THOUSANDS ‘FORCED INTO ARMS OF PRIVATE HEALTHCARE’ DUE TO SNP FAILURE

By Lucy Ashton

The SNP government’s complete failure to support Scotland’s NHS has led to a “shocking surge” in the number of Scots being forced into the arms of private healthcare due to soaring waiting lists, Scottish Labour has warned.

New data obtained by Scottish Labour has revealed that at least 14,383 Scottish patients have turned to private healthcare since 2019 due to spiralling NHS waits under the SNP.

Seven health boards all recorded a surge in the number of patients being removed from an NHS waiting list due to paying for private treatment between 2019 and 2023, and at least 1,564 patients have already been forced to go private this year.

Although Greater Glasgow and Clyde does not record who pays for the treatment, the health board recorded a 77.7 per cent increase in patients being treated at private healthcare clinics – indicating that even if the patients are treated as NHS patients, the NHS is being forced to regularly rely on private providers despite SNP criticisms of proposals to do this elsewhere in the UK.

A rise in patients turning to private services was reported by every health board that records this data.

With Scots being forced to make use of private healthcare due to SNP failure to support our NHS, Scottish Labour has warned the SNP not to squander the latest injection of cash.

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie, right, said: “This new data shows that thousands of Scots have been forced into the arms of private healthcare due to SNP failure to support our NHS.

“With nearly one in six Scots now on an NHS waiting list, it’s no surprise that individual patients are emptying their savings accounts or going into debt because they just want the pain to stop.

“But it’s also clear that the NHS in Scotland is struggling to deliver the services it used to just a few years ago and is forced to rely on referrals to private health services as a result.

“The UK Labour government is providing the funding for 160,000 additional appointments to reduce waiting lists but it’s up to the SNP not to fritter that money away on sticking plaster approaches.

“The SNP must act now to tackle waiting lists and get the NHS back to full strength so that everyone gets the healthcare they need.”

The number of patients being removed from an NHS inpatient and day case waiting list due to attending or being admitted at the private sector after choosing to pay for private treatment.

Grampian also provided data for patients on outpatient waiting lists who were removed because they were paying for private treatment.

Glasgow and Clyde does not differentiate between patients who have left the list to pay for their own treatment and patients who are getting private treatment paid for by the NHS. 

Information gathered from Freedom of Information requests which are available on request. Other health boards were asked but could not provide the data as it was not recorded in this form.