Wes Streeting may consider fining patients who miss NHS appointments

Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed that one in four missed appointments was because Royal Mail delays meant patients received letters about their appointments later than the due date, according to research from think tank Healthwatch.

The previous government also praised the idea of ​​introducing fines, but did not follow through.

Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister, promised to fine patients £10 for every missed hospital and doctor appointment during his campaign to become Conservative leader, but abandoned politics after a backlash.

Streeting also revealed that the NHS would receive a cash boost in the autumn budget, but suggested that hospitals would only receive money if they made productivity improvements.

He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that “the approach the Chancellor and I are taking is to link investment to reform”.

Asked whether hospital trusts would be penalized if they did not “play the ball”, he added: “We definitely need to manage performance.

“I think it’s a trade-off. It’s my responsibility to give system leaders the tools to do the job, and that’s my responsibility as Secretary of State, but it’s their responsibility to deliver.

“We are a team, we have to work in partnership, and the way I am thinking about the reform agenda and how we do it and how we involve NHS staff in it is a team effort.”