NHS: Health Tourism

Lord Swinfen Excerpts
Monday 28th May 2012

(12 years, 5 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Earl Howe Portrait Earl Howe
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My Lords, were that situation to occur, the issues arising from it would be little different from the issues today in that health is already devolved. However, I cannot speculate on whether there would be a different policy on immigration in Scotland compared to south of the border as we are really not in that territory yet.

Lord Swinfen Portrait Lord Swinfen
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What checks are actually carried out to ensure that patients are entitled to free National Health Service care?

Earl Howe Portrait Earl Howe
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My Lords, it is incumbent on NHS trusts when a patient presents directly to them to ensure that the person in front of them is entitled to NHS care, and they have various means of doing that. However, primary care in this country—care delivered by GPs—is not subject to any checks of that order.