mumof2asdboys

Hi,

Posting a message as we are getting conflicting advice & I guess, wanting to widen the net.

We have been thinking for a long time about going to the UK to live. Hubby is english and the kids are dual citizens. We've been married for over 4 years outside of Uk which will hlep me with settlement / permanent visa and reduce wait times.

Afew areas that greatly concern me.

1. I spoke to the Education Authority who advised that the children are grouped by age. One of my boys would go into year 1 despite not having started school yet here. So is reception the same as kindergarten in what the kids learn?


2. Our children have medical conditions and we keep hearing that the level of support for them would be so much better than here (where nothing is covered by Medicare). This is the primary reason for moving. But is the health system very good there and how does it compare to Australian services? We've been told that it has changed greatly in the last 10 years

The move would wipe us financially but hoping we can get better services for the kids and enjoy the family connections we have there. Really difficult to decide what is right and hoping someone could offer advice from their own experiences / what they know.

Thank you.

Elvira

I'm afraid I know nothing about Australia, so cannot offer any comparison, but the uk-yankee site has a lot of useful information about moving to and living in the UK, including several forums where you can ask questions/search for posts looking for similar information:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/

(There's also the Wiki/Stickies here)

Elaine B.

I moved back to the UK from Canada just over a year ago so can't help with comparisons to Australia but I can say that I've been very pleased with the NHS since I returned. The day after we moved back my little girl (she was 14 months at the time) had to be taken to hospital as she had a seizure. My little boy also had a history of seizures and they have both been given first class treatment at our local hospital. It's also great that I don't have to pay for their prescriptions.

Bevm

I have no experience of Australia either.

I have had experience of moving kids between educational systems, which can differ substantially in Canada. At that age, a child shouldn't have much problem. If they need a little help, I'm sure the teachers will give you materials to go over at home.

You could also plan ahead. They'll be able to tell you, for example, where they should be in writing, and you can work on that ahead of time.

On the NHS, everyone I've heard of seems satisfied. There'll always be little variation, up and down.

You don't say what your work situation is and will be, and that has to be factored in. Also where you will likely live.

Having family support will be a huge help -- assuming a supportive family!

Bev

jonfrank123

Agreed, so far we have only been back 2 months but we've had to use the NHS. So far it stands head and shoulders over the Quebec health system in many ways and we are very pleased. Also ditto, not having to pay for my kids's prescriptions.

quoll

I think you will find that kids learn far more in UK in those early years - your sons will catch up but they may well find that they are "behind" where the other kids are. However, kids do tend to catch up sooner or later.

I notice your title says asdboys - from what I can gather, they are more likely to be statemented in UK than perhaps they may be in Aus - again that all depends on the state as to the degree of impairment and whether they get any additional support in school at all. That could mean higher levels of support than they get in Aus. Also, I believe that there are probably more specialist schools in UK than Aus - as you will know we have been in the vanguard of inclusion perhaps to the exclusion of a bank of expertise being used to support children with different needs. I have known of kids who have been in special schools for speech/language disorders in Uk who havent even come close to being eligible for any support at all here.

If you need the NHS - I guess I can only compare what my elderly parents receive with what I will be entitled to at their age and there is no comparison - their needs are far better met medically than mine will be here including free scripts, in home care etc.

Good luck with your decision!

katu

When we returned from Italy my son went straight into year 2 in England, having never been to school before (not old enough for the Italian system). He did very well and was in the top half of the class by the end of that school year.

I had taught him to read before he started, but his writing was very basic. He has come on leaps and bounds.

katu.

gail.crease

Reception is the same as prep in Oz not kindergarten. Year 1 is the same in both places.

Both my kids have ongoing medical problems. At first I thought the medical care was better here but it's costing us a small fortune in excess fees. I think the standard is pretty much the same in Melbourne but we didn't pay a thing in the UK. The biggest expense is glasses for both kids. My son's glasses cost $500 because he has to have special lenses. In the UK it's all free. My daughter had an eye operation recently that cost $3000 but only got $600 from medicare. She had the same operation in the UK privately and our insurance covered everything. Here our health insurance costs the same but only covers hospital stays and nothing else.

On the flip side medicare is only 1.5% of salary. In the UK it's about 11 to 12%. So you do pay in different ways.

merleoberon

On the flip side medicare is only 1.5% of salary. In the UK it's about 11 to 12%. So you do pay in different ways.[/QUOTE]

good point. although those fortunate to be earning large-ish salaries will also pay medicare levy surcharge in australia if they dont have private health insurance. plus as you say you dont get it all back.

i think the system in australia has some benefits over the UK NHS although one thing that bugs me is that whenever you go to the GP in australia , you are almost always referred on to a "specialist". at first this made me feel reallly special and important until i realised the 'specialists" were charging me for something fairly basic -eg I had round mark on my leg which was there for a couple of weeks and didnt respond to my usual technique of ignoring with intermittent moisturising. my neighbour who is a nurse said it was a fungal infection (like athletes foot of the leg) the first time she saw it and told me what to get from the chemist. but off i troops to the doc who refers me to a "specialist" (think its his mate) who scrapes it, swabs it then has me back a week later to tell me - guess what, its fungal - go and get the cream that the neighbour said to me 3 weeks prior!! same when my daughter went with a rash - that had to be seen by a specialist as well - by the time we went it had more or less cleared up.

anyway i think what i am trying to say that despites its problems, the NHS is in my opinion still one of the best. i also think that although you pay probably more for national insurance than health policy in australia, it doesnt seem as bad as its off your pay every month - you dont physically go to the doctor and get your visa card out. plus paying for childrens prescriptions here really annoys me.

hope it goes well with your boys no matter where you go - in my opinion they will be well looked after in the UK.

Grayling

Not quite as simple as that.

the medicare levy is only 1.5% but that, in no way, pays for all of medicare...it is also paid for out of general taxation.

the figure you quote for the UK ie. 11-12% covers far more than simply the NHS.

You are not comparing like for like.

G

aasmith1957

When you see a gp in Australia you usually pay around $55 upfront,claim $30? back,you have to pay for ultasounds,scans,specialist appoinments ,blood tests etc.You do claim a percentage back from medicare for these but have to pay upfront.Scripts are not free as in Wales and soon to be Scotland. Think they are 5 pounds a script for my b/p meds in Scotland from what my sis told me and i pay $38 a month here in Australia.Had a uti last month, $55 gp fees,urine test,then antibiotics.GP wants me to see a specialist and have an ultrasound.It means me travelling almost 3 hours by car and no way i can do these in the one day.My choice is to stay in Perth for a few days (if i can sort out appointments to work out the way i hope) or make 2 trips or more down to Perth.(when you say you are at least a 3 hour drive without adding time for traffic and peak periods they think you are lying),quite unhelpful even the hospitals.Trying to get a later appointment,(just because you live in the country).No can do, this was 3 months before one of my appointments last year.Very unhelpful young woman who really wanted to be sitting painting her nails i think, rather than trying to accomodate a patient.

Nu-Shooz

Medicare...NHS...no camparison.

NHS wins hands down.

Cape Blue

In fact NI covers a very small part of the NHS and most comes from normal taxation http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page....1592&orgid=452.

NI's big hit is pensions.

quoll

Inclined to agree with you! I need to go and see my GP and when I called for an appointment the first one I could get was 2 weeks away. Fortunately I can wait 2 weeks otherwise I would have been having to call at 8am to get one of the few spots she leaves for emergencies and they have usually all gone by 8.01. 3 month wait for a mammogram and my friend whose daughter has been having serious headaches had to wait 3 months to get into a paediatrician and now has another 6 weeks wait to get a scan. And everything is co-payment.