Professor John Robertson OBA From the BBC Wales and BBC Scotland inserts in BBC Breakfast today, two very different editorial judgements of what folk need to know as they rise to face the new day. In Scotland, they hear of: Three negative reports on public services which can be linked to Scottish Government responsibility, selected by the editor, and of course missing context (see below). In Wales, they hear of: Three negative reports but not on core public services and not a trace of responsibility for the Welsh Government. On this basis, Scots have a lot to be concerned about … Continue reading BBC Wales and Scotland today – two very different worlds to wake to

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: The NHS’s total liabilities for medical negligence have hit an “astounding” £58.2bn amid ministers’ failure to improve patient safety, an influential group of MPs have warned. The PAC urged ministers to take urgent steps to reduce “tragic incidences of patient harm” and to also end a situation where lawyers take an “astronomical” 19% of the compensation awarded to those who are successful in suing the NHS. That amounted to £536m of the £2.8bn that the health service in England paid out in damages in … Continue reading NHS England paying out nearly FIVE TIMES as much for medical negligence as NHS Scotland because of this

if it’s not to hold back economic opportunities across Scotland, according to a new report. The economy forum Prosper says there needs to be more construction. By Professor John Robertson OBA What does Prosper represent? At their conference on 29th May, coming, the keynote speaker is the leader of the third party, perhaps the fourth party in 2026: Facts not being mentioned: House building, in 2024 is 25% up on the lowest level in 2013 From Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end September 2024, new starts are at the lowest in a decade but completions, actual building, is … Continue reading SNP steadily building far more affordable homes than Scottish Labour in 2007 or Welsh Labour today

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald yesterday: There are less teachers in Scottish schools but what really matters, and the Herald writer knows is is the pupil teacher ratio. There were 57 500 state school teachers in Scotland in 2007. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11314736 There were 53 412 state school teachers in Scotland in 2024. https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-schools-in-scotland-2024/ How has the ratio of pupils to teachers changed? Barely. In 2008 it was 12.9, in 2017 it was 13.6, and in 2024 it was 13.3. https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-schools-in-scotland-2024/pages/school-teachers/#:~:text=Figure%204%20shows%20pupil%20teacher%20ratios%20%28PTRs%29%20which,2023.%20The%20lowest%20PTR%20was%2012.9%20in%202008. https://www.gov.scot/publications/pupil-census-supplementary-statistics/ And the ratios elsewhere in UK? Pupil to teacher ratios were lowest in Scotland (13.2), and similar in Northern … Continue reading Scottish Labour council tries to increase pupil teacher ratio in schools to level in England and Wales

Professor John Robertson OBA From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios, published today, the above funnel plot graph and: For the period January 2024 to December 2024: No hospitals had a significantly higher or lower standardised mortality ratio (SMR) than the national average. Two hospitals had an SMR below the lower warning limit: Raigmore (0.84) and Western General (0.82). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/hospital-standardised-mortality-ratios/hospital-standardised-mortality-ratios-january-2024-to-december-2024 In plain language, this means that all of Scotland’s had, as in previous years, roughly the same mortality ratio, the actual number of deaths divided by the number predicted by NHS statisticians, based on the varying populations they serve, in terms of … Continue reading There is no postcode lottery in NHS Scotland’s hospital death rates in sharp contrast with NHS England where you might worry where you go

Professor John Robertson OBA, Pacific Ferry Correspondent From Pulse Tasmania today: A Tasmanian caravan park owner says the value of his business has halved due to the state’s ongoing ferry crisis, forcing him to shelve retirement plans and temporarily shut down. Gavin Imlach, who runs the Latrobe Mersey River Caravan Park, spent $150,000 upgrading his site in anticipation of a promised 40% tourism boost from the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries, which are now several years behind schedule. “Since the s–t show with the ships, my business is worth half of what it was prior to the fiasco,” Imlach told … Continue reading Tasmanian caravan park forced to shut down as ferry ‘s__t show’ delays sink business