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

VHS News & Events

Keeping the Conversation Going: Loneliness and Social Isolation
An online event in collaboration with members of  Arts Culture Health and Wellbeing Scotland  to explore the role arts and health organisations and practitioners have been playing during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to play beyond it. (Fully booked)

Engaging with the Scottish Parliament during the Pandemic
This event explored Engaging with the Scottish Parliament during the Pandemic. How has the pandemic affected the work of the Scottish Parliament, what is the role of the Committees and MSPs in relation to COVID-19 and what opportunities are there for voluntary health organisations to engage with them during this time? A note of the meeting will be posted on the website.

Digitally Healthy: Health Literacy and Health Inequalities
NHS NES Digital Service (NDS) and VHS ran this joint event on 23 June to explore health inequalities in the context of the development of digital health. Key Messages will be posted on the website.

 Ageing Well: 2nd Virtual Talk with the Open University
VHS and the Open University discussed The Ageing Brain -  the second in a series of joint online events exploring ageing, health and wellbeing. Presentation slides will be available  on our website.

Key Messages: Rising Food Insecurity in times of COVID-19
Read the Key Messages from the Public Health Scotland Food Insecurity Working Group and VHS joint event on 4 June to discuss rising food insecurity for a significant proportion of Scotland’s population and how COVID-19 has caused the issue to become further entrenched.

Health Inequalities Cross Party Group: discuss the impact of COVID
The Draft Minutes from The Health Inequalities Cross Party Group meeting  on 14 May to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on health Inequalities are now online. 

VHS Annual Conference & AGM 4 November 2020
We are reviewing the nature and format of this year's annual event, as COVID-19 means that our normal face to face gathering is unlikely to be  appropriate.  However, we expect our theme to remain highly topical, i.e. #WeArePublicHealth: Creating Health and Wellbeing for All and that our keynote speakers will be all the more compelling as a result of the pandemic: Angela Leitch,  Chief Executive, Public Health Scotland and Professor Kate Ardern, Director of Public Health, Wigan Council. We will keep you posted about our plans. 

New VHS web pages are now live 
A dedicated page for COVID19 tagged posts is under Health Topics on our home page. 
A new  Health Policy Officers Network page under What We Do on our home page.

COVID-19 News

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scotland's route map - indicative dates for the remainder of Phase 2 and early Phase 3
This publication sets out indicative dates for amendments to current restrictions planned for the remainder of Phase 2 and early in Phase 3, to assist businesses, individuals and organisations to prepare.

Scottish Government releases summary of health services that can resume in Phase 2
Patients will be able to access additional healthcare services as Scotland moves into Phase 2. A summary of which services are likely to be resumed before the end of July, broken down by territorial health board, has been published. The Government has warned that patient experience may be different and there may be delays due to safety measures including reducing numbers in waiting rooms, cleaning and PPE use.

Read interim guidance on the extended use of face masks in hospitals and care homes. Members of the public visiting care homes and hospitals, including for appointments, will be asked to wear face coverings where it is not possible to maintain a two metre distance from other people. The guidance comes into force from Monday 29 June.

Test & Protect National Mailing
The NHS Scotland Test & Protect Mailing has now been delivered to every household in Scotland. Digital versions of the leaflet in Arabic, Audio MP3, BSL, Easy Read, Farsi, Gaelic, Large Print Format, Hindi, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovakian, Traditional Chinese and Urdu, are all accessible here.
To view: Test and Protect Process Video including audio and subtitles. Minority Ethnic Carers of People (MECOPP) have also produced a voiced over version of the video in Cantonese.

Organisations write to First Minister on the impact of COVID-19 on the 3rd sector
30 health and social care organisations have written to the First Minister to highlight the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic of the third sector, including the ALLIANCE, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation Partnership, Age Scotland and Diabetes Scotland. The signatories call on the Scottish Government to establish a recovery and renewal fund for national third sector health and care organisations, to invest in progressing a sustainable model of integrated care for the future.

Connecting Scotland - Scottish Government digital access programme
Connecting Scotland is a Scottish Government digital access programme set up in response to COVID-19, to provide iPads, Chromebooks and support to develop digital skills for people who are: digitally excluded, on low incomes so cannot afford to buy a device or pay for internet access or at risk of isolation due to COVID-19 because they are in the extremely high vulnerability group or the higher risk of severe illness group.   
The deadline for applications is 5pm Sunday 28th June.

National Lottery Heritage Emergency funding extended
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has been providing emergency support to the heritage sector. The criteria for the fund  has now been expanded  to help heritage organisations safely reopen in line with the Scottish Government’s new guidelines. The application deadline has also been extended  to Friday 31 July 2020. Contact the Scotland team,  or visit the funding page for more information.

Coronavirus and its impact on the Scottish voluntary sector – what do we know so far? 
This SCVO briefing gives a summary of some of the key issues that Coronavirus is having on voluntary organisations, from the start of the crisis up until 20th May. 

OSCR Report: COVID-19 Impact on Charities
This report details the topline findings of the Scottish Charity Regulator’s research into the impact of COVID-19 and effective ways to support the sector throughout this time. 

Inclusion Scotland - Shielding Survey
Are you a disabled person who is shielding whether or not you have received a shielding letter? What do you think about updated guidance and what support do disabled people shielding need? Please help Inclusion Scotland ensure policymakers hear your voice by filling out their survey. Deadline: 10:00am Monday 29 June

Social distancing survey
New research being conducted by the University of Stirling is looking at the impact of social distancing and self-isolation on social contact, loneliness, wellbeing and physical activity.  Adults experiencing social distancing and in one of the following categories: 60+ years, an unpaid carer, or a person with a learning disability are invited to participate in a web-based online survey. Telephone interviews are available if preferred. The researchers are keen to include as many individuals with a learning disability as possible but realise that support may be needed to complete parts of the survey.  Family members and paid staff are also welcome to complete it. The information sheet and easy to read pictorial version both have a direct link to the survey 

Study published on the outcomes of COVID-19 based on ethnicity
A study has been published in The Lancet which finds South Asian people are most likely to die after being admitted to hospital with COVID-19, despite similar disease severity on admission. The research was undertaken across 260 hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales. It found ethnic minorities patients were younger and more likely to have diabetes but had fewer other comorbidities such as chronic heart disease or dementia when compared to the white ethnicity group. 

Local action to tackle food insecurity during the coronavirus crisis
The Poverty and Inequality Commission have followed up on their previous briefing on food insecurity during the coronavirus crisis. The Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (SPIRU) carried out a survey of community organisations across Scotland and commissioners visited community projects speaking to workers and volunteers. They have published the findings of the survey, along with the Commission’s response and recommendations.

Coronavirus Third Sector Information Hub 
This SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) Hub is updated daily with information, guidance & links to useful resources covering a variety of topics, as well as details of available funding for charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations.

National Wellbeing Hub: for people working in health or social care
The Hub offers self-care resources and support for health and social care staff and carers. The central theme of the Hub is You look after us so we’ll look after you and the wide-ranging content centres around this and Psychological First Aid. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19): help for people at risk who may need additional support
A Scottish Government helpline has been set up to provide essential assistance to those who don’t have a network of support, or who are at increased risk if they contract Coronavirus (COVID-19). The helpline: 08001114000 operates weekdays 9am to 5pm. 

NHS inform & COVID-19
NHS inform is currently hosting a significant amount of information on COVID-19 (the coronavirus) including a self-help guide to check your symptoms and get advice. 

Health Protection Scotland Guidance
HPS continues to update its guidance for health protection teams and healthcare practitioners as the situation evolves, as well as providing guidance for non-healthcare settings including schools, places of detention, and separate guidance for social care settings.

Policy News

HPON hears from The Equalities and Human Rights Commission
The latest meeting of the Health Policy Officers Network heard from the Clerk of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Claire Menzies, about the inquiry exploring 'The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on equalities and human rights'. This is an open ended inquiry and offers an opportunity to share experiences of COVID-19 through a human rights and equalities lens focussing on a range of vulnerable groups and also highlighting the need for sustainability of the voluntary and community sector beyond COVID-19.

Food Insecurity call for views
The Public Health Scotland sub-group exploring the impact of COVID-19 on Food Insecurity is looking to hear from the third sector about different types of partnerships working and innovation being used to deliver support to people experiencing food insecurity. If you would like to share information then please get in touch: VHS

 Consultation on the Draft Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland
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 July 2020

Equalities and human rights survey 
The Equalities and Human Rights Committee have launched a survey to find out the impact the #COVID19 pandemic is having on equalities and human rights. Closes 1 Jan 2021.  

VHS Members' News & Events

Scottish Children’s Health Week
Scottish Children's Health are launching the first Scottish Children’s Health Week 2020 #feelinggood that will run from Monday 31 August to Sunday 6 September 2020. The week will focus on the health and wellbeing of children and young people and their right to the best quality healthcare. And you can NOMINATE NOW for the inaugural Scottish Children’s Health Awards, which will be presented during Scottish Children’s Health Week. There are 6 Award categories and the closing date for nominations is 5:00pm on 12 July.

Janis’s Blog: Covid-19 the Communication Virus
Janis McDonald,Chief Officer at deafscotland reports on the impact of Covid-19 and deaf people’s experiences across Scotland from a human rights perspective:  the majority feel they don’t have a ‘voice’ because of the communication barriers in place which negatively impact on all aspects of their lives.... This is a human rights issue: communication is a human right and a gateway to the equal enjoyment of all other rights.

 Richard’s blog: BHF is still supporting the nation’s hearts at home
Richard Forsyth,Health Services Engagement Lead at British Heart Foundation Scotland blog on how the British Heart Foundation is working to ensure that people with heart and circulatory conditions receive the support that they need,during the pandemic, with adaptable programmes to aid patients’ recovery.

Claudia’s Blog: People Know How releases study on combating digital exclusion
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted, perhaps like never before, the digital inequalities in society. People Know How has been running projects to combat digital exclusion for over five years. As part of their COVID-19 emergency response they have been collecting unwanted old devices, refurbishing them, and delivering them to people in need. 

Other News

Men's health: From the Margins to the Mainstream
A timely publication, in view of the particularly heavy price that COVID-19 has exacted on men, is now available from Global Action on Men's Health.  The new report, From the Margins to the Mainstream: Advocating the inclusion of men’s health in policy  examines the policy response to men’s health to date, the barriers to policy development, the currently-available opportunities and, most importantly, the policy priorities and the next steps necessary for their achievement through effective advocacy.

Scottish Government news
Further route map detail announced
NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect advice
Enhanced safety for health and social care staff
COVID-19 antibody testing
NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect advice
Restarting more health services
Gradual introduction of Phase 2
Face coverings mandatory on public transport
Coronavirus (COVID-19): mobilisation of key clinical services
Action against inequality
Updated advice for people shielding
Urgent call for charity funding clarity
Prioritising cancer services
£1.6m to help tackle food insecurity
Thanks for pandemic volunteers
Extra payment for carers to help through coronavirus

National Partnership for Culture
Smoking ban proposals

Dates for your diary
1 July Keeping the Conversation Going: Loneliness and Social Isolation  
4 Nov VHS Annual Conference and 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.