Health Services: British Nationality
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all British citizens are eligible to the same access to healthcare across the UK.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
All British citizens who are residents in the United Kingdom are eligible to access healthcare services free at any point of need. In England, Scotland and Wales, this is provided through the National Health Service, and in Northern Ireland through Health and Social Care (HSC). These systems are founded on the principle of providing comprehensive, high-quality healthcare based on clinical need and not the ability to pay.
Health is a devolved matter and the health services in each of the four nations operates under their own legislative and governance arrangements. Eligibility criteria and specific service models may vary between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, the UK Government works closely with the Devolved Governments to support a joined-up approach to healthcare, ensuring that people can receive urgent and emergency healthcare wherever they are in the UK.
We will continue to collaborate with our Devolved Government counterparts across the UK through established intergovernmental structures to share best practise and improve access to high-quality healthcare for all our citizens.
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