There are waiting lists for operations in the Spanish health services, but they are not as long as in the UK and this is because many Spaniards opt to take out private healthcare and just use the national health system for emergencies. Many doctors and nurses speak English, particularly in tourist areas, and there are usually interpreters. In the health centres, hospitals and clinics the Spanish nurses tend to deal more with medical issues, rather than serving food and dealing with bed pans which is more often the case in UK hospitals.
If you are treated in a state medical centre or out-patient clinic you will probably be referred to a state hospital for treatment, so if you have private health insurance make sure you carry details of this with you at all times.
The state medical centre in Spain is called a 'centro de salud', an out-patient clinic is called an 'ambulatorio', 'hospital estatal' is a state hospital, and 'hospital privado' is a private hospital. A hospital doctor is known as an 'interno' (medicina).
