Trusts asking practices to identify overseas patients when referring
We are aware some practices are receiving messages from hospital trusts asking for assistance in identifying overseas patients at the point of referral.
We would like to remind practices that there is no contractual obligation for GP practices to provide this information and it is up to the trust to determine eligibility to secondary care services. It is important that GPs make referrals based on clinical judgement and need, rather than perceived eligibility.
According to NHS regulations, everyone is entitled to free access to primary care services including general practice. The regulations around access to NHS secondary care services for overseas visitors are more complicated, with different rules regarding urgent and necessary care compared to routine care.
Further information about eligibility is available on the migrant.health toolkit, including additional information for practices on supporting and treating patients from abroad.
We have already raised our concerns about the letter with the GPC. If you are aware of any such requests locally, please share them with us via comms@lmc.org.uk or our Beam2LMC app.
Last updated : 18 Sep 2019Tips of the month September 2018 (18 Sep 2018)
We provide weekly tips based on common queries which come through to us from London GPs and practice teams. These are shared via social media and collated for...Londonwide LMCs’ jobs board (18 Sep 2018)
Don’t forget our vacancies section is free to use for London practices. All you need to do is complete and submit the web form and we will do the rest...Winter pressures - keep us up to date (18 Sep 2018)
Last winter saw the whole health and social care system in London operating at full-stretch, with lack of capacity in secondary and social care increasing pressure on GPs. We are...LEAD Training Events (18 Sep 2018)
This year, our Learning Education and Development (LEAD) team created a new summer-time initiative for GPs and practice teams. Our LEAD Summer School programme ran throughout August and covered a...MMR and MenACWY vaccinations for students resident at home (17 Sep 2018)
September marks the time of the year when many students are starting their first year of university or returning to their studies. Students can be more vulnerable to illnesses such...How we use your data (17 Sep 2018)
In line with recent changes in data protection legislation, we have updated our Privacy Policy to provide you with more detail on how we handle your personal data. Our Privacy...Premises update September 2018 (14 Sep 2018)
This update is applicable to practices who are leasing their premises from Community Health Partnerships (CHP) or NHS Property Services (NHSPS). Urgent - Occupancy Agreement Letters We are aware that...Digital first consultation response (14 Sep 2018)
We have responded to NHS England’s consultation on ‘Digital-first primary care and its implications for general practice payments’. Our full response can be read here, a summary is...How to be a dementia friendly GP (14 Sep 2018)
There are currently 850,000 people in the UK with dementia, and this is set to rise to 1 million by 2025. We know that people with dementia can face challenges...Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
GP Support
Contact our GP Support team if you need help or advice.
The team provide professional and pastoral support to GPs and practice teams on a broad range of issues.