Tag: health

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Aging NHS workforce? Retirement ‘crisis?’ Just as well we train so many more nurses and doctors than England can?

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Crowdfunder – https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingBank transfer – JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account 12266421 The Herald, you have to feel for the wee souls, dragging up another scare story from the sump of their files. The Guardian in January 2026 had: Helen Lambert borrowed £57,000 to go to university and began repaying her student loan in 2021 after starting work as an NHS nurse. Since then she has repaid more than £5,000, typically having about £145 a month taken from her pay packet. But everything she hands over is dwarfed by the £400-plus of interest that is added to her debt every … Continue reading Aging NHS workforce? Retirement ‘crisis?’ Just as well we train so many more nurses and doctors than England can?

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If there is a crisis in Scotland’s maternity wards why are negligence pay-outs only a third of those in England and why is the Scotsman report double-counting incidents to get a big headline number?

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The Scotsman is desperately trying to build a reputation on death and despair in maternity wards. So far, it’s shoddy, fail, do not resubmit, leave the course. In classic churnalist mode, they’ve just added up incidents treating unlike things as if they were the same type of incident because the boards themselves do not use one shared set of terms, to get a big number for the headline. A serious (or significant) adverse event is the incident itself: something that could have caused, or did cause, harm. A serious/significant adverse event review (SAER) is the investigation commissioned afterwards. The article’s … Continue reading If there is a crisis in Scotland’s maternity wards why are negligence pay-outs only a third of those in England and why is the Scotsman report double-counting incidents to get a big headline number?

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New Scottish food promotion rules announcement was ignored by media for two weeks as they wait instead drooling for more drug deaths

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Today BBC Scotland deign to report the Scottish Government’s Food promotion rules in Scotland, announced and reported here nearly two weeks ago. It’s a simple description with no investigation of the research evidence under-pinning the policy. Where’s Lisa Summers and her ‘analysis’ with quotes from Jackie Baillie, attacking it? At the time of the announcement when, of course, they’d have to connect the whole thing with the SNP and John Swinney, this was the coverage: From Food promotion rules in Scotland from 1 October 2026 – Changes to support … Continue reading New Scottish food promotion rules announcement was ignored by media for two weeks as they wait instead drooling for more drug deaths

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Healthy food – If they try to tell you it’s just the same in English schools, here’s your answer

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As Glasgow Live and BBC Scotland announce the above, they will not be telling you this: Shocking healthy school food breaches in 3 out of 4 schools in England but Scotland’s schools stick to rules after legal ruling and integrated inspections In the Guardian 24 August 2026, the above and: Three-quarters of secondary schools in England are breaking the rules on food offered to pupils by serving chips, burgers and hash browns too often – and sweets and crisps at breakfast time, according to a report. “Shocking” breaches of school food standards have been exposed on Monday, in a new analysis of the food … Continue reading Healthy food – If they try to tell you it’s just the same in English schools, here’s your answer

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When they tell you there’s no evidence for Swinney’s radical plan to merge Scotland’s health boards, here’s what to say

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On BBC Scotland, today, the above headline claim and: Leading doctors are calling on the Scottish government to withdraw its plans to drastically reduce the number of health boards. The new chairwoman of BMA Scotland, Dr Nora Murray-Cavanagh, said the proposal to cut the number from 14 to just two would be costly and time consuming – and that there was no clear evidence it would benefit patients. So, the BMA Scotland branch is a very part-time GP and union organiser heavily distracted by politics, who, with the best will in the world, will be hard-pushed to top any committed … Continue reading When they tell you there’s no evidence for Swinney’s radical plan to merge Scotland’s health boards, here’s what to say

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Primary Care Walk In Centres traffic soars ten times in just first 6 months of pilot

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With only 1 day left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at:Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From GP led walk-in services monthly Month ending 31 August 2026 published today, the above table and this below: A case is used to identify a patient’s single encounter (service contact) with the Walk-In  service. 2. Note that a patient can have more than one case  at a centre in a month and will be counted on each occasion. 3. Clinics have been opened in a phased approach, so some have been … Continue reading Primary Care Walk In Centres traffic soars ten times in just first 6 months of pilot

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Top research bodies reveal Scotland’s care system is years ahead of any plans Andy Burnham has

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With only 1 day left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at:Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 As the new PM is pressed on England’s failing social care system, we sometimes hear, not on BBC Scotland of course, that though still challenged, Scotland system after nearly 20 years of centre-left government by the SNP is well ahead. What’s the evidence? What has the SNP done differently? Let’s ask the Nuffield Trust and the IFS? In Scotland, there is free personal care for all adults assessed as needing it. This … Continue reading Top research bodies reveal Scotland’s care system is years ahead of any plans Andy Burnham has

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Scottish midwives have lower absence rates than police officers and this merely ‘circumstantial’ evidence of a ‘crisis’ does not survive a collision with the real ‘forensic’ facts

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With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 The above, in the Scotsman, today, is an , by a journalist who has found evidence of missed shifts in maternity units, over three years, adding up to 39 978 and, then made that into a crisis otherwise completely imaginary based on the real evidence below. In Scotland, there are around 45 000 live births every year, 135 000 in the Scotsman period of counting. There are 3 939 registered … Continue reading Scottish midwives have lower absence rates than police officers and this merely ‘circumstantial’ evidence of a ‘crisis’ does not survive a collision with the real ‘forensic’ facts

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In one year NHS England declared 217 times as many critical and major incidents as NHS Scotland did

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With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 As BBC Scotland today reports a critical incident in NHS Grampian, we can report that, in 2024, the most recent year with a full report [above], NHS England reported 198 critical incidents plus 19 major [more serious] incidents; 217 declarations in total. Average duration was about 4.6 days. https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/annual-eprr-assurance-report-march-2025/ There was one NHS Scotland critical report in 2024, also in NHS Grampian. In NHS emergency-preparedness terminology, a major incident is … Continue reading In one year NHS England declared 217 times as many critical and major incidents as NHS Scotland did

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European Union Drugs Agency – drug deaths ‘must be understood as underestimations’ (as in England) proving that Scotland is the only ‘Drug Death Accurate Reporting’ capital of Europe

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With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 By JB We all saw the MSM headlines yesterday: “ although Scotland’s drug deaths fell they still ‘remain’ the highest in Europe”. Based on what comparable statistics? From AI…”Comparable statistics allow for systematic evaluation, hypothesis testing, and data-driven decision-making by identifying similarities and differences between groups or phenomena. To be comparable, data must either be collected with  standardised methods and definitions  or have undergone a thorough assessment of differences in … Continue reading European Union Drugs Agency – drug deaths ‘must be understood as underestimations’ (as in England) proving that Scotland is the only ‘Drug Death Accurate Reporting’ capital of Europe