New data shows private hospital admissions were at a record level in Scotland in 2023, further undermining the SNP‘s claim to be the only party that will “protect the NHS”.

The SNP have been accused of telling “lies” and using “gimmicks” after Stephen Flynn pledged to bring in legislation to prevent the health service in Scotland from being “privatised”. Neither the Conservatives or Labour are proposing to privatise the NHS, which is already entirely devolved in Scotland.

And figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) show that more people in Scotland are turning to private healthcare than ever before amid record waiting lists for treatment and testing across the health service. They include thousands of people paying for chemotherapy and diagnostic tests.

The total number of private hospital admissions in Scotland was 46,000 (11% above 2022) meaning the private sector had more admissions than in any previous year on record. Self-pay admissions were up 8% and private medical insurance admissions were up 13%.

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