Tag: healthcare

5 Comments

News you won’t hear – Scottish Government’s ‘world-leading’ legislation on NHS staffing levels is already working as staffing ratios in Scotland are already significantly better

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From the Scottish Government yesterday: The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (“the Act”) is the UK’s first multidisciplinary staffing legislation and Scotland became world leading by enshrining such legislation which applies across our entire health and care system. This legislative step reflected our unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality care and improving outcomes for service users. The core aim of the Act, to enable better care through appropriate staffing, has been the subject of much focus in its first year of implementation. Early evidence indicates that the Act is fostering greater transparency in staffing decisions and … Continue reading News you won’t hear – Scottish Government’s ‘world-leading’ legislation on NHS staffing levels is already working as staffing ratios in Scotland are already significantly better

2 Comments

How can future of GP services in Scotland be ‘hanging in the balance’ when on average a GP in England has 560 more patients on his books and the BMA in England says UK Government should ‘simply follow the example of the government in Scotland?’

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA The BMA Scotland really needs to think about their relationship with the Scottish Government before they start making claims like the above. Specifically on GP supply and access, a useful exercise might be to look south. From LBC News yesterday: Wes Streeting hits out at BMA for ‘misleading’ claims amid GP access row The Health Secretary and the union are locked in a dispute over changes to how patients can contact their family doctors. Before looking at the relationship between the Scottish Government and doctors as seen from the BMA UK, let’s have a look at … Continue reading How can future of GP services in Scotland be ‘hanging in the balance’ when on average a GP in England has 560 more patients on his books and the BMA in England says UK Government should ‘simply follow the example of the government in Scotland?’

8 Comments

SNP Government initiatives leading to plummeting waiting lists with overall list now 5% shorter than NHS England

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA From NHS waiting times – stage of treatment published yesterday, the above impressive signs of progress. with increasing numbers treated yet plummeting longer waits. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-25-november-2025/ Important note – These latest statistics up to 31 October 2025 cover all patients waiting for a new outpatient appointment or treatment as an inpatient or day case, as well as those seen and removed from a waiting list covered by the national standards. Individual patients are counted more than once if they are waiting to attend more than one scheduled hospital appointment or admission, so the official statistics shown here … Continue reading SNP Government initiatives leading to plummeting waiting lists with overall list now 5% shorter than NHS England

Leave a comment

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

johnrobertson834

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

1 Comment

Scotland has 3 322 district nurses and England has shockingly only 4 000 for more than TEN TIMES the population

johnrobertson834

UK Government plans to move more NHS England care into the community and out of hospitals won’t be achievable with far fewer district nurses than in Scotland By stewartb Another contrast in favour of Scotland’s healthcare system which will receive no MSM media attention and candidly, little or acknowledgement either from the relevant trade union, concerns District Nursing. Source: Nufffield Trust (May 31, 2025) 1 in 4 district nurses leave NHS – fix district nursing or risk jeopardising plans to shift care closer to home, warns think tank.‘ (Typical of England-based health think tanks, one has to read into their reports … Continue reading Scotland has 3 322 district nurses and England has shockingly only 4 000 for more than TEN TIMES the population

2 Comments

How can midwives be at ‘breaking point’ with 15% more than NHS England and far fewer (zero) maternity units in crisis

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Remember the days, less than 20 years ago, when corporate media like the Herald would only have trade unions on the front page to suggest they were selfish, overpaid, dishonest, a threat to the economy, the nation even. These days, they’re ‘useful idiots‘ to be exploited in the campaign for Labour in the next Holyrood election. I have 1 bairn (born in Falkirk) and three weans (born in Irvine). The midwives were all wonderful. One of the consultants less so. I’m not doubting they feel under pressure but: By 2024, NHS Scotland had 2 581 midwives, … Continue reading How can midwives be at ‘breaking point’ with 15% more than NHS England and far fewer (zero) maternity units in crisis

Leave a comment

There is no hospital in Scotland you need fear attending but in England, 31 you might be wary of and 5 you really need to stay away from

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA Once again Public Health Scotland publish figures showing that all of Scotland’s hospitals are operating with the same high safety levels as each other. In the above chart we can see that all bar one, from the smaller hospitals on the left, to the giant Queen Elisabeth University Hospital on the right, no hospitals had a significantly higher standardised mortality ratio than the national average. From Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios July 2024 to June 2025, published yesterday, the above graph and: For the period July 2024 to June 2025: HSMR is a risk-adjusted hospital mortality measure … Continue reading There is no hospital in Scotland you need fear attending but in England, 31 you might be wary of and 5 you really need to stay away from

Leave a comment

99% of drug and alcohol patients seen in 3 weeks, 99% of children and adolescents with mental health problems seen on time and 98% of cancer patients begin treatment within 31 days but local Labour MP prefers you don’t know that

johnrobertson834

being missed. Professor John Robertson OBA UK Labour’s Elaine Stewart outside her local hospital to shout about supposed failures, demoralising passing staff again and being carefully selective about what locals should know. There are two cancer treatment targets. The 62-day standard states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer than 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment.  Only one Scottish NHS board meets that target. This is the longer of the two targets presumably for good reason. The shorter target, the 31-day standard, states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer … Continue reading 99% of drug and alcohol patients seen in 3 weeks, 99% of children and adolescents with mental health problems seen on time and 98% of cancer patients begin treatment within 31 days but local Labour MP prefers you don’t know that

2 Comments

Disgusting Daily Record politicises one baby death to malign Scotland’s maternity service, the best in Britain

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA The Record today with another single case of supposed NHS failure then generalised and politicised to mislead readers and viewers. This representation of Scotland’s maternity services, clearly politicising a tragic issue with disinformation for political purposes, ie weakening the SNP vote in 2026, is disgusting. It could not be more inaccurate. Stillbirth and Neonatal Mortality First, the stillbirth rate in Scotland, England and Wales is 3.5 per 1 000 total births, 3.8 and 4.4(!).1, 2 Germany is 3.7. This reflects Scotland’s lower child poverty, more social housing, free prescriptions, lower rents and cleaner hospitals after Nicola Sturgeon kept … Continue reading Disgusting Daily Record politicises one baby death to malign Scotland’s maternity service, the best in Britain

2 Comments

NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of cover-up and distortion by NHS England managers is revealed

johnrobertson834

stewartb making this comment below, yesterday, reminded of how previously, he, I and others have revealed the trickery used by NHS England, operating in a Tory/competitive/managerialist culture, contrary to the public service model still operating in Scotland, have found ways to massage their published statistics. When comparing statistics on long periods spent in A&E in England with those in Scotland, it is always important to check the exact nature of the metric being used. For NHS Scotland, it is always likely to be time spent since arrival up to admission, discharge or transfer. For NHS England the metric in use could be … Continue reading NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of cover-up and distortion by NHS England managers is revealed