King’s Fund member explains why charging for healthcare should be a no go area King’s Fund member and social policy professor Julian Le Grand has spoken out against the idea of charging for healthcare services, instead advocating a “a single pathway of care with a single ring fenced budget and a single commissioner.” Long opposing the … [Read more…]
Family could pay £131 per week in car park fares to visit ill relatives New government guidelines have told hospitals across England to cut the costs of parking for certain groups, with relatives of seriously ill patients or those staying in hospital for a prolonged period given free parking or reduced charges. The suggestions also … [Read more…]
NHS charging patients from outside the UK to recover funding In a bid to stamp out ‘health tourism’, the NHS are planning to charge EU and non-EU nationals for using Britain’s free at the point of delivery health service. Patients from outside of the EU could potentially be charged 150% of the cost of treatment … [Read more…]
The front page of a newspaper wouldn’t be the same without a story focusing around the struggling NHS budget. Every day, we hear new reports about how our public health service is trying to find innovative ways to locate money from somewhere to fund all the services and improvements we have come to expect … [Read more…]
Unless they prove they have less than four weeks to live, patients forced to foot bill of care Charity Motor Neurone Disease Scotland has unveiled that some Scottish councils are charging terminally ill patients for their personal care when they should be receiving it for free. Personal care is free to anyone aged over 65 … [Read more…]
National health service may be out of funds by 2015 Think tank The King’s Fund has suggested that the NHS may run of money as early as next year in it’s latest report. The study, which calls for a drastic increase in funding, warned that waiting times will rise and staff will have to be … [Read more…]
Experts deem fees “illogical and unfair” The Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin has recommended that NHS prescription charges be dropped, as the system is “outdated” with England the only country of the UK to retain the charge. Results for 2012 show that only 10% of prescriptions in the community attracted fees. Despite this, 80% of adult patients under … [Read more…]
General practice turning into “conveyor belt medicine” according to family doctors A proposal to charge patients in the UK for an appointment with their GP has been rejected at the British Medical Association’s GP conference in York. Despite the scheme being refused, there are still fears about the future of GP services, as delegates warned that services … [Read more…]