sanpanspain

Hi all we moved to atzeneta in rural spain a year ago, we have registered our s1 for healthcare and we wondered if anyone out there knows if we get the routine healthcare as in england, example mammograms, cervical smears and mens health, we have changed our car to spanish plates, and done all the legal things . we think are necessary but wondered how the spanish interpret our health records etc, its a little unnerving at the moment and the doctors bare issuing us a sip for six months at a time, any advice would be gratefully received, thanks sandy and phil noble.

Rosemary

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

We think that this post would gain the answers for you if it is moved to the Spain forum so will move it for you.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

sanpanspain

Thank you a year before we moved to spain your site was very helpful and i enquired about taking our pets and we had some very sound advice just couldnt remember my user name so i have joined again tonight for your help. Thanks again sandy

Rosemary

No problem, glad you are pleased that I moved it.

Each region of Spain seems to have different rules regarding healthcare, which region are you in? The S1 form seems to cover a lot of different people so can I ask if you are pensioners? Other members will be able to advise you once they know a few more facts.

Sounds like you have been ploughing through the red tape slowly but surely, well done, it is horrible but very necessary.

Have you settled in well where you live, is everything what you expected?

Glad you joined us.

Rosemary

sanpanspain

yes i am 61 and husband 64 he is covered on my s1 until he is 65 , he also has his own s1 arranged before we left england last june, we are learning the language but i am concerned if we do not get the routine check ups we are used to getting in england, newcastle have transferred our healthcare contributions to spain and we have both worked up to the full entitlement we need, thanks for your warm welcome, hope someone out there can advise, sandy n phil.

Fred James

I think you will find that the routine checkups available in Spain are far better than in the UK.

Unlike the UK where you have to be seriously ill before they are prepared to spend money on diagnostics tests, in Spain they are much more into preventive medicine.

In our local health centre the area which does routine blood tests is positively overflowing! If your doctor needs an X-Ray it is done within a few minutes on site.

Rosemary

You say that the doctors are issuing you with a 6 monthly SIP card. Did you go to the Social Security office to register for health care prior to registering with the doctor?

Rosemary

Mitzyboy

This happened to me. I still dont know why, but after we qualified for full healthcare they seemed incapable of issuing a full card, and we kept getting temporary ones. At one point I was refused treatment at the doctor because they said we were "temporary" residents

It sorted itself out in the end, but was a bit of a nightmare

jackytoo

When we returned to the UK we were given a full check up by our new GP. ECG, Blood tests/urine etc. In the case of my OH he was also sent for further X-rays. Maybe your info is out of date?

Mitzyboy

When I went for a check up at Centro Medico, Oliva Nova I was given a full set up blood tests, and he did about 6 scans of different internal organs. It was quite a comprehensive check up.

Conversely my wife consulted the doctor when we were in the UK earlier in the year and they sent her for Xray and did local checks at the surgery as well, so equally as attentive

agoreira

Way out of date, but then that sort of post is not unexpected, Spain good, UK bad. I've had precautionary MRI scans, x-rays, all manner of various test. I've had the tests where you send off samples of you poo! Friend of ours had the same, no previous complaints whatsoever, turns out he had blood in his stools, long story short, straight in for 5 hour operation for cancer! All peventative medicine.

Loco Pedro

We've been here full time for nearly 6 years and still have to go through the same hoops every 6 months for a temporary SIP card based on my wife's S1.
Also, we have to visit the accreditation department of Denia hospital where the S1 is examined and they issue each of us with a letter to confirm that we qualify for health care.
The letter has to be shown on every occasion that we visit the hospital.
The new S1 form seems to be somewhat confusing for Newcastle. Even though I was listed as a dependant on the wife's application, Newcastle did not send a separate S1 for me - (now essential) - until we requested it.

sanpanspain

we went to castellon, valencia region social security, and presented S1, they had not a clue, but after we contacted british consulate in malaga, they contacted castellon social and told them this was a new form and they must use it, that was then sent to madrid and we received back our S1 s entitling us to health care for us each with two dependents on each form, hope you follow so far, we then went to our local doctor and they issued us with a six month sip card, although we are resident and do n ot go to england for healthcare, we have a ehic card to use if we take ill in england, all we were unsure about is how do they do routine checks if we only have a temporary sip? Sorry this sounds complicated but we are a little confused, many of the few english that live here go home if they need checks or treatment, thanks for your replies.

Mitzyboy

Well basically your EHIC card is for emergency treatment whilst you are in England. As you are no longer a UK resident, you are not entitled to normal NHS care. As you say, your husband is entitled as well.

As for your SIP card, it may be different where you are, but that is where our problem was. The local health centre cant issue the temporary SIP card, that is done by Valencia ... and we had to apply for it at a local Central Health Centre where they had a special desk for dealing with the applications. Only when we did that did they issue a proper one from Valencia, and that arrived in the post. We DID have to take the letter you refer to as well to the Central Health Centre. We got that from the "Social Security" offices.

Rosemary

I think that every country is probably the same it all depends what area you live in. My treatment here in Spain was excellent my wife´s in Sorrento Italy was something from the middle ages, all the modern scanners etc but bathrooms that had not seen a cleaner in years, (no exaggeration), broken fittings no toilet seat etc and the only nourishment she had was green tea from a bowl. No doubt others from the Italy forum will be able to say that their area is excellent.
My experience with the NHS was six years ago when my mother had a stroke. Hastings Conquest Hospital, if you live in that catchment area unless it has changed then heaven help you because the care was utter rubbish, I would not even have taken a dog to be looked at. After a few weeks going downhill she was moved to a nursing home, she was obviously dying and I was asked if I wanted her to carry on being hydrated, if I had said no then she would have died more quickly. From then on I always swore that I would not allow the NHS to look after me when I was old.
As I said earlier it is our own experiences that dictate our beliefs, because of mine Spain´s HS is far better than the NHS no doubt others have similar experiences but the opposite way round. If the statistics are anything to go by there does not appear to be much between them, all health services are staffed by many dedicated professionals who should be applauded for their work. I know that the care in the NHS is very postcode dependant but I suppose that this applies to all health services everywhere.
As a post script what ended as the absolute sour taste in my mouth regarding the death of my mother was my company´s refusal to give me a paid day off for her funeral, that after working there for 17 years. Stupid really because I never ever did a full days work there again until I retired.