By Professor John Robertson OBA
Less than 2 years after the World Health Organisation declared an end to the Covid-19 pandemic on May 5 2023, and the ‘Greatest test since World War Two’ according to the United Nations Secretary General, with global economic collapse and longer-term health damage to millions, and Scotland’s Auditor General seems to have ignored the evidence to deny that NHS Scotland can and will survive while holding to the principles we all value deeply.
The evidence which is easily available, making you wonder at his political agenda here, includes this:
From Public Health Scotland, the above graph illustrating the long-term trends in increasing numbers of planned operations being carried (bold black dotted line) out on time (24 000 per month), and only around 2% having to be cancelled (thin grey solid line) due to ‘non clinical / capacity reasons’, meaning unexpected staff illnesses or overload on operating theatres caused by, for example, industrial or road traffic accidents or infection outbreaks in larger institutions with large numbers of unexpected patients at serious risk.
That 98% of thousands of planned operations in an organisation as large and complex as NHS Scotland, consistently go ahead, month after month, year after year, despite a continuing and steady rate of increase, is frankly remarkable and praiseworthy.
Source:
As for the economy recovering to be able to pay for the NHS, the AG seems not to have looked at this.
Official UK Parliament evidence that SNP management of the economy after Covid has meant far more recovery than in England or Wales
The above data table is from People claiming unemployment benefits by constituency, a Research Briefing, Published Tuesday, 12 March, 2024, a UK Parliament publication at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8748/
The Guardian has been digging in the data for evidence of the soaring number unavailable for work due to mental health problems.
The BBC UK’s Economy team are on it with More than a fifth of UK adults not looking for work, but BBC Scotland is full of Michael Matheson and Hate Crime. BBC Scotland Business just has a link to the BBC UK Economy report.
A quick look at the extreme right hand column tells us that unemployment-related benefit claiming is at 3.9% in England and 3.4% in Wales, but is only at 3.1% in Scotland.
Less than a 1% difference? Not significant and for a Reporting Scotland presenter ‘broadly the same?’
Go zooming left to the very first column, the actual number claiming. All things being equal, with 10 times the population, England might be expected then to have 1 084 900 claimants but has 1 405 485, around 300 000 more.
Return to the middle and see huge percentage surges everywhere but a fall in claiming in Scotland.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
A brief glance at the Scottish Auditor General’s views on the SNP Government’s performance will quickly establish that he IS doing his job well – that of supporting The Union !
A better title would be Witch Finder General , with the SNP as his focus !
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The Auditor General appears to go well beyond what is required of his post in his reports but fails to include any comments on the limitations imposed on three members of the Union through their total spending on services being limited to corresponding spending in the fourth member.
His department’s access to official data surely provides a unique opportunity for comparison over the entire range of devolved services across all four nations that could be beneficial in the continuous search for effective and efficient services.
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And straight out of the traps comes the King James Cook version with ” Scottish NHS reform ‘urgently needed’ – watchdog ” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c390kw0kv18o with the almost traditional wrap from the three arseholes of the puckered lips Gulhane, Baillie and Cole-Scuttle, with the obligatory Analisa by Lazy Winters providing the finale, framing and editing doubtless by Nick Robinthem, being promoted on both main pages (from a furrner viewpoint) …
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UK austerity. Cut NHS funding. Scotland had to mitigate the cuts.
UK Covid funding £270Billion over two years. £Billions wasted on illegal non scrutinised contracts. Fraudulent loans and grants. To Tories and their associates. Scotland had to pay for it. Scottish revenues and resources being wasted by Westminster. Instead of additional funds for the SNHS. Westminster waste, fraud and austerity.
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