‘I’ve lived in UK for 45 years – but the NHS didn’t believe me and charged me £500 for appointment’
NHS ‘nightmare’ as resident of 45 years grilled about visa status
- A 73-year-old French national, Soisic Calland, endured "three months of hell" after being challenged over her immigration status by the NHS in Scunthorpe, despite living in the UK for 45 years.
- During an appointment in April, hospital staff interrogated Ms Calland about her visa status and initially refused to accept her biometric residency card and other documents as proof of eligibility for free NHS care.
- Ms Calland, who holds long-term residency status, experienced significant stress and later received a "very threatening" proforma invoice for £536.02 for her routine health appointment.
- The hospital stated it follows national Overseas Charging Regulations requiring patients to prove ordinary residency, eventually accepting a council tax bill supported by a letter from the council.
- Civil rights group The3million condemned the incident as a "Kafkaesque nightmare" and a "shameful example of how the hostile environment continues to harm" EU citizens.