How NHS Scotland repeatedly has and can help NHS England patients

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Independent yesterday, the above, and: Enhertu is the first licensed targeted treatment for patients with HER2-low breast cancer that cannot be removed surgically or that has spread to other parts of the body. Patients are usually offered chemotherapy, but Breast Cancer Now explains the targeted drug could offer people more time to live in comparison. Enhertu was approved for use in Scotland in December 2023 but was rejected for use on NHS England in March 2024 by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) because it was too expensive. In September 2023, 84 patients have to … Continue reading How NHS Scotland repeatedly has and can help NHS England patients

Herald’s Martin Williams reports others taking ‘pot shots at the SNP’ using the ferries for ammo! What? That’s his job isn’t it? He’s trusted for it!

Professor John Robertson OBA, BA Journalism Research Methods Module Co-ordinator (really I was) One of these moments, eh? The Herald‘s main ferry correspondent, daily rubbishing the SNP Government for their oversight of the CalMac ferry service (best in the world, really), writes today: So much to say. So much to snigger at. Is that headline suggesting the PM not the FM is to blame for not getting new contracts and letting them go to Poland? The headline is a bit different at the full page: More confusion – Is Starmer now to blame for those ‘pot shots’, aimed at the … Continue reading Herald’s Martin Williams reports others taking ‘pot shots at the SNP’ using the ferries for ammo! What? That’s his job isn’t it? He’s trusted for it!

Channel 4 reports 150 knife attacks in schools in England & Wales but has no figures for Scotland and the reason is simple

Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Legerwood for alerting me to this. Channel 4 tonight had the above story. Had this been drug deaths you can be sure the Scottish data would be presented to remind us of our status as the drug death capital of Europe. I am not aware of directly comparable figures for Scotland and neither are Channel 4’s researchers, it seems, but there is evidence to point to them being significantly lower. In 2006/2007, there were just over 4 000 recorded crimes of ‘having in a public place and article with a blade or point.’ By 2016/2017, the … Continue reading Channel 4 reports 150 knife attacks in schools in England & Wales but has no figures for Scotland and the reason is simple

‘Scottish’ MP praises NHS England and damns NHS Scotland on behalf of her boss

By Liz S Imogen Walker , Labour MP for Hamilton and Clyde since last year, stood up today in PMQ’s to feed her weak and needy Labour leader with the usual #SotlandIsSh*te and also BTW her declaring that apparently #EnglandIsBetter. This kind of infantile behaviour neither impresses nor fools anyone into believing the credibility of what is being spun by MP’s like her as part of the weekly pantomime we witness , at PMQ’s and also at Scottish Q’s, and it is merely ‘Playing Politics”. Imogen stated “Mr Speaker , in Hamilton and Clyde valley my constituents are struggling to … Continue reading ‘Scottish’ MP praises NHS England and damns NHS Scotland on behalf of her boss

How the Scottish Government is supporting improved cancer care – but shamefully this is not being reported by ‘your’ media

By JB Some positive things you will not be allowed to read about in the ‘Scottish’ media. Funding for projects to benefit patients and clinical staff. A total of £1.5 million funding in 2024-25 is supporting 12 projects to continue providing direct and personalised support to patients with cancer. Over £1.5 million will support 12 pilot projects across Scotland to deliver a single point of contact to people diagnosed with cancer. All of the people living within NHS Lothian, NHS Borders, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS … Continue reading How the Scottish Government is supporting improved cancer care – but shamefully this is not being reported by ‘your’ media

So when will bills come down?

By Liz S Research that is NOT “Good news” for Anas Sarwar and Labour. (that, as a situation, is now becoming a habitual position for Sarwar and Labour) I looked on MSM Monitor Twitter account. He has a video where in a September 2024 Radio interview the BBC’s Gary Robertson asks a straight forward direct Q that should then have received a straight forward direct answer from the interviewee, Anas Sarwar. However instead this is what was given as a response to the Q asked by Gary Robertson which was as a Q: “Can you tell us when Bills will start to come down … Continue reading So when will bills come down?

A&E in Scotland – 17% better than NHS England, fewest waiting more than 4 hours, for more than a year and fewest waiting more than 12 hours, for 4 months

Professor John Robertson OBA From Accident and emergency Accredited official statistics for February 2025, published by Public Health Scotland today, for Type 1, full emergency departments: 818,710 (68.2%) of type 1 attendances were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours (compared to 18,082 (67.5%) the previous week, and 17,357 (64.7%) weekly average for 2024). and the above table, showing the number waiting 4 hours or more has been falling for the 4th month in a row and is the lowest for more than a year and the number waiting 12 hours or more has been falling for the 4th month … Continue reading A&E in Scotland – 17% better than NHS England, fewest waiting more than 4 hours, for more than a year and fewest waiting more than 12 hours, for 4 months

Rail fares to go up by shocking 21% more in England than in Scotland despite far fewer views like this

Professor John Robertson OBA, Travel Correspondent BBC Scotland this morning, on various cost-of-living increases in the next few days felt the need to remind us that Scotrail fares had gone up ‘nearly 4%.’ That was 3.8% on 31 January 2025. Back then, they had also felt the need to tell us all this: Opposition parties said the price rise would “hammer” passengers who would be “dismayed” at having to pay more despite regular disruption to rail services. Scottish Labour’s transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said the price increase would “hammer” rail passengers and “consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline”. She … Continue reading Rail fares to go up by shocking 21% more in England than in Scotland despite far fewer views like this

Latest research – London School of Economics say 700,000 children could be lifted out of poverty by following Scotland’s approach but no media coverage in ‘trusted’ Herald

Professor John Robertson OBA From the LSE two days ago, the above, being carefully ignored by the BBC and UK MSM, and: Recent days have seen a round of cuts announced to social security, which the UK Government’s own impact assessment shows will increase poverty. But new analysis shows that the Westminster government could cut child poverty in the UK by a sixth if they were to match Scotland’s investment in social security. The analysis comes as the annual poverty statistics show that a growing gap is emerging between the poverty rates of Scottish children, when compared to those in … Continue reading Latest research – London School of Economics say 700,000 children could be lifted out of poverty by following Scotland’s approach but no media coverage in ‘trusted’ Herald

More than 80% of measles infections linked to imported cases and rest of unknown origin as immunisation levels in Scotland climb again to herd immunity level

Quarterly uptake rates in Scotland have gradually declined over time. However, in the latest quarter ending September 2024, there have been small increases in levels of protection for children aged 12 and 24 months, compared with the previous quarter. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2024/#:~:text=This%20release%20by%20Public%20Health%20Scotland%20%28PHS%29%20provides,the%20spread%20of%20disease%20in%20the%20wider%20population. Where have these cases come from? From Public Health Scotland on 4 March 2025: Immunisation and vaccine-preventable diseases quarterly report, October to December 2024 (Q4) There were 24 laboratory-confirmed measles cases reported in 2024: six cases in the first quarter, eight cases in the second quarter, five cases in the third quarter and five cases in the fourth quarter. Of … Continue reading More than 80% of measles infections linked to imported cases and rest of unknown origin as immunisation levels in Scotland climb again to herd immunity level