£10 charge to visit A&E?

[southport vale]

Can't believe anyone in their right mind would go to A&E given the time you have to wait if it wasn't an emergency. If they want to reduce NHS costs they should look at doctors lists. They get paid for people on their lists and the number of times they put them back on when they have been told to take them off is amazing. Does anyone know how much they get per patient wether they see them or not?

[Birches Head Fred]

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

 

I didn't say she was ugly, just a 'double bagger'. ;)

[andy jones]

I was taken to A&E a few weeks ago with a triple fracture of my left arm. This was north staffs. The staff were absolutely brilliant I was taken straight in by ambulance so can't comment on waiting time. However what shocked me was the level of security that has to be employed to protect the star. I don't agree that charges should be made to go to A&E but I do believe that those who threaten staff should be made to pay for their conduct with an immediate fine of at least £100

[melv]

I read somewhere that the £10 could be refunded if the trip to A&E was needed.So with the NHS system already under pressure who would administer all the paper work required etc to refund the money,who would decide if it was refundable or not.Obviously in most cases it would very obvious that treatment is needed.But would taking £10 off someone then telling them they can't have treatment cause more trouble like assaults,abuse on staff?

[Caz or caz123]

My husband has a condition that he's waiting for an operation to sort. It means he can be in very very severe pain when he has a flare up. It can also mean that he can become dehydrated very easily. His operation can only be done by one particular surgeon at UHNS. He's had it cancelled three times now.

 

When he has a flare up we can deal with it. It's horrible and it's not nice to see him in so much pain but we can deal with it. The last time he was taken in by ambulance we were told by a member of staff, on explaining the situation, to turn up at A & E every time his condition flares and that would help him to get his operation sooner. Now that does seem very wrong. We can deal with it but we're told to go there instead. :(

[For Us All]

This might explain a lot?

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533698/Britain-just-2-71-doctors-1000-people-fewer-Latvia-Estonia-Lithuania.html

[aspins-revenge]

If only we'd let some of those foreign types in to help prop up the NHS.

 

What with their medical skills and willingness to work all hours, coming over here and treating our patients.

[For Us All]

If only we'd let some of those foreign types in to help prop up the NHS.

 

What with their medical skills and willingness to work all hours, coming over here and treating our patients.

 

I'm all for it,as long as they are qualified,can speak English and are prepared to work weekends.

[geosname]

Is this the first step to means testing the NHS?

Once the public accepts paying its easier to widen the scope.

We can all probably quote extremes on either side but somewhere in the middle sits JOE public who probably doesnt know if the pain in his/her chest is a heart problem or indigestion or whether his/her kids temperature indicates meningitis or flue or perhaps on a visit to an elderly parent/grandparent cant decide if they are talking usually or having a mild stroke and if a charge of any amount dissuades them from the proper action its a bad thing.... given that if a doctor is called out and is unsure he will call an ambulance how can you expect joe public to react when they cant get a doctor? With no training how do you know if its an emergency?

First visit cost 10 quid false alarm, second visit 10 quid false alarm, third time save 10 quid [probably another false alarm?]...... killer.

If drunks are the main problem increase the tax on booze like they did on smoking... that wouldnt be very popular though.

The extremes are how politicians persuade the public they are doing the right thing or addressing the right problem, take out the extremes and look at the affect on joe public.

[Aussie Rules]

There's talk 'Downunder to introduce a similar surcharge for visits to Drs i.e. after 12 calendar year visits the proposed surcharge would kick in.

 

The debate is raging at the moment, but the cynic in me sees a more dastardly plot unfolding behind the scenes for Drs to charge unrestricted from government controls.

[Paul6754]

On our heath insurance in the USA, the co-pay for a visit to A&E (Emergency Room over here) costs $150 (approx. 90GBP), the $150 is refunded if you're admitted to hospital. If you turn up at the ER with a broken limb, X-rayed, plastered and then discharged you pay the $150. I believe no one is turned away or denied care due to inability to pay.

 

The co-pay for a visit to a GP (called a PCP over here) costs $30 per visit, to see a specialist $40 per visit.

 

It does make you consider whether a visit to a doctor/A&E is necessary but doesn't prevent you from going if required.

[Andyregs]

This might explain a lot?

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533698/Britain-just-2-71-doctors-1000-people-fewer-Latvia-Estonia-Lithuania.html

 

Is your whole world view made up from daily mail stories?

[Guppy 4 England]

Why don't we just charge foreigners to use our health services in the same way we have to take insurance out to use foreign health services when we go abroad?

[geosname]

Why don't we just charge foreigners to use our health services in the same way we have to take insurance out to use foreign health services when we go abroad?

 

We dont have to take out insurance to go abroad, what do you do with someone who hasnt got it?

[philpvfc]

The NHS is a bottomless pit that is not working. Needs a radical change.

Who decides what is necessary to go to A&E? I went 2 weeks after stubbing my toe, didn't go at the time as I didn't feel there was a problem but after 2 weeks of constant pain I decided to go to be told it was broken and what do I want them to do?

A lot of people go to A&E because they get no service from their GP, that service has deteriated through the years for different reasons.

Health service is considerably better and in most cases cheaper on the continent yet we still waste more and more money on a system that does not work.