She told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the Government had 'no immediate plans' to impose fines but 'it is not ruled out for the future'.
Ms Caulfield, a former nurse, said there was a 'good argument for it and we are not ruling it out for the future but it is not something that we have got on the table right now'.
Asked if the policy could be in the next Tory manifesto, she replied: 'Potentially, yes.'
That's the strong, decisive Tory government we've come to know and love!
...the idea triggered a backlash from the health sector.
Wait, what? Aren't they always complaining about no-shows?
The British Medical Association said that fines for missed appointments would 'not only undermine the essential trust between doctor and patient (Ed: stop laughing at the back!), but ultimately threaten the fundamental principle that the NHS delivers free care at the point of need, for all'.
But no-shows don't generate any care, do they? And if they don't turn up, maybe they didn't need it...
The NHS Confederation said the bureaucratic costs of the plan 'could well far outweigh the money brought in by the fines'.
The NHS complaining about 'bureaucratic costs' would be laughable, if only I was capable of laughing anymore...
I think the charge for a no-show is a good idea. Also they cancelled appointments should incur a penalty cost payable to the patient. But I also think there should be a charge for visiting the doctor; perhaps £5; which would, I think, stop frivolous visits to GPs and hospitals. And make the immigrants at least pay something for their free treatment.
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DeleteAnd who, in the NHS hierarchy, is going to collect these fines? After all, thousands of medical tourists, arrive in the UK, expect treatment for ailments they already knew about, because it was cheaper than having the treatment in their homeland, and are then allowed to leave without paying a penny, because an NHS spokesperson said they weren't debt collectors. When my sister received a broken arm while on holiday in the USA, was visited by a very.nice young lady in hospital, who asked, "How are you going to pay for this?" . Perhaps the, allegedly, cash strapped NHS could set up self funding departments in hospitals dedicated to collecting fees for medical treatment from those not entitled to it?
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We all know why the NHS doesn't do it, don't we?
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