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Professor John Robertson OBA
There’s a lot happening today, a lot to rebut, so we’ll do this rubbish from the Scotsman quickly. Too many vacancies is disturbing but more important is how many midwives and nurses do we have per head of population?
First, England and midwives:
Midwives: Using the NHS England figure of 23,396 midwives in November 2023 (most specific and recent for England).
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/01/record-number-of-nurses-and-midwives-working-in-nhs/
Population: Approximately 57.1 million (mid-2023 estimate). https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2023
Ratio: (23,396 / 57,100,000) × 1,000 = ~0.41 midwives per 1,000 people.
Scotland:
Midwives: No specific 2024 figure for Scotland is provided. The NMC’s UK-wide figure of 45,198 midwives includes Scotland, but a 2011 BBC report suggested Scotland had a better midwife-to-birth ratio (1:26) than England (1:33) or Wales (1:30), implying a higher per capita presence. A 2017/18 source notes Scotland has 8.1 nurses and midwives per 1,000 population (combined), compared to 7.9 for the UK. Assuming midwives are a smaller subset, I’ll estimate by scaling from England’s ratio, adjusting for Scotland’s historically better staffing. Let’s assume ~4,500 midwives (roughly 10% of UK midwives, proportional to population share and slightly higher due to better staffing).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14239022 https://www.businessforscotland.com/scotland_s_nhs_outperforms_the_rest_of_the_uk_here_s_why
Population: Approximately 5.5 million.Ratio: (4,500 / 5,500,000) × 1,000 = ~0.82 midwives per 1,000 people.
On this basis, Scotland has twice as many midwives per head than England does. That would help to explain this:
NHS Scotland caring for 8% of the population but with not one of the five major maternity crises and a system that is ‘equitable’
https://talkingupscotlandtwo.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=89938&action=edit
Second, nurses:
There are 12 nurses per 1 000 people in Scotland but only 9 in the UK. 33% more. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/uk-fewer-nurses-per-head-33961132
Among the reasons:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I bought the Scotsman for 20 years (1970-90) when it was a newspaper.
Ransacked and asset stripped by foreign owners and run into the gutter by increasingly dreadful Editors since then.
Now a yellow page propaganda sheet for Scottish subjugation, with a right wing Britnat commentariat in place of journalism.
Its demise is sad for Scotland, and it could have been sold for £50million to a decent owner years ago.
gavinochiltree
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BBC website Top story……..
“Trans row tribunal nurse raises new NHS legal action”
This is apparently now, like the Ferries, a never ending story….for the BBC.
MSM Monitor agrees as he tweeted this….
“BBC BritNat should give this nurse her own show. Never seen anyone command so much coverage for what is, in essence, a tawdry row with her employer. It’s become a cottage industry. The new ‘ferries’.
I wonder who is funding this “new legal action” thus keeping it alive….and (so some hope Kicking the SNP) as opposed to just targeting NHS Fife ?
In July 2025 it was reported that NHS Fife had spent more than £220,000 on it’s defence in the Sandie Peggie Tribunal case….so with further legal proceedings then how much more will they need to spend on this ?
However while this is being amplified and regurgitated in Scotland by the media and also by some of the usual suspects , whose dislike for the SNP energises them into also (over) promoting this story….as in #SNPBAD
Let’s also not forget a very similar case is also taking place in England …with the Darlington Nurses….
In April this year it was reported that “A group of nurses are challenging their health trust’s policy over allowing a trans colleague to use the female changing rooms at work“……
“They have filed claims at an employment tribunal on the grounds of sexual harassment, discrimination, victimisation and breaches of the right to a private life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights”.
“The eight nurses object to their employer allowing their colleague, who was born male but identifies as a woman, to use the facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital”
“At the preliminary hearing, Judge Stuart Robinson postponed the trial date until 20 October following an application by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust”
Bookmark that date 20 October and see how much both the media and some of the usual suspects interest and promotion of it , as a case, is then equal to their current interest and promotion of the Sandie Peggie case…….in Scotland.
Liz S
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