to think drs who recently complained about salaries should be willing to try to get money out of non uk tax payers who use the NHS

[Scoobydoo8]

It really annoys me that drs won't charge people for health care because they want to be seen as mr niceguy or something to do with their hippocratic oath or whatever it's damn unfair that anyone can come to the uk for treatment.

There have been many threads recently complaining about the new low salaries for junior doctors, which were justified, but to then whinge about having to enforce rules to reduce the misuse of the NHS by foreigners make me feel - serves you right.

They claim that it isn't worth trying to reclaim the money but look guys, if people think they will never be charged they will come in their droves, if they think they might be nailed for the cost they might stay at home - obvious imo.

As a midwife I don't think its my job to get people to pay up. IM too busy for one thing. Our hospital has a dept where one of the dept come round the wards most days to see if there's any non EU nationals on the ward.

Have my very first

The doctors don't do the charging. Their salaries and contracts are a separate issue.

Doctors aren't border officials. HTH.

When do you want them to find the time to check everyone's immigration status and chase them for money? Which jobs should they forfeit?

Should we have to take our passport everywhere just in case we are taken ill?

You are ridiculous. I hope you are not as stupid as you come across in this thread

As a nurse and midwife I already struggle due to lack of staffing etc.

Holding people hostage to get money is not part of my job....and not is it part of a doctor's job. We all have enough to do,

If you have a read around you'll find there is a protocol which is followed when non UK residents use the NHS.

Unfortunately that doesn't suit your arguments.

OMG - are you the handful of people in the UK happy with the NHS?????

speechless!

when a visitor from abroad broke their leg the hosipital's foreign office was by their bedside before the bed was even wheeled onto the bay.

I think our NHS is excellent

It appears that you don't have a scoobydoo about the NHS... Ha see what I did there.

I had some medical treatment in the UK while not resident. I am a UK citizen but it didn't feel right so I asked them about paying. They didn't know how. Honestly, there is no facility to do this. It's just not within the system.

New systems would be needed, new paperwork, new equipment, new staff (medical billing and coding is a CAREER in the US).

I just bunged a few quid in a charity box and thanked my lucky stars I grew up in such a great country.

You don't have a a scooby do you? As if doctors don't have enough to do without checking everyone's passports. Please try to engage brain before posting next time.

I am very happy with the NHS, it's doing a very good job of keeping Ds alive.

It may not be perfect but what system that treats a whole nation is?

I think the NHS is bloody amazing.

I come from a country with a two tier health system. My 89 year old grandmother (who had private health insurance) spent 36 hours on a trolley in A&E recently. No privacy, no dignity, no peace. That's not in the slightest bit unusual.

I think most people in the UK realise what a wonderful service the NHS provides. Not perfect, but a damn sight better than most.

Oh and don't forget there is an agenda to stuff that you read about the NHS. If you believe it's not working you're more likely to allow privatisation in. Here is the real performance of the NHS, world class... www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uks-healthcare-ranked-the-best-out-of-11-western-countries-with-us-coming-last-9542833.html

As a nurse and midwife I already struggle due to lack of staffing etc

And you see no correlation between giving the rest of the world free health care and the fact that the NHS cannot afford to staff it's wards adequately.

I'm off

speechless!

That might be an improvement.

I'm an NHS Employee (not in Emergency Services) but I'm aware there is a huge process to go through to get the money refunded.

On a similar note though, we have our patient referrals by GP, so if they aren't in our area, we can't accept them.

Of course some patients live in our Trust with GPs outside which means they need to travel (their choice for keeping their GP when they move house perhaps)

If the GP is within our Trust and patient outside, we treat them (due to the Funding) but not for Home Visits.
But it is really hard to refer a patient to 'their' Trust if they subsequently need Home Visits.
"It's only half a mile/the next street"
But the Bourough boundaries are distinct.

I do my level best to make the relevant referrals but it is time consuming and there needs to be a 'handover'

So if that's from one Trust to a neighbouring one, the thought of pursuing from one country to another..........?

Or do you just want people turned away?
When I went to the USA , I took out insurance for IIRC 50,000 US Dollars. I would've been stuck if I hadn't

I think an extremely tired Dr who has worked for 24hrs+ does not have time to check immigration status. Anyway these are dedicated people who would not let another human being suffer. They didn't train for god knows how many years to do this piss poor government's job for them

Any top-up charging will no doubt have so many exemptions (i.e. emergency care, asylum seekers, etc)and then cost a fortune to administer and debt collect that it would hardly be worth the effort.

So while there is an argument over the principle of charging I can't see how on a purely financial basis the amount of money raised would save the NHS.

Also doctors don't decide the NHS charging or funding policy they simply have to work within the system, so YABU.

the admin costs to charge people would probably be a lot more than would be made anyway.

Some of DH's family are in the US and his uncle, who was a very high earner with very good health insurance, still died penniless after having a long sickness with cancer. His DB had to go in with a $10,000 cheque for medication while he was dying.

Thanks NHS and all in sail in her.