Using nhs whilst expat

[ItchyFeet76]

As the title suggests, really. Do we need to renew our EHIC cards? I'm giving my parents' address for banks, doctor and dentist so if we come back to visit and need to see a doctor or dentist, will they even guess that we're no longer living here? Do they strike us off their books if we don't go for a couple years? (I've gone years without seeing a doc before and am still a patient).

 

How would they make us pay when they can't seem to make health tourists pay?? Would they send a bill to my parents' house?

 

By the way I'm rarely ill (touch wood) and not envisaging anything, it's more for if the unexpected happens whilst we're visiting family...

 

We'll be on a temp visa in Oz and will have health insurance but don't know if it would cover us for return trips to the uk...

 

Cheers ?

[Richard01]

As the title suggests, really. Do we need to renew our EHIC cards? I'm giving my parents' address for banks, doctor and dentist so if we come back to visit and need to see a doctor or dentist, will they even guess that we're no longer living here? Do they strike us off their books if we don't go for a couple years? (I've gone years without seeing a doc before and am still a patient).

 

How would they make us pay when they can't seem to make health tourists pay?? Would they send a bill to my parents' house?

 

By the way I'm rarely ill (touch wood) and not envisaging anything, it's more for if the unexpected happens whilst we're visiting family...

 

We'll be on a temp visa in Oz and will have health insurance but don't know if it would cover us for return trips to the uk...

 

Cheers 

Good question with valid points!

Keen to bump this up to see what the replies are...

[vickyplum]

EHIC not valid in UK. My understand is that it's a UK issued card for use in the other EU/EEA countries. Found this link, which *might* be of use...

 

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/movingabroad/Pages/Introduction.aspx

[Quoll]

Take out travel insurance and you will be covered. You would be covered for an emergency but otherwise have to prove habitual residency

[ramot]

This is an interesting question.

We have lived long term in Australia on a temporary visa.

We are not entitled to Medicare, not complaining, have to have full private health cover.

When we go to UK, we aren't entitled to National Health as we haven't lived there for a long time, and no recipricol cover as no Medicare.

All our income comes from UK including state pension and we pay UK tax, still own property there, but all this is irrelevant.

 

However on the few occasions I have had to see a Dr. When back in UK I haven't been charged. Went twice last year each time a different surgery as we were moving around.

I have been honest, explained and said the I was a visitor, don't have recipricol but have insurance, but I have just been told no charge.

I still have my national insurance no. which was asked for.

 

So who knows the official answer, the receptionist went to the practise manager to check and told me it was free as was my prescription, I wasn't going to argue. The next surgery just said it's fine.

[andromeda9]

Just thinking, going to the UK for about 4 months, Can I have free scripts while there,also free hospital treatment if needed, lived in Australia for 10 years,arrived here as a pensioner

[lp77]

I used to work in go surgery where a number of our patients lived abroad most of the year but would still have a residential address here and we would see them and issue prescriptions etc... Not sure of all the legalities..

[amibovered]

We were still registered at the doctors after 6 years away, when we asked if we needed to do anything as regards proving residency and the like, they looked at us as if we were bonkers.

[SPRINTER]

From what I see in the papers in UK, most of the world uses the system for free, and if you are a Brit and have paid into the system all your life why shouldn´t you get it for free. Just last week an asylum seeker had 185000GBP of cancer treatment, free. If you have a NI number why not give it, you paid for it.

[ItchyFeet76]

My sentiments exactly, Sprinter! Plus we've hardly every used it (touch wood!) so here's hoping we won't ever need to, but it would be good to know where we stand, just incase...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Patphillips47]

National Insurance number is not the same as a National Health Number We had to apply for new national health cards when we came back in 2013 but I think they are supposed to be returned if you leave the country permanently

Huuby wa sin hospital recently and the X-ray department asked if we were still at ??? Address er no we last lived there 40 years ago so I guess they don't change things very often

[Keith and Linda]

This is an interesting question.

We have lived long term in Australia on a temporary visa.

We are not entitled to Medicare, not complaining, have to have full private health cover.

When we go to UK, we aren't entitled to National Health as we haven't lived there for a long time, and no recipricol cover as no Medicare.

All our income comes from UK including state pension and we pay UK tax, still own property there, but all this is irrelevant.

 

However on the few occasions I have had to see a Dr. When back in UK I haven't been charged. Went twice last year each time a different surgery as we were moving around.

I have been honest, explained and said the I was a visitor, don't have recipricol but have insurance, but I have just been told no charge.

I still have my national insurance no. which was asked for.

 

So who knows the official answer, the receptionist went to the practise manager to check and told me it was free as was my prescription, I wasn't going to argue. The next surgery just said it's fine.

 

Ramot, reciprocal cover is not dependent on a medicare card, it is based on country of residency whether temp or perm. We have had need to use both GP and hospital in the UK, Drs were no problem (once you can get past some of the receptionists) with the hospital we just had to provide more evidence of residency, a passport alone was not sufficient for this so we had, upon return to OZ send a rates bill to them. This did not prevent treatment only on them deciding to send us a bill or not.

I think you will find there will be some differences between all GP surgeries as well as hospitals as to their knowledge and how they (and maybe some individual staff), individually work/interpret the rules.

My advice would be to have your passport and/or some utility bills with you when you travel. also the details of the last GP you were registered with in the UK as that where your medical records should be or at least a starting point for a search if needed.

Happy, healthy and worry free travels everybody

[Guest]

An NHS dentist will usually remove people they don't see for over a year. This is to clear space on their books for those waiting, more so if there is a demand on the practice and so on.

 

GP's don't do this but you are supposed to notify them you are moving out of the area to elsewhere in the UK (or overseas) and thus they can put your records on file or transfer them to new UK GP and also clear a space on their books for someone who is actually resident in the country.

 

My understanding is if you are no longer resident in the UK you can access the emergency services stuff like a GP if urgent or a trip to A&E etc but for the rest, ie non urgent things you should have insurance in place or wait for treatment once back to your country of residence.

 

I do wish people would properly notify GP's they are moving overseas. We notify our banks, the services etc because of course we don't want to pay for something we are not using but so often overlook GP because we don't pay on the day (and dentist to some degree also). You move overseas, you are not a resident of the UK so why do people forget or overlook to remove their registration for the health services they no longer require. My old GP had a patient zone and only took people from within it. If you moved outside of it, you had to change GP's. This was due to demand for the practice and it meant those who actually lived in the zone could access the surgery. It took me 5 minutes to nip in there the day before we flew out to have ourselves taken off the register and archived on file. Should we ever return and live in the area, we can reopen our registration there. Saves them sending out information letters and other things and costing them time and money on an already hard pressed, financially struggling over stretched service when we are not even in the country.

[Fisher1]

I agree with snifter about informing GP surgeries and dentists when you leave but have very mixed feelings about this whole issue. Given that UK state pensioners are treated so badly by the UK govt if they live in Australia permanently ( no cost of living increases etc) although I haven't made the move yet, I for one will be very tempted to take anything I can get when I return to the UK.

[Guest]

I agree with snifter about informing GP surgeries and dentists when you leave but have very mixed feelings about this whole issue. Given that UK state pensioners are treated so badly by the UK govt if they live in Australia permanently ( no cost of living increases etc) although I haven't made the move yet, I for one will be very tempted to take anything I can get when I return to the UK.

 

But you would get it anyways. As a tourist its covered if its urgent treatment (or you are insured) and if you move back, then you can register at the local practice and so on. An NHS dentist may be more of a struggle depending on areas but as I said, they often prune people they don't see for more than a year to clear space for the waiting list so it could be a wait or opting private.

 

Just doing the decent thing and notifying a GP you are no longer resident isn't a bad thing. Its a good thing for those remaining and could save the practice a bit of time/money. The little things add up

[Lindor]

I'm a temporary resident of 3 years, I go home 2-3 times a year to visit my family and have been to my old GP several times, he kept me 'on the books' as I go back so often. I don't get charged for seeing him and up until last year, paid for my prescriptions

Last summer I had a sore wrist, which got progressively worse, I have rheumatoid arthritis and initially put it down to driving a lot. The week before I came home my wrist was swollen red and very painful, I contacted my old RA nurse to ask for a steroid injection to tide me over 'till I got back, she arranged an appointment to see my old rheumatologist. He injected my wrist with steroid and analgesic, I flew back the next day, unfortunately the injection didn't hit the spot and I had an awful journey home.

I was admitted to hospital 2 days later.

A few weeks later I got a msg from a friend who works in finance at the hospital I attended, (I used to work there) to say she'd seen an invoice with my name on it, it was for £597. 25

I have an NHS pension and pay tax in the UK but because I'm not an Australian citizen I have to pay this bill.

If I'd presented in A/E my treatment would have been free.

[CaptainR]

If you don't tell them, then you essentially stay in the system. It's really about honesty. As a Seafarer I could spend a lot of time away and that never created any questions with the GP, but was a real hassle with the dentists who would remove me from the lists and ignored when I tried to protest.