Tag: mental-health

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Multiple academic research studies suggest sexual crimes in Scotland are far less common than in 1971 and half the current level in England & Wales so BBC Scotland report today is tasteless, uneducated, dishonest and frankly wrong

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No tasteless, titillating for some, exploitative Getty images of tearful young women victims of sexual violence here, unlike in BBC Scotland reporting. From BBC Scotland today: Sexual crimes in Scotland hit record high levels. Sexual crimes recorded by Police Scotland increased by 10% last year and are now at their highest level since 1971, official figures show. The message here is wrong, so wrong. Why? The weight of evidence (stable survey prevalence despite exploding recorded figures, increased reporting, societal improvements in women’s rights/consent norms, and parallel declines in other violence) strongly suggests actual rates for many equivalent traditional/contact sexual crimes … Continue reading Multiple academic research studies suggest sexual crimes in Scotland are far less common than in 1971 and half the current level in England & Wales so BBC Scotland report today is tasteless, uneducated, dishonest and frankly wrong

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Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

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From Human Trafficking NRM referrals re county lines – 10yrs published by Police Scotland today, that ‘referrals made by Police Scotland to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) where county lines and suspected criminal exploitation was a factor‘ was: Under 16 year-olds – from 6 in 2020/2021 to 39 in 2025/2026, almost a seven-fold increase. 16-17 year-olds, from 16 to 65, a four-fold increase. Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/june/26-1022-human-trafficking-nrm-referrals-re-county-lines-10yrs/ What forms does that exploitation take? County lines refers to a violent, exploitative model of illegal drug distribution in the UK, where urban gangs and organised criminal networks export drugs (primarily heroin and crack cocaine) … Continue reading Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

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Scotland’s pharmacy scheme ‘the model for England’ may reduce shortages problems

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In the Guardian today: Britons [sic] are facing some of the “most severe” shortages of NHS medicines on record including common painkillers, epilepsy drugs and HRT, health leaders have warned, even forcing some patients with impaired digestive systems to skip meals. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that medicine shortages pose a “serious risk to patient safety”. The Royal College of GPs has also raised concerns about the impact medicine shortages have on patients, GPs and pharmacists. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/18/nhs-patients-face-worst-drug-shortages-on-record-say-pharmacists-and-gps BBC Breakfast 29 May 2026 told us the Scottish Government has long put in place a better model for pharmacies, repeatedly covered here but never in the … Continue reading Scotland’s pharmacy scheme ‘the model for England’ may reduce shortages problems

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Research by Royal College finds TWICE as many over 60s, per head of population, waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England’s A&E departments as in NHS Scotland – a political responsibility that can no longer be ignored there

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In the Guardian today: More than 1,300 patients a month in England are dying needlessly due to long A&E waits, a tenfold rise in a decade, figures suggest. There were more than 300 deaths linked to long waits every week in 2025, up from 30 a week in 2015, according to analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. The RCEM’s president, Dr Ian Higginson, said he wondered how many more deaths it would take before there was a meaningful plan to tackle the crisis. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/08/more-than-1300-deaths-a-month-in-england-due-to-long-ae-waits-figures-suggest As far as I can see the RCEM in Scotland have not persuaded the media here … Continue reading Research by Royal College finds TWICE as many over 60s, per head of population, waiting more than 12 hours in NHS England’s A&E departments as in NHS Scotland – a political responsibility that can no longer be ignored there

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Sky News reports on dying during childbirth ‘in the UK’ and other maternity services concerns but it’s not ‘the UK’ it’s just England

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The Sky News special tonight on maternity services, ‘in the UK, is of course only about England. They go on quickly to relate their special to the forthcoming report by Baroness Amos and this along with the only example health trusts which they use, confirms that. Why? Baroness Amos looked only at England. Is the Sky News special likely to be informative on Scotland? No, because: Thousands of babies and mothers avoidably dead in maternity trusts, twelve trusts under investigation and two trusts face police investigations into potential corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter but all are in England From BBC West Yorkshire and across BBC TV News broadcasts, 23 February 2026 : Health … Continue reading Sky News reports on dying during childbirth ‘in the UK’ and other maternity services concerns but it’s not ‘the UK’ it’s just England

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How, thanks to SNP, around Scottish 200 000* families on low income receives £15 000 more a year than identical households in England and eight reasons why that’s good for every one of us

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Thanks once more to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian yesterday: The emergence of “welfare nationalism” in the UK has created striking differences in benefit entitlement that result in a Scottish family on a low income receiving £15,000 a year more in state support than an identical household over the border in England. A typical out of work couple with four children would have received £22,000 a year benefit income in York, compared with £32,000 in Belfast and £37,000 in Glasgow, according to new research on the impact of devolved welfare approaches Other eye-catching divergences include benefit and … Continue reading How, thanks to SNP, around Scottish 200 000* families on low income receives £15 000 more a year than identical households in England and eight reasons why that’s good for every one of us

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England is abortion capital of Europe with 31% more than Scotland

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From Termination of pregnancy statistics Year ending December 2025 published in Scotland today, the above and: Following an acceleration in 2022, the rate of increase in demand for termination services has slowed and is the same this year as last, with 17.6 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years receiving a termination in 2025. Source: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics-year-ending-december-2025/ In England: Official statistics for terminations of pregnancy (abortions) in England for the year ending December 2025 are not yet available. The UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) publishes annual Abortion statistics for England and Wales. As of May 2026, these … Continue reading England is abortion capital of Europe with 31% more than Scotland

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Drug deaths in England being seriously under-counted

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Opioid deaths in England 50% higher than recorded In September 2025 (most recent data for this purpose) , BBC UK reported: More than 13,000 heroin and opioid deaths have been missed off official statistics in England and Wales, raising concerns about the impact on the government’s approach to tackling addiction. Research from King’s College London, shared exclusively with BBC News, found that there were 39,232 opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022, more than 50% higher than previously known. The error has been blamed on the government’s official statistics body not having access to correct data and it is understood ministers are … Continue reading Drug deaths in England being seriously under-counted

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One Scottish member of an Afghan child sex grooming gang operating only in Norfolk changes nothing in Scotland’s review

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In the Guardian today, the above and: As far as I can see the media operating in Scotland and opposition politicians have not yet spotted that reference to Scotland. That all the offences were committed in Norfolk will not stop them importing child sex grooming gangs into Scotland and calling for an immediate inquiry rather than the SNP Government’s 18-month timetable for a national review that would only then inform a decision on whether a full public inquiry is required. Here’s why a careful approach to a national review is required, reasons which were already in a response to Labour … Continue reading One Scottish member of an Afghan child sex grooming gang operating only in Norfolk changes nothing in Scotland’s review

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Rt Hon Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale’s thinktank tries to hide entirely English culture of County Lines drug gang ‘cuckooing’ plague in Scotland

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Regulars here will recognise the rarely enlightening thinktank headed up by Lord McConnell, Chris Deerin and their totally non-academic, guide-leader, BBC average housewife interviewee, Research Director, Alison Payne. Today, they have the above and: The recent passage of a new criminal offence of cuckooing within the Crime and Policing Act marks a significant milestone after years of sustained advocacy by the Centre for Social Justice and Justice and Care. It is a reform grounded not in theory, but in the lived experience of some of the most vulnerable individuals across the UK. Cuckooing, sometimes described as “forced home invasion”, occurs … Continue reading Rt Hon Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale’s thinktank tries to hide entirely English culture of County Lines drug gang ‘cuckooing’ plague in Scotland