West Lothian dad with cerebral palsy who suffered stroke as baby realises dream
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STV News
5 hours ago
- STV News
Scotland lacking emergency response to drug deaths crisis, expert says
Scotland is lacking an emergency response to the country's drug deaths crisis, despite the Scottish Government describing it as an emergency, an expert said. Kirsten Horsburgh, chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF), said public policy was heading in the right direction. But she warned that 'intent without action' was the 'major problem' facing the country. Speaking during an event at the Festival of Politics at Holyrood chaired by SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll, Ms Horsburgh said drug legalisation should be 'on the table' as part of the solutions to the crisis. And she said safer drug consumption rooms, such as the one in Glasgow, should be rolled out 'at scale'. Ms Horsburgh told an audience at the Scottish Parliament: 'There are things we are doing well in Scotland and there are obviously things we are not doing well. 'The things we are doing well is finally reaching a point where we have the right policy direction. 'But policy intent without action, the implementation gap and pace are the major issues here.' She added: 'All these things require urgency. 'We've described the issue in Scotland as a public health emergency but what we've done so far is far from a public health emergency response – it's lacking in pace and attention that the issue really needs.' Ms Horsburgh said pilots such as the safer drug consumption room in Glasgow, the first of its kind in the UK, should be done 'at scale'. The SDF chief executive said policies such as drug legalisation should also be 'on the table', but admitted it was something unlikely to be looked at by the UK Government, which controls drug laws. Catriona Matheson, professor of substance use at the University of Stirling, also appeared on the panel. She said poly-drug use, the use of more than one drug by a person, was now common in Scotland. Prof Matheson said the Government had to adapt and respond quickly to a drug market that 'changes all the time'. The academic stressed the importance of 'psycho-social' support for people with addiction that could help get to the root of the issue, which the panel said included issues such as trauma, poverty and mental wellbeing. But she warned that 'previous negative experiences' from people seeking rehabilitation services acted as a 'barrier' in the support offered to those in need. 'That's something that needs to be overcome,' Prof Matheson said, 'and it's not easy to fix.' 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
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I got scared when I googled it' – Michael Smith diagnosed with 'severe' condition
Michael Smith has fallen to 21st in the rankings after struggling with a series of health problems, but the 34-year-old ex-world champion is determined to return to the top Darts star Michael Smith has revealed the extent of his health problems after tumbling down the rankings. Smith beat Michael van Gerwen to win the World Championship in 2023 but is now ranked 21st in the world. The 34-year-old has been absent from recent competitions due to a variety of health problems, including issues with his shoulder, wrist and foot, which he has now opened up on. Bully Boy has been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in his shoulder and believes his body is 'just packing up'. While he is confident of returning to the oche at the highest level, with injections an option, he thinks surgery may be necessary further down the line. "I got my MRI back for my shoulder. I've got severe osteoarthritis or something like that—I can't even say it properly,' he told Online Darts. 'The next step now is injections for my shoulder and wrist. "Worst case is a shoulder replacement, which isn't great, but that would only be when I retire. For now, it's injections. A new shoulder would be like learning to play again. I got scared when I googled it. "I just heard arthritis, but then all the stuff before it scared me. They mentioned cortisone for my wrist, PRP which I need too, and then shoulder replacement where they cut your rotator cuff. That's where I panicked. But the operation won't be until I retire anyway – 45, 46 maybe. For now, I'll just deal with it.' Smith previously struggled with serious pain in his foot, which still remains without a proper diagnosis. 'Before the last Pro Tour, I struggled to walk on my left foot. At first I thought it was gout,' he added. 'But it went on for weeks and my foot swelled like a balloon. 'I've had blood tests, x-rays, antibiotics, painkillers – they're even talking about steroids now. It might be arthritis in my foot as well. My body's just packing up.' Smith has been a constant at the top of darts for some time, but recently missed out on qualification to the World Matchplay for the first time since 2013. In his last match he was beaten in the first round of the Players Championship 21 by Krzysztof Ratajski and says his health issues hampered him. 'It's not nice slipping down the rankings, but I've had a couple of semis on the floor and a UK Open semi-final this year. Still, it's not where I want to be,' he said. 'It's consistency that's missing. I'm not blaming my shoulder – it's my head. I go into matches thinking, 'I hope my shoulder doesn't click or my wrist doesn't give out.' They're fine, but it's me worrying. That's the real issue.'
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Daily Record
Calls for more urgency over need for new medical centre in West Lothian village
Built to serve just 4,500 it is now responsible for 16,000 patients Livingston's MP has accused the Scottish Government of squandering opportunities to improve health services in a West Lothian village. Labour's Gregor Poynton MP was joined by Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar alongside other party members in East Calder where he highlighted the urgent need for a new medical centre to serve the growing community. West Lothian Council Leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick and Jordan Stokoe, who will be the Labour candidate for Almond Valley in next year's Scottish Parliament election, were also amongst the delegation that toured the current facility with Practice Manager Thanos Keramidas. They heard first-hand how staff and patients are being impacted by overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure. Built to serve 4,500 patients, East Calder Medical Centre is now responsible for 16,000 people - a figure projected to rise to 19,600 by 2028. Also present was Pauline Cowan from the East Calder Medical Centre Campaign Group, who outlined the community's ongoing pressure on the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian to deliver the long-promised new facility. Campaigners warn that without investment, the situation will only worsen. Gregor Poynton MP said: 'This UK Labour Government is delivering the largest budgetary settlement in the history of devolution with an extra £9.1 billion for Scottish public services. Yet the SNP Scottish Government continues to squander opportunity after opportunity and waste public money. 'Nearly five years ago, the SNP's Angela Constance called for 'further and faster' progress towards a new medical centre for East Calder. Five years later, nothing has happened. That's five years of failure for local people. We cannot give the SNP Scottish Government another five years to fail again.' The Scottish Government say they are reviewing capital spending following 'historic real terms cuts' to its block grant from the UK Government. Jordan Stokoe also criticised the Scottish Government over the current facilities, saying: 'I have yet to hear from anyone that disputes East Calder desperately needs larger and better GP facilities. I've worked on many projects in my career and I see that the centre team have squeezed every single thing they can out of the current building. "There is no more to give. The result is more wasteful spending to keep the centre from bursting at the seams all while the pressure continues to build as more and more people move into the area. 'The neglect being shown to the people of East Calder, Mid Calder, Calderwood, Kirknewton and Wilkieston is unacceptable. As it stands, it's only the SNP Scottish Government that can make the decision to push ahead. Everyone else is ready to do what it takes, so it's time to make them listen.' A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: 'Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and we have only recently received clarity from the UK Treasury for our capital and FT funding up to 2029-30. 'As part of our own Scottish Spending Review, we are undertaking a full review of our capital spending to prioritise available funding towards projects that drive progress against our priorities. We will provide clarity over which projects will receive funding in the medium term when we publish this review, alongside our new Infrastructure Pipeline.'
