News Archive

Business Insights And Impact On The UK Economy - 22 August 2024

More than 1 in 5 (23%) trading businesses reported that their turnover had decreased in July 2024 compared with June 2024, 16% reported an increase, while 53% reported no change; these figures are all broadly stable from last month.   Approximately 1 in 6 (17%) trading businesses expect their turnover to increase in September 2024, with 58% expecting turnover to stay the same, up 3 and 2 percentage points, respectively, on expectations for August 2024; while 13% expect turnover to fall, down 3 percentage points over the same period.  

Big Drop In Work Applications From Abroad For Nhs And Social Care And Student Family Restrictions

From 11 March 2024, social care workers arriving from overseas are no longer allowed to bring dependants (that is, partners and children) on their visa.   From 4 April 2024, the baseline general salary to be sponsored for a ‘Skilled Worker' visa increased from £26,200 to £38,700, while the ‘going rate' minimum salary specific to each job has also gone up significantly.  

Huge Drop In Uk Visa Applications

Figure 1 shows that monthly numbers of Health and Care Worker visa applications from main applicants increased from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, following the addition of care workers to the skilled worker visa.  Applications have decreased since August 2023, falling to 2,900 in July 2024.  

Students Urged To Protect Themselves From Deadly Meningitis

The UK Health Security Agency is encouraging students to make the healthiest start to their studies possible.   The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding all higher education and university students - freshers and returning students – to make sure they are up to date with their free NHS childhood and adolescent vaccines against meningitis, measles and HPV ahead of starting the new academic year.  

Improving Online Connectivity In Scotland

4G programme brings benefits to thousands of rural homes and businesses.   A Scottish Government programme to install 55 4G mobile phone masts in rural and island communities has improved home life, work life and business performance, according to new analysis.  

Improving Cancer Care - Funding For Projects To Benefit Patients And Clinical Staff

A total of £1.5 million funding in 2024-25 is supporting 12 projects to continue providing direct and personalised support to patients with cancer.   The Single Point of Contact (SPoC) pilots provide patients with ongoing contact to support them, putting them at the heart of all decisions and actions involving them throughout their care journey.  

Military Silent Hangar To Help Protect Against Foreign Gps Jamming

A new test facility, one of the largest in Europe, will help military kit to be better protected from attempts to jam GPS devices.   The facility will provide a key capability to develop UK assets that can perform in the harshest electromagnetic environments on operations.  

Pension Credit - What You Need To Know - Worth Checking

Up to 880,000 households across the UK may be missing out on support worth on average over £3,900 a year.  Read more about claiming for yourself or a loved one.  

Afghan Medical Students Arrive Safely In Scotland

Nineteen female Afghan medical students have arrived in Scotland after they were banned from completing their studies by the authorities in Afghanistan.   The Scottish Government amended student funding legislation to ensure the women could be treated as home students and receive free tuition and cost of living support.  

Pay offer to NHS Agenda for Change staff

Nurses and healthcare staff across Scotland have been offered a pay increase of 5.5% that will ensure they have the best pay package in the UK.   The offer, if accepted by trade unions, will see an investment of more than £448 million in 2024-25 and will ensure almost 170,000 NHS Agenda for Change staff - including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others - benefit from the pay rise which will be backdated to 1 April 2024.