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Cash-strapped hospitals have written off £256.4 million owed by foreign patients because of failures to properly check that they were entitled to free NHS treatment. An investigation by The Mail on Sunday shows escalating debts from health tourists – who have had everything from spinal surgery to heart care and cancer treatment – is creating a growing black hole in NHS finances. In the last year alone, £44 million has been lost – a 63 per cent increase on the £26.9 million that hospitals had to write off in 2017-18. Damning findings from our research, based on an analysis of health service accounts over the past seven years and a detailed Freedom of Information request to trusts across England, reveal: Just a third of the £621 million owed by overseas visitors to hospitals has been repaid. One Nigerian patient who had planned treatment at Barts Health NHS Trust in London ran up a near £500,000 bill, and a Romanian patient owes Lewisham and Greenwi...

Patients who regularly miss NHS appointments could be sent to the back of the queue under plans to cut waiting times, Wales has been told. It is one of a number of Welsh government ideas being discussed to improve the NHS, which has recently seen small reductions in record waiting lists. The threat of sanctions would be balanced by an improved Welsh NHS app, which would allow patients to track their progress through the system and make or amend appointments at the touch of a button. Health boards could also have their funding clawed back if they have been given extra cash to hit specific targets but do not make them. But this will not affect core health board funding. The plans are being framed as striking a new deal between the NHS and patients, where there would be a greater expectation for patients to play their part. In order to better manage waiting lists, there could also be increased levels of intervention to get patients fit for surgery, such as people ...