§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are made on foreign nationals to determine their entitlement to NHS treatment. [69433]
§ Ms BlearsEntitlement to national health service hospital treatment is based on residence in the United Kingdom. People who are not normally resident in the UK are subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) regulations, as amended in 1991 (SI No:438), 1994 (SI No:1535), 2000 (SI No: 602), 2000 (SI No:909). These regulations place a duty on hospitals and other NHS bodies to establish the residence qualification of all patients.
General practitioners are encouraged to consider residency before accepting a patient for NHS treatment but are not bound by the same regulations. Under the NHS (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992 a general practitioner does not have to accept any patient for NHS treatment unless specifically allocated by a primary care trust. The general practitioner's decision does not automatically exempt the patient from charges for hospital treatment they may subsequently need.