Guernsey to consider new health agreement with UK

Islanders visiting the UK currently have to pay for health care and hospital visits

The States of Guernsey could have a new reciprocal health agreement with the UK government by September 2022.

The Policy and Resources Committee is set to table a policy letter in July 2022 focusing on the issue.

Vice President Deputy Heidi Soulsby said it could cost "£300,000 a year to operate".

If approved, islanders could receive free healthcare under the NHS while visiting the UK, with the same applying to UK residents visiting Guernsey.

External relations lead Deputy Jonathan le Tocq said the agreement was "one of the benefits of Brexit" and the island had a "short window" to agree a new scheme with the UK.

Deputy Soulsby said: "We've been in discussions with the UK for some time now ... but now we're getting to the point where we believe we can take a policy letter to the States in July, which hopefully putting think something in play by the end of September.

"That's a lot of work's been going on behind the scenes, and, hopefully, means that we can have an agreement in place by the end of the year."

The previous reciprocal agreement between Guernsey and the UK ended in April 2009.

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