
Sir Rod Stewart help offer is great but waiting lists are far too long for young Scots
Our story about four-year-old Iain Gregori, who is set to start school without an autism diagnosis that he desperately needs, touched the hearts of the nation. He is one of hundreds of youngsters stuck in a 'void' as they are bumped off waiting lists while waiting for an appointment with a mental health specialist. Today we reveal that rocker Sir Rod Stewart has been in touch with the family to offer his support to them. He says he will pay from his own pocket for wee Iain to get the diagnosis and support he needs. As a 'knight of the realm', he sees it as his duty to help people whenever and wherever he can. It's not the first time Rod has stepped in to help those in need – and we're pretty sure it won't be the last. But we hope this kind gesture will also be a wake-up call to the Scottish Government. A combination of the cost-of-living crisis, the Covid lockdown and the pressures of social media have caused serious issues for thousands of young people. The hardworking professionals at Scotland's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are doing what they can to support these kids. But waiting lists for help are far too long. First Minister John Swinney has vowed to get to grips with a growing epidemic of child mental health problems. He and his health secretary Neil Gray are right to make it a priority. They have been patting themselves on the back for bringing waiting lists down. But if that is only achieved by bumping kids off the list as they wait for a diagnosis, too many children will not get the help they need. We need to see improvements soon so that no child – like wee Iain – is left behind. As the sun comes out to herald the start of May, Scots are lapping up a rare spell of fine weather . As we report today, thousands of us have taken to beaches and lochs to soak up some rays. But we also report that almost half of Scots have suffered sunburn in the last year. And that could be a recipe for health problem – like skin cancer – further down the line. So the message is clear as sun-starved Scots take to the great outdoors. If you're going 'taps aff', you need to make sure you get the suncream on.

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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Mike Dailly: Prisoners in Scotland need hope not needles
The inquiry runs until late August. It will examine the effectiveness of drug detection and prevention strategies and the role of organised criminal networks in prison narcotic supply. Worryingly, the committee has heard that around 17 per cent of prisoners who weren't drug users before incarceration become substance users once in jail. Drugs enter prisons through various ways, including the use of drones to fly them onto the prison estate. Synthetic cannabinoids are prevalent along with bromazolam, benzodiazepines, cocaine and steroids. Drugs come in a range of formats, including paper, card, powder or a waxy substance. Kirsten Horsburgh, chief executive officer at the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) gave evidence to the committee on May 28. The SDF is a Scottish charity whose vision is for 'A Scotland free from drug-related health and social harm'. Its funding comes ostensibly from the Scottish Government and other statutory bodies. At the committee's May meeting, Ms Horsburgh said: 'We need to have the uncomfortable discussion about what harm reduction in prison means. Does it mean providing safer injecting equipment or safer smoking equipment? Does it mean having discussions with people about how they can use their drugs more safely?' The proposal made a stir. Are we now suggesting supplying free needles to prisoners to inject themselves with drugs? Giving out free vapes so people can smoke cannabis in jail? Annmarie Ward, chief executive officer of Faces and Voice for Recovery UK (FAVOR) believes the SDF's position is nonsensical. She said: 'Apparently, the answer to Scotland's prison drug crisis isn't less drugs in prisons, but more syringes to help the problem go smoothly. It's like solving knife crime by handing out free whetstones'. Annmarie notes that the Scottish Prison Service say violence in prisons is rising. Drugs are being flown in on drones. Inmates are vaping benzos and mixing synthetic opioids into their tea. She ridicules the SDF's answer to this problem by making drug use easier for inmates. We need to ask: Is this all we have to offer people in prison? Have we given up and now seek managerial solutions for human decline? For Annmarie Ward, the problem in Scotland is the lack of access to abstinence treatment, detox and rehabilitation services. Which is why FAVOR have backed a Right to Addiction Recovery Bill – currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament - introduced by Douglas Ross MSP. In England, some prisons offer abstinence-based recovery wings, acknowledging that going into prison might be a vital chance to break the cycle of drug use. We don't offer this in Scotland. Why not? As Annmarie Ward said: 'Prisons should be places where people are interrupted in their addiction, not supported in it. Where the chaos stops, not where it's managed more hygienically. "Needles and vape kits in Barlinnie won't restore dignity. They'll entrench dependency and signal, loud and clear, that the state has given up on these men'. If we want to achieve real harm reduction, we need to give human beings hope. We need to give people access to detox and rehabilitation.


STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
John Swinney to visit GP surgery taking part in ‘family wellbeing' project
First Minister John Swinney will visit a GP practice in one of the most deprived parts of Glasgow which is taking part in a project to improve family wellbeing by making it easier to access support services. Oakwood Medical Practice in Easterhouse is one of 12 in deprived areas across Glasgow taking part in the Whole Family Support in General Practice project, which takes a preventative approach to family wellbeing. It uses GP appointments to identify wider support needed to help families in poverty and at risk of poor health outcomes. Mr Swinney will visit on Monday, and hailed the 'collaborative, preventative work' which has received a combined £3.5 million from the Scottish Government since 2023. Each of the practices has a family wellbeing worker who can provide advice on the right kinds of support and the partner service best placed to help. The project also supports outreach work with families who might benefit from further engagement with primary care services to address complex health needs. The three-year project is led by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, supported by more than £1.5 million in Scottish Government funding for 2025-26. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Swinney said: 'Scotland's GP practices are right at the heart of our communities where they help local people and their families on a daily basis. We recognise them as trusted and established services providing crucial medical advice and care. 'It is precisely this trust that means GP surgeries can be places where people start to get a wider variety of help that will allow them to overcome the challenges of everyday life, tackle poverty and address further risks to their health and wellbeing. 'Eradicating child poverty and improving public services are two of my main priorities as First Minister. Along with economic growth and tackling the climate emergency, they are the key areas where I want to see delivery of real improvements. 'I've spoken often about how these priorities don't exist in isolation – there will be lots of different connections between them. 'The Whole Family Support In General Practice project is exactly the sort of work I had in mind – collaborative, preventative work that will deliver clear benefits for people in Scotland.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Children in England's most deprived areas ‘less likely to achieve development goals by age five'
Children in the most deprived areas of England are less likely to achieve good developmental goals by the age of five, according to the aid agency Unicef UK, which has urged ministers to lift the two-child benefit cap. A report by the UN agency mapped every local authority area across England measuring its level of deprivation and a range of early childhood health and educational outcomes such as oral health, weight and A&E attendance. The analysis found that children in England's most deprived areas are over twice as far from achieving the government's target of 75% of young children to reach a 'good level of development', compared with the country's most affluent areas. The five local authorities with the highest levels of deprivation – Blackpool, Knowsley, Liverpool, Kingston upon Hull and Middlesbrough – were each in the lowest 20% for five of the six child wellbeing measures used in the analysis. The study also found that obesity levels in reception-aged children in the most deprived areas are more than double those of children in the most affluent areas, at 12.9% compared with 6%, while in the most deprived areas, nearly twice as many children have untreated tooth decay, at nearly a third (29%) compared with the least deprived at 15%. Babies and young children in the most deprived areas of England have 55% more visits to A&E than those in the least deprived areas. The charity has urged the government to lift the two-child benefit cap to reduce child poverty and increase access to early childhood health and educational services. Philip Goodwin, the chief executive officer of Unicef UK, said: 'The consequences of poverty can last a lifetime and are especially harmful for babies and young children. Growing up in poverty damages children's life chances and our analysis shows the scale of the problem across the country. It is not acceptable that children in deprived areas are more likely to be behind at school, to be overweight or obese, to experience tooth decay and pain, and more likely to be admitted to A&E – all before their fifth birthday. 'There must be immediate, decisive and ambitious action by the government. Any further delays will condemn hundreds of thousands of children to poverty and its effects, as child poverty rates continue to rise. 'The government must act urgently to lift the two-child limit and the benefit cap and commit to investing in the vital health and education services that support children during their crucial early years.' Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the King's Fund, said: 'Today's report is a stark reminder that as child poverty rises in many parts of the country, children's health is spiralling downwards. Lifelong health issues are established in childhood and the children with the poorest health outcomes now are set to become an unhealthy generation of adults. Action on child health must be taken now for the nation's future health. 'As our research shows, living in poverty has a profound impact on people's health and how they use NHS services. If the government wants to make headway on its mission to create 'the healthiest generation of children ever', tackling deprivation should be as much of a priority as bringing down waiting lists. 'For an NHS that is fit for the future, a greater and more equitable share of health service funding needs to be allocated to children and local services need to be sufficiently equipped to prioritise children. A lack of urgency on prioritising children's health will have serious long-term implications for children and their families, the economy, the health service and society as a whole.' Keir Starmer said he was 'absolutely determined' to 'drive down' child poverty when he was pressed on the two-child benefit cap in parliament last week, ahead of the publication of the government's strategy on the issue. A government spokesperson said: 'This government is taking action to reduce child poverty through our dedicated taskforce, and to address the stark health inequalities across the country. 'We have introduced free breakfast clubs, increased pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged children in schools, and announced plans to expand free school meals to all children in households on Universal Credit.'