UKIP leader Nigel Farage has endorsed an article by the party's health spokesperson which calls for people to be allowed to pay to skip A&E waiting times.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has endorsed an article by the party’s health spokesperson which calls for people to be allowed to pay to skip A&E waiting times.
Last week Farage tweeted an article by John Stanley, a surgeon and UKIP candidate, referring to Stanley as a “UKIP health spokesman”.
In the article Stanley argues that people requiring urgent treatment should be seen within two hours, whereas those requiring non-urgent treatment should be given the option of paying to avoid waiting.
“We should accept that if a triaging clinician feels we don’t need treating within two hours required for standard cases then we be either willing to pay or willing to wait longer so cases most deserving are treated best. People should pay a higher charge if they haven’t registered with a GP as being directed back to primary care avoids unnecessary A&E visits.”
Stanley added that under UKIP people who qualify for free prescriptions would be exempt from the flat fee – but only if they haven’t been drinking.
“The same exceptions as for the prescription charge could apply unless the patient was drunk and disorderly or incapable.”
Drunk and incapable? Sounds like one of Farage’s MEPs.
In summary, among other things UKIP would:
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Scrap NHS 111
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Charge those requiring A&E treatment who don’t need treating within two hours
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Allow mutual providers, including GPs, to charge a flat fee to see non-emergency cases
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Ensure people can pay upfront fees off over a period of time when registered with a GP
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Refuse to discount fees for drunk patients.
39 Responses to “UKIP wants to charge NHS patients to skip waiting times”
Dorothy Nelson
I was suggesting that Tories are feeding the ideas to UKIP,not stealing them
fizzygal
‘Actions and consequences’ : playing football, rugby, hockey, squash, going skiing, doing DIY, diving into a swimming pool, smoking, eating too much, getting pregnant, driving badly, etc, etc, etc. Its called living.
Len Day
It’s called the National Health Service for a reason. It’s a service that services our health needs. It is not there to judge our lifestyles, or to make money out of us.
Sparky
“I was playing football and I broke my leg in a tackle.”
“I went out last Friday night and drank until I was sick and fell over and broke my leg.”
Yes, they do both stem from life, don’t they? But you’ll tend to find that the latter statement elicits rather less sympathy than the first. Now, why is that?
Confused
What are you talking about? If you turned up at A&E today asking for a diagnosis of symptoms of suspected cancer you’d be turned away, never mind charged. Don’t you understand the difference between A&E and a GP appointment?