Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to NHS England on extending the legal duty to provide care for asylum seekers to individuals with rejected asylum applications; and whether that guidance is mandatory.

Guidance for the National Health Service has been published, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide

The guidance underlines the need for NHS bodies to act in line with the relevant legislation. This includes legislation determining the circumstances under which an individual may continue to be exempt from NHS charges for care when an asylum application has been rejected.