Please help clear up a question about healthcare
Jun 6th 2008, 3:32 am
#31
Retired and loving it!
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Ontinyent - Valencia region (campo)
Posts: 5,168
Re: Please help clear up a question about healthcare
Sorry thats not correct. All UK GPs are obliged to see visitors from EU countries (and others where there is a reciprocal agreement) free of charge. If a prescription is required they must also write that free of charge and the patient will be required to pay the usual fee to the pharmacist when the drugs are collected. They are not obliged to do referrals for specialist treatment unless it is an emergency. Emergency treatment is free wherever you are from.
As I said before if you left the UK within the last 10 years (having paid national insurance contributions beforehand) or currently receive a UK state pension then you are entitled to free referral and treatment. All you should need to provide is your UK NHS number. Generally speaking you would be expected to want to come home i.e. back to Spain for ongoing or long term treatment but they can't make you. If your old GP knows you have left the country they are supposed to send your records away to their local health board where they remain until another GP calls for them if you ever register with one. As most GPs now have some sort of computer system they usually still have any computerised records which they can refer to.
GPs get paid by the NHS for all temporary patients they see from qualifying countries and have to provide numbers and details of treatment to their local health boards on a monthly basis. They do not get paid for seeing 'private patients' from non-qualifying countries and can charge these people whatever they like. However the BMA publishes a table of 'suggested fees'. The Docs I worked for charged £50 for a 10 minute consultation. Most of those we charged were US tourists who planned to claim back from their travel insurance. No doubt the charge is more than the GP would get from the NHS but far be it from me to suggest that there are GPs out there supplementing their income with private fees that they should not be charging!
Rose
As I said before if you left the UK within the last 10 years (having paid national insurance contributions beforehand) or currently receive a UK state pension then you are entitled to free referral and treatment. All you should need to provide is your UK NHS number. Generally speaking you would be expected to want to come home i.e. back to Spain for ongoing or long term treatment but they can't make you. If your old GP knows you have left the country they are supposed to send your records away to their local health board where they remain until another GP calls for them if you ever register with one. As most GPs now have some sort of computer system they usually still have any computerised records which they can refer to.
GPs get paid by the NHS for all temporary patients they see from qualifying countries and have to provide numbers and details of treatment to their local health boards on a monthly basis. They do not get paid for seeing 'private patients' from non-qualifying countries and can charge these people whatever they like. However the BMA publishes a table of 'suggested fees'. The Docs I worked for charged £50 for a 10 minute consultation. Most of those we charged were US tourists who planned to claim back from their travel insurance. No doubt the charge is more than the GP would get from the NHS but far be it from me to suggest that there are GPs out there supplementing their income with private fees that they should not be charging!
Rose
This is clearly not quite correct or as previously stated, one would NOT need the EHIC card to go back to the UK or indeed for UK residents to come here and then be eligible for emergency treatment.
I happen to know this for a fact. A (spanish resident) friend of mine had a major infection in his finger. For whatever reason, he decided to go back to UK and get treatment. Not having an EHIC card from Spain, he was treated and then BILLED!!!!!!!
Jun 7th 2008, 2:51 am
#32
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Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Catalonia, Spain
Posts: 530
Re: Please help clear up a question about healthcare
This is clearly not quite correct or as previously stated, one would NOT need the EHIC card to go back to the UK or indeed for UK residents to come here and then be eligible for emergency treatment.
I happen to know this for a fact. A (spanish resident) friend of mine had a major infection in his finger. For whatever reason, he decided to go back to UK and get treatment. Not having an EHIC card from Spain, he was treated and then BILLED!!!!!!!
I happen to know this for a fact. A (spanish resident) friend of mine had a major infection in his finger. For whatever reason, he decided to go back to UK and get treatment. Not having an EHIC card from Spain, he was treated and then BILLED!!!!!!!
When I was working for a UK GP practice we were never required to ask UK citizens for anything other than a home address and NHS number. If they were UK resident we also took the details of their own GP. Perhaps your friend didn't have sufficient proof that he was originally from the UK?
The GP practice where I worked was in a major tourist area and we had hundreds of temporary patients every year from all over the world. For this reason all the admin staff were very clued up on who we could and could not charge. The doctors didn't have a clue. My advice would be to check with the Practice Manager what their charging policy is for visiting patients. If they don't get many maybe they aren't really familiar with the rules. There should be a complaints procedure that can be followed if you think you have been wrongly charged. Alternatively find a practice that knows who to charge and who not to.
Rose
Jun 7th 2008, 3:12 am
#33
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Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Catalonia, Spain
Posts: 530
Re: Please help clear up a question about healthcare
I've just checked the NHS website which may or may not help to clarify matters. See www.nhs.uk/movingabroad/pages/livingabroad.aspx
You should not be using a EHIC card here or in the UK and you should not be returning to the UK for planned treatment as I said in my earlier posts.
The exception is if you are entitled to an E106 - see the website.
Emergency treatment while you are a visitor to the UK should be free.
Rose
You should not be using a EHIC card here or in the UK and you should not be returning to the UK for planned treatment as I said in my earlier posts.
The exception is if you are entitled to an E106 - see the website.
Emergency treatment while you are a visitor to the UK should be free.
Rose
Jun 7th 2008, 10:03 pm
#34
Banned
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: Living in a good place
Posts: 8,824
Re: Please help clear up a question about healthcare
I am in the Spanish health system and have a Spanish EHIC which is for use in the UK.
Jun 7th 2008, 10:51 pm
#35
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Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Chiclana
Posts: 3,327
Re: Please help clear up a question about healthcare
Say if you worked in Gib and paying into the Gib system. Would you then get covered for treatment in UK and in Spain?
