Author: johnrobertson834

Retired Professor of Media Politics Not-for-profit independent political analysis
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Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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By Professor John Robertson OBA and Ayr resident From Ayrshire Live in the Daily Record, yesterday: Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances forced to wait up to 16 hours Not in their report: In the most up-to-date figures, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s full (Type ED) emergency departments saw 59.6% of admissions, in the week-ending 5 January 2025, within the 4 hour target and up from 54% in the week between Xmas and New Year.1 Remember, the triage system ensures that those at serious risk are seen more quickly. The equivalent average figures for Scotland as-a-whole, were 58.7% and 58.2%.1 NHS … Continue reading Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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Jackie Baillie tries to blame SNP though flu jag uptake in Scotland was 80% for 65+ while in Labour Wales it was dangerously below the WHO target at only 68%

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to AR for another of his regular assists with Labour in Scotland media fake news and the facts from Labour Wales. Health spokesperson for Scotland’s 3rd biggest party, UK Labour (North), Jackie Baillie, Dame of the British Empire, is in the Scotsman today with: Flu outbreak shows how badly the SNP is failing the NHS There is, of course, no mention of the fact that the ‘SNP’ has enabled: Vaccination uptake rates in the 65 years and over cohort remained high, reaching 79.8%. This is above the World Health Organization’s target ambition of 75%.1 … Continue reading Jackie Baillie tries to blame SNP though flu jag uptake in Scotland was 80% for 65+ while in Labour Wales it was dangerously below the WHO target at only 68%

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BBC Scotland’s subtle attempt to mislead on cancer deaths

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This morning BBC Scotland, at 6:30am, report: Currently three out of five people with a group of cancers characterised as ‘less survivable die within a year of diagnosis. New analysis shows the average one-year for survival rate for this group of cancers, which includes lung, liver and brain cancer, is just 39% in Scotland. The overall cancer survival rates across the country show 71% are still alive after 12 months. I don’t know about you but I took that contrasting 39% in Scotland and 71% across the country to mean that the UK survival rate was 71% and the Scottish … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s subtle attempt to mislead on cancer deaths

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CalMac have just replaced their oldest large ferry though it’s younger than 11 still in service in affluent Washington State and 13 in British Columbia

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From BBC Scotland, yesterday: The oldest large ferry in the CalMac fleet has been redeployed to a new route after the new ship Glen Sannox took over sailings to Arran. MV Isle of Arran, a 41-year-old ship nicknamed the Auld Trooper, will be based at Oban and used as a second vessel on the Mull route. MV Caledonian Isles will then partner MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route but, unlike the new ship, can operate out of Ardrossan, which has better onward transports links and offers the shortest sailings to the island. Washington State Ferries in the USA, has … Continue reading CalMac have just replaced their oldest large ferry though it’s younger than 11 still in service in affluent Washington State and 13 in British Columbia

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Averages from seven ‘2014 bias-free polls’ have SNP 15 points ahead, Labour stuck, Cons in trouble, Reform a wee worry and Lib Dems pleased to hang on to 5th place

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Based on the last 7 polls with a breakdown sub-poll for Scotland, the averages are as above in the table. This is based on quite small and, on their own, unreliable sub-samples of between 100 and 200 Scots, 18+, but taken together they add up to around the 1 000 mark, required for a reasonable survey. Almost every Scotland-only poll has its sample adjusted to match the 2014, 55 No / 45 Yes, ratio, reducing, it seem probable, the SNP/Green support. At 35%, for this Westmnister poll the SNP would be well down on their 2021 figure of 47.7% but … Continue reading Averages from seven ‘2014 bias-free polls’ have SNP 15 points ahead, Labour stuck, Cons in trouble, Reform a wee worry and Lib Dems pleased to hang on to 5th place

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The Idiocrat

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By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance) Faculty of Education, UWS In the Herald today, recycling the recent lies of Prof (sic) Lindsay Paterson, Neil Mackay has: The debasement of Scottish education is turning us into an idiocracy. Takes one to know one I suppose but I guess he’s not that daft, just desperate to keep his job. The facts: First, in Secondary schools: At SCQF level 7 (Advanced Higher), the gap in 2009/10, two years after the SNP first came to power, was 24.1 and by 2021/22 it was 22.2, though down from 25 in the previous year but more important … Continue reading The Idiocrat

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UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England because it has 21% more staff after 17 years of SNP rule

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From The healthcare workforce across the UK: 2024 A summary of the cross-UK comparability of official direct NHS employment statistics and other relevant data sources, including non-official data, on specific healthcare professionals across the UK, published by the ONS on 6 March 2024, the following data on staffing at the end of 2023: NHS England – 1 308 825. With one tenth, or 10%, of the population, all things being equal, we might expect NHS Scotland to have around 131 000. However, it had 158 375, 27 375 or 20.8% more staff Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/thehealthcareworkforceacrosstheuk/2024 Performing better? See: Support Scots … Continue reading UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England because it has 21% more staff after 17 years of SNP rule

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Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK A summary of the cross-UK comparability of cancer waiting time statistics that are published by each nation published by the ONS on 23 August 2024 for Quarter 1, 2024: The percentage waiting longer than the 31 day [from the “decision-to-treat” a cancer patient to when the patient starts treatment] and 62 day standards [there should be no more than 62 days between a cancer referral being received by a hospital (specialist) to when a patient starts treatment]: England 9.8% and 34.8% Scotland 5.9% and 29.6% Wales not … Continue reading Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland

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Scots 28% more likely to find it easy to contact their GP than in Wales

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Measuring NHS experience and satisfaction across the UK – A summary of the cross-UK comparability of NHS experience and satisfaction data. 30 May 2024, the above graph and data revealing a marked contrast between the accessibility of GPs in Scotland as opposed to in England and, even more so, in Labour-run Wales. Scotland has 27.3% more GPs than England. The Welsh figure? Can see that. Homework dear reader? Sources: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/measuringnhsexperienceandsatisfactionacrosstheuk/2024-05-30#measuring-nhs-experience-and-satisfaction-across-the-uk-data https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/sep/04/nhs-faces-tipping-point-in-england-where-most-appointments-will-not-be-with-gps https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/media/v00by43i/2023_gp_workforce_survey_report.html#:~:text=Information%20from%202012%20to%202023,2023%2C%20equivalent%20to%203%2C478.4%20WTE Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self … Continue reading Scots 28% more likely to find it easy to contact their GP than in Wales

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UK Government statistics confirm NHS Scotland’s A&E departments have been performing significantly better for nearly a decade but ‘your’ media has been silent on that for the same period of time

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Accident and Emergency wait times across the UK: 2024 A summary of the cross-UK comparability of Accident and Emergency wait time statistics from January 2013 to September 2023, the above graph. Imagine this was different and NHS Scotland had consistently performed less well than NHS England or Wales? You don’t need me to tell you. It would be just like the ‘Scotland’s drug deaths, the worst in..’ narrative. Also, there are reasons to doubt the NHS England data after decades of managerialism there, more concerned with image than actual performance, after decades of Con and … Continue reading UK Government statistics confirm NHS Scotland’s A&E departments have been performing significantly better for nearly a decade but ‘your’ media has been silent on that for the same period of time