Overseas patients

NHS Hospital Charges - Will I have to pay?

Not all NHS care is free of charge.

The Trust has a legal obligation to ensure patients attending our hospital, are entitled to their treatment free of charge. The letter below is requesting evidence of residency in the UK, for you to send us, either by email, post or by hand. If you wish to bring the evidence to the hospital, please make an appointment with the Overseas Team to avoid disappointment (contact details are on the letter). The letter provided below is for translation purposes.

Your NHS treatment costs - please supply evidence to avoid payment

You may need to pay for your NHS treatment The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended, set out which visitors are required to pay for NHS treatment.) received at Surgery/ Hospital. The NHS is not free to everyone and overseas visitors, including British Citizens, who are not ordinarily residents in the UK may be asked to pay for specified services, including NHS hospital services, under the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015. Payment goes directly to the NHS and is used to fund doctors and nurses who provide your care. The NHS requires evidence to determine if you need to pay for your treatment. Patients who are ordinary residents (bring your documents into the hospital. Please make an appointment first between 9-4 during the week) in the UK or who fall within certain exemption categories will not need to pay. You will however still need to provide evidence to demonstrate you are exempt. The list of exemptions can be found at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-overseas-visitors-hospital-charging-regulations/summary-of-changes-made-to-the-way-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care .

 It is your responsibility to prove that you are entitled to free NHS treatment. To avoid payment, you need to provide evidence that you are either ordinarily resident in the UK, or have paid health surcharge and hold a valid visa covering the duration of the treatment or fall within an exemption category. What you need to do is either post copies or send to the email address (Overseas.Visitors@qehkl.nhs.uk).

1. Send evidence that you are ordinarily resident in the UK or fall within an exemption category. The documents you need to provide are listed on the reverse of this letter. These documents will be used to determine your status.

2. Bring your documents into the hospital. Please make an appointment first between 9 - 4 during the week.

3. We need to receive your documents within 7 days of the date of this letter.

If you do not provide satisfactory evidence to support your claim, you will be liable for the cost of any treatment provided to you. You will be issued with an invoice for the costs of any treatment already provided to you and you will be required to pay the full cost of any future NHS hospital treatment.

If you would like to discuss your claim please contact me by calling 01553 613486 between 08:00 and 16:00.

Yours sincerely,

A M Ahmed (Mrs)

OSV Manager/ Business Support Admin

In order to establish your eligibility for free NHS treatment, please send copies of any of the relevant documents listed below. If more than one document is relevant to you then send all the relevant documents.

A) At least one item with your photo:

• Passport
• National ID card
• UK Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
• Driving License (if it has a photo)

  B) At least one item to prove where you live (The proof you use must be less than 3 months old. Your name and address needs to be on the letter):

• Water, gas, electric or Council Tax bill
• Phone bill (landline)
• Bank or building society statement
• Mortgage or rental agreement

  C) Any other personal documents that can help establish your eligibility:

• Non-UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
• An IND and ARC (for patients claiming asylum)
• Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) for EHIC
• Any other Home Office issued documentsPlease note that having an NHS number does not automatically make you eligible for free NHS treatment.

You should be aware that under paragraphs 320(22) and 322(12), and 3.14 of Appendix V, of the Immigration Rules a person subject to immigration control with outstanding debts of over £500 for NHS treatment that is not paid within two months of invoicing, may be denied a further immigration application to enter or remain in the UK.

In the abscence of prompt full settlement or a reasonable repayment schedule, non-clinical information relating to this debt is provided routinely to the Home Office and may be used by the Home Office to apply the above Immigration Rules. The information will remain active for the purpose of the above rules until the debt is settled and a record of the settled debt will be retained, both subject to normal limitation periods.

In the event that you may seek entry to the UK or make an advance immigration application after settling an NHS debt in the previous two months, you are advised to retain and carry evidence of payment for potential examination by Home Office officials.