From Public Health Scotland today: During April 2024, there were 23,482 operations planned to take place across NHSScotland. This is 18.4% higher than the number planned a year previously in April 2023 (19,840)…(only) 426 (1.8%) were cancelled by the hospital due to capacity or non-clinical reasons. This is frankly astonishing performance in a institution carrying out around one-quarter of a million ops, with 182 000 staff across 35 hospital https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancelled-planned-operations/cancelled-planned-operations-month-ending-30-april-2024 Does the SNP get the credit after 17 years? If the news was bad, they would. Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and equipped to complete more than 98% of planned operations on time

From Public Health Scotland, today: 86.0% of children and young people were seen within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from 83.8% for the previous quarter and from the 74.2% for the same quarter ending March 2023. The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times-quarter-ending-march-2024/ In NHS England? 18 weeks? 86%? Only 72% were seen within 52 weeks! https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2024/03/Childrens-mental-health-services-22-23_CCo-final-report.pdf Continue reading 86% of young mental health patients seen within 18 week target as performance nears 90% target – NHS England? Don’t ask!

From Public Health Scotland, today: 79.3% of people of all ages started their treatment within 18 weeks of referral, compared to 80.6% of people for the previous quarter, and 80.0% of people for the quarter ending March 2023. The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of people should start their treatment within 18 weeks of referral to psychological therapies. 50% of the people of all ages starting treatment started within 4 weeks of referral. 18,776 people of all ages started psychological therapies treatment in NHS Boards in the quarter ending March 2024. This is an increase of 1.7% (319) from … Continue reading Psychological treatment – NHS Scotland regularly beats the NHS Wales target they cannot ever meet under Labour

We’ve had a run of very negative polls recently, including YouGov, Savanta and Survation, based on weighting of their sample in line with the 2014 data to a ratio of 45/55 Y/N. I can’t see the weighting for this. It may have adopted the more updated 2024 data to a ratio of 49/51 Y/N weighting used by Ipsos. Today, More in Common‘s MRP poll predicts ‘only’ 13 losses for the SNP: https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/general-election-2024/mrp/ More in Common‘s founders/owners, as with Ipsos, are international and non-partisan with regard to Scotland, as far as I can see. Continue reading Latest poll has SNP retaining 35 seats

From the Guardian’s Chicago health editor (?) today: The number of people under 50 being diagnosed with cancer in the UK [sic] has risen 24% in two decades, a sharper increase than any other age group, according to figures experts say are likely linked to soaring obesity levels, cheap junk food and inactivity. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/02/cancer-rates-under-50s-rise-24-percent-obesity-junk-food-inactivity From Public Health Scotland in March 2023 (latest data), in the 5 year period 2017/2021, there were 15 527 cases among those 0-49 years and in the period 2016/2020, there were 15 403. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-incidence-in-scotland/cancer-incidence-in-scotland-to-december-2021/ That’s a statistically insignificant increase of 124 or 0.8%, less than 1%. … Continue reading Cancer rate growth among under-50s in Scotland increasing by less than 1%