Health Services: Migrants
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent migrants who are not entitled to use NHS services from using (a) hospitals, (b) GP services and (c) other NHS services.
Answered by Karin Smyth
Anyone can access and use the National Health Service, however some individuals who are not ordinarily resident or not covered by an exemption under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, will be chargeable for some NHS services, as the NHS is a residency-based system. Services, such as those provided by a general practice, or services provided for the diagnosis of infectious diseases, are exempt from charge for all. Where treatment is urgent, as determined by a clinician, that treatment will never be delayed, and if charges apply, they must be pursued by the NHS trust after treatment.
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