EU Directive on cross-border healthcare

The new EU Directive on cross-border healthcare was passed in 2011.

The EU Directive is similar to the S2 route, but there are some important differences. It grants a fundamental right to healthcare services across the European Economic Area for all EEA citizens.

How it works

The EU Directive gives you the right to access healthcare services in another EEA country as long as the treatment is medically necessary and is also available under the NHS.

It covers treatment in both state-run hospitals and by private service providers.

In most cases, you will have to pay the costs upfront, although a direct payment from the NHS may be possible in certain circumstances. Speak to your local PCT for more information. You can claim reimbursement when you return, up to the amount the treatment would have cost under the NHS.

Prior authorisation may be required in some cases. This will confirm whether you are entitled to the treatment and the level of reimbursement you can expect. It will also ensure that you are aware of all of the possible treatment options within the NHS, which may be more convenient to you than going abroad.

As with the S2 route, if "undue delay" applies in your particular case, you must be granted authorisation. Find out more about entitlements and rules.

For more information and to ensure you don’t have any difficulties when claiming back your money, contact your PCT before making any arrangements abroad.

For general enquires, contact the Department of Health by sending an email to eucross-borderhealthcare@dh.gsi.gov.uk.

What isn’t covered by the EU Directive?

The EU Directive does not cover emergency treatment abroad. The only exception is if this treatment is provided by a private clinic or clinician. In all other cases, you’ll need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

It also doesn’t cover treatments outside the EEA. For example, if you want to have a particular drug treatment or surgery in the US because the NHS does not provide it, you’ll have to fund this yourself. However, you could ask your local health commissioner for an individual funding request (IFR). The commissioner will decide whether to grant this. If this is something you want to do, contact your local PCT.

Respect the way in which the foreign system works

Although the NHS may approve your treatment abroad, the country you want to go to is not obliged to accept you as a patient for treatment. If you are refused treatment in an EEA member stated, they will have to explain their decision to refuse treatment.

You cannot expect to receive treatment in preference to a patient already within the country's state healthcare system. This means you may have to observe local waiting times or the country's guidance on particular treatments.

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Eva CCC said on 24 January 2012

I would like to know if you could help me out finding right way to seek reimbursement. My husband had a knee problem and needed surgery but he has decided to have it done in Poland instead of UK. He had his surgery 4 months ago and since last 2 months we are trying to get to our local PCT commissioner to file claim forms. The trouble is that my husband's orthopaedic specialist who confirmed need of surgery refered us to our GP and GP does not know what to do next. We showed him NHS Guidance for Cross Border Healthcare & Patient Mobility, but he states that due to some kind of NHS restructurization he does not know where to refer us next because PCT in our Bromley council area no longer exist. We do have all documentation to confirm need of surgery, history of illness etc just need to know where shall we go with it?