NHS England almost 10 times more privatised per head than NHS Scotland after 16 years of SNP protection

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/

In recent years, NHS Scotland typically undertakes around 1 million procedures (operations) over the 12 months. As you might expect with 10 times the population, NHS England does around 10 million.

Today in the Guardian, we can read:

Private hospitals ‘cannibalising’ NHS in England by doing 10% of elective operations. Campaigners say health service cannot provide care quickly because of underinvestment, which is allowing firms to ‘make a killing’. Private hospitals performed 442,925 trauma and orthopaedic operations, 440,776 eye surgeries, mainly cataract removals, and 165,270 dermatology procedures

So that’s around 10.5 million.

If things were the same in Scotland, that’d be 105 000 private procedures in a year.

Desperate as ever to remind Scots they’re no better, the Herald in September 2023, had:

Note the sneaky choice to go for the percentage increase rather than comparing the total number, to suggest NHS Scotland was getting more privatised than elsewhere contrary to ‘SNP’ policies and values claiming to protect us from such a trend?

But, look a the total number, 11 215, just over one tenth only of the level if NHS Scotland was as privatised as NHS England.

Again, desperate.

Sources:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual-annual-year-ending-31-march-2023

Click to access operating-theatres-final.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/08/private-hospitals-cannibalising-nhs-in-england-by-doing-10-of-elective-operations

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/

15 thoughts on “NHS England almost 10 times more privatised per head than NHS Scotland after 16 years of SNP protection”

    In today’s Guardian 08/03/24, there is an article about Cancer treatmentwaiting listswhichseems to show the Scottish NHS worse than any other NHS in the UK (including Wales).

    I cannot believe the figures they quote, can you explain, John? Are they genuine or were they just chosen from small samples designed to show scotland ina poor light, which is something i havereluctantly had to accept is something that paper is well capable of.

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  2. NHS funding £125Bllion. Not increased since 2015. The Tories are spending £1090Billion but not enough funding for the NHS. Increasing Defence spending and wasting it. Illegal wars, redundant weaponry, financial fraud and tax evasion. The NHS underfunded.

    SNHS funded £13Billion + social care. A better outcome. Scottish Gov mitigating cuts. 1/4 of the Scottish block Grant. £40Billion.

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  3. Guardian 16,000 readership. £1Billion in reserves. Begging for monies. Oxbridge privilege. Oxbridge funded 20 to 1 of all universities. Bias.

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  4. “a 12.3% in admissions in Scotland year-on-year during January to March.” I wonder if that is Herald using three months figures and multiplying by four to produce “year on year” total?

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    1. By implication yes – That quote was from McGargle’s article “Private hospital treatment rising faster in Scotland than UK” on 12th September 2023, https://archive.ph/V2YDB

      If you scroll down the page you will see explanation of “but the bulk of the increase was driven by a spike in insured patients” – Abstract that increase and the rise is 6%, but spread over the year a truly staggering 1.5%…. 🙄

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      1. Thanks Bob for the archived version I refuse on principle to read Herald, Torygraph, Depress etc or give them clicks, hence my supposition which, as you confirmed, is indeed what they did. No surprise there!

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  6. The Daily Telegraph (Torygraph) today……front page headline “Yousaf in row over £250,000 Gaza cash”

    The Torygraph states that he, Yousaf, has been ‘accused’ of a conflict of interest’ after supposedly ‘overriding’ official advice in giving this money. …..last year he ,according to them , was advised to give £100,000 to £200,000 to Unicef but instead he donated £250,000 to UNRWA …which they , the Torygraph, say was on the same day that he met UN Aid officials….and here is where the so called apparent ‘conflict of interest’ comes into play for the Torygraph and those who ‘accuse’ the FM……the following day his, FM, in laws left Gaza …… obviously the FM has denied this was the case ……indeed…..

    The Scottish Government has said the money was allocated to UNRWA in response to a flash appeal for emergency aid as more than a million Palestinians in Gaza faced displacement amid the escalating conflict. a spokesperson for the Scottish government also stated that “UNRWA had no role in the situation regarding the First Minister’s extended family and any suggestion of a conflict of interest in this matter would be completely untrue, and simply a regurgitation of ludicrous far-right conspiracy theories to be found online,”

    So……last night SKY News paper review….guess which paper and story was discussed first…..yep I do not even need to name it !….but will…the Daily Telegraph !

    Then guess which paper BBC Scotland opted to promote today….yep right again….The Daily Telegraph !

    Guess what is the third headline in BBC website Scotland page …well not as yet just this story but ….what they call….’Scotland’s papers ?????….and the Torygraph is one of the paper’s on display via this headline……….and then click on ‘Scotland’s papers’ and guess which paper has the TOP slot….yep you have guessed it……The Daily Telegraph !

    Now the next one I will have to actually tell you who it is but with some clues….guess which Tory MSP (list one) formerly an MP but bumped by electorate and now apparently once again he is going to try (at the worst possible time for a Tory) to become a Tory MP once more in the next GE….this list Tory MSP has now jumped onto this #SNPBAD bandwagon (via his not guilty pleasure it seems)…yep Stephen ‘flying tooth’ Kerr…..STV news website reporting “Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr, who sits on Holyrood’s standards committee, said the First Minister had “some serious explaining to do” and “may very well have broken the (Scottish ministerial) code”……..colour me surprised Stephen Kerr shouting #SNPBAD…..not like him is it…snigger…..that’s his job ( real one it seems as it’s all he ever does….as another Tory branch office ‘deflection commando’….LOL)

    Yep audacity on stilts in Kerr talking about the ‘breaking of the ministerial code’…..irony meter breaks !

    The real breaking news here is…the BBC website Scottish page declaring The Daily Telegraph was a Scottish paper…..when did that happen……and also here was me thinking it was The Daily Telegraph that had an actual ‘Conflict of interest’ ( a bit like the BBC Scotland news and the Labour party) in their newspaper with their support for the Tory party…..meanwhile it is never actually ‘Breaking News’ when Tory MSP Stephen Kerr is moaning about the SNP being bad…..because that, as an occurrence, is as regular as night following day…..cannot emphasise that enough BTW !

    Will this story on Humza Yousaf’s supposed ‘Conflict of Interest’ donation grow arms and legs in the media in Scotland (especially the BBC here) ….well you would tempted to respond by saying ‘Is the pope a Catholic’ ?

    So is the news we get really ‘Breaking News’….or is it the media who are broken in what and how they choose to report the news within their UK and most especially in Scotland ?……no answer required by me on that one…for sure !

    NMRN

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  7. *STV news website reporting “Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr, who sits on Holyrood’s standards committee, said the First Minister had “some serious explaining to do” and “may very well have broken the (Scottish ministerial) code”

    it is ITVX reporting on their website NOT STV news via Kerr….but that will come…I am sure

    NMRN

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  8. There does appear to be a concerted effort via the media to amplify “issues” over Scotland’s NHS, all of which emphasise “SNP” governance.

    Given that the Tories are toast, is this being orchestrated by Labour to boost Sarwar’s chances in Scotland despite Starmer collapsing in polling ?

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