Where was Gordon Brewer in 2003 when Labour-run Scotland’s hospitals were filthy and under-staffed? Who was the Secretary of State for Health. Did his head have to roll? From the Guardian on June 21st 2003: A survey a few weeks ago found that 40% of Scottish hospital wards do not have enough nurses. Those in the rest of the UK fare little better. Overstretched staff run from bed to bed, and in the frenzy of a busy acute medical or surgical ward, often fail to wash their hands between patients. Doctors also un wittingly spread infection – a recent survey … Continue reading Where was Gordon Brewer’s crisis in public confidence when two died FROM hospital superbugs in Scottish Labour’s filthy and understaffed hospitals?

‘We are now facing, particularly after some of the stuff that’s been in the newspapers today, a crisis of public confidence, whatever their abilities and all the rest of it (sic), you need to replace the leadership of that health board and you need to do it now!’ He said that after a long painful interrogation where he merely revealed his lack of grasp of how things happen in large organisations but it’s that sentence that reveals the most about either his duplicity or his stupidity. Leaving aside his astonishing arrogance and patronising manner toward a woman whose abilities cast … Continue reading He thinks he’s something but he’s no that bright, is he, that Gordon Brewer?

From the BBC yesterday and being looked at again on breakfast TV: GPs have voted to reduce visits to patients’ homes, saying they “no longer have the capacity” to offer them.Doctors supported the proposal at a meeting of English local medical committees in London on Friday. It means British Medical Association (BMA) representatives will lobby NHS England to stop home visits being a contractual obligation. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50527179 BBC Scotland have been quiet on the topic, presumably because Scottish GPs are not threatening anything, though the Herald have managed to find a ‘campaigner’ to headline for them her own story of out-of-hours … Continue reading Dear Boris, why are Scottish GPs NOT voting to reduce home visits?

From HM Government: 2019 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery October 2019: In the year to March 2019, police in England and Wales recorded 5,059 modern slavery offences, a 49% increase on the previous year. Police Scotland recorded 159 crimes for human trafficking and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) recorded 38 offences. (7) Scotland has around one twelfth of the population of England and Wales so, all things being equal, might be expected to have around 420 offences recorded but has, in fact, only 159. 1625 UK nationals, mostly children, were referred as potential victims of slavery. Scotland … Continue reading Modern slavery rate in Scotland is only one third of that across rUK and there were NO ‘Scottish’ victims

I’m sure you’re not surprised to see the venomous wee Brian Wilson join in with the media demonising of a senior SNP politician in the purdah period before an election. Notice her title in the headline? Why not Scottish Government Health Secretary? Now, maybe it’s just a coincidence, but have health secretaries in England, Wales and N Ireland been forced out by media campaigns, as Shona Robison was? Freeman is the only woman health secretary in the four parts of the UK, currently. Also, angst-ridden images of Freeman are everywhere but the other three remain invisible. As for Wilson, well: Continue reading Brian ‘SNP Bad Vibrations’ Wilson the Scotsman’s woman health secretary assassin for today

For the EIGHTH day in a row BBC Scotland have headlined the supposed crisis at the new Southern General and, on most of those, have used an image of an anxious Health Secretary. STV, like any tabloid news agency, have fed on the victim too but have been far less consistently dramatic, personal or political. Today’s reports highlight the difference between the two. The state broadcaster is hammering home an attempt to damage the SNP in the purdah period of an election. STV, part of a corporate business will exploit any trauma they think will attract viewers. Compare the two … Continue reading Kill or cure? The state broadcaster seeks to punish a hospital and damage a senior woman politician with more fabrication

Ludo Thierry Three quick positives gleaned from the news.gov.scot site which I suspect mightn’t see the light of day on BBC Scotland or similar. Links and snippets below: Scotland’s Chief Statistician released the Homelessness in Scotland: 2018/19 – Equalities Breakdowns. From 2008-09 to 2018-19 there has been a 57% reduction in homelessness applications from under-25s, including a 68% reduction in applications from 16-17-year-olds, compared to a reduction of 37% in all homelessness applications. https://news.gov.scot/news/homelessness-equalities-statistics-published Pesticide use on arable crops grown in Scotland in 2018 has declined according to a new report. A reduction in the use of rodenticides used to … Continue reading Homelessness, pesticides and by-elections update

Continue reading NHS Scotland deaths every day yet SNP at 50%, victims of crime, election-delayed reports

In Holyrood on Tuesday: Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response is to reports that doctors are retiring before reaching the state pension age because of overwork. He’d asked almost the same question, also devoid of any evidence, in April, but it got media attention We were able to write: An anonymous Freedom of Information request has revealed today that contrary to Cole-Hamilton’s predictions last April, fewer GPs are retiring early. See this: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00620/ Continue reading Fewer doctors retiring early due to overwork but Scottish Dim Leb doesn’t like that so just asks again

In Holyrood on Tuesday, Maurice Golden (SCAUP) asked the Scottish Government whether the Forestry Commission’s new Woodland Carbon Guarantee is a model that it would consider for use in Scotland? Fergus Ewing replied straightaway that the Woodland Carbon Guarantee has been designed to help address the relatively high costs of woodland creation in many parts of England, which have been identified as a significant barrier to the achievement of England’s planting targets. These costs are not reflected in Scotland, where 84% of all new UK woodland was established in 2018-19. Click to access WA20191119.pdf In case Golden doesn’t believe the … Continue reading Scottish Tory suggests Scotland adopts failing UK woodland strategy