Trusted by NHS Trusts and private healthcare organisations across the UK, we specialise in compliant, efficient medical debt recovery — including overseas patient billing and complex arrears.

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Professional NHS and Private Healthcare Debt Collection Services Across the UK

At Legal Recoveries & Collections Ltd (LRC), we specialise in healthcare debt recovery services tailored to NHS Trusts, private healthcare providers, and medical institutions throughout the UK. With decades of experience, we help healthcare organisations recover unpaid invoices, overseas visitor charges, and other medical debts — ethically, efficiently, and in full compliance with UK regulations.

A Trusted Partner in Healthcare Debt Recovery

We’re proud to be a trusted debt recovery partner for many NHS Trusts and private clinics. Our in-depth understanding of the healthcare sector allows us to offer a bespoke and sensitive approach to recovering:

  • Private patient invoices – Comprehensive recovery of outstanding bills from private healthcare services.
  • NHS Trust debts – Assistance with overdue charges, service fees, and non-payment cases.
  • Overseas patient debt – Recovery of payments from patients who return abroad after treatment in the UK.
  • Employer-funded health plans – Collections for workplace medical benefit schemes.
  • Prescription and treatment debts – Recovery of unpaid prescriptions and outpatient costs.
  • Historic debts – Efficient recovery of older balances through legally compliant procedures.
  • Complex multi-party claims – Including insurance-related and third-party medical liabilities.

Our expert team helps healthcare providers navigate these complexities while safeguarding patient relationships and complying with all NHS, GDPR, and CSA regulations.

Salary Overpayments in Healthcare

In addition to unpaid treatment costs, we regularly assist NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers with the recovery of salary overpayments. Whether due to administrative oversight, system error, or contractual changes, reclaiming overpaid salaries can be a sensitive issue – particularly when dealing with current or former employees.

At Legal Recoveries & Collections, we ensure a compliant and empathetic approach, helping healthcare providers:
  • Engage professionally with individuals to recover overpaid wages
  • Set up fair and manageable repayment plans where appropriate
  • Avoid internal resource strain by outsourcing complex recovery matters
  • Protect reputation and maintain regulatory standards throughout the process

Our Healthcare Debt Recovery Process

Our structured approach to healthcare debt recovery has been refined over two decades to ensure transparency, compliance, and results:

Pre-Legal Collections

We start with a 30–90 day pre-legal cycle including letters, emails, calls, and SMS. This soft collection phase aims to secure payment without the need for litigation. Our online Debt Manager portal ensures full visibility for your organisation throughout the process.

End of Collections

If the debt remains unpaid, we assess its legal viability. If suitable for escalation, we may issue a final letter before action and proceed to claim. Where legal action is not suitable (e.g., statute-barred debt), we advise accordingly.

Legal Proceedings

Upon instruction, we initiate court claims for qualifying debts. This includes issuing legal papers, assessing evidence, and representing you in court if necessary. We manage all costs transparently, with no hidden fees.

Enforcement Action

Once a judgment is secured, we take action via court-approved enforcement officers. This may include charging orders, High Court enforcement, or deductions — always with full legal compliance.

Why Partner with Legal Recoveries & Collections?

We provide a dedicated healthcare collections team with decades of experience working with NHS Trusts and private medical providers. Our strategic, ethical approach protects your brand reputation while maximising recovery rates.

What you’ll gain:

  • A single point of contact with a dedicated Debt Manager
  • Real-time updates via our secure online portal
  • High success rates and full regulatory compliance
  • A partner who understands NHS procurement and process workflows

Whether you’re a hospital in Nottingham, a clinic in London, or a Trust in Birmingham, we have the experience and scale to support your organisation.

Get in touch

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Featured Customer Reviews

North East Ambulance Service

As an NHS ambulance Trust, we don’t have in-house debt collection specialists, so find it difficult to pursue monies outstanding once our usual follow up process runs its course. LRC was recommended to us by another local NHS Trust and we approached them to find out what they could offer. We have been using LRC for nearly 3 years now and have not been disappointed. Our collection rate is circa 70% which represents a significant sum of money that is coming back into the NHS for patient care.

The team are very knowledgeable on the best route to recovery but will also advise when its just not financially viable to pursue a debt any longer. We have regular updates and meetings with Andrea the client services manager so everything is kept on track. It’s always our decision but LRC give us the best tools to make the right one.

James Paget University Hospitals

We have worked with LRC for about 9 years now and throughout this time they have provided us with good customer service and are always prepared to go that extra mile. Their recent gaining of ‘law firm’ status enables them to now handle the entire debt recovery process for us from pre-legal collections, through to legal proceedings and enforcement therefore ensuring continuity.

Royal Veterinary College

It is always possible to get hold of a person to discuss a particular case. Our Staff have found LRC employees to be helpful, friendly and quick to respond to any queries.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What types of healthcare debts do you recover?

We recover a wide range of healthcare debts for both NHS and private healthcare organisations. These include:

  • Private patients – recovering overdue payments from private patients while handling the situation with sensitivity.
  • Overseas visitors – recovering debts from overseas visitors to the UK, regardless of whether they’ve returned to their home country.
  • Salary overpayments – recovering overpayments made to current or former employees, including overpaid sick leave and holiday pay.
  • Prescription debts – assisting with the recovery of unpaid NHS prescription charges.
  • Commercial debts – recovering significant commercial debts, with the possibility of applying late payment interest and recovery charges where applicable.

2. How does your healthcare debt recovery process work?

Our process is structured into several key stages:

  • Pre-Legal Collections: A 30-day collection cycle involving data cleansing, letters, emails, phone calls, and SMS messages. This phase ensures all information is accurate and maximises recovery success.
  • End of Collections: We assess the file to determine the suitability for further action. For individuals, a letter before claim is sent, providing an additional 30 days to respond. If court action becomes necessary, compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol is required.
  • Legal: If required, we issue a claim form and work to obtain judgment for the outstanding healthcare debt. The debtor may choose to defend the claim, pay the full amount, or settle a portion of the debt.
  • Enforcement: Once a judgment is obtained, various enforcement options are available, such as high court enforcement agents, charging orders, insolvency proceedings, attachment of earnings, or third party debt orders.

3. What enforcement methods are available for healthcare debt recovery?

Enforcement methods for healthcare debt recovery include:

  • High court enforcement agents
  • Charging orders
  • Insolvency proceedings
  • Attachment of earnings
  • Third party debt orders

These options allow us to recover debts efficiently, depending on the debtor’s situation. More information about these methods can be found on our enforcement page.

4. What is the Pre-Legal Collections phase?

The Pre-Legal Collections phase is a 30-day collection cycle where we use various communication methods (letters, emails, phone calls, SMS) to cleanse data and ensure all debtor information is accurate. This step is cost-free and increases the chances of successful debt recovery.

5. Do you handle salary overpayments for healthcare organisations?

Yes, we handle the recovery of salary overpayments, including those related to overpaid sick leave, holiday pay, and payments to former employees. Our experience allows us to recover these overpayments efficiently and ethically.

6. Can you help recover debt from overseas visitors?

Yes, we have the expertise to recover healthcare debt from overseas visitors, even if the debtor has returned to their home country. Our team is experienced in handling such cases with professionalism.

7. Why should I choose Legal Recoveries & Collections for healthcare debt recovery?

We offer a strategic approach tailored to the healthcare sector, maximising the potential recovery amount while protecting your organisation’s reputation. Our compliant, ethical methods ensure your cases are handled professionally. We also provide real-time monitoring of your cases through our Debt Manager platform, offering you transparency and control over the process.

8. What is the Debt Manager platform?

Debt Manager is our dedicated online portal that allows you to monitor the progress of your debt collection cases in real time. You can track communications, view reports, and receive updates on each case.

9. How do you ensure compliance in healthcare debt recovery?

We follow strict legal and ethical guidelines throughout the debt recovery process. Our team has a deep understanding of the healthcare sector, ensuring that we protect your organisation’s reputation while pursuing debt recovery in a compliant and professional manner.

10. Can your services help NHS organisations as well as private healthcare providers?

Yes, we work with both NHS organisations and private healthcare providers across the UK. Our experience spans NHS Trusts, NHS Shared Business Services, and private healthcare entities, providing tailored debt recovery services for a wide range of healthcare clients.

Get in Touch with Us

If you have any questions about our service or would like to discuss your matters with us in greater detail, please contact the Business Development Team on 0330 024 6342