Tag: england

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You’re almost TWICE as likely to be on a waiting list for cardiac care in England than you are in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson From the Guardian today, we see that 408 548 are waiting for cardiac care in England. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/11/number-waiting-for-nhs-care-for-serious-heart-problems-in-england-rises-fivefold You know the drill. With one-tenth of the population, all things being as equally bad as our media would hope, Scotland might expect to have around 40 000 on the waiting list for cardiac care but according to the Herald on 6 February 2024, it’s 23 000, just over half. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24091977.cardiology-waiting-lists-at-highest-level-record Is it just this or is there a wider picture of NHS Scotland waiting lists being shorter after 16 years of the SNP in Government? Search: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=wait to … Continue reading You’re almost TWICE as likely to be on a waiting list for cardiac care in England than you are in Scotland

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After more than 50 days of strikes and more than a million appointments cancelled NHS England’s waiting list swells to proportionally TWICE that in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson More than 50 days of NHS strikes in England, and counting, the Guardian today reports: Almost 10 million people across England could be waiting for an NHS appointment or treatment, 2 million more than previously estimated, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics. The ONS survey of about 90,000 adults found that 21% of patients were waiting for a hospital appointment or to start receiving treatment on the NHS. When extrapolated, this equates to 9.7 million people. In January, the waiting list stood at 7.6 million, according to official NHS statistics. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/03/almost-10-million-people-in-england-could-be-on-nhs-waiting-list The Guardian report does … Continue reading After more than 50 days of strikes and more than a million appointments cancelled NHS England’s waiting list swells to proportionally TWICE that in Scotland

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Even a Tory MP can see what privatised ferry services become – think carefully Scottish islanders

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From On the Wight, today: Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, has this week released an in-depth study into cross-Solent ferry services. My research has led me to believe that, using a web of offshore companies, Wightlink and Red Funnel’s owners and lenders have taken large profits out of the firms for years. To drive efficiency and take even more profits, directors have cut timetables; introduced surge pricing, which penalises Islanders for making essential journeys at peak times; and limited investment in ferries, some of which are now 34 years old. Islanders are tired of ‘technical’ and ‘mechanical’ issues. The … Continue reading Even a Tory MP can see what privatised ferry services become – think carefully Scottish islanders

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The comedy time lag on Scotland’s violent past

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Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ Here’s an English comedian recently working the hard Scots stereotype. Comedians, Scottish ones too, have lived of this trope for decades. As recently as 2005, not quite 20 years ago, it was based on a degree of reality: In 2005, a United Nations report named Scotland as the most violent country in the developed world. You were 3x more likely to be a victim of assault in Glasgow than you were in America. Glasgow … Continue reading The comedy time lag on Scotland’s violent past

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Cancer patients ‘at risk’ in England, with far longer waiting times despite less demand than Scotland, is not politicised

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Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ In the Guardian and on the BBC Health website: Cancer patients may be at risk due to overstretched NHS staff, ombudsman warns Cancer patients at risk from stretched NHS, says NHS complaints chief No statistics are offered about actual waiting times. No politician is named or blamed and there is nothing like this which BBC Health did offer last year, much to the reported horror at BBC Scotland: Not only does Scotland have far … Continue reading Cancer patients ‘at risk’ in England, with far longer waiting times despite less demand than Scotland, is not politicised

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The Guardian casually distorts the lower level of homicide against women in Scotland

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In the above Guardian piece today, 3 (33%) of the 9 murders described took place in Scotland. The authors chose these 9 examples from 174 murders of women in England & Wales last year. Read the above, on its own, and Scotland looks a more dangerous place for women, by some way. That’s not just untrue, it’s the reverse. The facts: From National Statistics for Scotland, today: In 2022-2023, there were 13 female homicide victims in Scotland. In England & Wales, in 2021-2022 (latest figures) there were 198 female homicide victims. England & Wales have 11 times the population and so, … Continue reading The Guardian casually distorts the lower level of homicide against women in Scotland

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Isle of Wight ferry fiasco putting people’s health and well-being at risk says councillor but government not to blame

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From Alliance Party Councillor, Karl Love, in the Isle of Wight Country Press today: The situation with Red Funnel, Cross Solent transportation operators, and its cancellations and service disruptions to the Isle of Wight, after many months of negative service impacts, is intolerable and could be putting people’s health and well-being at risk from life threatening illness after residents are missing appointments and treatments, because of cancelled services. Red Funnel service cancellations are worsening and our whole Island economy, our invest-ability and potential tourist offer is being diminished.  … Continue reading Isle of Wight ferry fiasco putting people’s health and well-being at risk says councillor but government not to blame

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SNP competence check – ‘England may wish to follow Scotland’s lead on preventive healthcare for under 5s’

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From an article in the British Medical Journal, a remarkable report of the impact of the Scottish Government’s unique investment in health visitors, across a range of outcomes including infant survival, vaccination rates, breastfeeding, obesity, GP workload, A&E attendance levels and dental treatment. The full article is behind a paywall so unless you have access to an institutional (university, health board etc) account you may not be able to read the whole thing. It’s stunning. Here is an extract: Urgent action is needed to tackle worsening health … Continue reading SNP competence check – ‘England may wish to follow Scotland’s lead on preventive healthcare for under 5s’

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VERIFIED by Office for National Statistics: NHS Scotland performs best in Britain on A&E waits – and has done so for over a decade!

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ By stewartb So it’s true – the ONS has confirmed that NHS Scotland has the best performing A&E services in Britain in terms of waiting times. What’s more, it has been a top performer for over a decade. This may come as a shock to many voters in Scotland given it runs counter to BBC Scotland’s framing and to the ‘outraged’ media performances by a Labour Party dame and a Tory in scrubs with a ‘cool’ hairdo. Source: ONS (28 February 2024) Accident and Emergency wait times … Continue reading VERIFIED by Office for National Statistics: NHS Scotland performs best in Britain on A&E waits – and has done so for over a decade!

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Saturday Night Misery as Isle of Wight Ferries leave motorists stranded

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight today: Passengers were left stranded after a ferry company cancelled its late-night crossings. Wightlink, which runs services between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, suspended car ferries on Saturday night, blaming “technical issues” in an email to customers. In a message on X, posted 25 minutes after the 22:00 crossing had been due to depart, Wightlink said there would be an additional FastCat sailing for foot passengers at 00:15 on Sunday. One passenger told the BBC he had to leave … Continue reading Saturday Night Misery as Isle of Wight Ferries leave motorists stranded