Our Total Focus Health feature for October is a good illustration of the homogeneity between the main parties on healthcare. It’s therefore interesting to hear politicians talk about proposals like giving patients the “right” to private health care if the NHS can’t treat them in time — if only because it’s unusual to hear any politician dare hint that the private sector may be an aid to health treatment.

But as genuinely private hospitals, doctors and nurses are few and far between in this country (most who are designated “private” providers also work for the NHS) isn’t there an element of writing yourself a cheque to this plan? If a person has to wait too long for NHS treatment, then the government will pay supposedly private doctors to prioritise this person’s treatment. Unless the government funnels payment through insurance companies — which would be a sure fire way of enriching them at the public’s expense — I don’t see how this plan is that big a deal.