Health
Over £2m available for projects to help cut carbon emissions in Wales’ health service
OVER £2 million is being made available to help health boards and organisations across NHS Wales to reduce their carbon emissions.
The Health and Social Care Climate Emergency National Programme is looking to fund projects in a bid to cut emissions by more than a third by 2030.
NHS Wales produces around 1m tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year and is the largest public sector emitter in Wales.
The £2.4 million in funding will be available for projects put forward by health boards and NHS organisations to help cut their carbon footprint.
NHS Wales Chief Executive Judith Paget said: “As the largest public sector emitter of CO2, the NHS in Wales needs to play its part to protect the health and wellbeing of future generations.
“We can all help with this effort by returning unused medication to their pharmacy, asking for a more sustainable inhaler or using active or public transport to attend appointments.
“We are also encouraging applications from NHS Organisations for up to £60k in the first year for small to medium sized initiatives to reduce carbon emissions or help the sector adapt to the impacts of climate change.”
The Welsh Government published its NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan last year which included 46 initiatives to help NHS Wales meet its contribution to the 2030 ambition. This will help Wales meet its total legislative target of Net Zero by 2050.
The strategy included electrifying fleet vehicles, using low carbon lighting in all NHS buildings, reducing the use of harmful gases and designing the future health and care social system to be as low carbon as possible.
One of the ways NHS Wales is working to reduce carbon emissions is by reducing the use of high global warming potential (GWP) inhalers from more than 70 per cent to less than 20 per cent by 2025.
People who use inhalers can ask their prescriber to switch their regular inhaler to a low-carbon alternative.
Dr Thomas Downs, Junior Doctor, founder Ysbyty Gwynedd Green Group, Bevan Commission Fellow and part of the Green Health Wales team, said: “To date a lot of the work to make our healthcare more sustainable and climate-smart in Wales has been voluntary, with hospital green groups and specialty green networks being developed across Wales, as part of our Green Health Wales network.
“This funding from the Welsh Government will be well-received, as it should increase health workers capacity for action and hopefully accelerate our transition to more environmentally sustainable and resilient healthcare.
“As health workers we recognise our human health and well-being, and our ability to provide sustainable healthcare depends on a healthy climate and nature, so professionally our duty to “do no harm” extends beyond our clinics and hospitals to our shared environment, on which our patients’ health and well-being depends.”
Eligible projects for the £2.4m funding must deliver towards the ambition for the Welsh public sector to be collectively Net Zero by 2030 and/or increase resilience to the impacts of climate change, by:
- Supporting communication, engagement or behavioural change activity that helps embed the climate change agenda within the organisation
- Driving the implementation of organisation-level decarbonisation plans, including through funding specific initiatives or posts,
- Providing funding for small to medium-sized grass-roots initiatives or innovation activity.
Health
Phone calls to reduce GP visits for 42% of patients this winter
NEW research from the Royal Voluntary Service has shown that a simple phone call could significantly impact well-being, reducing GP visits by 42% among patients who receive regular telephone support.
The charity urges those feeling isolated this winter, particularly the elderly, to use telephone support services as a way to improve health and free up GP appointments, potentially reducing waiting times. It is estimated that if people experiencing loneliness in later life reduced their GP visits by just one appointment a year, this could free up 588,000 appointments annually.
As winter approaches, the Royal Voluntary Service reports that isolation can sharply increase, especially for adults over 75, with nearly half (47%) of people in this age group feeling lonelier in the colder months. Among those who live alone, one in six say they feel forgotten during winter, and 20% report having no one to turn to for emotional support.
In addition to loneliness, older generations face several winter worries, including increased heating costs, cited by 55% of respondents, and reduced ability to go out, which 29% said they dreaded as winter sets in.
To address these challenges, Royal Voluntary Service has launched the Stay Safe, Warm and Well campaign in partnership with Yakult. The campaign provides a guide for practical and emotional winter preparation, encouraging sign-ups for telephone support services and offering access to the Virtual Village Hall online community for events and activities. Practical advice on money-saving and energy-saving tips is also available through the guide.
Royal Voluntary Service Ambassador Elaine Paige, who has herself made support calls for the charity, described the positive impact these calls can have. “A warm, friendly phone call can transform someone’s day. Some conversations leave you smiling long after the call ends—something we could all use, especially in winter. For those facing the season alone, there are amazing people ready to remind you that you’re not alone,” she said.
The charity’s support services match volunteers with individuals across the UK for friendly chats, reducing isolation and boosting mental health. Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service, said: “The feedback that conversations with volunteers are helping people to visit their GP less is testament to the value of connection.”
Yakult Marketing Manager Reshma Patel added: “Our research with Royal Voluntary Service shows that one in four adults over 75 feel they’d benefit from practical and emotional support over winter. We are committed to helping people access the Stay Safe, Warm and Well guide to support their overall well-being.”
Health
Over 1500 patients in Wales blocked from leaving hospital
THE First Minister Eluned Morgan has been pressured on her government’s failure to clear hospital beds in Wales, leading to delays for people seeking urgent medical care.
According to a report from BBC Wales, there are currently 1,600 patients across Wales waiting to be discharged from hospital compared to England where there are currently 12,000.
However, when comparing population sizes, it’s revealed that Wales is performing worse than its closest neighbour, with 0.05% of the population of Wales stuck in hospital beds compared to 0.02% in England.
The Welsh Labour government have been criticised for their failure to clear out backlogs in the system,
The Liberal Democrats have now called on the Welsh Government to provide urgent social care funding to local authorities to help alleviate pressures on the NHS in Wales.
Speaking in the Siambr on Tuesday, The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS described how over twenty years of Welsh Labour government in Wales had let to a “desperate situation in our NHS, with services nearing breaking point.
Welsh Labours refusal to change their approach and fix a system clogged up by mismanagement is directly responsible for the current situation faced by thousands of patients.
Delays in discharging patients from hospitals are placing huge pressures on both staff and those awaiting care, but there is a way out of this mess and the answer lies in social care.
I have been told by numerous professionals working in healthcare that the first step towards fixing our NHS is made by providing local authorities with the funding to fix social care services within their respected areas.
By dedicating adequate investment into our social care services, we can make life easier for patients discharged from hospital while also lifting the strain on health services throughout Wales.”
Education
Concern over ‘highest-ever’ school bullying rates
RATES of bullying in Welsh schools have reached record levels, with more than one in three children and young people reporting being bullied, the Senedd heard.
Gareth Davies raised concerns about a 6% increase in bullying between 2021 and 2023, according to a survey of more than 130,000 pupils in 200 secondary schools.
The Conservatives’ shadow mental health minister told the Senedd: “These results are higher than ever previously reported in the survey, which is deeply troubling.”
He said the latest survey showed regression on “just about every metric of pupil wellbeing”, including growing social isolation and a rise in behavioural issues.
Mr Davies, who worked in the NHS in north Wales for more than a decade, pointed to a 2021 legal duty to have regard to the mental health of children and young people.
He said: “The mental health of pupils has declined and reports of bullying in schools have only increased, so the Welsh Government have failed in that duty, unfortunately.”
Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell called for an update to 2019 anti-bullying guidance for school governing bodies following a commitment from the Welsh Government eight months ago.
The shadow education secretary focused on the impact of poverty, warning the high cost of school uniforms can cause stress and lead to bullying.
Mr Campbell, a former lecturer, expressed concerns about penalties, such as detention, for pupils over non-compliance with uniform policies.
Raising a report on “horrific” experiences of racism in Welsh schools, he said one pupil was told a classmate did not want to sit next to them due to the colour of their skin.
“That’s entirely unacceptable in our schools,” said Mr Campbell.
Labour’s Carolyn Thomas warned children’s mental health is at an all-time low, pointing to smartphones and social media as major contributing factors.
She said: “They can be used to bully, manipulate and control, sending young people into an isolated world of despair, not thinking they can get out of it or go to somebody for help.”
The North Wales politician highlighted a petition calling for a ban on phones in schools.
Rhys ab Owen, an independent who represents South Wales Central, stressed that bullying can impact people for decades to come after school.
“But it’s an issue that doesn’t affect learners equally,” he said. “In Cardiff, around a third of learners come from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
“And I was staggered to read a survey from 2020, which said that 61.5% of learners had expressed stereotypes over skin colour, religion and nationality.”
In a statement on November 12 to mark anti-bullying week, Lynne Neagle accepted that bullying continues to be an issue in Welsh schools.
Pledging to prioritise the problem, Wales’ education secretary said new statutory anti-bullying guidance will be published for consultation after Christmas.
Ms Neagle pointed to concerning trends, including 42% of girls scoring high or very high in a questionnaire on psychological problems compared with 27% of boys.
She told the Senedd: “I wouldn’t want to be a teenager growing up today.”
Ms Neagle stated the Welsh Government provided more than £800,000 this year for one of the biggest surveys of children and young people in the UK.
She said: “The link between bullying and mental health is well known. At its most extreme, young people have taken their own lives as a result of being bullied. This is a tragedy for the young life lost, for their family and friends and for whole communities.”
-
Business7 days ago
Original Factory Shop to close Haverfordwest branch in December
-
News3 days ago
Pembrokeshire masseuse shortlisted for National UK Beauty Awards 2025
-
Top News2 days ago
Pembrokeshire cottage industry receives UK’s most prestigious business accolade
-
News4 days ago
Milford Haven RNLI Fundraisers celebrate successful fun run
-
News3 days ago
‘Chariots of Fire’ Olympic pianist heads west for recital in local church
-
News4 days ago
Lifeboat launched to assist injured climber at St Govans
-
News3 days ago
Ferry diverts to aid yacht after medical emergency alert in Irish Sea
-
Top News3 days ago
“The sense of power and the great surge of energy that this earth provides is all I want my paintings to share”