Tag: mental-health

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Don’t be fooled – this is not a ‘grooming’ gang like those in England – no children, no children’s homes, no thousands of victims

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Professor John Robertson OBA They, Scottish Labour and the MSM, would just love it if Scotland had one of those grooming gangs like the ones they have in England. That’s why they’re using the term for a gang that has little in common with the English ones and which, crucially, required a very different response. Here are key differences: This case, dubbed “Scotland’s Rochdale,” stemmed from Police Scotland’s Operation Recloir, which addressed intelligence on human trafficking and exploitation in Tayside. While it highlights serious issues of grooming and trafficking vulnerable young adults, claims involving children from care homes appear unsubstantiated … Continue reading Don’t be fooled – this is not a ‘grooming’ gang like those in England – no children, no children’s homes, no thousands of victims

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Four times as many, per head, waiting for a social care assessment or package in England than in Scotland yet the latter is ‘struggling?’

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the amount of funding for struggling social care services. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland in their BBC Breakfast insert this morning has the above, essentially just councils doing what they do, ask for more money from central government. Context? Nope and certainly not this: From People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services published today by Public Health Scotland: The number of people estimated to be waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care to enable them to live independently at home or in the community was 6,461 on 7 April 2025. The estimated number of people assessed … Continue reading Four times as many, per head, waiting for a social care assessment or package in England than in Scotland yet the latter is ‘struggling?’

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There is no evidence of public services in Wales being consistently better than those in Scotland – on the contrary

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By stewartb What’s so hard for opponents of the present Scottish Government (SG) to grasp? If public services in Scotland fall short or fail but the same ones in Wales are exemplary, then yes severe criticism of the SG may be valid. This would suggest that resource allocation under UK devolution settlements should be enough for Scotland to do at least as well as Wales. There is no evidence of public services in Wales being consistently better than those in Scotland – on the contrary. This should not be too hard to grasp but is it ignored because it runs counter to … Continue reading There is no evidence of public services in Wales being consistently better than those in Scotland – on the contrary

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Factcheck – Maternity services in NHS Scotland far far safer than in NHS England

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: Pregnant women in England are at growing risk of suffering a serious injury while giving birth, NHS figures reveal. The number of mothers sustaining a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear while delivering their baby has risen from 25 in 1,000 in June 2020 to 29 in 1,000 in June this year – a 16% increase. Such injuries can have a “life-changing” impact on women’s physical and mental health, cause post-traumatic stress disorder and leave them afraid to have another child. Childbirth experts linked the rise in the most serious forms of tear to poor NHS care, … Continue reading Factcheck – Maternity services in NHS Scotland far far safer than in NHS England

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Could there be a simple positive reason for the reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drugs treatment in Scotland – years of success in treatment programmes and Scot Gov success in initiatives on minimum pricing and opioid reversal kits?

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Professor John Robertson OBA, former opioid painkiller addict and ‘steady drinker‘ to this day From Public Health Scotland today: In Phase One of this investigation PHS conducted internal exploratory analysis to validate and describe changes in the numbers and characteristics of people accessing Tier 3 and 4 services between 2011/12 and 2021/22, using data from the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) and its predecessor, the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times (DATWT) database. In Phase Two of this investigation, Public Health Scotland presents a national-level examination of the same data sources. This quantitative analysis presents national data shared with … Continue reading Could there be a simple positive reason for the reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drugs treatment in Scotland – years of success in treatment programmes and Scot Gov success in initiatives on minimum pricing and opioid reversal kits?

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Latest figures further highlight the shocking contrast between levels of domestic abuse of children and adults in England and Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA Back around 2014, Frankie Boyle joked that if Scotland was to become an Islamic republic, it would have to start treating its women better. It was already a joke well past its time then and would be plain daft today. By several measures, even 20 years ago, under the last Labour/Lib Dem administration, Scotland was the most violent part of the UK and especially so for women. Things have changed. The Guardian today has: Nearly 90% of cases before the family courts in England and Wales show evidence of domestic abuse, a watchdog has disclosed. Physical, … Continue reading Latest figures further highlight the shocking contrast between levels of domestic abuse of children and adults in England and Scotland

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Sarwar Jr has the same grasp of medical science as RFK Jr before his conversion on measles vaccines and supports a criminal justice approach to drug abuse which does not reduce it and which carries significant harms for individuals and for all of us

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Professor John Robertson OBA Robert F Kennedy Jnr has at least had the intelligence to change his mind on measles vaccination but Sarwar Jr shows little sign of learning on drug abuse and regulation as he pursues populist, street-corner, theories in a vain attempt to undermine the SNP Conference and to come second in the 2026 Scottish election. In the Daily Record yesterday as the SNP Conference begins: Anas Sarwar says he does not support drug decriminalisation for personal use: The Scottish Labour leader said communities do not back “making it easier for people to get drugs and take drugs” … Continue reading Sarwar Jr has the same grasp of medical science as RFK Jr before his conversion on measles vaccines and supports a criminal justice approach to drug abuse which does not reduce it and which carries significant harms for individuals and for all of us

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Plummeting drug deaths and target-busting treatment but they desperately hang on to Scotland’s past

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Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland‘s website is headlining the vote in Holyrood yesterday which rejected the Conservative Party’s proposed bill that would have given people with drug and alcohol addictions the legal right to treatment. The report opens with  Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who tabled the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill, said the legislation would have saved lives. However, opponents said the proposals risked overburdening already stretched services. No evidence for either of these claims if offered and the author has little choice but to tell us, at same point, even if later, the facts which … Continue reading Plummeting drug deaths and target-busting treatment but they desperately hang on to Scotland’s past

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NHS England has to pay out more than twice as much as NHS Scotland for ‘maternity failings’

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Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Brian McGowan for alerting us to this. How are things in Scotland you ask? £1.3 billion was paid out in 2024/205: https://www.cwj.co.uk/site/newsandevents/legalnews/costs_of_NHS_maternity_care_claims_revealed.html Per head, that £1.3 billion becomes £13 billion, less than half the NHS England pay-outs of £27 billion. Why might this difference exist? See this from Stirling University researchers in the BMJ in 2019: We found few differences in maternity care experience for women based on their physical or socioeconomic characteristics. Our findings indicate that maternity care in Scotland is generally equitable. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/2/e023282 Further measures in Scotland: In January 2024, the Daily Mail reporting a drop … Continue reading NHS England has to pay out more than twice as much as NHS Scotland for ‘maternity failings’

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A story never to be told – Domestic abuse of women twice as common and, of children, four times as common, across the border

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and abusive past has made more than 19 500 reports since it started ten years ago. Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland in their BBC Breakfast insert have the above special report today but it’s not being coverfed anywhere else. Interesting, what effect is the scheme having on the relative level of domestic abuse and violence against women in Scotland? That would be an obvious question to ask. They don’t go there so here is the wider picture: Domestic abuse is TWICE as common in England and Wales as in Scotland From the Scottish Government’s Safer Communities Directorate: The police recorded 63,867 incidents … Continue reading A story never to be told – Domestic abuse of women twice as common and, of children, four times as common, across the border