Tag: travel

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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

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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

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Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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By Professor John Robertson OBA and Ayr resident From Ayrshire Live in the Daily Record, yesterday: Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances forced to wait up to 16 hours Not in their report: In the most up-to-date figures, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s full (Type ED) emergency departments saw 59.6% of admissions, in the week-ending 5 January 2025, within the 4 hour target and up from 54% in the week between Xmas and New Year.1 Remember, the triage system ensures that those at serious risk are seen more quickly. The equivalent average figures for Scotland as-a-whole, were 58.7% and 58.2%.1 NHS … Continue reading Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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CalMac have just replaced their oldest large ferry though it’s younger than 11 still in service in affluent Washington State and 13 in British Columbia

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From BBC Scotland, yesterday: The oldest large ferry in the CalMac fleet has been redeployed to a new route after the new ship Glen Sannox took over sailings to Arran. MV Isle of Arran, a 41-year-old ship nicknamed the Auld Trooper, will be based at Oban and used as a second vessel on the Mull route. MV Caledonian Isles will then partner MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route but, unlike the new ship, can operate out of Ardrossan, which has better onward transports links and offers the shortest sailings to the island. Washington State Ferries in the USA, has … Continue reading CalMac have just replaced their oldest large ferry though it’s younger than 11 still in service in affluent Washington State and 13 in British Columbia

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ONS reveals NHS waiting lists for planned care are twice as long in Wales and 40% longer in England, than in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Linda at Broadcasting Scotland for alerting me to this: From NHS planned care waiting times across the UK, as of March 2024, 8.9 patients per 100 were waiting under 52 weeks and 0.9 were waiting over 52 weeks in Scotland. In England, the figures were 12.4 and 0.5 and in Wales, shockingly, 17.1 and 4.5. The ONS reminds us: Each UK country has different healthcare policies, commissioning processes and patient data systems for planned care because of the devolved healthcare system; these affect the data coverage available on referral to treatment (RTT) or … Continue reading ONS reveals NHS waiting lists for planned care are twice as long in Wales and 40% longer in England, than in Scotland

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English County Lines drug dealer jailed for supply in Inverness but it seems it’s not newsworthy here

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In the Strathspey & Badenoch Herald, yesterday, but despite the powerful news values – violence, drugs, death – BBC Scotland, even their Highlands and Islands or NE, Orkney & Shetland teams can find no space for it: A 29-year-old Huyton man has been jailed for three years and nine months for drugs supply offences in Inverness after he was snared by a joint Police Scotland and Merseyside Police operation. Ryan Finlay pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of cannabis through what is called a County Line – a way of transporting illegal narcotics from cities to other … Continue reading English County Lines drug dealer jailed for supply in Inverness but it seems it’s not newsworthy here

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BBC England reveals that ScotRail had fewer cancellations, often far fewer, than any other other UK rail company in 2024

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I’m grateful to my old friend, workmate, dry humourist* and sandwich stealer, from events he hadn’t been invited to attend, Prof Mike Danson of UWS, for alerting me to this. Never to my knowledge reported by BBC Scotland, STV, the Scotsman or the Herald, this BBC England report from December 2024, reveals ScotRail, in 2024, to have had the lowest rate of cancellations of any UK train company, at 2.9%. You can check yourself with the link below but even those in the affluent South-East had 3.3%, everywhere else had around 4% and the North West had a shocking 6.5% … Continue reading BBC England reveals that ScotRail had fewer cancellations, often far fewer, than any other other UK rail company in 2024

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English financiers says ‘Scotland ‘subsidises’ London energy bills’ and it’s ‘better for Scots to pay over the odds than those living in the English capital’

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I missed this back in October 2024: Households in Scotland are paying higher energy bills than they ought to keep prices down south of the Border, according to experts at the Fuller Treacy Money investment strategy firm. In a newsletter arguing against zonal pricing, the firm’s owner Eoin Treacy [above] says it is better for Scots to pay over the odds than those living in the English capital. Zonal pricing, which has been considered by the UK Government in the past, would see places like Scotland – where lots of energy is produced but there is lower demand – pay cheaper … Continue reading English financiers says ‘Scotland ‘subsidises’ London energy bills’ and it’s ‘better for Scots to pay over the odds than those living in the English capital’

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Update – The sinking of the Solway Harvester – BBC Scotland fails to explore, even mention, the several unexplained factors including the nuclear submarine with the ‘distracted’ crew

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On the BBC Scotland website today but written by BBC News Isle of Man: Solway Harvester tragedy ‘still felt’ 25 years on – The loss of seven fishermen in Manx waters “is still keenly felt” a quarter of a century after the Solway Harvester tragedy, the chief minister has said. The crewmen, from the Isle of Whithorn area of Dumfries and Galloway, died when the the scallop dredger sank off the coast of Douglas on 11 January 2000. Skipper Andrew Mills (known as Craig), 29, his brother Robin Mills, 33, their cousin David Mills, 17, Martin Milligan, 26, John Murphy, … Continue reading Update – The sinking of the Solway Harvester – BBC Scotland fails to explore, even mention, the several unexplained factors including the nuclear submarine with the ‘distracted’ crew

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Maybe CalMac should call Trump and offer to take over the worst ferry service in the developed world

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By Professor John Robertson, International Ferry Correspondent Washington State has a population of 8 million, around 50% more than Scotland but it’s coastal islands off Seattle, sit in far milder and less stormy seas than on the West coast of Scotland. It’s GDP of around $680 billion is significantly higher than that of Scotland at $230bn (£187bn) but despite that Washington State Ferries (privately owned with dividend holders) may be the worst in the developed world. From King-TV Seattle, yesterday: Governor-elect Bob Ferguson boarded a state ferry Wednesday and sailed into uncharted waters on Wednesday. The state ferry system is sinking, with … Continue reading Maybe CalMac should call Trump and offer to take over the worst ferry service in the developed world

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Financial Ferry Fiasco in Tasmania as local funds are spent in Finland and Government ‘spruiks’ to cover up its bungles

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It’s a bit like BBC Question Time, filmed mostly in England and with Nigel Farage on the panel, counted as part of the BBC Scotland budget [It is! See below1] but the above much-delayed and inflated-cost ferry, built in Finland and stored at the cost of millions in Leith, over the winter, was supposed to benefit the local Tasmanian economy by using ‘local content’ but, from ABC Business, two days ago: Finnish-built ship engines have been included in the so-called “local content” in the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries. The delivery of the new ferries has dominated public discourse in … Continue reading Financial Ferry Fiasco in Tasmania as local funds are spent in Finland and Government ‘spruiks’ to cover up its bungles