CURRENT EU REGULATIONS
“UK patients may go abroad for treatment within the European Union (EU)
if a commissioning body commissions care abroad or if a patient asks
to go abroad for care” Department of Health 2011
NHS patients are therefore entitled, subject to certain conditions, to receive care in another European Union (EU) country. This means that your local Health Commissioner should have a system in place to deal with requests for surgery and other forms of medical treatment abroad and should always give such requests serious consideration.
If there is an ‘UNDUE DELAY’ no Primary Care Trust is allowed to refuse a request for treatment abroad. However, you must also bear in mind that any decisions made, with regard to whether there is ‘undue delay’ or not, should be based on a clinical assessment of your individual circumstances.
Please remember that you will only receive a REIMBURSEMENT for the cost of any surgical procedure (or any other medical treatment) if your PCT has agreed to fund it so, if you want to be reimbursed for some of your costs, you should not make ANY medical or other arrangements until you have received written approval from the NHS.
Your entitlement will vary based on whether you’re going to a European Economic Area country (EEA) or another country in the world. If you are going abroad specifically for medical treatment different rules apply than those for getting necessary emergency care whilst you are away on a holiday or a business trip.
Information about European Economic Area (EEA) Countries
Information about NON European Economic Area (EEA) Countries
It is important to note that your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does NOT cover going abroad for PREPLANNED surgery or and other treatment.
If you intend to travel to an EEA country there are two routes for obtaining NHS funding. You can either use the S2 form (previously called the E112) that is issued by the Overseas Healthcare Team (Newcastle) OR you can go abroad under Article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – previously known as Article 49 of the EC Treaty.
Information about the two main options and reimbursement
Your ‘home health service’ is responsible for deciding the care that you can receive. You should know that (even if a treatment is funded elsewhere in the UK) if you seek care abroad that has not been approved by your local Health Commissioner, you will have to pay for it yourself and you will not be entitled to any reimbursement. However, if you are unhappy with any decision or recommendation (in the case of S2′s or E112’s) there should be a local appeals procedure that can be used.
You will only be entitled to receive payment towards your travel and subsistence costs if they are similar to those treatments had they been provided in the UK. These payments must not be greater than the cost of support would be had you been treated by the NHS.
Also please note that, if you make a decision to go abroad for healthcare (funded or not) it is strongly recommended that you should to take out a specific insurance policy, before you make any travel or medical arrangements, to ensure that any unforeseen problems and/or emergencies are properly covered.