By stewartb
The deceitfulness by acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter – of BBC reporting.
In an earlier btl post I referred to a BBC News website article on NHS England’s latest A&E waiting times. In its first paragraph it states: ‘Pressure on NHS emergency services is getting worse, with patients in England waiting longer for ambulances, many staff off sick AND RECORD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE GOING TO A&E.’ (my emphasis)
From the official NHS England publication on A&E patients:
June 2022 – All Attendances = 2,183,670
May 2022 = 2,189,010
The figure is slightly down in June – not a ‘record number’.
June 2022 – Type 1 (main) Department Attendances = 1,395,225
May 2022 = 1,402,053
So c. 6,800 fewer attendances in June -not a ‘record number’.
Performance against the 4 hour target is poorer in June than May despite fewer attendances.
Now BBC Scotland happily makes headlines out of even minor shifts in A&E performance statistics in Scotland – especially when these shifts are negative ones. And if the percentage change for 4 hour waits is little changed or positive, I’ve started to notice that they shift the emphasis to other metrics if they are ‘more negative’ – better aligned to editorial policy?
Let’s look at other NHS England stats:
June 2022 – numbers of patients waiting more than 4 hours from arrival to admission, discharge or transfer = 502,946
May 2022 = 487,481
June 2022 – number of patients waiting more than 12 hours from DECISION TO ADMIT to Admission = 22,034
May 2022 – number of patients waiting more than 12 hours from DECISION TO ADMIT to admission = 19,053.
June worse than May on both measures despite fewer admissions. Note, the latter set of numbers says nothing about the time waited BETWEEN arrival to an eventual decision to admit!
But why on earth does NHS England’s management and/or the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care consistently fail to take advice on how to fix these awful statistics – quickly and once and for all? This is puzzling, especially as the solutions are so obvious and so readily available in Scotland, from the Tory, Labour and Lib Dem health spokespersons in the Holyrood Parliament!
Source of NHS England A&E performance statistics: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2022-23/
Talking-up Scotland 
All strictly according to the
Rules as clearly set out by
Joseph Goebbels
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I once had bosses, who always emphasised any failure, no matter how minor, but who never acknowledged anything achieved successfully. When I pointed this out, the answer given was that doing things successfully was what we were employed to do, so why was this worthy of comment? Further, to acknowledge achievement would – not might – make people complacent and so they would do things in a slipshod way. Probably, if BBC Scotland were pressed for an answer as to why they always point out failures in Scotland, they would give the same reason (and not the fact that it is a political propaganda organisation whose aim is to demoralise the people in Scotland.
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Anonymous
Then your employer deserves to Fail
I in my past employed over. 150 employees,and one must not only praise good efforts but also reward
Of course one would encounter sloppy work ( To Err is to be Human ) and we all capable of such one way or another
But one must make efforts to criticise but only ever in a constructive manner only
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Did anyone here Dr Philippa Whitford on Politics Live correct Jo Coburn and the Tory regarding health in Scotland worth a listen,the part that I found strange was when Coburn said we can’t check that as we don’t have the data to me that just shows that they spout anything to down Scotland.
For a presenter to comment on something without having data should not be in that job but then again it is the BBC,maybe Stewartb could do a piece on this.
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Yes, I watched it. It was I guess, another lets “run down SNP government” piece and was led by a white suited Conservative MP as a panel quest while Dr Philippa Whitford was on a video link.
The white suit started on Scotland’s poor Education and Heath records..
Dr Whitford became increasing annoyed with the rubbish that the Conservative was saying and responded. The white suit did not accept that Scotland’s A&E figures were better than England. So she gave him and Jo a few home truths on England giving up recording the 4 week figures and if they cared to check the data they would see themselves what the true state was.
The white suit still said that was wrong and Jo’s earpiece must have been burning and the conversation, such as it was, was shut down.
Well done Dr Whitford for standing up to both of them.
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Scott, did you read this on TuS last December? If not, you may find it of interest in light of your comment here.
It reveals that better performance of A&E waiting times in NHS Scotland compared to the other parts of the UK is longstanding.
See https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2021/12/11/a-decades-perspective-in-just-four-graphs-ae-waiting-times-performance/
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Yes did read that,being a long time follower of TuS, Re the Tory I sent him the link to the ITV story he won’t answer as the truth hurts……Have you noticed that J Coburn has been missing the last 2 days maybe it’s about her admission she did not have the data on Scotland’s better performance.
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