Got a bill from NHS Hospital after giving birth

lynzpower

i-CONICA wrote: »

Hi, Superbiatch. Thanks.

It says:
£2255.00 for
1x booking appt = £154.00
1x delivery with consultant = £2,101.00

We are British citizens yes.

So am I right in thinking that the bottom line is that we don't owe anything? And that the letter is just to prevent health tourists getting free healthcare? And that it's just a case of providing evidence that she is in receipt of income support and is a British citizen?

Thanks for all the replies so far.
Regards,

If you are not obviously English ( Ie white british) then someone will "suspect" you have no rights and to pay up.

Anyone suspected of foreign at the hospital I used to work at would get it.
Did you get asked to bring in passport or other proof of citizenship?

If you didnt / didnt show it then they will have a go and getting money out of you.

i-CONICA

Thanks, RAS.

We'll be on to them to sort it out.

Regards,

i-CONICA

lynzpower wrote: »

If you are not obviously English ( Ie white british) then someone will "suspect" you have no rights and to pay up.

Anyone suspected of foreign at the hospital I used to work at would get it.
Did you get asked to bring in passport or other proof of citizenship?

If you didnt / didnt show it then they will have a go and getting money out of you.

Hi, We're both white british, born and raised. Caucasian, common Manchester accents, etc...

Superbiatch

lynzpower wrote: »

If you are not obviously English ( Ie white british) then someone will "suspect" you have no rights and to pay up.

Anyone suspected of foreign at the hospital I used to work at would get it.
Did you get asked to bring in passport or other proof of citizenship?

If you didnt / didnt show it then they will have a go and getting money out of you.

Is that not a tad racist? I'm only saying as I work in the NHS too and wouldn't dream of 'assuming' anyone was anything - best not to in my experience

lynzpower

Superbiatch wrote: »

Is that not a tad racist? I'm only saying as I work in the NHS too and wouldn't dream of 'assuming' anyone was anything - best not to in my experience

Well it is a bit racist- yes.PALS will tell you they are protecting the taxpayer so there is enough to go around. however when I raised this with PALS they told me that anyone who doesnt present their passport throughout ante natal or during labour will be assumed to have no recourse. including white english.

Most of my clients did not have passports, so I had to fight these sorts of bills for them especially if they had UK right to remain but no documents with them. I did raise with pals who on earth carries their passport around with them when they are taken in to hospital as an emergency. I was told if you cant prove who you are then you probably are not British, as most of us carry something.

IME the people most likely to have come to our labour ward and expected to get birth for free were Americans. ( central London hospital, 5 years)

Butti

Probably not helped by that Michael Moore film then, which painted us and Cuba in an incredibly favourable light!

supersavershal

Ive never heard of this before, its seems quite cheap for a delivery, no charges for the midwife there or the baby check.The hospital I work at (not in maternity) has someone from general office who deals with non british citizens and they fill the forms in whilst still in hospital.
Are you sure the bill was meant for your wife and not an invoice for the PCT or something like that?

i-CONICA

What's a PCT?

The baby was in the hospital for 2 weeks in intensive care, no mention of that either. Just says
1x booking appt = £154.00
1x delivery with consultant = £2,101.00

KiKi

i-CONICA wrote: »

What's a PCT?

The Primary Care Trust.

KiKi

barbiedoll

lynzpower wrote: »

Well it is a bit racist- yes.PALS will tell you they are protecting the taxpayer so there is enough to go around. however when I raised this with PALS they told me that anyone who doesnt present their passport throughout ante natal or during labour will be assumed to have no recourse. including white english.

I book women in for ante-natal care and I have never been told to ask to see a passport. We do ask if the woman is a UK or EU citizen, if not, then how long she has been in the country and if she has recourse to public funds. (I've never met anyone who says that they aren't!) However, if we suspect that someone is not entitled to any free treatment, the details get passed onto our overseas team, who will investigate on behalf of the hospital.

OP, this is obviously an error, call the PALS team or alternatively, there should be a number on the letter, that you can call. I don't think that Manchester folk are excluded from NHS care just yet!