Rishi Sunak plans £10 fines for people who miss NHS GP appointments

There are 15 million missed GP appointments in England every year
A spokeswoman said that prime minister Rishi Sunak would discuss it first with his Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

New prime minister, Rishi Sunak, plans to
Proceed with handing out £10 fines to people in England for every NHS appointment they miss. Mr. Sunak first toyed with the idea during his failed Conservative party leadership race against Liz Truss during the summer.

On Wednesday 26, a No. 10 spokeswoman said Mr. Sunak "stands by the sentiment and is definitely committed to ensuring that we get the best value for taxpayers, the best value for money out of the NHS".

The spokeswoman also said that before the scheme could become official government policy prime minister Sunak would discuss it first with his newly appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, MP. However, The British Medical Association (BMA), believes that the idea would only impact the poorest, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Under the proposed scheme, patients would not be fined for missing their first NHS appointment but any missed NHS consultations thereafter would result in a £10 fine. According to NHS England, 15 million GP
Appointments are missed in England every year, meaning a potential influx of money, averaging around one hundred fifty million.
NHS England also states that there are around 307 million sessions scheduled with GPs, nurses, therapists and other practice staff every year and that one in twenty are missed without enough notice to invite other patients.

However, The British Medical Association (BMA), which is the trade union for doctors, condemned the policy when it was first put forward by Mr. Sunak earlier this year. The
BMA said "financially penalising patients inevitably impacts the poorest" and said it could "discourage" sick people from rebooking any appointments they miss.

Chairman of the BMA, Philip Banfield, said the plan would "ultimately threaten the fundamental principle that the NHS delivers free care at the point of need for all".

Mr. Bradfield added: "The BMA has always stood firmly against the idea of charging patients for missed appointments. While it is frustrating when patients do not attend, the reasons why this happens should be investigated rather than simply resorting to punishing them."

"Mr. Bradfield continued: "Financially penalising patients inevitably impacts the poorest and most vulnerable in the community. This may discourage them from rebooking, exacerbating already worsening health inequalities and costing the NHS more."