cowpey

Back for advice!
Our family of three (son now 24) moved to West Australia 8 years ago and this forum was invaluable at the time. Its so reassuring to see it is still here.

We have now decided to go back to England for 12 months as my mum is rapidly deteriorating with Alzheimers and we want to spend some time with her. My husband has just had major surgery for bile duct cancer and is having chemotherapy which finishes in June. He will need follow up and CT scans in the UK during the year we are away to ensure it has gone away. we are citizens in Australia.

1. do we need a specific visa to return for a year or do we just rock up with our passports and get jobs?

2. what is the best option for my husband to access specialist follow up as I know there are new NHS changes in place now? we cannot carry our private health here in Oz to UK

your advice would be appreciated thank you all

old.sparkles

Do you both have british citizenship / passports? If so, just rock up.

As for accessing the NHS, you need to be resident to use the NHS for free. If this is only a long term visit to the UK, then that might be an issue.

moneypenny20

Just a thought but the NHS 'could' decide that they are there purely to use NHS facilities/treatment and refuse. They would then need to go private and that would cost an arm and a leg for scans etc. Tricky situation.

OP, I suggest you ask the NHS question in the Moving Back section, there may be people there who have had the same issue.

Pulaski

As OS and MP said, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you have taken up residence, not just come for a visit, albeit a long one. A lease on a home and utilities in your name should easily be sufficient, but make sure that you only tell people that you have "moved back", even friends and neighbours as you never know if someone might rat you out, for example if they, or someone they know, works for the NHS, or even for the local media.

BritInParis

As British citizens you only need valid British passports to return. NHS care is residence-based so you would need to resident in the UK, not visiting, to use its services for free. Change '12 months' to 'foreseeable future' and I don't think you'll have a problem. It's people flying in from the US or Spain for a week to go to hospital for operations which is what is being cracked down on. If you're living and working in the UK then you'll be fine.

teejaydee

One other thing to do is obtain from your husband's doctor a letter detailing all the treatment your husband has had, chemotherapy drugs administered, any complications/allergies, etc. The doctor in the UK will not be happy in picking up your husband's care unless he/she is fully aware of the treatment he has received to date. If you can, bring DVD images of the latest CT scan and as much information as you can.

In my case, I returned to the UK (not from Australia) for ongoing treatment, and my doctor contacted the hospital in the UK in advance of my arrival. I was therefore "known" to the UK doctor and this made the whole process of transferring my care from one doctor to another much simpler.