§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks GPs have to carry out on their patients during registration with the GP practice, in order to discover whether they qualify for free NHS treatment. [101245]
§ Mr. HuttonPatients register with a general practitioner for general medical services by completing a GMS1 form. This asks for a name and address, previous address for the purposes of tracing previous medical records and whether the patient is from abroad. For personal medical services pilot providers, patients apply by making a signed application or presenting a medical card.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the calculations that have been made of the cost to the NHS in(a) London and (b) England of treating patients who are not eligible for NHS services; [101301]
(2) how much money, in each of the last five years, has been paid to the NHS by people using the NHS who did not qualify for free NHS treatment and services. [101305]
238W
§ Mr. HuttonThe national health service is first and foremost for the benefit of people who live in the United Kingdom. A person who is not ordinarily resident in the UK, but who requires NHS hospital treatment is subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, 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 NHS trusts to establish the residential status of all patients. Where a NHS trust identifies a person who is not ordinarily resident in the UK and is not otherwise exempt from charge then the regulations provide for the making and recovery of a charge by the trust for most types of hospital treatment.