Tag: health

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How can future of GP services in Scotland be ‘hanging in the balance’ when on average a GP in England has 560 more patients on his books and the BMA in England says UK Government should ‘simply follow the example of the government in Scotland?’

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Professor John Robertson OBA The BMA Scotland really needs to think about their relationship with the Scottish Government before they start making claims like the above. Specifically on GP supply and access, a useful exercise might be to look south. From LBC News yesterday: Wes Streeting hits out at BMA for ‘misleading’ claims amid GP access row The Health Secretary and the union are locked in a dispute over changes to how patients can contact their family doctors. Before looking at the relationship between the Scottish Government and doctors as seen from the BMA UK, let’s have a look at … Continue reading How can future of GP services in Scotland be ‘hanging in the balance’ when on average a GP in England has 560 more patients on his books and the BMA in England says UK Government should ‘simply follow the example of the government in Scotland?’

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Scotsman lies barefaced about pandemic lockdown effects on developmental delays in toddlers and fails to ask if UK Government austerity was a major factor

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Professor John Robertson OBA Above how BBC Scotland reported on developmental delays in toddlers during the pandemic. The Scotsman however, had: That’s a clear lie and it’s not qualified, and at that only very very slightly until the 7th paragraph when we see ‘associated with’ as opposed to ’caused: Unless the reporter is thick-as-a-brick, what is the Scotsman’s agenda here? To join the pile-on demonising of Nicola Sturgeon in the Covid inquiry process? Was it hard to understand the University of Edinburgh news release? Covid lockdown linked to child development issues – Lockdown and social distancing measures during the Covid-19 … Continue reading Scotsman lies barefaced about pandemic lockdown effects on developmental delays in toddlers and fails to ask if UK Government austerity was a major factor

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SNP Government initiatives leading to plummeting waiting lists with overall list now 5% shorter than NHS England

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Professor John Robertson OBA From NHS waiting times – stage of treatment published yesterday, the above impressive signs of progress. with increasing numbers treated yet plummeting longer waits. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-25-november-2025/ Important note – These latest statistics up to 31 October 2025 cover all patients waiting for a new outpatient appointment or treatment as an inpatient or day case, as well as those seen and removed from a waiting list covered by the national standards. Individual patients are counted more than once if they are waiting to attend more than one scheduled hospital appointment or admission, so the official statistics shown here … Continue reading SNP Government initiatives leading to plummeting waiting lists with overall list now 5% shorter than NHS England

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Scotland’s universal and generous IVF system costs nothing in the longer term, reduces psychological distress and increases child-wellbeing

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Professor John Robertson OBA From IVF waiting times in Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025 published yesterday: During the quarter ending 30 September 2025, 362 patients were screened. The 90% standard was met, with all patients attending a screening appointment within 52 weeks of referral. All patients were screened within 26 weeks at the Aberdeen IVF Centre, and most patients at the Dundee and Glasgow IVF Centres also experienced a wait of this length (88.7% and 80.7% respectively). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2025/ How does IVF treatment in Scotland compare with that in England? Scotland has a nationally standardized policy, offering more generous and … Continue reading Scotland’s universal and generous IVF system costs nothing in the longer term, reduces psychological distress and increases child-wellbeing

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There is NO evidence that NHS Scotland directed pregnant women to controversial Free Birth Society via a charity nor is there credible evidence that a single Scot was influenced by them

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above and: The NHS has been directing pregnant women to a website that connected them to the Free Birth Society, an organisation that has been linked to baby deaths around the world after promoting labour without medical support. A number of NHS trusts are directing women who are contemplating a “free birth” to a charity website that until Monday referred to FBS podcasts as a source of “empowering stories” that can help British women “preparing for their own birth”. I’ve searched manually the Guardian’s four recent reports on the Free Birth Society and … Continue reading There is NO evidence that NHS Scotland directed pregnant women to controversial Free Birth Society via a charity nor is there credible evidence that a single Scot was influenced by them

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Dangerous weight-loss drug being pushed by Jackie Baillie and Wes Streeting ‘to get the obese back to work’ and prescribed carefully by health boards associated with 100 hospitalisations and 10 deaths

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purchased weight loss jabs (sic), according to new data. That’s five times the number accessing them via the NHS. The figures come form Glasgow-based Simple Online Pharmacy, one of the UK’s largest providers. Regulators have stressed prescribers must check patient details. The Scottish Government say health boards decide access. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland has already attempted, last year (see below), to pin one possible weight-loss drug death onto the Scottish Government despite the victim’s awareness of the drug resulting from UK Labour Government’s attempt to use it to drive the obese back to work. Today they’re back at … Continue reading Dangerous weight-loss drug being pushed by Jackie Baillie and Wes Streeting ‘to get the obese back to work’ and prescribed carefully by health boards associated with 100 hospitalisations and 10 deaths

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Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults – Scotland leads in and other countries could benefit from dedicated, accessible funding for preventative community work

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults – Year 4 – Monitoring and reporting summary published today: Key Findings – Reach of Funded Projects: Number of awards: 1,462 grants have been awarded in Year 4 which has resulted in funding for 1,446 organisations. This means 6,192 awards have been made across the first four years of the Fund. Balance of new and existing projects: Of the project data returned, 41% were new projects, 56% were existing projects, and data was not available for 3% of projects. Small grants: Overall, most grants (56%) were for £10,000 or … Continue reading Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults – Scotland leads in and other countries could benefit from dedicated, accessible funding for preventative community work

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Winter is here and Welsh Labour is not prepared, as TWICE as many wait more than 12 hours in A&E than in Scotland

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stewartb “Winter is here and the SNP is not prepared. Waiting times are too long, corridor care is too common, and it will only get worse as winter continues. It is time for a new direction.” These British Labour Party politicians in Scotland really take the biscuit, really are egregious and hypocritical when it comes to the NHS. These are characteristics the mainstream media in Scotland – the BBC, STV, The Herald, the Daily Record etc. – allow them to display without much detriment.. From a press statement from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) on November 21 : “Dismaying”: … Continue reading Winter is here and Welsh Labour is not prepared, as TWICE as many wait more than 12 hours in A&E than in Scotland

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Jackie Baillie apparently blowing a big bubble of lies as Scotland leads the rest of the UK on winter preparations with more flu vaccines delivered, more GPs, more nurses and more beds

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Reporting Scotland last night had the above, missing key facts on vaccine uptake and the resilience of NHS Scotland. Here they are: Scottish Government significantly widened access to free flu vaccine to give more than twice as many, per capita, protection from worrying new mutation First, availability in England – you can get the free NHS flu vaccine if you: Source: https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/ In Scotland, significantly wider free availability is in place This includes: Source: https://publichealthscotland.scot/population-health/health-protection/immunisation-vaccine-and-preventable-disease/seasonal-immunisations/flu-immunisations/adult-flu-immunisations/eligible-groups/ Second, uptake-levels in key groups are already significantly lower in key >65 group in England. For 2024-2025, early trends show Scotland with stronger uptake among over-65s … Continue reading Jackie Baillie apparently blowing a big bubble of lies as Scotland leads the rest of the UK on winter preparations with more flu vaccines delivered, more GPs, more nurses and more beds

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Scottish Government’s Funded Early Learning and Childcare project – 97% engagement, 72% increase in reported good health and greater benefits for those in deprived areas

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare: Phase 6 report, published today is a very sober, careful, modest piece of work giving no quick sign of success or failure. I’ve had to read in carefully to extract the good news. What is it all about? This report outlines findings from the 6th phase of the Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare (SSELC), focusing on 3-year-olds who were accessing up to 1140 hours of funded ELC. The SSELC forms a major part of the strategy for the evaluation of the expansion of funded ELC in … Continue reading Scottish Government’s Funded Early Learning and Childcare project – 97% engagement, 72% increase in reported good health and greater benefits for those in deprived areas