Who are we?

The overseas visitor administration team is a small team working within health records services within NHS Forth Valley. We aim to meet all overseas visiting patients who are undergoing treatment within our premises and investigate the if you would be required to pay for treatment and inform you of this at the earliest possible convenience. In instances where this is not possible, we aim to discuss this with the patient at the earliest possible opportunity. We work closely with the finance department and all clinical departments throughout the organisation.

Why do we need to know things about you?

We require the following information to find out whether you are liable to pay for your treatment, or if you are exempt from paying towards this. We require you to provide us with certain documents to help us determine if a payment fee applies.  Documents that we will often need include:

• Marriage Certificate and both you and your spouse’s passports
• Passport
• Valid Study/Working Visa
• Biometric Residency Permit (BRP)
• E-Visa (Electronic Visa)
• Insurance documents

Who do we share your personal information with?

We will keep all the information you provide to us securely, and only share it with people who need to see it in order to manage whether you are liable to pay for your treatment. This may include services within NHS Forth Valley from which you receive treatment, and other organisations involved in your care and treatment decisions. To assist with your care, we may also request information from third parties. We perform this duty as part of our public task and are lawfully able to process sensitive types of personal information as part of this public task, for more information on this please refer to NHS Forth Valley – Privacy Notice. Information may be provided by and shared with the following parties for the purposes listed below, but is not limited to:

• Other Health Boards – If you are transferred to their care
• Your chosen representatives or carers
• Your Insurer – To understand whether you are liable to pay for treatment, provide guarantee of payment, or to assist with repatriation.
• Consulates/Embassy – To assist with repatriation
• Home Office – If you do not engage with us and an invoice is raised and not paid.

If you want to know what information we hold about you, you can ask to receive a copy.  Contact us at the details below or ask a member of staff when you are in the hospital:

Phone: 01324 556292
Email: fv.healthrecs-legal@nhs.scot

How long do we keep information?

We are required to keep a record of the information we collect and decisions we make about you and your care.  We follow the rules set out in the Scottish Government Records Management Health and Social Care Code of Practice (Scotland) 2024.

As the documents we hold on to file are considered a financial record, we will normally hold this type of information for 6 years. After 6 years we will destroy all records gathered and held within our overseas systems.

Learn more

If you want to know more about how NHS Forth Valley use personal information and your rights, you will find it here: NHS Forth Valley – Privacy Notice. This page also contains information on how to contact our Data Protection Officer if you have any questions around how your personal data is handled or wish to make a complaint.