Entitlement to NHS treatment

[tanga]

I am planning a visit to UK. My wife holds dual citizenship and we plan to spend about 2 months in the country before a trip to Cyprus. We have no serious medical issues or concerns but I wish to ask the forum what the rules are concerning NHS treatment for non-resident British citizens. We may be still registered with our GP unless there is any automatic delisting of patients who have not attended for a certain period,in our case 11 years.
I know that full entitlement would be granted if we were from Bulgaria, Poland or Lithuania with no history of previous residence or tax paying.
I believe that emergency treatment would be forthcoming regardless of status such as the Nigerian visitor recently treated by NHS at a cost of 200k http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...von-Lady.htmlw
Can anybody tell me the what the rules are and whether we would be able to receive free treatment

[Terpe]

Sorry to say tanga, but, as you may have guessed, entitlement to free NHS treatment is based on the patient’s residency.
Anyone who has been out of the UK for more than three months is regarded as an overseas visitor on resuming residency and requiring healthcare.
See Guidance on charges for NHS treatment and exemptions for people visiting the UK..

[Arthur Little]

Guess I'm living in 'cloud land' in saying this ... but I do wish the World Health Organisation could channel its energies into devising some sort of scheme whereby, either free or affordable medical care could be made available to ALL - regardless of nationality.

[tanga]

Sorry to say tanga, but, as you may have guessed, entitlement to free NHS treatment is based on the patient’s residency.
Anyone who has been out of the UK for more than three months is regarded as an overseas visitor on resuming residency and requiring healthcare.
See Guidance on charges for NHS treatment and exemptions for people visiting the UK..

Thanks for the info and the link,Terpe. Confirms what I thought was the case

[DropsOfJupiter]

Tanga, you can get free treatment if you have been treated in a hospital accident and emergency (A&E) or similar treatment done by an NHS Walk-In Service.

For elective treatments such as planned surgery or non-urgent cases, you will not be entitled to any treatment unless you go private (outside NHS). Hope that helps.

[lastlid]

I have just received a copy of my wife's online Spouse Visa application. At the head of the application and at the foot are declarations (that she has to sign) that include the following words.....

I AM AWARE THAT I MAY BE BILLED FOR ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT UNDERTAKEN IN THE UK AND THAT I DO NOT HAVE RECOURSE TO PUBLIC FUNDS DURING MY STAY IN THE UK.

I was under the impression that she would be eligible to use the NHS free of charge but this seems to say otherwise.......

Any thoughts on this?

Thankyou

[imagine]

i may be wrong but as i understood it,, after being absent from uk for over 3 months you are not entitled to free national health services, no matter how many years you have lived and worked in uk previously,, this is correct.

but i also believe that on returning, provided that you have returned permanantly to stay, on these grounds you will be treated as any other new imigrant,and once a nat ins number is succesfully applied and given ,only then are you entitled to nhs free treatment,

i have heard of an x pat returning once a year and had no problems,he proberbly never declared he had been living abroad

as you have no medical problems,,,, i advice you get travel insurance that will cover you for any such circumstance you may become ill while travelling

[Dedworth]

Bin passports and any other ID, claim asylum and in addition to NHS treatment they'll give you a house

[lastlid]

For elective treatments such as planned surgery or non-urgent cases, you will not be entitled to any treatment unless you go private (outside NHS). Hope that helps.

Anybody got any ideas on insurance or the like, for this?

[Terpe]

Anybody got any ideas on insurance or the like, for this?

Anybody got any ideas on insurance or the like, for this?

lastlid,
Please stop worrying.
Your wife is entitled to full NHS treatment as soon as she arrives on her spouse visa.
Just make sure to register with a local GP asap. Much better if you can be with her at the time as many practices do not fully understand the rules.
Prescription charges follow normal rules

Look here:-
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/E...able/DH_074376

[lastlid]

OK Good stuff. Thankss.

[fred]

As a long term non resident,I become a resident the second the plane lands at Heathrow..Then I`m entitled to NHS care.. End of!!
(as long as my intention is to become a permanent resident..No proof required as far as I can tell)

[Terpe]

As a long term non resident,I become a resident the second the plane lands at Heathrow..Then I`m entitled to NHS care.. End of!!

Not quite fred!
Depends what exactly you are referring to.

If it's entitlement to free NHS treatment, think again.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/E...able/DH_074374


Anyone who is not ordinarily resident is subject to the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011. These regulations place a responsibility on NHS hospitals to establish whether a person is ordinarily resident; or exempt from charges under one of a number of exemption categories; or liable for charges.

What about British Nationals? I have paid taxes in the past.

Nationality or past or present payments of UK taxes and National Insurance contributions are not taken into consideration when establishing residence. The only thing relevant is whether you ordinarily live in the UK.

[Doc Alan]

This link might also help :-
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/wh...es/healthcare/

[fred]

Thanks Doc..But..Not quite!



Are you taking up or resuming permanent residence in the UK?



Under the current Regulations, anyone who is taking up or resuming permanent residence in the UK is entitled to free National Health Service (NHS) hospital treatment in England. If your intention is to live permanently in the UK you will be exempt from hospital charges from the date of your arrival in the country but you should expect to be asked to prove your intention and that you are legally entitled to live here. This exemption applies to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16, or 19 if in further education) if they are living here with you on a permanent basis.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/E...able/DH_074376

but you should expect to be asked to prove your intention and that you are legally entitled to live here.

Im VERY confident that I could satisfy those particular requirements quite easily.....If asked to.

Cheers,
Fred.

[Terpe]

As a long term non resident,I become a resident the second the plane lands at Heathrow..Then I`m entitled to NHS care.. End of!!
[I](as long as my intention is to become a permanent resident..No proof required as far as I can tell)[/I]

Your additional final statement is exactly correct.

[fred]

As a long term non resident,I become a resident the second the plane lands at Heathrow..Then I`m entitled to NHS care.. End of!!

Terpe..
I rarely make a statement such as the one above unless Im at least fairly certain that it is correct!

[lastlid]

Under the current Regulations, anyone who is taking up or resuming permanent residence in the UK is entitled to free National Health Service (NHS) hospital treatment in England. If your intention is to live permanently in the UK you will be exempt from hospital charges from the date of your arrival in the country but you should expect to be asked to prove your intention and that you are legally entitled to live here. This exemption applies to your spouse, civil partner and children (under the age of 16, or 19 if in further education) if they are living here with you on a permanent basis.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/E...able/DH_074376

but you should expect to be asked to prove your intention and that you are legally entitled to live here.

Im VERY confident that I could satisfy those particular requirements quite easily.....If asked to.
.

WOW. Yes thanks. You have just solved the conundrum for me. Cheers.

[Doc Alan]

As a long term non resident,I become a resident the second the plane lands at Heathrow..Then I`m entitled to NHS care.. End of!!
(as long as my intention is to become a permanent resident..No proof required as far as I can tell)

Good to note your confidence, Fred
Here's the reality. Entitlement is one thing. Finding the nearest General Practice for registration, then getting past the receptionist to see a practice nurse or doctor is another. Expect to be interrogated, and made to wait in a queue. The Practice is NOT obliged to add you to their list, although they have to explain why. You might be told " Our list is full " or " You live too far away, end of !! ". It could take time to find a Practice able to accept you. Far better to do so than wait until you are obviously ill.
Finding a dental practice offering NHS treatment is much more difficult. Be resigned to pay for private treatment ( or suffer toothache ).
A recent alternative ( in England ) is NHS Walk-in Centres. They provide access to a wide range of treatment, essentially for minor illnesses and injuries. Very useful for out of hours assessment, treatment, and providing prescribed drugs without a long wait. Even if you're registered with a GP you may still use them.
Attending Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, for whatever reason, is the last resort ! Expect a wait of several hours - unless it's an obvious emergency. Our NHS is good but imperfect, and undergoing big changes right now, with more power going to GP surgeries. Most of us who live here still have reason to be grateful for it .

[johncar54]

The answer is simply, you lie about intending to resume permanent residencia in UK.

Only problem, unless the authorities are as stupid as you would like to think they are, you might be billed for any treatment and even find yourself in jeopardy of being charged with fraud.

[fred]

John..I hope you are not speculating on my intentions at any future point in time and calling me a potential cheat or liar based on what I have said/expressed;here in this thread.
A statement like that could be viewed as libellous. I for one think that would be a very serious matter. Please clarify as Im not sure if you were speaking in general terms or specific terms.

Cheers,

Fred.

[johncar54]

Hi Fred, I hope I did not upset you, no intention.

But I did wanna make the point to anyone who may think that they could 'pretend' to be returning to UK permanently, just for the purpose of getting free health care and then to leave again.

I know people here in Spain who think that they can do just that and that they will be doing nothing illegal. They also seem to think that they are a lot smarter than the authorities.

[fred]

Hi Fred, I hope I did not upset you, no intention.

But I did wanna make the point to anyone who may think that they could 'pretend' to be returning to UK permanently, just for the purpose of getting free health care and then to leave again.

I know people here in Spain who think that they can do just that and that they will be doing nothing illegal. They also seem to think that they are a lot smarter than the authorities.

Thanks John for the clarification.. Very much appreciated..

[Dedworth]

They also seem to think that they are a lot smarter than the authorities.

They are - that's the main reason we are overrun with overstayers, chancers, bogus students etc etc I disagreed with almost everything he spouted whilst a Minister but John Reids's 2006 statement that the Home Office immigration operation was "not fit for purpose" with "inadequate" leadership and management systems is still true 5 years later.