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£2 to see a gp

Would u pay £2 to see a gp? Fee only required if u request the appointment and not if its been arranged by the gp eg if they say come back in three weeks for review or for review of chronic conditions.

Would a £2 charge decrease how often u made an appointment or would it not affect this and u would still have made all the appointmwnts that u have made in the past.

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Original post by Zacken
Would you make spelling mistakes if you had to pay 2 quid for each one?


what do u think?
I don't even remember the last time I went to the doctors. But £2 wouldn't put me off going.
Then you're penalising people like me who have to go really often due to long term medical problems. I'm about to go to the hospital for the 7th time next week and I've lost count of the amount of GP appointments I've had this year.
Reply 4
Original post by Tiger Rag
Then you're penalising people like me who have to go really often due to long term medical problems. I'm about to go to the hospital for the 7th time next week and I've lost count of the amount of GP appointments I've had this year.


I assume a system similar to frequent prescriptions would be in place


When the NHS no longers exists and the systems gone private. Will you be happy paying £50 for a consultation and solictor esque fees for any written letter.
Reply 5
Not a particularly good idea from an equality perspective, given the elderly and less well-off are most likely to need to go to see the doctor. In fact it's probably just a bad idea in general, anything that delays people with serious conditions from visiting the doctor sooner will be more expensive in the long run. I guess it might help reduce the number of unnecessary appointments due to colds but I'm not convinced it's the best way of going about it.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by SophieSmall
I don't even remember the last time I went to the doctors. But £2 wouldn't put me off going.


Same. I probably wouldn't even go if I was dying :lol:
Original post by Dallen
I assume a system similar to frequent prescriptions would be in place


But you're still penalising people. Bit unfair on people like me who have serious long term medical problems which mean constant medical appointments.
I never go to the GP and even when I do try I can't get an appointment for 3 weeks. Last time I went I was wrongly diagnosed and ended up in A&E. So no, in my experience of the health service, I'm not paying for it. I'd rather go private and get a decent service
Original post by jooby92
Would u pay £2 to see a gp? Fee only required if u request the appointment and not if its been arranged by the gp eg if they say come back in three weeks for review or for review of chronic conditions.

Would a £2 charge decrease how often u made an appointment or would it not affect this and u would still have made all the appointmwnts that u have made in the past.


yes I would.

I would even pay £20 for them to give me friggin hospital referrals
Original post by Tiger Rag
Then you're penalising people like me who have to go really often due to long term medical problems. I'm about to go to the hospital for the 7th time next week and I've lost count of the amount of GP appointments I've had this year.


The original post did say if you've been referred back or review of chronic conditions you wouldn't pay though. So I guess it depends how many appointments do you make yourself. By the logic of paying for your appointment I guess it makes sense that you would pay more even if that's 'unfair' because you are getting more use out of the NHS than someone who only goes to their GP once a year.
This will mark the begining of a Private NHS. It starts with £2, then small charges for missed appointment, before you know it people will be paying for their healthcare.
Original post by infairverona
The original post did say if you've been referred back or review of chronic conditions you wouldn't pay though. So I guess it depends how many appointments do you make yourself. By the logic of paying for your appointment I guess it makes sense that you would pay more even if that's 'unfair' because you are getting more use out of the NHS than someone who only goes to their GP once a year.


I've had to make most of them myself. But you're still penalising people with long term medical problems.

In my case, it hasn't been for a review or being referred back. It's mostly because I know my health is getting worse and I need to see someone. Or because someone can't use their brain and do their job properly.
Original post by Tiger Rag
I've had to make most of them myself. But you're still penalising people with long term medical problems.

In my case, it hasn't been for a review or being referred back. It's mostly because I know my health is getting worse and I need to see someone. Or because someone can't use their brain and do their job properly.


Agreed on the last bit. Last time I was very ill I had to see 5 different doctors before one of them successfully worked out what was wrong with me. Three trips to two different A&Es, and twice I was also given a nurse rather than a doctor because they are increasingly subbing them in for oversubscribed out of hours services. I don't know anymore if the doctors just don't know what they're doing or if the conditions they're working in really are making it completely impossible for them to do a good job, who knows!
Reply 14
Original post by Wired_1800
This will mark the begining of a Private NHS. It starts with £2, then small charges for missed appointment, before you know it people will be paying for their healthcare.


We already pay for prescriptions. And hospital parking.
Reply 15
Original post by jooby92
Would u pay £2 to see a gp? Fee only required if u request the appointment and not if its been arranged by the gp eg if they say come back in three weeks for review or for review of chronic conditions.

Would a £2 charge decrease how often u made an appointment or would it not affect this and u would still have made all the appointmwnts that u have made in the past.


I personally would.
Reply 16
I'd rather charge people for missed appointments.
Original post by Wired_1800
This will mark the begining of a Private NHS. It starts with £2, then small charges for missed appointment, before you know it people will be paying for their healthcare.


I'm surprised we don't already charge for missed appointments tbh. At one of the hospitals I attend, there's a notice up of how appointments were missed in at least one department last month. (which is a certain amount of hours) But I have been in the situation at least once where I've supposedly missed appointments that weren't made. And then there was that appointment I'd supposedly made which I actually hadn't. I only knew because I'd received a phone call that morning remidning me of it.
Original post by Wired_1800
This will mark the begining of a Private NHS. It starts with £2, then small charges for missed appointment, before you know it people will be paying for their healthcare.


I honestly wish there was a good way to penalise people who miss an appointment. It takes 30 seconds to call and say you can't make it. In the meantime there are people sitting waiting for a drop out appointment and you can't be arsed. Like, the whole idea of the NHS is that we are all kinda helping each other out by paying into it. Then you get selfish people taking up scarce appointments and not even turning up. At my practice, if you don't turn up they don't allocate it to someone else. The doctor spends that whole 10 minutes waiting for you to turn up. I would love to say someone should have to pay or is blocked from making an appointment again until they've been spoken to about it (my gym does this if you book a class and don't turn up) particularly for repeat offenders. But because it's in a health context, we seem to automatically baulk at the idea of penalising people even though they have no consideration for the other people THEY have penalised by wasting an appointment
Reply 19
Original post by jooby92
Would u pay £2 to see a gp? Fee only required if u request the appointment and not if its been arranged by the gp eg if they say come back in three weeks for review or for review of chronic conditions.

Would a £2 charge decrease how often u made an appointment or would it not affect this and u would still have made all the appointmwnts that u have made in the past.


Sounds like a great idea tbh. People need to stop going to the doctor for a runny nose, it's such a waste of their time. Pharmacists are trained too, why do people forget that?

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