§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the fees charged by general practitioners are retainable by them when received from overseas visitors or whether they must be returned to his Department.
§ Dr. VaughanA general practitioner is entitled to retain any fee received from an overseas visitor ineligible for NHS treatment whom he has agreed to treat as a private patient.
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give additional payment to general practitioners or approve and pay for additional clerical staff in areas where there are large concentrations of ethnic minorities in order to monitor the effects of charging fees (HN(81)13) to overseas visitors.
§ Dr. VaughanNo. General practitioners will be expected to treat any new patients not ordinarily resident in this country, or otherwise eligible for NHS treatment, as private patients and thus outside NHS arrangements for payments to general practitioners. Guidance to assist them to identify visitors who are eligible for NHS treatment is under consideration and will be the subject of consultation in due course.