NHS chiefs in Scotland have discussed 'two tier' health service that would see wealthy pay for treatment - reports

Discussions regarding having the wealthy pay for treatment have been discussed by NHS leaders in Scotland according to reports.

The BBC reports that they have seen draft minutes of a meeting of NHS Scotland health board chief executives in September that mention a "two-tier" health service and that health service chiefs in Scotland have discussed asking the wealthy to pay for treatment.

According to the BBC, the minutes of the meeting which were marked "in confidence not for onward sharing" also raised the possibility of curtailing some free prescriptions, and suggestions that hospitals should change their appetite for risk by aiming to send patients home more quickly, and pause the funding of some new drugs.

The minutes have been seen by the BBCThe minutes have been seen by the BBC
The minutes have been seen by the BBC
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The minutes described a "billion pound hole" in the budget and warned that it "is not possible to continue to run the range of programmes" the NHS currently offers while remaining safe "and doing no harm." It is reported that those in attendance had been given the "green light to present what boards feel reform may look like"

The minutes note "concern" about an alleged lack of clinical input into political decision-making which and suggested that "fundamental reform" of the primary care model "must be on the table", and that the success of the NHS has been built on a model "that no longer works today".

Speaking to the BBC Mr Yousaf said "The Scottish government's policy could not be clearer, our National Health Service must be maintained to the founding principles of Bevan - publicly owned, publicly operated, and free at the point of need."

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has suggested the Government has no intention of introducing charges to the NHS in England.

Mr Jenrick told TalkTV: “I haven’t seen the story about Scotland. We certainly don’t have any intention to introduce charges to the NHS.

“There is an issue with people still not coming forward post-pandemic with conditions and the NHS has been surprised by people’s reluctance to present themselves for a range of different conditions.”