Return to U.K. for operation on NHS

[Changoverandout]

Have any Brits that have been here a long time been back to U.K. and received NHS treatment, if so how long to qualify prior to surgery?

I need a replacement knee and been here 20 years but am still registered with a doctor.

[Golden Triangle]

The way things are in the UK at the moment I wouldn't bother, my brother has been waiting for a new knee for about 18 months or more now, COVID-19 has screwed everything up, plus depending on your age and financial status you may have a he.ll of a job getting back in here again.

 

Maybe investigate the costs of having it done here.

 

Good luck.

Edited November 14, 2020 by Golden Triangle

[liddelljohn]

current waiting lists are about 18 months   at least  due to Covid   my best mate in UK has been waiting 2 years now for his hip and is stuck in house due to pain and collapsed  hip ,  qualifying   for surgery on return is a lottery depending on your GP and area

[Mike Teavee]

Technically... 

(Free) Treatment on the NHS is only available to people if they are Ordinary Resident in the UK (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/736849/Ordinary_residence_tool.pdf) but  if you're returning to the UK to repatriate then you're entitled to (Free) treatment from the moment you return... If you're just visiting for a holiday/operation then you're liable to pay for it at the prevailing rate of 1.5x whatever the costs are... 

 

Reality... 

They probably wouldn't know unless you specifically told them, you're biggest challenge is likely to be the waiting list for the operation. 

 

Are you sure you're still registered with your GP only a few years back they had a "Clean Up" of their patient lists and removed anybody who hadn't visited the DRs in X Years... I was removed from my Dr's list even though I was still living in the UK (and it was the closest Dr to me) as they hadn't seen me in about 15 years...

 

To be honest, given how long you would probably need to wait for the operations & recover from it, it might be cheaper to pay for it to be done in Thailand (My mate recently paid 600K for a Hip Replacement at https://www.samitivejhospitals.com/ )

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Mike Teavee

[Kwasaki]

Get it done here in a govt hospital. 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Kwasaki

[bert bloggs]

Phone my gp regularaly,even get some meds,but going back for an operation in these covid times ,forget it ,ime having an operation soon at a govt hospital.

[Changoverandout]

I was expecting about 6 months but not 18.

I’ be moving to a different area to where I was last registered so would register with a new doctor 

 

[Changoverandout]

India is 50% cost of Thailand but would wait until Covid subsidies if U.K. waiting time is so long.

[taninthai]

I’m booked in for operation phuket hospital may 2021,,,,,,,,,I considered going back to Uk for it,,,,,,,,,rang my mate who just had a hernia op in Uk asked how long from seeing doctor first time to having operation........answer .....1 year.

[uncleP]

My brother is waiting for an op for a trapped nerve. Day surgery but has been told no chance until after covid. Tight git is loaded and too tight to pay 1500quid for it. He retired 8 years early last april and his main thing is his guitar. He can't  play without the op and still won't pay. He is not pleased when I tell him he's  a tight winker lol

[dddave]

2 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

Maybe investigate the costs of having it done here

I checked around Bangkok last year for knee replacement and it ranged from B300,000 to B450,000.  I did not check government hospitals. 

A friend had double knee replacement done in India several years ago, $10,000 including return airfare from Thailand.  The hospital was in Hyerdabad and was new and modern.  He felt he got excellent care and  had a quick recovery.

Edited November 14, 2020 by dddave

[sammieuk1]

I'm getting universal credit trapped here after 20 years abroad and declared an habitual resident never lost any of the UK's NHS services either but as for surgery forget it most hospitals are canceling non urgent surgery as the waiting list grows out of control 18 months wait now looks optimistic in some authorities ????  

[CorpusChristie]

2 hours ago, Changoverandout said:

I was expecting about 6 months but not 18.

I’ be moving to a different area to where I was last registered so would register with a new doctor 

 

 

   You will need proof of address to register , an official bill with your name on it sent to your address 

[3NUMBAS]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/12/nhs-england-52-week-hospital-waiting-list-highest-since-2008

 

no ops at the moment due to covid ..5000 have died during this period because they could not get ops

Mass cancellations of NHS operations inevitable this winter, say doctors

Exclusive: NHS England criticised for ordering ‘near-normal’ non-Covid care during pandemic

Year-long waits for surgery at highest level since 2008, says NHS England

In September, 139,545 people had been waiting more than a year for an operation

• Coronavirus – latest updates
•  

[yang123]

2 hours ago, taninthai said:

I’m booked in for operation phuket hospital may 2021,,,,,,,,,I considered going back to Uk for it,,,,,,,,,rang my mate who just had a hernia op in Uk asked how long from seeing doctor first time to having operation........answer .....1 year.

In Thailand, a couple of years ago:

Time to operation after initial consultation: 48 hours.

[polpott]

3 hours ago, Changoverandout said:

Have any Brits that have been here a long time been back to U.K. and received NHS treatment, if so how long to qualify prior to surgery?

I need a replacement knee and been here 20 years but am still registered with a doctor.

I have been here a number of years and am still registered with a GP in the UK. I get a repeat prescription sent out to me every 8 weeks. You could return, make an appointment with your GP and ask him to refer you to a specialist for your condition. You will be treated the same as everyone else.

 

Might be worth establishing an address in the UK, friend or family member will do.

[polpott]

32 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

   You will need proof of address to register , an official bill with your name on it sent to your address 

I used bank statements from 2 different banks. Can change your address with the bank in minutes.

[fangless]

I suggest this may be of help;

The British Government have updated the guidance for NHS Charging in the UK, including that for British Expats who are visiting the UK, this guidance supersedes all previous guidance/instructions.  Main_Guidance_post_24_August_2020_V2.pdf

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by fangless

[fangless]

1 hour ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

   You will need proof of address to register , an official bill with your name on it sent to your address 

Not quite that simple!!!!

 

Registering with a GP

When you have found a practice you like, you'll have to formally register with it as an NHS patient by submitting a registration form to them.

The GMS1 registration form (PDF, 156kb) is available at the practice, or you can download it from GOV.UK.

Forms may vary slightly, and some practices use their own version.

When you have completed and returned the form, NHS England will transfer your medical records to your new practice and write to you to confirm your registration as a patient with that practice.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-practice/

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by fangless

[impulse]

Add up R/T airfare, accommodations in the UK, COE, insurance and visa costs, then 2+ weeks in an ASQ, and you're probably cheaper to get it done in Thailand. 

 

That's if it's even possible to get it done in the UK under current conditions, much less under NHS.

 

On an aside (that won't make me popular with the Brits), I can't imagine it's too hard for the NHS to look up passport and tax records to see if people qualify based on residency.  It's great to have it both ways...  Non resident for tax purposes, but resident when it's time to claim benefits.

 

Also a great cautionary tale for maintaining adequate insurance while abroad.  Hopping on a plane to the NHS (or India) isn't a viable plan in many emergencies.  And Covid is making a lot of mundane issues into emergencies.

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by impulse

[fangless]

8 minutes ago, impulse said:

On an aside (that won't make me popular with the Brits), I can't imagine it's too hard for the NHS to look up passport and tax records to see if people qualify based on residency.  It's great to have it both ways...  Non resident for tax purposes, but resident when it's time to claim benefits.

Pease see my post above yours' regarding NHS rules re "non-residents".

 

It should, on the other hand, be noted that a large number of GP's and NHS staff refuse to "act as customs officials" and turn a blind eye to the rules.

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, fangless said:

Pease see my post above yours' regarding NHS rules re "non-residents".

 

It should, on the other hand, be noted that a large number of GP's and NHS staff refuse to "act as customs officials" and turn a blind eye to the rules.

 

I wouldn't expect the doctors to be the gate keepers.  But I would expect the NHS to send an invoice if they later discovered a non-resident sneaking in for free treatment they don't qualify for.  The technology to match up NHS ID numbers to travel and tax records is easily available.

 

[fangless]

6 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I wouldn't expect the doctors to be the gate keepers.  But I would expect the NHS to send an invoice if they later discovered a non-resident sneaking in for free treatment they don't qualify for.  The technology to match up NHS ID numbers to travel and tax records is easily available.

 

You are correct.

Many NHS Trusts have special units to do exactly that but once the patient has returned to their country it is too late!

It is quite a contentious issue inside the NHS.  My Brother is a surgeon in the NHS and is the most Conservative person you can find apart from me but he refuses to ask/get involved in anything regarding charges for treatment.  He is a very firm believer that the NHS is "free at the point of delivery" to ALL!

[poohy]

15 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I wouldn't expect the doctors to be the gate keepers.  But I would expect the NHS to send an invoice if they later discovered a non-resident sneaking in for free treatment they don't qualify for.  The technology to match up NHS ID numbers to travel and tax records is easily available.

 

my sister is a AE nurse she says hospitals cant be bothered to check or  won't file paperwork in such cases

Edited November 14, 2020 by poohy

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, poohy said:

my sister is a AE nurse she says hospitals cant be bothered to check or  won't file paperwork in such cases

 

Understandable.  They get paid either way.  It's up to the ultimate payor- and that's the NHS itself.  On behalf of the people who have paid in.

 

Edit:  I agree with fangless' brother, that doctors shouldn't get involved in payment issues.  They should treat people to the best of their ability.  Collecting payment in a fair and equitable manner is someone else's skillset.  And if they have already left the country, get them the next time they cross the border.  Or cancel their passport and see how far they get...

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by impulse

[polpott]

21 minutes ago, impulse said:

The technology to match up NHS ID numbers to travel and tax records is easily available.

Not.

 

 

[fangless]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

Understandable.  They get paid either way.  It's up to the ultimate payor- and that's the NHS itself.  On behalf of the people who have paid in.

 

As I said earlier it is a contentious and in many ways a "circular argument/discussion".

The front line medical staff quite rightly see their role as medical care only and stuff the costs.  The backroom bean counters of course want their pound of flesh and the tax payer wants a free NHS with all non entitled paying full whack!

[polpott]

8 minutes ago, poohy said:

my sister is a AE nurse she says hospitals cant be bothered to check or  won't file paperwork in such cases

They have been instructed not to by their various unions/professional bodies. They also assume that if you have been referred by your GP then they have already made the necessary checks, which they don't.

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, polpott said:

26 minutes ago, impulse said:

The technology to match up NHS ID numbers to travel and tax records is easily available.

Not.

 

The tech is easily available.  Maybe not the political will, though.

[fangless]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

The tech is easily available.  Maybe not the political will, though.

Spot on!