A fresh drive to charge foreign nationals, including illegal immigrants, for National Health Service care has been announced by John Reid, the home secretary - but well ahead of the health department being able to say how that will work in practice.

Mr Reid announced pilot schemes to be run in three unidentified trusts in which hospitals and GPs will be able to check patients' eligibility for free treatment against data held by the Border and Immigration Agency. From 2008, all foreign nationals will have to have identity cards with records held on a national database.