£10 charge to visit A&E?

[For Us All]

I see that a third of all GP's support a charge of £5-£10 for all visits to A&E units,which will be refunded if your visit is regarded as a genuine case.

Good or bad idea?

 

Views and opinions please.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/charge-10-to-keep-timewasters-away-from-ae-units-say-gps-9035741.html

[geosname]

Is some poor MP or Lord short of a few bob?... sounds like a committee will be needed and an ombudsman and a regulatory body... Bring in 1M and spend 3M in administration costs

[butt lane vale fan]

Did you see the report on Sky News a few days ago. They are doing a special report on A+E services, and the person they were interviewing from the hospital said that someone had rung up on Xmas day, asking how to cook a Turkey, as if they got it wrong, they could end up there and didn't want waste the hospitals time.

[geosname]

As bad as the guy who phoned 999 to report a prostitute for breaching the trades description act for being ugly

[For Us All]

Did you see the report on Sky News a few days ago. They are doing a special report on A+E services, and the person they were interviewing from the hospital said that someone had rung up on Xmas day, asking how to cook a Turkey, as if they got it wrong, they could end up there and didn't want waste the hospitals time.

 

 

Apparently,one woman turned and wanted her toe-nails cutting?

 

http://metro.co.uk/2011/11/06/help-ive-stepped-in-dog-poo-ae-time-wasters-revealed-210363/

[markpvfc]

This was the front page headline on the Mirror yesterday. Not a bad idea but if one third of doctors are in favour of the idea then two thirds are against it, unless some have abstained.

[Memphis]

That's only the tip of the iceberg.

 

If people were able to see what goes on "behind the scenes" in A&E departments, and the nonsense that staff have to put with and treat, it would stop the NHS bashers in their tracks.

[geosname]

I think that if a lot of people saw behind the scenes at some hospitals some wouldnt want to go....

[Santa]

One of the founding principles of the NHS is that it should be free at the point of use.

 

I'm not really qualified to comment on A&E but perhaps better triage is needed in the first place? Unfortunately this would require more resources being put in, which doesn't appear to be forthcoming.

[For Us All]

This was the front page headline on the Mirror yesterday. Not a bad idea but if one third of doctors are in favour of the idea then two thirds are against it, unless some have abstained.

 

Nice work if you can get it?

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hospitals-paying-gps-1500-shift-2985826

[EricHamesis]

I see that a third of all GP's support a charge of £5-£10 for all visits to A&E units,which will be refunded if your visit is regarded as a genuine case.

Good or bad idea?

 

Views and opinions please.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/charge-10-to-keep-timewasters-away-from-ae-units-say-gps-9035741.html

 

Wouldn't this mean a fair proportion of the timewasters would go to the GP instead? Very altruistic that GPs would want to increase their own wasted time.

[Memphis]

One of the founding principles of the NHS is that it should be free at the point of use.

 

I'm not really qualified to comment on A&E but perhaps better triage is needed in the first place? Unfortunately this would require more resources being put in, which doesn't appear to be forthcoming.

 

"Better" triage is one thing, people turning up inapropriately is another.

 

Unfortunately we now live in a society where people feel that they have a right to dictate about their care, and use the founding principles of the NHS as their excuse.

 

Yes, the NHS should be free at the point of access, but this should not be exploited. For instance, attending A&E demanding an X-Ray for a longstanding ailment, or going to the GP for a prescription for something that can be bought over the counter.

 

It used to be the case that people would be invoiced for 999 ambulance calls, but in my experience I've never known this to be enforced, but I may be wrong.

 

With all these schemes, whilst they appear to hold weight on the surface, their will be pitfalls. I would hate the thought of somebody not using an A&E department for the fear of being charged, when their need is genuine. You ay say that this would never happen, but trust me, it does.

[aspins-revenge]

Apart from the extreme examples referred to above (for which the people involved in them arguably deserve an injury worthy of attending and A and E) do we really know where the cut off point is, regarding injury or illness.

 

Also, isn't much of the confusion here compounded by the time that such injury or illness is incurred, in as much as it could be outside of GP surgery times, or require treatment much sooner than an emergency doctor can arrive.

[Birdy]

What happened to the Walk in Centres at hospitals, are they closed too? I always thought they were a good idea to take away the strain of A&E (clues in the name, Accident & Emergency)

 

We'll be paying for it all soon anyway if these current clowns have their way.

[For Us All]

Wouldn't this mean a fair proportion of the timewasters would go to the GP instead? Very altruistic that GPs would want to increase their own wasted time.

 

What would the timewaster's do at the weekend when there are no GP's?