STV is passively reporting this survey of a hospital league table, the kind of thing that ignores everyone’s need, regardless of where they live, to have a hospital they can trust:

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh all ranked among the top 40 hospitals in the UK. Glasgow Royal Infirmary came in 26th place, with an overall score of 73.17%, while the QUEH improved its position from last year to 38th place, with a score of 71.36%. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh came in at 34, with a score of 71.75%.

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/three-hospitals-in-scotland-ranked-top-in-the-uk-in-worlds-best-table

Frankly, who cares?

Here is what we have in all of our hospitals:

NHS England in crisis as 10 hospitals record unacceptable high death rates while NHS Scotland have none – now that’s a postcode lottery!

For a full explanation: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2022/11/08/nhs-england-in-crisis-as-10-hospitals-record-unacceptable-high-death-rates-while-nhs-scotland-have-none-now-thats-a-postcode-lottery/

Long emergency waits only half as common in Scottish hospitals

From BBC Health this morning, we see that in October, 150 000 patients, more than 10%, waited 12 hours or more in NHS England A&E departments. The figure is Scotland was 6,814 (5.4%).

Chris Hopson, the chief strategy officer for NHS England was interviewed. The Health Secretary for England was not. The UK opposition parties did not accuse him of anything.

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ae-activity-and-waiting-times-month-ending-31-october-2022/

Cancer treatment: Barely half as many wait longer than 62 days in Scotland’s hospitals

Scotland’s super-hygienic hospitals holding Covid at bay

A very powerful indicator of the effectiveness of a hospital, of a health board and, of course, of a health secretary, is the extent to which patients are protected from becoming more ill after admission due to a hospital-acquired infection (HAI).

HAI Covid data is published weekly by Public Health Scotland but has been tricky to find for other parts of the UK

In October 2022, however, the above graph popped up in Twitter, with this commentary:

Hospital-Acquired Covid in England – 20th October update In the last 28 days, 11,234 of 30,439 people in hospital with Covid probably or definitely caught it there (36.9%) Still extremely high; seems to be stabilising at around a third of Covid patients catching it there!

Hospital-Acquired Covid in England – 20th October update

In the last 28 days, 11,234 of 30,439 people in hospital with Covid probably or definitely caught it there (36.9%)

Still extremely high; seems to be stabilising at around a third of Covid patients catching it there!

1/ pic.twitter.com/bGWRuw53Lf

— 𝚃𝚘𝚖 𝙻𝚊𝚠𝚝𝚘𝚗 💙 (@LawtonTri) October 20, 2022

In Scotland, we can see that the equivalent figure then was 817 probable and definite cases.

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/hospital-onset-covid-19-cases-in-scotland/hospital-onset-covid-19-cases-in-scotland-week-ending-01-march-2020-to-week-ending-2-october-2022/

With 10 times the population, NHS England might have had, all things being equal, around 8 170 cases but had 11 234, 37% more.

With 3 548 Covid cases in Scottish hospitals in the same period, 817 HAIs is only 23% compared to 37% in NHS England.

Scotland Coronavirus Tracker

Note, the two 37% figures is a coincidence.

Here is what we don’t have:

Scottish hospitals far less likely to require to be put into special measures

NHS Forth Valley has just been put into special measures over failures in leadership.

There are currently (since 2021) 22 NHS England health trusts and integrated care boards in special measures. Taking into account population, NHS England trusts are thus more than twice as likely to need to be put into special measures.

Source:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/system-and-organisational-oversight/national-recovery-support-programme/

I could go on.