Emergency Care Clarification for Visitor in UK

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In Accident and Emergency you receive emergency care and triage. The target is a maximum of 4 hours between arrival at A&E and either discharge or admission. This target is not always met but you should understand that in A&E you will receive resuscitation if your heart has stopped, but not surgery to set a broken bone.

So if you present at A&E with a suspected broken bone, they will treat you to stop your bleeding and administer pain relief. That is free to anyone. They will then offer to admit you as an inpatient. If you are admitted you will be liable for the cost of your care.

If the patient does not consent to treatment (as is their right) then they would be discharged from A&E, and not incur any fee. However, in this case, they would still have a broken bone.

Being admitted does not necessarily mean staying overnight. You may be admitted as an outpatient (you are not assigned a bed, but receive treatment and then leave) or a daypatient (you are assigned a bed for the duration of your treatment, but do not stay overnight).

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Not necessarily - you can be admitted as an outpatient, day patient, or an inpatient https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/hospitals/going-into-hospital-as-an-inpatient-or-outpatient/ A&E provides medical care for life-threatening emergencies; less serious injuries are treated at β€˜urgent care centres’. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/742251/guidance-on-implementing-the-overseas-visitor-charging-regulations-may-2018.pdf#page64

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