It would seem that it is not just vaccine appointments that people neither attend nor bother to cancel. GP surgeries have had notices up in Waiting Rooms for a number of years asking people to let them know if they are unable to attend an appointment for any reason. My local Dentist has begun charging a £20 deposit payable at the time of making an appointment - when you turn up, the money is refunded/lopped off your bill. The explanation was that so many clients made appointments but didn't attend and didn't cancel. Lots of time wasted simply because folk can't be bothered. Perhaps it's time for the NHS to consider something similar ?
Just don't think the NHS would bring this in @philippasmith2.
For some people the £20 in their purse is the money they need to feed the family for a week.
What they could do is put a flag on the record of repeat offenders. Then the next time they are in with the GP ..... if they don't have a reasonable excuse ...they can have a stern word about selfishness.
I know that's what I would do.
Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
The trouble is with our GP, sometimes you can't even get onto the phone queue. You just get the get lost message. " we are sorry we cannot connect you to this number - click"
Just don't think the NHS would bring this in @philippasmith2.
For some people the £20 in their purse is the money they need to feed the family for a week.
What they could do is put a flag on the record of repeat offenders. Then the next time they are in with the GP ..... if they don't have a reasonable excuse ...they can have a stern word about selfishness.
I know that's what I would do.
Bee x
I agree that not everyone can afford to lose £20 for failing to keep an appointment but a quick phone call to your Dentist or GP would cost just a few pence. ( OK, maybe "quick" might not be appropriate these days ) I'm afraid I don't agree about repeat offenders tho - apart from the fact that I don't imagine many GP's or hospitals, vaccine centres or WHY have the time to give lectures on selfish attitudes, I doubt it would impinge on those who treat the system so casually. A reasonable excuse would be that you had suddenly died or that you had become too ill to contact the practice concerned and hadn't got anyone else to do it on your behalf. As is so often the case, if you have to dig into your pocket for something, it's more likely to stick in your mind. In this particular context, it's no bad thing.
Johnson has combed his hair. Things must be worse than we thought😲
Can you actually comb a haystack ? You used to be able to find Hares in haystacks years ago. I doubt there is anything as exciting hidden in Boris's hair. In fact, I doubt there is anything hiding under the hair either
Posts
GP surgeries have had notices up in Waiting Rooms for a number of years asking people to let them know if they are unable to attend an appointment for any reason. My local Dentist has begun charging a £20 deposit payable at the time of making an appointment - when you turn up, the money is refunded/lopped off your bill. The explanation was that so many clients made appointments but didn't attend and didn't cancel. Lots of time wasted simply because folk can't be bothered.
Perhaps it's time for the NHS to consider something similar ?
For some people the £20 in their purse is the money they need to feed the family for a week.
What they could do is put a flag on the record of repeat offenders. Then the next time they are in with the GP ..... if they don't have a reasonable excuse ...they can have a stern word about selfishness.
I know that's what I would do.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I'm afraid I don't agree about repeat offenders tho - apart from the fact that I don't imagine many GP's or hospitals, vaccine centres or WHY have the time to give lectures on selfish attitudes, I doubt it would impinge on those who treat the system so casually.
A reasonable excuse would be that you had suddenly died or that you had become too ill to contact the practice concerned and hadn't got anyone else to do it on your behalf.
As is so often the case, if you have to dig into your pocket for something, it's more likely to stick in your mind. In this particular context, it's no bad thing.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.