Professor John Robertson OBA

I’m reminded of Alex Cole Hamilton rushing to the media after saving his daughter’s life with a Heimlich Manouevre and John Selwyn Gummer, Tory minister, making his daughter eat a burger for the cameras during the ‘Mad Cow Disease‘ scare back in the 80s.

When politicians use their weans to defend their policies or attack the policies of other, I reach for my gun, well just the antacid then.

We’re probably meant to know who that woman is. I don’t but what matters is this:

NHS Scotland

In Q2 2025 (April-June), 95.3% of 7 461 patients started treatment within 31 days from decision to treat, beating the 95% target, and 69.9% of patients started treatment within 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer.

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-april-to-30-june-2025/

NHS England

In July 2025, 92.4% of patients started treatment within 31 days and 69.2% of patients started treatment within 62 days.

https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/09/24/cancer-waiting-times-latest-updates-and-analysis/

So, NHS Scotland performing significantly better and remember that around 3% difference means around 250 more patients treated on time in Scotland, in one quarter, and around 2 500 more not treated on time in England.

Also, never reported or reported wrongly, this kind of thing:

NHS Scotland treats 98% of urgent skin cancer cases within 31 days compared with only 82% in England but Herald platforms Sandesh Gulhane (Con) to misrepresent the data from a different report

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