Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Has anyone moved to the UK a month before they were due???

30 replies

lua · 21/07/2006 10:27

Hi everybody,
I have a dutch friend that is planning on moving to the UK a month before her due date.
I am a bit concerned that she is cutting to close given she doesn't have a place to live, a GP, or any idea about the hospitals here...
Has anyone done this? Did it work out?
Any wise suggestions of how early she should show up?

TIA!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

expatinscotland · 21/07/2006 10:30

Um, yeah, that doesn't strike me as a very good idea.

KathyMCMLXXII · 21/07/2006 10:38

Lua, I moved within the UK three weeks before my due date and found that the system was very bad at letting me get things organised in advance (though invididual midwives were tremendously helpful and informative) - officially I had to go along with them saying I would be having my baby in the place where I was living before and the hospital in the place where I was moving to wouldn't answer my questions or let me go on a hospital tour till I was actually established. I think for NHS purposes she needs to get an address in the area where she'll be having a baby ASAP (even if it's a fake address, ie a friend's house) and register with a doctor there. If she can't do this, she will need to go through the back door to get info because she official channels simply won't let her.

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 10:38

How She is already 24 weeks gone...
How far along can she move here and still have some cahnce of meeting the midwives before birth, you reckon?

in other words, anyone know how fast can it be between establishing residence, seeing a GP and getting an appointment at the hospital?

OP posts:

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 10:38

How She is already 24 weeks gone...
How far along can she move here and still have some cahnce of meeting the midwives before birth, you reckon?

in other words, anyone know how fast can it be between establishing residence, seeing a GP and getting an appointment at the hospital?

OP posts:

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 10:40

Kathy, putting an address down might be a good idea! is it legal?

OP posts:

acnebride · 21/07/2006 10:41

as long as she plans to be in the UK at least six months, she should be able to register with a GP. Even if she's got no evidence of that, gps can use their discretion to offer treatment, and the needs of her child should take priority.

but really, from what i hear of dutch maternity system, if i were her i would wait and move at about 3 months old...

Gemmitygem · 21/07/2006 10:41

TBH, I would really encourage her either to come earlier, or to have the baby in Holland and come over afterwards (they have better rates of birth outcome than we do!) Or to book an independent midwife for a home birth.

I'm doing it the other way round, giving birth in Belgium, but registered with the hospital there in April...

Anyway hope it all works out for her,

KathyMCMLXXII · 21/07/2006 10:45

I would have thought five or six weeks (at least of having a fake address, IYSWIM, so the appointments can get made, even if she's not actually physically there) ought to cover it, allowing time in case it's a week or two early.

She may also need to work out what to do about translating her medical notes - hospitals tend to only like treating you once they have everything written down on their form. I really think she needs to find a friendly midwive in the area who will talk to her off the record about how these things are done.

Incidentally, in some areas you don't meet the hospital midwives beforehand anyway - it's a completely different crowd who do the antenatal care and the birth.

KathyMCMLXXII · 21/07/2006 10:47

Lua, technically I guess giving a false address is not legal at all, but who's going to know? The system is not joined up enough to notice if addresses she is giving for other purposes (eg tax) aren't the same.

tenalady · 21/07/2006 10:47

With expat on this one. AND why move away when she will have better healthcare over there.

By the time they get around to setting up all the records blah blah, if they dont lose them on the way, she might get to see a doctor.

Id give it a swerve.

KathyMCMLXXII · 21/07/2006 10:50

But as Acnebride says, GPs can use their discretion. I don't think she should worry about not getting treated - people turn up in the UK all the time and get treatment when they need it!
The question is more how she can get familiar with the system in the time.

expatinscotland · 21/07/2006 10:53

It's not a question of being entitled to treatment, of course. She is an EU national and can use the NHS the same as a Brit who moves to Holland can use their system.

It's more along the lines of, if I understand correctly, the Dutch system might offer better maternity care AND it's a lot less hassle from her end.

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 11:01

Thanks ladies!
Well, the whole thing is a bit more complicated...

She is currently living in the USA, and her partner is getting a job here.... So I think giving birth in the netherlandsis not an option...

I think she likes the idea of home birth... what are the chances of that without being registered early? anyone knows?

OP posts:

acnebride · 21/07/2006 11:02

as i understand it at the moment, the main criteria for access to nhs services is being 'ordinarily resident' in the UK. Not nationality. so e.g. someone who's British but lived abroad for years doesn't necessarily have access to the NHS if they are back here for a few days. same for all EU citizens.

i could easily be wrong - i find it incredibly confusing, and it's supposed to be part of my job

acnebride · 21/07/2006 11:02

different for emergency treatment - that's available to who needs it at the time.

KathyMCMLXXII · 21/07/2006 11:05

Home birth - oh dear. Harder, I think. I initially wanted one but couldn't work out how to organise it what with moving so late.
However it may be different in the area she's moving to - I think it varies a lot.

riab · 21/07/2006 11:08

You can request a homebirth right up until the last minute!

If I was her I would somehow find the money for an independant midwife (to ensure she has care) and go for a homebirth.

Mine was HB and it was a fantastic experience.

Toady · 21/07/2006 11:08

Can she afford an independent midwife?

KathyMCMLXXII · 21/07/2006 11:09

But riab, don't you need your GP to sign it off?

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 11:12

I am sure they would rather not fork the money...
But, what are the ballpark estimate for an independent midwife?

OP posts:

acnebride · 21/07/2006 11:19

the one i would have if i could afford it and had another baby charges 2300 for all antenatal care, delivery and postnatal care. she presents this as being the expensive end of the market.

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 11:27

Thanks acne bride!
She wouldn't be in the northwest, would she?

OP posts:

oranges · 21/07/2006 11:33

I did just that. The GP and hospital were not a problem - the gp will see her and the hospital will take her in if she is in labour. The problem was getting midwives appointments in between if she is worried about something or wants a general check up. I simply could not get an appointment and luckily a kindly consultant agreed to a general check up, realised my amniotic fluid was drying out and induced me that day, two weeks early. I dread to think what would have happened if he had not agreed to see me.

acnebride · 21/07/2006 12:01

no, 'mine' is in oxford. Try the IMA. . Maybe your friend could reg with a GP and pay for an antenatal consultation (I saw at least one on that website who charges £50 for a consultation like that) if she has any trouble getting antenatal care.

Original poster

lua · 21/07/2006 12:49

Thanks everyone! This has been really helpful!

OP posts:

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread