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demand for services – that’s according to the public spending watchdog Audit Scotland. Its annual report on the NHS says increased pressure is directly impacting on patient safety – and the Scottish Government has no overall vision for its future.
Here’s the source of the above, on Reporting Scotland this morning:
He’s a regular on BBC Scotland to tell you that the Scottish Government isn’t doing or can’t do something and that you’re at risk.
He won’t, despite his title, do full research into the context such as UK Government cuts in funding to Scotland even at at a time of soaring energy revenues from Scotland to the UK Treasury.
He won’t compare NHS Scotland’s far better performance than its equivalents in the rest of the UK. ? In particular, he won’t consider the success of the Scottish Government in averting 51 days of NHS strikes and saving thousands of lives in so doing.
For some time, its become clear that Boyle is a political figure and that Audit Scotland exists to undermine the reputation of the SNP in government.
Recognise this man?
Gareth Davies, the Auditor General for the rest of the UK.
On the BBC News at 6, in the 30 minutes before Boyle appears on Reporting Scotland again, have you ever seen Davies on to tell folk that the Conservative Government has no vision for NHS England and that that is directly impacting on patient safety? Even though it actually is there, with hundreds of thousands of excess deaths and more than a million missed appointments and with far worse performance than in Scotland, he won’t be there to tell people in England about it.
I can’t remember ever seeing him.
Here are the top reports on the UK National Audit and Audit Scotland sites:
This comparative negativity is not new.
In September 2023, it was like this:
Audit Scotland has an agenda quite unlike that of the National Audit Office for England. The latter above puts not a word of criticism, direct or implied, of the Government in report titles or press releases.
Today, the Herald and Reporting Scotland have been all over the Audit Scotland headline report below.
In Scotland, it’s all very different:
Things are bad almost everywhere they look and that is trumpeted in headlines and releases for the media.
One of Audit Scotland’s clearest indicators of bias and, indeed, lack of credibility, came in April 2023 when we heard that better protection from flooding is required in Scotland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65323458
Audit Scotland had clearly failed to audit the evidence below:
In November 2020, despite 30 flood warnings and 7 severe flood warning, Scotland’s media have no images or reports of flooded homes to be blamed by local Tory MSPs on failures by the SNP Government to prevent them.
If they had them, we’d see them. BBC Scotland’s headline report has ‘disruption’ on the roads but not one image of a flooded house.
In September 2023, I was forced to ask:
Does Scotland’s Auditor General have a contract at BBC Scotland?
The public spending watchdog says the Government can’t afford it’s £26 billion plans to build things like roads, prisons and hospitals.
He’s on first thing today with another of his worrisome reports suggesting Scotland just can’t make it in the world.
Have you ever seen the Auditor General for England on the BBC first thing, with similar messages?
Indeed who is the AG for England?
It’s Gareth Davies!
Try searching for ‘BBC England Gareth Davies’ and you’ll not get the AG, you’ll get a Welsh Scrum Half!
Try searching for ‘BBC England Auditor General’ and all you’ll get is how he audits the BBC.
Boyle is ‘a qualified accountant’ on £142 K for 8 years, ending in March 2028. https://www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/legal-news/stephen-boyle-proposed-as-auditor-general/
Watch out for his parting shots against the SNP then.
Just ‘a qualified accountant?’ No Masters degree, PhD? First degree, surely? Just about every 25 year-old academic teaching Economics has to have a PhD. Does he know someone?
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Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
John, you are being unfair to the Conservative government there. They have a vision for the NHS – to privatise it totally and take us back to pre-1947 levels, so all their mates in big pharma and the private health care corporations can make even more money.
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Just the same as Labour then?
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I saw that this report was front page in the Herald today. I noticed in the report that the BMA rep in Scotland managed to get in a comment about ‘doctors working in crumbling premises’ or words to that effect. This ‘crumbling premises’ seems to be the theme of the week triggered by the announcement that the SG had cut its budget for capital spending which meant that some projects eg new medical centres had been put on hold.
No mention/acknowledgement of the number of new hospitals, upgraded hospitals or health centres that have been built/refurbished/expanded by the SG since 2007. Or the effect of inflation on costs.
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Stephen Boyle tweeted this morning this :
“Growing demand and increased costs have added to the pressure on Scotland’s NHS.
Change is needed. @scotgov needs to develop a clear national strategy to deliver it”.
I have highlighted the word “Change” as it is a tad familiar as a word that currently we are all being force fed by a certain political party…….and yes indeed the NHS here is very much one that is over politicised in comparison to the NHS in both England & Wales….where as , in England & Wales, I have not seen or heard it being reported as a constant that either of their Health Secretary’s have been asked (on a loop) to resign when their respective NHS is being reported as having long waiting lists, lack of Doctor’s appointment, lack of staff , queues of Ambulances (with patients inside them) waiting outside Hospitals, lack of beds and indeed the many strikes caused by the English government (Tories) failing to reach agreement with NHS staff (Junior Doctors)……all of their current obvious ‘problems’ and too also their ‘failures’ to overcome huge issues with their NHS are not met with such political and media hostility compared to the various Health Secretaries that have held that post in the Scottish government .
My brother lives in Cambridge where he told me it’s impossible to get an NHS Dentist appointment….or indeed , for some, be able to find a new NHS Dentist of you are not already registered.
My husband’s friend lives in London and he told my husband that he has had to wait 1 month for a Doctor’s appointment and it will not even be a face to face appointment but instead a telephone consultation.
My son has been studying in Dublin and so still has a NHS Dentist here and when he comes over for a visit I always manage to get him an appointment with his Dentist…
My husband has a condition (genetic) called Haemochromatosis where he attends hospital every three months to give blood….it is a condition where a person has too much Iron in the body and the only way to keep it in check is by regular blood donations and not once has he had any problems with being able to attend Hospital to do this or indeed been unable to get regular appointments from them……or indeed have any checks at our Doctor’s surgery……and too get an appointment at the NHS Dentist he is registered with…..I go private so I cannot comment on NHS Dentists personally.
We also have friends and relatives in Scotland who have personally not experienced any major obstacles to medical procedures that they have had to have via a Hospital etc……
Not one English newspaper today has any story relating to the English NHS on their front pages.
Meanwhile in Scotland the only story worth politicising for many of the client media of opposition parties to the SNP is the Scottish NHS…yet again. (apparently the pandemic should have, for Scotland , not be a problem via consequences upon it’s NHS or indeed the exodus of NHS and Care Sector staff via Brexit but for England and Wales it apparently resulted in the problems they now face in their respective NHS ???????) ….so……..
The Daily Record (client media of the Labour party) has on their front page today (via HUGE headlines)
“National Health Shambles”
The Scotsman (client media or just anti SNP/Pro Union) also has a NHS story on their front page not main headline though
“Scots Doctors call for debate on Universally free NHS care”
The Daily Telegraph (client media of the Tory party) also has a NHS story on their front page (not headlined but at bottom of page)
“NHS Scotland must reform to survive”
The Courier front page headline (stating Campaigners air frustration at Health Secretary)
“Coffin Protest by Eljamel’s victims”
Plus as you note there is also a NHS story on the front page of The Herald…..
Absolutely sick of it all to be honest……and after yesterday’s dirty deed by Labour HQ in the HOC I can see why some newspapers (#SNPBAD media) this morning were so desperate to deflect attention away from that and instead divert our attention onto a regurgitated NHS story(s)…….which obvs is yet one more #SNPBAD hugely politicised Scottish NHS story in a GE year…..as they assume every little bit helps…..that is helps the Labour party in Scotland….and too they hope damages the SNP.
NMRN
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The Gov would be able to afford things like roads, prisons and hospitals etc. instead of spending £Billion on Trident, redundant weaponry, illegal wars, HS2, Hickley Point, tax evasion, financial fraud, etc. Scotland paying repayments on loans not borrowed or spent in Scotland. Decommissioning nuclear £13Billion a year. Funding Covid £270Billion over two years. Much of it was wasted on unfit PPE. The Tories and their associates going away with £Billion. Brexit losing £100,000 a year.
There would be plenty for public services. Westminster deciding how 50% £50Billion of Scottish funding is spent. Then putting Scotland in debt. Block Grant £40Billion. Westminster is spending £1090Billion.
The SNP Gov funding SNHS £13Billion + social care. People are getting their appointments and care. Building roads AWPR, hospitals, bridges. Queensferry crossing. Rail lines Borders. Investing in renewable energy. Social care, prescriptions, child payments, kinship payments. £250Million over 5 years funding proper rehab facilities. The list is endless.
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Presume the the AGS is a ‘civil servant’ and therefore requires to be apolitical. It is clear what he has said is political. The SG should be asking for him to resign and if he wont, summerly fire him for gross professional misconduct .
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it’s summarily. And they can’t fire him for doing his job properly. Maybe if you actually read the reports instead of talking pish, you might be better informed. Of course m you’d have to understand them, which might be a problem.
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More #shush for the union , today in the media.
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Sorry O/T
Follow up Salmond v Dross.
Douglas Ross accused of ‘misleading and factually false’ claims
ALEX Salmond has written to the Scottish Affairs Committee to correct “inaccurate, misleading and factually false statements” made by Douglas Ross.
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Who is it that actually appointed the Auditor General?
Seemingly he is appointed by the Crown, does that in fact mean the Westminster Tories?
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Who installs folk like the AG in Scotland? What’s his bio and qualifications? Is there an info page so we can see any other interests, directorships, eg, being as he is an EngGov(?) employee? Does he work full time and where is he based in Scotland, likely at England’s ‘Scottish office’ in the capital city of Scotland? Presume his wgaes are via the public purse, is he meant to be neutral re on political matters? Hm.
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shoot the messenger, even when you couldn’t be bothered reading the bloody reports. What a bunch of clowns
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