FOI release
Handling of suspected 'health tourists'
FOI 9707 We have received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following: On page 14 Chapter 1 of ‘Enforcing…
Details
FOI 9707
We have received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following:
On page 14 Chapter 1 of ‘Enforcing the Rules: A Strategy to Ensure and Enforce Compliance with our Immigration Laws’ published by the Borders and Immigration Agency in March 2007 it states: “There is evidence of small-scale but very deliberate abuse of the NHS. For example, a sampling exercise last year at one airport suggested that health tourists were being detected at the rate of about 15 per month.
- In which airport(s) was the sampling exercise performed?
- Please state if the sampling exercise was performed by Home Office/BIA staff or another agency? If the exercise was performed by Home Office/BIA staff, please state what their job title was, which department they were employed within and what qualification, training or expertise they possessed? If the exercise was performed by another agency, please state who this agency was and what the job title was of those engaged in this exercise, as well as what qualification, training or expertise they possessed?
- What was the number of people sampled?
- What was the method used to perform the sampling exercise?
- What was the method used to detect those you deemed ‘health tourists’?
- What was the time period over which this exercise was conducted?
- How was it established that the women sampled were heavily pregnant?
- How was it established that the women deemed to be pregnant were here to access NHS maternity services?
We released the following information on: 18 July 2008
Published 24 September 2008