Ministers could force NHS hospitals to carry out immigration checks on thousands of patients

EU citizens living in Britain will have to prove their right to free NHS care under a no-deal Brexit as part of new rules circulated to hospital managers.

In a directive to the NHS the Department of Health said that trusts needed to prepare to charge EU citizens who had previously been eligible for free treatment “immediately after exit day”, which is scheduled for October 31.

With only one million of the three million EU citizens living in Britain registered under the “settled status” programme, the move has led to accusations that ministers are creating a new “hostile environment” for immigrants.

Representatives of doctors and citizens’ rights groups have said that the “poorly planned” measure would place new burdens on hospitals to carry out immigration