Those who miss GP appointments to be fined

When making a post, please ensure it complies with this site's Main Rules at all times.
  • Rishi has proposed that those who miss appointments with their GP should be fined.

    Is this a good idea? Discuss.

    History is much like an Endless Waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever.

    4312-gwban-gif

  • Sounds good in theory, but hard to do in practice. If GP surgeries can't cope now, imagine how they'd be if they have to start issuing fines out to people. And I imagine that most of the people who miss appointments are the elderly and nobody would want to punish them.

  • Anyone who cannot make an appointment for legitimate reasons should phone to cancel so someone else can take the appointment.

    If they don’t do that, they should be fined. No excuses.

    It’s the only way some people will learn.

  • If GP surgeries can't cope now, imagine how they'd be if they have to start issuing fines out to people.

    I don’t accept that, Horizon.How much bureaucracy could the NHS conjure up to take a tenner off someone? The private sector would have no difficulty with that!

  • I think older folk are more likely to remember unless they have memory issues. It will be the younger folk who either forget or don't give a stuff enough to make a phone call and cancel. Saying that I don't think fines are appropriate and there is to much room for discrimination. Who's going to enforce these fines. This is just Rishi making an attempt to score points by penalising the poor who use the NHS over those who go private. How about fining Surgeons who decide to play golf instead of working. Make them work 5 days a week or be fined for every hour they spend working elsewhere. Same as GP's, Make them work 5 days per week for 8 hours per a day and fine them for every hour they don't.

  • The idea of imposing fines for those who fail to keep NHS appointments is not new it has been banded about for a few years, the average worker has a 40 hour working week, 8 hours per day

    GP's on average work longer than that some after hours some will be teaching Junior Doctors , involved in Research , have Private Patients during Covid manning vaccination centres , although GP's treat NHS Patients they are basically Private Contractors they own the practice not the NHS

    Surgeons working in the NHS work long hours , plus they are on call for emergency surgery out of normal hours , minor surgery such as Cataracts take about half an hour per eye, major surgery can take 10 hours or even longer . Patients that fail to turn up without contacting the Hospital can badly effect the list of ops, that day a surgeon and support staff may be scheduled for ops in one theatre in the morning and another theatre in the afternoon or even in a different hospital, they can't be in two places at the same time

    Some NHS Surgeons are allowed to also work at Private Hospitals in their spare time , they do this to supplement their salary considering the skills many of them have they are not well paid, some will leave the NHS to work in the private sector full or part time, some when they retire from the NHS can and do work in private practice.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!