Tag: health

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Six unique steps the SNP Government is taking to avert the claim that ‘children will be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades’

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You know what I’m going to say. Yes, no mention of Scotland in this, from the Guardian‘s Health Correspondent, Tobi Thomas. Do you think that means Tobi has done the research and knows that doomy claim applies equally to Scotland? Has s/he flip! The Scottish Government has taken several targeted actions on child nutrition, obesity, and related health issues, which could help mitigate aspects of the UK-wide problems highlighted in the RCPCH report upon which the Guardian report is based. Such as? Here are a selected six of them. Expansion of free school meals to tackle child poverty and improve … Continue reading Six unique steps the SNP Government is taking to avert the claim that ‘children will be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades’

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Disability benefits – Burnham only has to ask as Scotland already offers a large majority of what is proposed for a ‘truly progressive system’

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In the Guardian today, once more, complete Anglocentrism as a writer does not think to ask if any other part of the UK has already done what she wants Andy Burnham to do. There’s not a mention of Scotland in the above but to what extent does the Scottish system already offer what is suggested? Scotland’s Adult Disability Payment (ADP) system already delivers a substantial portion of what the article advocates, particularly in shifting away from the most criticised elements of the current PIP system in England and Wales. It provides a more humane, less intrusive process and greater security … Continue reading Disability benefits – Burnham only has to ask as Scotland already offers a large majority of what is proposed for a ‘truly progressive system’

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Scotland’s ambulances are between 2 and 3 times faster thousands of times but Daily Record finds another case to to deflect you with

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The Daily Record today, above: On 26 June 2026: There are some minor problems in comparing the data for England and Scotland but you can be sure that were they to favour the former, they’d be widely reported. Here’s why they’re not: In January 2024, BBC UK made direct comparison possible: Via the BBC’s How long do patients wait for an ambulance? app, we can confirm that the average waiting time for a Scottish ambulance was 8 min and 46 secs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59549800 Also, from BBC UK on 14 December 2023: Average response times of more than 38 minutes for category two emergency calls such as … Continue reading Scotland’s ambulances are between 2 and 3 times faster thousands of times but Daily Record finds another case to to deflect you with

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Is this the first credible case of spiking by needle injection?

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Headlining BBC Scotland today, the above and: At the hospital, blood tests revealed she had been injected with gamma-hydroxybutyrate, better known as GHB, as well as an anti-depressant drug. GHB is a powerful sedative that causes extreme sleepiness and loss of inhibitions – and it erases the memory of what has happened under its influence. It is notorious as a date rape drug. Whilst the GHB would eventually work its way out of her system, doctors were worried about the potential for blood infections from the needle. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyv0zjg2623o The blood test is key and may suggest a shocking development because … Continue reading Is this the first credible case of spiking by needle injection?

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How Scotland’s disability benefits system has been kinder and crucially remains affordable but is not apparently worthy of proper media coverage

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In the midst of this damning finding, hot on the heels of England’s maternity unit horrors report, BBC Scotland have not managed to find something to suggest things are the same up here. They have done so, in the recent past with individual tales of over-complex and delayed processing of claims. Here’s why it’s difficult for them: What is the most important recent historical fact in disability payments in the UK? This: A leading disability rights charity has described new suicide statistics as the “tragic face of systemic inequality”. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested disabled people had the highest rate … Continue reading How Scotland’s disability benefits system has been kinder and crucially remains affordable but is not apparently worthy of proper media coverage

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What on earth is this rubbish doing in the National implying Scotland’s maternity services need an Ockenden Inquiry?

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The above is outrageous. There is no evidence presented by the writer to suggest she is in any position to predict what the outcome of the Scottish Government’s independent review of maternity services in Scotland will be. How dare she and they claim to know without waiting to hear the results? She opens with: Over the past few years, Britain has commissioned report after report into failures in maternity care. Shrewsbury and Telford. East Kent. Morecambe Bay. Nottingham. Most recently, the national investigation led by Baroness Valerie Amos. https://www.thenational.scot/comment/26261264.maternity-services-need-culture-change/ There is no British NHS to commission a report into maternity … Continue reading What on earth is this rubbish doing in the National implying Scotland’s maternity services need an Ockenden Inquiry?

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Students in England ‘mis-sold’ loans as Nurse students there owe £77k and those in Scotland get a £10k bursary – what effect might that have on training numbers?

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BBC UK today has: Comparing student loan repayments to phone contracts or cinema tickets “amounted to mis-selling” by government, a group of MPs has said. In a new report, the Treasury Committee also said students were not told clearly enough loan terms could change retrospectively, and called for a U-turn on the decision to freeze the income threshold at which some graduates start repaying their loans. The student loan saga has run for years in England but rarely surfaces in Scotland. Here’s why: Let’s take the situation in nurse education. The Guardian in January 2026 had: Helen Lambert borrowed £57,000 … Continue reading Students in England ‘mis-sold’ loans as Nurse students there owe £77k and those in Scotland get a £10k bursary – what effect might that have on training numbers?

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NHS Scotland cancer treatment service now performing better than before pandemic and ahead of NHS England

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STV giving the 6th biggest, ie teeny, party, the Lib Dems, a platform for another of their attempts to mislead. No health service anywhere, meets waiting time targets like those the NHS across the UK imposes on itself – 95% on time. Anywhere I’ve read more on targets, in Europe and in North America or in Australia and New Zealand, I find the targets seen as aspirational and failure to hit them of little concern to media or opposition politicians. Here’s what the Lib Dems and STV are missing: NHS Scotland cancer treatment facing massive increase in referrals since pandemic … Continue reading NHS Scotland cancer treatment service now performing better than before pandemic and ahead of NHS England

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How have we known for at least a decade that Scotland’s maternity services were not troubled like those in NHS England? More than three times per head, the cost of settling negligence lawsuits in NHS England

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In the Guardian 19 February 2026, the above and: The NHS will have to spend more money settling lawsuits involving negligence during childbirth after a supreme court ruling that lawyers said puts right a “historic injustice”. The court ruled on Wednesday that children in England who suffer catastrophic injuries while they are being born can claim damages for future earnings they would otherwise have had. The ruling on “lost years damages” means that children whose life expectancy is shortened can recover compensation for being unable to work. It comes amid mounting concern at the rising cost of medical negligence to the NHS in England – its liabilities have … Continue reading How have we known for at least a decade that Scotland’s maternity services were not troubled like those in NHS England? More than three times per head, the cost of settling negligence lawsuits in NHS England

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Dare to be different on smart phones, Scotland – since they were first introduced – teenage sex, pregnancy rates, crime, violence, alcohol and drugs all down!

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21 years ago I read the above book by Steven Johnson so it was with delight that I received an email today from ‘scunhur’ making the case for smart phones making you smart, By ‘scunhur’: Imagine these Scottish news headlines: SEXUAL ACTIVITY DOWN IN TEENAGERS TEENAGE PREGNANCY RATES DOWN BY TWO THIRDS DECLINE IN TEENAGE CRIME DECLINE IN TEENAGE VIOLENCE STEEP REDUCTION IN TEENAGE ALCOHOL INTAKE REDUCTION IN TEENAGE DRUG USAGE It’s all true (well…see 6.): https://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/en/publications/trends-in-the-sexual-behaviour-of-15-year-olds-in-scotland-2002-1/.  Since this report it has become harder to obtain useful information due to unethical Government and research behaviour https://www.cypcs.org.uk/news-and-stories/statement-commissioner-raises-concerns-with-scottish-government-about-rights-impact-of-health-and-wellbeing-survey/ and https://www.enlighten.scot/ethical-concerns-of-the-health-wellbeing-census/ https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/teenage-pregnancies/teenage-pregnancies-year-of-conception-ending-31-december-2023/  There is a small uptick during … Continue reading Dare to be different on smart phones, Scotland – since they were first introduced – teenage sex, pregnancy rates, crime, violence, alcohol and drugs all down!