I've seen posters up in the local A&E that say something like "If you're a foreigner please be aware that we'll send you an invoice". And there's certainly been statements recently from politicians talking about doing this for the dreaded "immigrants".
I suspect that the total income from this would be tiny though, and perhaps not even enough to justify the administration costs. And my impression from staff at NHS hospitals is that they're just interested in helping you and really don't care if you didn't pay.
While management like to put these posters up, a friend who is a consultant in the NHS was quite clear when I asked him about it - he's a doctor, not a billing clerk and he doesn't care how obvious it is that someone is outside NHS cover, it's not his issue.
He's involved in things like kidney transplants where abuse is apparently rife - patients [outside NHS eligibility] often come from Xstan countries in renal failure and are critically ill (i.e. ambulance from the airport tarmac). Some of these people go to the top of the transplant list - which is why they got on the plane to England to begin with (plane ticket < cost of unlikely kidney transplant in home country). As far as he is concerned he treats the medical condition based on need and anything else is up to management and he will not get involved in anything outside medical need.
Sounds like the registrar in the article has the same policy.
I suspect that the total income from this would be tiny though, and perhaps not even enough to justify the administration costs. And my impression from staff at NHS hospitals is that they're just interested in helping you and really don't care if you didn't pay.