beckiwoo

Yes I think you know what I am talking about as you mention the guidelines. The doctor did refer me but it was the clinic who refused.

My mother (who because she opened the letter from the NHS is having kittens right now, which is not helping me). She spoke to a friends daughter who is a RPN in the UK and advised I go back for the procedure.

I have also been informed that BC wait times for theis procedure are long and can be weeks and months. All I will say is the NHS rightly or wrongly are on the ball with this one.

What is PSA?

scrubbedexpat091

Wait times in BC are largely based on how urgent the need is, if one can wait medically, the wait will be longer so those who cannot wait long can access services quicker. That is how I understand how it all works anyhow.

I know when my wife had gall bladder issues, she was in surgery within 2 weeks despite the wait times being long according to the gov't averages for her surgeon and hospital.



I don't know exactly what PSA test stands for, I just know it has to do with prostate cancer screening, but I have no family history of it, and not of an age where doctors even mention it, so not something I have looked into beyond what has been mentioned in the news.

Tirytory

I imagine I can guess what you're both referring to also and suspect that I have been there done that. Hence my yearly follow up's that are no more here. But to be honest you can't get specific advice on an Internet forum. You have been advised by one doctor on how they would treat you and the NHS are saying something different but given that you're not in the UK and Canada isn't a third world healthcare system I think flying home is a bit drastic. I would be more inclined to try and speak to your UK consultant and clarify whether he feels it's acceptable to follow their current plan for you. That shouldn't be too hard to do although phoning for Canada might be a bit of a red card to them as to whether you should actually be treated as a resident...

BristolUK

Wouldn't closer work? Say Bellingham?

scrubbedexpat091

That could work to. Figured Seattle might have more options, and well more to do if one didn't one to go just for the doctor/lab.

beckiwoo

And as I already said as I'm not a PR in Canada yet and I have explained this to the nurse in the UK who did my test. My PR status is still the UK but I am a resident here.

I asked on here as I wanted to speak to nurses an GPs who have worked both in the UK and Canada.

What you don't realize is how confused, stressed and upset I am at the moment with this and came on here to get some advise (rightly or wrongly).

After speaking to the nurses line BC, they advised me to push for another test out here and so I will get a second opinion from another clinic.

Tirytory

I appreciate you are stressed but nevertheless without spelling it out for us we're kinda working in the dark and it's not a good idea to give medical advice anyway. What you've done sounds sensible though. I still think it's reasonable to contact the UK doctor dealing with it and ask his advice..

I think this does apply to you regardless of whether you have PR or not. If you are not ordinarily resident and not a specially exempt person NHS treatment is not free. See link. I'm happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable though.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/n...ns-to-nhs-care

Tirytory

Maybe it's the phrase "ordinarily resident" where the answer lies..

beckiwoo

As I said I am already speaking to a RPN in the UK right now. My doctor didnt do the test and the hospital is a doctor I don't know personally, if I could call the NHS direct help line from here I would be but guess what I cant!!

I don't want to get into some petty argument about whether Im sponging off then NHS or not right now. This is not what my concerns are about right now The conclusion is if I can get it done here I will.

However if I have to leave when my permit is up or if I don't get my PR then I will return to the UK and then it's no longer a problem is it.

Thank you to everyone else who has assisted me mostly kindly. I appreciate it

BristolUK

This does seem to leave room for interpretation - unless there's a real definition somewhere. I haven't read the link, it just resonated a bit with me when I moved to NB.

In the Medicare information for NB I remember it said something similar. Something like made their home in NB under the normal meaning of the words.

Since I was married to a Canadian (with the PR a formality) and she and her Canadian kids were on the same Medicare application, with us having moved here and owning the house here, that seemed to fit the ordinary meaning of living in NB.

But they insisted PR had to be done first.

Obviously this was on the Canada side rather than the UK but it's a similar thing, maybe.

Job applications seem to be clear enough - with clear references to being citizen or PR. So when something else talks about living in the province one might think it was a bit more flexible.

But then from experiences posted over the years, the NHS probably has been flexible. Perhaps less so now with all the various tightening up going on.

bc2015

I see a little bit of this with dentistry too. For example, people here seem to be encouraged to have their wisdom teeth removed, even if they are not impacting.

scrubbedexpat091

Dentists in North America have every incentive to have patients get as much work done as possible, so they likely get people to have them removed simply to bring in more money for the practice.

I can say when you don't have private insurance, and have BC Gov't dental cover as we do, the dentist's don't push to have them removed if not impacted, but no insurance company to bill and they know if you have BC dental cover your poor and not paying for anything extra.

Siouxie

I believe she is well within her rights to use the NHS as she is working temporarily overseas, at present.

Who can receive all NHS hospital treatment free of charge?

You can get free NHS hospital treatment if you are lawfully entitled to be in the UK and usually live here. This is called being ordinarily resident. Some people from abroad who are not ordinarily resident in the UK can receive all NHS hospital treatment free of charge. If you are entitled to free NHS hospital treatment, family members including your spouse, civil partner and dependent children will also be able to get free treatment, but only if they are lawfully allowed to live in the UK. In many cases, they must also be living with you throughout your stay to qualify. You can receive free NHS hospital treatment if you:
beckiwoo I hope that you manage to get it sorted out ok, whether it's by getting a 2nd opinion and further investigative work done here or by returning to the UK temporarily. Try not to stress out too much, I know it's difficult but it's not going to help and will probably make you feel much worse. Trust that you will get the treatment you need if necessary.

> hugs <

beckiwoo

Thank you Siouxie.

You have always been my favourite admin on here (not joking and a great resource for immigration help so thank you for your supportive message on a very personal matter.

I have had a few individuals on this forum, who have assisted/are assisting me so that I can go back and get what I need from the medical professionals here.

I know that I am not always the easiest person on here when it comes to disagreeing with people or getting upset when I don't get the answer I want to but this time am so thankful to the people who have taken the time to help me.

Thank you

Siouxie

That's really very sweet of you, thank you

I'm quite sure that everyone wishes you well and wants you to get the best advice and treatment you can.

Hang in there!