Hostile environment: have you been denied treatment by the NHS?

[helvella]

Has anyone here suffered from ineligibility?

Given the recent record of The Guardian in breaking and running with some major stories, contacting them with your story might well be worth the time and effort. I hope.

Hostile environment: have you been denied treatment by the NHS?

The Guardian wants to hear from anyone who has been denied NHS care, or charged for it, after being deemed ‘ineligible’

Sarah Marsh and Guardian readers

Tue 22 May 2018 15.58 BST

Last modified on Tue 22 May 2018 16.02 BST

We are keen to hear about the impact of this policy. Has it made migrants afraid to get healthcare?

In March, the Guardian revealed that a hospital in London refused to treat Sylvester Marshall, who was previously known as Albert Thompson, for prostate cancer unless he paid £54,000 upfront.

The charging policy was first introduced under Gordon Brown in 2009, and extended in 2014 as part of a series of Conservative-led hostile environment measures.

Since last October hospitals have been obliged to check that patients are eligible to receive many, but not all, types of care for free and demand that those deemed ineligible pay for their treatment in advance.

In some cases, campaigners argue that undocumented migrants with urgent care needs have been refused treatment by hospitals, despite NHS guidelines that state no one should be refused urgent or immediately necessary treatment because they cannot pay.

Share your experiences

We want to hear from anyone who does not have access to documentation who has been denied NHS treatment or given treatment but later faced a big bill for the care they received. What has been the impact? Has this policy made migrants afraid to get healthcare?

Campaigners have also said that other groups have been caught up in this policy, including those who are homeless, elderly or have mental health problems. Tell us if you’ve heard of these cases.

theguardian.com/society/201...

[crimple]

Thanks for posting

[Treepie]

This seems another potential Windrush type of scandal.On the other hand hospitals and GPs have lost millions by not charging health tourists and other tourists who become ill.

[knitwitty]

While they are at, it perhaps the Guardian could do an investigation into the under prescribing of thyroid medication in this country.

Judging by the difficulty that many on this forum have in getting a diagnosis, let alone any sensible treatment, I'm sure they would not be short of volunteers willing to tell their story.

[SilverAvocado in reply to knitwitty]

Yes, when I saw they headline I hoped this was going to be about people waiting for their TSH to reach 10.

[Gcart]

Can’t match the amount of money charged, but , my husband was bitten by a basking adder whilst on a picnic.

He looked in a very poor way and I drove him to the Local hospital.

He was seen straight away , but when he lay down he recover somewhat. The doctor discharged him on a antihistamine. All over in about 10 mins.

On route to home he started to collapse so I drove him to a bigger city hospital . Heart badly in trouble now and on ITU for 2 worrying days .

In he ward for a further 6 days . His upper chest blow up to a massive size and he was black and blue . Docs said lucky to survive. Anyway he did , thank god .

2 weeks or so later we had a bill for the antihistamine they had given him in the first NHS hospital . We didn’t pay !! We have both lived and worked here in the UK all our lives .

[Hillwoman in reply to Gcart]

Good grief! Did you make a complaint to the first hospital about the charge - and the negligent discharge of your husband before he'd received proper care?