Should patients be fined for missing NHS appointments? Poll of the Week
The government has not ruled out fining patients for missing NHS appointments in the future, but what do you think?
Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers.
The government is reportedly considering the introduction of fines for people who miss NHS appointments.
Health secretary Wes Streeting told Times Radio on Sunday he is "open-minded" about the idea of financial penalties for no-shows.
However, he said there are no current plans to bring in the move, as the government invites the public to submit ideas for how to overhaul the creaking NHS.
Asked about charging patients for not turning up to scheduled NHS appointments, Streeting said: "At this stage it’s not something I’m looking at doing, but once we’ve got the system working effectively, if we still have this problem of missed appointments then I might be more open-minded."
However, on Monday, care minister Stephen Kinnock played down the idea, telling LBC Radio: "We do not have plans to do that."
He said the vast majority of GPs' time is already taken up by filling in forms and ticking boxes, adding: "Imagine if after that we loaded them with the responsibility for administering and enforcing a fine system."
Kinnock said there are already trials where patients get a reminder text asking them to confirm the appointment.
According to the NHS, of the 124 million outpatient appointments in England in 2023, eight million were not attended, at an estimated cost to the health service of £1.2bn.
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