There is no evidence of ‘regular’ care in extra beds and corridors in Scotland as BBC Scotland make up the numbers from a survey where less than 1% bothered to respond across the UK

Professor John Robertson OBA

In a 457 page report, On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, from the RCN UK, the word ‘Scotland’ appears only twice in the text and, other than that, as the page header of a section where there are anonymised statements from an unspecified number of respondents.

I am not, of course, saying that events do not happen in corridors and that care never takes place there, in Scotland but I am saying that this report does not provide evidence of it happening regularly as BBC Scotland claims today.

The report only suggests ‘more than 5 000‘ respondents, self-selecting from 750 000, 0.66%! No sample is offered.

The Scottish figure of ‘nearly 500’ is just made up by BBC Scotland on the basis of Scotland having 8% of the UK population. It does not appear in the report or anywhere else.

Why, objectively, is corridor care less likely in Scotland?

Leaving aside the lack of visual evidence provided to the media, this:

First, there are 13 695 hospital beds in Scotland, 3 695 more than you’d expect, per head, more than a third more than England.1

Second, there are 12 nurses per 1 000 people in Scotland but only 9 in the UK.2

Sources:

  1. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual-annual-year-ending-31-march-2023/#:~:text=Bed%20numbers%20and%20percentage%20occupancy,88.1%25%20in%202022/23.
  2. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/uk-fewer-nurses-per-head-33961132
  3. https://www.rcn.org.uk/corridor-care-report

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10 thoughts on “There is no evidence of ‘regular’ care in extra beds and corridors in Scotland as BBC Scotland make up the numbers from a survey where less than 1% bothered to respond across the UK”

  1. This is BBC Scotlands new ploy they take reported uk figures and divide them by ten and then say this ten percent is what is happening in Scotland , makes no difference to them if the actual figure in Scotland is better , their aim is to do Scotland down.

    If there are proven figures that show Scotland is better they will ignore them and use the “ten percent” .

    If there are proven figures that show Scotland is worse the “ten percent” will not be used.

    They are the english propaganda unit based in Scotland you really cannot trust anything they say.

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  4. I’m certain of having read a RCN/’survey’ based BBC piece a few months back, it’s as if Misreporting Scotland hadn’t hit it’s monthly negativity target and resuscitated the story…

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  5. Can’t believe the ineptness of Swinney@ FMQ’s- he should have used your analysis to rebut the tories assertions which apply UK anecdotalage to Scotland- less than 1% return,+ a guesstimate of Scotttish respondents? The 2 Unionists should’ve been blown out of the water!

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    2. Since he was elected FM I have long since had a question mark over Swinney’s competence and agility to deal robustly with FM’s questions and today’s episode has not altered my view. Must say I am not keen on his often mealy-mouthed and laboured responses and hark back to the Salmond era when he would most likely have torn the Tory and Labour leaders to shreds on the NHS etc.

      Everyone knows pressure on the NHS is at its peak at this time of year but what concerns them is how Scotland performs againt rUK and we got none of that today which simply plays into the hands of Sarwar/Baillie & co and the BBC.

      Robbo

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  6. I’m surprised that there has been no comment following the Labour broadcast last night when Jackie Bailey quite clearly stated that :

    “The Scottish NHS was in robust health when the SNP took over from Labour”.

    My Wife came through from the kitchen wondering what I was shouting about.

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    1. That must have been the time when folks were actually lying in beds in corridors and CDiff was rampant in Scottish hospitals. I have a pal who worked in Edinburgh NHS back then, always ill having to have time off, due to terrible hospital aquired infections, all while the Scottish parliament was controlled by the England HQ’d parties operating in Scotland…let’s remember Labcons when in power at Holyrood privatised cleaning services in the SNHS, leading to terrible infections because the staff had no clue or desire to make sure wards etc were actually cleaned properly!

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