Tag: nhs

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The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care

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By stewartb The Nuffield Trust has published a companion to the Scottish briefing , for the NHS in Wales. It concludes (with my emphasis): ‘The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care. Waiting times are poor and the public deeply unhappy. ‘Wales’s older, more deprived population means that needs for care are elevated, and sustained high levels of health funding reflect that. ‘The incoming ministers will know that there is not enough money in the coffers to simply spend their way to success. Improvements in delayed discharges and waiting lists provide a … Continue reading The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care

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The causes of healthy life expectancy falling – Scotland already has far more, per head of population, GPs, nurses, midwives and other professionals than other parts of the UK so maybe look at this?

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The Herald today has: Scotland already has far more, per head of population, GPs, nurses, midwives and other professionals than other parts of the UK (table above, sources below) so Prof Cameron’s theory seems a little thin, simplistic. Here’s another explanation but one of course which cannot be laid at the door of the SNP Government’s limited devolved powers. The major rise in processed/UPF availability and reliance began decades earlier (1980s–2000s), becoming entrenched by the 2010s. This long-term poor diet quality (cumulative effects on obesity, inflammation, mental health, and chronic conditions) helps explain why health gains from medical advances stalled … Continue reading The causes of healthy life expectancy falling – Scotland already has far more, per head of population, GPs, nurses, midwives and other professionals than other parts of the UK so maybe look at this?

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Have the Scottish Labour MPs joined the campaign against the ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS contracts which the SNP already rejected two years ago?

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In the Guardian today: MPs have queued up to demand the government scraps its £330m NHS contract with the spy-tech company Palantir, calling it “dreadful” and “shameful” in a debate on Thursday, after which the government said it was “no fan” of the US company’s politics. Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs led the calls for Palantir, which also works for Donald Trump’s ICE immigration crackdown and the Israeli military, to be removed as a supplier to the NHS federated data platform (FDP), with one Labour backbencher, Samantha Niblett, questioning whether it could be “trusted as a custodian of the intimate health records of … Continue reading Have the Scottish Labour MPs joined the campaign against the ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS contracts which the SNP already rejected two years ago?

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How diplomacy by the Scottish Government helped to avert all planned health service strikes in Scotland

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In the Guardian today: Many of us reluctantly supported industrial action at the beginning, with a government that wasn’t listening – wanting to support junior colleagues whose pay had fallen far behind contemporaries. Now we see how divided and conflicted resident doctors are too, and we long for a resolution. We recognise that the strikes are harmful. Communication and diplomacy are skills we pride ourselves on, and politicians have never needed them more than now. Diplomacy is the way to resolve this crisis for our NHS as well.Dr Helen HoltConsultant physician and chair of the medical staff committee, University Hospitals Dorset https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/15/strike-is-harming-the-nhs-and-dividing-doctors To what … Continue reading How diplomacy by the Scottish Government helped to avert all planned health service strikes in Scotland

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How actual facts prove there is no two-tier health system in Scotland contrary the three wee anecdotes set up for the Unionist leaders

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In the last three weeks I know of someone who is 83rd in the list of seeing a doctor in accident and emergency. There were 83 patients before them and they had to wait ten hours to be seen. I know someone who has waited over two and a half years to get an audiology test. Driven towards paying £1800 to buy from a high street store. Within four days, they had their hearing aids. We also know of someone who has been on a waiting list, we keep talking about bringing them down, the Scottish nationalist party (sic) they … Continue reading How actual facts prove there is no two-tier health system in Scotland contrary the three wee anecdotes set up for the Unionist leaders

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Scotland’s model for pharmacy offers lessons for predicted ‘Iran war’ shortages

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In the Guardian 29 March 2026: Britain [sic] is “a few weeks away” from medicine shortages ranging from painkillers to cancer treatment if the Iran war continues, according to experts, while drug prices could also rise. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/28/uk-weeks-away-medicine-shortages-iran-war-impacts-experts-warn The above makes no mention of Scotland. Searching for reports of shortages in Scotland gets the same story of shortages in England plus, When I saw the Guardian piece I was reminded of this intriguing suggestion: One potential solution lies in affording community pharmacy greater latitude in altering prescriptions – a practice that could save immense amounts of NHS funds and ease the … Continue reading Scotland’s model for pharmacy offers lessons for predicted ‘Iran war’ shortages

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Scotland’s GPs have ‘negotiated, investment-heavy multi-year package aimed at stabilisation’, while England’s GPs have strongly rejected what they see as ‘burdensome, under-resourced changes’

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Thanks, once again, to Dottie for alerting me to this: Today, from Doctors’ Association UK: The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) has given its strong support to general practitioners in England after they overwhelmingly rejected this year’s imposed contract changes. Almost 17,000 GPs and GP registrars took part in the BMA’s referendum, with 98.9% voting against the plans. They have called on the Government to return to negotiation with the BMA’s GP committee (BMA GPC) to jointly develop and agree a brand new contract.  https://dauk.org/government-urged-to-listen-after-gps-reject-contract-changes/ AI question – How does the current GP contract in Scotland compare with that for England … Continue reading Scotland’s GPs have ‘negotiated, investment-heavy multi-year package aimed at stabilisation’, while England’s GPs have strongly rejected what they see as ‘burdensome, under-resourced changes’

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The Dark Side of NHS England and Jackie Baillie’s only waiting times ‘victory’ over Scotland

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In August 2025, STV and many other media reported: Long NHS waits are over 800 times more common in Scotland than they are in England, Scottish Labour has claimed. The party said its own analysis of publicly available figures showed Scotland had nearly 15,000 ongoing waits of two years or more – representing one case per 367 people. Meanwhile, NHS England reported having 182 waits of more than two years, or around one in 317,000 people. The figures involve those waiting more than two years on NHS outpatient, inpatient or day case waiting lists. Under this measure, Labour said the … Continue reading The Dark Side of NHS England and Jackie Baillie’s only waiting times ‘victory’ over Scotland

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Scotland does TWICE the UK rate of heart transplants per capita, thanks to additional financial support from the SNP government but the UK does lag far behind rest of Europe

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From BBC Health two days ago, the above and: The UK used to be a world leader in the field – but has fallen behind major Western nations. The number of heart and lung transplants the NHS carries out each year has not increased in three decades. BBC File on 4 Investigates has found that technology is outdated, there is a lack of investment and senior surgeons are leaving – while patients point to issues with ongoing care. and: While the number of organs donated in the UK is equal to, or better than, much of other parts of Europe … Continue reading Scotland does TWICE the UK rate of heart transplants per capita, thanks to additional financial support from the SNP government but the UK does lag far behind rest of Europe

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The Health Secretary in England says the NHS is ‘on the road to recovery’ but two think tanks reveal it’s nowhere near catching NHS Scotland

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By stewartb The health think tank, the Kings Fund in collaboration the Nuffield Trust has just published a report on public satisfaction in 2025 with the NHS and social care across the UK. It is based on British Social Attitudes Survey research. The report notes: ‘The British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) is a ‘gold standard’, nationally representative survey that uses a robust methodology to explore public views on what it is like to live in Britain and how respondents think the country is run.’ (See https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/public-satisfaction-with-the-nhs-and-social-care-in-2025.pdf ) The research provides views on the NHS overall and on selected NHS services viz. general practice, … Continue reading The Health Secretary in England says the NHS is ‘on the road to recovery’ but two think tanks reveal it’s nowhere near catching NHS Scotland