A reply to my query :-
Thank you for your correspondence of 29 July to the Department of Health about visitor and migrant access to the NHS. I have been asked to reply.
I note that you and your wife are retiring to Turkey this year.
The UK has a residency based healthcare system, and entitlement to free NHS hospital treatment in England is based on whether someone is ordinarily resident in the UK, not on British nationality or the past or present payment of National Insurance contributions or UK taxes. ‘Ordinarily resident’ means, broadly, living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being.
Once you and your wife move your sole residence to Turkey, you will not be considered ordinarily resident in the UK and will therefore not be covered by the NHS.
Those persons in receipt of UK state pensions who choose to live in another country are exempt from charges for any hospital treatment the need for which arises while they are staying here, as long as they previously lived here for at least ten continuous years in the past. This would include if they fell ill or were injured while on a visit here, or if they needed urgent treatment of a pre-existing condition. However, it would not include pre-planned treatment or routine treatment of a pre-existing condition.
In all cases, the decision on whether someone is ordinarily resident, exempt from charges, or chargeable, lies with the NHS trust providing treatment. They must make that decision based on the evidence provided by the patient and in accordance with the charging regulations.
I hope this reply is helpful.
