​Colin Beattie MSP is calling on the estimated 900 people living with epilepsy in Midlothian North and Musselburgh to open up about their mental health following concerns raised in a recent report published by a leading Scottish epilepsy charity.
 
718 people living with epilepsy responded to a survey by Epilepsy Scotland earlier this year which found that 33% said it was ‘difficult’ talking about their mental health and a further 18% said it was ‘very difficult’.
 
The report, Epilepsy on the Mind revealed that in NHS Lothian, that 36% of people living with epilepsy in the health board who responded to the survey said they have depression and 41% have anxiety. While 41% of people in the health board said that their epilepsy has a “significant impact” on their mental health.
 
Nationally, 1 in 3 people said they have depression and 46% said they have anxiety – 1 in 4 said they have both.
 
The report was debated by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament this week after a motion lodged by Alasdair Allan MSP to highlight the findings received support from all five of Holyrood’s political parties.
 
Colin Beattie MSP said:
 
“There are estimated to be around 58,000 people in Scotland living with epilepsy, including 900 here in Midlothian North and Musselburgh.
 
“It is common for someone living with epilepsy to develop a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety, as has been highlighted within the Epilepsy on the Mind report.
 
“Epilepsy is a serious and very complex condition which can impact so many aspects of a person’s life from relationships and social life to employment and education.
 
“Due to the link between epilepsy and mental health, I would encourage constituents living with epilepsy to seek support if they are struggling mentally. Epilepsy Scotland’s free and confidential helpline is an important source of information and their helpline officers can help you find the support you require.”
 
Ross Cunningham, Policy & Communications Manager at Epilepsy Scotland added:
 
“Epilepsy Scotland is delighted to have the support of [MSP name] in highlighting the findings of our Epilepsy on the Mind report and in encouraging more members of the public to open up about their mental health.
 
“Many people living with epilepsy find it challenging to open up, which is why raising awareness of this report and the link between epilepsy and mental health is so important. It can help to reduce the stigma of an often misunderstood condition and highlight the support available, including Epilepsy Scotland’s national helpline.
 
“It is extremely concerning that 1 in 3 people living with epilepsy in Scotland who took part in this survey said they have depression and almost half said they have anxiety.
 
“Epilepsy Scotland looks forward to working closely with MSPs across Parliament on the report’s recommendations to improve the lives of people living with epilepsy throughout Scotland.”
 
ENDS
 
Notes;
 
For more information on Epilepsy Scotland and the support services available please visit www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk or phone the free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 2200.
 
To download the report please go to: https://www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Epilepsy-on-the-Mind-final-report-16-June-2023.pdf
 
 
 

SNP MSP Colin Beattie has condemned Westminster Tories for throwing thousands of households across Scotland on the mercy of foodbanks, as new research from the Trussell Trust reveals an estimated 1.2 million people experienced food insecurity last year in Scotland.

The Trussell Trust’s report, ‘Hunger in the UK’, found that one in seven people across the UK went hungry last year amidst rising food prices and soaring inflation. It also exposed that 7% of Scottish households receiving charitable food support in this same period.
 
This is against a backdrop of an out of control Tory cost of living crisis, which saw the Tory UK government clawback winter heating support payments, cut benefits to thousands of families on Universal Credit, and preside over a soaring number of sanctions imposed on those claiming benefits.
  
Disabled people, carers, parents, ethnic minority communities and LGBTQ+ people were cited among groups most disproportionately at risk, with the new findings also showing that Trussell Trusts’ food banks handed out a record of almost 3 million food parcels in the last year- more than double the amount provided five years ago.
 
Commenting, Colin Beattie MSP said:
 “Behind these stark figures are families across Midlothian North and Musselburgh struggling to make ends meet as they grapple with the increasingly insurmountable implications of decades of Tory austerity, compounded by the additional squeeze of this Tory cost of living crisis and spiralling inflation driving wages down and the cost of living up.
 
“The Tories have created a 21st century crisis that would rival even the bleakest of Dickensian novels – in a country as resource rich as Scotland, it is nothing short of scandalous that 17% of adults living here went hungry last year as a direct result of Tory greed and apathy.
 
“It shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be like this – Scotland can choose a better path where no person in Midlothian North and Musselburgh has to pick between food for the freezer or money in the meter. With the full fiscal powers of independence, we could support households through tough times and build on our transformative welfare policies to create a fairer, wealthier society for all.”
 
​

SUPPORTING PLANS TO ENSHRINE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE INTO THE CONSTITUTION OF AN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND

SNP MSP Colin Beattie has welcomed plans to enshrine the right to strike into the constitution of an independent Scotland, that would uphold the values of trade unionism and protect the rights of workers.
 
The plans to include workers’ rights into the constitution of an independent Scotland were included in the fourth Building A New Scotland paper from the Scottish Government, which outlines the opportunities of Scottish Independence.
 
Writing workers’ rights, like the right to strike, into the constitution would ensure that the hard-won rights won through Scotland’s historic industrial action would be protected for future workforces in Midlothian North and Musselburgh
 
Commenting, Colin Beattie MSP said:
 
“Scotland has a proud history of trade unionism – it is only appropriate that the rights won through industrial and collective action of the generations before us are enshrined in the constitution of an independent Scotland.
 
“Make no mistake that workers’ rights are under threat from this Tory UK Government and their arsenal of provocative anti-strike measures, which seek to criminalise industrial action and leave workers vulnerable to bad bosses.
 
“With the Kier Starmer himself notably absent from union rallies and his party abstaining on vital anti-protest votes, it’s never been clearer that the only way we can uphold the rights of Scotland’s workers is with the full powers of independence, to give workforces in Scotland the support and protections they deserve.”
 

SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN MIDLOTHIAN AND EAST LOTHIAN THROUGH THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS 
  
SNP MSP Colin Beattie has welcomed new details of a major expansion of this year’s Fuel Insecurity Fund which will further support families in Midlothian and East Lothian with their energy bills. 
  
With the fund tripling to £30 million this year, households in Midlothian and East Lothian will also benefit through the SNP Scottish Government’s allocation of £9 million to enable Advice Direct Scotland to administer Home Heating Support Fund grants to those struggling with the rapid increase in energy prices. 
  
£8.5 million will also be allocated to the Fuel Bank Foundation to support over 85,000 households, including those with prepayment meters and at risk of imminent disconnection, and £7.25 million will be directed to enable the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to provide more than 55,000 households across Scotland with advice, support with bills and energy-saving items. 
  
Commenting, Colin Beattie MSP said: 
  
“Families in Midlothian and East Lothian are still paying the price of this Tory cost of living crisis, and these new funding commitments show just how this SNP Government is stepping up for people living in Midlothian and East Lothian, who are tired of being ignored by Westminster parties. 
  
“Where Westminster is failing to deliver, the SNP is bending over backwards to mitigate their cruel austerity measures  – but while the key policy levers remain in the hands of the Tories, the Scottish Government will always be taking action with one hand behind its back. 
  
“For as long as we’re tied to this broken union, people across Scotland will continue to suffer the consequences of Westminster control because the Scottish Government can only go so far in its support- but with the powers of independence we can take back the powers to deliver real, sustained change for Scotland’s communities.” ​

SNP: ONLY INDEPENDENCE CAN DELIVER IN HEALTHCARE FOR PEOPLE IN MIDLOTHIAN AND EAST LOTHIAN
 
Colin Beattie MSP has slammed the Tory Government for putting increased pressure on NHS Lothian after new research has revealed more than a quarter of Scots have sought NHS treatment due to the impact of the cost of living crisis on their health.
 
The damning report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the cost of living crisis had deepened a “cycle of health inequality” that was "failing our people and turning up the pressure on the NHS.”
 
With food prices continuing to soar and rapidly inflating energy bills making it difficult for people to keep warm, more people in Midlothian and East Lothian are having to seek out either physical or acute mental health treatment for conditions.
 
Commenting, Colin Beattie MSP said:
 
“This corrupt Tory Government is failing the people of Midlothian and East Lothian; failing to deliver affordable food; failing to tackle rising energy costs and now failing them when it comes to their health. Midlothian and East Lothian deserves better.
 
“Whether it’s from neglect or threat of privatisation, it’s no secret that our NHS is not safe in the hands of the Tories in Westminster, and this pressure should be seen as a foreshadowing of what’s to come under their control.
 
“With the Tories and Labour providing no alternative to the brutal impact of Westminster control, the SNP Government is digging deep with what few powers it has to mitigate the Tories’ cruel cuts and claw backs. It's clear that only in an independent Scotland can we do more than just mitigate and build a robust healthcare system that looks after everyone.”