Travel and cancer healthcare in the UK and abroad

Transcription

1 Travel and cancer healthcare in the UK and abroad This information is an extract from the booklet Travel and cancer. You may find the full booklet helpful. We can send you a free copy see page 7. Contents Healthcare in the UK Healthcare abroad Healthcare in the UK If you re a UK citizen and you need treatment while travelling in the UK, you can be treated free of charge by the nearest NHS or Health Service hospital. It can help to have a letter from your cancer specialist with you. The letter should describe your condition, including details of any medicines you re taking and information on how to deal with any potential medical problems. It may be helpful to wear a medical alert badge or pendant with emergency contact numbers attached, especially if you re travelling on your own. You can get these from some high street jewellers and chemists. They may also be available at your GP surgery. If you re taking prescription medicines and run out of supplies while on holiday in the UK, you may be able to get emergency supplies of non-chemotherapy drugs without a prescription. A community or supermarket pharmacy may be able to help, but will charge for this service. If you run out of chemotherapy drugs, you will need to contact the place where you were prescribed the drugs for advice. Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan Page 1 of 7

2 If pharmacies can t help you and you live in England, you may be able to go to an NHS walk-in centre. They may be able to organise a consultation with a GP. You could also contact a GP practice directly. To find where your nearest NHS services are in England, you can use the online service search at nhs.uk/ servicedirectories/pages/servicesearch.aspx To find local health services in Scotland, visit nhs24.com/ findlocal For information about local health services in Wales, visit nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/localservices/ searchlocalservices To find where your nearest health and social care providers are in Northern Ireland, visit servicefinder.hscni.net Healthcare abroad Travelling in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles UK residents to free or reduced-cost emergency treatment when temporarily visiting the European Union (EU) and certain other European countries. For a list of the countries where the EHIC is valid, see page 4 of this information sheet. The EHIC has replaced the E111 form, which can no longer be used. The EHIC: allows you to be treated in the same way as a resident of the country you re visiting this may not be the same as the care you d expect to get from the NHS or Health Service can be used if you need to have ongoing treatment while you re abroad, such as regular injections covers treatments that are needed during your trip for chronic or pre-existing conditions. The EHIC should allow you to receive emergency medical treatment and, in some cases, the types of ongoing treatment mentioned above. The EHIC can t be used instead of travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical costs, travelling to a country for health treatment, medical evacuation or help getting back to the UK. Page 2 of 7 Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan

3 You should also buy travel insurance. For more information on getting travel insurance, you can order our booklet Getting travel insurance when you have been affected by cancer. Some countries expect you to pay your bill when you re treated and then claim a refund with your EHIC. You should try to apply for a refund before you return to the UK. Each person travelling needs to carry an EHIC, including children. To get cards for children, you should list them as dependents when you apply for your own card. Each country s healthcare system is different, so your EHIC may not cover everything that would be free on the NHS or Health Service. Applying for an EHIC The EHIC is free and renewals are also free. You should avoid any websites that charge to apply for or renew an EHIC for you. You can apply for the EHIC if you are legally living in, and settled in, the UK. If you usually live in the UK but are not a national of the UK, another EEA country or Switzerland, you will need to apply by post. You will need to include proof that you are ordinarily resident in the UK (see nhs.uk/ nhsengland/healthcareabroad/ehic for more information). You can apply for an EHIC: online at nhs.uk/ehic by post, using an application form you ve downloaded from the website by phoning For each person who needs a card, you will need to give their: name date of birth national insurance or NHS number (England and Wales), CHI number (Scotland) or Health and Care Number (Northern Ireland). Your card will normally arrive within seven days. When it arrives, store it somewhere safe and secure. Keep it with your passport while you re travelling. Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan Page 3 of 7

4 The EHIC is valid in the following countries: Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta The Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland. Your EHIC is only valid for five years before it needs to be renewed. It s a good idea to make sure yours hasn t expired before you travel. More information about the EHIC and health advice for travellers can be found on the NHS Choices website at nhs.uk/healthcareabroad or on the NI Direct website if you live in Northern Ireland at nidirect.gov.uk/travelhealth-and-the-european-health-insurance-card-ehic Countries with mutual healthcare agreements with the UK Some countries outside the EU have mutual healthcare agreements with the UK. These countries will provide free or reduced-cost emergency medical treatment to people from the UK. You ll be treated in the same way as a resident of that country. This may differ from what you d expect from the NHS or Health Service. Because the agreements do not Page 4 of 7 Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan

5 cover every situation, you will still need to get travel insurance. For more information visit nhs.uk/healthcareabroad The following countries have mutual healthcare agreements with the UK: Anguilla Armenia Australia Azerbaijan Barbados Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina British Virgin Islands Falkland Islands Georgia Gibraltar Isle of Man Jersey (not Guernsey) Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Macedonia Moldova Montserrat New Zealand Russia St Helena Serbia and Montenegro Tajikistan Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Ukraine Uzbekistan. To claim free or reduced-cost treatment in these countries you ll need to prove you are a UK resident. Usually this involves showing a UK passport (see nhs.uk/healthcareabroad for more information). Countries with no healthcare agreements with the UK In countries that aren t covered by the EHIC and where there is no mutual agreement with the UK (including Guernsey, the USA, South America, Africa, most of Asia and Turkey), you ll have to pay the full cost of any healthcare. Taking out comprehensive travel insurance is particularly important if you re travelling to these countries. The high commission, consulate or embassy of the country you re visiting should be able to give you information on the healthcare services available. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at fco.gov.uk has details of where you can find these and British embassies when you re abroad. Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan Page 5 of 7

6 Getting a refund on your treatment You may need to pay for treatment while you re abroad and then claim this money back. The process for getting a refund will vary depending on your situation. You re likely to need the original invoices and documents from your treatment to make a claim. If you re covered by travel insurance, your insurance provider will guide you through this process. If you have planned treatment abroad in advance you may need to get reimbursement from your local health commissioner when you return to the UK. For more information about going abroad for UK-funded treatment, see our Travel and cancer booklet. If you have an EHIC and are travelling in a country where it s valid, you should try to claim any refunds before you return home. There s information about how to do this in different countries at nhs.uk/healthcareabroad This website also has information about reclaiming costs in all countries that have mutual health agreements with the UK. To make a claim on your EHIC once you return to the UK, contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on Repatriation The EHIC won t pay to transport you back home in an emergency (repatriation). A company called Swiss Assist offers a service where it will fly you home in an ambulance jet, if required, for a fortnightly, monthly or annual membership fee. They cover Europe and some other countries. More information can be found on the website at swissassist.ch Page 6 of 7 Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan

7 More information and support Travel and cancer healthcare in the UK and abroad More than one in three of us will get cancer. For most of us it will be the toughest fight we ever face. And the feelings of isolation and loneliness that so many people experience make it even harder. But you don t have to go through it alone. The Macmillan team is with you every step of the way. To order a copy of Travel and cancer, visit be.macmillan. org.uk or call We make every effort to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and up to date but it should not be relied upon as a substitute for specialist professional advice tailored to your situation. So far as is permitted by law, Macmillan does not accept liability in relation to the use of any information contained in this publication, or thirdparty information or websites included or referred to in it. Macmillan Cancer Support Registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Registered office 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7UQ REVISED IN FEBRUARY 2014 Planned review in 2016 Questions about cancer? Ask Macmillan Page 7 of 7