£25 to see the Doctor?

lostinrates

Errata wrote: »

The puzzling thing in all this is that people are visiting their GP twice as often each year as they did just a few years ago. I doubt the nation as a whole is becoming twice as sick and diseased as it was.

My GP wants to see me for some things they didn't used to bother with but were considered 'officey'. I am also guessing that now telephone apps are an official 'thing' they count as appointments for figures rather than what they often are which is dot joining.

System

Mojisola wrote: »

But the NHS isn't a free service - we pay for it, just not at the point of contact.

That's not the point. It's the dipping your hand into your own purse at the moment of buying the service that makes you realise you are buying it.
You are buying your own, personalised service at that moment, not just chipping in with everyone else into a shapeless bottomless pit.

lostinrates

Pennywise wrote: »

This is just the GP's being greedy again and wanting even more pay. If the appointment fees that they want to charge went straight to Govt coffers and not their pockets, I can guarantee very few GPs would want it to be brought in.

It'll never happen because the GPs would be frightened of patients no longer being doormats - if you pay for an appointment, you'll want to be seen at the right time and will want the right outcome from the appointment. GP's will never be able to cope with that kind of discipline that most other professions have to abide by. At the moment, patients can be fobbed off with the old "what do you expect when it's free" excuse. Patients won't pay for a second or third visit when the GP got the diagnosis wrong on the first.

The other ridiculous point that I don't think has been picked up on in this thread is their proposal to increase the charge for professionals etc - I think I heard £100 mentioned. Again, no hope of that working as the "professionals" would just counter-claim for their wasted time when the GP finally sees them an hour late.

Stupid idea, completely unworkable. GP union just out for a pay rise!

At £100 for a standard NHs appt I think they'd struggle when many professionals could opt for a private GP who would see than on time, with a more professional service. I've seen both, a lot, regrettably. And sadly the difference is clear. My guess is private health would also adapt to cover, but frankly, the cost in time and stress loitering for a late running GP surgery for a 'real' professional can be serious and worth paying to avoid if this sort of charge came in.

In the last few years I have found private and NHs are interacting better. I'd pay for a better, efficient GP tbh if it interacted with NHs next level.

bigheadxx

There are also a lot of "new immigrants" who have settled in the UK and are now raising children. In my experience they tend to take their kids to the doctor for the slightest thing and always get upset when the doc tell them paracetamol.

Back at home they would have to pay to see a doctor. If everybody paid a small charge here then people would be less inclined to bother the doctor over the slightest sniffle. Those who need basic services such as blood pressure monitoring, repeat prescriptions etc could be seen by a more junior person for free.

[Deleted User]

I'm surprised more surgeries don't offer a visit to see a nurse practitioner. For most minor things they're just as good as a GP (or often better if they've got more experience)

lisyloo

repeat prescriptions etc

I order my repeat prescriptions on line.
Now and again there needs to be a review and sometimes blood test but it's not necessary to see the doctor all the time for repeat prescriptions.
In my surgery I see the nurse for lots of things e.g. tests, and you can also phone up to speak to a nurse or doctor so it's not necessary to make an apptment to go in person.
I think my surgery are pretty good at being efficient.

There is also a screen on the wall to sign in so you don't need to bother the receptionists.
Perhaps some of these measures would help make surgeries more effective.

lostinrates

lisyloo wrote: »

I order my repeat prescriptions on line.
Now and again there needs to be a review and sometimes blood test but it's not necessary to see the doctor for repeat prescriptions.
In my surgery I see the nurse for lots of things e.g. tests, and you can also phone up to speak to a nurse or doctor so it's not necessary to make an apptment to go in person.
I think my surgery are pretty good at being efficient.

There is also a screen on the wall to sign in so you don't need to bother the receptionists.
Perhaps some of these measures would help make surgeries more effective.

My surgery is particularly inept and infant we are meeting them in Friday to discuss why all my repeat prescriptions have gone awry. Last time they said it was because I was not having an appointment but using the repeat prescription thing, (in fact I use a managed prescription service which was also going wrong).

I am a huge fan of telephone appointments. You are very lucky your surgery are efficient. Efficiency, rather than skill at medicine, is one of the main requirements I have from my surgery and what lets them down repeatedly. Their ineptitude is staggering, and the most recent event left me relieved over the weekend but somewhat angry this week. The most offensive thing is their refusal to apologise and accept some blame, unlike the pharmacy involved. The attitude of brushing off concerns and mistakes runs deep, we hear about it repeatedly within NHS. The head office of the pharmacy involved in my recent medication hiccup are now saying they will be in contact for the next clue of months to make sure things go smoothly. The surgery are saying. 'Computer error, not our fault, we don't really want to talk about it or have anything to say to you.'

Kennyboy66

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The only way to get people to stop this wastage is to start charging for it unfortunately.

Imagine if Milk were free in supermarkets....people would be all over it taking what they don't need. Essentially that's wht we have in the NHS. People need some of it, but will take whatever else is offered too in many cases.

A good post, but consider other things.

Books are free to borrow from libraries, yet many never set foot in a library.

I'm all for some kind of co-payment, but in practice setting the cost so low at £10 - £25 and no doubt exempting huge swathes of people (children, elderly, pregnant) won't do anything to demand.

In fact I haven't seen a GP for at least 10 years, but if it was only a tenner and it meant I could get a convenient appointment, it would make me more likely to go not less.

lostinrates

Kennyboy66 wrote: »

A good post, but consider other things.

Books are free to borrow from libraries, yet many never set foot in a library.

I'm all for some kind of co-payment, but in practice setting the cost so low at £10 - £25 and no doubt exempting huge swathes of people (children, elderly, pregnant) won't do anything to demand.

In fact I haven't seen a GP for at least 10 years, but if it was only a tenner and it meant I could get a convenient appointment, it would make me more likely to go not less.

A couple of people have said that in the thread.

That doesn't mean its a bad thing.

Particularly for those things that are typified by symptoms that people often avoid seeing their GP for because its 'probably nothing' which can be symptoms of much more serious issues.

rabbit_burrow

Although people are blaming late running appointments due to the amount of people making appointments for stupid things, I suspect that actually the late running is due to the fact that appointment bookings are for 10minute blocks & there are quite a few people that have ailments that may require more than 10 minutes. All it takes is for 6 people (1 hour's worth of appointments) to take just 5 minutes longer and you've created a late running backlog of half an hour.

I think more should be done about looking into the appointment system rather than assuming it's timewasters' faults & then charging everyone a fee.