NHS ID cards under review

NHS ID cards under review

NHS ID cards under review

The Department of Health has pledged to deter so-called “health tourists” from travelling to the UK to obtain free medical treatment under the National Health Service.

Under the plans to close “loopholes and anomalies in the system”, which are open to public consultation for three months until October, only those “ordinarily resident” citizens will receive free healthcare, according to Secretary of State for Health John Hutton.

Outside of this non-resident and those expats who have lived abroad for more than five years will be exempt from the privilege of free healthcare.

The ministry will examine the extra burden on the NHS of “failed asylum seekers” who remain in the UK for more than a year and foreigners on business trips accompanied with families.

Mr Hutton said: “The NHS is there to provide a free at the point of use service to people who live here, not those who don’t. We fully share the public’s concern over any suggestion or evidence of abuse.

“That is why we will tighten the current rules for deciding who qualifies for free treatment under the NHS. But in proposing these changes we’ll make sure that we continue to meet our international obligations in full.”

Mr Hutton pointed to the case of a foreign sports commentator who came to the UK to cover an international sports event and brought his son with him “specifically to get free NHS treatment.’

Under review is the use of identity cards to prove eligibility free healthcare.

Mr Hutton said: “In my view it would make life very much easier for NHS staff if eligibility became a straightforward matter of showing a card. I want to make it easier for NHS staff and not swamp them in bureaucracy.”

Residence will be the key criteria dictating exemption from charges.

But Mr Hutton said emergency treatments would remain free of charge.

The consultation may run into problems over a central proposal that suggests NHS staff must assess the eligibility of patients. Critics say this will be time-consuming and disruptive.

Conservative health spokesman Liam Fox said the proposal was “unenforceable and inadequate.”

He said: “The Conservatives will introduce an NHS entitlement card for all UK citizens and for those legally entitled to settle here so that it is entirely clear who is entitled to use the NHS.”

However, there will be leniency for those overseas workers employed “permanently” by UK firms and foreign students on full time courses lasting half a year.