SNP MP Phillipa Whitford, who was a breast cancer surgeon before going into politics and who therefore has considerable expertise in the NHS, has warned that only Scottish independence can protect the NHS from creeping privatisation.

The dangers faced by the NHS under the Conservatives are well known. Many senior Conservatives have close links to private healthcare companies, some of which have donated over £800,000 to the Conservative party over the past 10 years.

The NHS is due to celebrate its 75th anniversary this week, but this beloved public service is at greater risk than any time in its history.

Many people fear that the core principle of the NHS, that healthcare should be free at the point of use, will not survive much longer.

A survey carried out by the Health Foundation ahead of the NHS's 75th birthday has found that a shocking 71% of respondents fear that charges for health care on the NHS will creep in over the coming decade.

READ MORE: Independence is 'key to protecting' NHS Scotland, say SNP ahead of it's 75th birthday

This is despite the fact that a similar proportion of respondents saying that maintaining the principle of healthcare being free at the point of use is crucial.

However senior Tories have recently aired the idea of introducing charges for certain HNS services.

In January, former health secretary Sajid Javid said patients should be charged for GP appointments and A&E visits, and insisted that the current model of the NHS was "unsustainable".

Javid proposed introducing means-tested fees which he claimed would reduce waiting times, at least for those able to pay.

The PMA, the Association for Primary Healthcare Providers dismissed the idea, citing research which found that fees would merely deter patients from seeking healthcare and is based upon the flawed assumption that patients are able to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary healthcare.

The head of the department of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, Professor Azeem Majeed, said: "In reality, preventive care and chronic disease management are both likely to decline, with patients delaying presentation until costly crises occur.

He added: "Expectations in the NHS are already high, and user fees may further increase expectation of a return on investment.

“Doctors may feel pressure to provide prescriptions and referrals, or carry out investigations, to satisfy patients who have paid to see them. User fees are promoted as a remedy to current NHS challenges.

“However, primary care workload and NHS deficits are symptoms of deeper problems, such as shortages of staff, and reactive and fragmented care."

Speaking of the consequences of introducing fees, social gerontologist Dr Robin Hadley said: "Ultimately, the wealthier get better healthcare and the inequality gap widens."

During his failed bid for the Conservative leadership, Rishi Sunak set out plans to fine patients who missed their GP and hospital appointments £10.

But following widespread criticism by health leaders he abandoned the idea.

The NHS in England bears the brunt of Conservative mismanagement, in Scotland the Scottish Government has raided other parts of its budget in order to boost spending on the NHS and has resisted the creeping privatisation which has blighted the NHS in England.

However, although responsibility for the NHS in Scotland is devolved, the budget for the NHS in Scotland is ultimately determined by the Barnett consequentials derived from the budget that the Conservatives set for NHS England.

In fact the issues with the NHS across the UK as a whole are the clearest illustration of how devolution is a mechanism for blaming Edinburgh for problems made in London.

The election of a Labour government at Westminster following the next General Election will not address the deep-rooted problems faced by the NHS after 13 years of Conservative vandalism.

Whitford said: "Unfortunately, there is little light ahead as the Labour Party are wedded to Brexit, more outsourcing to private providers and refuse to commit to increased funding – showing the NHS is not safe at the mercy of financially damaging Westminster decisions."

She added: "While the NHS in England has faced creeping privatisation and fragmentation, NHS Scotland remains a unified public service under the SNP Scottish Government, with greater health and social care funding and higher levels of NHS staffing.

“UK Government powers in the Internal Market Act mean that devolution isn't enough to defend our NHS from damaging decisions being imposed by the Tories and pro-Brexit Labour Party at Westminster.

“Independence is key to protecting and strengthening NHS Scotland, for the next 75 years, and investing in the health and well-being of our people - it is only with full powers we can build a fairer, healthier country in the future."

Charles touches down as Orange Orcs take to the streets

Charles #NotMyKing has been accused of holding a "politically insensitive publicity stunt" as he prepares for a so-called Scottish Coronation in Edinburgh later this week.

Charles and his entourage of lackeys, toothbrush holders and fetchers of shoe horns will be pitching up in the Scottish capital on Wednesday for a "National Service of Thanksgiving" at St Giles’ Cathedral.

Although who is supposed to be giving thanks and for what precisely is not at all clear.

What is clear is that the majority of people in Scotland will be greeting this exercise in sycophantic flummery with a mixture of a complete lack of interest and mild irritation.

Ostensibly the point of the proceedings is to present Charles with the Honours of Scotland, the traditional regalia of the kings and queens of Scots.

READ MORE: 'Pointless vanity': Anti-monarchy group set for Edinburgh 'mini coronation' protest

Charles will be presented with a new ceremonial sword, specially made at a cost of £22,000 which replaces the 500-year-old Sword of State, which was presented to King James IV in 1507 by Pope Julius II.

This sword is considered too fragile to be handled and so a new sword was made.

The new sword was designed by the Ormond Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary which is apparently a real thing in 21st-century Scotland as part of the UK and not a minor character from a Lord of the Rings movie.

Mind you we had the annual Orange walks over the weekend so there were plenty of Orcs marching about.