Ozzidoc

Any update?

dontheturner

Not on Mine, either, but I have had two operations, over the years. don

dontheturner

In my case, the full long one. don

Jay Bird

I don't know if the link below has already been posted as I haven't read all the way through the thread. If you look at the bit "Who can receive all NHS treatment free of charge" it quite clearly states:

You can receive free NHS hospital treatment if you:-

•have been living legally in the UK for at least 12 months when you seek treatment, and did not come to the UK for private medical treatment. Temporary absences from the UK of up to three months are ignored
•have come to the UK to take up permanent residence, for example, if you are a former UK resident who has returned from abroad, or if you have been granted leave to enter or remain as a spouse

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/...rom_abroad.htm


When OH and I returned after 4 years in Canada we moved from the Manchester area to West Sussex and registered with a local GP; we were asked for our passports for ID purposes, but not whether we'd lived out of the country.

To the OP....I really hope this allays your fears and helps you find the treatment your sister needs.

Ozzidoc

The original post is six months old. Hence my request for an update

Jay Bird

Okay, so I'm a bit late with my advice.......

crazydrummer

My contribution here is happening at this point (late) because this particular issue is one that i have been studying off and on for a year, trying, rather unsuccessfully, to get a totally clear picture of the UK state's position on it. My personal feeling is that the rules are a) a bit of a mess, and b) a 'scandal' waiting to happen. My hunch is that the only reason this topic has not been splashed all over British tabloid front-pages, is that the majority of NHS staff simply look the other way - or rather HAVE been looking the other way when a returnee or arriver in the UK turns up at a GP clinic or hospital - but that their basically humane approach will come under pressure to change from now on. I latched onto the above valuable post, because the link to the CAB advice-page on the topic is indispensable reading. Particularly provoking is the fact that it might be easiest to ensure free treatment by committing a crime - "are imprisoned in the UK or detained by UK immigration authorities" The first things to repeat are : a) how long one contributed N.I. contributions is irrelevant - though it shouldn't be; b) having fought for 'your country' is irrelevant - ditto; c) having been 'born and raised' here is irrelevant; d) having an NH number on a birth-certificate is irrelevant- or rather, insufficient. Ok, here's one way to represent my own unease with the rules: To be eligible at the time of requiring treatment, one must have been resident in the UK for 12 months - and 8 months + 29 or 30 days won't do, because that takes the time away over the 'away UP TO 3 Months' limit. BUT - and this is not clear to me because the list does not say OR...this major rule is superceded by a would-be patient saying: "I am returning to live in the UK for good". Ok, but if it doesn't say OR, then rules 2 and 1 could be contradictory, so a medic could say: "Ok, you're back for good, but you've been away 6 months, so you'll have to wait 6 months before resuming your NHS entitlement." Secondly on this point - presumably, this particular explanation is a ONCE-ONLY gambit - go abroad for another 3 Months+++ period and what happens the next time a bod comes back and needs treatment ? One look at the passport....and being paranoid, it would be somewhat daunting if the govt. links the NHS computer system to the Customs&Immigration system ? Bound to come ? Reading down the CAB page, there is a hugely important Rule for all UK-pensioners, who are a large part of the constituency of people interested in this issue: You are entitled to free NHS treatment if: you normally live abroad, and are receiving a UK state pension, and have lived in the UK in the past for at least ten years But, this rule is in the section dealing with which VISITORS to the UK are entitled - so here my worries are about the definitions of: "normally live abroad", and "visitor" - specifically, exactly how does this rule mesh with all the others ? I mean, e.g., is one 'normally living abroad' if one breaks the 'not more than 3 months away' condition..or what ? This rule could potentially apply to so many 1,000s of British pensioners that the lack of clarity/definition here is vital. Anyone feel confident enough to give an opinion on this - please ? Maybe a slightly mischievious letter to a Brit. MP asking for clarification would cause a stir - bet none of them knows without a lot of research. I read the whole of this thread before posting, and my feeling was that many posts were a bit complacent, and/or behind-the-times in terms of the politico-economic landscape today. Hence my baffled post - an expression of a genuine worry in my mind about my health-care in the future. Here is a link to a very recent newspaper (yes, i know, scaremongering rag) article : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...h-tourism.html
Does anyone still believe it will continue to be the old cuddly NHS for years to come ? I don't.

formula

I think the NHS is too big to be cuddled now. It is something like the 3rd or 4th biggest employer in the world.

The government will have to tighten the rules and enforce them, to protect the NHS.

sallysimmons

See, I was with you until you linked to the Daily Mail.

But no, I don't think the Tories will keep the NHS as it is now. They have been on a mission to dismantle it ever since it was created and they will keep trying. The current debt talk is just the reason given, but not the real reason driving the actions.

formula

David Cameron is a big fan of the NHS, having made several dashes to the local hospital with his late, disabled son.

What he is against is the abuse of the NHS.

New enforced rules will mean that it will be a much fairer system for those who live in the UK and pay their taxes, which allows the NHS to continue. It will not be so good for those who seek to abuse it.

crazydrummer

Hi - note my qualification: "scaremongering rag" - no lover of the Mail here ! - but the article is very recent and i'm not in the business of censoring - the Mail is read by millions, including my own 85-yr old father, so it's content is important as a media reality. I'm not really interested in turning this important topic into a party-political punch-up - only seeking informed contributions with practical aims for real individuals returning to the UK. However, on the subject of dismantling the NHS, my personal (bad) experiences of NHS hospital treatment compared to my personal (good) experiences of Private (bupa) hospital care, led me to feel that the NHS has already been partially ruined by the massive diversion of medical talent into the ever-growing private sector.

sallysimmons

We'll see.

Pomster

My husband and I are both Brits but we were living in Aus and were on holiday in UK a few years ago when he collapsed. The hospital suspected a young stroke.
I told the hospital our situation and about our travel insurance and they said ' because it is life threatening and an emergency, it is free' Elective surgery, or additional treatment/non-urgent treatment, they seem to treat differently.

Jerseygirl

All visitors to the UK can get free emergency medical care. It is possible to get non urgent treatment free on the NHS...its down to the discretion of the doctor/clinic.

formula

If you get run over by a car, while in the UK as a visitor, you get the ambulance to the hospital and any treatment in A & E for free. If you then need an operation, you have to pay for it and if you need to spend time on a ward, you pay for that too.