‘Our findings mean that northern Scotland has among the highest rates of Huntington’s disease in the world. Its prevalence is almost three times greater than reported elsewhere in Europe (4.7 per 100,000); North America (4.1-5.2 per 100,000); Japan (0.1 per 100,000); Australia (5.70 per 100,000 people) – and more than five times the estimated worldwide rate of 2.71 per 100,000 people.’
NHS Scotland
NHS alert: code red for climate change
Bold declarations of climate emergency and world beating targets came before the pandemic showed just how quickly human behaviour can change. We can do it when we have to. Yet last year’s euphoric thoughts of ‘building back better’ seem to have got lost.
Primary care needs urgent support
“We cannot do it all, something will have to give, and it should not be our sickest patients. We need to retain our workforce and yet I know of many GPs who stayed on for the pandemic but who will shortly leave….”
Time to deliver
“The failure to reduce demand in acute services through prevention is evident in the increasing proportion of Scottish budget spend on the National Health Service. This has had many consequences. Money required for acute services means less for other services.” A member of the Christie Commission on delivering public services in Scotland looks back/forward in sorrow
Monklands Hospital: lessons from Labour’s flawed campaign
Scottish Labour needs to learn lessons from its recent ( and wrong-headed/ill-informed) high-profile campaigning on Monklands Hospital. “We must be concerned with evidence, developing new policies, doing things differently and respecting communities and staff on the ground. This campaign ignored all the evidence and demonstrated a poor understanding of the issues and communities involved.”
Breaking the silence around asbestos
‘My dad lost his voice a few days before he died, caused ultimately by this illness. We became his voice. It is my hope that in writing this I can help in some small way the people who are struggling to have their voices heard.’ Dianne McKay speaks up for women and men suffering from asbestos related diseases.
Save our NHS before it’s too late
Almost 70 years old, the NHS has saved countless millions of lives, now it’s up to us to keep our NHS alive. Pat Sutherland makes a robust and moving case for action.