I’ve just posted on the contrast between BBC Scotland’s politicising of health matters and BBC Wales being so much more professional than those house jocks or uncle jocks at PQ.
BBC Northern Ireland are even more protective of their devolved government because:
- In Scotland during September 2021, 76.1% of attendances at A&E services were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours.
- In September 2021, NHS England A&E departments saw 64% within 4 hours
- In September 2021, NHS Wales A&E departments saw 66.8% within 4 hours
- The Northern Ireland figures have been delayed to 12 November but in June, only 59.7% were seen within 4 hours.
59.7%? Hayads must roll!
Sources:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
https://gov.wales/nhs-activity-and-performance-summary-august-and-september-2021-html
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
The BBC 6 o’clock news had an item on the Ambulance/emergency situation in Wales. Quite a longish intem including an interview with someone – did not catch her name – making the dinner.
In the case of Northern Ireland their NHS suffered from the time – 3 years? – when Stormont was closed. Civil Servants were left in charge while DUP & Sinn Fein bickered. This meant that the service lacked strategic input that the elected members are supposed to provide eg on funding. The Civil Service could only keep things ticking over which is no way to run the NHS.
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O/T Today on the BBC News website’s ‘health’ section we find this: ‘First long-acting injection for HIV approved’
The article tells us that ‘Thousands of people with HIV will now be offered a new long-acting injection to manage their condition if they would prefer to stop taking daily pills’; ‘Charities have welcomed the approval of the treatment by the NHS drugs watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’; and ‘An estimated 13,000 people in England could make the switch.’ All positive news!
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59330979
This news was also covered in similar terms this morning on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme albeit even more explicitly reported as something of benefit being introduced in England. Well done NHS England!
But listening to C4 News just now I learned that the same innovation had been approved for use by NHS Scotland a month ago!
And with a little research we find that on 11 October 2021 the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) announced this: ‘Cabotegravir (Vocabria), in combination with rilpivirine, was accepted for the treatment of adults living with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV 1) infection. Cabotegravir and rilpivirine are administered by injection into a muscle, by a healthcare professional, every two months. This is the first long-acting injectable treatment for HIV. Some people may prefer this to the current daily pill-based treatment options.’
So this was beneficial health innovation in England was deemed newsworthy on two major UK news programmes. Anyone remember this being covered by BBC Scotland in October?
I would hate to have missed any positivity coming from the public service broadcaster about NHS Scotland, however rare!
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