The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 Review

The findings of a review into the impact of amendments made to the NHS charging regulations in 2017 have been announced. The review by the department of Health and Social Care examined the impact of new regulations introduced as part of a cost recovery programme identifying chargeable visitors and migrants using the NHS.

In a statement Stephen Hammond, Minister for Health, said

‘the review found no significant evidence that the 2017 Amendment Regulations have led to overseas visitors being deterred from treatment or that the changes have had an impact on public health.’

From the evidence received there were, however, examples where concerns regarding charges or general engagement with ‘the authorities’ were said to have had an impact on whether particular individuals engaged with health services.

The review also found that in some cases, providers may not have properly applied the regulations when determining whether treatment should be subject to upfront charging.

The review highlighted that the impact of the new regulations would need to be kept under review as some healthcare providers have not begun implementing the regulations in relation to services which have been made chargeable by the 2017 regulations.

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) would like to thank all members who contributed case studies as part of the joint BASHH and BHIVA submission to the review.

A statement on the review is available to read in full online here.