Year: 2025

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Where’s the official evidence for the 50 hour ‘agonising’ wait in Wishaw A&E? Like Douglas Ross and the made up 80 hour wait in 2022?

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In response to my earlier post about this: a reader helpfully observed: Exactly, so lets keep an eye out for the Wishaw hospital response to the complaint they surely made – 50 hours in agony? If that was my wife, genuinely in agony for 50 hours , 50 bloody hours (!), I’d be making serious formal complaints up and down the line, not least to my local MP – Michael ‘Friend of Israel’ Shanks? Has the councillor thought of that? Shanks is a Tory. Then I remembered another Tory with dodgy news on NHS A&E waits. September 23rd, 2022 and … Continue reading Where’s the official evidence for the 50 hour ‘agonising’ wait in Wishaw A&E? Like Douglas Ross and the made up 80 hour wait in 2022?

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12 hour A&E waits TWICE as long in England and nearly THREE TIMES as long in Wales

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By stewartb Re long periods of time spent in A&E: Performance statistics for A&E waits, NHS England, November and December 2024: Source: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2024-25/ Over 12 hour delays = 54,207 patients – from decision to admit to admission. This equates to 1,749 decision to admit delays over 12 hours per day, an increase of 23.6% (334 patients daily) from December 2023. Question: how long had these c.54k patients already spent in an A&E department up to the time the decision to admit them was made? In other words what was the TOTAL time they spent in A&E – how much longer than 12 … Continue reading 12 hour A&E waits TWICE as long in England and nearly THREE TIMES as long in Wales

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84 000 Scots are paid the living wage [but not by Mrs Sarwar]who would not be in England and 840 000 more in England are not but would be if they lived in Scotland

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In the Guardian yesterday: Low-paid cleaners have accused the Living Wage Foundation of giving accreditation to an “uncaring” outsourcing company paying less than the living wage. Facilities services giant OCS is accredited under a bespoke scheme for outsourcing firms. But the company has only committed to paying a living wage to its centrally employed staff. The scheme does not cover the majority of OCS’s 50,000 workforce, who are tied to external contracts. 1 What’s the picture across the UK? Scotland has the highest proportion of workers aged 18 and over who are paid the real Living Wage at 89.9% – ahead of … Continue reading 84 000 Scots are paid the living wage [but not by Mrs Sarwar]who would not be in England and 840 000 more in England are not but would be if they lived in Scotland

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Is this a Larkhall Conservative & Unionist councillor using his own wife’s ‘agonising’ A&E experience to attack the SNP and the NHS both are employed by?

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Mother of 2, Lynn Nelson and husband Richard, front page in the Mail to accuse the NHS in Scotland (UH Wishaw) of failing them and to allow the Mail a second go at the recent RCN report, based on less than 1% of nurses responding, to say they have experienced corridor care. They don’t reveal any details of who the Nelsons are but there is a Richard Nelson, South Lanarkshire Councillor (Ward 20 Larkhall 1), with a wife Lynne and two sons. They are both NHS employees.1,2 Agonising? Does anyone believe that would be allowed for 50 hours? Now, in … Continue reading Is this a Larkhall Conservative & Unionist councillor using his own wife’s ‘agonising’ A&E experience to attack the SNP and the NHS both are employed by?

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Putting the Scotland’s below inflation cost increases into context

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By stewartb Mr Whittle chooses to be a Tory. He has no doubt been delighted that the UK had a Tory government in Westminster for more than a decade prior to mid-2024, with his Tory colleagues responsible for setting most UK fiscal and all monetary policies. Plus responsibility for determining the financing of local government in England, with its knock on impacts for the ‘block grant’ transferred to NI, Scotland and Wales. And so he really does need to face up to and acknowledge his own party’s impact! in government! From the Swim England website dated November 21, 2023: ‘Ongoing high … Continue reading Putting the Scotland’s below inflation cost increases into context

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Scotland ‘only’ restores TWICE as much of natural environment as England does but we’re ‘resting on our laurels?’

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In the Guardian today, the above and a report which, of course, does not tell you how well, relatively, Scotland is doing with restoring the natural environment. In Scotland: At present, only 18% of Scotland’s landmass met the 30% restoration target that the Scottish and UK governments agreed to in the Kunming declaration on tackling the biodiversity crisis in 2021. 1 In England, for example? Government draft 30×30 criteria and mapping published in December 2023 concluded 8.5% of English land counted towards the 30% target. 2 Not in the (our) public interest? Sources: Continue reading Scotland ‘only’ restores TWICE as much of natural environment as England does but we’re ‘resting on our laurels?’

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Baron Grayling’s former constituency hospital parking patients head-to-toe in A&E after 23 years of Tory-representation

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Chris Grayling, famous for trying to ban books in prisons, comparing Manchester’s Moss Side to the Wire and giving ferry contracts to a company with no ferries, was MP for Epsom and Newell where the local hospital had a visit from Mirror reporters, above. Grayling was MP for 23 years, until 2024, giving him time, you’d think to work with (press) the local hospital to improve performance. Not so it seems. The SNP have had a bit less time than Grayling, but have done better. UK Government statistics confirm NHS Scotland’s A&E departments have been performing significantly better for nearly … Continue reading Baron Grayling’s former constituency hospital parking patients head-to-toe in A&E after 23 years of Tory-representation

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Herald and Brian Whittle reveal fury as cost of swimming lessons go up by less than inflation….eh what…less….Brian?

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Headlining in the Herald and with Con MSP Brian Whittle to comment, has today: Price of children’s swimming lessons jumps 24 per cent in six years – Councils across Scotland have increased the cost of swimming lessons in recent years, with cash-strapped authorities desperate to find savings. One MSP warned that the price hike could stop children from getting access to pools and ultimately impact the mental and physical health of the nation. They never tire of adding up do they? They should have tried 70 years. Under a Tory government, me an my pals (12-14) could go to ‘the Baths’ … Continue reading Herald and Brian Whittle reveal fury as cost of swimming lessons go up by less than inflation….eh what…less….Brian?

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Holyrood 2026 – SNP’s lead widening steadily

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Most recent 3 polls from 4 December 2024 to 13 January 2025, average SNP lead is 15%. Previous 3 polls from 10 September 2024 to 15 November 2024, SNP lead is 5%. Previous 3 polls from 20 August 2024 to 5 September 2024, SNP lead is 3.7%. Previous 3 polls from 21 June 2024 to 26 June 2024, Labour lead is 1%. Previous 3 polls from 3 June 2024 to 14 June 2024, Labour lead is 0.7%. Clusters of polls are more reliable than single polls often with quite small samples so these five 3-poll clusters offer a clearer picture … Continue reading Holyrood 2026 – SNP’s lead widening steadily

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Shocking inequalities in NHS England’s maternity care not apparent in Scotland where standards are being further ensured thanks to Scottish Government plans

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‘shocking inequalities’ in maternity services… the deaths of 56 babies and 2 mothers at Leeds Teaching Hospital may have been preventable. By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC News at 6 [January 2025] has the above astonishing report goes on to list 6 or 7 other locations with comparable concerns to those in Leeds but there as no suggestion of blame for the current or previous governments. In November 2023, I was able to write: Note the wee print under the photo – 85 dangerously substandard maternity units in NHS England. The ‘Scottish’ media are quiet. If they had something, they’d be all over … Continue reading Shocking inequalities in NHS England’s maternity care not apparent in Scotland where standards are being further ensured thanks to Scottish Government plans