Tag: health

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Almost 90% of Child and Adolescent Mental Health cases start treatment within target

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today: 89.1% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from 84.1% for the previous quarter and from 75.6% for the same quarter ending September 2023. The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS. 1 Sources: Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116 About Oliver Brown, the … Continue reading Almost 90% of Child and Adolescent Mental Health cases start treatment within target

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Deadly measles being held at bay by NHS Scotland’s vaccination levels

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today: There were 19 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in the first three quarters of 2024: six cases in the first quarter, eight cases in the second quarter, and five cases in the third quarter. Of these 19 cases, ten are thought to have been imported and related to travel outwith the UK, and one further (secondary) case was related to one of these imported cases. Of the remaining eight cases, three cases had history of recent travel in England and may have acquired measles there; the other five cases had no history … Continue reading Deadly measles being held at bay by NHS Scotland’s vaccination levels

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Are Diarrhoea, Vomiting and Nausea spreading all over Scotland or is it just BBC Scotland making us feel that way?

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Still a big item for BBC Scotland after 4 days: NHS Grampian has suspended visiting to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin after an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting. The health board said three wards had been closed to new admissions and only essential visitors would be allowed at the Moray hospital. The report does not refer to Norovirus but those are the big symptoms and it tends to strike in winter in hospitals. What’s the wider picture BBC Scotland? Should we be concerned? You can’t tell us? Editor says no? Oh well, from Public Health Scotland on 24 November: See … Continue reading Are Diarrhoea, Vomiting and Nausea spreading all over Scotland or is it just BBC Scotland making us feel that way?

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Actual news – alcohol treatment hits 90% target, consumption and hospital admissions plummet

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Reporting Scotland today but not making it to their website, so a direct feed from Scottish Health Action of Alcohol Problems, claiming an ‘unmet need’ for alcohol treatment services. Not mentioned by BBC Scotland, these facts. First, on existing services: From Public Health Scotland on 25 June 2024: Alcohol and drug treatment services both seeing around 90% of referrals within 3 weeks, year after year, with a tiny, not statistically significant, gap in performance. The news is that these services are both target-hitting consistently and should be getting media attention for that but they never do. Source: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times/national-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-waiting-times-1-january-2024-to-31-march-2024/ Second, … Continue reading Actual news – alcohol treatment hits 90% target, consumption and hospital admissions plummet

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Factcheck – cancer waiting times NOT surging in Scotland and significantly better than in other parts of UK

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to AR for alerting me to this. Two days ago, the Times had an extended report, widely copied across the media and exciting Unionist voices, to suggest that NHS Scotland is actually lagging behind NHS England, on the overall backlog, cancer waiting times and A&E waiting times. I’ll tackle them one at a time. Cancer waiting times The Times has: The waiting times for cancer treatment are continuing to surge in England and Scotland, with only 73 per cent and 68 per cent of cases respectively meeting the 62-day target from the time of referral to the start of … Continue reading Factcheck – cancer waiting times NOT surging in Scotland and significantly better than in other parts of UK

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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times approaching 90% target and waiting list slashed by massive 26% in Scotland is not, it seems, news

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today: One in three child and adolescent consultant psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, according to a “shocking” analysis laying bare the workforce crisis that experts say is fuelling “unacceptable” long waits for NHS care. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/28/long-wait-for-nhs-mental-healthcare-has-stark-consequences-for-childrens-life-chances BBC Scotland are not picking up on this with a view to reminding you things are bad here too> Could this be why? From Public Health Scotland in September 2024: 84.1% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from the 73.8% for the same quarter ending June 2023. The Scottish Government standard states … Continue reading Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times approaching 90% target and waiting list slashed by massive 26% in Scotland is not, it seems, news

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Anas Sarwar will need to mask UK Labour’s ‘deepening failure’ to improve access to dentistry in England if Scots are not to just laugh in the teeth of Scottish Labour’s 2026 campaign

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: Plans to end NHS dental care crisis not working, warns spending watchdog – National Audit Office finds ‘significant uncertainty’ as to whether pledge for extra 1.5m treatments will be fulfilled. Plans to end the deepening crisis in access to NHS dental care are failing, leaving patients unable to get treatment, according to a warning from the government’s spending watchdog. The National Audit Office’s (NAO) damning verdict on the “dental recovery plan” prompted patient groups to voice alarm that people’s struggles with decayed teeth represents “a serious public health concern”. A pledge to provide an extra 1.5m treatments … Continue reading Anas Sarwar will need to mask UK Labour’s ‘deepening failure’ to improve access to dentistry in England if Scots are not to just laugh in the teeth of Scottish Labour’s 2026 campaign

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SHOCK as FIVE TIMES as many, per head, wait for home care in England than in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today: The number of people estimated to be waiting on a social care assessment to enable them to live independently at home or in the community was 6,027 on 4 November 2024. The estimated number of people assessed and waiting for a care at home package was 3,281 on 4 November 2024. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services/people-requiring-a-social-care-assessment-and-care-at-home-services-26-november-2024/ So, that’s around 9 300 in total waiting for assessment and/or waiting for a care at home package. So, in England that should be around 93 000? It’s not. It’s nowhere near as few. It’s between 400 000 and 500 … Continue reading SHOCK as FIVE TIMES as many, per head, wait for home care in England than in Scotland

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Scotland’s unique free 100% target-busting IVF service, saving lives and the NHS millions, year after year but to absolutely no media recognition

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The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, closing today at 3pm, primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today, 100% of patients referred for IVF treatment were seen within 52 weeks. Of these, 67.4% were seen within 26 weeks, 26.7% within 39 weeks.1 And from Fertility Scotland: Scotland … Continue reading Scotland’s unique free 100% target-busting IVF service, saving lives and the NHS millions, year after year but to absolutely no media recognition

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When America sneezes the world catches a cold – As vaccine deniers in England get a boost from the appointment of RF Kennedy, the risk to Scotland increases

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By Professor John Robertson, OBA From ABC News last week: Doctors worried RFK Jr. will tout vaccine-skeptic views after he is picked for HHS secretary The appointment of Robert F Kennedy (above) to the post of Health and Human Services Secretary gives a major boost to the hopes of vaccine deniers in the USA and inevitably to those in the UK. Kennedy is already accused of playing a part in enabling the 2019 Samoa measles outbreak, with 83 deaths and 5 700 cases in a population of only just over 200 000. Only months before, he had travelled to Samoa and … Continue reading When America sneezes the world catches a cold – As vaccine deniers in England get a boost from the appointment of RF Kennedy, the risk to Scotland increases