Who Pays for Hospital Treatment After an Accident?

If you've been unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in the UK, you may be unaware of the laws surrounding hospital payments. Most people would assume that since the NHS service is free, there is never any kind of question over making payments to hospitals for treatment after an accident, but that isn't always the case.

Immediate Treatment After an Accident

If you're involved in an accident that requires immediate medical treatment, you may in some circumstances be charged for any emergency work that is provided by a doctor at the scene. This of course doesn't include any doctor who has been called to the scene from a hospital or any ambulance medics. Generally what it means is if a qualified doctor happens to be passing the scene and is off duty, he or she then has the right to charge a standard charge and in some situations a mileage charge.

You may think that this wouldn't happen and that doctors would be happy to help, but it is common for the driver involved in the accident to receive a bill from the doctor at a later date. If you're planning on claiming for damages, then you should include the doctors bill also as the insurance company will generally pay this too.

Further or Ongoing Treatment After an Accident

Most people who receive treatment after an accident in the UK will utilise the resources of the NHS. This of course is generally fee free to those involved, but some individuals may require the use of a private hospital and their treatment needs to be paid for by someone. There are some laws in place to regulate this:

• Further treatment in an non-NHS hospital – the hospital is entitled to claim from the driver's insurance company up to the amount of £2949 for an in-patient and £295 for an out-patient.
• The hospital will generally write to the patient to find out the details of the accident, in particular looking for the driver's name, address and insurance details and then they will deal with it from here.

If further treatment is required after an accident and it is carried out at an NHS hospital, the Department of Health do have the right to speak to the insurance company of the driver who was responsible for the accident. They may ask them to cover some costs, but the individual who was the non-responsible party in the accident will never be involved.

Issues of Non-Payment for Treatment After an Accident

If you are involved in an accident and are the responsible driver, or if you're receiving treatment after an accident and weren't responsible, it's important to know where any costs are going to be incurred. If you're unable to pay for treatment and are being asked to, speak to the Citizen's Advice Bureau or a solicitor. They will be able to give you further advice on your particular case. It's ultimately extremely important that you know your rights, have spoken to your insurance company and of course are able to prove what treatment you're receiving. Always try to keep paperwork and take note on treatment dates and costs. This will help you if there are any queries in the future.