Petition · Department of Health and Social Care
Introduce a refundable deposit for booking NHS appointments
Open for signatures
29 signatures
What the petition asks
Introduce a flexible, refundable booking deposit for NHS appointments, where patients would pay a small amount (e.g. £5) when booking and is refunded if they attend or cancel within a set notice period (e.g. 48 hours). The deposit would be kept by the NHS only if they do not attend or cancel late.
Missed NHS appointments cost hundreds of millions of pounds, with estimates of up to a billion each year. It can also waste limited clinical capacity. A small refundable deposit could encourage attendance without charging patients for care.
We believe similar systems work in the private sector. With clear exemptions for vulnerable patients, this could reduce no-shows, free up appointments faster, improve efficiency, and protect NHS resources for those who need them most.
We believe similar systems work in the private sector. With clear exemptions for vulnerable patients, this could reduce no-shows, free up appointments faster, improve efficiency, and protect NHS resources for those who need them most.
Timeline
| 20 Feb 2026 | Petition opened for signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
29
Status
Open for signatures
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Opened
20 Feb 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.