By stewartb I’ve just used the (poor) search facility on the BBC News website using the term ‘A&E’. There can be no doubt based on the results that the BBC is opting to run negative news stories about NHS Scotland in preference to balanced coverage of the problems being experienced in A&E departments across the UK. And it is doing so without providing context or perspective in their Scotland-based coverage. To supplement the relevant perspective given on the 4 hour waiting time performance in the blog post above, here is information provided in a press release from the Royal College … Continue reading BBC Scotland opting to run negative news stories about NHS Scotland

BBC Scotland headlining the Health Secretary’s empathy becomes a story for BBC UK (bottom right): BBC England/UK, Wales and Northern Ireland have no A&E worries it seems. They must be performing better. In March 2022: NHS Scotland 71.6% seen in 4 hours NHS Wales 65.9% seen in 4 hours. NHS England 58.7% seen in 4 hours NHS N Ireland sneakily only do quarterly data and months late, so for October-December 2021, 53.1% seen in 4 hours. Sources: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ae-activity-and-waiting-times/ae-activity-and-waiting-times-month-ending-31-march-2022/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61499651 https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2021-22/ https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/hs-niwts-ecwt-interactive-q3-21-22.html Continue reading If UK’s best emergency service is ‘knackered’ what must the rest be like?

After the latest in Radio Scotland’s stalking of listeners to find anti-SNP messages, twitterati following TuS were asked what they thought of the Kaye Adams Experience. The results: Poll organiser and Psephologist to Prince Andrew, Dr Johan Rumpelstiltskin, said 98.6% of Scots do not like the Kaye Adams show but two of those responding, perhaps feeling for the apparently tired presenter, gave her an encouraging ‘braw.’ Continue reading SHOCK as TWO of Talking-up Scotland’s followers like the Kaye Adams show

By Tom Hodgens This is a long post about vision and ambition. Let’s start with a BBC article by Calum Watson from 2020 which asks the question… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51114275.amp “Why are we building gas-powered ships?” The article begins with “The two new ferries still being built in Port Glasgow have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Glen Sannox and “hull 802″ are the first UK-built ships capable of running off liquefied natural gas, or LNG, as well as conventional diesel.” He asks “Was LNG the wrong choice – or a wise decision, poorly executed?” It continues “What is LNG … Continue reading The expertise developed in building the delayed gas-powered ferries will pay off handsomely in the years to come

Condemned as SNP incompetence by one-day-a-week Sandesh Gulhane MSP (con) whose experience as a locum was in England, this increase in locum doctor and bank nurse costs doubling in 2021/22, needs to be put into perspective. The increase is largely the result of Covid absence. The most recent figure for equivalent cost in NHS England is £6.2 billion for 2019/20, before Covid absences began to climb. Supporting the NHS to eliminate off-framework spend and helping build a sustainable workforce for the future Regular readers will remember the sums. With 10 times the population, all things being equal, the cost in … Continue reading One-day-a-week Gulhane’s former employers spend far more on locums and bank nurses

are warning they are under more pressure than ever. Only 44% of A&E patients at the Queen Elizabeth University in Glasgow were seen within the Government’s four-hour target. Giving up on the national data where NHS Scotland is 22% better than NHS England, Reporting Scotland’s Lisa Summers digs out the data for one hospital to imply a crisis that can then be attached to the SNP Government. Only Reporting Scotland is carrying this story. BBC Scotland’s website does not and, of course, most of the Conservative Government friendly or feart English media do not cover A&E crises there. They could … Continue reading 90% seen in 4 hours at Tayside’s biggest emergency department!

By stewartb Organisations such as the National Audit Office (NAO) and the House of Commons cross-party Committee for Public Accounts are now regularly providing evidence of financial mismanagement and waste by the Tory Government.  As the evidence mounts up, is anyone keeping a tally?   Despite the huge sums involved, critical findings get relatively little attention from the corporate media, the BBC or candidly, opposition politicians.  Isn’t it odd that even a public service broadcaster shows so little interest given we know how easy it is to cover such news stories – scan report for a phrase to use in … Continue reading Evidence for ‘talking down Westminster’ – time to keep count?

The Heralds, trains and boats, propaganda saga staggers on. To put it all in perspective: From the Guardian last November: Warrior armoured vehicle – £430m wasted A long planned upgrade to the Warrior armoured vehicle was scrapped in March, after £430m had been spent on an attempt to upgrade the weapon and turret of the vehicle. Lacking a stabilised gun, the Warrior could not fire while moving, identified as a major problem as long ago as during the first Gulf war. The procurement programme began in 2009 and a contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2011. But despite spending … Continue reading £150 million over 10 years compared to…

By stewartb It looks as if a policy position of our elected government in Holyrood is about to be circumvented by the overarching legislation contained in the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. The latter you will recall is a Tory government ‘fix’ for domestic consequences of Brexit. The House of Commons Library (HoCL) has just published a briefing on the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill. This was introduced to the Commons on 25 May 2022: the second reading is scheduled for 14 June 2022. (See: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9557/CBP-9557.pdf ) Background The Bill applies to ‘precision bred plants and vertebrate animals (excluding … Continue reading The next democratic bypass?

Reporting Scotland’s Connor Gillies (14) opens with: Scotland’s airports have distanced themselves from the chaos at English airports in recent weeks which saw thousands of people queuing for hours before some missed their flights. But could Scots passengers be facing delays when the summer holiday season kicks in later this month? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-61758252 The disappointment is understandable given the Reporting Scotland editorial line on crises in England being immediately transferred to Scotland, regardless of the lack of evidence. What evidence does Gillies have for turning this good news story bad? Negative guesswork about staff shortages and school holidays and, ONE complainant. … Continue reading No, Scotland’s airports are not facing holiday disruption?