Support Talking-up Scotland's work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method - Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421
Professor John Robertson OBA
From BBC Lancashire, today the above and:
Police are investigating potential corporate failings contributing to the death, ill-treatment or neglect of patients at Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s stroke unit, BBC North West has learned. Offences under consideration by Lancashire Police include corporate manslaughter, corporate ill-treatment and wilful neglect, and offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The investigation was launched in October 2023 after the prosecution of five health care workers for a number of drug offences, with two of them jailed for sedating or conspiring to sedate patients to keep them quiet. The 2023 trial of nurse Catherine Hudson, 54, and healthcare worker Charlotte Wilmot, 48, heard patients had been given powerful sedative zopiclone.
The prosecution described the situation around the hospital’s pharmacy as a “free for all”. Between September and October 2018 alone, the court was told, more than 1,100 Zopiclone tablets were dispensed, despite only 207 having been recorded as prescribed.
In sharp contrast, we had this on 1 July 2025 with thanks to Brenda Robb for both alerting me and for research assistance.
In the Guardian, the above, and:
The NHS has repeatedly failed in its diagnosis and care of stroke patients, England’s health ombudsman has said. According to the World Stroke Association, more than 12 million people worldwide will have their first stroke this year and 6.5 million will die as a result. Strokes are one of the UK’s biggest killers, causing about 34,000 deaths a year, and the single biggest cause of severe disability.
The NHS Fast campaign aims to raise awareness of the most common symptoms of stroke – facial drooping, arm weakness and slurred speech – and the need for prompt treatment, including transfer to a specialist stroke unit within four hours. Without it, a stroke can result in death or long-term disabilities such as paralysis, memory loss and communication problems.
Figures from the Sentinel stroke national audit programme (SSNAP), which assesses the quality of stroke care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, show that just 46.6% of patients are directly admitted to a specialist stroke unit within four hours of symptoms
The most recent NHS Scotland data are in the 30 July 2024 report, so that does limit the comparison but the differences are so large as to warrant consideration here.
From Scottish stroke improvement programme Annual report 2024 published on 30 July 2024:
10,803 Scottish residents had a final diagnosis of stroke in 2023.
Performance against the swallow screen standard (100% within 4 hours) remains challenging. There are fluctuations in performance across the country, but no NHS board does well. The Scottish average (67.7%) is almost identical to that reported in 2022, and down from 73% in 2021.
‘No NHS board does well?’ Yes, but 67.7% looks a lot better than 46.6% and that 20% difference refers to around 2 000 who were treated on time in Scotland but who would not have been in England.
Discover more from Talking-up Scotland
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Talking-up Scotland 
Perhaps police Scotland could lend Lancashire Police their Blue Murder tents as they are no longer required for the far more serious financial crime ( allegedly ) that was tying up all their resources for so long .
LikeLiked by 4 people