John Swinney hits out at NHS privatisation as he lays out recovery plan

THE FIRST Minister will outline his plan for NHS recovery and renewal on Monday – and will clap back against critics calling for NHS privatisation.

John Swinney is expected to reveal plans to minimise pressures on the NHS on Monday, including shifting the balance of care from acute services to the community, including improved support for GPs and using digital technology to improve access to care.

Swinney is expected to say: “The NHS is personal for me – I see firsthand all that it does for my own family. It is personal for all of us, and that is why we care about it so much. That is why we want to see it thriving again and why we need all parts of Scottish society to unite behind its renewal.”

During Monday’s speech Swinney will take aim at those calling for privatisation methods to improve services.

He is expected to say: “There are some who oppose the NHS model and believe that the answer to our challenges is privatisation. They want us to believe that the health service is beyond saving and on the point of collapse. But that is simply not true.

This follows the Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying more patients will be sent for treatment in private hospitals under Government plans to slash NHS waiting lists.

Under a new deal outlined by the Department of Health – a devolved issue in Scotland - women on gynaecological waiting lists and orthopaedics patients are will be offered treatment in the private sector, all funded by the NHS.

The speech follows Keir Starmer sending more patients to private hospitals for treatment under Government plans to slash NHS waiting lists. (Image: PA) Swinney will also say: “The challenges are great, of that I have no doubt. But I know that our NHS is fundamentally resilient and robust. There is nothing wrong with the NHS that can’t be fixed by what is right with the NHS.

“The foundations on which we will build NHS recovery and renewal are strong. But the question is how do we do better? How do we ensure our health service is not just the best in these isles, but the best it can possibly be?”

The First Minister will add: “The actions I am setting out tomorrow will deliver tangible improvements that we can, and will, deliver to make people’s experience of the NHS in Scotland better than it is now.

“It will address the immediate issues in our health services, including the problems of access that I know cause so much frustration and unnecessary pain."