To ask if you would pay for GP visits

[justanotherhappyflunkie]

Been talking with various friends who all agree they would rather pay a nominal sum to see a GP rather than the current system.

I have lived in a country that does this (free for children, disabled people, discounts for beneficiaries and long term sickness) and it was great. Same day appointments, good range of doctors, quick referrals.

The UK equivalent of this would be around £20 per visit.

AIBU to suggest it is the system that could help the NHS? prepares for a flaming!

What would the £20 be buying? Priority access to a GP? Or is the purpose to make ill people not seek help?

our private health care has GP appointment so I kind of already do pay.

The problem is I imagine once the vulnerable were rightly excluded, only a fraction of attendees (working-age non-pregnant adults, not in receipt of benefits, no chronic illness or disabilities, enough spare cash for an appointment) would be paying the £20 fee. These are certainly not the demographic who use the majority of GP appointments. And once the admin fees required to implement this system and means test had been taken from that £20, how much would be left? It would be the equivalent of putting a charity collection box in the reception to fund a new blood pressure cuff. It would definitely not be enough to fund any meaningful increase in staff or beds (or to account for the higher expectations of those paying and to pay out the much higher charges needed to fix the problems caused by delayed presentations and late diagnoses for those who could not pay!)

They need to enforce payment for no shows across GPs / clincs / hospital appts etc.

They also need to start charging property for tourists. My family were over from America recently and niece got strep throat needed antibiotics. Went to urgent care, was seen and prescribed. They asked how they should pay and were told not to worry about it the admin person wasn't there. So free appointment, free treatment.

I had to pay $250 upfront for an urgent care appointment in the US when DD had croup and needed steroids.

I don't know how I feel but given we can't get hold of any GPs or dentists and right now here than I am desperate enough to pay.

Our dentist and GP only seem to do emergencies and it's on a first come and first served basis. You call at 8 or 830 and if you are lucky enough to hit the timing right (at the second it clicks in) then you get an appointment if you don't then you have to try again tomorrow. Of course that goes on for weeks and makes it pretty damn impossible if you work or are on a school run etc. Literally no appointments for anything routine. No dental check ups since before covid.

Receptionist decides if you warrent an appointment.

I would happily pay £20 to see a GP if I needed to but then I am in surprisingly good health for a fat lass, and lucky enough to live in a dual income household with no dependents. If I was chronically ill, running a household on my own and only just getting by, it would be a different story. Yes, people on low incomes would be exempt from charges, but there are thousands and thousands of people who struggle to get by because they are marginally over the threshold for financial assistance.

I probably wouldn't pay £20 for a smear, or other screening unless I was concerned.
I definitely wouldn't pay £20 for the ridiculous healthy heart check I've been forced to do with a surgery change - but won't be going back in 3 years.
There will be some stuff the GPs want us to do that will get even lower turnout if it is chargeable.

This is the procedure in many many countries. I pay. I think it’s 50 e per f2f consultation.

As the OP said - not everyone pays. Many people (even those working) qualify for a medical card. It is Jst those who are deemed to be able to afford it. I think it’s better than blindly underfunding the NHS, demanding it’s free at point of delivery and Jst hoping for the best.

No.
there are some people this would work for but I feel the benefits would outweigh the risk. I’m a nurse and I can think of a number of people whom I believe would be dead now if they had to pay to see a GP.

my friend in Ireland had pneumonia over Christmas. She has a relatively well paid job and has just bought a flat in her late thirties. She is skint from the cost of it and couldn’t pay the €60 needed for a GP when she felt unwell. It has since become very serious and she is now in hospital. We are very worried.
an example of someone who doesn’t qualify for benefits but couldn’t afford it at that time so had no choice but risk their health. Yes, you could argue she has bought a flat so can’t be that bad off, but she is it has taken her 10 years to save for a deposit, she couldn’t afford rent where she works in Dublin and was living with parents until recently. Without realistic social housing options and parents wanting to downsize, I’m not sure what else one would do

Ireland has this system. €30 to see a GP and, statistically, serious disease isn’t detected any later because of it. People take on a lot more self-care and personal responsibility, and aren’t wasting appointments on trivial things.

Then there will be all the SAHMs who will just have to suffer because their "D"H's won't let them waste £20 on a GP.

It is a ridiculous idea to make money a barrier to getting medical help.

'our private health care has GP appointment so I kind of already do pay.'

You're lucky you have this option and means.

Yes I would if I could get the correct diagnosis and recover faster.

I wouldn’t hesitate to have an online appointment recently, but I just needed someone to physically feel my lower stomach. I should feel differently after allowing a private physio in the first instant but I don’t know if I would let that put me off.

I cannot find fault with NHS physio - their initial assessment took a good 40 minutes to complete detailing what problems were and they have been able to bring my appointment forward and to my home town instead of travelling 50 miles return to the other side of the county. Hope they have healing hands tomorrow.

Where in Ireland do we only pay 30quid? I pay 60. Every single time.

Absolutely. The comfortably off will be all over this because £20 is nothing to them. It is, however, a lot to those who are poor or only just managing. It's the start of the slippery slope towards an NHS which is not free at the point of use at all.
And, of course, missed appointments should have consequences.

Well it’s no different to going to the dentist really.
I could never quite understand why we have free GP but have to pay for dentist and opticians. I don’t exactly choose to be massively short sighted and needing glasses yet I have to pay every year for them

But the issue is that there are not enough GPs???? You can't pay for a service that isn't there.

'Well it’s no different to going to the dentist really.
I could never quite understand why we have free GP but have to pay for dentist and opticians. I don’t exactly choose to be massively short sighted and needing glasses yet I have to pay every year for them.'

This is why the financially worse off don't go to the opticians and rarely the dentist.

Are you saying they should be denied possible life saving medical treatment too?

€60 per visit every time in Ireland. Only one ailment per visit too. Prescriptions are also paid for up to €80 per month afterwhich they are free.

OP clearly said free for children, disabled, those on benefits and discounts for long term chronic sickness. Why are people saying it disadvantages those on benefits and disabled? Generally a good idea I would pay and I am disabled.

Eye care is free via the hospital. Glasses are not although there are NGS options.
Dentistry used to be free. The Conservatives brought in charges and it has got progressively worse every year.

@caringcarer Because the exemptions are always strictly applied. Loads of long term conditions still lead to paid prescriptions.

And we pay for opticians and dental too. It is a joke in this country.

So when dentistry charges were first introduced in England they were very low. Eye tests used to be free as well.
But dentistry charges have risen, and what the government pays dentists have reduced. So hardly any dentists offer NHS treatment. Pushing most people into private dentists.
The conservatives want to do the same with GPs, so in ten years time anyone who can afford it has a private GP and everyone else just goes without.

Can I ask where you got this information? The NHS digital report is from 2015, and taking a very quick look at their data, it included those using a pre payment certificate. Update data would be really useful.