Nicola Sturgeon ‘doesn’t envisage’ ever using private healthcare

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she would not use private healthcare if she was waiting in pain for an operation on the NHS.

In a BBC interview, Ms Sturgeon said it was her job to make sure the health service met the needs of everybody.

She acknowledged that too many people are waiting too long for treatment at the moment, and did not dispute the “general premise” that delays may be causing deaths.

The first minister insisted that hospitals were safe, despite some doctors claiming that this was not the case. She said the Scottish government had planned for exceptional winter pressures but that flu admissions had been even higher than anticipated.

She also said ministers hope to fund hundreds of new beds in social care to ease the strain on hospitals, with more details expected in a statement at Holyrood on Tuesday.

Asked if greater use of the private sector would help the NHS, Ms Sturgeon said it was for wealthier individuals to decide whether or not to pay for treatment. When asked if she would consider doing so, she said: “I don’t envisage ever going private”.

The first minister is entitled to a salary of £163,229 a year although does not draw the full amount.