Looking for advice on Polish au pair's access to medical services (gp, hospital) in the UK

[worriedandsad]

I have never had this issue before as all my previous au pairs have come with some kind of medical card from their home countries. Now have a lovely Polish lady coming but she thinks there will be an issue with her access to medical care here. She has said that she cannot get a European Health card in Poland. She says that as she is 18 years old or over she can only get free medical insurance in Poland if she is studying, working or looking for a job. Apparently as she will not be studying when she comes to the UK she cannot have insurance from her parents. She thinks the only way to have health insurance in Poland is for her to register as unemployed but then has to go to the labour office in Poland every month to prove that she is trying to find work which is obviously not possible. Without the medical insurance she can not have an EHIC card and canot access services in the UK. I am not sure she has understood this properly - can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks very much.

That’s a bit odd. I’ve got polish friends that live here and go to the GP with no problems at al... someone wise with an answer will come along soon though!!

Why not call your GP?

www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/visiting-or-moving-to-england/moving-to-england-from-the-european-economic-area-eea-or-switzerland/

She needs to be paying her NI stamp at home somehow - see the link above.

She wont be paying a stamp at home as she wont be living there. She would not be working anyway as she is studying for university entrance. I have already tried the GP who were no help at all :(

But if she's studying, does that not qualify her for her stamp?

Hi,
I’m a Polish Nanny but used to work as an Au Pair in London a few years ago.
She’s right-she’s allowed to any health services only if she’s insured by her parents (until she’s 18) or if she’s studying (also by her parents but only until she’s 26 or by her univeristy if she’s older but still studying) or she’s registered as an unemployed (so she would need to prove she doesn’t have any job every single month to keep her health insurance up).
She can only apply for the Europen Healt Card (can’t remember the correct name) only if she’s insured in her home country (which is quite reasonable and makes sense).
Now I’m just thinking about my Au Pair experience. I didn’t have any health insurance at all I quess. I have never asked for this and the family has never offered me such a thing. I haven’t ever been ill while working for them but that’s not what we would relay on.

She does need an EHIC op, she's considered to be ordinarily resident in the U.K. During her time here and therefore can assess gp and hospital services.

A definition of ordinarily resident is here

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655489/Nationality-policy-assessing-ordinary-residence-v2.0EXT.pdf

Both our au pairs (from Germany) were just able to register at our GP practice. They showed them a letter/ contract from us and that was it. They didn’t have to show anything from being insured at home. Check with your GP.

Sorry that should read doesn't need an EHIC. Changes the point of my post entirely!

Worriedandsad what happened with your au pair?

We have a German au pair coming tomorrow and she is asking the same question. Her EHIC card will expire at the end of the month because she will have left Germany.

cornwall - she doesn't need one. My previous post wasn't very clear but she is considered ordinarily resident during her time in the UK, therefore she's entitled to free NHS treatment.

Thanks, that’s what we have told her but she is a very cautious person and keeps asking. I have ch eked with an old au pair too and she said the same. She has continued to live in the UK and when she went home and need to see a doctor she had to pay as she didn’t have any insurance back home anymore. I think our new au pair is concerned she is only covered in one country at a time