I don’t think there is a statistic I’ve been hoping for more. Within the last hour the First Minister was able to announce: 244 of those deaths were registered over the last week. That is actually 35 fewer than in the week before and that is the first decrease in the weekly number of deaths that we have seen since the end of September. Still far too many deaths and too soon to be over-optimistic but seven-day figures are quite a reliable sign of a trend so we can take a little comfort, at least. The Scottish Government strategy begun … Continue reading First signs of death rate falling

In October 2020 NHS Scotland’s A&E departments saw 89.2% of patients within 4 hours. In the same period, NHS England only saw 77.6% in that time despite counting in a way which favours them. NHS Scotland’s performance is thus 15% better, at least, becsause: NHS England starts the clock again after patients are admitted while NHS Scotland counts from arrival in A&E, so the gap is probably even bigger. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/nhs-england-covering-up-true-scale-of-12-hour-hospital-waits-1335856 Sources: https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/nhs-performs-weekly-update-of-emergency-department-activity-and-waiting-time-statistics/releases https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2020-21/ Continue reading NHS Scotland accident and emergency services at least 15% better

BBC Northern Ireland are headlining this story: Northern Ireland’s rural communities could be more than £30m worse off if a funding row with Westminster is not resolved. It could affect a range of projects that create jobs, improve the environment and help with social cohesion. It relates to budget commitments made by Treasury to the authorities in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. They have now been told the money promised may be reduced. The cuts to Scotland’s rural communities will be greater so surely? NOPE. The news seems remarkably difficult to find. I got it in the industry online newsletter agriland: … Continue reading BBC Scotland less informative than BBC Northern Ireland

I’ve searched and searched. I can find NO report of a dental business closing anywhere. No doubt there will be some but some businesses, of all kinds, do close for a variety of reasons. I did find one, above, expanding in the midst of the pandemic. I can find roughly a zillion stories saying that many dental businesses might have to close unless they get more support from the Scottish Government. None in Scotland seem to have closed finally during the first wave. Of course, our NoMedia are full of stories: In the middle of the BBC report, we read: … Continue reading How many dentists do you believe will close finally?

In July and August, thousands, young and not so young, returned from Spain. Only some quarantined properly. Many returned to work too soon. Some even went to house parties. In Scotland, 80% of cases are revealed to be from a variant of coronavirus called 20A.EU1. It had developed in Spain during the summer months before spreading across Europe: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/30/coronavirus-strain-from-spain-accounts-for-most-uk-cases-study In September cases began to rise in Scotland and to peak at more than 1 700 on the 21st October. At the same time the death rate began to climb and by 18th November it was at 54 in one day, … Continue reading Sun, sand and death back home: What cannot be said?

From our Washington Correspondent, Brenda Steele: Here are the figures from Monday: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries Going into Thanksgiving this Thursday, The nation is averaging 165,000 new virus cases per day, up over 70% in two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins University. Hospitalizations, deaths and the testing positivity rate are also up sharply as the nation approaches Thanksgiving. https://apnews.com/article/public-health-pennsylvania-coronavirus-pandemic-thanksgiving-d500ea449d2d6539452254fe6f20165e  Thanksgiving could be make-or-break in US virus response Travel usually starts the weekend before. So are people staying home? Some will, many will not. AAA projects Thanksgiving travel will fall by at least 10%, which would be the steepest one-year plunge since the Great … Continue reading Although Trump is on his way out, he leaves a legacy – but not one others will seek to emulate.

Private care home owner and Tory donor Robert Kilgour is getting easy media attention again to attack the Scottish Government and its health care inspectors. Kilgour We hear in the Herald: A care group has questioned the fairness of a watchdog’s inspections approach during the coronavirus pandemic after it emerged local authority homes are far less likely to be inspected than private ones. Renaissance Care said analysis of a freedom of information (FOI) response it received from the Care Inspectorate found council-run homes, which account for around 15% of all care homes in Scotland, had received under 5% of visits since March 23. … Continue reading Private care homes inspected more because they get FOUR TIMES more complaints?

In a supposed ‘premium’ report from the Herald’s Writer at Large, Neil Mackay: IT should come as no surprise in this age of hypocrisy, that those among us who shout the most about how special and empathetic Scotland is as a nation, should turn out, when the crunch comes, to be the least kind, the most lacking in consideration, the last to offer sympathy. Right now, teachers in Scotland are terrified for their health and wellbeing. With vast swathes of the country back in lockdown, teachers, like nurses and police officers, have to man the frontline, unlike most of us. They’re at risk in … Continue reading Creative Writer at Large, Neil Mackay attacks the SNP on…i forget…oh anything he can make up really.

In the Herald this morning: FAMILIES have reacted with fury after elderly people were given just 10 days to share their experiences of care homes during the pandemic via social media for an official government-funded report. The Care Inspectorate posted a message on Facebook asking residents or those who receive home care to email or call to set up an telephone interview as part of its “People at the Centre” project. The post provoked an angry response from families who branded it a ‘sham consultation’ and ‘box ticking exercise.’ Read on and you get: And of course: The only sign … Continue reading Fake News on care homes again and again and…..

In the mid-70s, Stirling University had one of the first access courses, for mature students with ‘limited’ school-leaving qualifications. I was there. So were Jack McConnell, John Reid, Mick Connarty and Richard Leonard. Larry Flanagan, EIS General Secretary was there too. They were all sort-of hard left back then but ended up in the Labour Party, to get a career. Though my sentiments then were close to the hard left, I remained more a Groucho Marxist. All the hard left guys I knew were boring and humourless. I was then a teacher and teacher educator from 1980 until getting a … Continue reading Scottish teachers being duped by former Stirling Uni 70’s cabal?