Scottish Emergency departments holding steady despite demand increasing by 21% and performing 5% better than NHS England yet seeing 25% more patients per head
By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today, we see that 65.8% of all admissions to full emergency departments (ED) were treated within 4 hours in August 2024, down roughly 10% on January 2020 but now at the same level since January 2023. In the same period, demand increased from 110 742 to 133 454, up 20.9%. In NHS England: From NHS England, we see that 62.5% of all admissions to full emergency departments (Type 1) were treated within 4 hours in August 2024, similar to January 2020 and at roughly the same level since January then. In the … Continue reading Scottish Emergency departments holding steady despite demand increasing by 21% and performing 5% better than NHS England yet seeing 25% more patients per head
NHS Scotland’s stunning 98% completion rate as operations return steadily to pre-pandemic levels
By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, the above graph illustrating the long-term trends in increasing numbers of planned operations being carried (bold black dotted line) out on time (24 000 per month), and only around 2% having to be cancelled (thin grey solid line) due to ‘non clinical / capacity reasons’, meaning unexpected staff illnesses or overload on operating theatres caused by, for example, industrial or road traffic accidents or infection outbreaks in larger institutions with large numbers of unexpected patients at serious risk. That 98% of thousands of planned operations in an organisation as large and complex … Continue reading NHS Scotland’s stunning 98% completion rate as operations return steadily to pre-pandemic levels
No BBC Scotland report allows comparative analysis of matters across the nations of the UK unless…
stewartb ‘The BBC Scotland report does not mention ………………….Wales’ No BBC Scotland report allows comparative analysis of matters across the nations of the UK unless … you know what! And no British Labour Party politician in Scotland acknowledges the validity of comparing matters in Scotland with equivalents in British Labour Party run Wales. On education and the experiences of young people in Wales, the following report (March 2024) from the BBC’s much favoured, ‘authoritative’ think tank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies must never be referred to in the hearing of a potential Labour voter in Scotland! Source https://ifs.org.uk/publications/major-challenges-education-wales The IFS report concludes: … Continue reading No BBC Scotland report allows comparative analysis of matters across the nations of the UK unless…
Valentine’s Day Massacre of the Truth
Anonymous The new Director of BBC Scotland has been announced. It is Hayley Valentine. Same Hayley Valentine who in 2019 was reported as saying this: “I was involved in our referendum programming. I will defend it to accusations of bias until my dying day. I firmly believe that the BBC is not biased, that there is no agenda.” So it seems, as per, that there will be ‘no change then at the BBC in Scotland with their particular brand of preferred propaganda’. Hayley Valentine is currently the head of BBC Midlands. However to add salt onto the (Scottish) wounds this appointment was hailed by the BBC director general Tim Davie ( a former Tory candidate) as being a positive for … Continue reading Valentine’s Day Massacre of the Truth
‘Controversial’ teacher job cuts put into perspective
By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, cramming as much industrial dispute as they can into the 4 minutes BBC Breakfast give them, return excitedly to Glasgow. Here’s what they never tell you: First: Second: From 2017 to 2023, the number of pupils in Scotland’s state schools has increased from 688 959 to 705 528, by 2.4%. In the same period, the number of teachers has increased from 51 513 to 54 033, by 4.9%. In the same period, the ratio of pupils to teachers has fallen (improved) from 13.6 to 13.2.2 This is the lowest (best) in the UK, compared with PTRs of 18 in … Continue reading ‘Controversial’ teacher job cuts put into perspective
As BBC Scotland suggest Scottish Government is treating police with contempt as pay deal goes through usual channels, the bigger picture – lower crime levels, the complete absence of riots and the police staffing levels to be able to help other countries…..after 17 years of the SNP in charge
By Professor John Robertson Today, BBC Reporting Scotland has an unnamed source claiming that the Scottish Government is treating police officers with ‘contempt’, because they’re taking a bit of time to settle their pay claim. In truth, the deal is just going through the usual channels and the Scottish Government is not involved at this stage. The report, of course has no context. Here’s some: First: Officers in Scotland are immediately better off than other forces, and exceed the UK average salary within just 2 years of service. https://www.ranksuccess.co.uk/officersalary.html Second: https://policepromotion.blog/2024/03/07/2024-police-officer-numbers-across-uk-and-beyond/ Significantly more officers per head of population in Scotland despite as … Continue reading As BBC Scotland suggest Scottish Government is treating police with contempt as pay deal goes through usual channels, the bigger picture – lower crime levels, the complete absence of riots and the police staffing levels to be able to help other countries…..after 17 years of the SNP in charge
BBC Scotland go to Cornwall to suggest an energy powerhouse like Scotland is subject to global events like every other country
As the energy companies announce a 10% hike, BBC Scotland went to visit locals who will struggle, then tried to explain it all way as due to ‘global events’ that cannot be avoided, using in a surreal manner, a woman from Cornwall Insight for evidence. You can be sure that Norwegian news broadcasters are not telling their viewers that Norway is helpless in the face of global events. Why? Because they have the oil, gas and wind power to be able to protect their population from exploitation. Is Norway unique? Well, I know a country with the same population (c5 … Continue reading BBC Scotland go to Cornwall to suggest an energy powerhouse like Scotland is subject to global events like every other country
As Lebanese teachers’ union leader is murdered by British weapons will former Scottish GMB leader agree the factories should shut?
In April 2020, Scottish GMB leader at the time, Gary Smith, joined with private care home owner Robert Kilgour to try to shift the blame for care home Covid infections and subsequent deaths onto the SNP Government. Today, we read: Lebanese teachers’ union head Fateh al-Sharif has been murdered, along with his wife and his two children, by an Israeli missile strike targeted at their home in a refugee camp in southern Lebanon. The attack almost certainly used weapons made in, or using components made in, the UK – either fighter jets or Elbit Systems attack drones. GMB boss Gary … Continue reading As Lebanese teachers’ union leader is murdered by British weapons will former Scottish GMB leader agree the factories should shut?
The Cruachan scheme demonstrated the feasibility of reversible pumped-storage systems nearly 60 years ago
By Alasdair Macdonald It is a long time since the Cruachan scheme was built which demonstrated the feasibility of such projects at a time when UK Government policy was about oil, gas and nuclear, with some continuing coal use. Such schemes were for ‘remote areas’, like Scotland. The main drawback is higher start up costs – the Cruachan scheme entails hollowing out a mountain. This kind of expenditure is often too much for governments which usually think only in terms of 4/5 year election cycles and, for many investors, this kind of time frame is too long to make a … Continue reading The Cruachan scheme demonstrated the feasibility of reversible pumped-storage systems nearly 60 years ago
WONDER WALL Massive £1.5bn dam correctly named Scotland’s ‘biggest battery’ is too big already!
Yes, I do have an alert that allows reports in the Sun. It’s important as even more folk read it than watch BBC Scotland News. In the Sun, two days ago: A HUGE dam nicknamed ‘Britain’s biggest battery’ is due to be built on the shores of a Scottish loch and is expected to provide power for millions of homes. Coire Glas is the name of the huge energy storage facility that will harness power from water as it falls 1,640 feet in the Scottish Highlands. Wait, 3 million homes? As of 2023, there were an estimated 2.54 million households in Scotland, which is a 14% increase from 2003. … Continue reading WONDER WALL Massive £1.5bn dam correctly named Scotland’s ‘biggest battery’ is too big already!
