Health care in UK for returning expats

Hi,

My aunt is thinking of returning to the UK after 20 years in Spain. She is aged 70, so will she be entitled to immediate health cover from the NHS? Someone mentioned you had to wait 6 months to be covered. Is this correct?

Also, I have lived in Spain for 10 years. If I were to go back would I be entitled to cover from NHS straight away, if I registered with a doctor?

Thanks, and if anyone can help I would appreciate it.

Jane

Hi, I think it is 3 months, the only way to find out is to ring newcastle with regards to expats, or www. gov.co.uk.

 As soon as you become a resident in UK, that is paying rent, mortgage, utility bills or whatever, you can access NHS facilities.  When you fill in the GMS1 (registration form) simply enter the date you came back to UK.  A GP practice can ask you for proof of residency like the utility bills etc but, in practise, they generally don't bother.  Of course, if you are only going back temporarily then different rules apply.

This link shows the rules

This bit explains it

If you move to the UK, you will not be charged for NHS hospital treatment from the date that you arrive, as long as:

• you intend to live permanently in the UK, and

bobaol, they not only  want utility bills but passport as well. Refused to accept a driving licence. No passport, no registration.

 You must have had a weird practice, then.  We only used to ask for passports for patients registering from outside the EEA so we could check their visas.  Proof of residency was the only thing required and we even used to bend the rules for some patients who lived in Spain but couldn't take Spanish residency as they were living in mobile homes.  Hospitals may be different as they have "pursers" whose job it is to collect money from the so-called health tourists.  However, I never came across a GP practice that asked for the passport of British born nationals.  

Still, I suppose the airy-fairy instructions issued by the NHS means some practices read the rules differently to others.  

Oh, and the bit about 6 months doesn't mean you have to have lived in UK for six months.  It means that you are intending to live in the UK for 6 months or more.  People staying in the UK for less than six months are classed as temporary and only have access to emergency treatment although ongoing problems, such as asthma and diabetes, will be treated as an emergency if you have an attack whilst in UK.

The fact you have been resident in Spain for so long I take it that you must have a Spanish EHIC Card, which would cover you initially until you hd a permanent address etc.

We re-registered  with a UK doctor 12 months ago using a relatives address, we have even renewed out EHIC cards over the internet from here in Spain but also using the uk address.We did not need to prove anything or show any utility bills.

We did this not to use the NHS or the EHIC card here as we have private care, but just in case we get ill while in the uk and if we need to return there for good, god forbid, we will already be set up.

On a lighter note,

Suppose the easiest way is to put on a turban and claim you don't speak English, you will also get all the benefits going as well then and a nice rent free house.

Ha ha nice one. Yes, I am going to register with my dad´s GP and use his address. Thanks for your post .. last bit made me laugh.

Jane

This topic came up over morning coffee today about an elderly (and poorly) friend who is considering returning (permanently) to the UK for health reasons. Sadly not an uncommon situation, and equally sad was the usual misinformation that others have fed him; he is worried about returning because he has been told he will not be entitled to free NHS care for 6 months.

Knowing this to be incorrect, I did a simple Google search to disprove the urban legend (search: "expat returning to UK - healthcare") and was dismayed to find the top two results to be garbage from the Daily Telegraph, basically aimed at selling private medical insurance. Happily, this very thread also appears on the first page of results though. Let's hope more people click through to this, and scroll down to Bobaol's excellent posts and follow the link to the OFFICIAL GOVT. SOURCE which clearly states returning expats are entitled to free NHS care from the day they return to LIVE in the UK.

I have a split view on this........for pensioners who paid in all their lives and then retired abroad and are returning my take is they are absolutely entitled to the care they contributed towards.

For folks who've not made contributions and just return to the UK to claim benefits and healthcare...well my blood just boils.....it's so wrong.  Why should other people work hard to fund them.

No different really from those who never left the UK but also never contributed anything. In fact, those who've been abroad are less likely to have been claiming dole or other benefits for years, so whilst I agree in principle with what you say, it's not really a returning expat issue. It's just the way the system is.

Hi Roberto, I agree............but it's so wrong.  They should get tougher in the UK.....more like Spain

Some folks I notice are using healthcare they are not entitled .........then in the UK you have patient waits, shortage of money in the healthcare..grrrrrrrrrr 

Long waiting lists, grubby overcrowded hospitals, immigrants who probably aren't entitled to free care getting treated anyway....... sorry, were we talking about UK or Spain, I forget? They're both much the same. But at the end of the day, running a state healthcare service must be an absolute nightmare, and we probably take too much for granted. The times when they excell rarely get reported. I know of several cases where people who have forked out small fortunes for private care end up getting quicker and better treatment on the public system (both Spain and UK); they probably felt after all they spent, that wasn't fair either! So as long as they're there for me when and if I need them, I'm not complaining too much.