Saturday 17 March 2007

NHS Entitlement

The petition is entitled Restrict the NHS to British citizens and UK residents only to protect the NHS from privatisation and the explanatory notes say
"This petition would guarantee to stop privatisation of the NHS and would cut the costs of running the NHS by £millions. It would also stop non-tax payers to scrounge off YOUR money that you pay legitamitly to the government."

Who, exactly, does the petitioner think is entitled to NHS treatment?? The Citizens' Advice Bureau website makes things quite clear, and to spare you clicking, let's summarise.

Some treatment is available free to anyone at all:
  • treatment for accidents and emergencies as an outpatient in a hospital’s accident and emergency department. Emergency treatment in a walk-in centre is also free of charge (England and Wales only). However, if you are referred to an outpatient clinic or admitted to hospital from an accident and emergency department, you will be charged
  • compulsory psychiatric treatment
  • treatment for certain communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, cholera, food poisoning, malaria and meningitis. Testing for the HIV virus and counselling following a test are both free of charge, but any necessary subsequent treatment and medicines may have to be paid for
  • family planning services.

So not much there, then.

Furthermore, some people are entitled to all NHS hospital treatment free of charge. These are people who:
  • have been living legally in the UK for at least 12 months when you seek treatment, and did not come to the UK for private medical treatment. Temporary absences from the UK of up to three months are ignored
  • have come to the UK to take up permanent residence, for example, if you are a former UK resident who has returned from abroad, or if you have been granted leave to enter or remain as a spouse
  • have come to the UK to work, either as an employee or self-employed person. This does not include people on short business trips
  • normally work in the UK, but are temporarily working abroad, have at least 10 years continuous residence in the UK, and have been abroad for less than 5. However, if you are studying abroad you are not entitled to free NHS treatment
  • are receiving a UK war disablement pension or war widows’ pension
  • are an asylum seeker or have been granted exceptional leave to remain or refugee status. Proof of your immigration status from the Home Office may be required. If you are refused asylum you may be required to repay the cost of any treatment you have received
  • are imprisoned in the UK or detained by UK immigration authorities
  • are a UK state pensioner who spends up to six months a year living in another European Economic Area (EEA) state, but are not a resident of that state
  • are working in another EEA country, or in Switzerland, but are paying compulsory UK national insurance contributions
  • are a student following a course of study which lasts at least six months, or is substantially funded by the UK government.

There are also reciprocal arrangements within the European Economic Area and various other countries, whereby their residents here can get NHS treatment and our residents there can get their treatment.

In other words, the vast majority of people entitled to NHS treatment are already, as the petitioner requests, "British Citizens and UK residents". The few others - well - it doesn't feel as though either justice would be served by cutting them off from it, or much money would be saved either!

In short: what guarantee that this would prevent the privatisation of the NHS? None at all!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well those top 3 items cover just about anyone who happens to find themselves in the UK.
I think the principal should be clear. Either you're paying NI, and are entitled to NHS treatment, or you are not. I'd also like a closer look at "EU" entitlements, so that EU citizens are entitled to reciprocal benefits. In other words, is there quality, comprehensive state medical care provided in, say, poland? If I, as a UK citizen, were to go to poland, would I get free medical care of equivalent value to that I'd receive in the UK? If that is the case, then polish citizens should be entitled to a reciprocal level of service when they are in the UK. If not, then not.

Anonymous said...

And of course, further, do poles themselves get free, comprehensive medical care in their own country. Again, if yes, then some agreement between states should be in place to allow citizens of both countries to "share" each other's state medical systems. If not, why should they be entitled to free care here?