A WARRINGTON GP has slammed Conservative proposals to introduce fines for patients who miss GP appointments.
At the party's conference in Bournemouth last week Dr Liam Fox MP, Shadow Health Secretary, said that he intended to bring in charges for patients who abuse the health system by not turning up for their consultations, as part of party policy.
The GP, who does not wish to be named, believes the idea contradicts what the National Health Service stands for.
He said: "This is against the ethos of the NHS for charging patients and it has got huge operational difficulties, such as who gets charged and how much.
"There are usually good reasons why patients cannot attend appointments, and speaking as a doctor on behalf of my patients, this idea is absolute nonsense."
The issue of fining patients for missing appointments was also debated at the British Medical Association's annual meeting back in July.
A survey taken by the Doctor Patient Partnership showed that more than five per cent of all GP appointments are affected by people not turning up for their consultations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article