£25 to see the Doctor?

Galaxy1987

If they start charging, it will turn into the same scenario we have with dental hygiene. People do not go when they are required because they cannot afford this, so wait until it is really bad and require medical/surgical input which is free within general hospitals. This will increase the cost to the NHS massively when people don't go to GP for check up and it leads to cancer etc, then this will need to be picked up by the NHS.

PasturesNew

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

I also think charging for prescriptions (with prices lowered to £5 and a corresponding drop in season ticket prices) should be more widespread ie everyone under 70.

I read somewhere that if nobody got it free, the cost would be about £2/prescription. The additional cost is to cover the freebies and the administration system.

chewmylegoff

All the people saying that it will cause deaths as people won't go to the doctor should consider the fact that in many other countries whose healthcare outcomes are better than ours are you do have to pay an access fee. Personally it seems to me that we should be seeking to implement the system which provides the best outcome rather than fixate on whether we pay for it at point of use or via our taxes...

RevolvingDoor

£25 seems a lot of money. It's okay if you only have to go once a year to the doctor but what about people with very poor health but they are on a lower income but not entitled to benefits. I had to go to my GP about twice a month for about a year because of a chronic mental health condition so I would really resent paying £25 a time for that.

I would prefer people would get fined for missing multiple appointments without a genuine reason.

I can see a point where paying would have to be an option but £25 seems too much money.

Cycrow

maybe it would be better to charge £25 then refund it after the appointment, depending if they turn up, or if they are not wasting thier time

Carl31

I think the £25 was just a suggested amount, along with £5 and £10. £25 was picked up on as it was the top end, and seems excessive

Realisitcally, I reckon it would be between 5 and £10, surely thats affordable for what is potentially a life saving cost?

thedalmeny

I don't particularly agree with charging per GP visit, mainly as the main motivation is to cut unnecessary visits when somebody isn't clinically qualified to determine if there condition warrants a doctors opinion or not.

Adding a cost while leading to less unnecessary appointments would also lead to an increase in un-diagnosed conditions, this for me is unacceptable.. Especially as i talk from experience, having multiple doctors appointments before finally being referred to find out i had Thyroid cancer....

Would a £25 charge stopped me pestering them to investigate the lump in my neck? Probably not - but it may well for others. Not even the doctor, let alone myself thought it would turn out to be so serious.

I do believe in a penalty charge for missed appointments though.

I personally believe healthcare in the NHS should remain free, universally. However, i think this is unsustainable unless people are willing to recognize that tax increases are required.

wotsthat

I still don't know why people trust the government to run Europe's biggest employer.

How do most people think it would work out if all car repairs had to be carried out at state run workshops? Most people, I think, would agree that it would be a shambles but we trust politicians with our health.

I don't understand why we buy into the 'national treasure' gumpf but spend exactly zero seconds considering whether other healthcare models lead to better health.

Old_Slaphead

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

Regarding people not turning up for appointments, my dentist texts me automatically. That would surely help, and presumably people can then phone the surgery if something has come up. I realise the dental thing is different because appointments are made so far in advance. But still!

I think that's taking dumming down a bit too far.

People ill enough to make an appointment to see doctor shouldn't need a reminder.

Anyone needing to cancel is being lazy, inconsiderate and wasteful if they don't do so. Unless there is a valid reason (ie family emergency) they should be penalised by paying a fee for timewasting on their next appointment.

Medstudent

Terrible idea.

Bad for patients in that it may deter them from seeking care, especially with such a high cap. Meaning a later presentation and, in all likelihood worse prognosis. Also it ignores those who need regular appointments for chronic conditions and penalises those that are unlucky enough to get sick.

Bad for government costs too. A GP visit is one of the most efficient ways of people accessing care. A&E is incredibly expensive and is already at a point where it is such an unpopular job that they have a massive shortage of senior doctors, because of the workload. By funnelling people into A&E inadvertently through a charge deterring seeing a GP you make this worse. Also those totally put off who now present late? Well not only are they more likely to have worse health outcomes but their treatment is likely to be far more costly.

Primary care is actually something we do quite well in the UK. Missed appointments are a problem, but they are also for outpatient clinics in hospitals!