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.

[yorkshapudding]

I bloody love the NHS actually. And I don't think for a minute that I'm one of only 'a handful'

The idea that Junior Doctors who are about to have their pay slashed have somehow brought it on themselves by refusing to personally chase "foreigners" out of A&E is so moronic, I can't decide whether you're a troll, a DM journalist or just a moron.

[TalkinPease]

Scoobydoo
Have you actually looked up the data for the number of Forriners using the NHS?

When Jeremy Hunt was challenged he admitted that the number of patients was under 100 per year

And if EU forriners are not allowed to go to A&E

how about the numbers of pissed up Brits who fill A&E around the Med every summer, spring, autumn and winter
using their E111 to get it all for free

[Scoobydoo8]

Surely getting the money from foreigners who use the NHS will prolong it's viability???

[CaspoFungin]

Yes I'm sure we all agree people who have come from abroad and haven't paid into the system should pay, but the point is that it shouldn't be the midwife or the nurse or the doctors job to police who should pay or not!

Yes there might be more midwives available in time if there was more money in the pot but during a busy shift when the midwife barely has time to do their job properly, instead of tending to mothers in labour you think the midwife should be in the office chasing payments??

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

I think the NHS is amazing. We're bloody lucky to have it.

Are you one of the people who also thinks that 'teachers' charge parents for going on holiday in term time?

[Ripeningapples]

whispers very quietly

[TalkinPease]

scooby
The amounts are MINISCULE
and it would cost more in administration to collect

[LongTimeLurking]

And why is there always an undercurrent of racism to these kind of threads?

I dare say the number of British born people abusing the NHS in an entitled "all you can eat" frenzy significantly outweighs the cost of treating those who manage to come here and obtain treatment illegally.

[ilovesooty]

I'm sure doctors spending time trying to get money from non EU patients isn't going to increase the viability of the NHS.

[Scoobydoo8]

When Jeremy Hunt was challenged he admitted that the number of patients was under 100 per year

What , under 100 foreigners used the NHS last year?????

You must be having a laugh.

from google -Trends

The table below shows trends in inbound tourism for the period 2003 to 2014 based on the Office for National Statistics International Passenger Survey. The number of visits in 2014 reached a record 34.4 million, after several years of growth since 2010. Average spend per visit was £636 in 2014

So 34+ million.

[MrsPear]

My local doctor surgery already checks however they are depending on honesty. As far as I am aware they only ask for visa etc if you tick non EU. Hence my Albanian husband got asked to bring in his passport - which contained his visa stamp - and if he didn't he would have to pay private fees. However the neighbouring council does not do any checks - even for schools - so that is where non paper relatives live.

[ilovesooty]

Over 34 million non EU visitors to NHS hospitals?

[MaudGonneMad]

You're suggesting that 34 million foreigners use the NHS each year?

Really?

[Scoobydoo8]

Well if the doctors treat the patients, pat them on the head and send them 'home' (hotel/ relative/ off abroad) then getting money out of them is much harder, why would you pay if you didn't intend to return to the uk?

There is internet banking, phones to call relatives etc. If I needed an urgent op I'd have it paid for within the hour I should think. If I was really hard up I wouldn't be swanning around the USA or wherever I'd gone that needed up front payment.

[Sallyhasleftthebuilding]

Wouldnt you be less busy if you treated only those who had paid into the system?
That said im sure there are plenty of brits who have never worked, and never paid in. ... you cant have it both ways?
I was told a birth cost £30k c-section, i doubt i paid that much in and ive always worked.

[Sirzy]

They all used the NHS or they visited the UK? Very different things.

[Scoobydoo8]

from google search
www.visitbritain.org/2014-snapshot

[MaudGonneMad]

That link says nothing about using the NHS

[Scoobydoo8]

34+ million visited britain but .....whew. thank goodness, only 100 used the NHS, probably sprained ankles so minimum expense.

[LongTimeLurking]

Sallyhasleftthebuilding
I was told a birth cost £30k c-section, i doubt i paid that much in and ive always worked.

Exactly, even those that claim they 'pay in' all their life have probably never paid in enough to cover even one major illness or trauma in their family.

I read that GPs get about £150 per paid per year and for that people can visit their GP as much as they want..... some people will attend multiple times to get antibiotics for a virus and then in the next breath moan about "foreigners" when they have to wait for an appointment.

[ilovesooty]

Ah well. Nice to know so many stayed healthy and probably spent more money over here than those 100 cost us.

[LongTimeLurking]

*per patient per year.

[WiIdfire]

People not entitled to NHS care free ARE charged. It's just not the job of the doctors to do it, there are staff in hospital whose entire job is to sort that out. The same way we dont type our own letters, dont clean the floors ourselves and dont cook the food for patients. It's nothing to do with our salary issues at the moment.

[Scoobydoo8]

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

Well, exactly, you took out insurance - why can't people do that coming here?

Thousands of brits visit the US each year, they don't not go because of the health care, they go and take out insurance just in case. However it's ok for the rest of the world not to do that here. It's ok for us to fund their care.

I know of expats coming home for treatment as their new choice of home doesn't have such good care. Oh, well, what will be will be. Let's just slate the Tories for destroying the NHS.

[bigbluebus]

I honestly think it would cost more to admnister this system than it would bring in. Even if it went ahead it should not be the job of medical staff to collect the fees.
My DH had an accident whilst on holiday in europe a few years ago. He had to be taken to hospital in the travel reps car as the ambulance would not come to where we were staying (only about 1/4 mile off main road) and when we arrived at the clinic, the rep went in to get a wheelchair for DH and a porter came out to the car and wouldn't get DH out of the car until he showed that he had an EU passport. Is that how we want to treat our fellow humans in this country ?- I personally think it is wrong and am grateful for the NHS.