There’s no actual evidence in the above reports from a trade union, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (Scotland) and their shop steward (vice-president), inaccurately described as a ‘leading medic’ and a ‘medical body’ or any ‘disaster’, so here is some: On the supposed cancer care ‘disaster’ costing lives, 94.3% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard in July-September 2022. There had been a 2.2% increase in the number referred. The target is 95%. 95.5% started treatment within 31 days in the previous quarter. Disaster? Really? https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2022/ Despite reduced treatment during the pandemic, cancer deaths continued their downward trend: … Continue reading Disgusting scare-mongering by health trade union

BBC UK used the above map to inform folk across the UK about today’s worrying nurse strikes. BBC Scotland, luckily for them, could just ignore it because they had hundreds off grid, due to snow, in Shetland to focus on. Thank goodness for that. I could have flown to Shetland today and got stuck if they hadn’t warned me. Well it is a bit tasteless I suppose. It kind of suggests Scots are better off today and some folk might even think the Scottish Government, that SNP one, spoke to the nurses and offered them a better, more progressive, deal. … Continue reading Reporting Scotland refuse offer of informative map on nursing strikes

From Public Health Scotland today: The number of examinations paid in October 2022 was 239,774; an increase of 7% compared to September 2022 (223,055). There were 323,896 NHS primary dental claims in October 2022. This represents an increase of 6% from 305,419 in September 2022. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-dental-treatment-statistics/nhs-dental-treatment-statistics-month-ending-31-october-2022/ At the beginning of 2022, only around 200 000 were being seen every month. Continue reading 62% increase in NHS dentistry since beginning of 2022

From Public Health Scotland today: The 31-day standard states that 95% of all patients should wait no more than 31 days from decision to treat to first cancer treatment. 6,459 eligible patients were referred within the 31-day standard, an increase of 1.2% from the previous quarter, and an increase of 1.1% from the quarter ending 31 December 2019. 94.3% of patients started treatment within the 31-day standard, compared with 95.5% in the previous quarter, and 96.5% in the quarter ending 31 December 2019. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-waiting-times/cancer-waiting-times-1-july-to-30-september-2022/ Continue reading 94.3% of cancer patients treated within 31-day target

In the Guardian today: The number of operations cancelled by the NHS in England because of staff shortages may have doubled in three years, with an estimated 30,000 not proceeding because no staff were available to perform them. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/12/nhs-operations-cancelled-england-staff-shortages-doubles-three-years The figure for Scotland with one-tenth of the population, for all operations cancelled due to a lack of resources, not just those due to staff shortages, was only 1 500*, half the rate, pro rata. The increase over 3 years was only 50%, a quarter of the rate of increase: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancelled-planned-operations/cancelled-planned-operations-month-ending-31-october-2022/ * The number cancelled due only to staff shortages in Scotland will … Continue reading NHS England rate of operations cancelled because of staff shortages increasing FOUR times faster and running at TWICE the level of Scotland

Contrary to the Times header above there have been at least 5 for yes, averaging at a clear 7% lead: And, that’s not counting the Channel 4 survey’s massive 18% lead, for a different, but no less challenging question: One further thing is clear – Scottish Labour are frankly going nowhere. Continue reading Keep up Kieran! More like 5 or 6 in a row now

The Herald leads with: SCOTLAND is bringing forward a higher proportion of new green jobs than any other part of the UK, it is claimed. https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23186976.scotland-creates-higher-proportion-new-green-jobs-uk/ It is claimed? These are empirical data gathered by Price Waterhouse Coopers. Why just claimed? Anyhow, the facts are sharp and positive for Scotland: Scotland at 74%, London HQs at 62%, of new jobs are ‘green’ with everywhere else less than 50% and most less than 25%. 3.3% of all job adverts ‘green’ with Cornwall second at 2.4% and all the others lower than that. 2.6 additional jobs created elsewhere in the economy for every … Continue reading Scotland leads way on new green jobs unreported by BBC Scotland Business

In its annual survey of members, 36% said they’d be unlikely to be working as a GP in five year’s time. Some facts: The GP headcount in Scotland increased from 4,400 in 2019 to 4,514 in 2022, an increase of just below 3% Click to access gp_workforce_survey_2022_report.pdf The average age that Scottish GPs retire has been constant for years, at between 58 and 59. There has never been a flood of early retirements. https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00620/ An FoI by the Lib Dems in August 2022, fed to the Sun, found only 126 cases of under-65s retiring, over 7 years. Less than 20 … Continue reading Scotland unlikely to face any major GP shortage in five years

Is even the weather forecast on Reporting Scotland infected with that anxiety-inducing negativity that pervades the rest of their coverage? Maybe I’m over-sensitive to comparisons here, but I had earlier looked at the Met Office site to see if things were going to return to normal in the next few days. They are. By the weekend, we’ll be back up at around 6C in much of Scotland. Even Braemar could hit 4C. Reporting Scotland’s nasal rather than Japanese (Kodai is a male first name), weather-person, above informed us the cold air was ‘going nowhere’ and stopped the forecast at tonight, … Continue reading Reporting Scotland’s cold air ‘going nowhere’ unlike the rest of the UK?

Glasgow Times at 15:05: Unite NHS Scotland members vote to accept improved pay offer Unite has confirmed that an increased pay offer has today been accepted by its NHS Scotland membership. The union’s health membership voted yes by 64% to accept an offer which was put forward two weeks ago following talks with the First Minister, the Health secretary and trade unions. The improved offer represents on average a 7.5% increase across NHS Scotland with up to 11.24 % for the bottom pay bands. Industrial action by Unite which was initially set to hit the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and the wider NHS Scotland has now been called … Continue reading Local Norfolk press quicker than BBC Scotland to report good news on NHS strike fears