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.

But where not in Sweden

@Politicians247UnderwearExtinguishingService

I'm off the opposite opinion - the bill for pharmaceuticals across the NHS is rising in a dramatic way.

Everyone needs to start paying for their prescriptions - reduced for those on genuinely reduced incomes (like single young people who cannot find work for instance)

You just put a means tested cap on it. Once you’ve paid your cap then it’s free for the year.

On the face of it it’s a sensible idea. Even a token amount like £10 would make people stop and think first. In practice, taxpayers would pay it and non-taxpayers wouldn’t. At that point the premise for the NHS would break down and people would want to opt out. It would turn into Medicare. I think a better idea would be to decide what the NHS does and doesn’t cover and stink to that. Anything else wouldn’t be covered and would need to be paid for through insurance or privately. I’m not sure what that would be, but it would be a way of safeguarding free healthcare for the most important things (A&E, cancer treatment etc).

Given it is virtually impossible to see a GP at my practice and constantly fobbed off with online/telephone/paramedics/nurses then no, I’d resent paying for it.

It was - I must admit - very odd when I did my first Swedish GP visit to see the doctor get a cash box out of his draw and me hand over a wad of notes

Now it is done at reception by credit card or cash app

I am interested to know if those in favour of being charged are very high earners?
Or under 40?

I wonder if people would avoid seeing the GP, particularly demographics least likely to make an appointment anyway such as working class men. Then it would end up costing the NHS more because conditions wouldn’t be picked up until a later stage by which point it would be more expensive to treat.

I’m Australian so I’ve been charged since I was about 20 and started paying for my own gp appts.

In favour for me as a working adult but not for my children, one of whom has ongoing medical issues at the moment.

You'd be seeing your GP much quicker if 20% of GP appointments were missed by people not turning up

Ok,so you are used to it

@Oldgreeneyedone Neither - just work in the NHS and have many many many years of seeing how it is abused and by whom.

People have become ridiculously entitled and seem to think that every tiny twinge and ache must be seen and investigated immediately.

People need to do what they can to help themselves before they demand help from others - in all parts of life.

I agree people are becoming very self centred but surely there have always been hypercondriacs?

There have always been 'health anxious' but Dr google has definitely allowed their proliferation.

There is also increasing litigation and lack of tolerance for uncertainty/ the understanding that diagnosis is 'best guess with the given information'

You do realise a significant percentage of these people you think are abusing the system will likely find out the reason for there problem later down the line and the delay in diagnosis is due to medical staff like you who have this attitude.

But it's never that simple and you always end up with vulnerable people falling through the cracks.

What's the point in having a wonderful-in-principle healthcare system that's nearly free at the point of use, except for prescriptions, eyes and teeth?

Why don't they say that people with a surname beginning with A-T get free treatment, but the rest have to pay? It makes about as much sense.

Why should a very poor person have to do without essential prescriptions or suffer constant debilitating dental pain for lack of funds; whilst a wealthy person who breaks their leg skiing gets all of their treatment free?

To clarify, I'm not saying the skier shouldn't get it free; but such arbitrary rules are so unfair and will inevitably hit the most vulnerable people most.

@youalright no, I don't think so. A tiny proportion maybe will find some non specific diagnosis of elimination simply due to their persistence.

Well i could name a good 5 or 6 times this has happened to just me. And im sure im not the only one that its happened to and not non specific diagnosis actual diagnosis. For e.g. i was told my pulmonary embolism was anxiety and sent away then nearly died.

In Australia it's possible to get a free GP appointment but they are not easy to get. It's called bulk billing and most GP's don't do it unless you have a concession card (eg: pensioner).
For me, I am out of pocket over AUD$50 (roughly £25) to see the GP now.
It's a slippery slope as it will then be open to price increases in future. Plus, I suspect they would argue the additional admin and costs to take payment would exceed £5, so prices might start at 10 and go up from there.
In Australia, Medicare (NHS equivalent) sets what they will pay the GP for each service, then the GP sets the price they charge their patients, so costs vary depending on your GP practice.
No system is perfect unfortunately. On the flip side I can choose my GP and it's easy to get an appointment. I have no idea how the cost to the government compares between UK & Australia.

It would still mean that ultimately, having a disability or chronic health condition etc would just become more expensive.

I don't think they'll be many wasted but what probably does happen, people get through at 8am, put on a call back list and miss the call back with work or just not hear the phone.

Hence why I don’t understand free prescriptions.

@youalright You appear to be extraordinarily unlucky in that case.

Again the vast majority of pensioners will not have paid enough tax for state pension & healthcare you can add education to that too. What about the above is confusing?