Sajid Javid calls for £20 fee to see GP and £66 charge for A&E

21 January 2023 , 13:42

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Sajid Javid calls for £20 fee to see GP and £66 charge for A&E

A former Health Secretary has called for patients to pay to see their GP or visit A&E.

Under Sajid Javid's proposal, Brits would be charged £20 fees for GP appointments, and £66 for emergency visits without a referral.

Writing in the Times, the former health chief said the NHS had become unsustainable and the UK should extend "the contributory principle" to tackle waiting times.

Downing Street said Rishi Sunak is not "currently" considering the proposals.

The PM has previously set out plans to slap people who miss NHS appointments with £10 fines.

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But he had to walk back his Tory leadership pledge after widespread criticism.

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Javid was previously Rishi Sunak's boss at the Treasury (Getty Images)

Mr Javid, who is standing down at the next election, said means-tested fees should be introduced, while "protecting those on low incomes".

“We should look, on a cross-party basis, at extending the contributory principle,” he wrote.

“This conversation will not be easy, but it can help the NHS ration its finite supply more effectively.”

In the column, he pointed towards £20 fees for GP visits in Norway and Sweden, and £66 charged to people going to A&E in Ireland without a referral.

Mr Javid, who is standing down at the next election, accused fellow politicians of "leaning in" too far to "adulation" of the health service.

"Too often the appreciation for the NHS has become a religious fervour and a barrier to reform," he wrote.

Mikey Smith