Migrants to be charged for NHS services

People who cannot prove their British citizenship may face charges when they use NHS services in the UK, ministers have said.

Initial plans include charging migrants and overseas visitors extended prescription fees, introducing some emergency care charges and increasing rates for optical and dental services.

Part of the reform will also feature a new system for identifying and recording patients who should be paying for these chargeable NHS services.

Health minister Lord Howe said: "We know that we need to make changes across the NHS to better identify and charge visitors and migrants. Introducing charging at primary care is the first step to achieving this."

He added the free NHS was quite rightly the envy of the world, but the current method of funding it is unfair to British taxpayers.

In response, the British Medical Association said the plans could lead to more paperwork for doctors and GPs, which in turn could cost more in administration charges.