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More than 80% of measles infections linked to imported cases and rest of unknown origin as immunisation levels in Scotland climb again to herd immunity level

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Quarterly uptake rates in Scotland have gradually declined over time. However, in the latest quarter ending September 2024, there have been small increases in levels of protection for children aged 12 and 24 months, compared with the previous quarter. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2024/#:~:text=This%20release%20by%20Public%20Health%20Scotland%20%28PHS%29%20provides,the%20spread%20of%20disease%20in%20the%20wider%20population. Where have these cases come from? From Public Health Scotland on 4 March 2025: Immunisation and vaccine-preventable diseases quarterly report, October to December 2024 (Q4) There were 24 laboratory-confirmed measles cases reported in 2024: six cases in the first quarter, eight cases in the second quarter, five cases in the third quarter and five cases in the fourth quarter. Of … Continue reading More than 80% of measles infections linked to imported cases and rest of unknown origin as immunisation levels in Scotland climb again to herd immunity level

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Return of the Creepy Uncle

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Jim Draper for alerting me to this. On STV News at 6 last night: An eight-week-old baby is in critical condition after he was given ten times the correct dose of paracetamol at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. The Shadow Health Secretary is Sandesh Gulhane MSP but, as often before, Anas Sarwar is wheeled out to suggest a crisis in one hospital on the basis of one dosing mistake. Find a Scottish hospital, a baby made very ill or dying, one will do, and he is by magic quickly onscreen to imply … Continue reading Return of the Creepy Uncle

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Scotland has been putting patient safety first since 2007 and former Labour or Tory Health Secretaries could have copied us but didn’t

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Professor John Robertson OBA It’s a bit much, Jeremy Hunt now worrying about patient safety, 15 years after he could have learned how to do it, 18 years after Labour could have, from SNP-led Scotland. In the Guardian, yesterday, the above, and: I am worried about something else being missed. In the huge blizzard of organisational change, there is a risk of eyes going off the ball when it comes to broader patient safety risks. In December, the charity I set up, Patient Safety Watch, published a report put together by a team of people at Imperial College London led by Prof … Continue reading Scotland has been putting patient safety first since 2007 and former Labour or Tory Health Secretaries could have copied us but didn’t

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Medicine shortages after Brexit – Scotland’s model for pharmacy offers lessons for England’s future

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above and: Drug companies notified the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about disruptions to supply 1,938 times during last year – the highest number since the 1,967 seen in 2021. Medications to treat epilepsy and cystic fibrosis are among those that pharmacists are finding it hard or impossible to get hold of, creating risks for patients’ health. The figures have emerged in a new report by the Nuffield Trust health thinktank, which obtained them under freedom of information laws from the DHSC, which oversees the availability of drugs UK-wide. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/22/brexit-key-factor-worst-uk-drug-shortages-in-four-years The … Continue reading Medicine shortages after Brexit – Scotland’s model for pharmacy offers lessons for England’s future

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How BBC England exposes the threat to GP surgeries of Labour’s National Insurance hike but BBC Scotland hides it and tries to blame Scottish Government instead

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC England, quite clear about the major threat to GP surgeries, in their headline above, and: GP practices could be pushed “over the edge” by a planned rise in the National Insurance (NI) rate for employers, a doctor has said. The government has said the NHS and the rest of the public sector would be shielded from the rise but that does not cover GP practices, many of which are run as small businesses. Dr Andrew Purbrick, who represents 300 GP practices across the south of England, said many would be forced to cut back on … Continue reading How BBC England exposes the threat to GP surgeries of Labour’s National Insurance hike but BBC Scotland hides it and tries to blame Scottish Government instead

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Drug deaths – this is not whataboutery but the means of calling out political hypocrisy and media bias

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By stewartb It could be deemed ‘unseemly’ to make btl comment on something as tragic as drug deaths. Of course the real topic – the real motivation – is political and mainstream media practices amongst those opposed to the Scottish Government. Fundamentally, this is not whataboutery but the means of calling out political hypocrisy and media bias! Many parts of the UK are experiencing, to a worrying degree, the harms and worse of drug misuse. Trend data strongly suggest that present UK drugs policy and associated interventions are proving inadequate. At least in Scotland the mortality rate, whilst still far too … Continue reading Drug deaths – this is not whataboutery but the means of calling out political hypocrisy and media bias

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For two years now, pharmacists in England look to Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA England has fewer drug deaths and a shorter two year hospital waiting list but that’s it. After 14 years of not having a Conservative Government, every area of public service is operating better in Scotland. Even our ferries are far better than those in England [Isle of Wight, Scilly Isles, Mersey]. Here’s another – pharmacies The Guardian today, above, typically confused: The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said it had “been left with little choice” but to recommend its 6,000 members take collective action for the first time in its history, unless the government provides “new and sufficient” funding … Continue reading For two years now, pharmacists in England look to Scotland

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Former New Labour minister tries to hide the abolishing of the whole NHS England system, not just the ‘quango’ and the deaths that will follow

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to AR for alerting me to this. The word ‘Perspective’ there, is doing heavy lifting as former Blair Minister, Brian ‘Bad Vibrations’ Wilson, tries to tell us that Starmer is only getting rid of the NHS England top layer and freeing the trusts up, to get imaginative [spend the money in the private sector] and, of course leave NHS Scotland behind. It’s by no means just a perspective, a point of view, It’s a whopping lie. Here’s another ‘perspective‘ but a far more honest and clear-sighted one: The Starmer government’s announcement that it is abolishing … Continue reading Former New Labour minister tries to hide the abolishing of the whole NHS England system, not just the ‘quango’ and the deaths that will follow

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How Orkney islanders fought off a lung cancer risk, nearly 100 times the normal rate

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Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Frances McKie for alerting me to this. In 1975, not much reported at the time, as far as I can remember, the residents of the Orkney Islands faced and fought off a dark threat. From Beyond Nuclear International in April 2021: The Orkneys were being surveyed for a potentially valuable deposit of uranium ore. The South Scottish Electricity Board had already persuaded local farmers, unaware of the health risks, to allow bore hole drilling on their land. By 1977, the entire local population on Orkney opposed uranium exploitation there. Among those opponents was … Continue reading How Orkney islanders fought off a lung cancer risk, nearly 100 times the normal rate

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Suspected drug deaths fall again for 3rd quarter in a row to lowest since 2017 and plummet for younger abusers

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: October to December 2024, published today: During 2024 there were 1,065 suspected drug deaths, 11% (132) fewer than in 2023. This is one of the lowest numbers of suspected drug deaths recorded in a single calendar quarter since the start of the time series in 2017. https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-october-december-2024/pages/3/ Of particular interest: A majority (64%) of suspected drug deaths were of people aged between 35 and 54 years. This is broadly in line with previous periods. There were 34 suspected drug deaths in the under 25 age group, 37% (20) fewer than … Continue reading Suspected drug deaths fall again for 3rd quarter in a row to lowest since 2017 and plummet for younger abusers