Patient satisfaction surveys rate NHS Scotland improving and far more highly than NHS England to cast doubt on 4th Health Secretary media witch-hunt

By Professor John Robertson OBA: In the Guardian today: A quarter of people in England experienced poor NHS care over the last year but fewer than one in 10 of them complained about it, a report by the patient watchdog has revealed. 1 From the Health and Care Experience Survey 2023/24: National Results published on 28th May 2024, only 12% of the 104 000 Scots responding, rated their experience as poor or very poor, down from 15% in the previous year.2 The patients are not wrong. NHS Scotland is doing far better than other NHS areas. See: Once more we witness a gormless witch-hunt … Continue reading Patient satisfaction surveys rate NHS Scotland improving and far more highly than NHS England to cast doubt on 4th Health Secretary media witch-hunt

8th sub-poll in a row confirms SNP lead of 15% to 20% over Labour

From a YouGov poll today, with data collected on 19-20 January 2024 and based on a sample of 2 466 aged 18+: with a Scottish sub-poll of 215: Source: https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/51428-voting-intention-lab-26-ref-24-con-22-19-20-jan-2025 Previously, 7 comparable sub-polls, staring on 2/12/2024, produced these averages: These sub-polls have the obvious disadvantage, on their own, of being too small for reliability but, in contrast to larger Scotland-only polls of around 1 000, of not being weighted according to the 2014 referendum result which seems likely to be skewing the results in favour of Unionist parties. This 8th sub-poll confirms the stability of the SNP support at … Continue reading 8th sub-poll in a row confirms SNP lead of 15% to 20% over Labour

BBC Scotland faking baby death ‘spikes’ that were never there

By Professor John Robertson OBA From Scottish pregnancy, births and neonatal data dashboard, published on 14th January 2025, you can see Scotland’s falling stillbirth trend with variation between 3 and 5 per 1 000 births around the ‘normal’ level of 4, from one quarter to the next. There is one quarterly figure of 5 per 1 000 in July-September 2021 but it is not repeated and is no more significant then the very low figure in the previous quarter. Scotland’s higher level of midwife and home visitor staffing must be credited as a major factor in this trend. In the second graph, … Continue reading BBC Scotland faking baby death ‘spikes’ that were never there

Labour MP attacks her ‘local’ A&E in Fife, Scotland, despite it treating 3 000 patients per month more within the target time than her preferred local A&E in Croydon, England

By Professor John Robertson OBA Yesterday on BBC Politics Scotland, from Westminster (see the backdrop), Melanie Ward, Scottish Labour MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy joined the horde of ‘Scottish’ Labour MPs serving up and humiliating their local communities in the service of the UK Labour Party. From the local Courier in May 2024: A Palestine medical charity boss based in London has been picked to stand for Labour in the Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy seat at the next election. Melanie Ward was chosen to replace disgraced candidate Wilma Brown, who was ditched by the party after she liked “racist” posts on social media.1 … Continue reading Labour MP attacks her ‘local’ A&E in Fife, Scotland, despite it treating 3 000 patients per month more within the target time than her preferred local A&E in Croydon, England

Ferries? The A9? NHS backlogs? Nope, it’s the economy stupid….and health too….but that’s essentially it

From the Scottish Government’s Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker – data tables, based on fieldwork on 3rd to 6th October 2024, with a sample of 1 067 weighted to represent the population in terms of gender, age and social grade, we can draw the following conclusions to inform political campaigning for the 2026 Scottish election. Only two areas really matter, really seem to concern a significant percentage of the population of all categories and so might influence voting patterns significantly – personal finances and the economy (78%) and within that, the cost of living (55%), … Continue reading Ferries? The A9? NHS backlogs? Nope, it’s the economy stupid….and health too….but that’s essentially it

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%

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

‘SNP’s roasters and bangers’ who ‘loathe the poor and vulnerable?’ With such blatant lies would Kevin McKenna even get a job at the Daily Express or Mail?

I’d kind of given up on reacting to Kevin McKenna, in the Herald, for the good of my mental health, but he’s got me going again today with: Human zoo drug rooms are win-win for SNP’s roasters and bangers – IS there no end to the SNP’s loathing of Scotland’s poor and vulnerable people, especially in Glasgow? If Scotland’s party of government isn’t threatening to imprison working-class people for speaking out of turn in their own homes they can be found trying to curb their drinking and inspecting the contents of their bins for signs of delinquent household waste practices. WTF … Continue reading ‘SNP’s roasters and bangers’ who ‘loathe the poor and vulnerable?’ With such blatant lies would Kevin McKenna even get a job at the Daily Express or Mail?