Refugees/asylum seekers get access to all primary care (GP, walk-in centres etc) and emergency care (A&E) and they usually also get given a HC2 certificate that all low-income families are entitled to, which gives access to free dental care, glasses, prescriptions etc that are usually paid for. But they don’t get access to anything that isn’t considered urgent or emergency (or they can but they would be billed for it and most people in this situation wouldn’t have the funds to show they are able to pay the bill). This is to prevent “NHS tourism” with people coming here, getting expensive medical care that they either couldn’t afford in their own country, or isn’t available in their own country, and then returning home. Unfortunately, asylum seekers get caught up in these rules, and cochlear implants aren’t considered urgent or emergency care (we know they are urgent but you know what I mean!) It also wouldn’t be considered ethical to implant a child at risk of being sent home to a country where there isn’t follow-up care.