Doctor fees need review, not a grant
IF you’re looking at an internet history of stories expressing concern about the rising cost of seeing a doctor, hand-in-hand another storyline will pop up – the States promising to look into the issue.
As the cost of an appointment heads over £70, surely the validity of the universal £12 grant has surely had its day and it is time to move forward with much more valuable support for those who need it.
A decade ago now, the competition regulator was called in by the States to look at the operation of GP practices.
A survey revealed that 88% of islanders were happy with the service, but nearly 70% thought it expensive, and half had put off seeing the doctor because of the cost.
Since then, the cost of an appointment, and the use of the grant (£3.4m. at 2017 prices), have regularly floated to the surface, only to disappear again shortly afterwards.
One of the best health interventions the States has done in recent times is remove universal child benefit to instead offer a £25 flat fee for under-18s for primary care treatment. It is time for a similar approach now.
Very few people dispute the quality and level of service received from their doctors’ practice locally, and its role as gatekeeper for local healthcare is a valid and important one.
But the time has come to make better use of the grant, and ensure that doctors’ fees are not seen as punitive.