Tag: Winter

Fifty years of winter: who feels the deepest chill?

  • Scotland East takes the coldest and frostiest crown with an average winter temperature of 2.3 degrees and 44 days of frost – 18 days more than the least frosty region England South West / Wales South.

  • Scotland North has the most rain, seeing over 8 weeks of rainy days during winter. That’s 25 days more than the driest region East Anglia which only suffers a month’s worth of rainy days.

  • England South East/Central sees the most winter sun with a total of 180 hours of clear sunshine during December, January and February. That’s 77 hours more than the darkest region Scotland North which sees an average of 103 hours of cloudless sunshine, almost an hour less sunshine a day.

  • England and Wales see 45 hours more clear sunshine during winter than Scotland, and 24 hours more than Northern Ireland.

  • When compared to England and Wales, Scotland has 9 more days of frost, 12 more days of rain and is 1.4 degrees colder on average during winter.

There’s nothing more British than a conversation about the weather, and with winter well and truly here it’s often a moan. Whether it’s too cold, too dark or even too warm to snow, it seems we’re never quite happy with what’s going on outside. Some of us, however, have more reason to complain than others … particularly if you live in Scotland! Continue reading Fifty years of winter: who feels the deepest chill?

NHS Lothian moves to treat waiting time issues

NHS Lothian is creating an innovative partnership with Scottish Government to help boost performance and improve patient care across the health board. The partnership, which will also work with the Edinburgh Integrated Board, is creating a Whole System Dynamic Review and Targeted Analysis at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to help tackle delayed discharge and waiting times.

The move comes as health boards across Scotland begin to suffer extreme winter pressures. Earlier this week NHS Lothian recorded the worst performance for A&E waiting time targets since the publication of weekly figures began almost three years ago.

The collapse in its figures follows last month’s admission by NHS Lothian that acute hospitals had been under-reporting waiting times. The latest weekly figures show  just 77.3% of patients were dealt with within the four-hour target.

In an attempt to address this the new partnership, which will also work with the Edinburgh Integrated Board, is creating a Whole System Dynamic Review and Targeted Analysis, at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, to help tackle delayed discharge and waiting times.

Jim Crombie, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, said: “Like a number of other health boards, NHS Lothian is experiencing significant winter pressures across our whole healthcare system. There are a number of contributing factors, including the increasing complexity of cases presenting at emergency departments and significant numbers of delayed discharges.

“This new way of working will allow us to zoom in on processes and procedures, not just in the Emergency Department, but across the acute care system to help improve patient flow through our hospitals.”

The group will provide enhanced support and resources to analyse systems across the board in a bid to improve the patient journey through the hospital.

A set of Whole System Indicators will be created to help boost and measure performance and attainment.

Mr Crombie also reminded patients of the need to ensure they seek the right care, in the right place, at the right time for them. He added: “It could be that self care at home or a consultation with a pharmacist or GP is best when you are feeling under the weather or for many common illnesses.

“As the winter chills bite, so do the numbers of slips, trips and falls. But it is important to remember that these kind of injuries can be treated at the Minor Injuries Unit at the Western General Hospital, rather than a lifesaving emergency department.”

 

Are you winter ready?

Gas distribution company SGN is supporting a new campaign urging people to be prepared for bad weather this winter and to know what to do if they have a power cut or gas emergency. The launch comes as it’s revealed almost one in five (17%) people in Scotland admit they aren’t prepared for winter weather as colder conditions roll in. Continue reading Are you winter ready?

Edinburgh gears up for winter

As the clocks are wound back and Guy Fawkes Night approaches, winter is well on its way, and Edinburgh is fully prepared for the colder months ahead. Plans, which draw on decades of winter weather experience, are already in place, with a fleet of gritting lorries, snow ploughs and mini tractors serviced and ready to go, as well as more than 14,000 tonnes of grit stockpiled in anticipation of icy conditions.

Continue reading Edinburgh gears up for winter

Cauld tatties: Scots lead the race in central heating switch-on

Winter’s coming as Scots race ahead in the official heating ‘switch on’

  • Majority of Scots have already switched on their heating
  • Data based on Hive Active Heating use shows switch on habits across Britain
  • Heating has been switched on two weeks earlier this year
  • Scottish Gas shares tips on how to keep homes a step ahead of winter 

People in Scotland have already started to feel the autumn chill, with more than three-quarters turning on their heating during September – more than anywhere else in Britain. Continue reading Cauld tatties: Scots lead the race in central heating switch-on