Guidelines for healthcare access in the UK for Migrants/overseas patients

Please see below a summary of how to approach any overseas patient who requires NHS treatment:

• A practice has discretion to register any patient , wherever from, and however long they are here for, as an NHS patient ( although they may not be entitled to NHS secondary care)

• Any patient  that is ordinarily  resident (regardless of nationality) in the UK is entitled to all care, primary and secondary, on the NHS and practices MUST register such patients on the NHS.

• Visitors from the EU or a country with a reciprocal arrangement with the UK also must be registered on the NHS, either as a temporary or permanent patient depending on length of stay.

• Any patient in the practice area , including all overseas visitors wherever from and whatever their residency status , requiring emergency or immediately necessary treatment must have it provided free by the practice under the NHS.( It is the doctors decision as to whether it’s an emergency or not )

• An overseas visitor (not ordinarily resident in the UK), not requiring immediately necessary or emergency treatment, not from the EU and not form a country with a reciprocal agreement may be treated as a private patient and charged accordingly or may be registered for NHS GP services (though not entitled to NHS secondary care) .Practices are strongly advised to have a consisted policy on this matter in order to avoid accusations of discrimination.

Please also see the complete guidance  on the BMA website:
http://bma.org.uk/practical-support-at-work/gp-practices/service-provision/overseas-visitors-and-primary-care