Table 1. Timeline of NHS Reforms .

Timeline
March 27, 2012	Health and Social Care Act 2012	The Bill proposes to create an independent NHS Board, promote patient choice, and to reduce NHS administration costs.
July 3-Aug 28, 2013	Sustaining services, ensuring fairness: a consultation on migrant access and their financial contribution to NHS provision in England	Consultation on charging migrants and overseas visitors to use NHS and how better to identify patients who should be charged.
Oct 22, 2013	Controlling immigration: regulating migrant access to health services in the United Kingdom-response	The response gives details of the responses received and sets out: how the proposed immigration health surcharge will work and proposed changes to the ‘ordinary residence test.’ It also gives detailed responses to issues raised and summarises the feedback that was received from organisations and individuals.
Dec 30, 2013	Sustaining services, ensuring fairness	Government response to the consultation on migrant access and financial contribution to NHS provision in England.
May 14, 2014	Immigration Act 2014	This bill permits the Secretary of State to extend charging for visitors and non-EEA migrants for NHS services, and allows for a NHS levy on visas, proposed to be around £200. No longer will services be free-at-the-point-of-use for all in the UK.
July 14, 2014	Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme: Implementation Plan 2014-16	It outlines the Department of Health's approach to ensuring that the NHS receives a contribution for the cost of healthcare it provides to non-UK residents, and describes the four phases of implementation: • Phase 1 - Improving the existing system of identifying and charging patients in secondary care - making it easier for NHS frontline staff to integrate this as part of their day job. • Phase 2 - Aiding better identification of chargeable patients - help staff identify who is chargeable through better use of information. • Phase 3 - Implementing the health surcharge - paid upfront for the duration of the individuals’ visa. • Phase 4 - Extending charging outside NHS hospitals - considering extending charging policy to some primary care and A&E services.
April 6, 2015	Guidance on implementing the overseas visitor hospital charging regulations 2015	Summary guidance on changes to ways the NHS charges non-resident visitors for hospital care.

Abbreviations: NHS, National Health Service; EEA, European Economic Area; A&E, accident and emergency.

Source: Reference 36 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.