In August 2021, NHS Scotland’s A&E department’s saw 77.8% within 4 hours. In the same period, NHS England saw, on average, only 66.2% and NHS Wales saw only 60.1%. NHS Scotland is thus 17.5% faster (11.6% of 66.2) than England and 26.5% faster than Wales. The real gap with England is probably even greater as NHS England cheats. NHS England starts the clock again after patients are admitted while NHS Scotland counts from arrival in A&E.  Sources: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ae-activity-and-waiting-times-month-ending-31-august-2021/ https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/NHS-Hospital-Waiting-Times/Accident-and-Emergency/performanceagainst4hourtargetallemergencycarefacilities-by-localhealthboard https://inews.co.uk/news/health/nhs-england-covering-up-true-scale-of-12-hour-hospital-waits-1335856 Continue reading NHS Scotland’s emergency services are more than 26% faster than in Labour-run Wales

This Daily Record story yesterday has been widely ignored by the rest of Scotland’s MSM, for obvious reasons. It does not suggest any failure by the SNP Government in its management of A&E services but rather blames GPs for a failure, post pandemic, to start seeing patients again and take some of the load off A&E. Scotland does have significantly more GPs per head of population, so it’s tempting to question the commitment of some of this very well-paid group. The whistleblower is presumably just one nurse but that’s enough for Reporting Scotland to go on, typically, and to create … Continue reading Nurses side with Yousaf?

The Times (Scotland) headlining English data to feed anxiety with NHS Scotland and, of course by proxy, implicate the SNP Government, is one thing, an all-too-familiar thing, but the headline has triggered something else. The other data is from campaign group estimates and against a background of taget-busting performance in cancer waiting times. See: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2021/09/28/nhs-scotland-smashes-one-cancer-waiting-time-target-despite-increased-demand-and-treats-17-more-on-time-than-nhs-england/ It’s a sensitive matter but, one more time, I’ll raise it – is living with an undiagnosed cancer always a bad thing? Treatment can be extremely damaging to health and as we say in NHS Tayside last year reducing treatment does not always lead to … Continue reading The politicising of cancer may be doubly wrong

I’ve been thinking we need a short, simple, true explanation of why Scotland should be independent, that all, regardless of age, experience, background or understanding of political and economic arguments, can understand. In the early hours, just awake, it seemed that this would be more elegant in its simplicity but as I wrote things became fussy. However, waste not want, this is my attempt. Why it’s normal to be independent It’s normal. Scotland was an independent country for around 1 000 years before the union with England only just over 300 years ago. We are surrounded by independent countries, many … Continue reading Why Scotland should be independent: A simple and true story

On Reporting Scotland throughout the day today, on the website, no doubt on Good Mourning Scotland and of course in the Mail, another unfounded scare story based on a supposed crisis in the ambulance service. Here’s the gist: Police officers have “routinely” taken people to hospital in the back of police vehicles because an ambulance was unavailable, it has been claimed. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said officers were having to help relieve strain on under-pressure ambulance crews. It has provided records to Scottish social affairs magazine, 1919, on about 30 incidents in recent months. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58788161 So it’s a trade union-sourced story … Continue reading Police accused of only helping out with 0.02% of emergency cases?

There were1,760 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the last 24 hours from 19,959 new tests for COVID-19. 9.4% of these were positive. https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-data-for-scotland/ This is the lowest rate since August 15th. Only 67 are now in ICU, the lowest figure since September 5th. The Scotsman is still reporting a crisis in NHS Scotland. Continue reading Covid infection rate falls to lowest for nearly two months

Prof Gray was appointed Director General Health and Social Care at the Scottish Government and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland in 2013, a role he held until late 2018. Prior to this he held a number of roles at the Scottish Government, including, Director General of Governance and Communities, Director General Environment and Director General Rural Affairs, Environment and Services. Until 2009, Prof Gray was the Scottish Government’s Director of Change and Corporate Services, with responsibility for senior staff development and deployment; human resources; information services; accommodation and estates services; corporate learning; employee engagement; and the Scottish Government’s business improvement and … Continue reading ‘Ex-health chief’ doesn’t seem to know what he’s talking about

First, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report does not include the word ‘shame.’ Second, I agree entirely with their assessment of a crisis here, but, media reporting needs to be more accurate and, critically, provide context. On page 4 we see: Comparatively lower housing costs continue to be the principal reason for lower poverty rates in Scotland compared with England but there are still far too many families in Scotland who are in poverty solely because of their housing costs https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poverty-scotland-2021 Why are there lower housing costs in Scotland? It’s not an accident, it’s the consequence in large part of SNP … Continue reading Lower child poverty in Scotland is part of the essential evidence for what we can do

A bit like the Queen lecturing us on climate control or Tony Blair on democracy, the man with three jobs and his own record of absence, feels fit to campaign against the very thing we know is just who he is himself: There are, I see, rumours he might soon have an enforced absence from leadership. Continue reading Absent? He’s a fine one etc

On Reporting Scotland a doctor’s trade union ‘snap’ survey of 200 junior doctors is used to suggest a crisis in the morale of junior doctors. There are more than 5 000 junior doctors in Scotland. 200 or just over 3% is not an adequate sample. The survey, its sampling or indeed any of its methods are not available. Schoolchildren would be expected to validate their findings properly. Why is the BMA allowed media representation of a politically motivated scare story based on no evidence? Well, you know the answer. Continue reading BMA survey not worthy of Primary 7 project but Reporting Scotland love it