a plea to the Scottish government to get cancer services up and running again and the Scottish Conservatives have asked for a plan to deal with the backlog in treatment and operations.

In NHS England cancer treatments restarted over two weeks ago.

In addition, this morning ISD Scotland published figures showing that attendances at A&E services have dropped dramatically since the end of march, due to the measures put in place to respond to COVID-19.

The statistics highlight that during the week of the 3 May only 16,107 people were seen at A&E, compared to 27,845 for the same week in 2019, the previous year, a staggering drop of over 40%.

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary said: “It is vital that the Scottish Government brings forward an NHS Recovery Plan – a plan to restart our health service, particularly cancer services and operations, in Scotland.

“Over the last two months, in so many ways, people have selflessly put their own needs on hold.

“The A&E figures show that people have been staying away from the NHS meaning many people may be suffering in silence.

“But further delays will mean more patients could have poorer outcomes.

“It is now over two weeks since NHS England restarted cancer treatments, we could too.

“Thanks to the incredible work from everyone who works in our NHS, our health service has not been overwhelmed during this crisis.

“The Scottish Government must publish a plan to deal with the current backlog of operations and treatments and give everyone access to the healthcare they need before it’s too late.”

Money worries? Financial support and debt advice available

29% of people in Scotland report being worried about their finances having already felt the negative impact of Coronavirus.

People in Edinburgh facing financial difficulty as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak are being encouraged to seek guidance on the help available to them.

Research commissioned by the Scottish Government in partnership with YouGov has revealed that nearly a third of people across Scotland (29%) have already felt the financial strain of the current Covid-19 outbreak and are worried about its impact.

The survey of over 1000 respondents also shows that 71% of people in Scotland are concerned about the lasting impact on their finances.

These findings follow the launch of a new campaign by the Scottish Government and the Citizens Advice network that aims to raise awareness of the financial support available to people in the Capital.

The campaign provides information and advice on issues including rent and mortgage payments, energy bills, council tax, and benefits people may be entitled to.

People throughout Edinburgh are able to access this advice online, by contacting their local Citizens Advice Bureau or getting in touch with any of the capital’s independent advice providers including Granton Information Centre and CHAI.

Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government Aileen Campbell said: “There is no doubt that this is a difficult and worrying time for everyone. Today’s findings further underline the need to provide people across Scotland with the correct support, guidance and information to help them with their finances.

“We need to ensure that people are aware of the support that they are entitled to from the DWP and I would encourage everyone across Scotland who is facing financial difficulty to look into what additional help is available to them.

“That’s why we’ve been working with the Citizens Advice network in Scotland to create this central source of information – with everything from guidance on benefits, right through to what you can do if you are worried about paying your mortgage or rent.”

Adam McVey, City of Edinburgh Council Leader, said: “Work has been ramping up across Edinburgh to make sure our hardest hit citizens get the help they need. From welfare, council tax and debt support for those facing financial hardship, to food supplies for our most vulnerable families, we’ve been pooling resources to direct help to those who are in crisis.

“Our five Council Resilience Centres are providing a base for officers to work from so that they can target online and phone support for those facing hardship or worried about homelessness. And we’re building up a picture of how our most at-risk residents are impacted, so that we can develop longer-term measures through the Edinburgh Poverty Commission.

“It’s going to be so important that we work together to tackle poverty and, in these uncertain times, we know financial worries will weigh on people’s minds. Don’t suffer alone. Know that help is available and get in touch with Citizens Advice or our own Advice Shop for help.”

The Citizen’s Advice network website features dedicated COVID-19 content along with a telephone helpline. Those who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus outbreak and require free, confidential, financial support, can visit cas.org.uk or call 0800 028 1456.

Local Citizens Advice Bureaux are situated around the country. To find your local service, simply enter your postcode at cas.org.uk/bureaux

Free, professional help is also available from Granton Information Centre and Community Help & Advice Initiative (CHAI) who, along with Citizens Advice Edinburgh, deliver debt advice across the capital.

For more information, check out the city council’s advice pages on welfare support, financial worries and debt information.

Coronavirus seven weeks on: First Minister addresses the nation

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during an address to the nation from St. Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, last night:

It’s now exactly seven weeks since lockdown measures were introduced.

The extent to which you have stuck to these rules – often at great personal sacrifice – has been truly remarkable.

So I want to start with a heartfelt thank you.

By staying at home, you have saved lives.

Seven weeks ago the virus was spreading out of control.

Today, it is in retreat.

Those who work in our NHS have been under immense pressure – and they have responded magnificently – but the health service has not been overwhelmed in the way we feared it would be.

In the last four weeks, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen by almost two thirds.

And last week, we saw the most welcome sign of all.

For the first time since the epidemic started, the number of deaths registered in a single week fell.

So the progress is real and it is down to you.

But our progress is still fragile. If we ease up too soon, the virus could run out of control again. That would mean more people dying and all of us staying in lockdown much longer.

There will of course be risks whenever we start to ease the lockdown.

But my judgement right now is that the risk is still too great.

Too many people are still dying, and the situation in care homes – despite the extraordinary dedication of our care workers – remains a serious concern.

And the important R number – the rate at which the virus reproduces – is still uncomfortably close to one. If it exceeds one, the virus could rapidly take off again.

That is why the Scottish Government is exercising such care and caution.

We announced one change to the rules yesterday. If you want to exercise outdoors more than once a day, you can now do so.

But otherwise we are asking you to stick with lockdown for a bit longer – so that we can consolidate our progress, not jeopardise it.

Except for essential work that can’t be done at home, going out for food and medicine, or for exercise – please continue to stay at home.

When you do go outside, please stay two metres from other people – and don’t meet up with people from other households.

Please wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport. And wash your hands thoroughly and regularly.

These measures are essential for now. But we know they cause harm of their own, so we will not keep them in place for longer than necessary.

As the infection rate continues to fall, we will gradually relax the restrictions.

And we are already making preparations for that.

We are working with businesses to produce guidance on safe workplaces.

We are working on the changes needed on public transport.

And we are talking to teachers and parents about how and when schools can safely return.

We are doing all of that carefully because it is vital that when we do ask you to return to work or to school, you have clarity about what we are asking you to do and also confidence that it is safe.

We are also expanding our ability to test people for COVID-19, and trace those they have been in contact with. That will be important to control new outbreaks.

On all of this, I will keep you informed every step of the way.

I want to make sure that as we take each step on the path to recovery, the ground beneath us is as solid as possible. But I will not keep these restrictions in place longer than necessary.

As First Minister, I know the impact this has on all of you. And as a citizen, I miss my family too. But I won’t risk unnecessary deaths by acting rashly or prematurely.

So I am asking you please, for the moment, to continue to do what you have been doing so responsibly.

I also want to say a special thank you to children. Not being at school, or seeing your friends, or hugging your grandparents is really tough.

But you have handled it brilliantly. I’m so proud of all of you.

For all of us, I know it’s getting harder but let’s keep supporting each other even as we stay apart. Let’s remember what matters most – health, family, community.

Staying at home now is an expression of love, kindness and solidarity. We are doing it for each other, not just ourselves. It is how we protect each other, protect our NHS, and save lives.

And it will also bring forward that moment when we can begin a return to normality.

So once again, my thanks to each and every one of you.

First Minister hammers home the STAY AT HOME message

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St. Andrew’s House, Edinburgh on Monday 11 May:

Good afternoon. Thanks for joining us for today’s briefing.

I want to start – as I always do – by updating you on some of the key statistics in relation to COVID-19 in Scotland.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 13,627 positive cases confirmed – an increase of 141 from yesterday.

A total of 1,453 patients are in hospital with COVID-19 – that is a decrease of 31 from yesterday.

A total of 80 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID 19. That is a decrease of 2 since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3114 patients who had tested positive for the virus have been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

And unfortunately I also have to report that in the last 24 hours, 5 deaths have been registered of patients who had been confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 1,862.

I want to emphasise again today that those figures should be treated with some caution. Although deaths can be registered at weekends, registration numbers at weekends are usually relatively low, and can be particularly low following a Sunday. This should be taken into account when looking at today’s figures.

And as always, I want to stress that these numbers are not simply statistics. They represent individuals whose loss is being felt deeply by their loved ones. I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who is grieving as a result of this virus.

I also want to thank, as I always do, our health and care workers. You are doing extraordinary work going above and beyond the extra mile in incredibly challenging circumstances. All of us owe you a huge debt of gratitude.

In a moment, I’ll ask the Cabinet Secretary to set out the details of a new wellbeing programme which is being launched today – to support the mental health of those working in our health and care sector, at this very difficult time.

Before that, there are two items I want to address.

Firstly, the Scottish Government has today published our second coronavirus bill.

The Bill includes a range further measures, to help Scotland through this pandemic. Among other things, it provides additional support for unpaid carers.

It ensures that Carers Allowance recipients will receive an extra payment, on top of the Carers Allowance Supplement. That will see around 83,000 carers receive an additional £230 – to support them through this period.

Being a carer is incredibly demanding at the best of times – and I know it’s only more difficult right now. So I want to thank each and every one of Scotland’s carers for the incredibly important role that you are playing.

The bill is due to go through parliament in the next two weeks. And I hope that when it does, this additional payment – alongside the other support we’re providing – helps to make things a little bit easier for you.

The second item I want to cover today concerns the lockdown restrictions.

Last night, the Prime Minister set out some of the details of his plan, for easing restrictions in England. More of the detail of that has emerged this morning – and will continue to come out, during the day.

I want to reiterate that those announcements do not apply here. That is not, I want to stress, for any political reason. It is because the Scottish Government is not yet confident that these changes can be made in Scotland without us running the risk of the virus potentially running out of control. Scotland’s lockdown restrictions remain in place for now.

And our key message remains the same.

We need you to stay at home. We do not, at this point, want to see more businesses opening up – or more people going to work. We do not yet want to see more people using public transport. And we are not yet changing who can or should be at school.

The only change we’ve made, here in Scotland is to the guidance on exercise.

As of today, we have removed the once-a-day limit on exercise. It means that – if you want to go for a walk more often – or to go for a run and also a walk – then you can now do so.

That change obviously doesn’t apply if you or someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19, or if you received a letter explaining that you are in the shielded group. In those cases, you should still stay at home completely.

For everybody else, you will still need to stay relatively close to your own home. And at all times, you need to stay at least 2 metres away from people from other households.

I also want to stress that by exercise we mean activities like walking or running or cycling – not sunbathing or having a picnic. This does not give people a license to meet up, at the park or at the beach.

It’s just one very minor change to the existing rules. But all of the restrictions in Scotland for now remain in place.

And let me, for a moment, give one example of why this matters.

I read this morning, in the Evening Times, the tragic story of a family in Castlemilk, Glasgow.

Andy Leaman has told how his mum, dad and father in law have all died from the virus. He talks too of the impact on his nine year old daughter.

Their story is heartbreaking. And it could be any of us.

That family have told their story because they want people to listen to the advice.

In today’s paper they say: “People need to realise it’s real. The guidelines that are set out need to be followed.

“It may be them next and their families, and we would not want anyone to go through what we have had to go through.

“Stay in the house, social distance. That is the way to keep people you love safe.”

I think that is a very powerful message. It underlines the importance of the restrictions – and why we need to stick with them.

So to close today, I want to reiterate today – simply and I hope clearly – what the restrictions continue to be while our progress against this potentially deadly virus remains fragile.

Except for essential purposes such as exercise, buying food or medicines, or going to do essential work that you can’t do from home – you should not be going out. You must stay at home.

If you do go out, you should stay more than two meters from other people, and you should not be meeting up with people from other households.

You should wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport.

And you should isolate completely if you or someone else in your household has symptoms.

I know that these restrictions continue to be extremely tough. And I know that hearing any talk about easing the lockdown, might make them seem even tougher. But please, stick with it.

We are making progress. But to combat this virus, we still need to stay apart from each other. We still need to stay at home.

And the more we do that now, the sooner we will be able to ease more of these restrictions.

I set out yesterday the further changes that we are considering making as soon as we judge it safe to do so.

We all want to see our friends and families – we all miss them more with each day that passes. We all want to see children go back to school, and we all desperately want to get back to some kind of normality.

Please know that I want all of that too – I want that as your First Minister.

But I also want it as an ordinary person who is missing my own family very much.

But I know we will get there more quickly if we all keep doing the right thing now.

If we take our foot off the brake too soon, the real danger is we will end up in this lockdown for longer – and worse of all, we will lose many more people along the way.

None of us want that. So please be patient. And please try not to get distracted by messages from other parts of the UK. All governments across the UK are trying to do the right thing and all of us have a responsibility to take the steps we think are right, at the right time.

So please if you live in Scotland, abide by the law that applies here and follow the Scottish Government guidance.

Can I also make a respectful plea to the media. Your scrutiny role is essential and you perform it robustly – rightly so. But at a time like this – when health is at stake – all of us have a public duty too. Please make it clear to your readers, listeners and viewers what the actual situation is in different parts of the UK.

Moving at different speeds in different parts of the UK for good, evidence based reasons need not be a cause of confusion – indeed other countries are taking different steps in different areas at different times.

Confusion only arises if we as politicians and the media who report on us are either unclear in what we are asking people to do – or if we give a misleading impression that decisions that apply to one nation only are actually UK wide.

Never has the duty on political leaders to communicate clearly been greater. And in the provision of basic public health information, I hope the media will continue – as you most of you have been doing – to appreciate the importance of that too.

This matters to all of us.

If we see continued high compliance with the restrictions in Scotland for a bit longer, we will continue to slow the spread of the virus, we will protect the NHS, we will save lives and we will all move on quickly to the day when these restrictions start to be eased.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who is doing that.

“You look after us, so we’ll look after you”

New resources for staff, carers, volunteers and their families

Organisations from across Scotland have worked together to create a new platform to help health and social care workers and carers look after their physical and mental health.

Launching today, a new national digital wellbeing hub will enable staff, carers, volunteers and their families to access relevant support when they need it, and provides a range of self-care and wellbeing resources designed to aid resilience as the whole workforce responds to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The hub is the first of its kind in the UK and its content has been created by trauma and other specialists in Scotland. Its launch follows the £3.8 million extra funding announced in March to increase the capacity of NHS 24’s mental health helpline services and expand digital therapies.

Specifically tailored to support the challenges being faced by everyone in health and social care, the hub will provide advice on self-care and personal resilience to help users to recognise their own ‘warning signs’. Comprehensive information about services and resources available at national and local level within NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) and local authorities will also be available.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This is a tremendously stressful time for our health and social care workforce and unpaid carers, juggling the demands of working in highly pressurised emotional environments with concerns for their own safety and that their families. We will do all we can to support them.

“The hub, the first of its kind in the UK, has the theme ‘You look after us, so we’ll look after you’ and has been developed with the support of a range of organisations, including professional bodies and trades unions. It actively encourages people to make use of available services such local NHS helplines for staff across health and social care services, including care home workers.

“Protecting health and social care staff, wherever they work, continues to be a priority for the Scottish Government and this includes doing all we can to protect people’s mental health. That is why, in addition to the wellbeing hub, we will also be providing staff with access to coaching and the opportunity to shape our future policies through a new Workforce Wellbeing Champion Network.”

The National Wellbeing Hub went live at 2pm on Monday 11 May.

New round of Wellbeing Fund open for applications

The second round of the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund is now open to applications from voluntary sector organisations providing crucial services to people as a result of coronavirus.

The Fund is being delivered through an innovative model which involves national organisations and funders working alongside Third Sector Interfaces from across Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

The first round closed on 30 April having received over 1,000 applications, with half of applications already assessed and more than £6 million approved for funding so far.

Awards have been offered to support a wide range of activity across all communities in Scotland. From creative learning packs, online exercise classes and increased phone contact to support the mental health and wellbeing of veterans and young people, to grocery and baby essential parcels for those who are self-isolating.

So far the majority of applications have been from local organisations working within a single local authority, and early analysis indicates good targeting towards areas of deprivation and those experiencing greater vulnerability.

The most common beneficiary group in round one was children and families followed by older people, and almost 60% of projects aimed to support mental health and wellbeing. Around £4 million of applications related to food preparation and distribution.

The second round of the Wellbeing Fund is open to all voluntary sector organisations that did not apply or receive funding from the first round.

Applications from organisations working to support people facing financial or employment difficulties are being particularly encouraged, as well as applications from organisations working with minority communities.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “I am pleased the Scottish Government continues to be able to support the vital work of Scotland’s third sector in providing a wide range of support for vulnerable communities at this difficult time.

“Through the first phase of funding, charities and social enterprises helping families and children were among the main beneficiaries and, as the second phase of funding is launched, we would particularly welcome applications that provide financial advice or employability support.”

Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), one of the national funding partners, said: “I am pleased we are able to build on the success of the first round of the Wellbeing Fund and bring much-needed funding to voluntary sector organisations.

“Across Scotland, the sector is providing vital services and support to the people who need it most. New needs are emerging as the full impact of the pandemic unfolds and it is important that those needs are addressed. The partnership of government, grant-makers and local and national infrastructure organisations has been fundamental to making this work.”

Anthea Coulter on behalf of the TSI Scotland Network said: “The third sector has responded swiftly and safely in a complex and changing environment to protect and support the most vulnerable in our communities.

We are delighted that the TSI Scotland Network’s local knowledge is being recognised and understood and we are proud to be helping to ensure that funding gets through to these frontline organisations, leveraging across Scotland the Network’s local connections, relationships and knowledge to continue this vital work.”

For more information about the Wellbeing Fund, including eligibility criteria and a link to apply – visit the SCVO Coronavirus Third Sector Information Hub at https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/wellbeing-fund.

Changes to advice on going outdoors in Scotland

The advice on how often people can venture outdoors changes today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

From today, Monday 11 May, the advice is now that people can go outside more than once a day to exercise. This activity should continue to be undertaken close to home. Those going out to exercise should either go alone or with members of their household.

The change does not allow people to mix with people from different households, to gather in groups, or to go out to relax outdoors.

The First Minister agreed the change following scientific advice using the framework set out by the Scottish Government last month. It was agreed that the timing was right to make the change because the impact on the vital R number – the rate of reinfection of COVID-19 – would be very limited.

Announcing the change yesterday, The First Minister said: “The core principles of lockdown in Scotland remain the same, people should stay at home to help save lives and protect the NHS.

“We do not underestimate how difficult these measures are, particularly for those living alone, or living in smaller accommodation with children or without access to a garden or outdoor home space.

“The hard work which people across Scotland have put in to follow the guidance and stay at home means we are now able to change our advice for people to exercise outdoors more than once a day.

“It is vitally important that anyone going out maintains physical distancing and strict hygiene measures in order to ensure we don’t lose ground. We have also encouraged the public to consider wearing a facial covering in enclosed spaces, where physical distancing is more difficult and where there is a risk of close contact people outwith their household.

“It also remains vitally important that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 – a new and continuous cough or a high temperature – isolates themselves for seven days, and that anyone else in a household where someone has symptoms, isolates for 14 days.

“This change on going outside will be monitored carefully and reviewed in order to assess the effects on physical distancing and infection spread.”

First Minister: Forget ‘Stay Alert’ … STAY AT HOME!

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Sunday 10 May).

Good afternoon. Thanks for joining us for today’s briefing. I want to start – as I always do – by updating you on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19 in Scotland.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 13,486 positive cases confirmed – an increase of 181 from yesterday.

A total of 1,484 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 – that is a decrease of 101 from yesterday.

A total of 82 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus. That is a decrease of seven since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,100 patients who had tested positive and been hospitalised for the virus have been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

Unfortunately I also have to report that in the last 24 hours, 10 deaths have been registered of patients who had been confirmed through a test as having the virus – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 1,857.

These figures should be treated with some caution. Although deaths can now be registered at weekends, registration of numbers over weekends are usually lower than they are during the week. This should be taken into account when considering today’s figures.

As always, I want to stress that these numbers are not simply statistics. They represent individuals whose loss is being felt and mourned by many. As always, I send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus. We are all thinking of you at this time.

I also want to thank, as I always do, our health and care workers. You are continuing to do extraordinary work in very challenging circumstances. There is not a day that passes that I don’t feel a deep debt of gratitude to you.

I have one issue that I want to talk about today and it relates to lockdown. Let me emphasise at the outset that the lockdown in Scotland remains in place.

As I have set out before, the rate of transmission of the virus in Scotland – the R number you are used to hearing about – is still too high for any significant change to be safe at this stage. Indeed, the R number may, as I said earlier in the week, be slightly higher here than in other parts of the UK at this point.

That means we must be very cautious and very careful about where we proceed to from here. Having made real progress in recent weeks and I think you can tell from the figures that I am setting out day after day that we have made real progress.

The objective now for all of us must be to consolidate and solidify that progress – we must not squander our progress by easing up too soon or by sending mixed messages that result in people thinking it’s ok to ease up now.

Let me be very blunt about the consequences if we were do that – people will die unnecessarily and, instead of being able to loosen restrictions hopefully in the near future, we will be faced instead with having to tighten them.

We must not take that risk.

For that reason, my basic message for Scotland remains the same as it has been – please stay at home, except for essential purposes.

I have made clear, however, that the Scottish Government will keep what constitutes an ‘essential purpose’ under review, and I told you last week that we were considering making one immediate change – a change to the guidance relating to exercise.

I can confirm that the Scottish Cabinet met earlier this afternoon and agreed a change to that guidance.

At present, you are only permitted to leave home to exercise once a day. From tomorrow, that once-a-day limit will be removed. So if you want to go for a walk more often – or to go for a run and also a walk later on in the day – then you can do so.

It is important to stress this new advice does not apply if you or someone in your household has symptoms of the virus, or if you received a letter explaining that you are in the shielded group. In those cases, the advice is still to stay at home completely and not go out at all.

And for everybody, all other lockdown restrictions remain in place.

When you are exercising, you must stay relatively close to your own home and at all times at least two metres away from people from other households. And although the rules permit exercise – such as walking, running or cycling – they do not yet extend to outdoor leisure activities such as sunbathing, picnics or barbecues.

The fact that you are allowed to exercise more than once is definitely not – and I want to stress this point – a licence to start meeting up in groups at the park or the beach. Doing that really does risk spreading the virus, and could potentially force us to reintroduce stricter guidelines or toughen up the regulations and penalties in future.

What we are confirming today is instead a small but important change, to one part of the lockdown requirements.

We believe that it will bring benefits to health and wellbeing – particularly for people who live in flats and don’t have access to private gardens, and for children, who I know will have found the once a day limit particularly difficult. The most important point is this – it will bring those benefits without, in our judgement, having a major impact on the spread of the virus.

However – and this is really important – the other basic principles and rules of lockdown remain for now the same. Unless you are doing exercise, or performing another essential task such as buying food or medicine, you should stay at home.

And you should not meet up with people from other households – because that is how we give the virus a chance to spread, giving it bridges it can travel over and lead to increased spread.

The change I have confirmed today is the only change the Scottish Government judges that it is safe to make right now, without risking a rapid resurgence of the virus.

We do not, at this point, want to see more businesses opening up – or more people going to work. Our guidance to business remains the same as it has been.

And we are not yet changing who can or should be at school.

You may hear the Prime Minister announce other immediate changes tonight for England – and that is absolutely his right to do so. I’ve just come from a Cobra meeting with the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Now it’s important to say that I don’t expect the detail of these immediate changes that the Prime Minister will announce to be significant and I predict that any differences with the position here in Scotland will be relatively minor.

However, for the avoidance of doubt, let me be clear – except for the one change I have confirmed today, the rules here have not changed. We remain in lockdown for now and my ask of you remains to Stay at Home.

However, we will continue to monitor the evidence closely and make further changes as soon as we consider it safe to do so.

In the interests of openness and transparency and the grown up conversation I keep talking about that I want to have, I want to give you as much visibility of that as I’m going to share with you now that over this coming week – as we hopefully see more evidence of a downward trend in the virus – we will assess further whether it is possible to further extend the range of permissible outdoor activities that you can do on your own or at a safe distance.

We will also consider over the coming days whether garden centres can re-open; and we will think about whether some additional forms of outdoor work – particularly where people work on their own or at a distance – can safely resume. We will also be looking urgently – in close discussion with councils – at the possibility of reopening waste and recycling centres.

I will update you on these further issues next weekend.

Beyond that we will continue to consider when and how more businesses can safely start to re-open, what changes will be required to public transport, and when and how children can start returning to school.

On that latter point, though, I do not expect that schools in Scotland will start to return as early as 1 June.

As well as announcing immediate changes, I understand that the Prime Minister will also tonight set out a longer term plan for England. The Scottish Government has not yet seen the detail of this plan, so it is not possible for us to simply adopt it for Scotland – and indeed the evidence may well tell us that moving at exactly the same pace is not appropriate.

We will consider it carefully and we will take our own expert advice on it. And as soon as possible we will set out our own view on the phasing of a more substantial lifting of the lockdown.

We are already working with businesses to produce guidance specific to the needs of industry, workers and public health in Scotland. We will publish that guidance, sector by sector, in the coming days and weeks – our early priority is to give guidance and visibility to the construction, manufacturing and retail sectors.

Lastly, in areas which are the responsibility of the UK Government in Scotland, we will make sure that our views and concerns are known. For example – we expect confirmation tonight of a period of quarantine for people travelling into the UK. I have made it clear that I believe this is vital to our efforts to contain the virus in the period ahead, and I would encourage the UK Government to introduce it as soon as possible.

Lastly, let me say something about co-operation between the four nations of the UK.

I remain committed to the closest possible co-operation, collaboration and alignment. And, let me stress again, I have no interest in politics when it comes to tackling this virus.

It is perfectly consistent with an overall four nations approach to have a pragmatic acceptance that we may move at different speeds if the evidence tells us that is necessary – and I believe we do now have that acceptance.

But genuine consultation and alignment of messages – even, perhaps especially, when the evidence is putting us on slightly different timelines – remains really important.

We should not be reading of each other’s plans for the first time in newspapers. And decisions that are being taken for one nation only – for good evidence based reasons – should not be presented as if they apply UK wide.

Clarity of message is paramount if we expect all of you to know exactly what it is we are asking of you. As leaders, we have a duty to deliver that clarity to those who we are accountable to, not confuse it.

To that end, I have asked the UK Government not to deploy their ‘Stay Alert’ advertising campaign in Scotland. Because the message in Scotland at this stage is not stay at home if you can, the message is, except for the essential reasons you know about, stay at home full stop.

Fundamentally, we all have a responsibility – and it is a heavy one for all of us – to make decisions and set policies for based on our own data of what is safe and what is not.

I am clear that for Scotland, at this present moment, relaxing too many restrictions too quickly creates the risk that the virus will take off again. I am not prepared to take that risk.

That is why – except for the fact that from tomorrow you can go out to exercise more than once a day – the current lockdown restrictions remain in place.

I very much hope that it will be possible to lift more of them in the days and weeks ahead – and we are making plans for that – but at the moment, the risks are still too great.

For all of us, in fact, the way in which we can emerge from lockdown that bit more quickly, is to stick with the current restrictions now.

It is easier for us to start leaving lockdown, the lower the R number is, and the fewer infectious cases there are.

So please, stay at home except for when you are buying food or medicines, or exercising.

Go for walks or runs more than once a day if you want to – it’s good for your health and your physical and mental wellbeing. But stay more than two meters from other people when you are out, and do not meet up with people from other households.

Please wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport. And isolate completely if you or someone else in your household has symptoms.

I know that these restrictions continue to be really tough. And I know that hearing any talk about easing the lockdown, might make them seem even tougher. But please, I am asking you to stick with it.

We are making progress – never lose sight of that. But – even as we stay in touch by phone, by social media or by video calls – we still need to stay apart physically from each other. We still need to stay at home.

By doing that, we will continue to slow down the spread of the virus, we will continue to protect the NHS, and we will save lives. Thank you, once again, to all of you from the bottom of my heart for what you have been doing.

And please, for now, stay at home.