BusbyBoo

The Medicare system is not the NHS, however it is similar in that it provides cost free treatment for you if you need it. But it is not the same. 1. If you see a GP, some will ‘bulk bill’ that means no cost to you they bill Medicare directly. Or you may choose a non bulk billing GP who charge a ‘gap’ so you will pay them say $70 and then Medicare will pay you say $36 back (can’t remember the exact fees). In Australia you can see any GP you can get an appointment with, unlike the UK where you are only allowed to use your own practice. So in effect if you need an appointment today you can shop around. 2. If you need to see a specialist e.g ENT Dr, then usually you go to their private rooms and pay them roughly $170 and get roughly $80 back. (Sometimes they will also bulk bill if you can’t pay for whatever reason). However sometimes you can see a specialist through the hospital (it’s complicated) this is free to you. But you may wait longer. When a specialist decides you need an operation you will be asked if you have private insurance, if you do you can avoid the waiting list. However see my previous post about how that works. 3. it’s also worth understanding that if you are an emergency and you E.g fell and broke you arm, you can go to hospital and be fixed at no cost. 4. If you need blood tests and X-rays, MRI etc (unless you’re in hospital) these are also private clinics, so you’ll get a referral and go and get them. Many will incur a gap (between what Medicare pays and what is charged by practices). But it is much quicker than the UK wait. 4. Allied health such as dental (apart from government dental scheme where you need to be in a low socioeconomic position), physio, podiatrist etc are private and you pay, again unless in hospital. So in reality Medicare is excellent and free if you need it. Private health is also great to avoid waiting lists for operations not classed as emergency, but can attract a further cost to you and you need to do research. Having family struggling to get appointments in the UK and difficulty in even getting a blood test...... give me Medicare any day. Can’t help much on prescriptions as it’s a rare need. It’s different but also great with some great Drs.

It’s been a while since I did citizenship but.... I remember this as my name was the same as someone in NSW who had a record, so the rest of the family passed straight away but I had to wait until my name was cleared. So don’t stress it’s just a routine check. I would love to know what my namesake had done though

Hi, Thought I’d add some clarity to health insurance. It is cheaper if you get it within a year of arriving, if you’re over 30, after that they charge an extra 2% for every year above 30 (it’s a tax) after 10 years the extra is removed (we had 19% just been removed). You can avoid long waiting lists, but may still have to pay some towards your treatment. This is because... Medicare have set prices for all procedures and they are all coded. You’re surgeon may charge more than this fee. So.... if Medicare say a procedure is e.g. $100. Medicare pay $75, health ins pay $25 and you pay nothing.... but... if you surgeon charges $125 you will need to pay a ‘gap’ $25. So you have to shop around as some surgeons don’t charge above Medicare fees. Hospital, anaesthetist are also charged separately and can vary, buyer beware and check for costs beforehand. You may also have insurance excess to pay depending on policy you choose. if you see a specialist for a consultation or a GP many charge a ‘gap’ and private health doesn’t cover any of it you’ll only get the Medicare schedule fee paid. Dont confuse Hospital cover with extras cover. They are separate. The Medicare Levey Surcharge is only applicable to Hospital cover. Extras cover is for things like dental, physio and optical etc and again what you get back depends on your level of cover, beware it will still be expensive as Medicare do not cover these at all. They are private providers and charge what they like. E.g a dental check up code 011 first visit is approximately $70 and health fund may only pay $15 of that so a ‘gap’of $55 to be paid by you. Some places do ‘preferred provider’ then it may not cost anything to you but be aware, this usually only covers check ups and cleans maybe twice a year, any treatment will almost certainly charge a substantial gap. so.... only you can decide if it’s worth the extra costs. However my own experience is yes. My 25yr son had bowel issues, because of his age etc he was told to have a colonoscopy, public system was an 18 month wait, we had private health so it was done in 2 weeks. He had 10 pre cancerous polyps some over 1cm. 18months doesn’t bear thinking about. Ive had very quick cancer treatment and OH had major surgery which would have been a never never wait. Busby

Hi, So for Nsw, for my own DD, as an example, applications for most courses start in Aug, although there are mid year second semester intakes, these are not for all courses. Feb intake is the main one. Degrees are in the main 3 year, but, depends on what you want to study. My DD is doing a 4 year OT degree in NSW, in the UK it only takes 3 years, however she has to do 32 weeks of placement at different locations, so effectively 3 years of knowledge and 1 year (student year) gaining experience. There is usually an idea of what a degree will require as an Atar score, (that’s the score given at the end of year 12 based on final exams, higher the required score more competitive the course (I.e popular). For some degrees such as medicine, music and others they may also require an interview. As your son would finish A levels in May with results in Aug (I think) that’s when he should apply, he could then start in the new uni year in Feb. Note that late applications require you pay a fee. So... the reason there are usually 3 rounds of offers is because when you apply you put differs choices down, so depending on those choices and competition you may not get your first choice on the first round of offers (late Dec or early Jan) but could get it in the second or even third if others students don’t accept their offer. I can’t help with converting A levels but another thing to note is that he could come out to the grandparents in say Oct/nov and work a summer job and meet some people and get some money. He will then be ready to start in Feb and as long as you don’t earn too much He’ll be able to claim youth allowance $550 ish a fortnight to live on. He may also need to be able show he’s here to get hecs (domestic student fees paid, to be paid back when he’s working properly through the tax system). Hope that helps Busby

Hi, son and partner have had no issues renting apartments, they should be fine.

As I said in my post, schools were more than happy to put a child in a different class year, they are far more flexible than the uk in this regard. You’ll just need to talk to them, if it’s only a temporary move then it maybe for the best. If it was a permanent move, like I said, I’d think seriously. It’s no fun just turning 17 in year 12 when all your peers are 18 and going out without you. Ask my son

It’s really more about your child being in a class with children of the same age. When we came here many moons ago, my youngest was put into a mixed class of reception and year 1, we arrived in the August and she had turned 7 the previous January, she made friends learnt lots and is doing great at Uni now. However... my other child whose birthday is August was just turned 12yrs old, he had already done a year at high school and in reality should have gone back to primary school here to finish year 7. However, he didn’t want to go back to primary school. So off he went to high school as a younger one. Then the school call us, he is bored and well advanced so they suggest moving him up a year. So he moved up another year....... big big mistake, he simply was not mature enough the kids were 14/15 and he was 12. He didn’t make friends and just messed around in class. We had to change him to another school and go back a year. All this caused many problems and affected his ability to form friendships at school and he couldn’t wait to leave. But roll on some years and all is well, he has his degree and 2 masters to his name. The point of telling you this is that at such a young age although education is important, friends are even more important. A child with no friends will struggle to find their way. You must do what feels right for your child and I wouldn’t dream of telling you otherwise, but I just wanted to warn you of the pitfalls of moving a child up years in school. Good luck

Hi, I had to get a few Police checks from Europe including UK when I registered as a nurse here. I did them through ‘Fit to Work’ they were back within a week as it’s all done electronically, you even upload your identification. Lots of companies use Fit to Work for their employees. Hope it helps and good luck with the job

Not sure about blood but I was certainly able to have a tumour sample sent to US for a genetic test not available here. My specialist did the paperwork I paid the $4000 yes $4000 and got the results 6 weeks later. Made me happy as it meant no chemo for me. Talk to Dr and pathology lab to see if it’s possible as they’ll be the ones needing to do paperwork.

Just thought I’d add a couple of comments to this. I’m an Aus Enrolled nurse and I’ve never worked in the UK as a nurse, I trained here as a new career. This is incorrect, ENs are registered with ARPRA and have the same patient loads as RNs, however we are not permitted to administer S8 meds or give blood products but can be secondary signature. Enrolled nurses do however have to work under the direct supervision of an RN. For what it’s worth I think the reason diploma trained UK nurses have been unable or have difficulty in getting registration is because Enrolled nurses in Australia hold a diploma. HCAs in the UK require no qualification (I checked). Some areas do however employ AINs (assistant in nursing) which is like a HCA. So please don’t under estimate the role of EN. I Work hard . Yep this is true, however I’d like to point out that’s usually down to Drs and a lot of those are from overseas or old school and certainly in NSW where I am, nurses regularly tell them off. As for the friendlyness and helpfulness of colleagues, a lot of that is down to you and how you interact. As a good Australian friend of mine said if people keep pointing out “at home we do it like this” and “at home blah blah” it’s annoying and “as you clearly know it all” you’ll get a “get on with it then” attitude back. You’ll always get some you can’t get on with but you have to come to Australia to fit in not the other way around. If you do that you’ll be fine. On a different note to this, I thought I’d add that recently on a visit to the UK a family member ended up in hospital. WOW what a culture shock that was.... I saw a very unhappy bunch of staff. As I said I’ve never worked as a nurse in the UK, and was really shocked at the lack of care my relative received. There was simply no staff to attend. There is very little in the way of allied health and social workers are impossible to speak to, even if you can find one. My relative (83yrs with fractured femur and partially sighted) was discharged with nothing put in place to go home to, no community nurse to visit, no physio, no social worker...... absolutely nothing. Not even a call to her very elderly husband to let him know she was on the transport heading home. She was expected to give herself Clexane (brand name I know ) every day and had to ask a neighbour to do it. To get an appointment to see a GP is impossible. I have been away from the UK for 20 yrs and I wouldn’t go back to live there for anything. Before anyone thinks I’m having a go, I’m not. I guess my point is, if you can work in those conditions...... Australia will be a breeze. It’s not perfect here, but at least we have some time to care for our patients.