The NHS is a residency based health
service which means that UK residents contribute through the tax
system, and receive care free at the point of delivery.
NHS resources are valuable and limited
and therefore we can not guarantee non-urgent NHS treatment to you
if you are not ordinarily resident or exempt under the Regulations.
Charges will apply for any hospital treatment you receive and
cannot be waived.
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is required by the
Department of Health to establish whether patients are entitled to
free treatment. Our staff will ask for evidence of your eligibility
for free NHS care.
We do not have any charitable status nor do we provide any type
of finance arrangements for overseas patients. All visitors to the
UK from overseas are strongly advised to take out adequate health
travel insurance prior to travel or on immediate arrival in the
United Kingdom.
Family and friends visiting UK residents from overseas are not
entitled to free NHS care and will be charged for treatment. In
these circumstances the family member or friend are required to be
guarantor for the payment.
UK residents/citizens leaving the UK for a period of more than
three months may jeopardise their entitlement to NHS treatment.
Full details can be found on the Department of Health
website:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Entitlementsandcharges/OverseasVisitors
/index.htm
Not a UK resident, but require hospital treatment?
An initial question for you to consider before attending our
hospital is whether you have lived within the UK for the last 12
months and can you provide proof of residency in the form of a
relevant and valid visa and evidence of employment or receipt of
benefits.
If this does not apply, then you will be required to pay for
your treatment in advance, unless your condition is deemed to be
life-threatening.
If you are a legal resident of a country within the European
Union, then you will need to provide your current and valid
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) upon attending the hospital
in order to receive treatment. Failure to provide your valid card
will require you to pay for your treatment in advance. You will be
able to claim this back from your home country once you return
home.
Emergency treatment
Medical treatment provided outside of an accident and emergency
setting in the United Kingdom is not free. At the point of
admission from A&E into another area of the hospital charges
apply.
Emergency admission / treatment may be given in other areas that
are not covered by A&E and these are chargeable from the point
of arrival:
- Maternity Unit
- Stroke Unit
- Renal Dialysis Unit
- Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)
- Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)
In a lifesaving situation treatment is provided prior to payment
but charges still apply.
In all non emergency situations an overseas visitor is deemed as
a private patient and will not be treated until the cost of the
treatment has been paid. This includes maternity care.
Charges
The table below provides a general overview for costs of
treatment – all patients will be charged on an individual basis at
the end of their treatment.
|
Treatment Type
|
Average Cost
|
|
Inpatient charges
per day
|
|
General Adult
|
£500 + procedures + drugs
|
|
General Children
|
£300 + procedures + drugs
|
|
Critical Care Adult
|
£1800 + procedures + drugs
|
|
Critical Care Children
|
£900 + procedures + drugs
|
|
Day case
charges
|
|
Adults & Children
|
£200 + procedure + drugs
|
|
Outpatient charges
per visit
|
|
Adults & Children
|
£250 + drugs
|
|
Maternity
|
|
Antenatal appointment
|
£200
|
|
Normal delivery
|
£3,000
|
|
Other delivery
|
£3,000 to £9,000
|
Payment
A deposit of 95% of the estimated cost of treatment is required
prior to treatment commences.
The Trust will accept the following forms of payment:
- Sterling (UK £s)
- credit cards – 2.5% handling charge is added (The Trust does
not accept American Express)
- debit cards.
The Trust will invoice all patients regardless of their ability
to pay if they are liable for the cost of healthcare treatment. An
invoice will be sent at the point of discharge and any outstanding
payment is required within seven days.
The Trust will take a rigorous approach to collection of debt
incurred by overseas visitors, which may include using a third
party debt collection agency and registration of the debt with to
the UK Border Agency. This may affect the patient’s ability to
travel within or to the UK or gain visas in the future. All
patients will be made aware of this.
Queries should be directed to the Overseas Visitor team. Contact
details appear on the right hand side of this page.