Tag: england

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Massive surge in patients waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England A&E after 6 months of Labour-rule

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA In December 2024, 54 207 people waited more than 12 hours [after triage and decision to admit] in NHS England A&E departments, up from 36 806 in July when Labour won the General Election promising change but … Continue reading Massive surge in patients waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England A&E after 6 months of Labour-rule

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Privatised English ferry company has 30% of its fleet in dock, with no new replacements due

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From BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight, 26th January 2025: Ferry passengers will face journey disruption as two vessels undergo repair and maintenance work. Operator Red Funnel, which has a service between the Isle of Wight and Southampton, will run a one-boat timetable for at least three weeks from Sunday while the foot passenger ferries are out of action. The firm’s Red Jet 6 ferry has been sent to Wight Shipyard for a permanent repair to one of its water jet shaft seals, which was temporarily fixed in November. Red Jet 7 will begin its annual maintenance work once Red … Continue reading Privatised English ferry company has 30% of its fleet in dock, with no new replacements due

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Starmer’s pledge of named police officers for every neighbourhood in England & Wales becomes laughable as staffing falls to lowest since 2022 and far below the level in Scotland

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: Police officer numbers in England and Wales at lowest level for two years, figures show The number of police officers in England and Wales has slipped to its lowest level in two years, PA Media reports. PA says: The headcount of officers employed by 43 forces stood at 148,886 at the end of September 2024. This is down 883 from a peak of 149,769 at the end of March and the lowest total since the end of September 2022 (144,346), according to Home Office data published today. Last month, Keir … Continue reading Starmer’s pledge of named police officers for every neighbourhood in England & Wales becomes laughable as staffing falls to lowest since 2022 and far below the level in Scotland

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84 000 Scots are paid the living wage [but not by Mrs Sarwar]who would not be in England and 840 000 more in England are not but would be if they lived in Scotland

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In the Guardian yesterday: Low-paid cleaners have accused the Living Wage Foundation of giving accreditation to an “uncaring” outsourcing company paying less than the living wage. Facilities services giant OCS is accredited under a bespoke scheme for outsourcing firms. But the company has only committed to paying a living wage to its centrally employed staff. The scheme does not cover the majority of OCS’s 50,000 workforce, who are tied to external contracts. 1 What’s the picture across the UK? Scotland has the highest proportion of workers aged 18 and over who are paid the real Living Wage at 89.9% – ahead of … Continue reading 84 000 Scots are paid the living wage [but not by Mrs Sarwar]who would not be in England and 840 000 more in England are not but would be if they lived in Scotland

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Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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From the Island Echo yesterday: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in the House of Commons this lunchtime (Wednesday) that ferry services to and from the Isle of Wight have ‘not been good enough’, and promises that the Maritime Minister will hold further meetings with Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel. Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, stood up during today’s Prime Minister’s Questions to ask whether or not the Government agrees that the anomaly surrounding Isle of Wight cross-Solent travel must come to an end. In his address, Mr Robertson said: “My constituents on the Isle of Wight … Continue reading Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK A summary of the cross-UK comparability of cancer waiting time statistics that are published by each nation published by the ONS on 23 August 2024 for Quarter 1, 2024: The percentage waiting longer than the 31 day [from the “decision-to-treat” a cancer patient to when the patient starts treatment] and 62 day standards [there should be no more than 62 days between a cancer referral being received by a hospital (specialist) to when a patient starts treatment]: *NI Q3 2023 is latest information So, based on the … Continue reading Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland

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Scots 28% more likely to find it easy to contact their GP than in Wales

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Measuring NHS experience and satisfaction across the UK – A summary of the cross-UK comparability of NHS experience and satisfaction data. 30 May 2024, the above graph and data revealing a marked contrast between the accessibility of GPs in Scotland as opposed to in England and, even more so, in Labour-run Wales. Scotland has 27.3% more GPs than England. The Welsh figure? Can see that. Homework dear reader? Sources: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/measuringnhsexperienceandsatisfactionacrosstheuk/2024-05-30#measuring-nhs-experience-and-satisfaction-across-the-uk-data https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/sep/04/nhs-faces-tipping-point-in-england-where-most-appointments-will-not-be-with-gps https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/media/v00by43i/2023_gp_workforce_survey_report.html#:~:text=Information%20from%202012%20to%202023,2023%2C%20equivalent%20to%203%2C478.4%20WTE Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self … Continue reading Scots 28% more likely to find it easy to contact their GP than in Wales

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UK Government statistics confirm NHS Scotland’s A&E departments have been performing significantly better for nearly a decade but ‘your’ media has been silent on that for the same period of time

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Accident and Emergency wait times across the UK: 2024 A summary of the cross-UK comparability of Accident and Emergency wait time statistics from January 2013 to September 2023, the above graph. Imagine this was different and NHS Scotland had consistently performed less well than NHS England or Wales? You don’t need me to tell you. It would be just like the ‘Scotland’s drug deaths, the worst in..’ narrative. Also, there are reasons to doubt the NHS England data after decades of managerialism there, more concerned with image than actual performance, after decades of Con and … Continue reading UK Government statistics confirm NHS Scotland’s A&E departments have been performing significantly better for nearly a decade but ‘your’ media has been silent on that for the same period of time

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NHS Scotland coping with THREE TIMES as many flu cases as Scotland shivers under Labour UK fuel allowance cuts and price increases

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From BBC Health, this morning: There is deep concern at a senior level in the NHS about rising rates of flu. The number of patients in hospital with flu continues to climb, according to latest NHS figures in England. Last week, the numbers averaged 5,407 a day – up from just under 4,500 the week before. As we mentioned a moment ago, the numbers in hospital have risen again over the past week, with nearly 5,000 beds occupied on average last week by patients struggling with the virus. NHS England’s emergency care director Prof Julian Redhead says there are no … Continue reading NHS Scotland coping with THREE TIMES as many flu cases as Scotland shivers under Labour UK fuel allowance cuts and price increases

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Isle of Wight ferry firm Red Funnel does ‘one day diddle’ to conceal ‘everyone taking a large cut out of the dividend’

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From Isle of Wight County Press today: Questions continue to be asked about the finances of Red Funnel after the Isle of Wight ferry firm shortened its accounting reference period for 2022/2023, by one day. It is the third time in two years the company has filed for what is colloquially known as a ‘one day diddle’. It means the cross-Solent operator has yet to publish its financial results for the 2022/2023 financial year. Red Funnel failed to respond to the County Press’s questions, asking why it had shortened the date. https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/24833333.isle-wight-ferry-firm-red-funnel-questioned-accounting-change/ Why might they do that? The Press offers: According to data intelligence company Red Flag Alert, … Continue reading Isle of Wight ferry firm Red Funnel does ‘one day diddle’ to conceal ‘everyone taking a large cut out of the dividend’