Professor John Robertson OBA
From BBC Scotland today, based on a feed from one psychiatrist and no actual figures, the above tasteless image and unsubstantiated headline.
Let me be clear, as always, I’m not doubting the opinion of the medic here, but challenging the politicising of the unconfirmed data by BBC Scotland with a view to, always, implying failure by the Scottish, SNP, Government.
In this report, BBC Scotland do credit the meeting of targets for children and adolescent’s mental heath care last month but when the data were first published on 4 March 2025, were quick to move on and focus on the increased number of referrals as a wider problem while, of course, not noting that this made the target-hitting even more impressive or offer any UK context. Here it is:
Children’s mental health target met in Scotland and performance now outstrips latest NHS England figures by 18%
From Public Health Scotland, 4 March 2025:
90.6% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from 89.1% for the previous quarter and from 83.8% for the same quarter ending December 2023. The Scottish Government standard which states that 90% of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS was achieved.
4,362 children and young people were waiting to start treatment at quarter ending December 2024 which is an increase of 3.1% (131) compared to 4,231 in the previous quarter1
How did BBC Scotland cover this? Grudgingly and with a tasteless image:
‘For the first time‘ and ‘However, the Public Health Scotland data, external also reveals that for the three months to December last year there was a slight increase in the overall number of young people waiting to start treatment.‘2
What’s the situation in England?
The Children’s Commissioner report for 2023-2024 is due this month but last year is was only 72% seen within 52 weeks! 3
Remember, that 18% difference means thousands seen on time in Scotland and hundreds of thousands not seen on time in England.
Sources:
- https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times-quarter-ending-december-2024/
- Children’s mental health waiting times target met for first time – BBC News
- https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2024/03/Childrens-mental-health-services-22-23_CCo-final-report.pdf
What other target-hitting do they regularly hide from viewers?
For example:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
BBC Scotland always hits its target of 100% in negatively massaging Scottish Health stats , Scottish Education stats , Scottish Policing stats , Scottish Transport stats , ….
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That’s becuase it’s a BritEngNat propaganda outfit and it’s wholly undemocratic. They are literally biased against the SNP, and biased towards the BritNat Eng HQ’d parties. Disgusting.
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bbc Scotland Aal staff get big secret bonuses to lieSent from my iPhone
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https://changemh.org/latest_news/responding-to-the-2025-26-budget-announcement/
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BBC Scotland, certainly the worst of Scotland’s Scammers. Nearly as bad as the other lot with their “Trusted Journalism” 🙂
Still, as more and more folk reject their bias and ignore them, the better Scots start to feel in themselves.
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Mary Scanlon (ex-Tory MSP) invited by BBC Scotlandshire to tell us all how different Grangemouth is to Scunthorpe…..blah-dee-blah-dee blah.
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I watched a snippet of the English administrations’ weekend ‘debate’ (overtime pay for the Brit grifters) about their steel plant in Englandshire, and the word gymnastics by Labcons was astonisihing, blaming the SNP and Tories (plonking the Tories and SNP in tha same category of course) for running down Grangemouth and losing many people their jobs etc!
Expect this sort of asset stripping and political and economic game playing to be ramped up in the next few months, no matter the cost to the people whose lives will be destroyed by the Labcons. Despicable.
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“Mary Scanlon (ex-Tory MSP) invited by BBC Scotlandshire to tell us all how different Grangemouth is to Scunthorpe”
Yep they, BBC Scotland, are trying to ‘shut this down’ as online a lot of people are asking why Labour HQ could not save Grangemouth but could save Scunthorpe.
So the BBC in Scotland will invite a variety of politicians , both ex and current ones, onto their different programmes to communicate the Labour message on this matter which is that apparently “Grangemouth is not comparable to Scunthorpe.”
Scanlon was also once in a BBC QT audience (badly) playing the part of an ‘ordinary voter’ in her (wrong) assumption that all Scots in Scotland were too thick to recognise her or she , as a Tory, was just way too arrogant to care.
The BBC I am sure knew exactly who she was as did the Tory on the panel as well , and when Scanlon spoke to make a comment as a member of the audience, then the Tory on the panel could have at least said to her , as another Tory….. ‘Hi Mary’.
Strange though that the Labour supposed ‘Rebel’ MP Brian Leishman did think that Grangemouth was comparable to Scunthorpe and so could also be saved by Labour HQ.
As Leishman said that he wanted Grangemouth Refinery to be nationalised, so if Labour HQ say no , as apparently Grangemouth is not comparable with another industry in England , then does that now make Brian Leishman either an idiot, a desperate MP trying to keep his job (post 2029) or just him going through the motions in hoping that his constituents fall for his supposed Labour ‘Rebel’ MP act.
Leishman in the future will say to his constituents ‘I did my best , I really really tried but you know what with the Tory financial black hole’.
However if one, or more, of his constituents mentions that this did not impact Scunthorpe being saved , well Leishman might just need to to resort to doing a Obi-Wan Kenobi method of mind control and point to the Labour logo on his own campaign literature and say ‘These aren’t the party you seek to blame, as the SNP are the party you seek for all of the blame, for everything everywhere’.
Next year his constituents should tell him and any Labour canvassers that they will be voting SNP in the 2026 Scottish election and also in all future elections as well and then they could channel their inner Yoda in saying to Leishman and other Labour types at their doors ‘Believe you I don’t’ …..Ha bloody Ha
Liz S
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Here’s something BBC Scotland news should not be hiding but will do to protect Labour in Scotland and elsewhere.
Just as they, the BBC here, also gave Labour in Scotland a public platform after the UK GE last year in order for them to make weak excuses (lies) on behalf of their Labour HQ letting down, betraying and lying to Grangemouth Refinery workers and also doing the same to Scotland too in their slogan ridden GE campaign last year.
MSM Monitor tweeted this today to show how in Wales the Port Talbot workers were also, like Grangemouth Refinery workers, let down, betrayed and lied to by Labour HQ.
“Welsh voters will remember Keir Starmer visiting Wales during the general election campaign and promising to save steel jobs at Port Talbot. Marry this to Anas Sarwar making the same pledge to Grangemouth workers and you have a party of colonial liars”.
Colour me surprised, Keir Starmer making yet another pledge and then, once the votes are counted, he then does yet another U-Turn aka yet another betrayal, another lie, another empty promise and another despicable action, Sir Keir Starmer, who is obviously a Tory through and through, not a Tory in hiding but one that is in plain sight.
Open your eyes and ears people of Scotland, Labour are now the Tory party.
I also believe that Labour MP Stephen Kinnock also made ‘pledges’ to Port Talbot workers where he declared prior to the UK GE last year that ““I’ll keep fighting tooth and nail to secure a prosperous future for our steelworks, sustaining thousands of highly skilled local jobs.”.
Unlike another Labour MP, the so called Labour ‘Rebel’ MP Brian Leishman , Stephen Kinnock , who has now been appointed as Minister of State for Care, was quicker to toe the party line after his party HQ ‘done the dirty’ on another non English nation , as in Wales.
Stephen Kinnock’s career aspirations helped him to keep his mouth shut on Port Talbot closing down last year after Labour HQ won the GE.
Labour HQ , via Labour’s Business Secretary , Jonathan Reynolds, stated in the HOC on Saturday that:
“The closure of Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland is “not comparable” to the situation at British Steel in Scunthorpe” (aka English Steel).
So that having been said are we then to now assume that the alleged and assumed Labour ‘Rebel’ MP Brian Leishman is now a ‘Rebel’ without a cause ?
I also guess if you speak to anyone in the Labour party, irrespective of what nationality they are or where they are based within the UK , then they will also argue that:
‘The closure of Port Talbot in Wales was not comparable to the situation at British (English) Steel in Scunthorpe in England’
I mean come on think about it , save jobs in Wales & Scotland against saving jobs in England, I mean for Labour (and others) there is no comparison, it will always be England First surely ?
Vote SNP in 2026 or allow English governments to keep destroying our Scottish industries, our Scottish economy (Brexit) and keep controlling our land, also trying to repress our Scottish culture and Scottish identity for too many years to come while we, Scotland, remain a part of their dysfunctional non Union.
A non Union that only apparently works for certain people and certain industry within one nation , as in England.
However it, this non Union, does not work for all of the people everywhere in the UK that are being impacted by Labour HQ’s cruel policies and decisions that target the poorest, the most vulnerable, the pensioners, the single mothers ,the WASPI women and too the disabled people and others on benefits as well – BTW this list is not an exhaustive list as I am sure I must have missed many many others who are also negatively affected by this awful Labour UK government).
Resistance in NOT futile. (even against the BBC in Scotland as well).
Liz S
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On children and young peoples’ health, is what follows an exemplar of even-handedness in news reporting or just favouring a party of government? It’s not from Scotland – OBVIOUSLY!
On May 21, 2024 the BBC News website carried this headline on its Wales pages: ‘Urgent action call on ‘grim’ state of child health’. For the avoidance of doubt, the ‘grim’ state referred to is indeed in Wales – yes, it’s hard to believe this could be so given the party of Jackie Baillie has long been in power there!
The opening four short paragraphs of the BBC piece provide a case study in balancing (sort of) positives and negatives.
‘Health professionals are calling for urgent action on the “grim” declining state of children’s health in Wales.
‘Medical professionals from 20 organisations have signed a joint letter to the first minister, calling for steps to address problems such as obesity, mental health and tooth decay.
‘Meanwhile, new figures from Public Health Wales show improvements in child obesity in Wales and some of the most encouraging data for a decade.
‘The Welsh government said it was committed to improving health services.’
Note the quick ‘meanwhile’ turn towards positivity.
The letter referred to in the BBC article can be read here: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-05/letter_to_first_minster._welsh_royal_colleges_child_health_collaborative_1.pdf
It is far from an endorsement of British Labour Party in government – but (anticipating the latter’s response): what can a Welsh government do when confronted with Tory imposed austerity, with prolonged and substantial underinvestment in health? The letter makes reference to c. 13 different health and wellbeing statistics relating to children and young people. All are written about in the letter as negatives, as matters of concern. The BBC does quote representatives of the medical royal colleges but it avoids any reference to the statistical evidence presented in their letter.
Instead, the BBC opts to devote half of its long article to news of just one statistic, to this: ‘Meanwhile, new figures from Public Health Wales show improvements in child obesity in Wales ….’ It goes to the effort of breaking the national data down to health board areas in order to demonstrate local variability.
How many ‘meanwhile’ turns have you spotted in BBC Scotland’s reporting on the present Scottish Government – I mean how many balancing ones rather than shifts into further negativity?
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Aye, https://archive.ph/bmoBA – # 200 in the Perry Index, James Cook, the boy who cried wolf too often…
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It’s tempting to defer to Royal Colleges as authoritative commentators and sources of wisdom on matters of public policy as well as medicine.
From the Royal College of Psychiatrists (March 28, 2025) “Cuts to mental health share of NHS funding illogical” says RCPsych President‘. Press statement. (https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/latest-news/detail/2025/03/28/cuts-to-mental-health-share-of-nhs-funding-illogical–says-rcpsych-president )
‘The Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, has published an annual statement setting out expectations for NHS mental health services spending. Responding to the figures, Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
“It is illogical that the share of NHS funding for mental health services is being reduced at a time of soaring need and significant staff shortages. Importantly, mental illness affects many young people as they should be entering into the workforce, with 75% of mental disorders emerging by the age of 24. (my emphasis)
“The proportion of NHS funding allocated to mental health services will decrease from 8.87% in 2022/23 to 8.71% in 2025/26. This will equate to these vital services missing out on an estimated £300 million or more that they would have received if their share of spend had been maintained.
“This is a devastating blow to the 1.6 million people with mental illness waiting for care and treatment who are already excluded from plans to bring down NHS waiting lists. Delays to care put people at greater risk of developing a chronic mental illness which will affect all aspects of their life and could result in them becoming disabled.” All the above concerns the British Labour Party government’s polices for mental health services in England.
The statement also notes this on funding:- or largely “Mental illness accounts for more than 20% of the disease burden in the UK. Mental health services should be receiving approximately £36bn in 2025/26 rather than the £15.6bn they are currently expected to receive. Despite this chronic underfunding, mental health services are seeing more people than ever before, but this is still not enough – we simply cannot meet the demand.’
I have no idea how the RCPsych arrives at these figures which indicate a £20.4 billion per annum funding shortfall for mental health services in – or largely in – England. Based on these figures, that translates into a lot of underfunding due to shortfalls in Scotland’s so called Block Grant: is the RCPsych aware of the knock on impacts on the Scottish Government’s budget?
And finally in the President’s press statement, we get the ‘understanding’ – can’t be too negative about the one government in the. UK with all the economic and financial powers needed to address the RCPsych President’s concerns. Here’s the soft soaping of the Labour government in Westminster: “We appreciate there is growing pressure across the NHS and difficult decisions need to be made. The College is ready and willing to use our expertise to work with the UK Government on practical solutions to these challenges.”
Meanwhile in Scotland …. The RCPsych website has a press statement on the BBC Scotland story about ‘hidden lists’. In it it tells this (with my emphasis): ‘ Dr Laura Sutherland, who is the vice chair of the RCPsych child & adolescent faculty, said children who are the most at risk are prioritised which can result in people with a neurodevelopmental condition waiting longer.
“Often there is not an immediate risk which is why some of these young people can wait for longer but I think overall the impact is longer term,” she said.’
Prioritisation – is this practical response to growing pressure across the NHS at a time when difficult decisions need to be made? Or are such things only acceptable to the RCPsych if in England?
Prioritisation is a reasonable, logical response when demand exceeds supply-side resources. Do the leading figures in the RCPsych – its vice chair and its President – really not see the links between the shortfall in funding for England being highlighted in one of its press statements with the resourcing challenges in Scotland (and no doubt in NI and Wales too) being highlighted in another?
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