The NHS could face extra costs of £500m a year if retired British citizens now living in Europe, who no longer qualify for care post-Brexit, return to the UK, says a report from a healthcare think-tank. 

Around 190,000 British pensioners now live in European countries such as Spain, and currently have their healthcare costs paid as part of a reciprocal agreement called the S1 scheme. If the scheme ended and was not replaced and those people returned to the UK, their care would cost about £979m annually, says the Trust. Currently, the UK contributes £500m to S1, so Britain would effectively have to find another half a billion pounds a year, says the report.