Same with my FIL when he visited us in Aus, he did have insurance but was still charged a small fortune by our GP/Hospital when he became ill, he paid the bill (which was later refunded by his insurance company back in the UK) but kept telling the staff "what about reciprocal rights between our two countries". When we visited the UK our son had an accident, we visited my Dad's local GP and they sent us off to A&E where x rays were taken and a diagnosis was given and we were not charged even though they knew we were Aussie Citizens and living in Australia.

But if the reciprocal care only covers emergency care, then presumably they billed correctly? Or am I missing something?

Fair enough but what if you don't pay council tax? What if you are unemployed and/or on the bones of your arse - yet UK resident?

If you don't pay council tax you'll still have a statement confirming your exemption.

If you're unemployed, then presumably you'll be receiving some kind of benefits so would have paperwork to that effect.

Is that actually written in stone somewhere?

I think it was the policy of the GP.

RHCA here - https://www.humanservices.gov.au/cus...are-agreements

The phrasing is 'necessary immediate treatment' so I guess the GP did not see the visit as needing immediate treatment (maybe).

Doh! You really are only here to stir up right? Just because NHS sorted their stuff out, doesn't make it law in Australia! Every Australian is still eligible for Medicare.... Despite living in London, UK, different country, different rules and all that.

It wasn't the GP who made that decision, it was the receptionist reciting "surgery policy".

As someone who used to work front line in a doctor's office I can assure you that the "office policies" are most likely those of the doctor and not the receptionist.

If you got a UK address and register with a GP you are going to get NHS number and free care. There was a programme on recently based around NHS hospitals in London. The trust employed someone who chased patients for the money they owed for care. One woman from an African country gave birth to quads while transiting through Heathrow. Her care for the babies came to bout £200000 but she didn't pay a penny. The guys job was to ask for any payment but they all just said they couldn't afford it and got away with it. These people never even lived in the UK so I assume if you did you will be looked after.

So what? Is it the receptionists job to decide whether immediate attention is required?

No it is not. But it is also not her job to decide whether you pay for the service or not. She's only doing what her employers tell her to do. If you want to bitch to someone about paying for your child to be seen you had the opportunity to while you were seeing the doctor.

Go after the airline that allowed her to board ....

Beoz, looks like your little one's GP appointment shouldn't have been charged for, as A&E AND GP appointments are supposed to be free of charge - see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/n...ns-to-nhs-care

Regarding any other NHS services, also from the link above -

People living outside the EEA

People who live outside the EEA, including former UK residents, should now make sure they are covered by personal health insurance, unless an exemption applies to them. Anyone who does not have insurance will be charged at 150% of the NHS national tariff for any care they receive.

As you more or less say, there's no ruling - its a business choice and because of their decision, they lost a family plus friends of the family, and given there is choice in the village its a dumb arse policy. FWIW. The GP had no idea either. Just an employee. No a policy maker.

So when this question arises again as it has done in the past, its the policy of the surgery, with a loose government guideline.