By Professor John Robertson OBA

In the Guardian yesterday:

Long NHS delays leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths, inquiry finds – Darzi’s scathing indictment of the Conservatives’ 14-year stewardship of the NHS says that A&E is in “an awful state”. He cites evidence he received from the body representing A&E doctors that “long waits are likely to be causing an additional 14,000 more deaths a year – more than double all British armed forces combat deaths since the health service was founded in 1948”.

Improvements in survival from cancer “slowed substantially during the 2010s”.

More than 7.6 million people were awaiting awaiting NHS treatment in England in December.¹

Comparative official statistics suggest significantly better performance by NHS Scotland, on A&E waiting times, cancer treatment waiting lists and overall waiting lists, to prevent unnecessary deaths such as those suggested in the Guardian above.

First, on A&E longer waiting times, by stewartb, from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine data:

On the longest times spent in A&E i.e. 12 hours or more, the equivalent percentages during January 2024 are: England = 13.2%; Wales = 15.5%; Scotland = 8%.

On more than 8 hour waits, the equivalent percentages during January 2024 are: Wales = 24%; Scotland = 16%. (NHS England doesn’t publish monthly 8 hour performance data.)²

These are substantial differences. They confirm that NHS Scotland, notwithstanding its shortcomings, provides by some margin the best performing A&E service measured by waiting times of any in the UK.

Second, on cancer waiting times, from the ONS:

Missing the 31 day and 62 day standards

• Northern Ireland – 12.1% and 66% (!!!)
• Wales – no data and 44.7% (!!!)
• England – 8.9% and 33.4%*
• Scotland – 5.9% and 29.6%³

Third, on overall waiting times:

From the Guardian, above, 7.6 million waiting in England.

All things being equal, that would be 760 000 in Scotland but, actually, it’s only 690 000.⁴

England ‘s overall waiting list is 10% longer. That means around 760 000 people, in England, waiting longer than if they lived in Scotland.

Sources:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/sep/11/long-nhs-delays-thousands-unnecessary-deaths-inquiry
2. https://rcem.ac.uk/data-statistics/
3. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/waitingtimesforcancertreatmentacrosstheuk/2024-08-23
4. https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/nhs-under-pressure-scotland#:~:text=Waiting%20lists%20for%20both%20outpatient,recorded%20figure%20since%20records%20began.

The OBA – https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116