‘Across the UK’ is the first sign of what is to come. Then it’s ‘as the number of Covid infections continues to rise across the UK.’ Are they? No. 967 today and 740 cases yesterday. 1 149 the day before. 1 314 cases on the 24th and 1 504 on the 21st. A few minutes later: ‘In Scotland, clinicians are issuing another warning – that the NHS could be overwhelmed and are appealing to adhere to Tier (sic) 4 restrictions after they were eased on Christmas Day.’ A strangely cheerful Prof Jackie Taylor came on to warn us Jocks not … Continue reading Never mind the facts, we can be included in the ‘Great NHS overwhelming’ too

In November, NHS England’s A&E departments saw 76.8% of patients within 4 hours. In the same month and in a colder climate, NHS Scotland’s A&E departments saw 88.5%. Depending on how you do the sums, NHS Scotland was 11.7% better or 15.2% (11.7% of 76.8) better. NHS Scotland saw 98% in 8 hours. NHS England did not report that one. Turned into a herald headline: ‘Injured patients wait billions of hours in A&E!’ Sources: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2020-21/ https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics/8-december-2020/ Continue reading Scotland’s emergency services so much faster

Hospital-acquired Covid-19 numbers fall again, four weeks since BBC Scotland health correspondent, Lisa Summers, tweeted happily to warn the public of an increase to a whopping tenth of the level in NHS England. Summers did not, of course, mention NHS England and the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine which exposed the situation there has not repeated its October 30th study. I’ll ask them. ‘They’ll need a bigger spreadsheet?’ As far as I can see the UK press have not returned to the story after this in the Telegraph on the 10th December: Maybe Disclosure Scotland are working on it? Continue reading Scottish hospitals so much safer

It’s almost perfectly bad but surely a child’s face with a well-placed tear could be found? Better still, combine that with one of Jeanne Freeman and Nicola Sturgeon looking angry? I know, Alex Cole-Hamilton, when he comes up with the idea for the Herald story! The Lib Dems and the care of kids is a theme that needs some work after the UK leader, David Steele, recommending the serial paedophile, Cyril Smith, for a knighthood and then their Scottish leader, Willie Rennie, refusing to condemn Steele for turning a blind eye to the abuse. Makes you wonder why the Herald … Continue reading Lib Dems care about kids SHOCK as children wait 19 weeks for treatment

Not for the first time, stewartb and legerwood, have dug a bit deeper than I have. Yesterday I fired both barrels at Reporting Scotland and the Royal Colleges. I remain suspicious of the wider political agenda of the latter but it’s clear, from that digging that they were misrepresented by BBC Scotland. First, the actual statement: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish public has continued to play a key role in fighting this virus by following the rules and minimising contact with others, especially indoors. We know there is hope on the horizon with the roll-out of a national immunisation … Continue reading Royal Colleges framed by BBC Scotland to suit their anti-SNP agenda

Reporting Scotland Down tonight: Scottish clinicians have raised concerns that the NHS may not be able to cope with a surge in Covid cases. Members of the Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges are concerned about an increase in community transmission combined with a new highly transmissible variant of Coronavirus…….Now there are fears that the sheer number of those needing their care could overwhelm the system. A new warning from clinicians is calling for every possible measure to halt the virus and protect what they see as a severely stretched health service. Despite their self-important, self-adopted title, this is a … Continue reading IF NHS ENGLAND CANNOT COPE THEN WE MUST FEAR THE SAME REGARDLESS OF THE FACTS

This is a perfect example of the need for this blog and for its title. You’d be forgiven for thinking local MSP John Scott was out to save lives by pushing for traffic lights to allow safer access to and from the A77 but when you read the article, it turns out he is sceptical about them and more concerned to keep the traffic on the A77 moving. If you’ve ever tried a right -turn from Maybole Road onto the A77, you’ll know how scary that can be. According to South Ayrshire Council’s Maybole Bypass proposals, in 2005, the Ayr … Continue reading Conservative MSP opposes much-needed road safety improvements

From the Herald: Is the above report an example of this? Well, no, not really. Here IS THE news. The infection level in Scotland has fallen again for the 6th day since it peaked on the 21st, at 1 504 new cases in the previous 24 hours. Today’s figure is less than half of that nearly one week ago and well down on 1 149 in the previous 24 hours. I can’t see the data for England but in the previous 24 hours, based on 1 149 cases in Scotland, it was nearly THREE TIMES higher and climbing. It may … Continue reading BREAKING: Dramatic fall in infection level

Today in the Herald: Search the 1500 odd pages and annexes of the EU trade deal and there is little to justify the brutal assault on the Scottish seed potato industry. Why have Scottish spuds been black-balled? Did Boris Johnson leave them out of the deal just so that Nicola Sturgeon would only have, er, small potatoes to complain about? Deploying the usual playground ‘You can’t talk. You want the EU Common Fisheries Policy in perpetuity‘ riposte favoured by Douglas Ross, Macwhirter finds much to like in the deal done by Boris and attempts to reassure us that most of … Continue reading ‘These are massive wins!’ so don’t listen to ‘Sturgeon’

The Guardian has headlined outspoken comments by UK fishermen angry about the deal. BBC Scotland and all the other BBC branches have decided against this too obviously negative story for the UK Government and presented the deal in the ‘balanced’, that is whitewashed, style they take such pride in. Opposition is presented as only coming from Nicola Sturgeon and thus less concerning than if it had wider support among the fishermen. The Herald, sadly typical for it, reinforces the notion that it’s just the SNP trying to exploit the situation and gives no space to the Scottish fishing industry representatives … Continue reading Where are Scotland’s betrayed fishermen?