Most of my memories of the Leave campaign involve the blatant lies it told. 77 million Turks, we were told, would pretty much be here the day after we voted Remain, according to their literature. And the biggest lie of all was emblazoned on the side of a bus. £350 million a week for the […]
Scottish Liberal Democrats highlight perinatal mental health
As Mental Health Awareness Week draws to a close, Willie Rennie again used his questions to the First Minister to highlight the crisis in Scotland’s mental health provision: Post-natal depression and depression during pregnancy affect up to one in five women. Half the women who experience it will go undetected and untreated. During an FMQs […]
We’re turning away skilled workers
6,000 skilled people were denied entry to the UK last year due to visa caps. The Campaign for Science and Engineering reported on a Freedom of Information request to the Home Office which showed that thousands of workers had been denied entry between December 2017 and March 2018. The Government have refused over 6,000 applications for […]
Mental Health Awareness Week 2018
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme is this year is stress. Stress can pervade our lives, but one aspect is stress at work. Keeping a mentally-healthy workforce is best for everyone: the employees, the business and the customers. Being self-employed as a musician, workplace stress has a slightly different connotation. I’m preparing […]
Vince Cable talks about his mother’s mental illness, his father’s racism and overcoming prejudice in a moving and candid interview
You probably don’t know that Vince Cable was on Radio 5 Live as the birthday guest on Sunday night because it’s not really been reported anywhere. It’s worth catching up on it though because it’s one of the most open, personal and moving interviews I’ve heard him give. He’s mentioned the racism he and his […]
How do benefit sanctions affect mental health?
There are few things more obvious than if you are deprived of the means to feed yourself, it’s going to be stressful and more than likely affect your mental health and not in a good way. This Mental Health Awareness Week, the excellent Scottish Association for Mental Health is collecting evidence to present to the […]
The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Annual Report
The Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Annual Report was published recently by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. In it are harrowing statistics of people with learning disabilities dying far too young. The report highlights the extraordinarily high incidences of preventable death. The Connor Sparrowhawk case has brought this to public attention recently: a young man with […]
Children’s mental health – the Government is not getting it right
I’m following up my post from February on children’s mental health and the Government’s Green Paper on the issue. Yesterday, the Education Committee and Health & Social Care Committee issued a joint statement saying that The Government’s proposed Green Paper on Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health lacks ambition and will provide no help to […]
New report out shows more paediatric consultants needed
As a mother of three, we have been to A & E more times than I would have liked and have had help from paediatricians and other consultants. The NHS is wonderful! But sorely understaffed. A report out today by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, “Facing the Future Audit 2017”, has recommended […]
Young Lib Dem Councillor Ben Lawrie talks about his experience of Depression
I feel incredibly proud to know Scottish Liberal Democrat Councillor Ben Lawrie who has talked about his experience of Depression in this short film. It takes courage and You should be aware before you watch it that it includes his description of an attempt to take his life. He wants to share his experience to […]