NHS trusts call in the bailiffs to chase ineligible patients’ debts

Despite their heavy-handed methods the collection firms manage to recoup very little

Three-quarters of NHS hospital trusts in England are using private debt firms to chase treatment costs from overseas patients and refused asylum seekers in a practice branded "inhumane" by critics, the Observer can reveal.

Debt recovery firms have pursued thousands of patients for millions of pounds in recent years, prompting complaints of harassing phone calls and intimidating doorstep visits. The debts relate to the cost of treatment for patients who are ineligible for free NHS care under government immigration rules, which were tightened as a result of the "hostile environment" approach Theresa May initiated as home secretary.