It wouldn’t be a bad idea if we paid for GP appointments?

[Babybear260]

I’m no economist or politician but it occurred to be that if everyone (or the majority of the populn excluding students, under 18,s , pensioners and very low income households) paid, I don’t know ~£5 every time they saw a GP, could that improve the NHS?

I know many, many people that spend twice that a week on lattes and cappuccinos (including myself) so I wonder whether if the majority of the population could stump £5 per appointment it would help?? Because most people aren’t seeing GP’s weekly so surely people wouldn’t mind contributing?

sure people have thought of this before and there must be a reason why it wouldn’t work because obviously if if did, it would be an option.

What a load of tosh. Other EU countries work perfectly well with a co pay. The NHS is a disgrace and appalling run with waste everywhere.

I think they have something like this in Ireland…

The savings thing was explained to you several times on the other threads.

Why turn this thread into a yet another benefit bashing one?

Charge for no shows. Really dangerous to charge for gp appointment as you find those most at need won't visit the gp

To me?
why don’t you just ask hq to make it a caveat that no one can ever say anything negative about benefits?

I have had to pay to see a GP in other countries eg France when unwell on holiday and even if I couldn’t have claimed it back would still have paid just to get the better level of service I experienced
I have struggled so much with getting NHS GP appointments in a reasonable time frame and of a length to discuss my many illnesses that on occasions have been forced to pay privately
My NHS GP has a one issue one appointment policy which whilst I understand the need misses out on the fact my many different issues are actually connected - it took the private one - along with private blood tests to identify one huge issue which my NHS GP was then willing to do something about

How’s this @XenoBitch ‘benefits recipients are unquestionably impeccable, everyone who wants benefits should be given what they ask for without evidence or reproach. Anyone who does question anything should be held to a full on disadulation’?

You obviously know a lot more 60-year-old pensioners than I do! Most of the 60-year-olds I know are running marathons! The idea that we're all "falling to pieces a bit" is a nonsense. 75, I'll grant you, but not 60.

Good luck with that. There are huge swathes of the population who are very unhappy with the GP service they are currently receiving and how they are expected to book that appointment. Ring at 8.30am and by the time you manage to speak to someone at 8.55am all the appointments have gone so call again tomorrow type of thing.

We are very fortunate to have a good GP service but I have spoken to two people in the last week who really need to see the doctor but have been putting it off. I suspect there are loads of people in this situation.

Lots of people are really struggling financially. I think the people that come out with these suggestions don’t interact with public at large to have any clue what is going with society at large.

People can save on UC, and you can claim UC if you have less than £16k in savings. A lot of people have savings when they start a claim. They might have been made redundant or something like that. Or sold items they no longer use.

It might have been you that go into an absolute rage over this on another thread... if it was not then I apologise.

Apology accepted, am aware there is a plethora of posters as you say incandescent with rage that the working population are no
longer accepting that those fully supported by benefits from tax payers have greater savings and a much better standard of living without having to provide any form of contribution than those subsidising them!

40% of people on UC are working.

But this is just derailing the thread.

I think nowadays people who can afford it are using the private GP, which is about £70-80?

I've always thought they should have a voluntary donation option, at the GP and A&E, where if you want to you can pay £1, £5, £10 when you book/turn up. Why not?

Agree and destroying the myth those on benefits are penniless..

I don't think anyone would donate though. People would ask what they are paying NI/tax for if they have to donate too.

The NHS is not a charity. And the NHS affiliated charities already have means you can donate money to them.

I'd be interested to see if people did donate, if they had a voluntary system and made it clear it was voluntary to help support the NHS. I think quite a few would.

Of course they’re penniless. How silly. That is why they are able to claim universal credit. They don’t earn enough to live without it.

Completely agree, people would ask why they were paying through their wages and then being asked to pay again, when those who’d never contributed through earnings were again getting a free ride!

Yep, I will tell the people on UC that go to food banks that they are raking it in.
I was on less than £400pm when I started my claim. It was a horrible time.

Wouldn’t say having £10k or more in savings is penniless..?

Anyone on under about £41k has never contributed enough via earnings. That includes nurses.

Start a Gov petition. You clearly have a bee in your bonnet about anyone on UC being in the black on their bank account.

Why are you acting like everyone on UC has thousands in savings?

Well yes, when some have never worked or contributed but those slogging away on low wages or min wage contracts and not entitled to anything are having to choose to heat or eat. Lucky and entitled sods of course! How privileged they are!

Oh right, could we then insist on firm diagnosis results?

not a maybe.

happy to pay for liposuction - it may have stopped an infection?