You are here

Re-immigrating to UK

Hi!

I wonder if anyone can advise on the following. I am a Brit who moved to live abroad 6 years ago (in Japan). I was diagnosed 3 years ago with CML and am being treated here in Japan (400 mg glivec). I am in MMR status. I am starting to plan for (early) retirement, which would involve returning to UK, and I was wondering what to watch out for in terms of getting treatment switched back to UK.

I know that I have to first get an address in UK again and register with a doctor near the new address. Would there be any issue in returning and registering in Scotland if I was previously registered in England? Anything to watch out for in terms of location? (I gather from other posts that being near a place with large chemist and ability to travel to a specialist centre are high on the list).

I assume that I then have to be referred to a specialist for assessment? (Sorry if this all seems obvious - ironically I never had any major issues in the 47 years I lived in England, so never had to go beyond visiting my GP). Do you know if I can be prescribed glivec based on my existing doctor's assessment or do I have to wait on confirmation in UK? (I am trying to understand how much glivec I would need to bring back with me to cover until I could get it prescribed and receive it in UK).

I realise that this is not a good time to be seeking advice as there are very pressing issues ongoing with NICE, but I would appreciate it if someone could offer answers on the above or any additional advice. My return is still some time away, but I am trying to understand what to look out for as part of my plans.

Best wishes, Bill

Hello Bill,
I am no expert on all this and can only make some possible suggestions, perhaps direct contact with the dept of health might be a way to get some answers.

The specialist centres might also be able to give you some advice. In London that would be hematology / oncology at either Hammersmith Hospital or Kings College hospital, there are other centres - as you know - across the country. The specialist centres are the best option, at least when you first get here, they will be fully aware of all the possible issues.

Prescription problems are being handled differently at different centres, for example Kings is prescribing Glivec and other TKIs in house, all other drugs on NHS scripts for the local chemist. Not sure what's happening elswhere but expect others will let you now how their centres operate.

It would be a good idea to have a 'bulk' supply of your glivec to hand for the move.

Good luck with the move.
ATB
Pennie

Hi Bill,

I was dx'd in London but was working in Glasgow. They have a centre of excellence at Gartnavel Hospital and they are a fantastic, so if you are heading to Scotland, I would see if you can get in there at least for some of the time, and they have a pharmacy on site. I couldn't register with a doctor in Scotland as I was only a temp resident but I had one in England, but as you say you will need a GP in the UK and it would be better if its in Scotland.

Enjoy the early retirement :-)
Lynn x

Dear Pennie and Lynn,

Many thanks for the useful information. Glasgow definitely sounds promising. I certainly plan to try and get more information from NHS, but wanted to get as much background information as possible before I started those enquiries. Sounds like I will have to make a decision on location before I can finalise the process and timeline for getting a prescription.

Best wishes,
Bill

Hi, It may seem a bit obvious but it could help if you got a copy of your medical records / results etc from Japan translated into English to make it easier for your new GP / Consultant to understand where you are with your treatment.