By Professor John Robertson OBA

Thanks to Dorothy for alerting me to this:

In the Guardian today:

An NHS trust that gave four newborn babies contaminated feed has admitted that it was operating “an entirely unsafe system” at the time they became infected. The admission came during evidence by a senior doctor at Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust (GSTT), who led its investigation into the outbreak, during an inquest into how one of the very premature babies died.

Not in the Guardian report, any mention of the then Conservative Government or the Conservative Health Secretary at the time, or of any comment by opposition politicians.

But in Scotland where one child died and the mother blames the hospital:

We’ve seen Anas Sarwar with the mother of a child who died in a hospital and who believes that death was due to failures by the hospital for pushing five years now.

On one occasion, he shouted out the name of the child in a TV debate with then FM, Nicola Sturgeon. He presents himself in heroic terms but to many, I feel sure, it comes across as creepy.

In yesterday’s BBC report, he is named 5 times and the SNP is associated with the death:

Mr Sarwar said former SNP health minister Jeane Freeman had supported an investigation, put the health board in special measures and instigated the public inquiry.

But he said those who predated her had never been held to account, and those that followed her in that role, including First Minister Humza Yousaf, had taken them backwards.

“I honestly believed that in Jeane Freeman I had a partner that was willing to open up the books, to challenge the establishment and wanting to find the answers,” Mr Sarwar said.

“To this day, the suspects are being allowed to walk the crime scene.”

Not only does he try to suggest a split in the SNP for electoral purposes but, also, in tabloid imagery, in that last sentence, he denies the right to innocence until proven guilty.

Further, this is unique to BBC Scotland.

In July 2020:

More than 1 000 cases! The health board CE has to answer. There’s no mention, certainly no anxious photo, of the minister or of the PM. There’s no image of a creepy Labour MP ‘supporting’ the parents either.

But in Scotland, the BBC and the Labour Party do it differently:

Not only do we get an exploitative photo of the Health Secretary, a former nurse, who clearly cares about what she does, we get the First Minister and Anas Sarwar ‘supporting’ the parents. he PM. There’s no image of a creepy Labour MP ‘supporting’ the parents either.

More recently:

In November 2021, two child deaths at a Glasgow hospital were ‘linked to hospital infections’. At the time and now, there was no evidence that the infections had caused the deaths, yet the BBC coverage allowed the Scottish Labour leader to appear to be championing (groom?) the parents and opened the report with this:

The deaths of two more children were linked to infections at a troubled Glasgow hospital, the Scottish Labour leader has claimed. Anas Sarwar said he had been told about the deaths by clinicians who were afraid to speak out publicly. He called on the government to sack the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s bosses and take over its running. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would look into the cases “as a matter of urgency”.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-59415672

Today BBC Nottingham, reporting on two baby deaths, do not politicise a health tragedy by platforming an opposition leader and, only after 46 paragraphs do we even read:

Michelle Welsh, who is a Labour councillor for Nottinghamshire, and sits on the health scrutiny committee, said she felt “traumatised” by her treatment when she gave birth to her son Billy. She said: “My worry is that NUH thinks Donna Ockenden is coming and everyone stands back. “We still need to see evidence of improvements and NUH. I am concerned NUH think it’s resolved and it’s not resolved. “That’s why it’s really important the government needs to be there to back Donna Ockenden up.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-61899753In Wales too, no politicising of deaths in the NHS:

BBC Wales tell us that an asthma sufferer died despite the efforts of her family who made three 999 calls for an ambulance.

There is no mention of any politician, far less the Welsh Health Secretary or the First Minister, anywhere in the report. The opposition Conservatives and Plaid Cymru make no call for any resignations.

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