Tag: health

Leave a comment

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

johnrobertson834

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

6 Comments

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

johnrobertson834

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

5 Comments

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

johnrobertson834

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

2 Comments

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

johnrobertson834

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

2 Comments

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

johnrobertson834

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

Leave a comment

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

johnrobertson834

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

4 Comments

West Midlands rapper’s ‘County Lines’ drug gang triggering drug deaths spike with deadly additives

johnrobertson834

From the Ross-shire Journal, yesterday: County Lines drug gangs reach as far north as Alness, police confirm. THE Highlands are grappling with the grim reality of so-called County Lines drug operations, with 10 separate gangs exploiting vulnerable individuals in its capital city. Police Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Division has identified the growing footprint of organised crime over the past 18 months, with devastating consequences for the community. The criminal networks behind County Lines originate in major cities like Liverpool, London, and the West Midlands, and use a combination of coercion, exploitation, and violence to tighten their grip on the drug trade. … Continue reading West Midlands rapper’s ‘County Lines’ drug gang triggering drug deaths spike with deadly additives

10 Comments

Weight-loss drug being pushed by Scottish Labour onto SNP associated with 100 hospitalisations and 10 deaths

johnrobertson834

BBC Scotland has, of course, attempted to pin one possible weight-loss drug death onto the Scottish Government despite her awareness of the drug resulting from UK Labour’s attempt to use it to drive the obese back to work. From the National on 22 October 2024: Jackie Baillie (above), Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, told The Times: “Weight-loss jabs, alongside changes to diet and exercise, have the potential to be a game-changer in the fight against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” She said the Scottish Government “must ensure that patients who have been recommended these approved jabs by their clinician can access them … Continue reading Weight-loss drug being pushed by Scottish Labour onto SNP associated with 100 hospitalisations and 10 deaths

Leave a comment

Extreme violence ‘Turk Line’ drugs gang supplying Glasgow dealers with cheaper more powerful drugs to prevent Scotland’s drug deaths from falling

johnrobertson834

From West Midlands Police, yesterday: Five men have been jailed for more than 40 years after we dismantled a Coventry drugs line. Their drug dealing racket, known as the ‘Turk Line’, is believed to have operated across Coventry between December 2022 and August 2023. The gang would use cars to deal drugs from, registering them under the false alias of ‘Florentin Iosif’ at various addresses to avoid journeys used to drop off the drugs ever being linked back to them. Drugs were then often transported in cars registered to ‘Florentin Iosif’ but driven by different members of the group around … Continue reading Extreme violence ‘Turk Line’ drugs gang supplying Glasgow dealers with cheaper more powerful drugs to prevent Scotland’s drug deaths from falling

1 Comment

US ferry firm used toxic paper coating on tickets with risks to children including behaviour problems, cancer and disrupting hormone levels in fetuses

johnrobertson834

From our regular ‘Imagine CalMac did this in Scotland’ series Yesterday in the Kitsap Sun of Seattle, Washington State, USA, GDP twice that per head of Scotland: Ferry riders may want to wash their hands after being handed a receipt for a car-and-driver fare, made with a paper that’s now in the process of being phased out. After a state worker flagged a potential safety hazard, this month Washington State Ferries will be the first state agency to phase out “thermal receipts” which contain the potentially harmful substance bisphenol [BPA].  https://eu.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2024/11/19/washington-state-ferries-ditches-chemical-laden-receipts/76342951007/ Yes, yes, they’re phasing them out but imagine the … Continue reading US ferry firm used toxic paper coating on tickets with risks to children including behaviour problems, cancer and disrupting hormone levels in fetuses