Scottish public were confident about their devolved government plans for the NHS. Anglo-Scottish Border issues The divergent administration of the NHS between England and Scotland has created problems for patients who live close to the border. The Coldstream medical practice has about 1400 patients who live in England. They benefit from the Scottish free prescriptions because they are "deemed to be in the Scottish healthcare system" so long as they are delivered through a Scottish pharmacy. However, there has been no agreement about the reimbursement of hospital charges for patients who cross the border for hospital treatment. In 2013, 633 Northumberland patients crossed into Scotland for treatment at the Borders General Hospital. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust complained in June 2015 that commissioners outside England use a "burdensome" prior approval process, where a funding agreement is needed before each stage of treatment. At the end of 2014–15 the trust was owed more than £2.3m for treating patients from outside England. A survey by the Health Service Journal suggested there was £21m of outstanding debt relating to patients from the devolved nations treated in the last three years, against total invoicing of £315m by English NHS trusts. Funding was approved for 625 referrals outside Scotland in 20162017, up from 427 in 20132014. The cost rose from £11.9million in 20132014 to £15.2million in 20162017. Overseas patients Patients who are not entitled to free NHS treatment because they are not ordinarily resident in the UK are supposed to pay for their treatment. Not all of this money is collected. £347,089 was owed to NHS Lothian by 28 patients in 20162017, compared with £47,755 owed by fewer than five patients the previous year. In Greater Glasgow and Clyde the number of overseas patients treated rose from 67 in 20142015 to 99. A total of £423,326 is owed to the health board and about £1.2million across Scotland. See also NHS Research Scotland Social care in Scotland List of hospitals in Scotland Voluntary Health Scotland References External links Our NHS Scotland website celebrating 65 years of health care 1948 establishments in Scotland Government agencies established in 1948 Organisations based in Edinburgh