The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing on 28 February, 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, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS
Thanks to AR for alerting me to this.
The Scottish Labour Branch health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie has already asked the above question. Given that her party now runs the NHS in England & Wales, you’d think she might have wanted to avoid the issue.
Why?
- Massive surge in patients waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England A&E after 6 months of Labour-rule
In December 2024, 54 207 people waited more than 12 hours [after triage and decision to admit] in NHS England A&E departments, up from 36 806 in July when Labour won the General Election promising change but more importantly dramatically up from 43 858 (23%) in December 2023.
I can’t make a comparison with NHS Scotland because, there, the count is from the moment you arrive at the reception whereas in England, in a typically sharp move, they restart the clock after you have been triaged and a decision has been made to admit you.
Sources https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
2. 12 hour A&E waits TWICE as long in England and nearly THREE TIMES as long in Wales
Performance statistics for A&E waits, NHS England, November and December 2024:
Over 12 hour delays = 54,207 patients – from decision to admit to admission. This equates to 1,749 decision to admit delays over 12 hours per day, an increase of 23.6% (334 patients daily) from December 2023.
Question: how long had these c.54k patients already spent in an A&E department up to the time the decision to admit them was made? In other words what was the TOTAL time they spent in A&E – how much longer than 12 hours did they spend in A&E – before being admitted to a ward? These 54k patients are the so-called ’trolley waits’!
Back to the NHS England performance statistics: over 12 hour delays during December = 166,989 patients – from arrival. This equates to 12% of attendances, compared to 157,556 (10.8%) in November 2024.
And for comparison, performance statistics for A&E waits for NHS Scotland, November 2024, from Public Health Scotland (January 16, 2025):
Over 12 hour delays = 6,683 patients – from arrival. This equates to 5.4% of attendances, compared to 7,674 (5.9%) the previous month, and 4,914 (4%) monthly average for 2023.
Yes, too many long waits in NHS Scotland but credit where credit is due: 5.4% of attendances in November is a lot lower than the equivalent figure of 10.8% in England.
For completeness, from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s press statement dated December 19, 2024 on latest statistics from NHS Wales:
‘The data, released today (Thursday 19 December 2024) by the Welsh Government showed in November .. more than one in seven (14.7%) waited 12 hours or longer in Emergency Departments across in the country.’
And 5.4% is a lot lower still than 14.7%!
Are politicians in Unionist party’s in North Britain aware of these comparisons favourable to NHS Scotland? Or is it that they are confident that the North British news media will never report or challenge their persistent efforts to denigrate and gaslight?
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' 
The only topical question Damn Jaikie should be asking is where she put all those with “a hazelnut in every bite”.
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Damn Jaikie earning her ego-enhancing title from her unionist masters .
Who does she blame for long waits at A&E in Scotland ?
Who does she blame for even longer waits at A&E in England ?
She is not stupid even if , at times , she gives that impression . So , who is she blaming ?
Is she blaming the hard-pressed A&E staff for the wait ?
Is she blaming the patients for turning up in such numbers ?
Is she blaming GPs like her chum Guldane for spending so much time criticising the Scottish NHS than he can’t see more patients ?
Is she blaming many , many years of under funding from Westminster ( who gave her her gong for her sterling work over many years shifting the blame from the Tories at Westminster to Holyrood )
No , she is acting like the weasel her conduct reflects , blaming the Scottish Government despite the FACTS showing her criticism is simply politically inspired for personal/party gain ; ignoring the consequences of her actions in continually berating the Scottish NHS and , by extension , the staff who do their damnedest to provide a good service . If YOU were constantly told by people in positions of responsibility that your efforts were always below par , how would you feel ?
Long past time for this carbuncle on the face of Scottish democracy to move her a*se out of Holyrood and retire somewhere where she can do no more damage to the Scottish Public Services .
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O/T
BBC website Scotland main page & Scottish politics page article headline
“Grangemouth workers given £25m funding boost”
Only when you read the article is it then specified that this “funding boost” was from the Scottish government.
MSM Monitor’s response to this BBC headline was to Tweet this:
“So corrupt they couldn’t give it top billing or make it clear the money came from the Scottish Govt”
This then is a continuation of a BBC Scotland well kent practice , where whenever it is the promotion of a SNP bad headline , then the SNP party name is always noted in the BBC’s headline on their website.
However whenever it is SNP good , then their party name, or the noting of it being SNP good news deriving from them as the current Scottish government is then missing from the BBC headline on that artcile.
Ambiguity is often the BBC’s preferred adopted practice for all SNP good articles that miraculously ever manage to get onto their website and also for any Pro UK party bad articles that get ono their website too , where if it is a #bad story on any pro UK party, then their party name is also never mentioned in their BBC website headline either.
BBC Scotland news , they will never ever change, as that is their job, it is just unfortunate that they are allowed to do their job so very badly in Scotland.
Liz S
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Now
Swinney pledges £25m for Grangemouth refinery
The Scottish government is to commit £25m to establish a “just transition” fund for Grangemouth.
Been got at?
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Aye, but why just use “Swinney” in the headline , I mean is he paying for it personally from his own bank account, I am sure the content of the article is just the same.
Unfortunately for the BBC but also fortunately for us, MSM Monitor got a screenshot of the original headline, he has also noticed the change made to the original headline, as he tweeted about it today, together with a screenshot of the old headline and the new amended one.
He tweeted: “BBC Scotland eventually amended the Grangemouth funding headline to make clear who was providing the cash. Why initially conceal it? We all know why”.
Liz S
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Grangemouth needs the funding for change of use. Westminster made £Billions out of Grangemouth. They need to put some back. Ratcliffe Ineos £10Billion in debt.
The Tories under funded the NHS for 14 years. The unionists went along with that. Jackie Baillie cutting off her nose to spite her face. £22Billion funding going into the NHS in April. To try and cover the deficit. Does Jackie Baillie not know that. Ignorance and arrogance. Promoted beyond their capabilities. Lying Labour.
Obesity is costing the NHS a fortune. Some people need counselling. No Will power. Or positive choices..
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