The text was confirming an upcoming appointment I have with a surgeon, and says that "not attending costs the NHS approximately £160" along with a phone number in case I need to reschedule. There is no suggestion I need to pay this if I don't turn up, it's a just an FYI.

I think this is a good idea. You should be told how much your visit costs every time you go, how much your surgery costs etc. I think it would help to make people more appreciative of how much money they don't need to pay at the point of use and endear them more to our NHS. You lot would probably see it as 'poverty-shaming' or some bollocks though and believe it's an evil Tory plan to guilt the poor into not using the service so much.

In saying that, i'm pretty sure they haven't put my broken finger back on straight, and that they missed the fact that one of my other fingers is fractured - but hey, you get what you pay for I guess.

Hmm, interesting...