Special phrasing needed or what am I doing wrong?

Called surgeries yesterday and was informed that though I am on a visa as a spouse of a visiting academic and will be staying longer than 6 mos. I will not have NHS service until after 6months.  The university the spouse is based out of is outside my catchment area but is pretty sure I should get coverage.  How do I go about this?  Is there some magical phrase involved?

I am not freaking out yet but will be if I have to fly back to the US to have my child and get care for first child.  I have private insurance but would have to pay upfront in the UK, keep receipts and then file for reimbursement (yikes!)

I thought it would be easy -- you know, call the GP, answer questions, prove identity including copy of Hubby's visa and letter from university showing gainful employment.  Where did I go wrong?

What kind of visa is your husband on? Work or student? or something else? and how long is the visa valid for?

Assuming he is here on a visiting academic visa...

You should get coverage if your husband is employed by the University, though I can't find anything from a government source confirming this.  I think you should take this up with the University Personnel officer.

Vicky

it is a work visa through September 2007.  Academic visitor is one of the terms used.

Vicky, found something for you.  In regards to hospital services:

Under the current Regulations, anyone who is engaging in employment with an employer who has his principal place of business in the UK, or who is a self-employed person whose  principal place of business is in the UK is fully exempt from National Health Service (NHS) hospital charges in England. This exemption applies to your spouse and children (under the age of 16 or 19 if in further education) if they are living with you in the UK on a permanent basis.

For Primary care services:

Any person living here lawfully and on a settled basis is regarded as resident in the UK and therefore entitled to free primary medical services. On taking up residence in the UK it is advisable to approach a GP practice and apply to register on to its list of NHS patients. The practice may choose to accept or decline your application. An application may be refused if the practice has reasonable grounds for doing so, such as if you are living outside their practice area. A practice would not be able to refuse your application on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/International/OverseasVisitors/OverseasVisitorsBrowsableDocument/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4099060&MULTIPAGE_ID=4955459&chk=17j/Ku

The page also lists the required documents.

It is a fallacy that you have to wait 6 months before the entitlement kicks in, though this is a commonly held belief by many many GPs and their offices.  It is available to you the day you set foot in the UK.  I would refer the GPs office to the Oversees Visitors Guidence on the Department of Health website:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/International/OverseasVisitors/

Then as far as I am aware you should be entitled to use NHS services. I would definitely ask your husband to ask his employer about this, perhaps they have come across this problem before & can help.  As the spouse of a university employee I would think you can use the Uni health service.

i'd print out these docunments, walk to your local GP, and register.  you are entitled to use the NHS.  be as pushy as you need to be to get registered.

I hate being pushy and being considered rude.  A common language makes for a gulf of miscommunication.  Regarding the medical secretary at the University -- errr, I take it is a British passive aggressive thing to not reply to second round of emails.  Into the breach then...

Kitson...you have achieved where Google failed!  Much appreciated and duly bookmarked.

Fred...(sorry, possibly not your real name!)...BE PUSHY!!! It is not a 'British' thing that she hasn't replied to you, it is just a very rude thing, and she is probably waking up to the fact that she doesn't know her ars* from her elbow and wants you to go away so she isn't further embarassed.

Good luck.


Vicky