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Patients travelling outside Northern Ireland for treatment

If you wish to receive medical treatment outside Northern Ireland, it’s important to understand how it works and the assistance you may be able to access.

This guidance applies to patients who are travelling outside Northern Ireland to access healthcare assessment and/or treatment. It is not relevant for travel within Northern Ireland for health and social care services.

Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme

The Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme opened on Monday, 2 June 2025 at 10am.
A dedicated on-line hub is available at WL Reimbursement and will provide information on the scheme, eligibility criteria, how to apply and an application form.
Note: your Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is for emergency treatment that becomes necessary while you are outside the UK. It does not cover planned treatment – also known as elective treatment.

(Please note that the summary details given here are not exhaustive and you are strongly urged to contact the SPPG for advice before travelling or arranging any treatment. Your entitlement to financial reimbursement will depend on the route used.)

There are other ways by which patients may receive planned (not emergency) treatment outside Northern Ireland:

Transfer for treatment by the Strategic Planning and Performance Group

Also known as an Extra Contractual Referral (ECR) and occurs when the SPPG approves a consultant’s request to transfer a patient to a provider outside Northern Ireland for assessment or treatment which the consultant considers necessary but which is not available through HSC (i.e. NHS) facilities locally.

S2 (E112) Mandated Treatment

Travel for Planned Treatment under Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the European Union and the UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Article SSC.18), known as the S2 or E112 route.

National Contact Point

If you are a resident in Northern Ireland seeking to travel elsewhere for treatment or, alternatively, if you are a non-resident interested in treatment in Northern Ireland please contact:

National Contact Point
Patient Travel Team
Commissioning Directorate, Strategic Planning and Performance Group, 12 – 22 Linenhall Street, Belfast BT2 8BS
Email: NationalContactPoint@hscni.net
T: +44 (0)28 9536 3152

Patient Travel Office

The Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) has a Patient Travel Office which provides assistance for approved patients who are travelling outside Northern Ireland for planned treatment.

If you are travelling for planned treatment outside Northern Ireland contact the SPPG patient travel office. Patient Travel Officers can provide you with assistance and advice:

T: 0300 555 0116
E: patient.travel@hscni.net

Further Information

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