More news you won’t hear – Over 98,000 children are now benefiting from new learning environments and over 10,000 people are benefiting from new affordable homes

By cuckooshoe The SNP proposed a Scottish Futures Trust in their 2007 election manifesto. The Scottish Government owns the SFT which they established in 2008. It is an independent, arms-length company that works with the public and private sectors to maximize the benefits of infrastructure projects. “To further demonstrate the impact of our work, we produced this website with our ten outcomes detailed below. Within each of the outcomes, we have listed a number of facts and figures that reflect the quantitative impact our work is having. And across the ten outcomes, we have added 23 more case studies (on top … Continue reading More news you won’t hear – Over 98,000 children are now benefiting from new learning environments and over 10,000 people are benefiting from new affordable homes

There is no evidence of ‘regular’ care in extra beds and corridors in Scotland as BBC Scotland make up the numbers from a survey where less than 1% bothered to respond across the UK

Professor John Robertson OBA In a 457 page report, On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, from the RCN UK, the word ‘Scotland’ appears only twice in the text and, other than that, as the page header of a section where there are anonymised statements from an unspecified number of respondents. I am not, of course, saying that events do not happen in corridors and that care never takes place there, in Scotland but I am saying that this report does not provide evidence of it happening regularly as BBC Scotland claims today. The report only suggests ‘more than 5 … Continue reading There is no evidence of ‘regular’ care in extra beds and corridors in Scotland as BBC Scotland make up the numbers from a survey where less than 1% bothered to respond across the UK

NHS Scotland staffed and resourced to carry out 98% of nearly 25 000 operations in November 2024, up 40% on the level at the end of the pandemic, to complete media silence

By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, yesterday, we see that NHS Scotland had in place the staff and resources to carry out 98% of the 24 764 operations planned for November 2024 and 40% up from the around 18 000 planned at the end of the Covid-19 emergency measures in early 2022. In the event, around 6% were cancelled at the last minute, either by the patient themselves or by the medical staff, but nevertheless, NHS Scotland after 17 years of SNP rule, was ready for that 6% too. This is remarkable efficiency and government support in a … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and resourced to carry out 98% of nearly 25 000 operations in November 2024, up 40% on the level at the end of the pandemic, to complete media silence

Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow’s hypocritical and inaccurate statement on access to NHS dentistry, 95% and 21% higher in Scotland, and available in her own town, just to please Sir Keir at PMQs

By Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks again AR: Kirsteen Sullivan Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow, has just asked PM Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs about a shortage of dentists in Scotland which then allowed Starmer to attack the SNP. We see, above, Sullivan’s supposed commitment to honesty in public life. However, on the availability of NHS dentistry in Scotland, she doesn’t want you to know the honest truth, this: From Public Health Scotland, May 28, 2024: 5,182,993 people were registered with an NHS dentist as at 31 March 2024 (94.6% of the Scottish population). 732,618 extensive clinical examinations were paid in … Continue reading Labour MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow’s hypocritical and inaccurate statement on access to NHS dentistry, 95% and 21% higher in Scotland, and available in her own town, just to please Sir Keir at PMQs

Jackie Baillie tries to blame SNP though flu jag uptake in Scotland was 80% for 65+ while in Labour Wales it was dangerously below the WHO target at only 68%

By Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to AR for another of his regular assists with Labour in Scotland media fake news and the facts from Labour Wales. Health spokesperson for Scotland’s 3rd biggest party, UK Labour (North), Jackie Baillie, Dame of the British Empire, is in the Scotsman today with: Flu outbreak shows how badly the SNP is failing the NHS There is, of course, no mention of the fact that the ‘SNP’ has enabled: Vaccination uptake rates in the 65 years and over cohort remained high, reaching 79.8%. This is above the World Health Organization’s target ambition of 75%.1 … Continue reading Jackie Baillie tries to blame SNP though flu jag uptake in Scotland was 80% for 65+ while in Labour Wales it was dangerously below the WHO target at only 68%

BBC Scotland’s subtle attempt to mislead on cancer deaths

This morning BBC Scotland, at 6:30am, report: Currently three out of five people with a group of cancers characterised as ‘less survivable die within a year of diagnosis. New analysis shows the average one-year for survival rate for this group of cancers, which includes lung, liver and brain cancer, is just 39% in Scotland. The overall cancer survival rates across the country show 71% are still alive after 12 months. I don’t know about you but I took that contrasting 39% in Scotland and 71% across the country to mean that the UK survival rate was 71% and the Scottish … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s subtle attempt to mislead on cancer deaths

Averages from seven ‘2014 bias-free polls’ have SNP 15 points ahead, Labour stuck, Cons in trouble, Reform a wee worry and Lib Dems pleased to hang on to 5th place

Based on the last 7 polls with a breakdown sub-poll for Scotland, the averages are as above in the table. This is based on quite small and, on their own, unreliable sub-samples of between 100 and 200 Scots, 18+, but taken together they add up to around the 1 000 mark, required for a reasonable survey. Almost every Scotland-only poll has its sample adjusted to match the 2014, 55 No / 45 Yes, ratio, reducing, it seem probable, the SNP/Green support. At 35%, for this Westmnister poll the SNP would be well down on their 2021 figure of 47.7% but … Continue reading Averages from seven ‘2014 bias-free polls’ have SNP 15 points ahead, Labour stuck, Cons in trouble, Reform a wee worry and Lib Dems pleased to hang on to 5th place

The Idiocrat

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Associate Dean (Quality Assurance) Faculty of Education, UWS In the Herald today, recycling the recent lies of Prof (sic) Lindsay Paterson, Neil Mackay has: The debasement of Scottish education is turning us into an idiocracy. Takes one to know one I suppose but I guess he’s not that daft, just desperate to keep his job. The facts: First, in Secondary schools: At SCQF level 7 (Advanced Higher), the gap in 2009/10, two years after the SNP first came to power, was 24.1 and by 2021/22 it was 22.2, though down from 25 in the previous year but more important … Continue reading The Idiocrat

UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England because it has 21% more staff after 17 years of SNP rule

By Professor John Robertson OBA From The healthcare workforce across the UK: 2024 A summary of the cross-UK comparability of official direct NHS employment statistics and other relevant data sources, including non-official data, on specific healthcare professionals across the UK, published by the ONS on 6 March 2024, the following data on staffing at the end of 2023: NHS England – 1 308 825. With one tenth, or 10%, of the population, all things being equal, we might expect NHS Scotland to have around 131 000. However, it had 158 375, 27 375 or 20.8% more staff Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/thehealthcareworkforceacrosstheuk/2024 Performing better? See: Support Scots … Continue reading UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England because it has 21% more staff after 17 years of SNP rule

Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland

By Professor John Robertson OBA From Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK A summary of the cross-UK comparability of cancer waiting time statistics that are published by each nation published by the ONS on 23 August 2024 for Quarter 1, 2024: The percentage waiting longer than the 31 day [from the “decision-to-treat” a cancer patient to when the patient starts treatment] and 62 day standards [there should be no more than 62 days between a cancer referral being received by a hospital (specialist) to when a patient starts treatment]: *NI Q3 2023 is latest information So, based on the … Continue reading Cancer waiting times – UK Government figures reveal that NHS Scotland performs significantly better than NHS England and shockingly better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland