Councils have managed their finances well but significant challenges lie ahead, says the Accounts Commission. Continue reading Accounts Commission: Councils must make more savings
Tag: Scottish Greens
GP Practice payments for deprived areas not enough, say Greens
The difference in payments per head to GP practices in the most and least deprived areas does not do enough to tackle health inequalities says a Green MSP.
Alison Johnstone, health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, believes the difference of £3.97 per person should be considerably more, considering that practices in areas listed as Scotland’s most deprived by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation see significantly more patients than in less deprived areas.
A report by ISD Scotland reveals that the overall payment to General Practice service providers of £753.9 million is “virtually the same amount” as last year.
Alison Johnstone, health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “GP practices in the most deprived areas typically have more patients on their lists and less capacity to address patient needs. Greens want to see increases in spending for general practice, and primary care more broadly, to be targeted towards practices with high levels of deprivation.
“Greater and more targeted spending for general practice can play a key part in an overall preventative spending strategy. By preventing ill-health, we can ease the pressure on our NHS and ensure that fewer patients end up needing more expensive treatment.” Continue reading GP Practice payments for deprived areas not enough, say Greens
Greens: Scotland must act to stop benefits cap ‘cruelty’
Alison Johnstone MSP, Social Security spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has urged the Scottish Government to use new devolved powers to stop an estimated 20,000 Scottish children being punished by the Westminster Government’s lower benefits cap. Continue reading Greens: Scotland must act to stop benefits cap ‘cruelty’
Council Cuts: Wightman says report shows need for autonomy
Andy Wightman MSP, Local Government spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has highlighted a report showing the social impact of the 2016-17 local government budget. The MSP says the report highlights a need to re-address the way councils are funded.
The SPICe/Glasgow University/Heriot Watt University report shows most council expenditure is on services used by less affluent communities – services such as social work, public transport and citizen’s advice – but that most cuts have also landed on these services.
Andy Wightman, Local Government spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “Local authorities provide a lifeline for many communities struggling to make ends meet. Good quality education, social care, public transport, libraries and citizen’s advice are essential if we want a fair society.
“I welcome this new social impact methodology which, although not ideal, is very useful in understanding the impact of cuts to local government budgets.
“Ultimately this report shows the negative impact on local services from the Scottish Government’s cuts to council funding and underlines the need for a fiscal framework between the Scottish Government and local authorities and the need to scrap the Council tax and provide greater fiscal autonomy to local government.”
Johnstone concern over missed tooth decay targets
Alison Johnstone MSP, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has expressed concern at statistics showing that half of Primary One children in deprived communities have tooth decay.
The NHS report concludes that “clear health inequalities persist, and reducing dental health inequality must remain a priority.”
The main finding is that in the most deprived communities 55 per cent of P1 children have no obvious tooth decay. The national target is 60 per cent. In the least deprived communities, 82 per cent have no decay.
Alison Johnstone MSP said: “Poor dental health among children in less well-off communities is a tragedy and we must do more to turn this around. Getting children into good habits to look after their teeth is vital and there are good schemes in operation across Scotland, but we need to see greater effort to support parents, carers, school staff and communities.
“On top of that, there are steps that we can take to reduce the income inequality that contributes to poor health outcomes. I’ve already persuaded Scottish Ministers to roll-out the Healthier Wealthier Children project which boosts the incomes of vulnerable families. We can go much further by improving wages and using tax powers to put more money in the pockets of those who need it most.”
National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) Report 2016:
https://www.isdscotland.org/
Storm brewing: Greens concern over future of mountain weather forecasts
Guarantees over the future of Scotland’s mountain weather forecasts were sought by Green MSP Andy Wightman at Holyrood yesterday.
Reports emerged over the weekend suggesting that SportScotland is to end funding of the Mountain Weather Information Service, and In spite of repeatedly asking the Minister for Public Health and Sport if SportScotland had told the Mountain Weather Information Service at a meeting on July 2016 that its funding would end, Ms Campbell was unable to provide an answer.
Andy Wightman MSP, the Scottish Greens’ housing & land reform spokesperson, said: “I’m glad that the minister shares my view that the forecast service is an essential service for climber and walker safety in Scotland and that conversations with the government and its agencies are ongoing. However, the public will be looking for more transparency over what the current funding set up is and how that has been communicated to the MWIS. I’ll continue to seek updates from the minister to guarantee the long-term future of mountain weather-forecasting.
“This is a service that has provided trusted detailed forecasting for mountain users for 13 years and SportScotland has funded it since 2007. It’s a service that is trusted and relied upon by hundreds of thousands of users of Scotland’s mountains every year and safety and enjoyment of those who use our mountains is dependent upon accurate reliable, and above all trusted sources of weather forecasts.”
Greens slam Local Plan ‘sham’
Green councillors have slammed Edinburgh’s Local Development Plan, saying that it fails the city on affordable housing, traffic problems and loss of greenbelt land. Continue reading Greens slam Local Plan ‘sham’
Be bolder, urge Greens
Scottish Green MSPs will use this afternoon’s (1 June) Holyrood debate on Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform to push the Scottish Government to be bolder on community energy, fracking and democratic ownership of land. Continue reading Be bolder, urge Greens
Closed schools update: Scottish government offers ‘full support’
“Public confidence needs rebuilt as well as school walls: and fast” – Green Candidate Andy Wightman
The Scottish Government’s resiliency committee has met to discuss the emergency closure of seventeen PPP schools across Edinburgh – but The Scottish Greens say the ‘fiasco’ highlights the need to expose private finance failures. Continue reading Closed schools update: Scottish government offers ‘full support’
‘Shocking’: Johnstone calls for action on health inequality
Life expectancy gap between rich and poor continues to grow
Lothian MSP and Scottish Greens’ spokesperson on Health and Wellbeing, Alison Johnstone has branded figures that show funding discrepancies between GPs in poorer and wealthier areas of Scotland as “shocking”.
The figures, published yesterday, were obtained by researchers at the University of Glasgow and University of Dundee, and demonstrate there is a £7 per person per year funding gap between GP practices in the top 10% most affluent and the 10% most deprived areas.
Johnstone highlighted that health inequalities in her home region and around Scotland are rife, with a 7.3 year gap between Local Authorities in overall male life expectancy, and a 5.2 year difference between Local Authorities in overall female life expectancy.
Johnstone urged the Scottish Government to ensure that GPs in more deprived communities are able to deliver a high-quality health service, and called for resources to be distributed according to need, not wealth.
Alison Johnstone said: “These shocking figures highlight the challenges our NHS is facing trying to provide a decent service to all those who need it. It’s vitally important that help goes where it’s most needed, and the unequal distribution of funding means that doctors in deprived communities are unlikely to have the resources to meet their patients’ needs.
“In Lothian, a person living in one of the more affluent parts of the region can expect to live nearly two decades longer than those from the poorest. If we don’t ensure that people in the poorest areas get the same quality service as wealthier communities, we have no chance of eradicating health inequalities.
“I urge the Scottish Government to take these figures very seriously and to reconsider how it distributes GP resources. It’s time to get back to basics – every single person from in Scotland deserves high quality healthcare, and we must make sure our NHS can deliver.”
Highest life expectancy for men in Scotland is in East Dumbartonshire at 80.7 years, with lowest in Glasgow City at 73.4 years. For females, highest life expectancy is in East Dunbartonshire at 83.9 years, and lowest at 78.7 years.
Figures available at: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.