aibu or is this discrimination?

[Pachyderm1]

My cousin has dual citizenship for the U.K. and France. She has a British passport and has lived in the UK for 13 years. She has just had a baby and the NHS has sent her a bill for thousands of pounds for maternity services. To prove she is entitled to NHS care, she has to go to an appointment at the hospital (which is an hour from where she lives) with 6 different forms of ID / bills / letters etc.

My question is, how has she ended up on this list? Is it just because she doesn’t sound British?! Why wasn’t she asked for any of this information before the bill was issued? Does everyone have to prove their residency status, or just people who sound foreign?

I’m really annoyed on her behalf that she is going to be put to quite a lot of inconvenience (and stress, because until she has proven her right the invoice will stand and will be subject to debt recovery processes) because on the basis of what seems to be no evidence, the NHS has decided she isn’t entitled to free care.

Britain is still in Europe and she shouldn't have been asked to prove she it entitled to the NHS as, not only as a British citizen but as a European, she is entitled to it. So yes what the NHS did is illegal.

Interesting username there OP. And welcome to mn.

Not true Frenchjune. Access to nhs for free non emergency treatment is dependant on residency criteria not citizenship. Even British expats do not necessarily qualify.

And welcome to mn

Thanks, but not new - just name changed.

the OP has said that her cousin lives in the UK
Summer.

I gave birth here and haven't been charged or asked to provide proof that I live here. And I do not have citizenship or residency just live here and pay my taxes.

I had my dd 2 years ago before I became a citizen and was never once asked my residency status or whether I qualified for care under the NHS. But when my dd was about 5 months old I had to take her to the walk in for a suspicious rash and the GP there nearly refused to treat her as he suspected I wasn't legally entitled. Never mind that my dd was a UK citizen at birth and I wasn't the one seeking treatment.

I wonder if she accidentally ticked/didn't tick a box on a form?

They have been clamping down for some years, especially on maternity services - when I was pregnant with dd 7 years ago I was asked to bring ID for my booking appointment, but wasn't four years earlier for child 1.

I think its good they are starting to check. Easy for her to sort, just take the ID and the bill will go away.

Doesn't really need to be an issue

I don't think this is unusual.

When I had Dc1, 8 years ago, I wasn't required to produce anything. When I had DC2 a few years later, I had to bring ID.

This was the same hospital and nothing had changed since I had DC1 (same name, same address, registered at the same GP). I was born in the UK and haven't ever lived anywhere else.

This isn’t discrimination. Why shouldn’t they check who’s entitled to maternity care and who isn’t?

I have birth a few months ago and was asked to bring along my passport and utilitiy bills to the midwife. I didn’t feel discriminated against or take it as a personal slight. I’m happy to provide that information. What’s the problem?

I think it’s to do with if they can find her nhs number on the system. Or at some point she may have given a French address when obtaining uk services. They’ve been cracking down for ages. Can she not scan the information requested in and email to the hospital? As long as she’s proved her entitlement they won’t get far with debt recovery.

This will be happening more and more to everyone across the uk due to them cracking down on health tourism.