Doctors gave Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon two standing ovations at a major medical conference in Edinburgh yesterday.

Despite a year of furious clashes over the extension of GP surgery hours and constant quibbles over pay, members of the British Medical Association twice rose to their feet - once at the end of her speech and again at the end of a question and answer session.

The atmosphere of mutual appreciation seemed to give more meaning to Ms Sturgeon's concept of a "mutual NHS" than the buzz words themselves.

However, she and the doctors both took the opportunity to compare the nature of health service reform north and south of the border, with one consultant asking if the dividing line could be moved way beyond Berwick-upon-Tweed - to the Trent possibly?

In her address, Ms Sturgeon said: "I think there is a battle of ideas going on about the future direction of healthcare.

"A battle between the values of the market, of internal competition and contestability and the values of public service, of co-operation and collaboration.

"We have set out our stall with absolute clarity. NHS Scotland is, and always will be, a service that is owned by the people of this country."

But she faced some tough questions, not least from journalists wanting to know what evidence there is that her decision to rule out significant use of the private sector to deliver healthcare has improved results for patients.

She said her approach was bearing fruit on a number of fronts, although concrete examples of the way outcomes compare to England, where growing use of commercial providers and polyclinics are causing uproar, were not close to hand.

Lothian GP Sandy Sutherland also wanted evidence, in his case to show the SNP's plan to introduce health checks at 40 would work.

"If you want evidence from the frontline it is that general invitations to attend health checks means that people who do not need to come, and the people you really want to see do not come," he told her.

Concerns about pilots which scrap the separate roles of health visitor and district nurse in parts of Scotland were also raised.

"I think it is right that we look at the experiences from the pilots and learn from that," Ms Sturgeon responded, stressing her mind was not made up.

Similarly she indicated further work was required before she could say if Scotland needed to send more or less people to medical school.

There was even a chink of hope for Dr Alan Robertson, of the Scottish Junior Doctors Committee, who asked if Ms Sturgeon would follow Wales and scrap plans to charge doctors fresh from university for hospital accommodation, which has traditionally been free at the point of need.

Ms Sturgeon said she would examine the Welsh decision, adding with a smile: "I am sure we will have continued discussion about it."

Dr Robertson was among those who later stood to offer his applause, evidence, perhaps, that life sometimes looks greener on your own side of the fence - and not just because it rains more.