Using health services

NHS UK is resident based. If you are no longer resident in UK then you should not use the NHS. You can now apply for the convenio especial in Spain which covers you for all medical procedures at around 60 euro a month pp but does not include prescription costs.

Work out if your private medical insurance is cheaper than the convenio especial.

Of course, if you are over retirement age and drawing a UK pension you can transfer your healthcare to Spain for free and you will be entitled to the same reductions in prescription costs as anyone else. You need to get an S1 from UK to do this. The advantage for those with an S1 is that you can still use the NHS in UK but you cannot use the NHS in UK if you do not qualify for an S1. 

And, yes, after my daughter in UK has had problems and using the NHS and my wife using the Spanish NHS I can say, in our case, the Spanish treatment, especially aftercare, has been miles ahead of NHS England. 

To add to what marcliff has said if you hold an EHIC or GHIC that too was rendered invalid with your change of residency so if you were to visit another EU country you would need full travel insurance.

Thank you. That was really helpful. 

You might find these links also helpful:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain

https://www.citizensadvice.org.es/faq/who-do-i-notify-in-uk-when-moving-or-retiring-to-spain/

If you do not as yet qualify for form S1 from the UK and have been officially resident in Spain for 12 months, you can apply to join the Convenio Especial which will give you full access to the Spanish National Health Service. You will still have to pay for any prescriptions in full. The Convenio Especial covers pre-existing conditions. These links will provide will full information:

https://lifestylegroup.es/convenio-especial-spanish-state-healthcare/

https://www.gva.es/es/inicio/procedimientos?id_proc=17044

Thank you. That’s good to know.