lucylove

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered. I moved back to the UK three weeks ago after living in the US for 13 years. I am an English subject and have two children born in the US who so far only have American passports (I've just got the paperwork to get UK ones). I want them to see a GP but they need proof that they are eligible for free healthcare. Is there something that I can get that is quicker than a passport, such as a NI number (I think they are too young for them?)

Thanks,

Lucy

Mummy in the foothills

Is the doctors office asking for proof they are eligible for NHS care?

SanDiegogirl

They are probably looking for proof that you are permanently resident in the UK and not just visiting. Do you have a rental agreement, bank account etc.

lucylove

They are happy for me to register, but they want proof for my sons.

dunroving

Birth certificates, maybe? Residence is the criterion - so if they are satisfied that you are resident, presumably the only evidence they need is that they are your children?

Sounds like a jobsworth situation, TBH.

Pom_Chch

Nope, no jobsworth about this situation. As someone who has worked for the NHS they are cracking down on people coming into the UK, getting cheap prescriptions and then going back to their country. I had an american girl in who wanted a minor procedure done (wont go into gory details) but we declined as she was only on holiday in the UK for two weeks before going back again. Essentially she would have come into the UK, used our free resources that tax payers have paid for and then buggered off back to the States happy that she didn't have to fork out hundreds of dollars for it back there. Quite honestly I couldn't believe the cheek of the woman!

I'm obviously not suggesting that lucylove is doing this as I know she is not in the situation, but I have given my reason as to why they want this information.

Mummy in the foothills

Maybe if the kids are registered for school she can show proof of that before the passports come. But a UK passport doesn't show proof of residence only proof of citizenship.

dunroving

From post #4 I read that they are happy for her to register, but seem to want additional evidence for the children. That definitely seems a bit "Jobsworthy" to me - why would you want separate evidence of residence for a person and their children? If they are satisfied with the OP's eligibility to register, then residence of her children shouldn't be an issue (unless the children are adults, I suppose).

That's why I suggested that the evidence needed really is that the child is truly the child of the person registering (so either is on the OP's passport or the OP has a birth certificate).

I understand the concern about NHS tourism (have read and contributed to enough threads on the topic) but the practice doesn't seem to have a concern about the OP herself, at least from what was said in Post #4.

Pom_Chch

From what I understood it's because the mother is a British citizen and therefore has a UK passport but the children are not because they were born in the USA. So from the docs point of view the kids could very well be "just visiting". Technically what could happen is that the mother could register herself using a friends address, allow her kids access to NHS treatments and then go back to USA. I'm not for one moment suggesting that lucylove is doing this because I understand that she has come to live in the UK with her kids. But I know that visitors from other countries have done this, who have UK passports but do not live in the UK and do not intend to stay after prescriptions/treatment.

If the kids also had UK passports then I would think it was a bit jobsworthy yes. It is because they do not that is the problem here. I am just basing this on what I have follow in practice before.

SanDiegogirl

Hence my earlier post which said that Mum must prove residency in the UK.

dunroving

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what the OP said (or she didn't explain it fully) but she seemed to say (in response to the suggestion that she needs to show residency) that the practice was happy for her to register, but not for her children to register.

That just seems odd - either mum needs to show evidence of residency or not (it seems not from her post) - if the practice are happy for her to register then it seems they must be satisfied with her residence status. It's the inconsistency that doesn't make sense. Not many people live in a different country than their school age children ...

I guess only the OP can clear up the details.

Bluegrass Lass

This was exactly my thought too. If it was a residency issue, then the same evidence that mum provided should also suffice for the children. The only thing I can think of is that they don't think the children are hers?

What else could one show for proof of residency for their children? Surely the surgery would assume the children (if still minors) are living at home with her, their mother? Which would then satisfy the residency question.

SanDiegogirl

The children could be visiting their mother who is separated from their father -father has custody in the States. Mother has residence in the UK, children do not.

Maybe when the patient has a UK passport, has an address in the UK and speaks with a British accent, the NHS personnel gives them the benefit of the doubt as to their residency and eligibility for the NHS.

Children who do not have a UK passport (this issue highlights one problem of not getting their UK passports before you arrive) could be seen as just visiting.

I pity the poor old medical staff, having to ascertain who is eligible and who is not with the amount of people abusing the system whom we are always hearing about.

Presume they will be going to school. Can't she provide something from the school?

vikingsail

Agree with all that's been said. It seems very jobsworthy and lacking in the application of commonsense. I imagine the number of cases where children(s) custody is with a father in the US is fairly low. So if the facts are correct it seems antagonistic and lacking in some good old 'common.'

I wonder how the great architect of this type of petty legislation, Tony Blair and his children are able to get treatment on the NHS despite being absent from the country for many many months and years in some cases?

Pom_Chch

Think of this the other way around...

Just say, for example, the USA gives out free health care treatment. If I go out there with a UK passport, no proof of address and not even a hint of an American accent do you think they would allow me to register for free treatment? I very much doubt it!

From working in the NHS I know that foreigners come to the UK on holiday and try and snap up our free services whilst they are here. The NHS are really cracking down on this so when a mum turns up with a UK passport and kids with USA passport with no proof that they live in the UK how can you possibly think the surgery is going to be OK with this? Without sounding harsh I'm glad to see the rules are being put in place to stop foreign people from using our resources and then going back to their own country leaving us Brits to foot the bill from our taxes.

I would imagine if you plan to stay in the UK the kids would be at school. I would imagine this would be enough evidence to prove you are not on holiday.

As I said before the reason the docs are not happy is purely because the kids have an American passport and the mum has a UK passport. That is the difference in this case. In their eyes the kids are on holiday until they are proven otherwise...