Unpaid foreign debt costs health service £200m

Roughly half of bills accrued by visitors from outside the EU are never paid, according to the National Audit Office
Roughly half of bills accrued by visitors from outside the EU are never paid, according to the National Audit Office
PETER BYRNE/PA

The failure of NHS trusts to recover debt from overseas visitors will cost the health service more than £200 million next year, the national spending watchdog has said.

The Department of Health will invoice foreign countries for only £346 million of the £500 million they owe, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

Roughly half of the bills run up by visitors from outside the EU are never paid so the figure they will recoup is closer to £295 million.

Under EU law the Department of Health reimburses countries within the European Economic Area and Switzerland for medical treatment provided to British citizens abroad, and vice versa.

In 2013 Britain should have charged an estimated £305 million for NHS care of EU visitors but actually