The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson
By Professor John Robertson OBA
From Public Health Scotland, today:
At the December 2024 census, there were 1,890 people delayed. Compared to the previous three census points, this is lower than November 2024 (2,020), October 2024 (2,030) and September 2024 (1,951).
This improving picture, 7% down, in January, a month normally associated with increases in ‘bed-blocking’ will derive from Scotland’s far more successful programme to reduce waiting times for planned care in the community. See:
From NHS planned care waiting times across the UK, as of March 2024, 8.9 patients per 100 were waiting under 52 weeks and 0.9 were waiting over 52 weeks in Scotland.
In England, the figures were 12.4 and 0.5 and in Wales, shockingly, 17.1 and 4.5.
The ONS reminds us:
Each UK country has different healthcare policies, commissioning processes and patient data systems for planned care because of the devolved healthcare system; these affect the data coverage available on referral to treatment (RTT) or stage of treatment waiting lists, and the extent to which data can be compared across the four countries.
but you can be sure that were the Scottish figures so much worse than the Welsh or English, it’d be frontpage news.
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brow
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Ah, but that’s because a thae bouncers that thae Essempee hus pit intae hoaspitals ur throwing auld people oot. That’s whit the Sun an Jaikie Baillie sez an thae don’t tell lies.
LikeLiked by 1 person