How NHS spends millions on treating patients ABROAD

Figures show that the NHS, which is in serious financial trouble, pays millions to patients who are treated abroad.
The tax payer pays for both routine hip and knee operations as well as women who wish to have children abroad.
Data obtained by MailOnline shows more than £4million was spent on NHS-funded surgery overseas over the last three years.
Campaigners believe that some of this will be to avoid long queues for care and a backlog.
Others prefer to have their children closer to relatives in Europe or in the country they prefer.
MailOnline has shown that over 5,000 Britons have been sent overseas by the NHS since 2019.

Many of the procedures approved by the NHS for overseas births were intended for Britons.

Official figures show 7.1million people in England were in the queue for routine hospital treatment, such as hip and knee operations, by the end of September — the equivalent of one in eight people (red line). This includes over 400,000 people who have waited, often in pain for more than one year (yellow bars).
Since 2019, the following locations have been home to NHS-funded procedures: Belgium, Bulgaria and Poland; France, Spain, France, and Spain.
The NHS funds patients to get treated abroad through an EU-backed programme — despite Britain no longer being in the bloc.
Since 2019, 5,294 patients in Britain have had their planned taxpayer-funded treatment in Europe.
Nearly 4,700 applications were submitted for maternity care. This was specifically for overseas births.
Although most of the procedures weren’t named, it is well-known that there were also hip and knee operations.
Two were for bone replacements; seven for treatment of cancer such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy; three for heart conditions and seven for general surgery.
S2 funding is available for UK residents only. Treatment must be normally accessible on the NHS. In addition, a British or European doctor must justify why treatment is required within a given time frame.
If the NHS cannot provide the treatment, the taxpayer abroad can fund it.
After approval of the application, the Briton can receive treatment as if he or she were a citizen of the nation.
According to the NHS, this could mean that patients may have to pay 25% of the cost of an operation depending on where they are located. The rest will be paid by the government, in this instance the UK.
Additional costs like flights, hotels, or accommodation are not covered.
Each nation’s NHS body grants approvals, which are then sent to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), who releases the funds.
It is a different system when you have a planned pregnancy overseas. Expectant mothers apply directly to NHSBSA.
An example of funding that could be granted is when the pregnant woman is a national of the EU, Norway, Icelandic, or Liechtenstein and has been living in the UK for at least one year before the 1st January 2021.

While costs have declined in recent years, the total bill is still £4million (figures are based on an average exchange rate for 2022)
Same applies if the woman is a relative or spouse of someone who meets these requirements.
Data shows that 1,842 Britons applied successfully to receive funding for their overseas care in 2019. This was followed by 1,950 patients in 2020.
Last year, the number of patients declined to 942 and this year to only 560.
This year’s numbers are unlikely to be finalized as the NHS reimburses treatment costs.
John O’Connell is the chief executive of Taxpayer’s Alliance. He said that the data revealed a troubling trend regarding NHS funding and value for money.
He stated that this data would only increase concern over funding by the NHS for treatment abroad.
“Taxpayers are going to be asking their tax bosses why they feel the need for patients to travel abroad for pre-planned care.
Patients who are unable to live in pain or with their condition any longer may use funding to access treatment faster than in the UK.
As part of the EU withdrawal agreement, Brexit included the continuation of S2 as a clause.
MailOnline’s data was compiled amid reports that britons were traveling to Europe for various purposes, including to Poland, France and Lithuania.
The Daily ExpressAccording to similar but different data, NHS England reported that patients have been sent abroad by the NHS England for treatment of infertility, weight loss, and dental extractions.
Other operations listed included infections, cataract correction, varicose veins and haemorrhoids.
NHS England stated that the Express data did not distinguish between people who need treatment and those who are planning to receive it.
MailOnline data does not include pre-planned operations or procedures that were approved by the NHS in advance.
The data comes as the waiting list for care in England reached a record 7.1million at the end of September, the equivalent of one in eight people.
Additionally, this number includes over 400,000 people who have waited, sometimes in great pain and discomfort, for more than a year.

NHS England data shows that just over 275,000 patients were admitted to hospitals for treatment in August 2019. It was 6 percentage points lower than the average 293,000 who were treated in three months prior to August 2019.
Since the Covid pandemic, which saw thousands of operations cancelled due to lack of funding, the care backlog has increased and the NHS has not been able to recover.
The National Audit Office released a report earlier in the month revealing that NHS England’s estimates found that the health service is less productive than it was in recent years.
According to estimates, the NHS was 16 percent less productive in 2021 than it was in 2019, and this trend will continue into 2022/23.
NHS England discovered that on average, NHS workers did not perform as many procedures as they used to. Reasons included more sickness absence, less willingness work unpaid overtime, and redeployment between teams.
A Covid recovery plan has been developed by the health service with the goal of achieving pre-pandemic activity levels. 2022/23.
This goal could be undermined by rising inflation and declining productivity of the NHS. Strikes by healthcare workers may also jeopardize it.