In October 2017, there was a performance gap of almost 10% between Scottish and English A&E departments. Note that this is based on English Type 1 A&E departments (those with specialists available). As I understand all Scottish A&E departments have specialists in the adjoining hospital. I think the English separation of types of A&E departments is a trick to conceal the figures for the Type 1 departments within figures for ‘all’ A&E departments. I feel sure the presumably Type 2 departments would not meet the criteria to be termed A&E in Scotland.
In NHS England, in October 2017, 84.9% of patients were seen within 4 hours in type 1 A&E departments, compared to 84.6% in September 2017 and 83.7% for the same month last year.
In NHS Scotland, in October 2017, 94.0% of people attending Emergency Departments were seen and subsequently admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours. In September it was 93.5%.
http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Emergency-Care/Publications/2017-11-07/Summary/index.asp
Talking-up Scotland 
Last week BBC radio Shortbread broadcast that Scotland had missed its A&E target. . . No figures given (they would Demonstrate it was a close thing). . . , no report on England’s performance (that would allow a comparison to be made)
So it’s a case of Scotland’s NHS failed , but were telling you nothing else coz you’d see it was the best NHS in the UK.
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As I expected. Stop listening everyone?
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finding it tough, is that the Stokholm Syndrome kicking in?
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One of the five core principles of journalism is Fairness and Impartiality.
“Stories should be balanced and add context”.
BBC and Radio Scotland have very poor editorial and journalistic ethics.
Good Morning Scotland used to be gem of a news program. Not for many years though.
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Yes, context mostly absent
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I wonder if they have any self awareness to help them realise how risible their stance is to anyone even watching”National” news?
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Don’t think they realise . . . They hang about at the staff Bar at PQ. Reinforcing their beliefs, practising their superior telephone voices.
Tell them nothing . . . They’re doing just fine
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I suspect they’re in a bubble unable to see from an exterior perspective
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Hi John et al. Last week I mentioned that Prof. Gerry McCormack (Principal/Vice Chancellor) of Stirling Uni had made a small appearance in the Joseph Mifsud saga by linking up with the ‘London Academy of Diplomacy’. Upon the closure of the Academy, Mifsud was hired by Stirling as a full-time (‘Professoria’)l teaching fellow in May 2017 and is currently still employed by Stirling.
CNN is reporting that Mifsud has vanished in the last week, having disappeared from a university in Rome where he currently teaches.(Curious that he was ‘teaching’ in Rome when he is salaried as a ‘full-timer’ at Stirling?)
We learned that Stirling Principal McCormack had a chauffeur and car because we now know that he sent said chauffeur driven car to pick Mifsud up at the airport on one occasion.
A further quick look at Prof. McCormack yields some further interesting info. He was the subject of a story in the Daily Wrecker a couple of years back. Note the expenses claimed for attendance at 2 ‘Scottish’ Lib. Dem conferences: (see below):
Stirling University chief Gerry McCormac in row over £15,000 expenses bill
The total, claimed between 2012 and 2014, includes almost £10,000 in air fares.
JOHN ROWBOTHAM
• 12:00, 14 MAY 2015
Stirling University‘s £200,000-a-year principal Gerry McCormac incurred expenses of about £15,000 between 2012 and 2014.
The total includes almost £10,000 in air fares and features claims for dinners with a colleague, £16.50 for thank you cards, £22.92 for entry to an Edinburgh Airport departure lounge and £7.11 for parking while at the University of Florida.
Professor McCormac took over the job of vice-chancellor and principal of Stirling Unversity in May 2010 and has a salary of £205,000, which is more than that of Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
According to information obtained by the Observer following two Freedom of Information Act requests to Stirling University , the professor successfully claimed for expenses of £1798.42 in 2012, £1155.45 the following year and £1894.13 a year later. The total of £4848 included in 2012 three “deputy principal dinner meetings” costing £87.60; £27 for travel to a Liberal Democratic conference in Dunfermline and £16.95 for mobile phone cover.
There are also travel and expenses claims in late 2012 incurred during a visit to Japan .
Expenses claimed in 2013 feature £9 for stationery, £22.92 for entry to a departure lounge at Edinburgh Airport, claims incurred during a trip to Japan and £60 for dinner at a Liberal-Democratic fringe event in Glasgow. Dinner with the deputy principal in Stirling yielded a claim of £43.65 and there were also claims at the end of 2013 for expenses occurred while attending events in London linked to the Man Booker literary prize.
On 2014, Professor McCormac’s attendance at a Burns Supper in Stirling cost taxpayers £40 and in February there were two “senior management team events”, both held in Perthshire, for which claims totalling £78.61 were submitted.
A trip to London for a reception held by the Irish President led to a claims of £14.75 for “Oyster Card charges” and the records also show that the professor lodged a £7 claim for parking in Glasgow while attending “Game Changer Awards”.
Records from 2014 also reveal expenses incurred during trips to George Mason University in Washington, USA, and South Florida, and more visits to London in connection with the Man Booker Prize.
Airfares paid for by the university during the three-year period comprise £2751 for visits to Japan and £2699 for the trip to South Florida and £4213 for the visit to Washington .
A spokesman for the University told the Observer none of Prof McCormac’s expenses claims was rejected between January 1, 2012, and December 19, 2014.
He added: “As the head of a leading research-intensive university, it is a necessary and important part of the role of the principal and vice-chancellor to travel nationally and internationally, particularly to countries in which we teach, and to maintain research partnerships and develop new collaborations. The University has clear travel and subsistence guidelines to ensure all legitimate expenses incurred by any member of staff on university business can be claimed.”
Mary Senior, Scotland Official of the University College Union, which earlier this year criticised university bosses for claiming tens of thousands of pounds of expenses, said: “People will make their own minds up about the amount of expenses university principals receive on top of their salaries – many of whom are already earning well over £200,000.
“It is disappointing that the University had to be forced to provide this information by a freedom of information request, rather than just being open and transparent about it in the first place. Universities in Scotland receive over a billion pounds of public money annually, so should be at the forefront of openness and transparency including on the pay and remuneration of their principals and senior managers.”
Interesting that the 2 expenses claims that leap out at me didn’t seem to leap out at the reporter (or, more worryingly, Mary Senior of the University college Union). The oh so principled Principal managed to have claims OKayed for 2012: £27 for travel to Lib. Dem conference in Dunfermline, then in 2013 a claim for £60 for dinner (£60??) when attending Lib. Dem conference fringe event in Glasgow.
We can only speculate that the Mann Booker visit or one of the USA trips lashed with the 2014 Lib. Dem conference and spared Stirling Uni coffers a further claim.
Put aside for one moment the ‘ethics’ of claiming expenses for ‘Thankyou cards’ and mobile phone covers and Burns’ Supper ticket etc – HOW THE HECK did he get away with claiming expenses for his little jaunts to visit his apparently ‘favoured’ political party pals??? (I notice no claims lodged for attending the Conferences of any other north british political accounting units – or indeed the Party of Government in Scotland – so it seems unlikely that these were visits to party conferences to ‘promote’ Stirling University).
Genuine question – Just what in hell is going on here?
Thanks, Ludo
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Thanks for this Ludo, awesome.
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