NHS Eligibility
To be eligible for NHS treatment you must be “ordinarily resident” - this means living lawfully in the United Kingdom voluntarily and for settled purposes as part of the regular order of your life.
The RNOH, like all NHS Hospitals, has a legal obligation to establish whether a patient is an overseas visitor to whom charges apply (NHS Chargeable Patient), or whether they are exempt from charges (receive free NHS treatment).
An "overseas visitor" is any person who is not “ordinarily resident” in the UK.
Checking NHS eligibility
If you have been referred to the RNOH, we may write to you to ask for information to demonstrate that you are “ordinarily resident” and therefore eligible for NHS treatment. It is your responsibility to provide the requested information and demonstrate eligibility. If you do not provide evidence you may be deemed to be ineligible for free NHS treatment.
RNOH will sometimes contact the Home Office for information to support decision making around eligibility on a case by case basis.
If you are unsure of your eligibility or status for NHS treatment, please contact the RNOH Overseas team on rnoh.
Urgent or immediately necessary treatment
If your treatment is deemed to be urgent or immediately necessary, you will be treated promptly regardless of your eligibility status. However, you will be charged for any treatment you receive if you are not eligible.
Routine treatment
If you have been referred to the RNOH and you are not eligible for NHS treatment, as long as the treatment is not urgent or immediately necessary, and it is clinically appropriate to do so, your appointment may be cancelled or your referral may be rejected.
Charges & Debt
If you not eligible for free NHS treatment you have received, you will be charged. The cost will depend on the treatment you have received and you may be asked to pay upfront or pay retrospectively.
A person with outstanding debts of over £500 for NHS treatment that is not paid within two months of invoicing may be denied a further immigration application to enter or remain in the UK.
Reciprocal Agreements with Other Countries
Patients from a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland can access free planned NHS healthcare by providing an S2 certificate covering the duration of their planned treatment. It is the patient’s responsibility to arrange this and must provide it prior to treatment or they will be charged.
RNOH accepts European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) for unplanned treatment for visitors to the UK. This must be provided at the time of treatment. If you do not have a valid EHIC, you can apply for a provisional replacement certificate (PRC) from the Ministry of Health from your respective country.
Reciprocal agreements for planned and unplanned care are in place with other countries and these are managed on a case by case basis.
Further details are available here: How to access NHS services in England if you are visiting from abroad - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Contact: rnoh.