Should patients pay a flat fee for each GP appointment?
NHS GP appointments in England remain free at the point of use for anyone registered with a practice, funded through general taxation and the 2026/27 GP contract worth around £14 billion. Proposals to introduce charges, such as a £20 flat fee, have been suggested by think tanks like Policy Exchange to reduce unnecessary visits and raise revenue but have not been adopted by the government. Such a fee could generate significant funds but risks deterring patients from seeking timely care.
43 Opinions
Seeing the doctor is already part of our NHS service. Instead of charging people for appointments, they should charge those who fail to attend theirs. They’re the ones at fault, not us. Stop asking everyone else to pay for other people’s mistakes and failures.
People don't treat anything with respect unless there is a cost. The act of paying a small amount of money focuses people that their need is genuine and they will attend the appointment.
Should be a flat fee but refunded when you turn up for the appointment. This will reduce wasted slots by people being absent. And again, it's the workers who would pay, people on universal credit wouldn't have to pay.
I would agree in principle but with caution. It could result in an increase of people turning up at A&E. It would have to be less than £20, it will also cost a fair bit to administer. No show charges would be far easier to manage/administer & could be a good starting point.
No. They should take credit card details to charge a fine for no shows of say £10, though doubtless the GPs will not want to pay for a financial administrator and will make an awful hash of the financial admin as a result.
We already pay for the NHS through taxation. But I do not see why deposits can not be taken for appointments and retained for no shows.
A refundable deposit should be paid to clamp down on no-shows.
All medical appointments should require a notional deposit of say £20. If you turn up, it gets refunded, if you miss your appointment you lose the deposit.
No. Give a charge for a no-show unless you can show an accountable reason as to why you couldn't make it. That saves from punishing everyone in the fight to deter no-shows and time-wasting.
If you want that move to America. Healthcare is a human right