Would You Be Happy Paying £25 For A Routine Doctors Appointment?

[Bobbisox1]

Personally it wouldn’t bother me doing this if it would cut down on the time wasters who allegedly cost the NHS £216 million a year with missed appointments who just don’t bother turning up, the one thing that is a concern is the people who can’t afford this,would it not be better to charge those who don’t have a good excuse for missing an appointment,although how that could be policed , I’m not sure

[jazzyjen]

No, that’s practically a week’s income for me. I would have to rely on DR Google instead.

[davebro]

I think it might cause more people to use A & E.

[Rosie29]

Is there a link for this please ?

[SparklyKid]

Absolutely not after paying NI contributions for forty years.

Morning Bobbi.

[spathiphyllum]

If you had to pay £25 for a docs appointment then the NHS would well and truly be over.

[Ken4155]

Had to Google to see where the info had come from, Bobbsox, and i alighted on The Sun - don't know if that was your source. In their article, one person is quoted as saying we already pay through our taxes. And that's the way i feel about the matter. One doc says it would be just like paying 5p for a plastic bag! Well, most shops in and around Burnley now charge 10p for plastic bags so how long would it be before docs were charging £50 per appointment? The article also mentions those who fail to make their appointments and perhaps they should be fined the £25 BEFORE they are given another one, payable up front.

[davebro]

Anyway does people not turning up waste the docs time? I'm pretty sure they don't spend that appointment slot sitting twiddling their thumbs!

[Bobbisox1]

No, I don’t read the Sun Ken

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/25-to-see-your-gp-majority-of-doctors-want-to-charge-patients-for-routine-appointments-8732498.html

[bhg481]

About 40 years ago I had chronic kidney problems, which resulted in many home visits from the doctor. On one occasion I asked him if he thought there should be a charge for home visits and he was absolutely against it, on the grounds that patients who needed a call-out might be put off asking for one.
This was in the days before appointments to see doctors - you just went to the surgery and waited your turn. On one occasion my wife was waiting for this same doctor; he came into the waiting room, looked round, pointed to 3 people and said "You, you and you OUT; you're malingerers". They were Monday morning regulars, looking for a reason to not go to work and he knew his patients.

[spathiphyllum]

You have to think.. what makes the NHS the NHS?

If they implemented a charge for doc appointments to discourage time wasters then what else would they start charging for?

They way they could discourage time wasters is, blacklist those who time waste, make them wait for the last appointments, or even make them wait a day.

[agchristie]

Bobbi, let me put it another way.

Should all my advisers in the NHS who dont turn up to see me be fined cos thats happened quite a bit to me?

[hc4361]

davebro, it wastes their time because they aim to see x number of patients a day and if people don't turn up that's appointments wasted.

[ummmm]

Yes, charge the people who miss appointments not those who turn up.

My last 2 doctors appointments my doctor has requested he/she see me, not the other way round. Why should I have to pay for that?

[Old_Geezer]

Unsure whether something has caused the question to be asked now but...

Most unhappy. We don't have an NHS, and pay tax for it, for nothing. It's principle is to provide "free" healthcare to the citizens of the nation, which it only almost does presently. To charge for a GP appointment is even worse than charging for necessary medication. It destroys the raison d'etre of the NHS and would be a right wing attack on our cherished system.

As for the appointment excuse, the appointment system is to make life easier for the doctors not the patients. If the idea of appointments is flawed, go back to just turning up and awaiting one's turn.

[spathiphyllum]

"my doctor has requested he/she see me, not the other way round. Why should I have to pay for that?"

Because the idea is, the time he's spending with you could go towards other patients or towards the practise itself, regardless if you want him to assess you or if he requests an appointment.

[Ken4155]

Only alighted on the Sun's report, Bobbi, 'cos that was the first one on Google. Your source says 51% of doctors are for this move while the Sun states 4 in 10 docs support it.

[hc4361]

I am very fortunate to have the most fantastic GP. Always see him (or another doctor) same day and when my neighbour was dying at home he visited 7am and in the evening every day for over two weeks, no stand ins. Amazing man.
My practice has a policy of three missed appointments and you're out. The write a letter after the second appointment giving a warning. All they want you to do is phone to cancel as early as possible on the morning of the appointment. This is for nurses' appointments as well as GPs. It works for them.

[Bobbisox1]

No, not really O-G, it was being discussed on channel 5 just now, one of the things being that some people actually make a weekly appointment for ‘ company’

[spathiphyllum]

"one of the things being that some people actually make a weekly appointment for ‘ company’"

That is actually quite sad. Lonely hypochondriacs.

However, i'm sure there is a local cafe or centre that will happily have people pop by. There are about 5 near me.

The doctors isn't a social call.. i understand some people might treat it as such but the individual practises need to highlight those people and maybe arrange a group session for them to be together or to just tell them.. we can't be doing this.

[Old_Geezer]

Difficult to prove "for company". And suggests a social need exists anyway, just a question of who's budget. Is the idea to drive folk away and be lonely ? If a fee puts them off getting company it would also put them off seeking genuine help. The whole idea is just awful.