How to change our address with NHS after moving Down under?

[Morpheus]

Hi All,

We have just moved recently, and the mail redirection is expiring soon, thinking about to change the address but not sure how to do that with NHS. Any advice please?

 

Kind Regards,

Mo

[Marisawright]

If you want, you could write and notify your GP.   The NHS as a whole don't need to know, really.

[Amber Snowball]

Yes just tell your GP so they can remove you from their list.

[Cobs_Ahoy]

Health services within the NHS  use lots of different I.T systems and lots of them aren’t linked up, so if you have open referrals with one or more service then you would need to contact them directly so they don’t write to your old address.  
 

In theory there is something called ‘the spine’ which is a centralised database for patient details, and if you update your address with your GP it should update the spine details, but from my experience services tend to trust their own data over the spine, so if you have any health info that is sensitive and you don’t want to risk being posted your old address then ring the service and tell them. 

[Amber Snowball]

36 minutes ago, Cobs_Ahoy said:

Health services within the NHS  use lots of different I.T systems and lots of them aren’t linked up, so if you have open referrals with one or more service then you would need to contact them directly so they don’t write to your old address.  
 

In theory there is something called ‘the spine’ which is a centralised database for patient details, and if you update your address with your GP it should update the spine details, but from my experience services tend to trust their own data over the spine, so if you have any health info that is sensitive and you don’t want to risk being posted your old address then ring the service and tell them. 

One place I worked didn’t even have access to the spine.

[Ken]

Why would the NHS write to someone in Australia?

[Amber Snowball]

21 minutes ago, Ken said:

Why would the NHS write to someone in Australia?

They wouldn’t. I was thinking more of telling them you have left the country so you free up a space on a GP list and as mentioned above, so no sensitive letters get sent to your old uk address.

[Tulip1]

1 hour ago, Ken said:

Why would the NHS write to someone in Australia?

They wouldn’t but if they needed to write to them they’d send it to the address they hold for them (not knowing they’d moved) My sons got letters sent to my address inviting them for their covid jabs and they’ve lived in Australia for over 10 years.  Clearly they didn’t tell the GP of their move.  

[ramot]

Many years ago when I was mostly living in Brunei, I received a letter from the NHS, saying it had come to their attention that on about a certain date I had left the country. Not quite the same circumstances I realise, but I was definitely checked up on how much time I was spending out of the country, and where I was living. Apparently then if I was out of the country for over 3 months in a year, I was no longer entitled to the NHS. I of course said I was never out of the country that long, but it proved they were aware of some change in my circumstances.

ps we still had a house in our village, which is where the letter was sent.

Edited July 16, 2022 by ramot

[Marisawright]

9 minutes ago, ramot said:

Many years ago when I was mostly living in Brunei, I received a letter from the NHS, saying it had come to their attention that on about a certain date I had left the country. Not quite the same circumstances I realise, but I was definitely checked up on how much time I was spending out of the country, and where I was living. Apparently then if I was out of the country for over 3 months in a year, I was no longer entitled to the NHS. I of course said I was never out of the country that long, but it proved they were aware of some change in my circumstances.

That is true, but it still doesn't mean it's necessary to tell them you've left.

[ramot]

53 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

That is true, but it still doesn't mean it's necessary to tell them you've left.

 

53 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

That is true, but it still doesn't mean it's necessary to tell them you've left.

I did say different circumstances, just making the point that the NHS was checking up on someone who might have left the country, how did they even know about my movements. We have never told the NHS anything.