Health Services: Foreign Nationals
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what amount of charges were issued by NHS trusts for treatment to non-UK residents not entitled to free secondary healthcare in each of the last three financial years; how much of that amount was successfully recovered in each of the last three financial years; and what is the outstanding amount.
Answered by Karin Smyth
We have taken ‘non-UK residents’ to mean chargeable overseas visitors. The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England as part of the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts. The cash payments received by the National Health Service from overseas visitors are also published annually in the consolidated NHS provider accounts. The following table shows the aggregate income identified, and cash payments received by the NHS in England, from overseas visitors over the last three years:
Year | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
Aggregate income identified | £61,000,000 | £67,000,000 | £100,000,000 |
Cash payments received in-year | £21,000,000 | £25,000,000 | £32,000,000 |
Source: the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts and Consolidated NHS provider accounts.
NHS charges can be recovered up to six years from the date of invoice, and therefore the amount recovered in a year does not necessarily mean it was identified in the same financial year.
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