Leading doctors yesterday (25 June) rejected calls for the BMA to consider charging patients (between £5 to £25) for GP appointments in order to prop up the NHS.

A motion put forward at the BMA’s Annual Representative Meeting was rejected in all parts, with leading GPs at the conference saying that co-payments are "a tax on sickness" and "clearly not right".

Dr John O’Driscoll, a GP from Worcester, said: "Allowing co-payments would mean there is more money in the system and will raise the standard of care available to the most vulnerable".  

A YouGov poll of 2,000 UK adults in 2015 found that almost one in four British people are willing to pay for GP appointments. 

• A Pulse survey has previously revealed that over half of GPs are in favour of the NHS charging a small fee for routine appointments, with many believing it is the only way of managing their workload.  

Speaking against the motion was Dr Cameron Spence, who was previously a dentist, asserting that co-payments in dentistry have led to "delays in patients presenting with healthcare problems, which makes their management and treatment far more complex".

The BMA delegates rejected the motion by 164 to 47 votes.

Leading GPs at the conference saying that co-payments are 'a tax on sickness' and 'clearly not right'.