Thousands of Scottish patients turn to private surgery amid growing NHS waiting list crisis

The number of patients leaving NHS waiting lists in Scotland to become private sector doctors has exploded, new figures show.

Labour said the “shocking increase” was because people were facing record waiting times for potentially life-changing treatment under the SNP.

At least 14,383 Scottish patients have turned to private healthcare since 2019, with several health boards seeing that figure double in four years.

In Ayrshire and Arran, 357 patients were removed from NHS inpatient and day care waiting lists after being admitted to the private sector or choosing to pay in 2019.

In 2023, that figure was 818, an increase of 129%. In NHS Borders, the numbers rose from 104 in 2019 to 413 last year, an increase of 297%.

Thousands of Scots turn to private healthcare as NHS waiting lists grow

Scotland’s largest health authority, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, does not record who pays for care but has seen a 78% increase in the number of patients seen in private clinics.

Labour said that while people were being treated as NHS patients, it showed the health service needed to rely more on private providers – despite criticism from the SNP elsewhere in the UK.

All health boards that record data have seen an increase in the number of patients turning to private services.

The Mail revealed yesterday that thousands of Scots were heading to emergency departments because they could not get help from an NHS dentist.

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

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

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

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

SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray last week announced £30 million to help reduce backlogs built up during the pandemic, aimed at ending long waits for cancer treatment, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dermatology and diagnostics.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “NHS Scotland makes limited use of the independent sector.

“In 2022/23, total spending was just 0.7% of the total primary health budget. By comparison, NHS England spent 10.4%.

“Using the independent sector to provide additional capacity is not new.

“As is the case across the UK, in some circumstances limited use of alternative suppliers, within or outside the local area, including independent sector suppliers, may be necessary in response to capacity constraints.”