NHS Care for returning residents

[heids]

I've read a couple of people mentioning lately about people going to the UK to live permenantly and not being able to get NHS care immediately upon their return to the UK. This struck a cord with me as we are returning in July after being away for 5 1/2 years and I will be 5 months pregnant on our return, so I did a bit of googling and found this link to the citizen advice bureau about NHS heath care which I thought was quite informative and might clear up some of the confusion.

 

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/nireland/healthcare_ni/healthcare_help_with_health_costs_e/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm

 

It appears we will be intitled to NHS care immediately providing we are returning to live permenantly but will probably have to prove that is the case as we haven't lived in the UK for the past 12 mths. It does say however that GP's do not have to take you on as a patient, but this seemed to be the case when we lived there before but moved to a new area, it was hard to find a GP. It does seem some people have had issues with this though.

 

 

Phew, thats another worry off my mind!! :biggrin: (I hope!)

[fizzybangs]

If you were born in UK you can get it. This stuff is more for people that were not born there but who have lived and worked there for years and perhaps left the country and are now coming back. I've been away for 31 years and I can walk into any surgery that has room for new patients so long as I have my current NHS number so they can register me.

[boganbear]

If you were born in UK you can get it. This stuff is more for people that were not born there but who have lived and worked there for years and perhaps left the country and are now coming back. I've been away for 31 years and I can walk into any surgery that has room for new patients so long as I have my current NHS number so they can register me.

 

Actually this is not true at all. You have to be ordinarily resident in the UK. Read the folllowing Daily Mail story

[h=2]Hospital's crackdown on the health tourists: One-year residency rule to end £40m NHS scam[/h]My OH had problems signing on with a doctor simply because he has been working in Australia and they tooks some persuading that he was not a thieving foreign tourist but a British citizen who lives and works in the UK. There have also been a number of cases of pensioners who have lived in Spain for many years come back to the UK to live and are denied NHS treatment.

 

You can "walk into any surgery" because Australia has a reciprocal healthcare agreement allowing you to do so for emergency treatment but surgeries are not obliged to take you or provide care on the NHS.

[amibovered]

Actually this is not true at all. You have to be ordinarily resident in the UK. Read the folllowing Daily Mail story

Hospital's crackdown on the health tourists: One-year residency rule to end £40m NHS scam

 

My OH had problems signing on with a doctor simply because he has been working in Australia and they tooks some persuading that he was not a thieving foreign tourist but a British citizen who lives and works in the UK. There have also been a number of cases of pensioners who have lived in Spain for many years come back to the UK to live and are denied NHS treatment.

 

You can "walk into any surgery" because Australia has a reciprocal healthcare agreement allowing you to do so for emergency treatment but surgeries are not obliged to take you or provide care on the NHS.

 

A quote from the article "The scheme has been introduced to identify foreign patients" that would not include returning British citizens.

[amibovered]

A bit from the horses mouth

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Entitlementsandcharges/OverseasVisitors/Browsable/DH_074376

 

[h=4]If I should need hospital treatment what documents will I need?[/h]The Regulations place a responsibility on individual hospitals to determine whether, in accordance with the Regulations, a patient is liable to be charged for treatment or not. In order to establish entitlement, hospitals can ask you to provide documentation that supports your claim that you intend to live permanently in the UK. It is for you to decide what to supply, however examples of evidence could include:

 

 

• documentation to prove you are entitled to live in the UK such as British Passport, permission from the Home Office;
  
• 
  
• documentation that proves your intention is to reside here permanently such as sale of goods/property overseas, receipts showing shipping of goods, looking for work, application for benefits, children are attending school.
  

 

 

[fizzybangs]

Actually this is not true at all. You have to be ordinarily resident in the UK. Read the folllowing Daily Mail story

Hospital's crackdown on the health tourists: One-year residency rule to end £40m NHS scam

 

I have previously read that article and it does say 'foreign'. My daughter, born in Wales, emigrated 30 years ago, returned last year for 6 months and needed doctor and dentist in London - no problems. In fact she had copious medical tests done because of low white blood count. She just had to track down her NHS number which had since had another number added to it which caused a bit of confusion to start with but did not stop her being seen free. She is British by birth - not foreign.