Tag: scottish-government

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You’re almost TWICE as likely to be on a waiting list for cardiac care in England than you are in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson From the Guardian today, we see that 408 548 are waiting for cardiac care in England. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/11/number-waiting-for-nhs-care-for-serious-heart-problems-in-england-rises-fivefold You know the drill. With one-tenth of the population, all things being as equally bad as our media would hope, Scotland might expect to have around 40 000 on the waiting list for cardiac care but according to the Herald on 6 February 2024, it’s 23 000, just over half. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24091977.cardiology-waiting-lists-at-highest-level-record Is it just this or is there a wider picture of NHS Scotland waiting lists being shorter after 16 years of the SNP in Government? Search: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=wait to … Continue reading You’re almost TWICE as likely to be on a waiting list for cardiac care in England than you are in Scotland

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Another step toward life ‘in the early days of a better nation’ – Human rights centred benefits approach for disabled children in Scotland that BBC Scotland is predicted to ignore

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By Professor John Robertson I’ve written many times now how the SNP in government, hamstrung by the limits of the devolution settlement, is working hard toward Alasdair Gray’s famous line – “Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.” We see it clearly, as long as we don’t rely on Scotland’s self-hating media, in the compensation for the bedroom tax and two child benefit cap, in the free prescriptions, the bus passes for youngsters to get them to college or apprenticeships, the progressive taxation and the world-leading child benefit which even the IFS had to … Continue reading Another step toward life ‘in the early days of a better nation’ – Human rights centred benefits approach for disabled children in Scotland that BBC Scotland is predicted to ignore

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Elderly and frail TWICE as likely to wait more than 24 hours in A&E in England than in Scotland

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No pictures of old folk required here By Professor John Robertson From the Guardian today: More than 150,000 patients had to wait a day in A&E before getting a hospital bed last year, according to new data. Freedom of information data compiled by the Liberal Democrats from 73 hospital trusts – about half the total – found that the number of patients forced to wait more than 24 hours in A&E before a bed could be found for them has increased by tenfold since 2019. The majority of those forced to wait were elderly or frail, with two-thirds of the … Continue reading Elderly and frail TWICE as likely to wait more than 24 hours in A&E in England than in Scotland

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After more than 50 days of strikes and more than a million appointments cancelled NHS England’s waiting list swells to proportionally TWICE that in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson More than 50 days of NHS strikes in England, and counting, the Guardian today reports: Almost 10 million people across England could be waiting for an NHS appointment or treatment, 2 million more than previously estimated, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics. The ONS survey of about 90,000 adults found that 21% of patients were waiting for a hospital appointment or to start receiving treatment on the NHS. When extrapolated, this equates to 9.7 million people. In January, the waiting list stood at 7.6 million, according to official NHS statistics. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/03/almost-10-million-people-in-england-could-be-on-nhs-waiting-list The Guardian report does … Continue reading After more than 50 days of strikes and more than a million appointments cancelled NHS England’s waiting list swells to proportionally TWICE that in Scotland

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How SNP minister tried to show minister the way to reduced child poverty

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By stewartb On 4 March 2024 the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP wrote to the Secretary of State for Work, the Rt Hon Mel Stride MP on the subject of child poverty and support for the most vulnerable. What follows are extracts from her letter. Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/child-poverty-support-vulnerable-letter-uk-government/ ‘Ahead of the Spring Budget, I am writing to set out key actions which we are calling on the UK Government to take to tackle child poverty and support the most vulnerable in our society. In Scotland, we are doing everything within the scope of our powers and limited … Continue reading How SNP minister tried to show minister the way to reduced child poverty

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Former Labour candidate back in the Scotsman with fake news on Scottish schools which are actually funded 18% higher

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Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the monthly Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ Today, in the Scotsman, Barry Black, with no mention of who or what he might be, is allowed to suggest the Scottish Government is underfunding schools. Black was on BBC Scotland’s The Nine, last November, to tell a few viewers that the Scottish Government was failing to close attainment gaps. you can read the response here: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2023/11/24/scotsman-and-bbc-let-labour-candidate-and-just-a-student-pretend-to-be-an-independent-researcher-and-to-make-big-mistakes-on-attainment/ Who is he? Introduced as a ‘researcher’ on BBC Scotland’s The Nine and in the Scotsman the next day … Continue reading Former Labour candidate back in the Scotsman with fake news on Scottish schools which are actually funded 18% higher

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SNP competence check – ‘England may wish to follow Scotland’s lead on preventive healthcare for under 5s’

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ From an article in the British Medical Journal, a remarkable report of the impact of the Scottish Government’s unique investment in health visitors, across a range of outcomes including infant survival, vaccination rates, breastfeeding, obesity, GP workload, A&E attendance levels and dental treatment. The full article is behind a paywall so unless you have access to an institutional (university, health board etc) account you may not be able to read the whole thing. It’s stunning. Here is an extract: Urgent action is needed to tackle worsening health … Continue reading SNP competence check – ‘England may wish to follow Scotland’s lead on preventive healthcare for under 5s’

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VERIFIED by Office for National Statistics: NHS Scotland performs best in Britain on A&E waits – and has done so for over a decade!

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ By stewartb So it’s true – the ONS has confirmed that NHS Scotland has the best performing A&E services in Britain in terms of waiting times. What’s more, it has been a top performer for over a decade. This may come as a shock to many voters in Scotland given it runs counter to BBC Scotland’s framing and to the ‘outraged’ media performances by a Labour Party dame and a Tory in scrubs with a ‘cool’ hairdo. Source: ONS (28 February 2024) Accident and Emergency wait times … Continue reading VERIFIED by Office for National Statistics: NHS Scotland performs best in Britain on A&E waits – and has done so for over a decade!

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Two Labour men who would not dare to ask Keir Starmer to copy this to take 5 million English kids out of poverty

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This site costs nothing to run so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ Today, from the Scottish Government but nowhere on BBC Scotland: Scottish Child Payment was helping the families of more than 327,000 children at the end of December last year, official statistics have shown.  The £25-a-week payment helps families as part of a wider package of Scottish Government actions to tackle child poverty and support people during the cost of living crisis.  The figures published today show more than 4,000 extra children were being supported since the previous quarter – the fourth consecutive rise.  Scottish Child Payment launched … Continue reading Two Labour men who would not dare to ask Keir Starmer to copy this to take 5 million English kids out of poverty

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Junior doctor strikes again – Why we want less Scottish news and more from England

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Above, BBC Scotland’s interests specially chosen for you. Below, the really big story everywhere else in the UK but not to be mentioned by BBC Scotland, even though to do so might reassure thousands of the elderly, vulnerable and confused, that it is OK to contact NHS Scotland, to go for an appointment with confidence or, of course, to think something positive about the SNP in government: 10th strike by junior doctors, 50 plus days of doctor strikes across England with more than a million missed appointments, 50 000 plus excess deaths and strikes all across the UK, except in: … Continue reading Junior doctor strikes again – Why we want less Scottish news and more from England