Upfront charges for foreign NHS users come into force

Migrants and visitors to the UK not eligible for free healthcare will now be charged upfront for the cost of their treatment, as new rules come into force.

The rules will also extend charging to community health services and charities that receive NHS funding.

The new system requires medical staff to establish whether patients are eligible for state-funded healthcare before providing treatment. If not, they must pay an upfront charge that is set at 150 per cent of the cost to providers.

But critics say the new rules will deter ill people from seeking life-saving treatment, and patients with infectious illnesses could pass undetected.

There are fears that an identification-checking scheme currently under pilot at 20 NHS trusts will be extended across the country, making patients attend hospital with their passports and driving licenses to guarantee receiving treatment they are entitled to.

According to the rules laid out in the National Health Service (charges to overseas visitors) (amendment) regulations 2017, a piece of secondary legislation that passed parliament with no debate, all organisations receiving NHS funding must now charge ineligible patients before they are treated.

The charging regime will also be extended to services such as health visiting, school nursing, community midwifery, community mental health services and more, according to Doctors of the World.

The Department of Health stressed that upfront charges would only apply for planned, elective treatments, and no one would be denied accident and emergency care or maternity services.

James O’Shaughnessy, health minister, said: “The NHS is a cherished national institution that is paid for by British taxpayers.

“We have no problem with overseas visitors using our NHS as long as they make a fair financial contribution, just as the British taxpayer does. The new regulations simply require NHS bodies to make inquiries about, and then charge, those who aren’t entitled to free NHS care. All the money raised goes back into funding and improving care for NHS patients.

“We are clear that some vulnerable groups are exempt from charging and the NHS will never withhold urgent and immediately necessary treatment.”