Yes because putting stuff on the side of buses influences voting patterns

Agree with you idea only problem is the cost of administering the taking/returning of deposits

Although in most cases, people missing appointments ought to be charged for (if it could be done effectively and efficiently), it would be interesting to know how many appointments are missed now as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago ??

Although no doubt costly, these issues are usually borught up by those not wishing to dfund services properly, rather than geniune concern for the ncost.

Why should I pay £5 to see my GP when I’ve already paid more than that as a deduction from my wage each month?

Attend your appointment and you won't pay anything.

wrencat1873 wrote:Although in most cases, people missing appointments ought to be charged for (if it could be done effectively and efficiently), it would be interesting to know how many appointments are missed now as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago ?? Although no doubt costly, these issues are usually borught up by those not wishing to dfund services properly, rather than geniune concern for the ncost. Everyone under the sun has spoken about the cost of missed appointments. That's the oddest argument I think I've ever heard on this subject, given the NHS themselves raise it every year and are investing massively in solutions, not something they would do if in reality it wasn't such a big issue. And they're doing plenty already. My local GP sends several email & text & app reminders ahead of any appointment. A new portal - DrDoctor - is being rolled out as we speak. https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/01/miss ... -millions/ Anyway, google tells me there were 6.5million missed in 2007-8, versus 15 million currently. There's probably some statistical inconsistency, that seems far to large a variance but frankly I can't be bothered digging. It's a no brainer for me. Prevent missed appointments and put off time-wasters. You know, the clueless, "my little cherub has a cold and I DEMAND ANTIBIOTICS." But no doubt the usual crowd will wail "you're victimising the pooooooorrrr."

wrencat1873 wrote:Although in most cases, people missing appointments ought to be charged for (if it could be done effectively and efficiently), it would be interesting to know how many appointments are missed now as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago ?? Although no doubt costly, these issues are usually borught up by those not wishing to dfund services properly, rather than geniune concern for the ncost. Everyone under the sun has spoken about the cost of missed appointments. That's the oddest argument I think I've ever heard on this subject, given the NHS themselves raise it every year and are investing massively in solutions, not something they would do if in reality it wasn't such a big issue. And they're doing plenty already. My local GP sends several email & text & app reminders ahead of any appointment. A new portal - DrDoctor - is being rolled out as we speak. https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/01/miss ... -millions/ Anyway, google tells me there were 6.5million missed in 2007-8, versus 15 million currently. There's probably some statistical inconsistency, that seems far to large a variance but frankly I can't be bothered digging. It's a no brainer for me. Prevent missed appointments and put off time-wasters. You know, the clueless, "my little cherub has a cold and I DEMAND ANTIBIOTICS." But no doubt the usual crowd will wail "you're victimising the pooooooorrrr."

To listen to some people, the only thing you need to win any election or referendum is a message on a bus.

It would add work hours and systems expense, no doubt, but any investment would be repaid many times over within a few weeks. There are hundreds of fast & simple payment systems out there now that could do the job. Take the £5, hold the funds, then bank or release according to whether the patient turns up.

I can't believe paying for missed appointments isn't already in place. It would recoup millions.

My wife works for the NHS, and people not turning up for appointments, or turning up late then demanding to be seen straight away is a regular occurrence.

People think that because it's a free service, there are no financial implications when they miss their appointments.

Yes, there will be implementation costs, and it will require a level of administration, but in a 24/7 digital age I would think there's a reasonably successful solution.

I don't disagree with the idea of efficiency and effectiveness measures - although working directly with many Trusts, it's undoubtedly the case that most are well past that and are now into the arena of cutting essential services; and the cause of that is, without question, the failure of Government to fund it properly. There could be an argument about whether that's deliberate or not, but when the Health Secretary is promoting an app that effectively privatises GP's and defunds existing surgeries, it's reasonable to err on the side of the former.

All that said, I do agree that a big drain on the NHS is the general public failing to look after themselves properly - smoking, alcohol and health conditions caused by obesity are costing £billions, and are in most cases entirely avoidable - but given the endless public health campaigns and the massive amount of information that is available to people these days, it does seem that great swathes of us just don't care enough to take appropriate steps.

Maybe the old maxim that familiarity breeds contempt comes into play - we're so used to the NHS picking up the pieces when we break ourselves, that we don't value it any more in the way we ought to? If certain Tories get their way and we do end up with a privatised system, we will quickly realise how good we had it.

Looking at other countries, like the good ol' USofA, where being ill can be quite expensive it doesn't seem to make much of a difference, in fact they are worse than us. I certainly don't have any ready answers, but connecting people with the production of food they eat might be a start,

A large chunk of the population has health insurance - a bit like us so why would their behaviour be any different - sadly?