70 per cent of patients willing to pay for missed GP appointment, survey finds

70 per cent of patients would be willing to pay a £10 fee for missing a scheduled GP appointment, according to a survey commissioned by Astellas Pharma.

507 UK patients responded to the poll, which also found that 39 per cent would be willing to pay additional charges for quicker access to healthcare.

Futhermore, the survey found that only one in four patients believes that the UK government is spending enough on healthcare.

Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of GPs, responded to the findings by saying that these kind of charges would be ‘hard to administer’ and go against one of the ‘founding principles’ of the NHS, that access is free at the point of need.

She said: “When patients don’t turn up for appointments, it can be frustrating – for both GPs and for patients who could have had the appointment otherwise – but charging a penalty for this is not the answer.

“Charging for missed appointments would be hard to administer for very little return and would add an extra layer of bureaucracy for GPs and their teams who are already struggling with heavy workloads in order to meet rising patient demand.

“Practices are also working hard to reduce non-attendance by using methods such as text and email reminders. Charging for appointments – missed or otherwise – would fundamentally change one of the founding principles of the NHS, that access is free at the point of need. Doctors enter medicine to deliver care to patients – not to check that people are able to pay before they receive treatment.”