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Why does only NHS England need to declare an amber cold warning when its far colder here? Is it because our NHS is more resilient generally and because Swinney launched the flu vaccine programme two weeks earlier?

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian on 31 December 2025: The NHS is under “extraordinary pressure” and braced for a new year surge in sick patients as amber cold health alerts were issued for the whole of England. While the number of patients in hospital with flu is levelling off, according to data published on Wednesday, health leaders said the NHS was “not out of danger yet” with temperatures expected to plummet. On Wednesday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber warnings for every region of England, which will be in place between 8pm on Wednesday until 10am next Tuesday. Previously, only north-east and … Continue reading Why does only NHS England need to declare an amber cold warning when its far colder here? Is it because our NHS is more resilient generally and because Swinney launched the flu vaccine programme two weeks earlier?

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As UK Labour begin to claim falling knife crime in England & Wales, why their headlines and their figures are less reliable than those in Scotland which are – ‘being on firmer ground in terms of official trustworthiness’

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Mirror today, a deceitful headline suggesting a wider reduction in knife crime when the figures only relate to robberies where a knife was present. While applauding this, I suspect most readers were more interested to hear of a decline in violence where a knife was used. More generally, I’ve been wondering how reliable these new data are. You’ll remember, I hope, how various NHS England waiting time and drug death data have been exposed here. Lazily perhaps, I asked AI. Have a look a this and if you spot any weaknesses/flaws, let me know … Continue reading As UK Labour begin to claim falling knife crime in England & Wales, why their headlines and their figures are less reliable than those in Scotland which are – ‘being on firmer ground in terms of official trustworthiness’

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Foreign medics NOT shunning NHS Scotland because of anti-migrant rhetoric from London parties

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian above has another of its ‘UK’ pieces with not a word on Scotland in it. There is, of course, no peer-reviewed research on this topic but, the MSM often tell us that they just report what is happening out there. So, comparing media reporting on this issue in Scotland and England’s media will give us a reasonable comparison. Given the background independence factor we can be very sure that if the Scottish media had any accounts of health workers leaving Scotland because of an anti-migrant rhetoric here, we’d know all about it. So: In … Continue reading Foreign medics NOT shunning NHS Scotland because of anti-migrant rhetoric from London parties

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Flu cases decline steeply in Scotland more than two weeks ahead of England after Swinney had launched vaccine programme more than two weeks earlier

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland on 24 December 2025: The number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases in Scotland has dropped by more than a third, new figures show. Public Health Scotland (PHS) data, external shows there were 1,297 confirmed cases in the week to 21 December – down from 1,994 in the previous week. Provisional figures also suggest there were 679 flu-related hospital admissions across the country, down from 950 in the previous week. PHS said the latest figures were encouraging but warned there could be more than one wave of flu in a season and urged people to take steps … Continue reading Flu cases decline steeply in Scotland more than two weeks ahead of England after Swinney had launched vaccine programme more than two weeks earlier

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Top 1% US researchers find ‘significantly increased cancer incidence’ for those living near nuclear power plants at a level that would mean an additional 10 000 avoidable cancer cases 30km around Hunterston if Scottish Labour get their way

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the highly-rated Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health in the USA yesterday: In Massachusetts, residential proximity to a nuclear power plant (NPP) was associated with significantly increased cancer incidence, with risk declining by distance, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study was published Dec. 17 in Environmental Health. It was conducted by researchers in the Department of Environmental Health, including corresponding author Yazan Alwadi, PhD student, and senior author Petros Koutrakis, professor of environmental sciences. Despite widespread—and potentially expanding—reliance on nuclear power in the U.S., epidemiologic research investigating … Continue reading Top 1% US researchers find ‘significantly increased cancer incidence’ for those living near nuclear power plants at a level that would mean an additional 10 000 avoidable cancer cases 30km around Hunterston if Scottish Labour get their way

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Scottish Government’s earlier flu vaccine launch and wider free issue has resulted in 20% fewer cases as they continue to climb in NHS England

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report published today: Influenza activity in Scotland has steadied or decreased in many systems, returning to medium activity overall based on reporting of laboratory-confirmed cases. Cases decreased by 20% to 1918 from 2410, and activity level dropped to high (from very high) in the 1-4 and 5-14 age groups. There were 912 hospital admissions due to influenza in week 50, down from 1039 in week 49.1 In NHS England: NHS England has released its latest figures now, covering last week up to 14 December. It says hospitals in England … Continue reading Scottish Government’s earlier flu vaccine launch and wider free issue has resulted in 20% fewer cases as they continue to climb in NHS England

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50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) statistics Scotland School year 2024 to 2025, published yesterday, the above and: In school year 2024/25, 74% of Primary 1 children measured had a healthy weight, 24% were at risk of overweight or obesity and 1% were at risk of underweight. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/primary-1-body-mass-index-bmi-statistics-scotland/primary-1-body-mass-index-bmi-statistics-scotland-school-year-2024-to-2025 In England, in the same period only 63.2% had a healthy weight. 1.6% were at risk of being underweight thus 35.2% were at risk of being overweight or obesity: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/obesity-physical-activity-nutrition/national-child-measurement-programme-2024-2025-academic-year.html Roughly then 50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Scotland? … Continue reading 50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Scotland

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Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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Professor John Robertson OBA At least four of the above stories, including the resident doctor strike news, in the midst of a flu epidemic, concern only NHS England. BBC Scotland have no apparent health worries for us. Why no reporting? The Scottish Resident Doctors vote does not close until 19 December 2025 with strike action unlikely until January. Why have they delayed until this point? Flu cases tend to decline in early January, year after year. Why would the NHS England resident doctors not have delayed? This: See that ‘still?’ This goes back to earlier experience of the doctors and … Continue reading Respect? Why Scotland’s resident doctors delayed their ballot until after the deadly flu season’s predicted peak

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As NHS Scotland hits treatment targets for a year, what is the cause of a ‘child mental health emergency?’

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Professor John Robertson OBA I am, of course, not competent to evaluate the claims of the charity making them in the Herald above but I am, as are all of you, competent to ask why an apparent improvement in performance in the NHS services for them – CAMHS – now for a year, treating more than 90% of those children referred to it (7 500) in one quarter, within the 18 week target, 50% within only 3 weeks1, is now in a crisis mode when it was not in mid-2022 or in the years before? Where’s the expert, the ‘top … Continue reading As NHS Scotland hits treatment targets for a year, what is the cause of a ‘child mental health emergency?’

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Four times as many flu hospital admissions in NHS Scotland yet no risk of collapse here because of…more beds, more staff, cleaner wards and better vaccine strategy

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian yesterday the above dramatic headline and: Wes Streeting has told resident doctors that strikes and a jump in flu cases over the Christmas period could be “the Jenga piece” that forces the NHS to collapse. The health secretary said the NHS faced a “challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic” and urged resident doctors to accept the government’s offer and end their action. He said: “The whole NHS team is working around the clock to keep the show on the road. But it’s an incredibly precarious situation. Christmas strikes could be the Jenga … Continue reading Four times as many flu hospital admissions in NHS Scotland yet no risk of collapse here because of…more beds, more staff, cleaner wards and better vaccine strategy