Why SNP must swallow its nationalistic pride if Labour fixes ailing NHS

Mark Baxter was on track to run a marathon this year in less than three hours when his femur suddenly shattered. At 33, he became the youngest person to be treated for a broken hip caused by sport at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Despite this, Baxter now plans to run the New York Marathon in November, six months after the operation. It is a testimony to the surgeon’s skill that he can even think of running such a long way so soon.

However, for many who rely on the NHS, it’s not the recovery that takes time but the wait for the operation, if it’s not emergency surgery. For example, according to figures released earlier this year, patients can wait up to four-and-a-half years for a hip or knee replacement. And such long delays may cause knock-on health effects, with greater inactivity encouraging weight gain and other health problems.

In Scotland, about 13 million working days a year are lost due to sickness, so it is no surprise that economists have been pointing out the NHS’s value to the economy. A 2022 study concluded that for every £1 per head spent on the health service, there was a ‘return’ on that investment of £4.

In his Labour party conference speech last year, Keir Starmer spoke about a footballer who badly tore his knee ligaments and had to crowdfund £15,000 to pay for private treatment. “The whole point of our NHS is to be the crowd-funded solution for all of us,” Starmer said.

Baxter’s surgeons appear to have done a good job, enabling him to be ambitious about his recovery. But for years, dedicated NHS staff have been let down by SNP and Conservative governments. On Thursday, the British people are likely to give Starmer the chance to show he is different and willing to introduce the reforms necessary to put the NHS back on its feet, so it can do the same for us.

If he succeeds, and it’s a big if, the SNP government must be humble enough to follow his lead or it may find there are some issues which comprehensively trump nationalistic pride in the minds of voters.