Nothing more infuriating that being ill and not been able to get a doctors appointment for 3 or 4 days, by which time you may be better or dead.

Would there be more slots available for the genuinely ill patient if doctors could charge for broken appointments?

Maybe doctors should also be fined if they can't find you an appointment within 5 working days.
Personally I can't see the point of being ill but not being able to see a doctor for a few days by which time you could have developed a more serious condition but I can understand the frustrations of doctors who have people not turning up for appointments.
It just annoys me that we as public have to stump up even more cash and accept ALL the responsibility.

I think they should fine people who miss appointments, unless there is a good explanation like yesterday when my fiancee got to her dentist appointment 2 hours late because the receptionist had told her 1pm but written it down in book for 11am!

People who make appointments and then don't want to bother going should ring up and cancel in plenty of time, or they shouldn't complain about being fined for the wasted appointment slot.

Thats a fair point Patchy but it doesn't work the other way round. My missus made an appointment a week in advance, booked the morning off work, turned up at the doctors only to be told that he was on holiday this week and no other doctor was available??
Where was the phone call from them to tell her about it?? Meanwhile she is stressing over feeling poorly, has a mornings work to make up as well!!

It should work both ways... deduct some pay from the doctor or receptionist who was at fault!:D

Exactly. Customer Service as a whole is non-existent nowadays and the paying public are usually to blame and have to stump up extra money/fines etc.
The next thing is having to pay a travel agent £20 to go and get some advice because they are sick of people going in, getting some advice then booking it online for a lot cheaper..ahem...why do you think that is Thomas Cook?? Because your holidays are a rip-off?? But the public get blamed. Its about time some organisations took a long hard look at the service they are providing.

Unless a patient rings up and says to the Doc that they're going to be late, then yeah, they should be fined for wasting the Doc's valuable time.

But sometimes, especially in this city with its unreliable buses, you can't help being late for appointments.

I could not get in to see my GP because he was fully booked & my medication needed reviewing so I got an appointment with a new GP,I am disabled & wheelchair bound when I went in to see him he examined me & pulled me to bits causing me a lot of pain,I could not understand why he did this as my records state that no one except my consultant or or his replacement,can examine my legs as he know what he is doing.My normal GP knows these facts as my consultant said go to your GP only for your prescription.This GP has caused me great pain & distress.If my GP had been available instead of dealing with some sod with a sore throat,who I might add was waiting to see my GP at the same time I was due to see the new on I might not have been put through all this pain.Fully booked there were 3 people going in to see my GPs I do not call that fully booked.GP have far too much paper work to do instead of dealing with there patients needs.Moan Over. & Still In Pain.

Dentists have been doing it for years, so why not doctors?

I think it's legislation now that you must be able to get an appointment with your GP within 48hrs. This is usually done by first come first serve to get an appointment with your GP.

Some GP's don't make appointments in advance of 24hrs so you have to call early in the morning to get your same day appointment.

I'm not sure if all GP's do this, I know my old surgery did.
Some operate a first come first serve basis in the morning where you just drop in to see the doc.

Ring your Dr's and find out about this legislation.

At the surgery I use, you can make appointments but sometimes you have to wait up to a week if you want to see a specific doctor. But they also have morning drop-ins, where if you turn up before 11am you are guaranteed to see a doctor.

There are an increasing number of 'walk-in' centres at hospitals or medical centres where you have to wait about ten minutes before seeing someone.

I went to one of these once and was seen within 20 minutes and treated, as opposed to next day for a doctor's accpointment, and got a call from my doctor later in the day, quite angry, asking why I had done this and not gone to the surgery.

Originally posted by Patchy
At the surgery I use, you can make appointments but sometimes you have to wait up to a week if you want to see a specific doctor. But they also have morning drop-ins, where if you turn up before 11am you are guaranteed to see a doctor.

Yeah, like up at our Doctor's and at the one at Walkley, there's a lady Doctor that all the little old ladies like cos she's really friendly and stuff Dr Stephenson they call her, and because she's so popular the little old biddies won't even entertain seeing anybody else.

Most of my aunties on me Dad's side of the family have had her for donkey's years.

Originally posted by alchresearch
There are an increasing number of 'walk-in' centres at hospitals or medical centres where you have to wait about ten minutes before seeing someone.

I went to one of these once and was seen within 20 minutes and treated, as opposed to next day for a doctor's accpointment, and got a call from my doctor later in the day, quite angry, asking why I had done this and not gone to the surgery.

Point taken but I don't think walk in centres like the one at the Hallamshire hospital can be a substitute for seeing a GP. For a start it is manned by nurses only and while some nurses are highly skilled they ARE NOT doctors. The other point here is that they don't have access to your medical notes and know nothing of your history at all.

If this is to be introduced then it should be accompanied by stopping charges for some other NHS services that are used, eg prescriptions, dentist etc. At least this would change from charging people for NHS services they use and towards people wasting time and money by not turning up for appointments.

Originally posted by Mo
Point taken but I don't think walk in centres like the one at the Hallamshire hospital can be a substitute for seeing a GP. For a start it is manned by nurses only and while some nurses are highly skilled they ARE NOT doctors. The other point here is that they don't have access to your medical notes and know nothing of your history at all.
My old Doctors Surgery which had a walk in centre was staffed by Doctors and Nurses. Always saw a doctor, so I'm not sure where you're getting that from to be honest mo.

Maybe my surgery was a good one, but I thought they all HAD to have Doctors viewing the patients which required Dr attention.
Also since it was my surgery they also had my notes too.

Originally posted by DaBouncer
My old Doctors Surgery which had a walk in centre was staffed by Doctors and Nurses. Always saw a doctor, so I'm not sure where you're getting that from to be honest mo.

Maybe my surgery was a good one, but I thought they all HAD to have Doctors viewing the patients which required Dr attention.
Also since it was my surgery they also had my notes too.

Am getting that info from a poster on the wall outside the walk in centre at Hallamshire. Saw it 3 months ago when I took my mum for her routine appoinment in rhumatology (sic?) right next door.

Does anybody know why at some surgeries you can only make an appointment for the day. It's quite hard sometimes to get one and means things can be difficult in an emergency.

Nothing more infuriating that being ill and not been able to get a doctors appointment for 3 or 4 days, by which time you may be better or dead.

Would there be more slots available for the genuinely ill patient if doctors could charge for broken appointments?

yes I think there should be a charge if u dont let them know your unable to make a docs appoinment , unless of course uve died in the meantime , then id let u off !!!!

I have to agree with the swings and roundabouts, I was having some minor surgery in the local docs (at the last house) which was going to take me off my feet for a few days and leave me struggling with 6 m/o twins so my partner had booked time off.
Went to the surgery on the day and time written on the appointment card and the doc said he couldn't do it because there was a mistake, it should have been the following week, even thbough he was able to do it right there and then, had the time and was vailable, he still wouldn't. No apology, no explanation.
I wrote a letter in complaint and they were unable to back up either case but refused to do anything else.
I moved docs and ended up having the surgery a year later after more of my own expense and pain. So my partner had taken time off unncessarily, as had I from my job too though they managed to put me back on rota. No compensation to us for our loss of holiday time, for the inconvenience etc
It's a two way street, if they sort out the problems they cause they fair enough, they can charge, otherwise no way!

yes I think there should be a charge if u dont let them know your unable to make a docs appoinment , unless of course uve died in the meantime , then id let u off !!!!

I second that opinion - you can find the time to make the appointment but not the time to cancel it. I bet we'd complain if the Argos van didn't turn up.

Nothing more infuriating that being ill and not been able to get a doctors appointment for 3 or 4 days, by which time you may be better or dead.

Would there be more slots available for the genuinely ill patient if doctors could charge for broken appointments?

NHS Mo, and people that go to the doctors for no good reason, just because they can!

There already is a system of punishing people for doing this - most GPs will strike you off their lists if you do it more than 3 times. Why have yet more fines? Don't we get fined enough already? Yes it's annoying not getting an appointment - but how on earth can we prove anyone did not turn up for their appointment for a good reason?

Someone forgets to ring and cancel, all they have to do to get out of being fined is to say their phone was out of order or the bus broke down!

There already is a system of punishing people for doing this - most GPs will strike you off their lists but how on earth can we prove anyone did not turn up for their appointment for a good reason?




Mathom where is your evidence about GP's striking people off lists due to missed appointments?

I work in the NHS and we have loads of missed appts - certainly noone is ever struck off simply after 2 misses advised they would now need to be re-referred by their GP.

Dentists now charge for missed appointments - and I think that is right. Unfortunately there will be people who do suffer who have legitimate reason for not attending but surely that's what happens in our society from an early age ie having to suffer penalties due to others negligent/reckless behaviour.

I personally think people should be charged for missed appts but am not sure how that could be administered effectively.

My old Doctors Surgery which had a walk in centre was staffed by Doctors and Nurses. Always saw a doctor, so I'm not sure where you're getting that from to be honest mo.



Mo was referring to the walk-in centre at the Hallamshire, which is nurse led.

Missed appointments cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds. In my experience it is extremely frustrating when someone doesn't turn up, as I could have seen another patient in that time!

We have to phone for an appointment at 8.30 am to be seen the same day, not very good if you have to be at work for 8am and dont know if to take time off or not as your are not guarenteed to get an appointment. The Dr's do have bookable appointments but only in the afternoon, again not very good if you work.

We have to phone for an appointment at 8.30 am to be seen the same day, not very good if you have to be at work for 8am and dont know if to take time off or not as your are not guarenteed to get an appointment.


If you're capable of going to work, you don't need an appointment that day and shouldn't be ringing in the first place.

If you're capable of going to work, you don't need an appointment that day and shouldn't be ringing in the first place.

Thanks for that, I'll remember it when I have to go for holiday shots, and other non urgent things that only the Dr can do during surgery time, or leave work and start signing on so I can take an afternoon appointment

I go to Carterknowle surgery and they have a no-appointment system ie. it's always drop-in. For some things eg. minor surgery, they have a doctor "put aside" who you can make an appointment with, and when you turn up for an appointment they ask if there's someone specific you'd like to see. If there isn't, you get put onto the shortest list and generally have to wait about 10/15minutes at busy times (ie. after work). I think its a great system and should be used by all surgeries.

As for the topic in hand, YES people should be fined for not turning up to appointments. I'm sure if they knew they would have to pay out ££ they would suddenly find the time to call and cancel.

By the time I get to see my doctor, I've generally recovered.


This is something I hate..... I hate having the reviews because if you don't attend they don't let you have your prescriptions.

I personally think its about filling in a tick box, and to be honest I feel like I've taken an appointment away from someone who needed to see a doctor, very annoying

As for the topic in hand, YES people should be fined for not turning up to appointments. I'm sure if they knew they would have to pay out ££ they would suddenly find the time to call and cancel.




Whenever I try to call my surgery, its always engaged.

SOme people work in jobs where its not always possible to be taking time out every 5 miutes to be trying to ring the doctor

Whenever I try to call my surgery, its always engaged.

SOme people work in jobs where its not always possible to be taking time out every 5 miutes to be trying to ring the doctor

I know this, I work in a call centre where my time is monitored.

If fines were to be introduced, it should be made easier to cancel, ie. text message/email/answerphone