Scotland is currently transferring 1.69TWh of electricity per month to England, more than 20TWh in 2023 and on some days (above graph) pushing 30TWh. You could fully power 70 000 homes for 1TWh. There are fewer than that in the whole UK. With the rest, you could power all the hospitals, schools, colleges and universities and still have some left. https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-customers-surpass-1-terawatt-of-energy-savings-through-my-home-energy-report-program 1TWh would sell globally for about $120 000 per hour, so on that basis Scotland’s 20TWh could generate $2.8m every hour or $1bn every day or $365 billion per year. So much for that £1bn SNP black hole in … Continue reading Scotland’s electricity transfers to England are worth $365 billion per year

From Public Health Scotland today, for November 2023: 15,532 (65.1%) of ED attendances were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours.Attendances of over 8 hours 2,572 (10.8%) patients spent more than 8 hours in an Emergency Department.Attendances of over 12 hours 960 (4%) patients spent more than 12 hours in an Emergency Department. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/our-areas-of-work/acute-and-emergency-services/urgent-and-unscheduled-care/accident-and-emergency/#section-2-2 The equivalent figures for NHS England, were 55.4% within four hours and for 12 hours, a shocking 42 854! https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2023-24/ So, for 4 hours, NHS Scotland was 18% faster. On >12 hour waits, with 10 times the population, NHS England might haver been … Continue reading More than FOUR TIMES as many, proportionally, wait more than 12 hours in England’s A&E departments than in Scotland!

BBC Norfolk’s reporters are concerned about lack of space in one GP practice but not about lack of GPs in another. Mundesley Medical Centre plans to operate with no GPs at all and just one part-trained Physician Associate: Local MP, Duncan Baker (Con) is young, fit and on £93 000 MP salary plus being ‘a beneficiary of the MJM Baker Discretionary Will Trust, a trust with property and investment income (undeclared)’ doesn’t need the NHS, thank you very much: Why am I telling you this? As Anas Sarwar says ‘We don’t care about Norfolk, we want more GPs here!’ Well, … Continue reading A GP surgery with no GPs at all! BBC Norfolk are unconcerned

From the Scottish Government on 18 December but ignored by the media: A new income tax band will raise additional revenue to deliver high quality public services and support the social contract with Scotland’s people, Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary Shona Robison has announced. The Advanced rate band will apply a 45% tax rate on annual income between £75,000 and £125,140. Other changes include an additional 1p being added to the Top rate of tax and the Starter and Basic rate bands increasing in line with inflation. There are no changes to the Starter, Basic, Intermediate and Higher tax … Continue reading Scottish Government to raise £1.5bn more in income tax revenue than if it had followed the policy of the UK Government

The Telegraph front page for readers in Scotland places deaths associated with NHS strikes only in England and a London stabbing death alongside another ‘Sturgeon’ story. The first impression is that these deaths occur in Scotland and that, once more, the SNP have failed in some way. I’ve tackled the stabbing deaths already this morning at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2024/01/02/why-is-reporting-of-far-fewer-deaths-by-stabbing-in-scotland-not-in-the-public-interest-when-reporting-higher-drug-deaths-is/ The Telegraph report claims to have analysed ONS figures for England, Wales and Scotland to reveal 52 698 more deaths than would have been expected in 2023. There is, perhaps conveniently for them, no breakdown of the data for the three countries nor … Continue reading Telegraph reporting links England’s hospital and stabbing deaths to Scotland

Expectant mothers and their families are particularly vulnerable to stress and sensationalised media reporting aimed at shock, is frankly dangerous for them. The Herald today has the above report headlining ‘inadequate’ staffing based on recording at the beginning of shifts in neonatal units but only several paragraphs later acknowledging that health boards ensure staff relocation to mitigate these initial shortages. In 2023, the total number of midwives in Scotland had grown from 3 529 to 3612. https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/data-reports/may-2023/0110d-annual-data-report-scotland-web.pdf As for the ‘spikes’ in deaths, this is misrepresentation of longer terms trends within which their are fluctuations due to multiple and complex … Continue reading Neonatal death – Herald’s irresponsible misrepresentation risks lives