To try and get my Dad back to the UK so he can die here

No

If they didn’t tell the GP they were moving abroad, which they’re supposed to do, he might still be registered, but once you live abroad permanently you forgo NHS care.

All that is required is that he intends to live permanently now in the UK.

Wrong again. Once you are back in the UK with the intention to be resident you are entitled certainly to immediately necessary care and GP and community care.

I was speaking from my own experience with a relative in a similar position who was nevertheless still registered.

OP ask if he is registered.

EOL care is provided by NHS Scotland staff who are paid an annual salary they are not paid per visit so travelling time to the visit is irrelevant.
A friend does EOL care literally in the middle of no where and is provided with a 4x4 to manoeuvre difficult tracks etc. Obviously if there’s 10 feet of drifting snow patients can’t be visited and in many parts of Scotland the weather can be erratic and bloody awful but even we don’t have impassable roads due to ice in the summer.

Being resident in the U.K. is the criteria for free NHS treatment. Once you go to live in another country you are no longer eligible.

Would you be able to hire someone to help you? (Expensive.) When someone’s body begins to shut down they become incontinent, and it is quite difficult to deal with on an emotional level because it feels so undignified for a parent to be in this position, and difficult physically for the carer. What if he can’t easily stand up? What if you need to change the sheets underneath him ( it helps so much to have two pairs of hands and there are certain techniques)?

Different situation. Local carers are provided by the local authority, under council adult social care budget. These people are not at end of life and requiring sedation, midazolam via a syringe driver or other palliative comfort measures provided at home by the NHS.

My first thought when reading your post was that he’s too far gone at this point. The long flight will be difficult and do him no favours. But it is up to him, if he wants to try it then it is up to him. I’m not sure I would be encouraging it really.

I live in France. My English pension is paid into an English bank but I have to declare it in France and pay French taxes on it. I don’t pay taxes on my English pension in the uk. Wish I could as the English taxes are cheaper.

he won’t be registered with one, so he would be struggling with pain

He only left in 2019 so he may well be registered with his old GP.

I’m sorry to hear this we don’t have hospice at home in the part of Scotland I work in or in many other rural areas you may see it in some of the bigger cities.
I care daily for people who are dying at home and their loved ones. The very positive feedback I get from bereaved when I visit the families them after the person has died to offer my condolences is that they had no idea dying at home could be “like this”. Bar a very few exceptions they have found the experience to be very positive for them and their loved one who is dying. All feel very supported and cared for.
In my very extensive experience providing symptoms can be managed the person who is dying and their families are much more relaxed and settled in their own home/environment.

Nope. As long as it is a permanent move home.

Often once you’ve started the visa process you can’t leave the country as the embassy
may have your passport/you aren’t allowed to.

Or they may deny you entry if they suspect you want to live here etc
It may be tomorrow the wife gets all her paperwork etc but if not she may need to see if there is a way to cancel it asap.

Don’t you have to have been back in the U.K. for a certain period before being eligible for NHS care, as being resident is the criteria for free NHS care?

You can normally withdraw a visa application and then she can come as a visitor. There’s a chance the border officer will then stop her as not a genuine visitor when the withdrawn spouse application comes up on the system. So I would just make sure the wife has letters from doctors etc explaining the situation and her husband’s prognosis

The MP might be able to speed up the Home Office if you contact them.

I dont know if this had already been said but hospice space is not always easy. I think if your dad’s wife has a plan for somewhere to stay he may well be there with her at the end. If he would rather that than a hospital. I think if you are coming back act quickly. Otherwise it may be better to stay in the us. As tough as that is a long flight could be uncomfortable. Thinking of you op.

i agree.

I wish you all lots of luck with this, Ataloss.

That’s good to hear, the problems you can face in not so remote areas in England is that although the carers are employed by the local authority, I have heard elderly people saying the care is unreliable at times, I can count at least 5 times in a year when an elderly lady I knew was not visited for days due to ice in th ex roads (I suppose they have that under control in Scotland) and someone told me they struggled to get carers as they were paid for the visit time plus travel expenses but if they could only do one visit in the morning due to distance they wouldn’t have enough income to survive on.

Good luck OP I hope you manage to get your father and his wife to Scotland ASAP.
Im not sure if technically you can register with a GP before he arrives here but you should be able to register with a GP on the day of his arrival and get referred to your GP practices community nurses on the same day. We would come out and see your father either that day or the following day and start putting support in place immediately.

My dh had eol care on the nhs and hospice at home. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.