In this section
The National Health Service provides healthcare free of charge for people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. When a person who is not ordinarily resident in the UK (an “overseas visitor”) needs NHS treatment they will be subject to the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 (the “Charging Regulations”) and may incur a charge for treatment.
In accordance with the Charging Regulations the Trust has a legal obligation to make and recover charges for NHS treatment in relation to any person who is not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. This is not optional and no one in the Trust has the authority to waive these charges. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to implementing the Charging Regulations consistently across the Trust.
We understand that your visit to our hospital may be very stressful for you and we would like to make it as easy as possible when it comes to your understanding of the information that may be required by our staff to establish entitlement to NHS services.
Hospital treatment is free to people classed as ordinarily resident in the UK. Determining residency isn’t as straight forward as where you were born, payment of UK taxes, National Insurance contributions, being registered with a GP, having an NHS Number, or owning property in the UK. There can also be exemptions to charges for certain care for example:- Accident and Emergency, Infectious Diseases, Domestic Violence.
Here at Saint Mary’s Hospital we have a dedicated Overseas Team that is here to help and guide you through the eligibility and charges process.
Who we are:
We are a small, friendly team dedicated to ensuring that the Trust can recover money due following treatment of Overseas Visitors.
What we do:
It is the team’s job to review a patient’s eligibility to free NHS treatment. We do this by collecting information from patients and, if necessary, asking for documents so that we can assess their status. This can be done by interview and email. We can advise and guide you through the Charging Regulations ensuring you understand your eligibility status for free NHS services.
Why we do it:
Department of Health charging regulations place a legal obligation on the Trust to recover the costs of NHS services where an individual is not entitled to free treatment. It is estimated that, as a whole, the NHS can recover some £500 million a year from Overseas Visitors treated by the NHS. This money is invested back into NHS Services.
How can we help?
If you think that you might be an Overseas Visitor let us know as soon as possible so that we can check whether you are liable to pay for your hospital treatment. If you have any queries about Overseas Visitors accessing medical treatment within our hospitals, please do not hesitate to contact the Overseas Visitor Team.
Email mft.smh.overseas@nhs.net
Telephone +44 (0)161 701 8575 and +44 (0)161 701 1132