In the last three weeks I know of someone who is 83rd in the list of seeing a doctor in accident and emergency. There were 83 patients before them and they had to wait ten hours to be seen. I know someone who has waited over two and a half years to get an audiology test. Driven towards paying £1800 to buy from a high street store. Within four days, they had their hearing aids. We also know of someone who has been on a waiting list, we keep talking about bringing them down, the Scottish nationalist party (sic) they have carried the weight of extending the waiting list to where we are today.
BBC Scotland’s Debate Night tonight with the leaders had the above as an example of the level of debate – a two-tier system based on evidence from three wee anecdotes.
See the ‘Scottish nationalist party’ giveaway? This is not an ordinary member of the public.
This is the level it’s at.
The Tory leader told him he was spot on.
Luckily, far less than 1 in a 100 voters watch this drivel.
Here are the facts:
Headlining on BBC Breakfast 16 March 2026, 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?
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The unionists – Westminster have underfunded the NHS for years. No increase. Until Covid. Westminster spend £270Billion over two years on Covid. Scotland did not get £27Billion funding Covid.
The Scottish Gov has to mitigate the Westminster healthcare underfunded. Scottish revenues and resources are misused by Westminster. Trident, illegal wars, redundant weaponry, contracts not delivered then more ordered. Wasting £Billion on HS2, Hickley Point etc. Westminster not endorsing renewables in Scotland. Refused £1.5Billion investment in renewables. Brexit costing £Billion. Scotland in surplus in fuel and energy, nearer the source, yet pays more.
Urgent cases are always first. People waiting have manageable conditions. No one wants a big operation unless really necessary. If people did not go private, other people would not have to wait longer. Private using NHS trained Staff and equipment. Long term conditions cannot be private it is unaffordable. Healthcare is very important. Scotland spends £13Billion on healthcare + social care, 1/3 off the underfunded Block Grant.
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english nhs private care made profits of £1.6Billion 2023-2025.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/13/private-companies-nhs-services-profit-chpi-research
dottieb
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Two tier health system ?
This is what happens when a clueless member of the public, who I suggest neither supports the SNP nor supports Scottish independence decides to parrots what he has heard or read via a hostile pro UK source.
However as a member of an audience in a debate programme in Scotland, then they are always only too happy to repeat something that they have either heard being said by those who are in opposition to the SNP, be it political or media opposition.
Ask them to expand upon this comment and so state where within Scotland that this is happening , then you will likely get them pretty much stumped and so then pretty much incapable of elaborating.
If you make claims and accusations as an audience member in a debate programme , then you should be made to expand upon your comment, in elaborating via either giving facts, figures and also as a further substantiation provide irrefutable and credible evidence to back up your comment.
(Also if it is a personal experience, then we all know that one person’s personal experience of something that they deemed to be negative , does not then represent, as a personal experience, one that is shared by everyone – as a similar negative experience – within the whole of Scotland).
“Andrew Bowie and Anas Sarwar, have both argued that Scotland already has a “two-tier” health system. They suggest long NHS waiting lists force patients to pay for private treatment“
Meanwhile in England the BBC website reported this in March 2026 in the UK (English) Health section of their website , under the headline:
“Fears of two-tier health system as more turn to private care, says watchdog”
“A two-tier health system is emerging with people increasingly paying for tests and treatments on the private sector to beat NHS waits, a patient watchdog is warning” (in England).
“Healthwatch England said feedback from patients combined with polling suggested use of the *** private sector is on the rise, with long NHS waits said to be a key factor” ****
(***That’s what Bowie and Sarwar attributed to the Scottish NHS but forgot to mention the English NHS findings via an English Patient watchdog as per English patients feedback***).
The BBC article continued in stating:
“Private sector providers said alongside rises in people paying for treatment, some were also using the private sector to get scans and tests done before returning to the NHS, with their results, in a bid to get seen more quickly”
“The (UK Labour) government said it is making improvements, adding it is determined to reduce the delays that meant some felt the need to pay for care”.
Labour HQ’s health secretary, Wes Streeting, has no problem with a “two tier healthcare system” , indeed he embraces it , as he once said that he would be “holding the door wide open” to the “private sector in the context of NHS reform and reducing waiting lists”.
After all, Wes like some other Labour cabinet members (including their HQ leader) have all had generous political donations from a company linked to private healthcare , so then to them it surely makes sense that as the English Health Secretary and also they , as some Labour cabinet members and the HQ Labour leader, would then all feel obliged to ensure that their generous donor got a return for their political donation.
Every claim and accusation they make you always then find that these same things they, as opposition parties, are either things they have done, are doing now or intend to do.
So what is their point then on this ?
Liz S
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