Pit Bull.

I saw on the news a couple of days ago that NHS managers have complained personally to David Cameron about the tens of millions of pounds spent on medical tourists coming here to visit and getting free treatment. I know it's been mentioned before on here, but apparently this practice is worse than ever.

Bud the Wiser

Thanks for the clarification. Makes me wonder why not more young British people apply for a nursing degree and the NHS has to recruit from outside the UK & EU.

Pit Bull may have gone some way to answering that in his post…..

TheArmChairDetective

Very well put Holly, however the the point being made giving rise to the term NHS Tourist (an NHS term allegedly not mine) is that the patient only requires a valid visitors visa which does not include a bona fide intention to remain when they are granted for 6 months or so.
We are told that One and a Half million such visas were granted last year.

We are also being told that foreign visitors that do not qualify to be registered with a GP are paying bribes of up to a thousand pounds to do so.

We also get news such as "A foreign patient who cost the NHS more than £500,000 in medical bills fled the UK without paying for the treatment, it was revealed yesterday.

But the case is just ‘the tip of the iceberg’ according to a member of Commons Health Select Committee.

Tory MP Chris Skidmore said: ‘This figure may seem high, but sadly this is widespread. One hospital trust alone is owed £8million from foreign nationals who haven’t paid their bills.’

Pit Bull.

Does it happen in America, or Australia?

dunroving

I'm sure someone will be along soon to say it's worse in both places.

Pit Bull.

TheArmChairDetective

Karma given.

wonderwoman1st

When I worked back in the UK before moving to Canada, I worked with nurses who had lived and worked there and they liked it a lot, one emigrated over to Oz with her husband during the time I had been working with her and she didn't come back, though the others I worked with who had worked and lived in Oz before did go back to the U.K.
I chose Canada as I didn't want less pay, which OZ and NZ commonly are compared to the UK though a higher standard of living, I wanted more pay plus the nursing here is very similar to the U.K, easier in some ways and better staffed.

Pit Bull.

My wife says the job has become a lot more about hitting targets than actually nursing care for patients over the last few years, for instance in the last couple of months the NHS have brought in hourly checks on patients which have to be logged at the time, but ....... She says they are so busy they just ignore it and fill the times in for the previous 7 hours at the end of the shift. She says it's a pain and time wasting exercise.

robin1234

It's worse in both places.

Seriously though, yes, there is identity theft which could result in scammers getting care on someone else's ID. When the victim or their insurance provider spots this, the hospital or healthcare providers would be left with a bill they couldn't collect on.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...eft/idt10.shtm

chris955

Yes it does, at least in Australia, dont know about America.

Grayling

yes....me

nun

10s of millions of pounds....the size of the issue sounds as small as ever. These managers are as poor at long division and percentages as all the other people that have this bee in their bonnet. This is way down on the list of problems faced by the NHS. of course it does feed into many British people's xenophobia......links to the news article would be appreciated!

chris955

The thing is you get UK nurses working in Australia, Australian nurses working in the 3rd world UK hospitals, in fact it seems that nurses from all over the world work all over the world, just like they always have. These forums are full of nurses disillusioned with working in Australia and the UK and many other countries.
Our own personal experiences favour the treatment we have had in the UK, that may shock, amaze or even anger some but tough, its just the way it is. I have suffered 3 infections in hospitals, one in Geelong and two in Brisbane.
If some want to believe it is all sweetness and light in Australia that is fine.

chris955

Just look on the Daily Mail website, you should find a few 'stories'. :-)