Letter: Don't blame patients

Sir: Rather than charging people for using the NHS, it would be more sensible to charge people for abusing the NHS. From my experience of managing in hospitals and in GP surgeries around 15-20 per cent of patients fail to turn up for their appointments. These are the people who should be charged. They waste valuable clinical time and contribute to long waiting lists for every one else to see GPs and consultants.

DANIEL ELKELES

London SW15