How under Scottish Labour, hospitals were ‘death traps’ of hospital acquired infections and how Nicola Sturgeon sorted it
Professor John Robertson OBA I’m grateful to one of our Anons and to Arty Hetty for alerting me to this, in the wake of Jackie Baillie’s scurrilous misuse of statistics to suggest Scotland’s hospitals were ‘death traps‘ for old folk falling. People should be reminded that when JB was in government Scottish hospitals were death traps due to hospital acquired infections, which were affecting 10% of patients when Labour left office. The rate has now been halved and Scotland’s rate is lower than that in England and lower than the OECD average. I had a friend who worked at major … Continue reading How under Scottish Labour, hospitals were ‘death traps’ of hospital acquired infections and how Nicola Sturgeon sorted it
How the poverty-related attainment gap is not politicised in England & Wales
By stewartb I asked ChatGPT this question: ‘Is the poverty-related attainment gap as politicised by opposition political parties and the news media in England and Wales as in Scotland? And why? This is its response summary: ‘Scotland has experienced intense political and media scrutiny because poverty-related attainment gap metrics are explicitly tied to government pledges. Successes and failures are amplified and often politicized. ‘In England and Wales, the attainment gap is treated more as a persistent structural problem, less as a political litmus test. Media and opposition criticism focus on general educational standards, funding, and recovery programmes, rather than direct failure … Continue reading How the poverty-related attainment gap is not politicised in England & Wales
School qualification achievement by deprived students surges by up to THREE times in SNP era
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 Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition published in February 2025 (most recent figures), we can see that between academic years 2009/20120 and 2023/2024: Nearly three times as many pupils from the most disadvantaged 20% of the population and nearly twice as many from the next most deprived 20%, achieved 1 or more Advanced Highers (SCQF Level 7). At Level 6 or better, for Highers and above, there was … Continue reading School qualification achievement by deprived students surges by up to THREE times in SNP era
Jackie Baillie’s lies about so-called hospital ‘death traps’ exposed, based on dishonest use of freedom of information statistics, as hospital falls plummet from 2022 peak
Professor John Robertson OBA You’ve all seen the claims about increasing hospital falls figures from a Freedom of Information request by Scottish Labour, in an attempt to provide Jackie Baillie with ammunition to attack the SNP, as in this from the Record: Hospitals have been branded as “death traps for the frail” after over 250,000 falls were recorded. Nine out of fourteen health boards have seen an increase in fall as the SNP Government were urged to make the health service safer. The full data above tell a different story. After peaking in 2022, the total number in 2024 is significantly down, not … Continue reading Jackie Baillie’s lies about so-called hospital ‘death traps’ exposed, based on dishonest use of freedom of information statistics, as hospital falls plummet from 2022 peak
Improvement in attainment WITHIN the disadvantaged group matters and the SNP have doubled it in only 10 years but narrowing the ‘gap’ BETWEEN groups is both far less important and largely beyond all of us
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 The ‘Scottish’ media are frothing today about the SNP failing to narrow the attainment gap between those students from the most and the least deprived areas. In my 50 years researching and thinking, talking with colleagues across school and higher education, I’ve never met anyone who thinks we should be worrying about or trying to do anything about narrowing the class-based gap. Only in Albania and Maoist China were the gaps … Continue reading Improvement in attainment WITHIN the disadvantaged group matters and the SNP have doubled it in only 10 years but narrowing the ‘gap’ BETWEEN groups is both far less important and largely beyond all of us
I could teach a 10 year-old to explain why overall cancer waiting times increase when demand increases, when patients and medics call off in winter, and why the 94% with a positive diagnosis treated in 31 days is crucial, but BBC Scotland?
Professor John Robertson OBA Today, BBC Scotland use a Scottish Government announcement of new tests to speed up cancer treatment as an excuse to say they ‘come after waiting times are worst on record.’ On June 24th, the ‘Scottish’ media were positively frothing with delight at the above one-quarter dip in the the number of patients treated for cancer within 62 days. What’s wrong with the reporting? First, they ignored the 94.1% treated within 31 days after a positive diagnosis, which is crucial. Second, they are, of course, not mentioning the bits in bold below reporting increased demand: There were 4,373 eligible referrals for … Continue reading I could teach a 10 year-old to explain why overall cancer waiting times increase when demand increases, when patients and medics call off in winter, and why the 94% with a positive diagnosis treated in 31 days is crucial, but BBC Scotland?
The Scottish values that Reform UK cannot align with, but which produce an ‘impenetrable wall’ of support for the SNP?
Professor John Robertson OBA My column in this month’s Scots Independent: A recent survey by pollster More in Common for GB News, has cast doubt on Reform UK’s prospects in Scotland and suggests an ‘impenetrable wall’ of support for the SNP. On 19 July 2025, GB News reported: Reform UK’s hopes of generating a tartan tidal wave have been handed a damning verdict as a pollster has told GB News that the party’s values do not fully resonate with Scottish voters. According to a recent MRP poll by think tank More in Common, the SNP is set to make a major comeback in … Continue reading The Scottish values that Reform UK cannot align with, but which produce an ‘impenetrable wall’ of support for the SNP?
New analysis reveals NHS Scotland’s Type 1 A&E departments treat almost twice as many per head within 4 hours as NHS England
Professor John Robertson OBA In June 2025, NHS Scotland treated 66.1% of 140 854 patients within 4 hours1 and NHS England did 61.7% of 881 692 in the same time. 2 Now that 4.4% difference doesn’t look much but look at the raw numbers treated. With 10 times the population, you’d expect NHS England to be treating 1.4 million and not just 880 692. So, NHS Scotland treats 66.1% of 140 854 or 93 104 folk in 4 hours and NHS England does 61.7% of 880 692 or 543 387. If NHS England had the expected 1.4m attending Type 1 … Continue reading New analysis reveals NHS Scotland’s Type 1 A&E departments treat almost twice as many per head within 4 hours as NHS England
A&E – 6 000 Scots treated on time who would not have been had they lived in England and nearly 40 000 folk in England NOT treated on time who would have been had they lived in a place like Scotland
Professor John Robertson OBA In June 2025, 140 854 people attended Type 1 emergency departments in Scotland and 66.1% were treated within the target time of 4 hours.1 In England, the equivalent figures were 881 692 and 61.7%. Critics will note only a 4.4% difference and both well below the 95% target but percentages need to be put in context. That 4.4% difference means around 6 000 Scots treated on time, in one month, who would not have been had they lived in England and more than 38 000 folk in England not treated on time in one month, who … Continue reading A&E – 6 000 Scots treated on time who would not have been had they lived in England and nearly 40 000 folk in England NOT treated on time who would have been had they lived in a place like Scotland
As BBC Scotland anticipate a widening attainment gap today, how the SNP HAS CLOSED the attainment gap within Scottish schools and WIDENED it with England
Professor John Robertson OBA This morning BBC UK’s Scotland Correspondent repeated the old ‘concerns about the Scottish Government’s failure to close the attainment gap.‘ It’s a lie. From the Scottish Government’s Literacy and numeracy standards reach record high report in December 2024: The proportion of pupils achieving the expected level in literacy and numeracy across primary and secondary schools has reached a new high, officials figures show. For numeracy, a record 80.3% of pupils across P1, P4 and P7 reached expected levels, while S3 also reached a new high of 90.3%. For literacy, achievement is also now at a record high … Continue reading As BBC Scotland anticipate a widening attainment gap today, how the SNP HAS CLOSED the attainment gap within Scottish schools and WIDENED it with England
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