Impact assessment of extending the 'period of absence' for UK residents
Impact assessment of extending the 'period of absence' for UK residents from 3 months to 6 months.
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People living in the UK for part of the year, while also spending significant periods of time abroad risk being judged as not ordinarily resident and so not entitled to free NHS treatment, although some exemptions do protect this group.
The current regulations allow current residents a regular absence from the UK of up to three months per year before they risk being chargeable for hospital treatment.
With people having increasingly mobile lifestyles, the time is right to review this regulation.
Responses to consultation: Access to the NHS by foreign nationals
Access to the NHS by foreign nationals - Government response to the consultation Impact assessment of Exemptions for Failed Asylum Seekers