NHS £10 charge to attend A&E

[angelandbump]

This is just a proposal shown on daybreak news and not necessarily going to go ahead.

It was on the news this morning that some Doctors think it would be a good idea to charge everyone £10 who attends A&E but if their case was a genuine case, they can apply for a refund.

What are your thoughts?

 

[fantastica]

Terrible idea, you would end up with people not going when they really need to.

 

[Eternal]

Well if it's a choice between this and a change to visit your GP then I would support it. It's very annoying that a huge persentage of a&e attdances were really not accidents or emergencies. So I think in some circumstances it would make people think about it and decide to use the proper channels.

However the whole point of the NHS is that it's free at the point of contact so I wonder if this sort of move will be the start or a slippery slope.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I definitely believe it's a slippery slope.
The thing is, who decides what's genuine? If you have a fall, think you've broken something and it's a sprain, are you charged? If you go in with an obvious serious injury do they still charge you then refund? What if you genuinely don't have the money, will they turn you away?

A few weeks ago I took Lucas to the doctor with a lump in his face that didn't go away after a fall (I was worried because if I touched the lump gently he'd get a big bruise under it). The doctor told me it was a blood clot and there was nothing he could do, when I asked what I should do about it his reply was to take him to the children's hospital the next day. Two and a half hours we sat in the hospital before finding out it was perfectly fine and the clot would go away on its own. The nurse who saw us told me the waiting rooms were full of people who'd been misinformed by doctors.
I get there are time wasters but there has to be better ways of dealing with it than penalising people with genuine concerns (even if they don't actually need immediate treatment). I imagine it'd only affect those who pay for prescriptions anyway (a minority in some areas) so I can't see it helping.

 

[kerrie24]

I think its a good idea.I know people who go when there is nothing whatsoever wrong with them,it makes the people who are poorly or hurt have a long wait while these individuals could have took some painkillers or went to the gp.

 

[shanny]

slippery slope

 

[bumpy_j]

When I was pregnant, there was no way I would have been able to afford that on the average day, and I had a couple of scares. Far too much money unless it wouldn't have to be payable in one go or on the day.

 

[lhancock90]

A very very slippery slope! Then again we all know Cameron is desperate to privitise our NHS whilst he has the power.

 

[TriChick]

I'm in the US and pay $400 a month for health insurance for my family. An ER visit still costs us a $150 copay due at the time of service. This country blows sometimes. :-/

 

[tina3747]

Well there's always 2 sides...
It's great to stop people using A&E as a doctors surgery. For instance, my mil went with a sore toe once. Ridiculous.
Then there's the peopl who can't afford to pay £10 that would hesitate going there in a genuine emergency... It's not that black and white Unfortunatly.


I do think as a nation well have to end up like the US with privatised care. We can't sustain the amount of people coming to this country tht are using NHS resources who have not paid into the system Unfortunatly.

 

[Eternal]

I'm in the US and pay $400 a month for health insurance for my family. An ER visit still costs us a $150 copay due at the time of service. This country blows sometimes. :-/

But we DO pY for ours too. Though a hell of a lot of tax and national insurance, it's by no means free! It's just free at the point of service.

 

[Pearls18]

Tbh it sounds like an admin nightmare, I would have thought the payment and refund process wouldn't make it very profitable?

I like the idea of the privately run drunk buses, I think this would help A&E

 

[Quackquack99]

I dont agree with it, I suffer with heart palpitations where my heart rate can rise up to 250bpm and I do need to visit a and e when it happens as it can happen for hours. If I didn't have 10 pounds then I couldn't go and therefore put my life at risk.

 

[TriChick]

I'm in the US and pay $400 a month for health insurance for my family. An ER visit still costs us a $150 copay due at the time of service. This country blows sometimes. :-/

But we DO pY for ours too. Though a hell of a lot of tax and national insurance, it's by no means free! It's just free at the point of service.

Apologies, I wasn't trying to insinuate that the NHS is "free". Simply stating that it's crazy how the US medical system works. I have very good insurance through my employer that I pay over $4800 for a year (in addition to our 28% federal taxes) and STILL have to pay $150 to go to the ER :-/. I think part of it is to curb unnecessary ER visits, and part to offset the fact that simply sitting on an ER bed results in a $2000 charge at our hospital. Definitely makes me think twice about a visit, even when I was pregnant.

 

[Eternal]

I'm in the US and pay $400 a month for health insurance for my family. An ER visit still costs us a $150 copay due at the time of service. This country blows sometimes. :-/

But we DO pY for ours too. Though a hell of a lot of tax and national insurance, it's by no means free! It's just free at the point of service.

Apologies, I wasn't trying to insinuate that the NHS is "free". Simply stating that it's crazy how the US medical system works. I have very good insurance through my employer that I pay over $4800 for a year (in addition to our 28% federal taxes) and STILL have to pay $150 to go to the ER :-/. I think part of it is to curb unnecessary ER visits, and part to offset the fact that simply sitting on an ER bed results in a $2000 charge at our hospital. Definitely makes me think twice about a visit, even when I was pregnant.

Sorry, wasn't having a go, just had two kids on my lap and trying to type , It came out a but more aggressive then I meant.

I've seen some of the hospital bills that get passed about Facebook, not sure how true they are, but it seems criminal £1500 a an iv! It's costs no where near that here, not that we pay for it like that anyway.

 

[wishuwerehere]

a) a slippery slope and b) you'd waste any money you generated in admin costs sorting out people claiming their money back.

Charge people who miss NHS appointments!

 

[Tasha]

I hate the idea. I think it puts the vulnerable at risk.

Also things like blood clots can get misdiagnosed, even in hospital, so say you've been once or twice to be told it's nothing and obviously paid the £10, you might hesitate to go back again for a second or third time, therefore endangering lives.

 

[Rhio92]

Not good at all. The front line should not charge patients.
They need money, start charging those who don't turn up to appointments. Or those who abuse the system. Make those who ended up in A&E after a drunken night out pay.
Or... Don't pay the ridiculous top bosses a ridiculous wage for sitting on their arses doing nothing, whilst criticiing the hard working doctors and nurses.

 

[Noodlebear]

As someone who works in a hospital I think it's a good idea but don't agree that everyone should be charged. They should ONLY charge those who they believe are wasting their time and perhaps they can appeal the decision later if they don't agree, at the end of the day £10 is not a lot of money compared with the amount it costs to treat each patient... especially the ones who are just there for the sake of it! I think it will encourage a lot of people to make appointments with their GP's - as many already should but think it's a 'queue jump' to just go to A&E instead, and stop a lot of time wasters eg drunks!

 

[modified]

I don't agree with it at all.

Sure, it might put a stop to the people who rock up to A&E with a cold but it'll also put off a lot of people with genuine emergencies. Like other money grabbing schemes that have been put in place, you might save a little money but at what cost?

And charging some but not others? Like others have said, who gets to decide what was a waste of their time and what wasn't?