GP Appointments Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Lord Bellingham
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GP Appointments
Lord Bellingham Excerpts(1 year, 9 months ago)
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Lord Markham (Con)
Are you going to dare me?
Sorry, I think a diplomatic response is probably wise at this stage. I note that, under the Barnett formula, per person funding for the NHS is Scotland is higher than it is in England. So there is significant funding in place. How well it is administered north of the border is probably a matter for the Scottish Government.
Lord Bellingham (Con)
My Lords, is it not the case that many European countries charge patients who fail to turn up for appointments without due cause? Is this something we are going to look at in this country?
Lord Markham (Con)
I am clearly aware of that. At the same time, I am very aware that we want to make sure that people are able to see a doctor when they need to and are not deterred from that. So we would have to tread very carefully and it is definitely not in our plans at the moment.