In theory, unpaid NHS bills can affect immigration status.
The Home Office can take into account NHS debts of £500 or more, unpaid for two months, when deciding whether to allow someone to enter Britain or remain in the country.
However, the Conservatives are concerned that the existing system is not being used effectively and that trusts are failing to identify and pursue debts.
Mr Hinds said the NHS should not become “a blank cheque for foreign nationals to use and abuse. The NHS belongs to the British public. There is a basic principle of fairness at stake.”
Under the plans, NHS trusts would be required to use a consistent national system to identify patients who should pay for treatment. Hospitals would have to record how much they were owed and pursue outstanding debts.
The Conservatives want unpaid NHS debts to be taken into account when people apply for visas, extensions to their stay and the right to settle in Britain.
Tax-free shopping
The Conservatives said recovering more unpaid NHS bills would help offset the initial cost of their plan to restore tax-free shopping for overseas visitors.
Mr Hinds said: “British taxpayers fund the NHS so it is there when we need it. Overseas visitors who are not entitled to free care are required to pay for their treatment.
“When those bills go unpaid, the cost does not disappear: it falls on the British public.
“The NHS should be there for those who need it, but it should not become a blank cheque for foreign nationals to use and abuse. Free at the point of use should never mean free of responsibility.”
It’s time to crack down on NHS tourism
By Damian Hinds
British taxpayers fund the NHS so it is there when we need it. Overseas visitors who are not entitled to free care are required to pay for their treatment. When those bills go unpaid, the cost does not disappear: it falls on the British public. Collecting that money is a basic matter of fairness to the people who fund our health service.
This principle has long been established in law. The National Health Service Act 2006 makes it possible to charge overseas visitors for certain NHS services. The problem we face is enforcement.
As little as 39 per cent of owed payments from overseas visitors are being recovered. Taxpayers have a right to be angry about that.
NHS trusts are failing to identify chargeable patients, record the money owed and recover outstanding debts. This means that we have millions of pounds going unpaid. Taxpayers deserve better than a system that cannot properly account for the money it is owed.
An increase in the recovery rate from overseas visitors to 75 per cent could save £213m per year.
The Conservatives would require NHS trusts to use a consistent national system to identify chargeable patients, record their bills and pursue payment. Every trust should know what it is owed, who owes it and what is being done to collect it.
‘Access comes with responsibilities’
There must also be consequences for those who leave substantial bills unpaid. Outstanding NHS debts should be factored into immigration applications and visas, and when people apply to have leave in the UK extended. If you owe the NHS money, that debt should matter when you ask to call Britain your home. Access to this country comes with responsibilities. The taxpayer should not be expected to write off your bill. We need a real deterrent for failing to pay.
Trust leaders must be accountable too. We would set a minimum 95 per cent recovery target for chargeable NHS debts. Persistent failure would count against chief executives in their performance appraisals and could lead to pay deductions. Basic financial management should be part of the job.
These changes could lead to significant recovery of funds. Improving identification, charging and debt collection could return hundreds of millions of pounds.
This week, the Conservatives announced that we would restore tax-free shopping for overseas visitors to provide our economy with a boost, and we said we would partly offset the initial costs with a crackdown on NHS fee avoidance by foreign nationals.