Register NHS in London

[leeuk]

Hi

I and my wife will come to London from Feb 2012 on PSW visa. At that time, she will be pregnancy about 10 months.

Before that, I lived in Leeds, full-time working, then quit that job ( that job was not related to my degree- not the job I want), went back to my home-country, get married to my wife and she get pregnancy .

So, I plan to move to London to look for the job I like when I and my wife come back to UK.

My concern is that Can my wife register in NHS in London and get free service for pregnant there ? As At that time, I might not in employment but before that, I have paid taxes for my previous job and already registered NHS for my self in Leeds ( I come to UK just want to work not only for get free service).

I know NHS might ask for proof of Employment, but can I proved my recent pay slip in Oct, Sep, Aug 2011 before I quit my last job ? Do NHS in London ask for proof of employment or just passport or something in process of registering NHS there ?

I am very concerned for my wife's health when she get there.
Highly appreciate all your answers.

[Greenie]

NHS do not ask for and do not need to see proof of employment. You don't need to make national insurance contributions to receive free healthcare in the UK. Your wife may need to provide her passport to show her immigration status to prove that she should not be classed as an overseas visitor.

However do you really mean your wife will be 10 months pregnant when she arrives here?

[leeuk]

Thanks Greenie for your reply.

Yes, She is fourth week now and when she arrives London, she will be the tenth week. Is there any problem with that ? Please give me some advices and experience ( I am the first-time to become a dad )

[Casa]

10 weeks...not as you posted originally '10 months'

[Greenie]

exactly - that was my point - 10 weeks is quite different to 10 months. Your wife should check with her doctor/midwife that it is safe for her to fly in her first trimester. It is is often advised against.

[leeuk]

Thank for your replies, Greenie and Casa. My faults- just 10 weeks.
I will ask for consultation with the doctor before we fly.

Hope everything will be fine and we can register with NHS.

[leeuk]

Do they ask for proof of address when registering NHS in London ?

As when I arrive London and looking for a job, I might rent a room with flexible contract and can not provide them in writing my address. Can I just say I just move to London and still can not provide address ? Will they be ok with that ?

[linkers]

Guys, be careful as it varies in all parts of the country and especially in London NHS are really annoying sometimes.

I came to UK in 2007 along with my wife who was 6 months permanent at that time. I initially stayed in East London (Ilford) and when tried to get some blood tests for her at the local NHS Hospital, they refused to do them as I didn’t have a job at that time. They said, I need to pay around 3 grand for the delivery of the baby in next coming months as I don’t pay tax and not doing job in UK. We were really in a huge stress when we heard this from NHS.

Getting her registered to GP went fine as the GPs generally only see a valid visa of at least 6 months.

Later on, I luckily found a job and managed to get my wife’s blood and some more tests from the hospital by showing my employment letter.

But my contract expired in 2 months time and I moved to Bradford where I had some family support. I didn’t find any problem in getting her registered at GP there and also my wife went through the regular checkups and delivery process in the hospital with no issues. The hospital staff was very nice and never questioned about visa or my employment.

[leeuk]

Linkers, Absolutely You get my point !

The thing I worried when move to London is that place is too big and too crowed with loads of migrants. So service there might not welcome and support migrants as other places.

[linkers]

That’s true leeuk. I myself found the NHS attitude in London really weird and unfair. But when I moved to north of England, I was given a good welcome and an excellent service by GP Surgery and the Hospital, no one from NHS ever asked about my visa or employment status.

As you said, areas like East London are horrible places and too congested.

I would suggest moving to South East (as 40% of the UK’s jobs are there) or North of England if you get an opportunity there.

[skyepark]

By law you do not need to show visa status to register with a GP, there is no legal requirment for this but they will ask when you arrived here as they do not want health tourists. THey willl ask for proof of address and a form of photo ID, if the receptionists kick up a fuss speak to the practice manager. There is no law for them to see your visa. It is up to the GP's discretion to register you, if you are here temporarily then they can register you temporarily.

[linkers]

I agree with you skyepark

[mulderpf]

By law you do not need to show visa status to register with a GP

This is completely incorrect and invalid information. A GP has all the right to ask you to prove your residency status in the UK - this not only applies to immigrants - it also applies to UK passport holders. How strictly the residency rules are enforced may vary from practice to practice, but they can definitely ask you to proof you are entitled to stay in the UK (not a visitor and therefore liable to pay) and that you are a resident (by means of supplying a bill or tenancy agreement that shows that you will be here longer than 6 months.

[skyepark]

But there are cases where asylum seekers do not have proof of residency as they are at the waiting stage, many wait for a decision for many years, thus they have the discretion to allow registration as they have papers from the home office.

[linkers]

That’s true. The law might require GPs to ask for immigration status but it still varies and not all GPs follow this. I can understand where mulderpf is coming from and the point he is making is also quite right.

[skyepark]

Yes I too agree with the point made, that GPs should have the right to ask for proof of residency but many GP recptionists dont have the correct training or incentive to include the many types of people we have living here in the UK, and still discriminate between people who are obviously foreign and those that are not. I work for a charity that helps people that fall into the grey area access healthcare, people who are unsure of the NHS system are eligible but are not made aware by those that are the face of NHS, (GP's)