Health and wellbeing

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has appointed Mairi Gougeon as the new Minister for Public Health and Sport, among a range of new appointments which she said come “at a crucial time for Scotland” as the nation faces a number of challenges.

Perthshire based Alba Medical Sciences has launched a funding bid for the first project of its kind to combine new optical technologies and computer algorithms to remotely diagnose a person’s state of health, including for Covid-19.

Funding to help people pay for food, heating, warm clothing and shelter during the winter is part of a new £100m support package.

The fund will help those on low incomes, children and people at risk of homelessness or social isolation cope with winter weather and the economic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and Brexit.

The National Rural Mental Health Forum is researching how Covid-19 has impacted on the mental health and wellbeing of marginalised rural communities throughout Scotland, specifically young carers, refugees and asylum seekers and LGBT+.

Funding of £15 million is being made available to respond to children and young people’s mental health issues, with a focus on those  brought about by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The funding will be distributed to local authorities to support a local response for five to 24-year-olds, their families and carers.

The National Rural Mental Health Forum (NRMHF) is organising a series of free training workshops about the different current and planned Scottish Devolved Benefits offered through Social Security Scotland. These workshops were developed to inform member organisations supporting rural communities.