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Delayed discharges – steady fall in beds ‘blocked’ for third month in a row, in NHS Scotland, to much fewer proportionally than in Labour Wales

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From Delayed discharges in NHS Scotland monthly Figures for April 2026 published today: The average number of beds occupied per day due to people delayed in hospital was 1,902 in April 2026. Compared to the previous three months, this is less than in March 2026 (1,923), February 2026 (1,984) and January 2026 (1,973). Source: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/delayed-discharges-in-nhs-scotland-monthly/delayed-discharges-in-nhs-scotland-monthly-figures-for-april-2026/main-points/ Comparisons are not straightforward but NHS Wales reported ‘cumulative days delayed around 57,500′ in March 2026. https://www.gov.wales/nhs-activity-and-performance-summary-february-and-march-2026-html Almost 2 000 per day so just higher than in Scotland, despite Wales only having around three fifths of the population. Continue reading Delayed discharges – steady fall in beds ‘blocked’ for third month in a row, in NHS Scotland, to much fewer proportionally than in Labour Wales

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Scotland’s courts becoming more efficient to clear backlogs

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From Journey Times in the Scottish Criminal Justice System 2024-25 published today, major reductions in waiting times: In 2024-25, the percentage of accused whose case was closed by Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) or who got a verdict in court within one year of the date the offence was reported to the police increased (by 5% to 87% for COPFS and 6% to 70% for court) when compared to 2023-24. Overall median journey times decreased compared to 2023-24, by 32 days in High Court, 29 days in Sheriff solemn court and 11 days in Sheriff summary court. Compared … Continue reading Scotland’s courts becoming more efficient to clear backlogs

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Only kids in Scotland to get this help with costs of starting school

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From Financial help for starting primary school published 01 June 2026, getting press coverage but being ignored by BBC Scotland: Families across Scotland can now apply for over £330 to help with the costs of preparing for primary school, as applications for Best Start Grant School Age Payment open today (1 June 2026). The payment, unique to Scotland, is available to eligible families with children born between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022. It is designed to ease the financial pressures that come with a child starting primary one and can be spent on anything families need – from … Continue reading Only kids in Scotland to get this help with costs of starting school

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As South West Water provides water ‘unfit for human consumption’ risking sepsis and kidney failure Scots get it 99.9% among best in World

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As yet another privatised water company in England poisons its customers, BBC Scotland has little to say about Scotland’s water. Here’s why: The quality of public drinking water supplies in Scotland remains amongst the highest in the world, a report has found. In its annual report published today, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland said that 99.91 per cent of samples passed stringent water quality tests. https://www.studycountry.com/wiki/where-does-scotland-rank-in-tap-water The Drinking Water Quality Regulator report, covering drinking water quality in Scotland during 2023, states that a total of 272,017 regulatory tests were carried out on Scotland’s drinking water last year. Of those … Continue reading As South West Water provides water ‘unfit for human consumption’ risking sepsis and kidney failure Scots get it 99.9% among best in World

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When Jack McConnell’s constituency treasurer stole £11 000 over 5 years, 22 years ago, she only got a £2 400 fine not the jail because ‘times’ had ‘moved on’

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Former Labour First Minister Jack McConnell is everywhere in the MSM calling for ‘both parliaments to probe SNP.‘ From the Telegraph in April 2004, the above, and: Internal inquiry eh? That’ll be fair eh? Also: Did she get the jail? Ex-Labour party embezzler fined The probe focused on the Motherwell and Wishaw constituencyA former Labour treasurer has been fined £2,400 for embezzling £11,000 from party funds in the constituency of First Minister Jack McConnell.Elizabeth Wilson siphoned the money from the Motherwell and Wishaw branch and from a fund-raising dinner account.The 62-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this month to one charge of … Continue reading When Jack McConnell’s constituency treasurer stole £11 000 over 5 years, 22 years ago, she only got a £2 400 fine not the jail because ‘times’ had ‘moved on’

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UK Labour Government’s NHS Modernisation Bill expected to save only 0.009% of budget!

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In the Guardian today, the above headline and: Sharing access to patients’ health data across NHS providers in England could result in 20,000 fewer A&E visits a year and save £20m annually, the government has claimed, before the second reading of the NHS modernisation bill on Monday. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/01/single-patient-records-sharing-health-data-nhs-england There were 16.8 million Type 1 (major consultant-led) A&E attendances in England for financial year 2024/25 (April 2024–March 2025) and the total NHS England budget is £208 000 000 000! https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/accident-emergency-waiting-times https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c3f313471d520038d0f5e3/2025-to-2026-revised-financial-directions-to-NHS-England.pdf So that 20 000 visits is a cut of only 0.12% and the budget cut of £20m is only 0.009%! Labour do … Continue reading UK Labour Government’s NHS Modernisation Bill expected to save only 0.009% of budget!

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Scotland’s additional stricter regulations mean that none of 18 000 nurses with possible criminal records in England could be registered to work here

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From Nursing Standard, four days ago, the above and: Hundreds of nurses are set to have their registrations reviewed after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) failed to follow due process for declaring health conditions and criminal convictions for 12 years.  A member of staff raised concerns about an historical failure to consistently refer declarations of health issues and criminal records to an assistant registrar, which led to an initial review of more than 18,000 registrants. That review determined that no further action was required in 17,639 cases. https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/hundreds-of-nurses-to-have-nmc-registration-info-reassessed-after-astounding-failure-222771?utm_campaign=WEEKLY%20BRIEFING%2001.06.26%20-%20REG&utm_content=ZONE%201%20LINK%201%20NEWS%20Hundreds%20of%20nurses%20to%20have%20NMC%20registration%20info%20reassessed%20after%20%27astounding%20fai&utm_term=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra&check_logged_in=1 Might unique NHS Scotland regulations practices and procedures make this less likely even … Continue reading Scotland’s additional stricter regulations mean that none of 18 000 nurses with possible criminal records in England could be registered to work here

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Latest poll suggests SNP support apparently immune to media feeding frenzies and the Nicola witch-hunt

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In the days since Peter Murrell was found guilty of embezzling SNP member’s funds, we’ve seen an astonishing and sickening feeding frenzy with commentators from every part joining in and frankly disgusting misogynistic attacks on his wife. Ever the optimist, informed by our recovery from all the other exposures, I looked forward to the next polls, expecting but never certain, that they’d reveal the eternal truth of the SNP and its core with regard to such media attacks -‘WE DO NOT GIVE A F***K WHAT YOU SAY!’ I was correct again and in spades. We’ve already had: and: but now, … Continue reading Latest poll suggests SNP support apparently immune to media feeding frenzies and the Nicola witch-hunt

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‘Two decades of havoc’ – Here’s what a real, current, international expert ON EDUCATION knows of the PISA testing loved by Scotland’s only user, Lindsay Paterson

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By stewartb It’s not that hard to find educationalists internationally who are either sceptical or straightforwardly negative about the OECD’s PISA rankings. This from one ‘expert’ in a peer reviewed journal: Zhao, Y. Two decades of havoc: A synthesis of criticism against PISA. J Educ Change 21, 245–266 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-019-09367-x Abstract: ‘The Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) has become one of the most influential forces in global education. The growing influence has been accompanied by growing criticism. For nearly two decades since the first round of PISA was conducted in 2000, the global assessment program has been roundly scrutinized and criticized by education … Continue reading ‘Two decades of havoc’ – Here’s what a real, current, international expert ON EDUCATION knows of the PISA testing loved by Scotland’s only user, Lindsay Paterson

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Major comparative study by respected Nuffield Foundation found higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland in the Sturgeon era than in other parts of the UK

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Note – Do you think Prof Paterson noticed this at the time? Professor John Robertson OBA, for nearly 40 years a schoolteacher, a teacher education lecturer, Associate Dean for Quality Assurance, research methods lecturer, PhD supervisor and Faculty Research Ethics Chair From Comparing inequality and outcomes across post-16 education in the UK, published in August 2025, utterly ignored at the time but worth revisiting in the light of the current witch-hunt of the First Minister in whose time these achievements were made: Since the formal introduction of devolution in the late 1990s, post-16 education and training (E&T)has looked increasingly different across the four nations of … Continue reading Major comparative study by respected Nuffield Foundation found higher educational achievement across the board in Scotland in the Sturgeon era than in other parts of the UK