WalesOnline readers have reacted to a doctor saying that patients who miss appointments with their GP should be fined for doing so. GP and clinical director Dr Sarah Jarvis said that she supported in principle fining patients a small amount, such as £5 or £10, for missing appointments and wasting doctors' time.
Her comments come as sick and frustrated patients complain at being unable to secure appointments, with waits of several weeks common for a non-urgent GP visit. The NHS is facing daily costs of more than £1.4m a day due to millions of consultation slots being recorded as 'did not attends' this year.
The health service has seen almost almost four-and-a-half million consultation slots missed at a cost of £175million in 2022. Dr Jarvis said such cases were “incredibly frustrating” when family doctors are under intense pressure and that people should be fined if they "abuse" the NHS.
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