Help does my wife qualify for NHS treatment

[PewPew]

Hi

Im british and my wife is romanian, we are living together in the uk and have sent our papers off for a BR-1 form so my wife can work here. She has become ill and badly needs to see a dentist.

Are we able to get treatment under the nhs ?

thanks

[John]

Yes of course. I suggest you just take her along to the Doctors' Surgery that you use and register her as an NHS patient.

As regards NHS dentistry, well again she is entitled to use, but there is of course a general problem ... nothing at all to do with your wife's immigration status .... about whether you can find a dentist willing to take you under the NHS.

BR1 application submitted, so presumably Romanian passport sent off. Do you have a photocopy? If so I would certainly take that along when you go to the Doctors and the Dentists.

[PewPew]

well ive just returned from a dentist which is taking NHS patients and they informed us that she would not be able to see a dentist under the nhs and would have to go private

[Dawie]

well ive just returned from a dentist which is taking NHS patients and they informed us that she would not be able to see a dentist under the nhs and would have to go private

As a Romanian citizen exercising her treaty rights in the UK your wife is fully entitled to free NHS treatment. Am I right in assuming from your response that they are denying her treatment based on her nationality? If this is the case then I suggest you go back there and remind them of the law.

[John]

PewPew, sorry, utter rubbish! Contact the PCT (Primary Care Trust) for your area and complain!

Your wife is resident in the UK and is totally entitled to be treated on the NHS.

[PewPew]

well ive been on the phone to nhs direct and my local patient liasion office and both say my wife is entitled to care. Ive just gone and registered her with a gp also which is great news.

As far as the dentist i called them back and told them that my wife is entitled to nhs care. They are claiming that they need to see some form of proof to back this up eg a national insurance card or a nhs patient number.

Currently we are still waiting for her BR1 form to come back so dont have a national insurance card. But my understanding is that once our GP registration forms are sent off she will get a nhs card with her patient number on im certain they will be forced to accept this. The only worry i have is that we have another appointment at the dentist on the 6th and i hope I will have some paperwork to give them before then.

[yankeegirl]

I don't know if this will help, but it's worth a shot. My husband had registered with our GP and while waiting for the medical card to come in the mail, got an abcessed tooth. The dentist initially wouldn't take him without having the medical card (he was not registered with any dentist) so he got the phone number where the applications get sent and called them. They gave him the patient number and the dentist did see him then; he was just told to bring in the card as soon as it came in the mail.

Good luck and I hope your wife feels better soon!