Overseas patients owe NHS £30m

NHS trusts around the country are owed around £30m by overseas patients who have used the UK's health service this year.

Data obtained from 104 trusts under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act show that in 2015/2016, foreign visitors racked up £29,530,378 in unpaid medical bills.

Maternity care as well as general medicine accounted for a large proportion of the services provided to patients ineligible for free NHS treatment.

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Under a reciprocal agreement within the European Economic Area (EEA), the NHS forwards the bill for medical care provided to EEA citizens to their home government, which automatically pays the debt.

However, for non-EEA citizens, it is up to individual trusts to claim back the money and the figures suggest many are struggling do so.

A recent report from the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed only half of non-EEA patients pay their NHS bill.

Ninety-two of the 104 trusts who responded to the FOI request also provided data for last year, when £15,907,018 was unpaid, suggesting the overall total would fall short of this year's £29.5m.

"The true amount owed could be far higher as the figure does not include overseas patients who are never asked to pay - for example those who can provide a UK address," Sky News adds.

London hospitals were owed the most, with eight hospitals chasing more than £1m of unpaid bills. Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and London North West Healthcare NHS Trust "owed about £5m each for the past four years", The Times reports.

Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients Association lobbying group, said it was understandable that UK-based residents have expressed "very strong feelings" about overseas visitors using the NHS.

She added: "If this money was reinvested in the NHS, it could mean the difference between hiring more nurses or paying for additional equipment."

However, British Medical Association chairman Dr Mark Porter told the Daily Telegraph that any system to recoup the costs "must not jeopardise access to healthcare for those who need it".

He said: "A doctor's duty is to treat the patient in front of them, not to act as a border guard."