Tag: health

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‘Scottish’ Daily Express front page claim on grooming gangs loophole applies ONLY in England where things are less strict

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John Robertson OBA The ‘Scottish’ Daily Express front page claim that ‘unregistered emergency carers are able to operate on a short-term basis with no regulatory oversight due to a legal anomaly might place children directly into the hands of predators‘ is in the Scottish context, a complete lie. The English edition makes that clear.1 A quick AI question gets an unambiguous response: In Scotland are unregistered emergency carers able to operate on a short term basis or is this a loophole only in England? No, in Scotland, unregistered emergency carers are not permitted to operate on a short-term basis—registration with … Continue reading ‘Scottish’ Daily Express front page claim on grooming gangs loophole applies ONLY in England where things are less strict

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NHS England’s high risk repair bill backlog is FIVE times greater per head than NHS Scotland

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By stewartb The Herald amplifying and elaborating upon – on its front page no less – Tory health spokesperson, Dr Gulhane’s sighting of buckets catching rainwater from a hospital’s leaking roof, presents a fine, cutting-edge example of the best of mainstream news media serving Scotland – doesn’t it? In its article The Herald reports: ‘Earlier this year, it was revealed that the NHS in Scotland has a high risk repair bill totalling £64,490,724.’ (As an aside, don’t you admire the journalist’s attention to detail here? Crucial to get that last £4 a mention!) Note that the c.£64.5m figure quoted is for … Continue reading NHS England’s high risk repair bill backlog is FIVE times greater per head than NHS Scotland

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SNP ordered separate NHS app because of need for Scotland’s better-funded, better-delivered and more integrated social care not for reasons given by Telegraph

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Daily Telegraph, 24 November 2025: SNP ministers decided to create their much-delayed Scottish NHS app from scratch after being warned against the “political optics of adopting” the existing English version. An assessment prepared for the Scottish Government on whether to “re-use” the English NHS app admitted that it was an “already usable and scalable digital platform”. It’s not clear who did the above assessment nor is it likely that the Telegraph is reporting all of it’s views give that they have missed a key factor – integration with social care services. Perhaps reflecting England’s failure to properly develop … Continue reading SNP ordered separate NHS app because of need for Scotland’s better-funded, better-delivered and more integrated social care not for reasons given by Telegraph

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Part-time MSP and GP allowed to malign Glasgow’s leading Cancer hospital based only on a few rain buckets after rain and contrary to official inspections finding no issues with building condition

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Professor John Robertson OBA Sandesh Gulhane MSP, Conservative Shadowy Health Secretary has a casual visit to Scotland’s leading cancer care centre and spots rain-bins, after several days of rain last week. We don’t hear the number nor see any photos but with no other evidence offered, he and his Herald chums work up the above disgusting account. A Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspection report in January 2025 is glowing and makes only two requirements for action. Neither concerns the building.1 Not, of course mentioned by the Herald or Gulhane: The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow is widely regarded … Continue reading Part-time MSP and GP allowed to malign Glasgow’s leading Cancer hospital based only on a few rain buckets after rain and contrary to official inspections finding no issues with building condition

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Why frailty among older people seems less common to GPs in Scotland – Stronger family cohesion and less family fragmentation

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian yesterday: GPs failing older people living with frailty, National Audit Office finds Did the national audit report blame the Labour Government for any of this? Did it note that England had far fewer GPs per head than Scotland. No and no. I asked AI: Are there reports of GPs failing older people living with frailty in Scotland? While there are no explicit reports mirroring the recent National Audit Office (NAO) findings in England—where GPs were found to be failing in assessing and supporting older people living with frailty, with only 16-18% receiving key … Continue reading Why frailty among older people seems less common to GPs in Scotland – Stronger family cohesion and less family fragmentation

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Why do Scotland’s deprived areas NOT have the most troubled hospitals?

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian yesterday, the above and: Blackpool report: why do England’s deprived areas have the most troubled hospitals? The findings of the report into Blackpool Victoria hospital are as shocking as they are damning: a culture of bullying, racial discrimination and harassment that has contributed to a staff exodus with a direct impact on patients. The treatment of chronic disease, including Parkinson’s, were just some of the areas blighted by what appears to be a toxic culture. But the Royal College of Physicians report, leaked to the Guardian, exposes much broader challenges for the NHS – and … Continue reading Why do Scotland’s deprived areas NOT have the most troubled hospitals?

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Nearly £300 for carers only in Scotland in run-up to Christmas

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Professor John Robertson OBA From December payment for thousands of Scots carers published yesterday: Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be paid to more than 96,000 carers across Scotland from 4 December. Carer’s Allowance Supplement is an extra payment, currently made twice a year, for people in Scotland who get Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on the qualifying dates. The payment of £293.50, which is only available in Scotland, will be made automatically from 4 December to people who were paid Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on 13 October 2025. Carers due to get the payment will get a letter … Continue reading Nearly £300 for carers only in Scotland in run-up to Christmas

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UK Labour Health Minister seems unaware that US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces and which risks patient safety will not allow his scheme to make money out of patient data but has no presence in Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dorothy for this. From the FT yesterday: The UK should “leverage” its new health data storage service for the “benefit of the Treasury coffers”, a health minister has said, as well as accelerating the discovery of new treatments for NHS patients.  Zubir Ahmed said in an interview that the government’s new Health Data Research Service (HDRS) will give researchers a single access point to national datasets for the first time and unlock “the power” of NHS data. “There is no shame in saying, we have world leading examples of high quality care and high … Continue reading UK Labour Health Minister seems unaware that US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces and which risks patient safety will not allow his scheme to make money out of patient data but has no presence in Scotland

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Sunday Mail makes dishonest use of an English hospitals-only survey to deceive Scots but NHS Scotland’s greater resilience is preventing a flu crisis here

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Professor John Robertson OBA Last week Jackie Baillie was trying to tell us ‘the SNP‘ was not preparing for winter infections despite evidence that Scotland leads the rest of the UK on winter preparations with more flu vaccines delivered, more GPs, more nurses and more beds. For more, see: Yesterday, the Sunday Mail had the above based on a survey by the RCN but entirely in English hospitals – https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/Press-Releases/growing-number-of-flu-cases-threatens-to-overwhelm-an-nhs-and-workforce-already-in-crisis Flu in Scotland From Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report published 27 November 2025 (Latest release): Influenza levels continued to rise in Scotland in week 47, with a sharp rise in laboratory-confirmed … Continue reading Sunday Mail makes dishonest use of an English hospitals-only survey to deceive Scots but NHS Scotland’s greater resilience is preventing a flu crisis here

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Submissive Ayr MP feeds English Health Secretary with lies about her own NHS which is far better than his and betrays all the staff in her constituency

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Professor John Robertson OBA On 25 November, Elaine Stewart, MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, joined the tragic trail of Scottish Labour MPs prepared misrepresent their own NHS boards in order to win favour with the UK Labour leadership. Here are the facts she dare not mention: 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 … Continue reading Submissive Ayr MP feeds English Health Secretary with lies about her own NHS which is far better than his and betrays all the staff in her constituency