LONDON, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Britons wanting to be treated by England's National Health Service may have to qualify to receive free care under a new plan, a report said Tuesday.
Smokers or people who are chronically overweight may have to agree to exercise or to other changes in their lifestyles in return for NHS treatment. Moreover, patients who miss or chronically arrive late for hospital appointments may have penalties imposed on them, The Times of London reported.
In a New Year message to NHS staff, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that a NHS constitution would set out the "the rights and responsibilities associated with an entitlement to NHS care."
Brown said these and other steps "will require a broadening and a deepening of reform to ensure that the NHS as a whole attaches the same priority to a personal and preventative service as many of you already reflect in your own day-to-day decisions."
Plans for a NHS constitution will be revealed later this year, the Times said. A government spokesperson said any proposed constitution would not change the underlying principle of the NHS -- free medical care for all, the newspaper reported.
