When you click on the preview you get a story titled Do NHS staff feel safe to whistleblow? And when they do – what happens? which is entirely about an NHS England whistle-blower until McArdle claims:
Mr Duffy’s case may have taken place in England, but it echoes experiences I have heard time and again from medics across NHS Scotland: colleagues closing ranks to accuse a whistleblower of wrongdoing; victimisation of a whistleblower through cuts in pay, changes to their job, and malicious grievances; retaliatory GMC referrals; bullying by senior management.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/newsletters/bulletin/1698/
Evidence?
One anonymous ‘medic’ and a BMA Scotland survey. This will be another of BMA Scotland dodgy wee surveys based on a self-selecting ‘of those who responded‘ sample of less than 5% of doctors.
The is England performing better report will be up by 6pm tonight by which time I’ve had enough, so here’s the answer:
No, duh! Why:
- On cancer waiting times, NHS Scotland 30% better: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/08/14/stephen-barclays-advice-is-just-dont-have-waiting-time-targets-as-scotland-beats-his-cancer-waiting-times-by-30/
- On the 18 week waiting time target for serious, life-threatening cases, 15 times more, per head of population, waiting longer than 18 weeks in England than in Scotland: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/08/13/longer-waiting-times-and-humiliation-what-labour-offers-the-people-of-rutherglen-and-hamilton-west/
- On long emergency waits, only half as common in Scottish hospitals: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2022/12/08/long-emergency-waits-only-half-as-common-in-scottish-hospitals/
- On A&E 4 hour target, NHS Scotland 15% faster: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/08/15/utterly-appalling-use-of-stats-by-tom-gordon-as-english-ae-performance-falls-massive-21-behind-scotland/
- On ambulance waiting times, NHS England takes three times as long: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/01/16/the-most-nurses-doctors-and-beds-and-the-fastest-ambulances-yet-bbc-scotland-report-this-today/
- On averting industrial action, none at all in Scotland but in England, nurses, doctors ambulance staff, physios and radiographers strike multiple times postponing a million procedures: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/07/27/why-are-humza-yousafs-successful-efforts-to-avert-all-nhs-strikes-not-being-reported-though-they-will-have-saved-thousands-of-lives/
- More hospital beds in Scotland: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/05/26/snp-government-ensures-nhs-scotland-has-more-hospital-beds-per-head-of-population-than-any-other-part-of-uk/
- More nurses: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2022/10/31/a-crisis-with-nearly-twice-as-many-beds-and-50-more-nurses-than-nhs-england/
NHS England has cleared more of its longer waiting lists (over 18 months) for folk who are not at risk of death, by paying for private care.
Talking-up Scotland / Facts on NHS, Crime, ferries and everything else you can think of 
The article concerns patient safety, but there is no mention of how the Scottish Patient Safety Programme is performing.
NHS Scotland was the first health service in the world to adopt a national approach to improving patient safety.
https://ihub.scot/improvement-programmes/scottish-patient-safety-programme-spsp/
“Since its launch in 2008, the Scottish Patient Safety Programme has expanded to support improvements in safety across a wide range of care settings. This includes acute, primary care, mental health, perinatal, paediatric services and medicines safety.”
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Thanks for the links. NHS England have been instructed to concentrate it’s efforts on reducing the numbers waiting over 18 months. It has done so admirably but is it a good idea? Total numbers waiting still increased by 12%, so the reduction in those waiting 18+ months is likely unsustainable. This is because it’s been achieved by reducing the numbers treated who have not yet waited 18 months. Of course that means the numbers approaching that 18 month mark will only be increasing at an ever greater rate and eventually more people will be crossing the 18 month mark than can be treated. It’s only a matter of time. Westminster likely engineered this short term “improvement” for the run up to the next election. The Health Secretary has 1 good headline and he’s making the most of it while it lasts.
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The only thing I’m ‘WAITING’ on…is us having another Independence Referendum……and when it does happen I am hoping that more Scots will finally realise that in voting YES then that is the only way we, in Scotland, can stop our country being treated as the ‘LIFE SUPPORT’ for those who hold REAL power at WM….indeed it is ‘CRITICAL’ that we become independent…..and we do have a ‘LIST’ of reasons as to why that is and there is only so long that we can continue to be ‘PATIENT’…..indeed I would say the ‘PROGNOSIS’ for the UK is one that is looking as if tis ‘TERMINAL’ (I may seem flippant via using ‘medical terms and SOME references to only SOME words you have used in your above article on this subject of waiting times…which as a subject covering waiting lists….is indeed serious and very relevant in the comparisons that you have highlighted….but Hey every little bit helps…I hope)
And so far , upon our having another justified vote on independence, the UK government are, yet again, ‘PERFORMING’ really badly as a supposed member of what Boris Johnson once called ‘The Family of Nations’…..though he, Johnson, forget to mention who appointed themselves as the Daddy of that family…….hence why true to form, as one considered one of the children of that ‘Family of nations’, that I again resort to ‘childish’ behaviour via using hospital/medical references in my comment…..BTW I do have examples where both my family and friends have all received PROMPT and excellent service from OUR NHS….same one that they (who should be ignored) all say is C*** (rhymes with PAP)…….
Have a nice evening everyone
🙂
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‘The is England performing better report will be up by 6pm tonight ‘
‘The most recent data for England goes up to the end of June 2023. In Scotland, we only have figures as of the end of March 2023 – the next update will not be published until September 5 – so fully like-for-like comparisons are not currently available.’
Sheesh
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“NHS England has cleared more of its longer waiting lists (over 18 months) for folk who are not at risk of death, by paying for private care” – I wouldn’t bet on it John, the Tories have a very long track record in fiddling figures.
When this story first emerged, what struck me was the sheer number of private specialists who would have to be engaged who happened to be sitting around twiddling their thumbs – It frankly made no sense that private care had such spare capacity let alone cope with the volume required.
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I remember that during the pandemic large numbers of beds in the private sector were paid for by the ukgov to relieve pressure on the English NHS costing millions of pounds per week, not sure if these were ever used. Which reminds me of the pop up Nightingale hospitals which were also never used because in both cases staffing would have been the major issue, unlike in Scotland where they were used to good effect and managed to complete the training of thousands of student nurses.
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The Tories cut funding for the NHS £20Billion from 2015 to 2020. The funding remained the same for ten years from 2015. £125Billion a year.instead of increasing it. With an increasing elderly population who use the NHS the most.
The Tories spent £270Billion over two years on the pandemic. £370Billion over a life time. Much of it was wasted. Into Tory Gov and their associates pockets. Tax evaded. They did not prepare for the pandemic. Concentrating on Brexit. Losing £Billions more. Losing more essential healthcare staff. Another catastrophe. 70%+ of the electorate (UK) support EU membership. 80%+ among the younger voters.
The Westminster Gov unionists are spending £1000Billion a year. Funding the NHS £125Billion. Increasing Defence £5Billion spending wasting £Billions on Trident and redundant weaponry (£42Billio. but not increasing funding on the NHS. The Scottish Gov has to mitigate the cuts. With a total lack of proper funding from the Westminster unionists. The Barnett Formula corrupt funding regime. Taking £Billions from Scotland to fund London S/E. Since 1928 and before.
UK Gov whole accounts 2020/2021. July 2023.
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@ The funding remained relatively the same a year from 2010. Instead of investing it. Lead to increased waiting list for non urgent treatment. The Tories cut it from 2015 to 2020. Funded pandemic£Billions (borrowed?). 2020/2021 spending £1000Billion a year. Borrowing and spending £Billions in the rest of the UK. Scotland has to pay off the repayment on loans not borrowed and spent in Scotland. Too big a burden. £Billions.
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