Pls help - pregnancy complications/registration query

[hopingforthebest101]

Could anyone let me know how long it took them to get hospital appointment after first seeing GP? I am six months pregnant and due to move back to UK to give birth, but there is no way to register until I am physically in UK at 7 months. I wasn't too worried but now we have learned our baby has two abnormalities. It is unusual combination with very uncertain outcome - everything from fine to worst case - so I am even more worried re making sure we have proper care asap. Once I have registered with GP am I likely to have to wait weeks to get maternity unit referral? Or days? GP surgery and maternity unit both unhelpful. Desperate for any advice. Thank you.

If you know where your GP surgery is I would call them and explain your situation so they can advise. Realistically I think they must have some kind of duty to make sure your care and that of the baby is not compromised so even if the normal procedure is that it would take weeks to register with the maternity unit I would expect them to rush it through for you.

I would think they will get you seen pretty much straight away to get you on the system and to re confirm for themselves the situation and arrange things in preparation for baby arriving ... try not to worry until you get here ... just make it a priority to get seen as soon as you can after the move!

You can self-refer yourself directly to hospital antenatal.
Some hospitals have online form to fill out on their website, then they will set up appt.

Get your healthcare provider wherever you are currently living to contact the lead consultant/fetal medicine specialist directly. You could get them to do it now explaining you will be moving into their area. That way you have the specialists talking to each other and they can make sure all the details are passed over which takes out a GP in the middle.

Just out of curiosity, why are you moving back to the uk so late? 7 months is really pushing it. Were you just going to use the NHS and go back to this other country? Without meaning to sound rude you will be questioned on this and asked to prove habitual residency, I have been through it and I was only 3 months pregnant and a uk citizen out of the country temporarily. It was hell, and I was threatened with paying full maternity and labour costs which would have run into the 10s of thousands of pounds..and that was an uncomplicated birth with no other issues.

That's a fair point lemonade. You normally have to have been a resident in the uk for at least three months in the last year even if you are a uk citizen. This leaflet for a London trust has a good guide though because there are loopholes depending on where you've been living, how long you've been there and what your job is.
www.whittington.nhs.uk/document.ashx?id=3227

It is not a guarantee you will qualify though so you probably need to factor this in when planning. Most trusts have an overseas officer who will be able to provide basic advice over the phone (they do the checks on patients who the is a doubt as to their eligibility so can tell you what documents you will need to have ready). If it does look like you could get charged, if your baby does need special care in any way this all adds up very quickly.
Good luck with whatever you end up doing

Thanks all for the advice. The trouble is that maternity units won't let you register without GP. But hoping under circumstances GP will help speed things up. UK-born British citizen and have been working abroad for UK company - with letter from employer explaining I'm returning permanently - so fingers crossed no problems with NHS registration.