A think tank of the conservative party have looked at rationing of GP visits. Just as they do every year and just as every year it is rejected by those charged with offering vote winning policies.

Think tanks of all parties suggest radical solutions on an ongoing basis. Newspapers using them to scare people doesn't help. The main issue for The NHS isn't dismantling on ideological grounds but running up national debt to the extent services cannot be safely provided due to lack of funding. Savings within healthcare have already reached the point where staffing and efficient management are compromised in some areas, as regulators report.

But paying for access or restricting it has never been a manifesto promise of any party. Although. .. Labour under Blair did look at it as part of The NHS plan in 2000, and rejected iit on public health cost grounds. Ultimately it costs more when people present with a small problem that has been allowed to get worse.

More people seeing their GP is ultimately cheaper than less.