Anyone here went to Royal Marshden College UK on uk tier2 visa and did treatment there under NHS?
I am from india with metastatic pca, might need to move to uk on tier2 visa. I want to understand how I can access royal marshden college while under NHS, how much feasible that is, and how much costly that will be, I might earn around 60k pound per year while in uk.
Hi, I'm not sure how you would access NHS health care under the tier 2 visa, the rules for tier 2 do appear to be quite stringent though. However, the NHS is not in a good way & is struggling massively to provide appropriate care including cancer care for existing residents! As an example my husband has cancer & heart failure, over Christmas he was very poorly and the health service sent paramedics emergency first responders to check him out. After a 3 hour wait for the emergency team to arrive they phoned us and asked us to make our own way to hospital as there was a 6hour delay for emergency first responders!! This is not unusual sadly. He's also waiting for a urgent echocardiogram, he's been waiting 3 months so far and it's still showing as pending, he's also been waiting a couple of months for a MIBI scan, just today he's been told they're taking up to 6 months!! There is a massive difference in care between each heath authority, under the NHS you are referred to a local hospital, if you insist on being seen at a particular hospital than you could see much longer waiting times for diagnosis, treatment etc. I would suggest you e mail the Royal Marsden and ask for their intake on how it would work.
Ps: as a further example of how things are at the moment, my husband's PSA blood tests results keep going missing between the lab and the hospital he's under. His oncologist wasn't particularly concerned as she said she didn't expect it to have gone up anyway, I insisted on another blood test and actually his level had increased, the oncologists secretary phoned to tell us!! His latest PSA test has gone missing yet again & yet again no one seems concerned. We've arranged for another test at the GP surgery & my husband will take the result to his oncologist appt next week assuming the results arrive in time!! This will be the first time my husband has met his oncologist in the 2 years since diagnosis!
What an utter disgrace - I do hope things improve for you both.
Thank you. Yes it is a disgrace but it also very sad. The NHS was struggling before COVID but now with so many medical staff dealing with or off sick with covid plus trying to catch up with all the delayed appointments, treatment etc from the last 2 years it really can't cope with the demands being placed on it, it literally will take years to recover, if at all! Some people are even waiting weeks just to get appointments to see their GP's. To be fair some areas are better than others. Pre-covid my husband wouldn't have waited longer than a month from referral for an echocardiogram, so far he's waited 3 months and still hasn't got a date despite it being an urgent referral and yet in another health authority area someone I know only waited 2 weeks for his echo and that was non urgent!!
We seem to have a big issue in UK Health care atm for sure. I need 20 sessions of VMAT radiotherapy to the prostate over 4 weeks starting 3 weeks after my last chemo ( next Monday). Fully BUPA covered and can’t even get a consult in the West Midlands due to Easter holidays etc. Was thinking doing this bit closer to home would make sense as London is a trek for a daily short appointment. So back to Finland for a month is decision made for me but not an option for most I appreciate. Seems mad when BUPA have authorised it but I don’t want to risk a delay as I certainly can’t spend it when I’m gone!
Hi lezzers, thank you so much for such a detailed reply, yes when I was there in 2017 on tier 2 visa, I got enrolled to nhs and see my gp, but at that time it was cursory visit only.
I know covid played havoc in uk but looks like ground reality is worse than I know.
It will be a huge point to consider. Thank you Lezzers.
I would definitely contact the hospital for their advice, they should at least be able to say if a referral to them via your gp is viable and how soon after being referred you would be able to see an oncologist there. You might also try prostate cancer UK, they may also be able to advise on how to find out the info you need.
Good luck.
If any problem....why dont you go to In dia for medicare...They are top in APC and service is fast......with your salary...profit from Royal top competent medical service in India for the rich......do not waste time in waiting...
Hi Karmaji, it seems you are proposing a solution but I don't get it because I don't get the meaning of "why don't you go to in dia for medicare?" - will you please rephrase / explain it?
You said my salary is not good enough for royal marshden, right?
Thank you so much for the response.
what I meant is may be it is more rapid to get APC medical care in India....as you come from India.....I said the other way that with your salary you can get excellent APC care in India as well....no waiting
You are correct Karmaji, lets dig a little deep in my thought process
If I can divide the apc or pca fight in 3 phases
Phase 1 - hormone sensitive stage with very defined protocol, I am now in it for 1 yr
Phase 2 - castrate resistant or beginning of resistance, drugs are there, but sequencing and selection with correct testing is not defined and depends on the doctors/institute
Here I feel the need of an institute who has great pc research and development
But all meds in this phase apart from provence are more quickly available in india
Phase 3 - clinical trial
Here also countries like uk might give me more chances compared to india, but I have to be in their system, isn't it
Request any of prudent persons in this forum to correct me.
Hi, me again!!
You don't pay for medical treatment in the UK if you're being treated under the NHS, apart for prescriptions unless you're exempt due to age, medical conditions etc. The amount you earn etc is a criteria for the tier 2 visa requirement I believe, how much you earn does not impact which hospital you'll be treated under which is why I said you're usually referred to a hospital local to you . If you have friends in the UK they will probably be able to explain it better.
Ps: you really do need to get advice as I've read about paying an immigration health surcharge. I've no idea if you'll have to pay this, how much it is and if it may or may not be refundable. The UK government websites give more information about accessing NHS services under a tier 2 visa.
Thank you Lezzers, yet again!
Please you or anyone post me the link to join an active forum like this but mainly with UK focus.
Hi, I'm loath to supply you with links to UK support groups simply because you may encounter some hostility from some people in these groups. Just to explain, residents of the UK for the whole of their working life, pay a monthly subscription called National Insurance, this payment entitles them to free NHS healthcare (If it's covered under the NHS). So, whilst the NHS is considered 'free' at point of use, UK residents actually pay for it their whole working life. The NHS has been underfunded for years and now with all the issues around covid & the pandemic it's struggling so badly that for the first time in years the national insurance subscription has increased from this month and people who were previously exempt from paying it (those who'd retired but still work) are now also having to pay for it at a time when the UK is already struggling with high fuel prices, utilities, food etc!! Quite a lot of UK residents are resentful of people from other countries using the NHS as they've not paid into it, especially as you are wanting to be treated at one of the top UK hospitals.
Please use the link below, they may be able to help with support groups or advice about the NHS treatment
I completely understand the rationale as I come from a country where battle for living is fierce and when it is fierce a good percentage of people loses empathy, I have seen that, so no hard feelings.
Will try the group, anyway I am watching the macmillan group - progress of treatment looks delayed for cases.
Thank you lezzers for being so thoughtful. May god bless you!!
Unfortunately a lot of cases have been delayed including my own husbands, his diagnosis was delayed due to the pandemic. However, please don't be deterred from trying, the Prostate Cancer UK is the UK's largest prostate Cancer charity and there is currently a massive media campaign going on at the moment to make people aware of this cancer.Good luck, I wish you well. My husband was only 65 when he was diagnosed but you are far too young to have to deal with this.
Hi Soumen. As a UK resident who is also currently hormone sensitive, I'm looking at going to Baku / India / Australia or Germany for next treatments. Sadly the NHS is not perhaps as good as you think it is. Please research these destinations, they are years ahead of the UK.
If I was you I would definitely start with Dr. Sen at Fortis Hospital in Delhi. Dr Sen is much much more experienced with LU177 than any UK doctor, including those at The Marsden. Dr. Sen replied to a email quickly and even posts in here.
Good luck with your journey. If you do decide on the UK then Lezzers has given good advice and both of us and others will help you where we can.
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