I won’t be buying the SM to find out where they got the 5 000 figure from but I can find accurate data:
There was an increase in week-ending 14 December of around 200 nursing staff just as there was in September, January and July 2020. I feel sure the SM wants us to imagine 5 000 missing nurses and not GMB porters.
At no time have nursing staff absences reached 5 000 and a one week change is not evidence of a major trend.
Remember also, NHS Scotland has 50% more nurses than NHS England so with 5 000 off we’d still have more.
Talking-up Scotland 
RECORD AND SUNADY MAIL ARE BOTH ENGLISH OWNED AND GOVERNED
SO NO WONDER ALL STORIES ON SCOTLAND. ARE BENT TOWARDS UNIONISM
TRINITY WERE AT ONE POINT GOING TO CLOSE DOWN “THEIR”
Scottish papers as unprofitable
SO NOT TRUELY SUPPORTIVE OF SCOTS OR SCOTLAND
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT EH
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Two thoughts come to mind.
The first is that this is the media doing their long time practice of sowing doubt and fear. The first Lord Rothermere, founder of the Daily Mail, once said that he has to give the British public its daily dose of fear.
The second is that with the Westminster Government in disarray, the unionists are using this to try to give a boost to Labour in Scotland. Look at the Scotsman front page. Given the few people who comprise political journalism in Scotland and the incestuous way they devour what each other is saying, then a ‘narrative’ emerges, one which must be true because they all say it is true.
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“where they got the 5 000 figure” bet they took the recent increase and assumed it would double every three days as Omicron is predicted to, then stopped at 5000 as they like nice round (if exaggerated) figures
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If you talk to medical staff they are all totally cheesed off at the years of continuous attacks by the papers, TV, political pundits and our glorious unionist MP & MSP’s. Last years hero worship and clapping did not last long. I think that they do a terrific job.
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So do I, in difficult circumstances. My daughter in law comes home exhausted from every shift she does.
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