I can assure you that the docs don't like the system any more than the patients!
When we can refer to Mil consultants, they are usually very good at getting people in for appointments but it is not always that easy. I know of at least one (Army) consultant who had to keep stopping the hospital bods filling up the mil outpatient clinic with long NHS waiters!
There was once a Surgeon General's Waiting Time Initiative (or something similar) which allowed for referral to private healthcare where NHS care was expected to be slow but I don't think it is still going on.
While in principle, bringing back military hospitals would be a great idea, it is financially impossible and the training that was available to military docs was (apparently, I never got to experience it) not as good as some of the training they are getting now.
Don't get me wrong...the current system is far from perfect. Most mil docs will try and bend the system to fit in mil patients as much as possible but you do not always get referred to a mil doc. Even if you are referred to a Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU), you may not get a mil consultant and even if you do, his/her junior team may not be mil. Sorry, but there it is! Currently, there are MDHUs in Peterborough, Birmingham, Aldershot (Frimley Park), Plymouth (Derriford), Northallerton/Middlesborough but none in Wales, Scotland, the Northwest or southeast of England so those in these areas may well get referred to the NHS.
Hope that makes some sense and doesn't seem like making too many excuses.
Bob