Paying to see your Doctor!!!

[Gardner 10]

I had an email this morning. As an elderly lady, I feel this new idea very disturbing:

 

"NHS - A serious threat

 

This could be very serious. The Conservatives are floating plans to cap the number of times we are allowed to visit our GP. [1] If we run out of visits – because we've got a sickly child or long-term health condition, for example – we could be forced to pay to go elsewhere.

At the moment it's just a proposal. [2] But if the Conservatives don't see a big public backlash, it could soon be a grim reality. So let's raise an outcry as quickly as possible and push them to drop the idea immediately.

Please sign the urgent petition now: tell health minister Jeremy Hunt to rule out limiting our access to NHS GPs:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/dont-cap-GP-visits

Jeremy Hunt will be watching the public's reaction carefully. He is an ambitious politician with an eye on his own popularity. If he sees a huge petition growing fast, he'll realise this is damaging his ratings. So if enough of us sign, we could play a key role in getting this idea dropped.

Being able to visit the family doctor when we need it is a bedrock of a decent health system. GPs are often our first port of call when we're ill. [3] Limiting access to GPs could mean a dangerous illness is left undetected until it's too late – unless of course you've got private medical insurance…

But this isn't just about GPs. This is about a principle at the heart of our battle to protect the NHS. Since the NHS was created, everyone in Britain has been able to rely on visiting a doctor as often as we need to. Limiting access would undermine the NHS at its very foundations. So let's send the Conservatives a strong message: drop this terrible idea."
 

 

[Laura 5]

I agree you should'nt have to pay to see your doctor but must also say that doctors should be taking care of their patients by dealing with out of hours/weekend calls. I don't know of any surgeries with fewer than 6 doctors working in them so they should be using a rota system. Many working people working these days have to do shifts, so I see no reason that doctors can't.