NHS?

[Laser310]

I am a British citizen with right of abode.., who has not lived in Britain for some time. My understanding is that if I moved back to Britain tomorrow, I could sign up for NHS immediately.

Does that also apply if I buy a yacht and live aboard in Britain, with the yacht being my only address?

 

[jordanbasset]

I am a British citizen with right of abode.., who has not lived in Britain for some time. My understanding is that if I moved back to Britain tomorrow, I could sign up for NHS immediately.

Does that also apply if I buy a yacht and live aboard in Britain, with the yacht being my only address?

Yes

 

[Tranona]

Yes, in theory as a returning resident that is your right. However you may well find difficulty in finding a GP practice prepared to take you as living on a boat does not fit neatly into the boxes that have to be ticked such as residential address, electoral roll so you may well have to be assertive when you register. Presumably you have your NI number and hopefully your NHS number.

 

[Laser310]

Yes, in theory as a returning resident that is your right. However you may well find difficulty in finding a GP practice prepared to take you as living on a boat does not fit neatly into the boxes that have to be ticked such as residential address, electoral roll so you may well have to be assertive when you register. Presumably you have your NI number and hopefully your NHS number.

i don't have any numbers...

I last resided in Britain about 40 years ago.

I have a British birth certificate and a British passport - that's it.

 

[colind3782]

Find a lost National Insurance number - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Find your NHS number - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

 

[TSailors]

I am on the same boat, ahem.. I only have a birth certificate and a passport. When I tried the above links, they require you to provide an address, and I was unable to complete them..

 

[ean_p]

i don't have any numbers...

I last resided in Britain about 40 years ago.

I have a British birth certificate and a British passport - that's it.

Welcome home!

 

[Graham376]

I last resided in Britain about 40 years ago.

When you return, you'll soon remember why you left

 

[PlanB]

Have you thought about where you are going to live on your yacht. Search this forum for threads (several quite recent) on the difficulty or otherwise of liveaboards in marinas and also the problem of addresses.

 

[TSailors]

When you return, you'll soon remember why you left

LOL, I left when I was 10 days old , so my memories are somewhat skewed!
I did visit it a few times however, and I loved it

 

[RupertW]

LOL, I left when I was 10 days old , so my memories are somewhat skewed!
I did visit it a few times however, and I loved it

As others have said you have an immediate right to free NHS treatment for anything, whether pre-existing or not.

But you do have to jump through the hoops of proving your residency to the GP you choose to register with. It would be massively easier for a lot of things if you could afford to rent even the tiniest grottiest place near your yacht for 6 months while you get everything sorted out. But if you can find that rare marina that officially allows liveaboards in the UK you could do it from a boat.

 

[jordanbasset]

This link refers to living on a canal boat, but it would apply equally to living on a boat by the sea, or indeed if you were homeless and or no fixed abode
https://www.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/about-us/OXCC AccessingHealthcare.pdf

 

[Laser310]

Find a lost National Insurance number - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Find your NHS number - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

entered my info and did not find an NHS number - would they even have one from 40+ years ago?

i'm pretty sure i never had a national insurance number.

 

[Bru]

As you left the UK when you were 10 days old some 40 years ago you may not have a current NHS number (the modern 10 digit number was introduced in the mid 1990s and if you weren't registered with the NHS at that date you wouldn't have been allocated a number)

The solution is theoretically straightforward... simply register with a GP and you'll be allocated an NHS number. You might have to fight your corner but you don't actually need a permanent address to register with a GP (although many surgeries will try and claim you do)

You can apply for a National Insurance number online but you may have to attend an interview at a Jobcentre to prove your identity

In case of difficulty with either, Citizens Advice are usually very helpful in sorting out such problems

 

[Laser310]

As you left the UK when you were 10 days old some 40 years ago

well, i was about 17 years old...

but I am sure you are correct - I do not have an NHS number.

it seems like there is no problem with living on a boat.., but it might make things more complicated

 

[Sandy]

So let me get this right. You have paid no UK tax and want to register as an NHS patient?

 

[ryanroberts]

I have been having fun trying to register with a GP that isn't my forwarding address so I can get an NHS number for vaccine purposes, I had a hippy childhood and have never needed a doctor as an adult. I should probably just lie but the situation amuses me a little

 

[Tranona]

So let me get this right. You have paid no UK tax and want to register as an NHS patient?

There is no direct connection between paying tax in the UK and having access to the NHS. If he has right of abode and is taking up residence then he has access. There are also many other ways of having access at varying levels that do not depend on paying taxes. That is something that makes this country stand out from many others.

 

[Laser310]

So let me get this right. You have paid no UK tax and want to register as an NHS patient?

i have never resided in Britain as an adult.., so no, i have paid no taxes there...

if i become a resident, i am sure i will pay plenty of tax.

 

[laika]

it seems like there is no problem with living on a boat.., but it might make things more complicated

Good luck with finding a boat to live on if you intend to pay "plenty of tax". A perusal of this sub-forum will show that moorings you can use as a legitimate address (ie one you can have your self assessment reminders sent to) are hard to come by. Most UK liveaboards I know have an "official" address (relatives/friends) elsewhere in the UK. Regardless of the "official" line on signing up for doctors, getting past the dragons on reception without proof of address is another thing (again, we've discussed this one before, including my own experiences of trying to sign up with a doctor).

As someone who has been on the waiting list for a residential mooring at South Dock for the past 13 years and last time I checked I should bubble to the top in about 250 years, your easiest route to a residential mooring in a marina which has them is to buy a boat already on a residential mooring (which will not normally be sea-going).

Are you intending to actually move to the UK and use it as a permanent address while you work or simply as a part-time "address of convenience"? If the former I suggest you have more offialdom to worry about than doctors