Health Services: Children

(asked on 19th October 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what regulations govern routine (a) health visits and (b) school nursing services for children of (i) failed asylum seekers and (ii) undocumented migrants.


Answered by
Philip Dunne Portrait
Philip Dunne
This question was answered on 24th October 2017

The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 (the Charging Regulations) came into force on 6 April 2015 and apply to all courses of treatment commenced on or after that date. The Regulations have subsequently been amended, most recently on 23 October 2017 by the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations.

Any person or organisations providing relevant services under the regulations, will be subject to a requirement to make and recover charges from overseas visitors where no exemption applies. Relevant services means those that are provided, or whose provision is arranged, under the NHS Act 2006, but the Charging Regulations exclude certain services from the definition of “relevant services” such as primary medical care services or equivalent services, including school nursing services and health visiting.

The Charging Regulations also provide that failed asylum seekers, and their dependants, are exempt from charging under the Charging Regulations if they are receiving support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or under Part 1 (care and support) of the Care Act 2014 or section 35 or 36 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, by the provision of accommodation. Finally, under the Charging Regulations, undocumented migrants and their dependants would be subject to charges unless otherwise exempt. Particularly vulnerable groups are exempt from charges and this may be relevant in some cases to undocumented migrants; for example, if they are victims of modern slavery or if they are receiving treatment for relevant services which are exempt from charges such as services provided for the treatment of a condition caused by torture or female genital mutilation.

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