Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department plans to communicate changes in reciprocal healthcare arrangements to EU nationals in the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Department is working closely with other Government departments and the National Health Service to ensure that European Union citizens are aware of the requirements to access healthcare in the event of the United Kingdom leaving the EU without a deal. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a large-scale public information campaign setting out what business and the public need to know as we prepare to leave the EU. Further guidance and information will be published in due course.
We have published the following guidance on GOV.UK at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-for-eu-and-efta-citizens-visiting-the-uk
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-for-eu-and-efta-nationals-living-in-the-uk
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether doctors will be required to determine a patient's eligibility for healthcare in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Doctors will not be required to determine patient’s entitlement for free National Health Service healthcare in any European Union exit scenario. A clinician’s role is to provide the relevant healthcare for patients and make decisions on their treatment based on their clinical needs. Clinicians will at times be required to make a decision on whether treatment is immediately necessary, urgent or can safely wait until the individual leaves the United Kingdom for those patients identified as not eligible for NHS-funded care, as this will determine when payment has to be taken.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that EEA nationals are able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if they (a) lack mental capacity, and (b) are detained in a secure mental health unit.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
There is a wide range of support available on the phone, email and in person for people making, or those supporting people to make, applications. This includes funding 57 organisations with up to £9m from the Home Office to help vulnerable EU citizens to apply.
Ensuring that vulnerable EU citizens are supported to obtain status is a core element in the delivery of the scheme. For applicants with additional care and support needs, we are continuing to engage with stakeholders to determine responsibilities in multiple complex scenarios across different care settings to ensure appropriate support is in place.
This includes:
o Those in care homes (nursing and residential), receiving community or at home support;
o Those whose care is funded by local authorities, the NHS or privately, and combinations of care funding; and
o Those who lack mental capacity
We are working collaboratively with key organisations such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Health and Social Care, Ministry of Justice, the Devolved Administrations, the NHS and Office of the Public Guardian, as well as with stakeholders including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Care Provider Allice and Local Government Association.
This collaborative approach is informing the development of a support model that will set out how local authorities and partners can work together to identify and support adults with care and support needs to apply to the Settlement Scheme.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps Spanish and Portuguese citizens visiting the UK after the 31 October 2019 or residing in the UK but without Settled Status will have to take to prove that they are entitled to free healthcare under the bilateral agreements on healthcare rights for EU citizens in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government has made clear in a ‘no deal’ scenario, the rights of European Union citizens, including Spanish and Portuguese citizens, in the United Kingdom on exit day will be protected. This includes being able to access National Health Service care without charge on the basis that they are ordinarily resident in the UK, and the NHS will apply the same eligibility tests as it does now. It should be noted that EU citizens already living in the UK on exit day have up until 31 December 2020 to apply for Settled Status, but their access to healthcare will remain the same regardless of whether they apply for Settled Status before then.
The Government has proposed to all EU Member States that when we leave, we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements including the European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC) Scheme until 31 December 2020, with the aim of minimising disruption to healthcare provision for UK nationals and EU citizens. This is subject to agreement by individual EU Member States.
For those Spanish and Portuguese citizens visiting the UK after exit day, if agreed under bilateral agreements with Spain and Portugal, visitors will be able to use their EHIC as they do now. Should individual countries not agree to continue reciprocal healthcare, then access to healthcare cover for visitors from those countries may change.
Visitors from Spain or Portugal to the UK whose visit begins before and continues over exit day will still be able to use their EHIC during that visit, should they fall ill or have a medical emergency.
We welcome action from EU Member States such as Spain and Portugal who have prepared their own legislation for a ‘no deal’ scenario.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Overseas visitor charging: no-deal Brexit guidance for NHS service providers published in April 2019, what steps NHS Trusts will have to take to determine whether EU citizens seeking healthcare after the 31 October 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal have secured Settled Status.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
In the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal on 31 October 2019, the Department has advised National Health Service providers that they should continue to establish eligibility for healthcare in the same manner as they do now, including for those EU citizens who have secured Settled Status.
The Government has made clear that the rights of EU citizens in the UK on exit day will be protected, and this includes being able to access NHS care without charge on the basis that they are ordinarily resident in the UK. EU citizens already living in the UK on exit day have up until 31 December 2020 to apply for Settled Status, but their access to healthcare will remain the same regardless of whether they apply for Settled Status up to then.
No additional funding has been allocated to trusts to carry out eligibility checks for EU citizens. The Chancellor announced on 1 August that he has made an additional £2.1 billion available to prepare for EU Exit which includes the creation of an Operational Contingency Fund, to meet the costs of ‘no deal’ operations. This fund is available for bids where EU Exit operational costs arise that cannot be met by existing funding settlements.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Overseas visitor charging: no-deal Brexit guidance for NHS service providers published in April 2019, what guidance his Department has provided to NHS Trusts about how they should carry out eligibility checks for EU citizens seeking healthcare after the 31 October 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement; and how much funding has been allocated to NHS Trusts to enable them to carry out those checks.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
In the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal on 31 October 2019, the Department has advised National Health Service providers that they should continue to establish eligibility for healthcare in the same manner as they do now, including for those EU citizens who have secured Settled Status.
The Government has made clear that the rights of EU citizens in the UK on exit day will be protected, and this includes being able to access NHS care without charge on the basis that they are ordinarily resident in the UK. EU citizens already living in the UK on exit day have up until 31 December 2020 to apply for Settled Status, but their access to healthcare will remain the same regardless of whether they apply for Settled Status up to then.
No additional funding has been allocated to trusts to carry out eligibility checks for EU citizens. The Chancellor announced on 1 August that he has made an additional £2.1 billion available to prepare for EU Exit which includes the creation of an Operational Contingency Fund, to meet the costs of ‘no deal’ operations. This fund is available for bids where EU Exit operational costs arise that cannot be met by existing funding settlements.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many EU nationals have (a) joined and (b) left their jobs at Barking Havering Redbridge NHS Foundation Trust in the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
The following table shows the number of EU27 joiners to, and leavers from, Barking Havering Redbridge NHS Foundation Trust as at September each year since 2014 and to January 2019 (the latest data), headcount.
Time period | Joiners | Leavers |
September 2014 to September 2015 | 132 | 90 |
September 2015 to September 2016 | 228 | 119 |
September 2016 to September 2017 | 146 | 153 |
September 2017 to September 2018 | 110 | 132 |
September 2018 to January 2019 | 36 | 43 |
Source:
NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics, NHS Digital.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 251433 on NHS: Migrant Workers, whether he has made an estimate of the number of EU nationals who left their jobs at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 2010 and 2015.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
The following table shows the number of EU27 joiners and leavers, to and from, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as at September each year since 2009 to 2015, headcount.
Time Period | EU27 joiners to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | EU27 leavers from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
September 2009 – September 2010 | 13 | 27 |
September 2010 – September 2011 | 45 | 17 |
September 2011 – September 2012 | 130 | 41 |
September 2012 – September 2013 | 154 | 60 |
September 2013 – September 2014 | 396 | 100 |
September 2014 – September 2015 | 599 | 165 |
In November 2011 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust dissolved with services transferring its staff to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Consequently, EU27 leavers from Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust joined Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in November 2011.
The following table shows the number of EU27 joiners and leavers, to and from, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust as at September each year since until November 2011, headcount.
Time Period | EU27 joiners to Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust | EU27 leavers from Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust |
September 2009 – September 2010 | 12 | 5 |
September 2010 – September 2011 | 15 | 6 |
September 2011 – November 2011 | - | 56 |
Nationality is self-reported.
Joiners and leavers data from the trusts may include staff that have come from or left to join other National Health Service trusts.
Leavers data includes people leaving active service temporarily, this would include those going on maternity leave or career break.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the number of EU nationals who have left their jobs at (a) NHS England and (b) Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the last (i) year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The following table shows the number of EU27 leavers from NHS England as at September each year since 2015 and to January 2019, headcount.
| Leavers from NHS England |
September 2015 - September 2016 | 19 |
September 2016 - September 2017 | 14 |
September 2017 - September 2018 | 41 |
September 2018 - January 2019 | 30 |
Source: Electronic Staff Record
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
The following table shows the number of EU27 leavers from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as at September each year since 2015 and to January 2019 (the latest data), headcount.
Time period | Leavers from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
September 2015 - September 2016 | 253 |
September 2016 - September 2017 | 341 |
September 2017 - September 2018 | 362 |
September 2018 - January 2019 | 138 |
Source: National Health Service HCHS monthly workforce statistics, NHS Digital
Notes:
The total number of EU27 nationals leaving each organisation is smaller than the total number of EU27 nationals who joined between September 2015 and September 2018.
Nationality is self-reported.
Leavers data from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust may include staff that have left to join other NHS trusts.
Leavers data includes people leaving active service temporarily, this would include those going on maternity leave or career break.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to issue guidance to NHS staff on EU citizens with settled status and access to NHS care.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Government has made clear that the rights of European Union citizens in the United Kingdom on exit day will be protected, and this includes being able to access National Health Service care without charge. It should be noted that EU citizens already living in the UK on exit day have up until 31 December 2020 to apply for Settled Status, but their access to healthcare will remain the same regardless of whether they apply for Settled Status up to then. The Department has already updated operational guidance and websites with the latest information for both EU citizens who wish to access NHS healthcare upon exiting the EU to EU citizens who are NHS staff. Further guidance and information will be published in due course.