Healthy cut from GPs lists?

They will be asked to reply which I think is reasonable I would hope the surgeries would make allowances for people identifiable as vulnerable on their lists and make more enquiries. Surely the vulnerable and elderly should be contacted every year anyway.

I take pride and gratitude that I don't contact my doctor. It is ass about face. Another nail in the NHS coffin. What happens to those taken off the doctors list? How easy is it going to be for them to get back on? At a guess very difficult I would bet.

Ever since this ghastly government has taken control, the NHS has been under constant onslaught. Totally underfunded, but we have been fed lies and misinformation. No wonder we can't trust our MPs. They treat us like fools to get what they want.

That is stupid if you think about it If they have not needed a GP in however many years they are not costing the NHS anything.

It is quite the case that as you get older bodies wear out. I am costing the NHS more nowadays.
Mine were a family history of glaucoma, nothing I can do about that. Arthritic joints in shoulders and hands, family trait.
A back problem caused by a fall. There has been nothing I could have done about avoiding this mishap, except perhaps dropping my baby son when I tripped down the stairs so I could save myself.
Apart from these "mechanical things" I am quite healthy.

Whitewave exactly my fears if you get removed from a register you could have great problems getting back on when you need it.

The GP surgeries get paid so much for every person on their books. Some could have died or move to another gp but they have not updated their books and are still getting money for them. So in my opinion it is a good idea.

As usual the headline gives a wrong impression. if one reads the article , it says this:

"Under the initiative, those who have not seen their GP for five years will be sent two letters asking them to respond.

"If they do not reply saying they still wish to be registered with their doctor, they will be removed from the practice list.

"The idea is to find out whether patients no longer require services or have moved house, left the country or died."

Yes, there's a small risk attached, but there is with most things. It's not a completely unreasonable proposal.

But there will be people who either don't understand or don't receive the letters and who will be removed. This is an instant of a private company identifying a need (which is questionable) and then offering to deal with it. It is unlikely that the amount saved will be as much as Capita will charge for doing it.

How is it possible to be "healthy" and a "patient"?

As long as safeguards are built in, it seems eminently sensible to me. I'm surprised that those of us on state pension aren't asked to prove we're alive occasionally - especially since Power of Attorney is more common than it used to be.

I had lived for 8 years in my first house, bought after the owner had died. There was a knock on the door and a lady stood there
who asked could she speak to Mrs B. I replied that she had died. She appeared surprised and started to express her condolences thinking I was a relative. It turned out she was a patient of theirs,so theyhad been claiming fora dead patient for at least 8 years. So yes this scheme makes sense.

Everyone aged from 40-74 who hasn't visited their GP is invited for a MOT every 5 years. Along with smear tests etc. there shouldn't be many in this age group who would slip through the net.

My paper said it was because people have moved away and not been taken off the lists.

never understood patients moving away and not informing their doctor so their notes can be forwarded on, or when someone in the family dies they dont tell their doctor.
I do think its a good idea and will save money for the nhs.

I noticed the Daily Mail had their usual Shock Horror headline about this. It seem perfectly sensible to me to check that your patients actually exist, and haven't moved away or died. I would have thought that most people who might be considered vulnerable would be having some sort of contact with their surgery anyway.

I've always thought you didn't need to inform your GP you were moving out of their practice area because, when you apply to go on another GP's register, I presumed the new practice would contact the old one asking for the records.

If this doesn't happen, I now understand some of the questions my current GP has asked me over the last ten years I've been with him. All of the answers he wanted will have been in my notes. I'm beginning to think he doesn't have them.

It looks as if the system badly needs an updating effort.

I thought that, too bags, but I suppose there may be people who move away and don't register with a practice in their new area until they are unwell - which could be more than five years!

At least they have a GP practice. Come October I and 4000 other people round here won't have a GP at all!

When they closed our village surgery they promised to allocate appointments at the surgery in the next village to compensate. Phoned up this morning [phoned at 8 am; no answer; 8.05 phone engaged;8.09 now fully booked] for an appointment [needed to be seen today; cystitis ouch] and, guess what. They've stopped doing that. Did get to see a nurse practitioner at another surgery which was lucky as two doctors are off sick and one is on holiday. But still have to see a doctor next week as the cystitis is probably caused by the atrophy that I needed to see the doctor about. Don't know what will happen when two new estates are built. Grrr.#sorryjustneededamoan

I do not think the request unreasonable.There was a study some years ago that showed that something like 10% of patients on GP's lists, were dead, had moved, or otherwise disappeared. That is a lot of money being paid to GP surgeries that they are not entitled to and in these cash-strapped times the money could be better used elsewhere in the NHS.

I think it's a good idea. They are paid per patient so if some have died or moved they are getting money for nothing. Sorry if I sound a bit bitter there, but at my last surgery 2 doctors were driving around in cars that cost £100,000 +
Tegan You will have to do what I do: start queuing at 7.30 in the morning.

Thank you for this ThatBags: '"Under the initiative, those who have not seen their GP for five years will be sent two letters asking them to respond.

"If they do not reply saying they still wish to be registered with their doctor, they will be removed from the practice list.

"The idea is to find out whether patients no longer require services or have moved house, left the country or died.",

it makes perfect sense- anyone moving to new area should de-register from their GP and re-register with a new one- but many just don't bother and stay on the books forever.

Those who emigrate btw, must de-register by law- but 1000s of expats do not- and return regularly for treatment in the UK, illegally and un-checked. I had a 'free prescription card that was valid for many years after we moved- but never used it as it would have been fraudulent- but I know many continue to use them.

Just checked- when someone moves- when they register with a new GP, that GP should then request from the Health Authority (or previous health Authority) for the notes to be sent on- and the patient will then be de-registered from previous GP.

Many people do not bother- and move abroad, or don't register with another GP for one reason or another.

@petra

Maybe thos GPs made good decisions and/or got lucky with their shares.

Are you suggesting they're being paid for thousands of dead patients?

Some could be.

BTW- the it's been normal practice to write to patients if not seen for 3 years- anf for over 75s every year- if not seen- for a very long time. Certainly for many years before DH retired 10 years ago.