Covid19

Understanding Scotland - Society

Stephen Richard — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 21:25:47 +0000

Understanding Scotland - Society

Primary Author or Creator

Diffley Partnership

Stephen Richard Sun, 11/14/2021 - 21:25

Alternative Published Date

October 2021

Category

Society

Type of Resource

survey report

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

19pp

Fast Facts

This first report lays the groundwork for understanding Scottish society as we emerge from the pandemic, and addresses the following fundamental questions: Is Scotland on the right track? Where do we want to go as a country? And who do we trust to help us get there?

More details

TACKLING POVERTY & INEQUALITY IS A TOP CONCERN FOR THE SCOTTISH PUBLIC A third of respondents (34%) put tackling poverty and inequality in the top three issues facing Scotland, at least 8 percentage points ahead of all other issues,

THE SCOTTISH POPULATION WANT A FAIR RECOVERY Coupled with the economy being the second most important issue of concern, there is an evident appetite from the Scottish population for a fair recovery from the pandemic that tackles socioeconomic disparities. The less well-off were more likely to prioritise poverty and inequality, the cost of living and inflation, and mental health and wellbeing, with the economy coming in fourth place.

THE ECONOMY TOPS THE CONCERNS OF THE BETTER OFF, WHILE THE LESS PRIVILEGED ARE FOCUSED ON DAY-TO-DAY PRACTICALITIES Recent news stories appear to have cut through, with the cost of living, mental health and wellbeing, and the environment all featuring in the public’s top concerns.

OTHER PRIORITIES ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE CURRENT CONTEXT AND TOPICAL DEBATES

THE NHS IS SCOTLAND'S MOST TRUSTED INSTITUTION With a fifth of people saying that they trust it 'entirely', the NHS is Scotland's most trusted group, followed by other people in Scotland, and universities.

CONVERSELY, THE MEDIA ARE AMONG THE LEAST TRUSTED With 19% of people reporting that they do not trust the print media 'at all', and 14% saying the same of the broadcast media, there is evidently little faith in the journalistic profession.

FAITH IN POLITICS IS LOW With a fifth of people saying that they do not trust the Government or the political system 'at all', faith in politics is low, and especially so among the less well off.

TRUST IS CONSISTENTLY LOWER AMONG LOWER SOCIAL GRADES On all but one item, trust in given institutions was lower among the less well off. This was especially pronounced with regards to Government and the political system, as well as the broadcast and press media.

SCOTLAND IS SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE ON ITS DIRECTION OF TRAVEL 43% of the Scottish population believe that Scotland is heading in the right direction, while the same proportion believe that it is heading in the wrong direction, with the remaining 14% undecided.

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.diffleypartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Understanding-S…

Keywords

Language English

Scotland’s COVID inquiry must be credible, timely and thorough – here’s what needs to happen

Stephen Richard — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:46:15 +0000

Scotland’s COVID inquiry must be credible, timely and thorough – here’s what needs to happen

Primary Author or Creator

Andrew Watterson

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/12/2021 - 18:46

Additional Author(s) / Creators

The Conversation

Date Published

Wed, 09/01/2021 - 12:00

Category

Health

Type of Resource

News Media

Fast Facts

Four steps for a successful inquiry

No delays

Devolved matters only

What has worked and what hasn’t

Public respons

Resource Address (URL)

https://theconversation.com/scotlands-covid-inquiry-must-be-credible-timely-and…

Keywords

Covid19

Language English

What are the implications of independence for public revenues and spending?

Stephen Richard — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 11:13:33 +0000

What are the implications of independence for public revenues and spending?

Primary Author or Creator

Graeme Roy

Stephen Richard Sun, 09/26/2021 - 12:13

Additional Author(s) / Creators

David Eiser, Centre on Constitutional Change

Alternative Published Date

2021

Category

Finance

Public Finance

Type of Resource

Assessment report

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

11pp

Fast Facts

There is no question that an independent Scotland could run a sustainable budget. But like the UK, an independent Scotland would face major fiscal challenges both in the short and long run. Based upon the latest data, an independent Scotland is likely to face greater challenges than the UK as a whole (at least in the short-term).

More details

Page 91-101 in "Scotland’s new choice Independence after Brexit" Edited by Eve Hepburn, Michael Keating and Nicola McEwen

Resource Address (URL)

http://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/Scotl…

Keywords

Language English

Ending Lockdown

Stephen Richard — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 16:06:43 +0000

Ending Lockdown

Primary Author or Creator

Craig Dalzell

Stephen Richard Sat, 09/04/2021 - 17:06

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Common Weal

Date Published

Thu, 04/09/2020 - 12:00

Category

Health

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

This paper models the cost of a comprehensive testing-based strategy to limit the spread of Covid-19 in Scotland and to allow the country to emerge safely from its blanket lockdown.

More details

― Scotland is not proactively testing or contact tracing enough people to determine where potential Covid outbreaks are likely to take place. At the time of writing, Germany was testing four people for every one person tested in Scotland. Hong Kong was testing more than 20 people for every one in Scotland.

― The result has been that the virus has spread out of control throughout the country leading to a blanket, national lockdown.

― Extended lockdowns are economically damaging. A three month Lockdown is estimated to cost Scotland around £11 billion in lost economic activity.

― A model has been adapted to show what it would take to be able to deliver one proactive test to detect an active Covid infection and one antibody test to detect previous infection to every person in Scotland at least once per month.

― This high-intensity testing programme would be backed by a network of community-based wellbeing officers who could help with contact tracing chains of infection as well as ensuring that those who have been quarantined are well supported.

― The total cost of this programme is estimated at between £1.0 and £1.5 billion to run for a year. The combined economic cost of a three month lockdown plus the social cost of lives lost, shortened or harmed by the pandemic is estimated at around £15 billion.

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Ending-Lockdown.pdf

Keywords

Covid19

Virus testing

Language English

The Predictable Crisis

Stephen Richard — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 11:29:15 +0000

The Predictable Crisis

Primary Author or Creator

Nick Kempe

Stephen Richard Sat, 09/04/2021 - 12:29

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Common Weal

Date Published

Wed, 05/20/2020 - 12:00

Category

Health

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

Common Weal investigates the impact of Covid-19 in Scottish Care homes and finds that the warnings about the weaknesses in pandemic preparation were repeatedly ignored with the result of causing “The single greatest failure in devolved government since the creation of the Scottish Parliament”

More details

― Based on quality ratings at the outset of the crisis more than one quarter of Scotland’s care homes (those rated adequate or below) could have been expected to be unable properly to protect older people in the event of a pandemic.

― The Care Inspectorate does a professional job but has few enforcement powers and works inside a regulatory regime which is very limited in scope. As an example, in February they simply did not have the power to do what has now (eventually) been done at the Home Farm Care Home on Skye. The Care Inspectorate was incapable of brining Care Homes up to the standard required by the Covid crisis and poor quality care is embedded in the system.

― The result is that six out of ten care homes in Scotland have had a case of Covid and about 45 per cent still have a current case (as of Monday 18 May) – plus 7.4 per cent of care home staff have been absent with Covid compared to just 4.0 per cent of NHS staff

― All of what has resulted was accurately predicted in 2016 but calls to prepare were ignored. In particular there has been a continuing decline in trained medical staff and a rise in unfilled nursing vacancies (52 per cent of private sector Care Homes have nursing vacancies, compared to 15 per cent in the voluntary sector). There is no formal training for Infection Control for non-medical staff in Care Homes in the care SVQ.

― In 1993 the Community Care Act transferred responsibility for providing nursing care for Older People from the NHS to the private sector and for the first eight weeks of the crisis the Scottish Government was adamant that the the Providers (and not the Scottish Government) was responsible for protecting care home residents – until a mid-May U-turn. This effectively represented the privatisation of the responsibility for Older People in Care during the crisis and had the later U-turn been made at the
beginning many lives would have been saved.

― This meant that medical treatments which could have been delivered in Care Homes (such as the provision of oxygen) were not supported by the Scottish Government who left treatment to the discretion of private companies geared around property finance. In addition the nature of the deaths of Care Home residents was not taken to be a government responsibility and so the use of palliative measures (to make deaths as comfortable as possible) was also left to Providers. This almost certainly means many old people faced an absolutely unnecessarily uncomfortable and painful death. Health staff were not instructed to take the clinical lead in Care Homes until 17 May.

― In addition the mental wellbeing of residents was not made a priority, with people being locked in rooms alone for indefinite periods (as a result of Scottish Government advice), with some being told or knowing that they would be likely to die before seeing family members again. A Human Rights approach was not taken, and while individual Care Homes and staff will have done the best they can, no guidance on quality of life was provided.

― But the repeated updating of guidelines and the urgent steps taken to remove traces of the preceding guideline created a confusing impact – between 10 May (when revised guidelines issued two days earlier were withdrawn) and 15 May (when new revised guidelines were issued) there were no official Scottish Government guidelines at all.

― Private operators have extracted tens of millions of pounds of public money dedicated to care as private profit – and even more has been extracted by ‘flipping’ property which is effectively paid for by the public (the biggest profits in the care sector come from property and not from providing care).

― This is all exacerbated not only by the power of private providers and the way they have influenced the decision-making of successive Scottish Governments but also by prevailing management culture which, by emphasising ‘partnership working’, make criticism of the system almost impossible.

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Predictable-Crisis.pdf

Keywords

Language English

Concern Over Lack Of Testing

Stephen Richard — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 11:08:26 +0000

Concern Over Lack Of Testing

Primary Author or Creator

Common Weal

Stephen Richard Sat, 09/04/2021 - 12:08

Date Published

Tue, 05/26/2020 - 12:00

Category

Health

Fast Facts

Several of Common Weal’s Local Groups respond to the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 Framework for Decision Making by calling for an increase in the ambition of its proposed Test, Trace, Isolate and Support plans.

More details

― The groups are pleased with the Framework in general but are concerned about the lack of scale in its TTIS plan.

― The policy of mass testing must be increased to meet the scale demanded by the pandemic.

― The Scottish Government should adopt a programme more akin to Common Weal’s previous policy paper on testing, Ending Lockdown.

― The group is concerned that attempts by the UK Government to prematurely end restrictions will result in a spike cases and calls for the Scottish Government to resist political pressures to follow suit.

― Given the potential negative costs of not controlling the virus, this scheme should not be seen as a “big ask” but as a “sensible and logical ask”.

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Local-group-Covid-Response.p…

Keywords

Covid19

Virus testing

Social distancing

Language English