Migrants ‘flooding’ the NHS and taking it away from UK citizens

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]This is an interesting proposal. Uh GPS are going to hold a vote on whether or not they would look to introduce a Netflix style subscription service that charges patients. So to give you an example, uh you would opt into this service whether or not you pay is it a weekly maybe or a monthly fee and you would be able to go and see a GP X amount of times to try and reduce the demand on the National Health Service.

[00:00:25]So the British Medical Association's GP committee said it would ballot family doctors in England on trying to introduce this model. It's means tested and it's subscription-based as part of an uh alternative model. Uh if it introduced a system could resemble arrangements that's already being currently offered by dentists on the NHS who charge fees of around £319 for some treatments. As I said, it's trying to uh limit that demand off the NHS. Dr. Braml, whose union's uh GP's committee chairman, he says this exploration of an alternative model is a consequence of long-term political and systemic failure to protect NHS general practice and has left the profession deeply frustrated with no other choice but to explore alternatives. Now, pressure on on the public service that's not just pertaining to the UK.

[00:01:15]Obviously, we've got issues here uh with our health services. I mean, our emergency departments are absolutely being swamped by people who, you know, will go there when they've got a cold or a headache or you've got a, you know, a hypochondric and suddenly the the entire waiting room is absolutely flooded. So, in a way, I do agree that something does have to be done. My main concern with this is firstly, we don't know how this is going to work. We don't know if this is a monthly service. So, we don't know how many times you would be able to go and see your GP within that time frame.

[00:01:46]Is it four times a month? Is it once a month? You know, who knows? But does it also create sort of a tier two-tier service where okay, I can afford to use this subscription and those who can't afford still have to go through the public health service and it still puts that additional pressure onto the NHS.

[00:02:05]I'm not sure if an opt-in service is the solution to the problem.

[00:02:10]>> I think it absolutely creates a two-tiered system. You have people are able to see the doctor not because they need to, but because they can afford to.

[00:02:16]Yeah. while others uh are only able to see a doctor when they get their turn.

[00:02:21]The other problem you'd have here is that why would doctors because this doesn't create any extra doctors.

[00:02:26]>> No.

[00:02:27]>> So if you're a doctor and you've got the public service or you've got your paying subscribers, why would you not allocate more of your time to those who are paying higher fees and subscription services, which only makes the uh public system even worse? And the other problem I see is it's going to undermine trust in the NHS because if you can't afford the Netflix style subscription, then would you not think that somehow you're getting the leftovers in the NHS while your neighbors who have got more money, they're getting the premium care, they're getting the best doctors, they're getting longer appointments, they're getting more frequent access to doctors while you're left with the scraps. I don't know that that's a great way to um run a society.

[00:03:09]>> But is that any different to Australia?

[00:03:11]and people jumping up and down about the quality of their bulk build.

[00:03:14]>> Well, we're not comparing it with Australia. We're comparing it to what the UK currently has. And that's >> Sure. But but but what's what's wrong with the way we do now? We don't have a subscription service. Someone might like to take it up if they can find the market for it. Um but you have the option of going to a bulk bill doctor which is >> Do you know of one covered but >> Yeah.

[00:03:31]>> Do you really? There are I feel like there are none in Sydney or there's the odd one. There are no B billing. After the show, could you pass on the >> There's one in Lyart you can go and see.

[00:03:40]Yeah, but I'm sure you have to stand there in a line for hours just to go and see them.

[00:03:44]>> Yeah, but haven't they got all these bulk bill clinics or whatever?

[00:03:47]>> Supposedly, where are they?

[00:03:48]>> Go and find one then.

[00:03:50]>> Was it what wasn't the Liberal Party's war on Medicare? Wasn't that the >> Yeah, that was a lot of crap. But anyway, um but you so you can go and see a bulk bill doctor if you want to go and see a bulk bill doctor. Uh or you can go and and pay a private fee to to see a doctor elsewhere. Um I I don't see what the issue is with that. It it has always been. Thus, if you have the money to afford faster or better service, why should you not be able to pay to get faster or better service? I mean, essentially what you're saying is that everyone should be dragged down to the same level. Do I feel sorry for people who have to rely on the public system because they can't afford to get better service? Absolutely, I do. But I don't think that that should mean that those who can afford better service, like those who have saved up their whole lives, like my little old nan who has private health insurance, and you know, she's always made that a priority. She's a pensioner, that's always been a priority because if she goes to the hospital, she wants to have better service and she's willing to pay for it.

[00:04:47]What's wrong with that? I think some of the angst particularly reading around this issue in the UK is people are looking at what's being proposed and then they're looking at all the money that's being spent on hotels for migrants.

[00:04:58]>> Yes. on welfare benefits for migrants and they're saying here I am a British citizen a British taxpayer and I'm getting a reduced health service whilst people who are not citizens of this country are getting all sorts of trinkets and things and you can argue about that but I can understand the dissatisfaction for many people looking at health services being cut back for ordinary Brits while it seems there's plenty of money to go towards uh European projects and migrants and all of those other things.

[00:05:30]>> Well, don't forget as well that asylum seekers are also reportedly getting priority access to the NHS over everyday British taxpayers. So, you can see why people would be getting really annoyed and you're right because migrants would be flooding the system regardless because they need the welfare benefits which would rack up into the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. So, I can see why people are frustrated. But what about also trying to get more doctors into the scheme? and how can you make it more attractive for to for people to to go into general practice as well? And that's an issue we've got in Australia. What can we do to make it to make people want to to to become a GP as well?

[00:06:07]>> You can make a lot more money being a specialist.

[00:06:09]>> Well, you could make more, but I I do agree, but we need GPS. We need them in the regions.

[00:06:13]>> We're desperately in need of >> some way somehow we got to find a way to pay them more. So, does that money come from the government which they take from you anyway, or does it come directly from you? That's the discussion that needs to be