Super Sponsor Scheme and Homes for Ukraine: guidance for local authorities
Guidance for local authorities on the Scottish Government’s Super Sponsorship Scheme and Scotland’s responsibilities under the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Psychological welfare and healthcare
Information relating to supporting displaced people from Ukraine who may have experienced significant trauma is in the People arriving from Ukraine - risk and need: public protection guidance.
Healthcare access
Anyone in Scotland, regardless of nationality or residence status, can receive emergency treatment and register with a GP practice to receive general medical services at no charge.
An amendment to legislation means that anyone who is ordinarily resident in Ukraine, but lawfully present in the United Kingdom, regardless of the type of visa they hold, is eligible to access NHS secondary and tertiary services (such as maternity care, mental health services and specialist treatment for specific conditions) on the same basis as a person ordinarily resident in Scotland. The provision extends to the person’s spouse/civil partner and children.
Furthermore, the exemption from NHS charges also applies to people from Ukraine who were in the UK on a short-term visa when the conflict began on 24 February 2022, and are extending or switching visas because they cannot return home.
Health boards will have established protocols, working with Health and Social Care Partnerships and local authorities, to provide services to patients who are asylum seekers or refugees, as well as specific learning from both the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme and Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy.
As overarching principles, health boards will ensure that displaced people have access to a level of primary and secondary health care services designed to ensure that their health needs are identified and addressed appropriately and effectively.
Contact
Email: ceu@gov.scot