Welcome to our March 2020 E-bulletin: sharing news & views from the VHS network & updates from Scottish Government & the NHS affecting the voluntary health sector. 

VHS News & Events

VHS Annual Conference & AGM 4 November 2020
Join us in Glasgow for #WeArePublicHealth: Creating Health and Wellbeing for All.

With the advent of Public Health Scotland and a national set of public health priorities, is Scotland now set to re-focus its approach on prevention, protection and improvement of the nation’s health? What does ‘public health’ mean for the third sector and what is our role and contribution? 

The conference is an opportunity to bring together public health’s stakeholders from across the third and community sectors, NHS, national and local government, other public bodies, and academia. We will provide an arena for people and organisations to discuss what we mean when we say #WeArePublicHealth. We will take a deep dive into the six national public health priorities, with these being the theme of the conference poster exhibition and blogs.

Opening keynote speakers:

• Angela Leitch,  Chief Executive, Public Health Scotland
• Professor Kate Ardern, Director of Public Health, Wigan Council

More programme and booking information to be announced soon.
To find out about sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please contact Lauren Blair.

Falling Off a Cliff at 65: Discussion Paper and Evidence
Since 2019 VHS has collaborated with Support in Mind Scotland and colleagues from across the third and public sectors, to scope what happens to people with mental health conditions other than or alongside dementia once they become 65.  We have been gathering evidence in order to raise awareness of the issues faced by people and to try and improve policy and practice.

We have developed a background briefing, held two round table meetings and commissioned two evidence reports on this topic: FALLING OFF A CLIFF AT 65 DISCUSSION PAPER AND EVIDENCE or view these documents individually here: Key Learnings.

Together with Support in Mind Scotland we are meeting the Head of Mental Health in the Scottish Government later this month to discuss the evidence we have gathered and to explore what actions might be taken to improve access during transition from adult to older people services. 

We would like to invite third sector organisations  to contribute any evidence of their own or feedback on the resources we have collated. If you would like to share your views and evidence please contact: Kiren Zubairi, Policy and Engagement Officer. 

VHS was at The Gathering last month in Glasgow:

Key Messages: Shaping primary care for the next generation in rural Scotland
The Key Messages are a summary of an hour-long workshop delivered to 80 people at The Gathering in Glasgow last month. The workshop was organised by VHS in collaboration with the Scottish Rural Health Partnership and aimed to explore the role of the third sector in helping shape the design and delivery of Primary Care and the importance of working in partnership to deliver change.

Demonstrating Third Sector Impact on Inequalities
This workshop, a collaboration between VHS, Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) and CHEX (Community Health Exchange), presented a model: Recognising our rich tapestry: measuring the contribution of third sector organisations to tackling health inequalities, to measure the third sector’s contribution to addressing inequalities, in particular health inequalities.  The model  aims to support third sector organisations to explain, measure and prove their contribution to tackling inequalities. 

An Overview of VHS’s Associate Membership 2020
Our recent survey revealed an enormous breadth of interests and involvement in health, leading us to conclude that Associate Members are currently a rich but untapped resource to VHS and our Full Members.  Thank you to all who responded, you have given us a great deal of food for thought. We will be in touch with those who offered to write, speak or get involved more actively in some other way, and as we start to plan our Strategy for 2021-24, we will be taking the survey results into consideration.

Allyson’s blog: A Public Mental Health Workshop
Allyson McCollam, VHS Chair, reports on a workshop organised by the national Public Mental Health Specialist Interest Group which in the long term want to develop its connections with key partners including the third sector.

Claire’s blog: Culture Strategy will support good health and wellbeing
The national Culture Strategy launched by the Scottish Government on 28 February has a small, but very welcome, section on culture and health, and here at VHS we hope that this plants a small seed of change that will grow to ensure that arts and culture are properly recognised, valued, invested in and integrated into the planning and delivery of health and social care.

Cross Party Group on Health Inequalities: Drugs, Deprivation, Discrimination and Disease
The Health Inequalities Cross Party Group will meet on the 14 May, 1.00 -2.30 pm to discuss Drugs, Deprivation, Discrimination and Disease. This meeting will be chaired by Donald Cameron MSP, Co-Convenor of the group. More information on speakers and the agenda soon.

Keeping the Conversation Going: What role does arts & culture play in addressing loneliness and social isolation?
Our collaborative event with Arts Culture Health and Wellbeing Scotland event on 31 March in Perth is fully booked and has a waiting list of nearly 70 people. If you've booked but can no longer attend, please advise us asap so that we can release your place. Contact: VHS

VHS Annual Membership Research
VHS are designing some research in the form of a  mapping exercise of the Voluntary Health Sector beginning with our full members. The research will focus on our goal of establishing a comprehensive picture of the scale of the sector, the contribution it makes to people's health and wellbeing, the size of its paid and volunteer workforce, the number of people it supports, its monetary value and geographic reach. This research will also feed into VHS’s work to develop a new three year strategy. If you would like further information or would like to get involved with the research please contact: Kiren Zubairi Policy and Engagement Officer.

Policy News

VHS response to the Health and Sport Committee Inquiry into Social Care
Informed by a roundtable held with member organisations we have submitted our response to the Health and Sport Committee Inquiry into Social Care. We focussed our response on looking at how to support better engagement with people on the development of social care services and the need for cross portfolio and multi disciplinary actions to improve the social care model.

Consultation on the Draft Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland
The purpose of the draft Respiratory Care Action Plan is to highlight the Scottish Government’s vision for driving improvement in the diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory conditions in Scotland.  Closes 3 April 2020.

Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On
Ten years since the publication of The Marmot Review, for the first time in more than 100 years life expectancy has failed to increase across England, and for the poorest 10% of women it has actually declined. Over the last decade health inequalities have widened overall, and the amount of time people spend in poor health has increased since 2010. #Marmot2020 confirms an increase in the north/south health gap, where the largest decreases were seen in the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in the North East, and the largest increases in the least deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in London.

The Long-term monitoring of health inequalities: January 2020 report    released by the Scottish Government, the Report shows that health inequalities remain one of Scotland’s biggest challenges. With the exception of the Healthy Birthweight indicator, significant health inequalities persist for each indicator covered in the report.

VHS Members' News & Events

Cycling Friendly's Positive Impact
“The bike has become a story”  – an innovate project in Inverness is shaking up how home and healthcare is being delivered. Through funding from Cycling Scotland’s Cycling Friendly programme, Highland Home Carers have been able to purchase bikes for staff to use, reducing issues around parking, traffic and travel times, with the added benefit of improved staff wellbeing and patient engagement. Read more: Highland Home Care case study.

Do you want to become Cycling Friendly? The Cycling Friendly programme offers funding for facilities as well as an award scheme, bringing multiple benefits of cycling to more people. 

Communication Failure? A Review of the Accessibility of Health Information for Blind and Partially Sighted People 
Blind and partially sighted people still struggle to receive healthcare information in accessible formats, new research by sight loss charity  RNIB Scotland  has found. 170,000 people in Scotland have significant sight loss and RNIB Scotland is calling on health boards to ensure that accessible information policies are implemented to prevent unnecessary anxiety to people with sight loss. Alongside the report they have published a toolkit to help people with sight loss get health information in their required format, including information on the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 and template letters. 

Smoke-free college and university campuses
ASH Scotland’s new range of resources supports colleges and universities to create learning environments that support physical and mental wellbeing and prevent ill health. The practical resources, tools and templates take institutions step-by-step through the process of delivering a smoke-free campus policy. They have been designed to inspire positive changes on campus and support institutions to improve student and staff wellbeing.
Visit www.befree.scot/colleges-universities/ to download the resources. For more information email.

Have your say on Scotland's first national lung health plan
Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland need your help to shape the future of lung health in Scotland. The survey will take just a few minutes - but will make a lasting difference to people living with lung conditions. The Scottish Government has published a draft plan for tackling lung health, asking for people's views on it before they finalise it later this year. CHSS want to make sure that the real experts - people like you - have a chance to have your say. Your comments will shape their response to the draft plan, and CHSS will send them on to the Scottish Government.

Number of people with type 2 diabetes in Scotland increases by 40 per cent in a decade
New analysis by Diabetes Scotland shows that the number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in Scotland has increased by 40 per cent in the decade to 2018. Angela Mitchell, National Director of Diabetes Scotland:  “Type 2 diabetes is an urgent public health crisis, and solving it depends on decisive action led by both the UK and Scottish Governments, supported by industry and delivered across our society. We must create healthy environments which support people to make healthy choices. This includes mandating industry to make food and drinks healthier and addressing the marketing and promotion of unhealthy foods....We welcome the action from the Scottish Government in developing the Type 2 Diabetes Framework but we must ensure that there is long term support for people in Scotland to live healthier lives....”

Scotland set to miss “smoke free” target
The deadline for achieving a “tobacco-free” Scotland could be missed by more than 16 years if current smoking trends continue, according to a new forecast from Cancer Research UK. Scottish Government Ministers have committed to reducing the adult smoking rate to a maximum of 5% by 2034. However, if current trends continue, the  target of having a “tobacco-free generation” will not be reached until after 2050. For those who live in Scotland’s most deprived communities, the target is likely to be reached even later. Cancer Research UK projections suggest that the richest fifth of Scotland’s population could be smoke-free in 2034, but the poorest fifth will have not even crossed the 10% mark by 2050. The charity believes the 2034 target will only be met if the Scottish Government takes a lead to ensure all smokers who visit hospital are routinely offered support to quit. Other measures, including greater awareness, promotion and access to free Quit Your Way smoking cessation services, will also be vital.

Rapid tests to help tackle Glasgow's HIV outbreak
Glasgow is currently experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of HIV in decades and it is hoped that a new HIV test which gives the results of the test within minutes will help tackle the infection rate. Rapid HIV tests were first piloted in Glasgow by the Waverley Care charity, but the latest initiative will significantly increase their availability. Nathan Sparling, Chief Executive of HIV Scotland, believes it will allow people to receive treatment more quickly: ".. these tests mean we can get people into treatment so that they can become undetectable and live well with HIV and not pass it on sexually."

Other News

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – information & guidance
Following the confirmation of cases of COVID-19 in Scotland, SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) have pulled together some information & resources to help you, your organisations and your communities stay safe and healthy.This includes guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the NHS, and covers what Coronavirus and COVID-19 are, symptoms, methods to protect yourself and your colleagues/communities from infection and what to do if you think you may have been exposed to the virus or have symptoms. It also has links to online resources, which have the most up-to-date information on the virus.

New report on Social Capital in Scotland
In this report, ‘social capital’ refers to the social connections that contribute to people’s quality of life, health, safety, economy and wellbeing in the neighbourhoods where they live. These social connections are a source of support through people’s lives, for instance, in education, workplaces, retirement and leisure. Using a range of data and stories from people and places, this Scottish Government report examines neighbourhood and social relationships in more detail. This provides a deeper insight into the nature of communities in Scotland, and what can be done to make them stronger and more inclusive.

TURAS Learn
TURAS Learn is NHS Education for Scotland’s platform for learning and support services. It exists largely to provide NHS Scotland health and social care staff with  access to learning and practice support resources produced by NHS Education for Scotland. But it is also accessible to voluntary and third sector organisations and health and care practitioners in our sector may find it a useful resource. Be aware that the registration process is geared for NHS professionals, so don’t let that put you off. For example, you need to state which health board area you are based in, so even if you work across more than one area just select one for registration purposes. Likewise, you need to state your profession, so if none of the categories fit, just choose the nearest. 

Become Carer Positive Employer
Carers Scotland is calling on Third Sector Organisations to join the growing number of Scottish Employers recognised as Carer Positive. The importance of providing carers with the right workplace support and flexibility cannot be underestimated and doing so with also benefit their organisations and society as a whole. Carer Positive is free to participate in with access to support and resources. Employers are recognised with an award for each level of achievement and access to events and a peer network. For more information visit website,  email or phone: 0141 445 3070.

Dragged Deeper: How Families are Falling Further and Further Below the Poverty Line
CPAG have published a report on the median poverty gap, which indicates how far below the poverty line the average family in poverty is. The report found families already living below the poverty line have been pushed deeper into poverty since 2012 and are now on average £73 a week below the poverty line.

New study on deaths by assault
Mortality due to assault in Scotland is unequally felt, with young men living in the most deprived areas suffering the highest rates is the conclusion of a new study published by NHS Health Scotland. Whereas age-standardised mortality rates from assault fell gradually for women since 1974, for men they increased in the early 1990s and remained higher until around 2006, before falling. Death by assault was substantially more common among men aged around 15–50 years and in the most deprived areas. 

New resource to improve care and support for people with dementia
The ihub's Focus on Dementia improvement portfolio has a new tool for staff who work with people living with dementia and their carers, co-produced with  Alzheimer Scotland. The guide outlines what to expect from Post-Diagnostic Support in Scotland. Called ‘Making the most of your Post-Diagnostic Support’, it is a useful leaflet for staff to know about since it is specifically for people with dementia and their carers. 

Paterson Inquiry report
The report from the independent inquiry that was set up following the conviction of surgeon Ian Paterson. The opening statement by the Chair of the Paterson Inquiry, The Rt Revd Graham James: "This report is not simply a story about a rogue surgeon. It would be tragic enough if that was the case, given the thousands of people whom Ian Paterson treated. But it is far worse. It is the story of a healthcare system which proved itself dysfunctional at almost every level when it came to keeping patients safe, and where those who were the victims of Paterson’s malpractice were let down time and time again."

Scottish Government news
Social capital in Scotland: report
Social capital in Scotland: research study
Government to support principles of the Period Products Bill
Motability Scheme accredited to provide vehicles at affordable rates
The Scottish Health Survey 2018: main report - revised 2020
Coronavirus becomes notifiable disease in Scotland
Working to cut drug deaths
Increased funding for preventing drug deaths
Coronavirus: summary of response arrangements in Scotland
Review of eating disorder services
A Culture Strategy for Scotland

Dates for your diary

10 March Falkirk Funders Fayre
13 March Trellis Therapeutic Gardening Conference & launch of publication Plastic-Free Gardening
23 March SPOKES Public Meeting
27 March Living Streets Scotland Walking Summit
31 March Improving Health and Wellbeing: Opportunities for Public Health Scotland The Royal Society of Edinburgh and The Physiological Society 
1 April  QNIS Annual Conference Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
30 Apr-1 May Rethinking Remote Conference 2020
14 May CPG Health Inequalities: Drugs, Deprivation, Discrimination & Disease
1 June Alzheimer Scotland Annual Conference
3-5 June Sex, Drugs and Scotland's Health
4 Nov VHS Annual Conference & AGM

Other opportunities for VHS Members

Newsdirect - Political Intelligence
Looking to promote your issues in the Scottish Parliament? Newsdirect is offering VHS members a discount on subscriptions on their daily parliamentary and political briefing, 'Health Today'.
Contact Newsdirect if you're interested in subscribing.

Peer Worker Opportunities with Penumbra
Penumbra are looking for people who have lived experience with mental ill health and recovery to join their Glasgow Carntyne team and a new service in East Renfrewshire in partnership with local mental health and addiction teams. Peer workers are ‘experts by experience’, where personal stories become a valuable tool. In this role, you will use a combination of lived experience, and training provided by Penumbra to share your own recovery story to inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible.
Further information: Peer Worker - East Renfewshire and Peer Worker – Carntyne