{"id":9807,"date":"2026-05-28T13:10:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=9807"},"modified":"2026-05-28T13:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:10:25","slug":"gps-to-vote-on-charging-patients-for-a-netflix-style-subscription-service-as-150000-a-year-family-doctors-push-for-greater-freedom-to-provide-private-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=9807","title":{"rendered":"GPs to vote on charging patients for a Netflix-style subscription service – as \u00a3150,000-a-year family doctors push for ‘greater freedom to provide private services’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published:<\/span>

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Patients across England could be asked\u00a0to pay means-tested ‘Netflix-style’ monthly subscription fees to see their GP as part of a controversial new ‘alternative strategy’.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Family doctors in England will vote on proposals that could allow them to introduce subscription-based services, offering additional services to patients willing to pay.<\/p>\n

The move would mark a dramatic shift away from the founding principle of the NHS<\/a>\u00a0– that care is free at the point of use – and risks creating a two-tier system.<\/p>\n

It comes as GP partners – who are self-employed – earn an average of \u00a3159,000 before tax, with increasing numbers also taking on private work.<\/p>\n

Under the suggested model, patients could pay a regular fee to access services outside the standard NHS offer, in a system similar to NHS dentistry, where some treatments cost up to \u00a3319<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The British Medical Association’s GP committee confirmed it will ballot doctors on what it has described as a ‘plan B’ or ‘alternative strategy’ for general practice.<\/p>\n

The proposals follow a vote by GP leaders earlier this month to draw up plans for ‘exiting’ NHS contracts and exploring options for working outside the health service.<\/p>\n

Some leaders suggested that quitting the NHS could be used as leverage in the ongoing dispute between doctors and the government.<\/p>\n

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The move would mark a shift away from the founding principle of the NHS – that care is free at the point of use<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Join the discussion<\/span><\/p>\n

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Would YOU pay a monthly fee to see your GP faster?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Dr Katie Bramall, chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, said doctors were ‘deeply frustrated’ and had ‘no other choice but to explore alternatives’.<\/p>\n

She warned that confidence in the future of general practice within the NHS was now ‘at an all-time low’.<\/p>\n

‘This didn’t happen overnight,’ she told Pulse<\/a>. ‘It has been a slow and gradual deterioration of morale within the profession.<\/p>\n

‘We risk losing NHS general practice entirely<\/a> if urgent action is not taken.’<\/p>\n

Dr Bramall said years of under-investment, rising workloads and staff shortages had left many GPs struggling to provide safe care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She added that current contract arrangements limit doctors’ ability to meet patient demand, restricting what services they can offer.<\/p>\n

Critics say the move towards subscription or means-tested models could entrench inequality, allowing those who can afford to pay to access quicker or better care.<\/p>\n

The Department of Health and Social Care said it opposed any shift towards paid-for GP services.<\/p>\n

A spokesman told The Telegraph<\/a>: ‘Moving towards a model of private, means-tested or subscription-based GP services is not in the interests of patients or the NHS.<\/p>\n

‘A two-tier health system would only serve to deepen the health inequalities that already exist.<\/p>\n

‘The founding principle of the health service – that care is free at the point of use -must be protected and we will do so.’<\/p>\n

GP leaders have previously discussed drastic measures, including mass resignation from NHS contracts, to force improvements to funding and working conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last year, local medical committees authorised the BMA to use the threat of GPs ‘walking away’ from the NHS to strengthen its negotiating position<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Separately, previous protest actions have included proposals to cap the number of patients doctors see each day.<\/p>\n

At the same time, a growing number of GPs are supplementing their income by working in private healthcare or for online medical services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 06:19 EDT, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 09:00 EDT, 28 May 2026 Patients across England could be asked\u00a0to pay means-tested ‘Netflix-style’ monthly subscription fees to see their GP as part of a controversial new ‘alternative strategy’.\u00a0 Family doctors in England will vote on proposals that could allow them to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bunyad_sub_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}