logo
Health tourists cost the NHS £200million in five years - despite Government pledges to crack down on those abusing the system

Health tourists cost the NHS £200million in five years - despite Government pledges to crack down on those abusing the system

Daily Mail​20-07-2025
Health tourists have cost the NHS £200million during the past five years despite Government pledges to crack down on those abusing the system.
Hospitals are being deprived of more than £110,000 on average every day by people who fail to pay when they are not entitled to free treatments.
New figures obtained by the Sunday Express show the cost of providing care to these foreign citizens and former UK residents has continued to soar.
Conservative MP Peter Bedford said: 'I suspect the true cost of this type of health tourism is far higher and call upon the Department of Health to recoup these colossal sums of money in the interests of each and every British taxpayer.'
And Reform UK MP Lee Anderson said his party would 'shut down the 'health tourism' scam'.
He said: 'Successive Conservative and Labour governments have sold out the British taxpayer. If you want to use our NHS then take out private healthcare insurance before you arrive.
'It is called the National Health Service and not the international health service for a reason.'
It comes after a Mail on Sunday investigation, published in April, put the figure at £257million over the past five years.
The latest data, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, show that last year the bad debt was £40.9million – up 12 per cent on the figure of £36.5million the year before.
But this is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg as it only represents cases where invoices were generated and then not paid.
In many cases officials would not have issued a bill because they realised there was no prospect of being paid.
The Department of Health figures also exclude some of the major NHS trusts in urban areas that traditionally have the biggest issues with so-called health tourism.
From 2017 NHS trusts were supposed to start charging patients upfront for the cost of their care, so administrators did not have to chase them for payment afterwards.
However, there was an exception for patients needing emergency care, who could be billed afterwards.
Foreign travellers to the UK and former UK residents who return home after having settled abroad do not routinely get free treatment on the NHS.
The Government said its charging scheme should net an extra £500million for the NHS but a National Audit Office report said the money raised would fall far short of that target.
Most of the NHS trusts with the biggest outstanding debts for treatments are in London.
For the five year period, Barts Health Trust is owed £40.6million, King's College Hospital Trust £15.7million and Lewisham and Greenwich Trust £11million.
One of the highest profile cases of a foreign patient being unable to pay for their care was that of a Nigerian woman who was treated as an emergency case at St Mary's A&E, in London, after her plane stopped at Heathrow.
The woman, only identified at Priscilla, needed care for her unborn quadruplets and by the time she was discharged her bill had reached £330,000.
The Conservative Party's 2019 election manifesto said: 'We will clamp down on health tourism, ensuring that those from overseas who use NHS services pay their fair share.
'And we will increase the NHS surcharge paid by those from overseas.'
The issue was not mentioned in Labour's manifesto for the 2024 General Election, although it said it would create an extra 40,000 appointments every week paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.
Alp Mehmet, chair of Migration Watch UK, said: 'Health tourism has long been a costly problem that successive governments have shied away from.
Most of the NHS trusts with the biggest outstanding debts for treatments are in London
'Ministers are fully aware of its draining effect on the NHS. Wes Streeting would do himself and the NHS a power of good by getting on top of it.'
Mr Bedford, who was elected as the Tory MP for Mid Leicestershire last year, added: 'This is yet another example of 'soft touch Britain' costing the hard-pressed taxpayer millions of pounds each year.
'When British people find it hard to get a medical appointment, and we see tens of millions of pounds wasted on foreign health tourism, is it any wonder that the public have so little faith in public institutions like the NHS?'
Former Conservative Brexit minister David Jones, who now supports Reform UK, said: 'These figures highlight a real and ongoing problem.
'The NHS is a cherished national institution, but it 's not a free-for-all.
'Most people would agree that those not entitled to free care should be required to pay their way. It's only fair to taxpayers.
'The Government needs to ensure that the systems in place to recover these costs are actually working - otherwise trust in the system is undermined and valuable resources are diverted from British patients who genuinely rely on them.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

I've stopped life-saving medication says man exhausted by fight for NHS care
I've stopped life-saving medication says man exhausted by fight for NHS care

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

I've stopped life-saving medication says man exhausted by fight for NHS care

Tim Hull can point to many achievements during his 56 years. He's run his own handyman business and housed Ukrainian refugees for two years. He's even been in the Guinness Book of Records: at nearly 7ft in height, he and his brother were the UK's tallest twins for almost two it is a life Tim has decided to end. His quality of life, he says, is "very, very low". Tim has a medical condition - unrelated to his height - that weakens his muscles, and his health has declined rapidly over the past two is the battles to get the health and care support he needs which have driven him to make the desperate decision, says Tim. He feels abandoned by health professionals, has been moved from one waiting list to another, has not been provided with the right equipment to help him and has been bed-bound for nearly seven months. In February, he stopped taking the medication that prevents his kidneys from failing. They are now beginning to give up and he knows he has months, if not weeks, to live."I don't feel that things are going to get any better than this," he tells BBC News. "I just feel [ending my life] would be a better option than lying in bed 24 hours a day."Tim's neurological condition is rare, however, many of the difficulties he has faced feel familiar to the past two years, BBC News has been contacted by the families of more than 250 people with serious disabilities or illnesses about their struggles to access health and care services. Many described the impact of very long waits for assessments, appointments, and for vital equipment that can help them cope at home. They also highlighted the frustrations of trying to get someone to signpost the right services, being passed from department to department, and the feeling that they were only listened to when they reached a crisis. For some there were also lengthy arguments over whether their care should be paid for by the NHS or local councils. Tim, who lives on his own in Worcester, first went to his GP in 2022 because he started stumbling while was referred to a rheumatologist. He waited a year for the appointment only to be told it was the wrong then waited several months to see a local neurologist, then several more months to see a more senior neurologist in Birmingham. In the two years this took, he lost the ability to walk and had to use a was eventually diagnosed with a rare neurological condition, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), which causes spasms and muscle weakness. Pain, fatigue and depression are also common is incurable, but according to the NHS website, it does not usually affect life expectancy. There are more than 80 variants, but Tim says he has yet to be told which he has. Physiotherapy and drugs are generally used to manage the symptoms, but Tim felt after being diagnosed he was just expected to "get on with it".In 2024, he spent two months in hospital. While there, regular physio helped him regain some mobility, but after he was discharged there was no ongoing support. His case was referred back to Worcester and its neurology therapy received a letter dated 10 July 2024 welcoming him and saying he was on the waiting list for an assessment. Despite chasing for an appointment, he says he heard nothing. A year later, on 15 July 2025, he got another almost identical letter. It says welcome, you are on a waiting list. This time it included an information leaflet. When Tim has asked his GP for help, he says he has often been told his case is too specialist and he should call height has added to his difficulties. Getting the basics right for someone who is 6ft 10in (2.08m) has seemingly been used all his savings to adapt his home and buy equipment so he could live downstairs, but spent two years in a standard hospital bed, provided by the NHS, which was too small for him. He describes it as "hideously uncomfortable" and like "torture". Three months ago, he was finally given a new, longer bed, but that causes him to sit up in a position that he says led to a major choking incident one mealtime. He now mostly has meal-substitute a hoist to lift him in and out of bed has also been a major problem. The first two tried by the NHS were too small to be used the end of April, there was discussion about putting in a ceiling hoist. Two-and-a-half months on they are still waiting. It means Tim has not been able to leave his bed since February this is also waiting to be fitted for a wheelchair that can cope with his height, but that cannot happen until there is a hoist to lift him out of bed."Life is just lying in a bed on a day-to-day basis, feeling very uncomfortable, fighting to get support," says Tim. "Above a certain height, you don't exist."I'd had enough of living the way I was. I couldn't see myself getting any better and decided I didn't want to be here anymore," he says. The health and care system, he adds, "hasn't worked. There's no joined-up thinking. Nobody cares."Authorities responsible for Tim's care say they cannot comment on individual cases but that they regularly review how care is delivered to meet each person's "unique needs".Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust says that "where equipment, home adaptations or community nursing support are required, we aim to have these in place [before discharge] to ensure a safe, well supported transition from hospital to home". Tim has a separate, hereditary kidney condition, called polycystic kidney disease. His twin Andy, their father Alan and sister Sue were also born with the years ago, Tim had a kidney transplant from his older brother, Richard. Tim's twice-daily tablets are supposed to stop the kidney from them Tim knows he has months, if not weeks, left to live. He feels he has little choice but to stop taking the a retired children's social worker, says she is devastated by Tim's decision."He doesn't need to be lying here dying. He's got so much more to give," she says. "And I just feel that he's been completely abandoned."She spends nearly every day caring for him and has made endless calls to try to get him the support he February, Sue made urgent calls to Tim's GP, local mental health services and adult social services because he was so low. Again, she says she was passed from pillar to post, and that getting help was a fight. There was "no joined-up thinking", she months after stopping the tablets, Tim says he does not regret pressed on what would make a difference, he says: "If I could be hoisted out [of bed] and sat up to have dinner, if I could be wheeled out into the garden just to get a change of scenery, that could help a lot."A friend suggested Sue should contact the local hospice. It has now become the central point of advice, support and information that Tim desperately needed two years ago. It manages his pain medication and has helped him get NHS funding for four care visits a day. It also arranged for a psychologist to check he had capacity to make his end-of-life says he's been asked that question by clinicians several times, but no-one has ever asked what can be done to make him tragic irony that it took the move to end-of-life care to get them more joined-up help is not lost on Sue, but she says it is still not enough to provide the level of support he really needs."I feel absolutely heartbroken by the situation," she says. "I think I've gone beyond anger. I just can't believe that the UK would allow this to happen. Tim's local NHS Trust says "we work in close partnership with other health and care organisations to make sure patients experience joined‑up care. Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) bring together professionals from different specialisms to regularly review each patient's needs".NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) says it regularly reviews how care is delivered to "make sure it meets the needs of patients and is both safe and effective". It also says it has "clear systems in place to respond to any concerns, learn from incidents, and continuously improve care across the whole system".The ICB says it aims to "ensure everyone feels seen, heard, and supported – no matter their individual circumstances".The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says "it is unacceptable that Mr Hull has not received the care he deserves" and that it is working to ensure everyone has access to high-quality DHSC says its 10-year health plan will "shift healthcare out of hospitals into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the right place, at the right time". It also says it is investing an additional £100m into hospices and end-of-life is now much frailer, and on very strong painkillers. He says in the time he has left he wants to be "as comfortable and supported as possible," adding that "there's a lot of fear of the unknown with the decisions I've made".If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support in the UK are available at BBC Action Line.

BMA in new row as thousands of junior doctors cannot get NHS jobs
BMA in new row as thousands of junior doctors cannot get NHS jobs

Times

time4 hours ago

  • Times

BMA in new row as thousands of junior doctors cannot get NHS jobs

Thousands of resident doctors cannot get jobs in the NHS, prompting the British Medical Association to open a formal dispute with the government over 'training bottlenecks'. Half of all doctors who have completed their first two years of training have said they have not been able to secure a job from August 6 this year, when the new roles begin. After graduating from medical school, resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, complete two years of foundation training, known as FY1 and FY2, involving placements in different medical specialisms. They then must apply for training posts either as GPs or to become consultants in a specialism, such as psychiatry or oncology. However, there are not enough training posts, meaning about half of the 8,000 FY2 doctors completing their training this week have not got a job waiting for them, prompting many to consider moving abroad. This year, more than 30,000 doctors applied for only 10,000 specialist training places. Some of the applicants are international medical graduates, and some are from a backlog of applicants from previous years. The British Medical Association is starting a formal dispute with the government over the lack of training places. Resident doctors are finishing their five-day strike at 7am on Wednesday as part of a separate dispute to receive a 29 per cent pay rise. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, recently promised to create 1,000 new specialist training posts over the next three years, but the BMA said this was insufficient as the situation was at crisis point. The BMA surveyed 1,053 FY2 doctors last week, asking if they had 'planned substantive employment or regular locum work from August 2025'. Of these, 52 per cent replied no. In total, 4,401 resident doctors were surveyed, and 34 per cent did not have a job lined up. Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan, who both head the BMA junior doctors' committee, said many doctors have 'genuine fear and real worry about being able to secure a job in the future'. They added: 'It's absurd that in a country where the government says bringing down NHS waiting lists is one of its top priorities, not only is it not prepared to restore doctors' pay, but it also won't provide jobs for doctors ready, willing and capable to progress in their careers. 'With more than six million patients on waiting lists in England, it's maddening that a third of [junior] doctors say they cannot get a job. Across the NHS, this means potentially thousands of UK doctors are left in employment limbo when patients desperately need their care. 'Commitments from the government to address this don't go far enough or are too vague to convince us that they understand the gravity of the situation, so we're making clear that, alongside pay, we are entering a dispute and demanding action so that no UK-trained, capable doctor is left underemployed in the NHS.' Meanwhile, during the strikes, there is an escalating row over patient safety between NHS bosses who have accused the BMA of risking patients by refusing to provide emergency cover, and the BMA, which said the NHS itself is to blame for not planning adequately for the strikes and securing cover. Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of the NHS, has accused the BMA of demanding 'extortionate pay rates' to provide emergency cover during the strike. In a letter to NHS staff, Mackey said: 'We have learned from the last few rounds of industrial action that harm was being caused to patients by the BMA insisting on just prioritising urgent and emergency care. We have all worked hard to avoid that this time, and while there is still some distance to go, the early indications suggest that the planning has worked. 'That is not to say that services haven't come under real pressure. We have worked with you to overhaul the process for patient safety mitigations, and that has yielded results as well, with nine approved as of Sunday night. Unfortunately, despite all requests being made and verified by senior medics, 18 have been rejected by the BMA, with half of those rejections saying the BMA would support only if extortionate pay rates were offered to striking doctors.'

NHS trusts budget nearly £2million for 'woke' staff events including 'International Pronouns Day' and talks on 'embracing your Afro hair' and 'breaking the rainbow ceiling'
NHS trusts budget nearly £2million for 'woke' staff events including 'International Pronouns Day' and talks on 'embracing your Afro hair' and 'breaking the rainbow ceiling'

Daily Mail​

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

NHS trusts budget nearly £2million for 'woke' staff events including 'International Pronouns Day' and talks on 'embracing your Afro hair' and 'breaking the rainbow ceiling'

The NHS has allowed trusts to spend almost £2million on 'staff networks' which have hosted a series of ' woke ' events over the past two years, the Mail can reveal. New figures show the health service budgeted more than £1.8million for the internal staff groupings, which are usually linked to race, sexuality, gender, disability or religion. More than 154 NHS Trusts responded to Freedom of Information requests from the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) revealing how the networks have hosted hundreds of events between 2022 and 2024. They included a Eurovision Viewing Party at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and an event on 'Embracing Asexuality' at the The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Essex. NHS staff also attended a talk on 'Embracing your Afro/Curly hair' at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and another on 'International Pronouns Day' at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. A talk on 'Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling' was held at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust, while King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust hosted an event on 'pride crafting'. The NHS said many of the events are run at 'no or very low cost', but the TPA said it was 'astonishing' to see staff spending their time at such events instead of focusing on frontline care. It comes after thousands of junior doctors carried out a five-day walkout, after talks between the Government and British Medical Association (BMA) soured over a dispute about pay. The BMA is demanding a 29.2per cent pay rise. More than 1,000 events were held by staff networks between 2022 and 2024, the FOI revealed, at 80 trusts. In total, £1,834,005.6 was provided to the networks in funding, but it is not clear how much was actually spent over the period. Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager of the TPA, said: 'Taxpayers will be dismayed to see NHS trusts pouring more money into staff networks year after year, while waiting lists spiral and junior doctors strike over pay. 'With patients on waiting lists, it's astonishing to see staff spending their working hours at Eurovision parties, open mic nights and summer picnics. 'There is a time and a place for staff engagement and with resident doctors walking out and the NHS haemorrhaging money, now isn't the time. Ministers must get a grip and put patients before perks.' Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told the Mail: 'Herein lies the problem with our NHS: wasteful spending on pointless woke activities and a bloated middle management, meanwhile frontline services are left underfunded and struggling. 'Reform UK would cut waste and unnecessary management, as well as purposeless DEI initiatives, and pump every penny straight into frontline care where it belongs.' Tory shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said the figures were 'alarming', adding: 'The first priority of the NHS should be to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients, and taxpayer's cash should be spent on improving that - not splashing hundreds of thousands of pounds on sideshows and distractions. 'The Conservatives - under Kemi Badenoch's leadership - are the only party that are serious about delivering the reform the NHS needs, from our common sense proposals to ban doctors from striking, to pushing for improvements in productivity and innovation.' [must keep] An NHS spokesman said: 'Staff networks can play an important role in retaining staff and reducing absenteeism, improving care and savings costs. 'Many staff events – including ones highlighted here – are run at no or very low cost, but where employers do invest in staff it is important that care is taken to ensure it represents good value for taxpayers' money.' NHS England describes staff networks as 'an important mechanism' to 'help us to shape our organisational culture to create a fairer and inclusive work environments for all'. Many NHS trusts have staff networks representing those who are BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic), LGBT+, women, or who have a particular religion or belief.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store