Tag: health

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As Winter brings icy paths BBC Scotland joyously celebrate with a one-week A&E spike report to make up for forgetting to bring the good tidings last week of 12 hour waits running at a third of those in England

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hours in A&E in the first week of November. Professor John Robertson OBA They know, their many researchers, that a one-week change wouldn’t be reported by a good reporter, but still they do it. Are BBC reporters just thick or, worse, are they dishonest? Here’s one of our star players, stewart ‘The Lawman’ b, I’m hoping to keep in the January window, with those tricky facts: Nearly THREE times as many emergency patients per capita wait 12 hours or more in NHS England than in NHS Scotland By stewartb Campaign against austerity needed to push Westminster to support the NHS … Continue reading As Winter brings icy paths BBC Scotland joyously celebrate with a one-week A&E spike report to make up for forgetting to bring the good tidings last week of 12 hour waits running at a third of those in England

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Why will BBC Scotland’s James Cook not inform you of the facts – how Scottish ministers closed schools and saved thousands?

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and the current First Minister, John Swinney, to close school without the Cabinet being present. Professor John Robertson OBA Is it because Cook just trusts the Herald and is too lazy to do his job? It seems so. In the Herald, January 2024: The Scottish Government ignored its own scientific advice not to close schools during the second Covid wave of 2021, the UK inquiry into the pandemic has heard.   Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said that the decision to shut classrooms across Scotland was “not necessary” and did not contribute to halting the … Continue reading Why will BBC Scotland’s James Cook not inform you of the facts – how Scottish ministers closed schools and saved thousands?

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East Sussex-born, Tory-appointed Baroness and BBC Scotland conspire to hide the facts and blame Nicola Sturgeon for pandemic ‘failures’ despite her doing better on every measure to save thousands

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Nicola Sturgeon SNP Leader 2014-2023 Professor John Robertson OBA In tonight’s BBC Scotland report, Baroness Hallett, appointed by PM Theresa May in 2019, made comments designed to ensure no one thinks the Scottish First Minister or her colleagues did any better than Boris Johnson PM and his ‘team’. It’s a remarkable and jaundiced account, factually and selectively biased. First, nowhere mentioned, bias by omission, the inquiry did not hear of that most poignant and significant of facts. The mortality rate resulting from the decision made in each nation, was 3.9% in Scotland, 4.9% (25% worse) in Wales and 6.5% (almost … Continue reading East Sussex-born, Tory-appointed Baroness and BBC Scotland conspire to hide the facts and blame Nicola Sturgeon for pandemic ‘failures’ despite her doing better on every measure to save thousands

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Have Scottish Government’s significantly widened access to free flu vaccine to give more than twice as many, per capita, protection from worrying new mutation, prevented a crisis?

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Viral respiratory diseases in Scotland surveillance report, published on 20 November 2025 (Latest release): Whilst influenza activity in Scotland remains at low level overall in week 46, an increasing trend continues. This is progressively seen across all age groups, having more affected the 5-14 age group in earlier weeks. Increases in laboratory confirmed cases, from 446 to 528, and test positivity, from 9.6% to 11%, are relatively moderate in week 46 compared to week 45. Test positivity for influenza A in CARI surveillance remained stable between weeks 46 (24.2%) and 45 (24.8%) although increased in adult … Continue reading Have Scottish Government’s significantly widened access to free flu vaccine to give more than twice as many, per capita, protection from worrying new mutation, prevented a crisis?

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NHS England is 10 times more privatised than NHS Scotland and patients there will pay for that not just in cash

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian, yesterday, the above and: There are other threats to the delivery of NHS services too. The privatisation of the NHS is happening in plain sight. Last month, the government proudly announced that “A total of 6.15 million appointments, tests and operations were delivered by independent providers for NHS patients this year”, an almost 500,000 increase on last year, which it says is “helping to cut waiting times [and] free up NHS capacity”. How can this be so? There’s a finite number of doctors, nurses and surgeons in the country. If medical staff increase their work … Continue reading NHS England is 10 times more privatised than NHS Scotland and patients there will pay for that not just in cash

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Future Queen of England and Scotland calls for dignity for carers but ignores what only the Scottish Government has already done to that end

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Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC UK two days ago: The Princess of Wales has called for more dignity for carers and a greater respect for values such as “tenderness” in business, in her first public speech in two years. At an event in the City of London, Catherine called on 80 top business leaders to play their part in ensuring employees can have healthy family lives, including caring responsibilities. “I believe in restoring the dignity to the quiet, often invisible work of caring, of loving well, as we look to build a happier, healthier society,” the princess told the … Continue reading Future Queen of England and Scotland calls for dignity for carers but ignores what only the Scottish Government has already done to that end

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Not in the Covid Inquiry reporting today – How First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and the Scottish Government kept excess mortality here at just over half the UK average despite the delay in devolving responsibility and Johnson’s callous inertia – saving thousands of lives

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Professor John Robertson OBA I’m grateful to @amaccj for reminding me of this and for the link to the source. When the final assessment is made, we need to set the scene with these facts: Two years later, in February 2022, as the pandemic receded, the simple consequences in terms of mortality in different parts of the UK can be see in this table from the September 2023, UK Covid 19 Inquiry report6: Other than the isolated South-west of England, Scotland had the lowest mortality rate of the 4 nations, even lower than Northern Ireland sheltered by its sea gap. 15% more … Continue reading Not in the Covid Inquiry reporting today – How First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and the Scottish Government kept excess mortality here at just over half the UK average despite the delay in devolving responsibility and Johnson’s callous inertia – saving thousands of lives

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London-based Health & Safety Executive, reporting to Pat McFadden, Labour Friends of Israel Co-chair, find FOUR sites in Grangemouth ‘IDEAL’ for manufacture of explosives and munitions but ignore the multiple deadly risks for my relatives and his

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Health & Safety Executive [reporting to Pat McFadden’s Department for Work and Pensions] ‘believes‘ that at least FOUR sites in Grangemouth could be IDEAL for the manufacture of explosives and munitions? On behalf of the Ministry of Death, the UK Health & Safety Executive, reporting to Labour Friends of Israel vice-chair, McFadden, born in Glasgow and presumably with relatives in Central Scotland, seems unlikely to be concerned for them. Should he be concerned for them? I’m reminded of my days at Stirling University, mid 70s, still living in Grangemouth and doing summer and winter holiday … Continue reading London-based Health & Safety Executive, reporting to Pat McFadden, Labour Friends of Israel Co-chair, find FOUR sites in Grangemouth ‘IDEAL’ for manufacture of explosives and munitions but ignore the multiple deadly risks for my relatives and his

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Scotland has the lowest difference in excess mortality between summer and winter despite consistently seeing the coldest winters

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stewartb O/T Tho’ staying with the challenges of winter, a newly published research paper published by UK Parliament Post has noteworthy statistics on levels of winter mortality across the UK. It reports a statistic favourable to Scotland and therefore worthy of mention – after all, if not here, where? (We know that favourable statistics about life in Scotland are strong candidates for media bias by omission and if the same research had reported an unfavourable statistic, someone in BBC Scotland or their ilk would have noticed and amplified it.) Source: Hassan and Chapman (Sept 9, 2025) Winter mortality. UK Parliament Post. (https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0752/POST-PN-0752.pdf ) Background: ’Winter mortality in … Continue reading Scotland has the lowest difference in excess mortality between summer and winter despite consistently seeing the coldest winters

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Scotland’s flu season starts early but with TWICE as many jags done, 30% more beds and 71% more nurses, SNP better prepared

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in Scotland in the past week, up 72%. The number of patients admitted to hospital has almost doubled too according to Public Health Scotland data, Experts have been warning of an early flu seasonwith a new variant that spreads more easily and may be more severe. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Reporting Scotland last night had the above, missing key facts on vaccine uptake and the resilience of NHS Scotland. Here they are: Scottish Government significantly widened access to free flu vaccine to give more than twice as many, per capita, protection from worrying new mutation First, availability in England – … Continue reading Scotland’s flu season starts early but with TWICE as many jags done, 30% more beds and 71% more nurses, SNP better prepared