A snippet from the Twitter feed of Pete Wishart MP:
Wishart is referring to Tory plans to allow English hospitals to fill almost half their beds (49%) with private patients. Presumably 49% private is the magic psychological threshold at which a hospital may still be considered public, and reforms can be termed 'marketisation' rather than 'privatisation'.
NHS hospitals in England will be free to use almost half their hospital beds and theatre time for private patients under government plans.
A recent revision to the ongoing health bill will allow foundation hospitals to raise 49% of funds through non-NHS work if the bill gets through Parliament.
Most foundation trusts are now limited to a private income of about 2%
Unfortunately for Mr Wishart the Tories do have something to do with the healthcare system in Scotland. The increase in revenue that English NHS hospitals receive from private patients will inevitably rebound on the Scottish healthcare system - decreasing Scotland's block-grant over time - just as English university tuition fees have had knock-on effect on the Scottish university sector.
The irony is that Foundation hospitals, and the strengthening of competition and commercial incentivisation that went with them (taking private patients, charging for car parking, additional catering, hotel facilities, cable and satellite TV, etc.), were foisted upon England by the anti-democratic actions of Scottish MPs; just as top-up fees were foisted upon England by Scottish MPs.
There will be some schaudenfraude to be enjoyed when those Scottish MPs realise what their intrusion in English affairs has decreased funding for Scottish Health and Scottish Higher Education and led to an exodus of talent southwards. Hopefully the Scottish electorate will punish them accordingly, Mr Wishart should see to it that they do.