Headlining on BBC Breakfast this morning, this claim from Health Watch UK:
NHS Scotland is not part of the study:
In 2023, 9% of those we polled had accessed private healthcare in the last year. By 2025, this figure nearly doubled to 16%. The use of private dental care increased from 22% to 32% over the same period.
The poll of 2,593 people in England, aged 18 and above, was run by Savanta between 31 October and 7 November 2025. We asked about the public’s use of NHS and private health care, and their confidence in accessing timely NHS care. https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/news/2026-03-16/two-tier-healthcare-increases-confidence-timely-access-remains-low
While Scottish Labour and their media chums would love to find similar trends in Scotland, they’re not there.
The above from September 2023, shows private healthcare providers (red) and MPs taking money from them to push their interests (blue £), notably then only one in Scotland – Ian Murray, Edinburgh South (Labour).
BBC Scotland this morning put the third-largest party first, to tell us that Scottish Labour are campaigning on the NHS and accusing the Scottish Government of creating a ‘two-tier’ system.
You really want to see a two-tier system, first check out the distribution of private healthcare across the UK and of MPs being paid by them in the above map.
Second, while the map shows the spread of the two-tier system across England, here are the numbers:
In 2024/2025, the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) estimated 50 000 private treatments in Scotland.
https://www.phin.org.uk/press-releases/a-record-50000-private-hospital-admission-in-scotland-in-2024
So, with ten times the population, if Scotland had a two tier system, we’d have as many as England, per head of population – 500 000.
BUT, England had more than 6 MILLION, 12 times as many per head, 120 times as many overall.
Finally, that 50 000 private treatments what percentage is that of the 1.2 million carried by the NHS in Scotland?
4.1%
Not much of a tier?
Talking-up Scotland 