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Foreign patients at a London hospital are being withheld treatment until they pay their bills up-front.
Doctors at West Middlesex University hospital in Hounslow will stabilise patients, then quote them on any further treatment.
If they do not produce cash or credit cards to fund the treatment they are asked to leave.
The scheme is part of a new attempt to prevent “health tourists” leaving Britain without paying their bills.
A Standard investigation today reveals they have failed to pay £7 million owed to the NHS in the past year.
The patients, most of whom travelled to the UK from outside the European Union, took advantage of doctors obliged to treat those needing urgent
medical care, then left without paying.
They include hundreds of pregnant women who arrived at maternity units in labour, those needing life-saving operations and some dying from cancer and HIV.
But West Middlesex University has taken matters into its own hands by introducing a “stabilise and discharge” system for foreign patients.
For the past 18 months, patients have been treated so they are no longer in danger and then given a list of what treatment is needed for a full recovery.
Those who cannot pay immediately are refused further treatment and requested to leave the hospital.
Compared to previous years' unpaid bills, the hospital estimates it has saved about £700,000 in the last 12 months.
A hospital spokesman said: “We believe we have robust and fair procedures for establishing entitlement to NHS services.”
The Standard found that 4,111 foreign nationals without health insurance were treated at 20 hospital trusts from April 2008 to March 2009.
The bill for their care came to almost £12 million but more than half of this remains outstanding. Hospitals identify foreign patients by asking new admissions for their NHS numbers.
Those who do not have one are therefore not British. If they cannot prove they are citizens of an EU country they are not entitled to any free care, except for emergencies, and must be billed.
Payments still to be recovered include £132,554 for a man who died after spending 57 nights in intensive care at Kingston hospital and £27,193 for a woman who had a heart bypass operation at King's College hospital.
The largest unrecovered amount in London this year is £1.6 million at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital out of a total £1.9 million spent.
A spokeswoman for Guy's and St Thomas' said: “While the amount of money outstanding is large, we are continuing to work to recover the
charges owed.”
Today the British Medical Association said there needed to be tighter controls.
“It is important that we do everything in our power to prevent any abuse of the health service from people travelling to the UK to receive treatment with no health insurance or money to pay for it,” said a spokesman.
Reader views (23)
As an occasional tourist when I go abroad I have travel insurance. I do not expect the country I visit to have to pay for any medical bills I may incur. West Middlesex's policy certainly should be standard across the country; no money up front, no treatment. That's certainly the case in China, as I found for myself a few years ago, and here's an even better idea, no proof of medical insurance at Immigration, no entry to the country!
- Tony Whitmarsh, Melbourne, Australia
I am a UK citizen and taxpayer, on a relatively low income. As a member of the human race on this small planet, I am quite happy to contribute to the wellbeing of anyone who finds themselves on our shores and in grave need.
The NHS costs I do object to are those spent on helping patients with drink-related emergencies or chronic conditions related to alcohol over-consumption.
Boozed-up British citizens, who are entitled to NHS services, should look a little closer to home, in terms of pointing the finger of blame re. the drain on NHS resources, before attacking those who are truly the underdogs in the country. Although I suspect that such an inward look at the behaviour of the nation might be a little too sobering for many to stomach - easier to kick those who're already down, eh?
- Ian Leckie, London
Interesting article...although it ignores the fact the UK has a reciprocal agreement with Australia to provide free healthcare.
It remind sme of the American health care system...
- Petra, London
So Steve Inman; your company/charity commissioned the report and shock/horror, you declare 'health tourism' is a myth.
Is you charity funded solely by donations from the public Steve, or Govt subsidies/handouts?
Why don't we just eradicate the [pitiful] border controls we have and let all and sundry enter, as after all finances and resources are plentiful here aren't they Steve.
- Scott, London
After 12 years of Nu Labor's magic policies it finally is sinking in that NO MONEY IS LEFT and everything cannot be free for everyone!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Health tourism is a myth! As the UK's largest single source of financial assistance for people living with HIV and AIDS, Crusaid undertook a piece of research this year that proved this.
Crusaid's Poverty Without Borders report, in association with GlaxoSmithKlein, showed that almost all people from migrant communities who present themselves at a UK hospital with an HIV or AIDS-related illness are unaware of their status and considered themselves healthy when they left their own countries.
Describing people who are in extreme pain, far from home and without support as 'tourists' does little to help the British public to understand the plight of some people living with HIV and AIDS. It's certainly no holiday! Whilst Crusaid is not advocating a free-for-all approach to accessing NHS services we need to be compassionate as a nation.
It's all very well to say that somone who hasn't paid into the system hasn't earned the right to access its support, but the government today provides no safety net for people who aren't eligible for NHS treatment. Are we to leave them to suffer on the streets? Crusaid believes that everyone living with HIV and AIDS deserves to live their lives with dignity, which is why we reach out to everyone who needs our help, regardless of age, gender or nationality. As a nation, we should think carefully before we endorse the barbaric act of turning away vulnerable people when they need our help most, simply to meet government cut-back targets
- Steven Inman - Head Of Programmes At Crusaid, London, UK
This is a great idea, but is will not happen- the Human Rights Act will see to that.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
AT LAST!
Should never have been allowed to happen. It's been heartbreaking to see how badly the elderly sick and disabled have been treated in recent years. Home nursing, home dressings and home treatments is being run down or charged for. National Health Trusts are being leaned on to prune so much of their budgets as draconian cuts have been made everywhere.
This naturally stokes resentments against foreigners per se when they're perceived to be using the services, legally or illegally. Xenophobia has been a by-blow (not racism), of injudiciously cutting or removing services from this country's frail, elderly, sick and the vulnerable.
- Amanda, London
To João Paulo, Lisbon, Portugal. It is you who are missing the point all EU citizens have a reciprocal health arrangement with other member states, that is why the EU issues a European Health Insurance Card(EHIC)to all citizens of the EU. It's production gives EU citizens access to health care across the EU, including Portugal. Additionally those UK citizens on holiday in the Algarve are required to produce Health Insurance certificates by their travel operators before they are accepted to travel. The article clearly identifies that it is those from outside the EU who are abusing the NHS here in the UK.
- Pete, Croydon Uk
Just out of curiosity how do Kingston hospital plan to recover £132,554 from someone who's dead?
- Ali, Haringey, London
Answering mostly to Gary, wycombe: That's a nice idea... no more free hospital treatments for the British citizens who are on hollydays in the Algarve. Pay for the Hospital or go back to the UK and get treatment there. No health payments in Portugal+no Portuguese ID = go die somewhere else. It's so nice when we see only one side of the story...
- João Paulo, Lisbon, Portugal
Yes, the sooner this is implemented across all hospitals the better. Can we also start charging drunks that are picked up and taken to A&E for treatment, irrespective of their nationality.
- Patricia, LONDON
Erm....So does that mean that I can elect to pay for my operation and jump the queue? This is not cynicism, I'm serious.
- Ronnie, Billericay England
So stabalize them and then toss them out. What if a woman comes in on the point of giving birth? She has to have the child who then is british and then is entitled to medical attention. Still, at least they are trying to do something after all these years.
- Gary, London
George, what is so bad about treatment in Thailand that you would return to the UK?
- Kate, London, England
Why isn't this standard policy?
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Well done, but I wouldn't even bother stabilising them unless I knew they could even pay for that.
And no I'm not nasty or spitefull, just bloody fed up like anyone who pays tax.
- P , Socialist Republic of Londonistan.
Yea right,if you believe that you will believe Brown will not be cutting public spending.Another lie.
- Dave, london
I paid for Health Care all my life and am now a pensioner. When I ask for treatment, they ask me for money even though I have paid all my life but have the fortune to live outside the UK. While I can see there may be a problem with visitors that have never contributed the seive needs to take account of those citizens that have paid for the service all their life to receive what they have paid for.
- George Richardson, Jomtien, Thailand
wow!!! it's only taken 12 long years for a grain of common sense to be used! Simply - NO National Insurance Number and National Heaolth number + UK Passport = no care! thats it - no more needs to be done!
- Gary, wycombe
I expect Amnesty to be protesting on their doorstep about it all being an infringement of their human rights.
- Bob, Cheam
"Today the British Medical Association said there needed to be tighter controls."
Wow, shock, horror! ...Excuse me, but there's "needed to be tighter controls" for decades now. As a result of bodies like the British Medical Association (not to mention the British government!) turning a blind eye to this abuse of the welfare state, we've got the world-wide sobriquet of "Treasure Island".
Thank you, our "betters" in Westminster, for being so free with MY money!
- Croyboy, Croydon
About time too - but can we expect the (mostly foreign themselves) NHS workers in London to actually enforce this ?
- Cap, London
