I didn’t think it was possible for the Scotsman to get under yesterday’s report on waiting times, focusing on those waiting two years with non-life-threatening conditions and ignoring Scotland’s far superior performance in treating, within 18 weeks, those at real risk of death.
They have, with the above, done it.
You can read the full data at: https://democratonline.net/2023/06/01/120444/
There are more people dying while still on waiting lists for treatment.
Once more, this would be a good one for a P7 class project.
There is no evidence that any of them died because they are still on a waiting list. There are just more of us living longer and waiting for new knees and hips and for chronic condition treatment and then dying while still on a waiting list for something that did not kill us.
When people die because of an untreated condition, it might be because they were not treated within the 18 week target for life-threatening conditions and Scotland, on this, is doping far, far better than England.
Evidence:
The UK Government and NHS England have been sneaky again, as they did when they began restarting the clock for A&E patients, after they had been triaged.
They knew how the media feasted on stories of patients waiting more than two years for non-life-threatening treatment and regardless of the seriousness of the cases, threw money at them, rushing them through private hospitals and at the expense of other more important and shorter targets where conditions are life threatening.
From the BMJ on February 10 2023:
More than three million patients waited longer than 18 weeks for treatment in England in December, the highest number on record, show data for the NHS in England. In November 2022 a total of 2 902 274 waited 18 weeks or longer, and in December this figure rose to 3 051 661, the data on referral to treatment times show.1
All things being equal, in the same month, December 2022, you’d expect Scotland to have 305 000 but in fact it had only 20 448 waiting over 18 weeks.
14.52 times more, per head of population, waiting longer than 18 weeks in England than in Scotland
Source:
Also, not getting the MSM attention:
From stewartb:
Using the same SMR methodology, the RCEM has calculated for 2022 an ‘excess deaths’ estimate due to 12-hour waits in each of the four UK nations. The results are shown in the chart below published by the RCEM.
Taking the RCEM’s approach at face value:
- the total 2022 figure for Scotland is by far the lowest in absolute terms. Indeed, it is an order of magnitude lower than that for Wales and NI, despite Scotland’s substantially higher population. Scotland’s total for 2022 is just 44.5% of the equivalent figure for Wales and 53.3% of NI’s, despite its bigger population. The implication is clear: over 12-hour TOA waits in Scotland have been substantially lower in 2022 not only in absolute but also in proportional terms compared to NI and Wales.
- the figure for Scotland is just 3.3% of that for England – using a rough and ready extrapolation, based on population size one would expect the figure for Scotland to be close to 9.2% (and recall, Scotland’s population health is commonly claimed to be worse that in the rUK!)
- the figure for Scotland is just 2.8% of that for the whole UK – based on population size one would expect this to be close to 8.2%.
These RCEM findings appear remarkable, pointing up substantial differences! And they are broadly consistent with the earlier evidence on the percentage of A&E attendances experiencing 12-hour waits in 2022 – 10.2% in England compared to 4.0% in Scotland!
End note
I think its worth noting that in its 3 March report on this topic, the RCEM makes NO COMMENT on the substantial variations between the UK nations in its estimates of excess deaths linked to long A&E waits! Surprising? Why are the marked differences and an understanding of possible reasons not worthy of the RCEM’s attention? Did its representatives in Scotland see no merit in alerting BBC Scotland to these remarkable findings?
Despite frequent use of the RCEM as the goto source of critical comment on NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, I think we can be confident that the BBC will NOT pick up on the Royal College’s latest analysis!
If only the majority of people in Scotland knew more of what is really being achieved by our NHS and our Scottish Government in the most challenging circumstances!
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Was this what Sarwar was desperately trying to bomb the SG with yesterday when he started ranting about Scottish waiting lists? I had to answer the door so lost track. Did he do his usual set piece of asking a question then answering himself with the statistics he has been handed by head office?
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Answered it himself and even then he lumped in the whole of Scotland as it suited his allegations against the FM.
I found the response from NHS Tayside to a Labour FOI on deaths on waiting lists and it has fallen for the last five years.
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Hootsman propaganda – again !
No actual journalists left on payroll to report intelligently – only Unionist arselickers !
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And they actually charge £2 for this 🙂
Oh bring back Korky the Cat in his own series of pithy observations, he made more sense than this tripe.
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Alas for Scotland as the “opposition” parties and their agitprop gutter press outlets sink deeper into the swamp of lies, misdirection and British nationalist bluster.
The standards of the dreadful, present day Hootsman now makes Neues Deutschland look like as if had been a “paper of record”–what the Scotsman USED to be, before it was stripped of assets, honest ethical journalism and common decency.
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Anas Sarwar not reveal the variations between areas in NHS Scotland as it would have destroyed his case that the FM is responsible – as an example Tayside has shown a steady decline in the number of these deaths over the last few years.
Perhaps NHS Tayside has been excluded from Labour’s Scottish figures because it does not hold details for cause of death, that of course may be completely unrelated to the treatment for which the patient was waiting; therefore in this case it is impossible to establish if there is a connection between the death of a patient and the length of time they waited for treatment.
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Thank you for this and every post you make. You seem to be the only trustworthy, fact-checked source for Scottish affairs.
Very grateful for your continuous hard work!
Cheers!
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Too kind!
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Rachel Amery’s hyperbolic promotion of Anas’wi’teeth’s assertions are as ridiculous as Sarwar’s theatrics in Holyrood itself-
– “Can the First Minister tell us how many Scots died last year, whilst languishing on an NHS waiting list ?” https://www.youtube.com/live/hvw11-4CMak?feature=share&t=2109
I’d rather that Yousaf didn’t play this stupid political game and merely said “Nope nobody records such data”, but of course that’s not UK politics….
“PO, the number the FM was looking for was 18,390, that’s over 18,000 families with a loved who died waiting for treatment…?
I’m not trying to be flippant about death as it’s uncomfortably close to my time, but how do these theatrics contribute anything to improved lives ?
Jenny died because she stepped in front of the bus, but she would have died healthier if she hadn’t been on a waiting list ?
These (frankly stupid) assertions are founded on RCEM’s data analytics intended to force embarrassment on HMG over lack of funding to NHS England
– They were never intended as a measure of Scotland’s NHS any more than they were for Zimbabwe, yet Rachel Amery looks only at the column inches and financial reward, and Sarwar at increased public exposure.
THAT is why the UK is sinking, it’s lost the plot…
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50,000 people die in Scotland a year. Average life expectancy 76-79.
The NHS is mainly used by the elderly. The frailty of the human body. Westminster poor, bad policies killing people off. Austerity, Low pension/benefits.
Average life expectancy US 76. Private healthcare. Japan the highest 85. Fish and vegetable diet. Spain 84 years. Mediterranean diet. Sun, sea and exercise. Etc. Obesity the next big killer.
Women live five years longer than men on average. Tory/unionists killing their supporters off. Males over 70.
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