200 £million NHS black hole foreign health tourists

Whitewavemark2

We do!! I’ve watched the forms being filled in - A&E

Filling the forms in and receiving the money are worlds apart.
A bit like winning a court case: meaningless.

Calendargirl

My cousin, on holiday in Spain, developed dreadful stomach pains in the middle of the night.

When the paramedics arrived, he was writhing on the floor. (Turned out to be pancreatitis or similar, needed operations etc).

The first thing they wanted to see, before attending to him, was their proof of travel insurance.

Does that happen here?

The uk has a reciprocal health care agreement with Spain.
It’s quite possible that it was a private ambulance.

petra look up how much money the NHS does recoup from foreign nationals to prove your assumption incorrect.

Ladyleftfieldlover

MaizieD

What an unpleasant thread.

I agree.

It is.

The OP's post is odd in that they don't give or reference any facts.

Is it actually true? Why should we believe it? It sounds as if it's just been picked out of the pile marked "How to attack foreigners" for today's far-right initiative. However, I haven't read all the posts yet so I'll read on and see if I find enlightenment.

(Just to say I tried the headline online and I'm only getting eight year and older posts) but that was a very general search.

Now, I've just had an idea, as my big boat reaches the Devon shoreline.

We should have one hospital, situated on Dartmoor, (there's currently a building available), where all the visitors, the non UK residents, can turn up for their treatment. They might have to wait their turn, and the food will be bread and cheese, and the equipment a bit antiquated.
It won't be free, because on site there's ways of keeping them there until they've paid up.
Anyone interested?

petra

The £200 million is only for invoices issued. The majority of hospitals don’t issue an invoice as they know is a waste of time.

If that is true they sre not keeping proper accounts. Why has this not been taken to court?

Mt61, I'm not sure what is meant by the statement that Alzheimer's sufferers not being funded.
Alzheimer's patients have NHS support.
It may not be enough, in some people's eyes, but it's certainly not " hardly any funding" - quite the reverse.
A relative of mine with Alzheimers has received excellent care over the years, at, no doubt, eye-watering expense.

Yes, Chocolatelovingran, I have a friend in the same position. They recieve Continuing Healthcare Funding which provides cover for the full cost of a patient’s care and it is not means tested.

However, like all other illnesses this is only provided provided when an individual’s need for care is primarily due to health reasons.

It is difficult to obtain but so is any need for care that moves from mainly social care to primarily health care.

PoliticsNerd

Ladyleftfieldlover

MaizieD

What an unpleasant thread.

I agree.

It is.

The OP's post is odd in that they don't give or reference any facts.

Is it actually true? Why should we believe it? It sounds as if it's just been picked out of the pile marked "How to attack foreigners" for today's far-right initiative. However, I haven't read all the posts yet so I'll read on and see if I find enlightenment.

(Just to say I tried the headline online and I'm only getting eight year and older posts) but that was a very general search.

Yes, a very unpleasant thread.

PoliticsNerd, it seems the OP’s source is yesterday’s Daily Express, very possibly from that pile you mentioned….(She gives a link on the previous page).

Thanks Delia, I'll have a look.

escaped

I guess the issue is, it's those who come to the UK on purpose to use the NHS for free and then go home. Not those who have a mishap here or fall seriously sick. It's those who set out to take advantage of the NHS because its free, and then leave our system drained.

I'm currently sitting on a 6 hour ferry homeward bound after 2 months abroad. In my purse I have a UK GHIC, a French carte vitale from when I worked there and paid contributions, and my travel insurance information. I cover all eventualities, as why should a foreign country have to pay the bill for my treatment?

I have accompanied several people to A & E abroad, and believe me, you don't get past the triage receptionist without filling out reams of paperwork and presenting your documents.
I wonder why we can't be bothered to do that in the UK.

You may well ask!
It’s more or less a can’t be bothered thing here.If other countries charge visitors from overseas then so should we.Any one who flies here for a holiday or business isn’t strapped for cash.It’s yet another NHS failure.

Delila

PoliticsNerd

Ladyleftfieldlover

MaizieD

What an unpleasant thread.

I agree.

It is.

The OP's post is odd in that they don't give or reference any facts.

Is it actually true? Why should we believe it? It sounds as if it's just been picked out of the pile marked "How to attack foreigners" for today's far-right initiative. However, I haven't read all the posts yet so I'll read on and see if I find enlightenment.

(Just to say I tried the headline online and I'm only getting eight year and older posts) but that was a very general search.

Yes, a very unpleasant thread.

PoliticsNerd, it seems the OP’s source is yesterday’s Daily Express, very possibly from that pile you mentioned….(She gives a link on the previous page).

Doesn’t matter what newspaper the report is from, the stats are from Dept of Health following a FOI request.

Context is all Oreo.

I must ask, why is it an unpleasant thread ? Nobody is saying that visitors should be refused treatment, that would never happen here.But if other countries can recoup money for treatment to overseas visitors then so should we.
The NHS needs to be kept going by every means possible .

PoliticsNerd

petra

The £200 million is only for invoices issued. The majority of hospitals don’t issue an invoice as they know is a waste of time.

If that is true they sre not keeping proper accounts. Why has this not been taken to court?

Because the waste and inefficiency of the NHS is legendary.

Oreo

I must ask, why is it an unpleasant thread ? Nobody is saying that visitors should be refused treatment, that would never happen here.But if other countries can recoup money for treatment to overseas visitors then so should we.
The NHS needs to be kept going by every means possible .

Just what I said earlier. Just because I speak my mind and certain people disagree they think it’s clever to call it unpleasant. Daft really.

I have had many months of hospital visits and when staff tell me they cannot provide adequate physio treatment for stroke patients because there is no money to pay for staff cover and there is not enough basic equipment to go round it annoys me that people from other countries come here and get all their ops and care for free then clear off again. I know I am not the only one.

The NHS should be on top of this by now.

I am amazed this woman from Nigeria was allowed to fly!

I agree Primrose53 this calling threads unpleasant seems to be used if posters disagree.
Which in itself is unpleasant 😄

I feel like a loop system is developing here. To repeat, again, the NHS does recoup money for treatment to overseas visitors. The system is not perfect, to make it so would require armies of administration staff which would cost more than the amount lost to replicate in every hospital. Successive governments have wrestled with this issue. Why on earth do you not check the facts?

Chocolatelovinggran

Mt61, I'm not sure what is meant by the statement that Alzheimer's sufferers not being funded.
Alzheimer's patients have NHS support.
It may not be enough, in some people's eyes, but it's certainly not " hardly any funding" - quite the reverse.
A relative of mine with Alzheimers has received excellent care over the years, at, no doubt, eye-watering expense.

I mean funds ploughed into finding a cure. I don’t mean treatment.
Chocolatelovinggran

Casdon

I feel like a loop system is developing here. To repeat, again, the NHS does recoup money for treatment to overseas visitors. The system is not perfect, to make it so would require armies of administration staff which would cost more than the amount lost to replicate in every hospital. Successive governments have wrestled with this issue. Why on earth do you not check the facts?

Other hospitals seem to manage it in other countries.I would be very surprised if Germany and the Netherlands and the Scandi countries don’t get things right.They appear to have enough admin jobs to cover it.

Casdon

I feel like a loop system is developing here. To repeat, again, the NHS does recoup money for treatment to overseas visitors. The system is not perfect, to make it so would require armies of administration staff which would cost more than the amount lost to replicate in every hospital. Successive governments have wrestled with this issue. Why on earth do you not check the facts?

Casdon how does the nhs recoup the money, if people from aboard haven’t paid into the system, or have travel insurance?

In France I have to not only show my ID card but also a plastic national health card which has a bar code. UK don’t want to carry ID and the NHS card has a bar card which links up to all the French National Health system, whether it’s a clinic, hospital, laboratory etc.
However, I don’t know what happen to visitors to the country an emergency.
I must add when I have had to see a UK doctor and have medicine have offered to pay but they didn’t want to know and they never asked to see the European health card.

Hear, hear Prim and Oreo. The thread is not unpleasant - it is just stating an unpalatable fact.

They didn’t want to know Mokryna because it’s too much trouble in their eyes! Times this by a few thousand and you can see how much the NHS loses out by this attitude.