AIBU to not be registered with a GP?

[JSachs]

Firstly, I am not a UK or EU citizen.

I am here on a contract to work for a couple of years and then will see where things go from there.

I am not registered with an NHS GP for various reasons that I won't get into.

I have only one concern that I hope someone will be able to clarify for me-

What happens if I fall sick and can't go to work? Is it only an NHS GP who can provide a sick note or fit to work certificate? Or can private doctors also do that?

I don't have any concerns about getting treatment when I am sick as I can afford private care. I am only concerned about the employment aspect- is there like a legal requirement for people to be registered with an NHS surgery?

Then op, if you didn't want to interact with lesser mortals like ourselves you could've

A just flicking googled it
B just asked your employer
C just asked at your local private practice

But if you ask AIBU on mumsnet, you're gonna get lots if answers. And sarcasm. And questions. And speculation. It does what it says on the tin. And getting all holier than thou about your privacy will only make it worse. What with you having asked on a public forum and all

Lordy be, why are people still trying to help him?! (Or her)

Why did you post in AIBU if you wanted practical info rather than a debate about whether YABU?

I think YABVU to opt out of the NHS and pay for private. When those who can do this, it creates a two-tier system that stiffs those who cannot. I believe in a system that is there for those who need it, not just those who have enough money to pay for it.

Op, to answer your question again, you have to ask your hr department as some city firms won't accept sick notes from some private GPs, who are basically renowned for writing what you want if you pay enough, a sick note from one of those will get you directed to an nhs GP.

As you don't want to discuss other private details, I'm guessing you don't want to say which private gp you are with, so best you ask your hr department (some will have an "approved" list if it's not nhs).

The travel insurance thing is just that if you are registered with the nhs you can get free treatment in eu countries, if your health insurance will cover that, then you won't need additional insurance for health.

The uk system is rather based round the assumption everyone is registered with the nhs, even if they normally use private, it's unlikely you'll come unstuck, it's just people are pointing out it's a possibility (albeit a small one).

Oh and the lady up thread who said she paid for private appointments so she could take her baby to the gp within the hour, most nhs gps have a policy of same day appointments for babies unless it's for something like jabs. Up to you, but while I'll pay for a better level of service to something I can get for free, I'm not a big fan of paying for something that's the same as I can get for free...

OP - you are not BU to not be registered with the NHS. Just wanted to say that - there's so much nonsense talked on this thread, I wanted to redress the balance.

It's a choice - you can access healthcare however the hell you want - NHS GP, NHS GP but paying for private appointment ( as my SIL did last year whilst she was visiting), or none NHS GP - all your choice. Any hospital which provides emergency treatment, if you require it, is well able to communicate with a none NHS GP.

And I can't see why your employer wouldn't accept a medical certificate from an individual registered with the GMC whether that was on the NHS or private - but it would be worth checking the actual requirement from your own company.

MaryWest I do have to interrupt you here. Just because there is a policy for same day appointments, doesn't mean that it is a reality. My ds has a genetic disease which wasn't diagnosed until he was 11. He was a very very sickly baby with lots of little (unexplained at the time) things wrong with him that usually needed the urgent attention of a medical professional. I found that I could get in to see my gp maybe once in every 4-5 times he needed to be seen. The rest of the time I ended up having to go to the emergency room, where I could often wait hours to have him seen. I remember one particular incident where ds was 3 or 4 months old, with a 105 fever, floppy and listless and gp's couldn't see him so we went to a&e where it took 4 hours before they could even find a medical professional who knew how to look into a baby's ear for an ear infection (this was his 3rd or 4th ear infection, so I was pretty sure that's what it was....).

Oh and by the way, I am American and I don't think it's fair to call my view of the NHS is "odd" considering how abysmally they treated me and my ds during the 7 years I lived in the UK.

Is the OP working illegally or something? I can't think of any other reason why somebody would not want to sign up for a free and world class health service

Sofia - I'm sorry to hear that, I've only ever experienced being able to get same day appointments for babies and my friends as well, that said, we didn't have dcs in London.

Sofia I am sorry that the NHS let you down so badly. Our experience has been quite the opposite. DD has had some serious medical issues and the NHS have been fantastic.

Thanks. Although, given my experience I would hardly call the NHS world class and it most certainly isn't free. It's just free at delivery...I paid much more in taxes in the UK than in the USA for an equivalent salary and that difference was about the same as the extra cost of insurance premiums/costs that I pay here in the USA. However, although I found the medical care to be equivalent medically (ie competent, knowledgeable medical professionals for the most part), the convenience, cleanliness and staff attitude at every level have been far better here in the USA than in the UK. For example, when ds woke up almost blind here in the USA, within 24 hours I had spoken to the GP 5 or 6 times, who had organized for ds to be seen by an opthamologist and a neurologist with a back-up appointment for a spinal tap at the emergency room (which luckily he didn't need...turned out to be a migraine) and a handful of necessary medications in hand before we were home. When a similar thing happened in the UK a few years before, we spent 3 days being told that ds wasn't sick enough to see the GP and then when I finally stopped listening to the receptionist at the GP's making medical decisions about my sick child, and drove 40 minutes to the nearest A&E that had a pediatrician on staff and demanded to see someone, I got yelled at (literally) by that staff for having taken so long to bring him in as he a serious eye socket infection and could have lost his eyesight permanently. And then it took another 4 hours waiting with sick, half blind ds to get the medication....Oh and I won't begin to talk about all the thinly veiled accusations of Munchhausens By Proxy (perhaps this is what JSachs is worried about) I had to endure until I finally got an actual diagnosis and genetic testing done.

Why don't you Google private GP's. I know there are some in Edinburgh. Then you could call and ask if they provide sick lines.

OP - another thought, it strikes me that the big reaction against registering with the NHS even if you don't use it, is based round the fact that the way in the UK, access and entitlement to many benefits and services are based on eligability to another, seemingly unrelated benefit or service.

A good example is the second state pension - in order to get the full state pension, you need to have worked in the UK and paid National Insurance Contributions for a number of years (I think it's currently 30), however, if you are registered as the carer for someone else, a SAHM of an under 12 year old claiming Child Benefit or unemployed claiming Job Seekers allowance (and various other benefits), the government will 'pay' your NI contribution. The job seekers allowance and the state pension are completely unrealted, but in order to get one, you need to have claimed the other, even if you don't need the unemployment benefit at the time.

Subsequantly the general view in the UK popultion is that you should apply for things you are entitled too even if you don't use them.

For you, NHS registration would get you NHIC - this is effectively a health insurance policy the UK government pays when you are in the EU. You might not need/want this, but worth looking into before you dismiss it.

The British Government and it's civil service loves complex bureaucracy - UK citizens are used to registering for stuff and filling out forms, that even if they don't need it now, they might in the future, even in an unconnected way so it's best to "play the game".

I do think you need to do a bit more research on what health care needs will be covered by what and whether you are comfortable with the level of risk you are taking. Your embassy will certainly not pay for you to be repatriated by air ambulance and the fact you think they will suggests you might need to do a bit more research. You might be happy that the risk is small and you can afford to pay yourself, but make those judgements with better information.

@SofiaAmes, Did you like anything about living in the UK?

alardi, the curried goat and primark....other than that, not much. Sorry. Perhaps if I hadn't had a sick child, a difficult husband, an abusive boss, and not enough vitamin D, I'd have had an easier time and fonder memories. I still have some of the same problems here in Los Angeles, but it's much easier to live with difficulties when the weather is good and people are nice and the choices are more diverse.

Mary I experienced exactly what you are talking about. I couldn't get a NI number while I was looking for a job (and had the time to do the legwork), but once I had a baby, I could get one to received my child benefit. My ex had to apply for a student loan in order to get his grant even if we didn't want a loan. We have similar issues here in the USA too. It's just much easier to take a deep breath and let it roll off your back when it's 76 and sunny and mangos are 3 for a dollar. :)

I can assure you that the people are nice here too Sofia!

road rage in LA can mean ducking bullets, though.

I really hate car dependent lifestyles. I put up with cruddy weather happily to avoid the car dependency.

And we've had a fab summer this year, as warm as SoCal coastal averages (yay...!)

And we don't get as many earthquakes here.

Is the OP working illegally or something? I can't think of any other reason why somebody would not want to sign up for a free and world class health service

I can assure you I am perfectly legal.

I can also assure you that there are many reasons why someone would not want to sign up for the NHS or be indifferent towards even though it is free. Free isn't everything.

I don't know if your employer will accept what is essentially a purchased sick note. You will have to ask. As for the rest if you want to ease the burden on our NHS thats great. I personally think that you would be post-charged for emergency care on the NHS (as would a tourist) as you basically will not have an NHS number which you would receive on registration with a GP. But no biggie as you are adequately covered. I think it's good you want to leave it alone for the rest of us.

I don't know if your employer will accept what is essentially a purchased sick note. You will have to ask. As for the rest if you want to ease the burden on our NHS thats great. I personally think that you would be post-charged for emergency care on the NHS (as would a tourist) as you basically will not have an NHS number which you would receive on registration with a GP. But no biggie as you are adequately covered. I think it's good you want to leave it alone for the rest of us.

alardi....you can't believe everything you read in the newspaper! I had much more exposure to crime (including guns) in London (I did live in NW10) than I ever had either here in LA or even in NYC when I lived there in the 80's/90's. And frankly you are only as dependent on cars as your lifestyle forces you to be. Here in LA I can chose a local doctor with hours that are convenient to my lifestyle (and my ds' medical needs). In London, on the NHS I had to accept the gp that was local to my home (when one was available...there was a shortage in my area) and could not get one local to my work, so was forced to get in a car or on public transport (that didn't work well) to go to a doctor. I spent far more time in a vehicle and waiting for appointments in London than I ever do here. Again, with a sick child who is in a medical office/hospital on a weekly basis, this inconvenience can make a huge difference. When I was young and healthy and had no children, my gp could have been in the next county over and it wouldn't have mattered.
There is a difference between 76 degrees and no humidity (LA) and 76 degrees and 60% humidity (London)...I'll take LA any day. And you are welcome to enjoy London...

Differences in tastes and opinions is what makes the world go round....

I can think of a dozen reasons why JSachs might not want to sign up with the NHS. I think the biggest problem is that she started her thread in AIBU instead of in Health or Employment, so got controversy instead of help....

OP, the majority of GPs that work for the NHS are independent businesses, they get paid for providing NHS services under a contract, but many will also provide private services - eg, insurance medicals are private, so is signing a passport form/photo. etc.

So you could end up with one who works for the NHS anyway, but sees you on a private basis.