Professor John Robertson OBA
From BBC Scotland‘s Lisa Summers, the above graph, and:
There has been a sharp increase in flu cases detected in Scotland over the last week, official figures show. Data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) shows there were 431 new positive flu cases in the week ending 9 November, a 70% increase on the previous week when 253 cases were recorded. The number of patients admitted to hospital has also almost doubled, rising from 115 to 218.
There are typically around 12 000 patients in hospital beds any day of the year in Scotland so that extra 103 or less than 1%, should be no problem unless we’re a bit short of beds or nurses.
Are we Lisa, do tell?
Silence.
In her ‘analysis’ Lisa finds no place for these facts, which you will like to see and perhaps tell of to your vulnerable neighbour:
NHS Scotland nearly 30% more beds, per head, than NHS England, to cope better with future pandemics
From Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (annual) Year ending 31 March 2025 published today:
In 2024/25, the average number of available staffed beds per day for acute specialties was 13,717 – a 0.3% decrease on the previous year (2023/24) and a 3.7% increase compared to five years ago (2019/20).
From NHS England’s Bed Availability and Occupancy Data (KH03 collection) for Quarter 4 2024/25 (January to March 2025), published on the NHS England statistics website:
106,068 is the total number of available general and acute beds (overnight) in NHS England for Quarter 4 of 2024/25 (January to March 2025), the most recent full quarter as of September 30, 2025.
All things being equal, per head, pro rata, NHS England might be expected to have around 10 times as many beds as NHS Scotland, 137 000, but had only 106 000, 31 000 fewer.
This NHS Scotland has, per head, 29.2% more beds than NHS England.
Might that have played a part in Scotland having a far lower Covid 19 pandemic death rate?
When adjusted for population (deaths per 100,000 people), the rates were closer: England (260 per 100,000), Wales (260), Scotland (190), and Northern Ireland (170). England and Wales had the highest rates overall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_in_the_United_Kingdom
Scotland has 71% more nurses
In England there were nearly seven nurses per 1,000 people, while there were nearly 12 per 1,000 in Scotland. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/uk-fewer-nurses-per-head-33961132
OMG if the Daily Record doesn’t attempt to hide that, it must be true!
So, 5 more than 7 per 1 000 people, is 71.4%
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
The flu season has started early this year all across the UK not just Scotland, according to the UK Health Agency (November 13) in its ‘National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report’.
And on past performance, flu vaccine uptake in Scotland will compare well with other parts of the UK, again based on UKHA’s official records. For data on the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/influenza-in-the-uk-annual-epidemiological-report-winter-2024-to-2025/influenza-in-the-uk-annual-epidemiological-report-winter-2024-to-2025#vaccination
It’s notable that many of the metrics show a fall in take-up of the flu vaccine across all nations of the UK between 2023-24 and subsequent season.
Here are some statistics comparing recent vaccine take-up rates in Scotland and in Wales from the UKHA. No sense here that Scotland’s recent track record of preparation and delivery of a flu vaccination programme has been any less successful than that in Wales overseen by a British Labour Party government – on the contrary in some respects.
SCOTLAND: 65 years and older: 2024-25 season: 74.1% and 2023-24 season: 79.8%
WALES: 65 years and older: 2024-25 season: 70.3% and 2023-24 season: 72.5%
…
SCOTLAND: ‘At risk groups’: 2024-25 season: 34.6% and 2023-24 season: 42.2%
WALES: 6 months to under 65 years with underlying clinical risk factor/s: 2024-25 season: 36.8% and 2023-24 season: 39.1%.
…
Childhood influenza programmes in Scotland and Wales from the UKHA:
SCOTLAND: Preschool children (2 to under 5 years old): 2024-25 season 50.3% and 2023-24 season: 48.8%
WALES: 2-3 year olds: Season 2024-25 43.6% and Season 2023-24 44.1%
…
SCOTLAND: Primary school children: 2024-25 68.1% and 2023-24: 69.0%
WALES: Primary school children: 2024-25 61.6% and 2023-24 61.9%
…
SCOTLAND: Secondary school pupils: 2024-25 season 53.1% and 2023-24 season 52.9%
WALES: Secondary school children: 2024-25 season 51.9% and. 2023-24 season 49.7%.
(For Scotland’s schools data, the UKHA states that caution should be taken when comparing uptake percentages between the seasons due to changes in data collection methods.)
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I just saw via SNP Keith Brown, via wordpress, that the ScotGov have just announced £20 MILLION ‘boost’ to get the flu vaccine out tp more people, as they say that is a good idea in reducing stress on the SNHS.
He also reports, ‘The Scottish Government is also recruiting 290 new Scottish Ambulance Service staff and investing £5 million in NHS 24’s digital systems to help people access care more quickly this winter’. Excellent but will the so called media report this as a negative as is their habit.
We have already succumbed to the lurgy, it’s nasty, not sure if it’s flu and Covid tests show up negative. Masks should be mandatory in shops, and on public transport which where my son caught this nasty virus. 😦
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I wear a mask whenever I go inside no matter how long or short a time I am going to be inside. I always wear a mask when on public transport. Rarely see anyone else with a mask on. No one has ever said anything to me but occasionally someone will give a wee cough when they are walking past me. Trying to be smart I guess but not clever enough to pull it off.
Hope you feel better soon.
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