Forums Forums National News £20 To See your Doctor

£20 To See your Doctor in the evenings,
is what doctors are demanding to see patients in the evenings or weekends?

Would you pay for an evening / weekend appointment?

not unless it was urgent, and even then I'd probably go to A&E or the Walk-in instead lol

I dunno if I would pay unless it was urgent, but it would sure make people think twice about wasting GP's time going for stupid things like sore throats and bruises etc!

Im all for the idea!

I can see both sides of this, sure theres the NHS, which we pay tax for, so why should we pay to see our doctor....

...but, I get paid for working evenings / nights / for my overtime, so why shouldnt doctors.

In all fairness there are, as Joe mentioned, Walk in clinics which can be used.

The should make all the doleies pay for going during the day and make it free to the tax payers that keep them in jobs.

Thinking about it, if your doctors was open evenings and weekends it would be so over subscribed, you would end up
were you started.

I think the scheme may have legs if evening appointments
were available to employed people.

I dont mean that in an offencive way, just puerly
on the grounds that, time off work costs money.

And if the unemployed were to use the evening weekends
the service would come to a hault.

So i guess if it came into force the £20 is the easiest
way to filter out the employed and unemployed.

If that happens my doctor best put a telly in the waiting room.

It won't necessarily filter out the employed and unemployed.

It would probably be the difference between the rich and the poor.

What about people who are employed and work all the hours they can, yet are on a shit wage?

Its just tough luck then isnt it.

Make them think twice about going for stupid and pointless things. I know if I was doing a day job, then I would want extra money to work overtime, just like anyone would.

Why should a GP be expected to work all the hours god sends and not get anything extra? Also, if you are poorly enough or have a concern that is bad enough to warrant a visit to the quacks, then ye would surely take a morning off work to visit them. Or of course, as you have mentioned, go to the NHS walk in centres.

Its just common sense really, and in this country people have a massive problem with going for totally stupid things.

So the poor loose out because they can't afford it?

What if it's not pointless?

Then if its not pointless, they go to a walk in centre or wait till the next morning. And most urgent things are actually better suited to A&E rather then a GP.

There no point going to see a GP if you think you may have broken your leg, in the same way as there is no point going to see a GP at the first sign of a normal common cold (if you have had it for a week then fair enough its something you consider).

And there is always the option of taking morning appointments instead, which if you have a valid reason for going to the doctors, your employer can't really punish you for, although they may expect you to make up the time to do so.

Been there joe,
Its horrible, you cant take the time off as you cant afford to loose money from your pay packet.


A Mortgage will change that opinion. That's if you ever get one.
And some employers just don't play ball.

A mortgage won't change my opinion - I would probably actually be paying about the same amount on a mortgage if I were to purchase my flat as I do in rent, so I don't understand your point, renting is just as high as mortgages nowadays (in many cases its more expensive to rent then buy) - if someone has a medical reason for taking time off work, then under todays laws the employer can't prevent you or discipline you for taking time off work for medical appointments.

The rate people spend money in this country I can't see £20 being an issue - the only reason why people dont like it is cos they arnt getting something physical or even something virtual.

If someone said to you, yeah we give you drugs for £20 that will give you peace of mind for something, then everyone would be okay with, but because they are only getting a consultation for the cost, people are against it.

Funny how everyone is against paying £20.00 once in a blue moon when it comes to their HEALTH yet most people can still afford their fags and booze and petrol and stupid organic foods and brand names which amount to a LOT more cost without worry.

I think its a case of people getting their priorities right to be honest, and if something is that important to us, we always find the money. Our health is important to us, so we will find the money.

And as already stated in this thread, there are plenty of other free options to consider such as morning appointments, NHS walk-in centres, NHS Direct and Accident & Emergency.

so why not just retract the £20 service althogether?
If there are so many other free options available to everyone?

Why should people who can afford it, be better off than those who can't?

Its not really a case of being better off to be honest Joe, its a case of people who want to be see at certain times paying the extra to be seen.

Just like in many walks of life, we get so much for free, and then we pay for extra. The free services are available, but for those who want a little bit extra, more flexibility, they pay that little bit extra and get the extra service.

I have a personal bank account with the HSBC. It costs me nothing to have, no monthly or annual fee's and no commitments. However, they also offer extra services like Bank Account plus, which has many bonuses and more flexibility for those who want to pay the extra £10 per month for it.

Back to the NHS, there are waiting lists for operations that can be upto 18 months long. But for those who can afford it, they choose to go private or even "part-private" where the NHS subsidises some of the cost of their treatment and they get treated surgically within 3 months. This doesnt mean the ones who can't afford it can't have it, it just means they have to wait longer.

Of course there are a lot more examples in the field of health such as drugs that are not NHS approved or too expensive for the NHS where people who can afford them can get access to them and those who can't afford them can't have them at all.

Id say this £20.00 system is pretty fair.

Look at dentists, there are loads of semi-private dentists, who still see NHS patients, albeit on a more restricted service and timetable. For the patients who can't afford to pay for private care, they get the same treatment, but with less priority, whereas those who can afford to pay the little extra, recieve a priority service.

There is a time in everyone's life that they find hard times,
be it there fault or not.

You havn't experienced that yet, hence your comments and point of view. Maybe with a few more years behind you, you will mature into a more objective point of view.

Where its not always someone's fault there in the position there in.




Apprenticeships?
Training
Armed Forces (TA)
Nurses

"Tough Luck" Just shows how in experienced of life you really are. Maybe you have been "Lucky" up to now. I hope you have.