The Guardian today enthuses: The UK’s electricity system recorded its “greenest” ever month in May after running without coal-fired electricity for a full calendar month. The National Grid, the energy system operator, said the country’s sunniest spring on record helped generate enough solar power to reduce the carbon intensity of the grid to its lowest level ever recorded. The bright and breezy weather helped wind and solar power make up about 28% of Britain’s electricity last month, narrowly behind gas-fired power generation, which made up 30% of the energy mix.  The report doesn’t mention Scotland. Why should it mention Scotland? Just … Continue reading Scotland fuels UK’s first ever coal-free electricity month yet must pay for the privilege

4% of the population yet only 1% of the Covid-19 deaths In the Herald today: Matt Hancock has insisted “black lives matter” as he published a new review which found black, Asian and minority ethnic people were at significantly higher risk of dying from the coronavirus. The study, from Public Health England, looked at the risk factors for coronavirus and found BAME individuals had a much higher risk of death than white people as do those from poorer backgrounds, men and anyone who is obese or suffering from diabetes. Might a writer for a Scottish newspaper ask the obvious question as to the … Continue reading Why are Covid deaths 4 times more common among ‘white’ Scots than BAME groups

Readers may remember the BBC Scotland health correspondent referring to Tayside’s oncology department as ‘dysfunctional’ after they used a lower chemotherapy dose but when it emerged that the patient outcomes were no different, forgetting to apologise. Before that their mental health services had been exposed as supposedly abusive, based on one whistle-blower and an investigation by a legal expert who clearly knew nothing of research methods and generated an enormous but largely padded report. And before that, when they had sacked a senior member of staff for financial, not-criminal, misjudgements, they spent days on the case with reports peppered by … Continue reading NHS Tayside treats 98% of emergency patients within 4 hours and is second-best in UK!

The target is 95%! There have been calls for the Health Secretary to resign. From NHS Scotland: 94.9% of attendances at A&E services were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours. 163 (0.3%) patients spent more than 8 hours in an A&E department. 14 (<0.1%) patients spent more than 12 hours in an A&E department. 33.2% of attendances led to an admission to hospital. https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ In England, 87.2% were seen in 4 hours up from 76.2% in March. There have been calls for Matt Hancock to get an award. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2020-21/ Continue reading NHS Scotland only treats 94.9% of emergency patients within 4 hours!

From stewartb: On 1 June the Edinburgh Evening News provided Ian Murray with a platform once again to demonstrate simple acceptance of Scotland’s lack of agency – of Scotland’s democratic deficit – within this ‘precious Union’. Source: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus/edinburgh-would-be-hardest-hit-double-whammy-coronavirus-and-no-deal-brexit-2869895 ‘Agency – the capacity of an actor to act in a given environment’ Mr Murray’s latest contribution is based on a new report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) (see link below). It considers the likely economic impact of coronavirus and of different Brexit outcomes on the economies of the UK, its nations, regions and local areas. Mr Murray is reported as … Continue reading Facing ‘catastrophe’ – who needs agency when a Tory promise should suffice? … in the world of Mr Ian Murray MP

I don’t know about you but I’ve never imagined that Lisa Summers thought she was part of the same community which would be responsible for restarting the NHS. Surely it’s those SNP ministers who should have to do that for us? After the endless reports of single, supposed, errors, preferably with crying relatives, leaked to her by Anas Sarwar or Miles Briggs, I’ve clearly misjudged her. Before getting to the serious inadequacies of the report, I must enjoy myself with the grammar. Lisa writes: Then there is the lost 10 weeks. That gives me the chance to be the Grammar … Continue reading ‘There is [sic] the lost 10 weeks!’ BBC Scotland’s health correspondent worries how can ‘we’ restart the NHS

The Herald, today, report official figures indicating 1 431 patients were discharged out of hospitals into care homes. Scotland’s MSM and opposition parties are desperate to link the discharges, Scottish Government testing policy and the deaths together but the evidence is not there. We know that, until mid-April, some were admitted without having been tested. All would, of course, have been assessed by a doctor beforehand for suitability to be discharged. While some may have been infected but asymptomatic, we know that testing of this group is unreliable. Care homes were expected to isolate new arrivals so symptoms would have … Continue reading Of the 1 431 patients discharged to care homes did any cause the outbreaks there?

Test and Protect – NHS Scotland’s approach to controlling the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community – will be rolled out across all health boards from Thursday, May 28. From that date, everyone aged five and over who has COVID-19 symptoms of a new continuous cough, temperature or loss or change in sense of taste or smell should go to NHS Inform online or call 0800 028 2816 to book a test. https://www.gov.scot/news/test-and-protect-rolled-out-nationally/ Hear the silence? Why are there no MSM reports. Surely Sarah Smith can find one case to report? Some media theorists call this a spiral of … Continue reading Scotland’s test and trace system is 5 days old but news reporting has fallen into a spiral of silence familiar to those who study the Nazis

How many times have I had to list this real evidence that the Scottsih Government HAS a better ‘covid record?’ So, once more: The FT and Common Weal are just blinkered if they think these are just PR: Higher recovery rate Lower excess mortality rate Mortality among BAME groups is lower than in ‘white’ population Death rate in care homes is lower than in England Mortality among key workers is lower: Assessment centres protected GP surgeries Better staffing Cleaner hospitals Better Government leadership Evidence (Facts, you know?) below: Higher recovery rate: According to GlobalData Epidemiologist Bahram Hassanpourfard, the global recovery rate is … Continue reading Scotland’s Covid record is NOT flattered, FT and Common Weal! If you did some research you’d know better

This letter by ‘Letters’ in the Herald seems to base its argument on currency uncertainty affecting the ability to borrow and the collapsed oil prices but, if we had left the Union by, say 2016, we’d have had several years of quite high oil prices and be using the Euro. Far more important we’d only be watching with sadness the horrors that the Johnson regime is inflicting on the people of Rumpuk. Like the other small nations of Northern Europe, we’d have locked down weeks earlier and, crucially, we’d be controlling the flow of air travellers into Scotland. Probably, after … Continue reading The cost of Union did hit the Covid fight