United Kingdom — NHS charging, overseas visitor invoices and private healthcare

What it entitles you to, beyond money

• Withdrawal of an overseas visitor invoice issued to an ordinarily resident patientWrite to the trust's overseas visitor manager, set out the facts that establish ordinary residence, and ask for the charge to be cancelled and any payment refunded. Ask for the trust's written reasons if it refuses.
• An NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment, and an independent review if refusedRequest a Checklist from the integrated care board. If the outcome is negative, ask for the local resolution process and then an independent review panel through NHS England.
• A reasonable price for private care where none was agreedConsumer Rights Act 2015, s. 51. Ask for the fee schedule that should have been given before treatment.

Where to take it next

1. 01Write to the trust's overseas visitor manager or to the private providerSet out the facts, ask for the charge to be withdrawn, and ask for the written policy or fee schedule relied on. Keep it to the billing question — the trust does not need your clinical history to answer it.Claim direct·typically 28 days
2. 02NHS complaints procedure, or the private provider's complaints processEvery NHS body has a statutory complaints procedure with a duty to respond. Private hospitals that subscribe to ISCAS have a three-stage process ending in independent adjudication.Internal appeal·typically 40 days
3. 03Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, or ISCAS for private careBinding on themThe PHSO reviews NHS complaints once the local process is exhausted. For private care, ISCAS adjudication is binding on subscribing providers and free to the patient.Ombudsman·typically 180 days·official page
4. 04County court small claims trackBinding on themFor a private billing dispute, the small claims track handles sums up to the current limit without a lawyer and without exposure to the other side's costs in most cases.Small claims·typically 180 days