Relocating back to UK

I relocated back to UK about 4years ago and was very anxious about the return because of the impression given by the news channels which seem to only portray the worst of the UK.
I love being home, it is different to when I left but where I live now the people are very friendly, I have had excellent health care especially cancer care which I went through last year. I love the seasons and the countryside. My lifestyle is markedly different but still fulfilling. I do know people who returned from the same place as I did who suffered severe withdrawal symptoms requiring medication, so, Life is what you make it wherever you are.

My husband and I returned to the UK from Spain last year, after living in Spain for 17 years, mostly because I wanted to return to the UK to be near our family in the Midlands. We have settled in our new area near family and I love being more involved in family life, quite happy with doctor and health service. My husband has found he misses the social life abroad and the sun. Glad we have sold up in Spain and as we get older like the familiarity of the UK.

We are the same Mamie really don't want to change anything.

We still give our doctor 25€ and get 24€ back from our caisse. They wanted to change the system but it doesn't seemed to have happened.
I would not want to move back to the UK at the moment because you would risk losing your acquired rights to residence here.
We could do with downsizing at some point (here in France), but until our status is finally resolved I think we are best staying in our commune, where we have lived for fourteen years. Not the time to make changes imo.

Thank you to all for your advice on GP services in the UK. Next time, I will try ringing early to see if there has been a cancellation. I forgot to say, another reason for moving back was that our granddaughter was about to start school, and as both parents work full time, we knew we would be needed for school pick ups. We do twice a week now, and live quite close to our daughter and son-in-law.
I think everyone's story is different, but as I said, we have not regretted moving back. It is for each individual to assess their own circumstances. Another big incentive for us was to avoid growing old in France, and to make the move back while we were still physically capable. (Iam mid sixties and my husband early seventies). I have heard of people becoming infirm and then effectively being 'trapped' in France.

I think that financially you will have to do your sums very carefully evianas.

I am sure you know that property prices have rocketed here over the years you have been away, but as I understand, they have risen less in France. You have already mentioned your horror at that rental price you saw.

What part of the UK would you move to, as prices do vary a lot? I live in the Home Counties and am amazed to read that it is still possible to buy in some areas up north for as little as £100,000.

As you have family here I think you are absolutely doing the right thing. Don't listen to all those people who are always putting this country down. Despite problems this is a wonderful country in which to live.

Foxyloxy writes : They are having a horrendous time with getting GP’s, because unfortunately their system has changed to ours, as opposed to patients paying up front when they visited the doctor, they don’t need to pay up front anymore, causing a lot of GP’s to retire or move on.

This is unfortunately not correct in our area of the Haute Savoie. We registered with a new GP last week [the old one retired]. Both OH and I took previous documentation with us to prove our medical histories. At the end of the consultation/registration, she asked us for €50.-- some of which we shall retrieve from CPAM.

Foxyloxy a very good assessment of the french health system. They're experiencing similar problems to the UK now. Especially in rural areas, they can't recruit GPs, and the older generation are retiring.
If people can read french, this is an interview with th family practise that we were lucky enough to have looking after us
www.ladepeche.fr/article/2017/09/27/2653500-medecin-de-famille-avec-ses-parents-et-son-grand-pere.html

Hi Foxyloxy! So sorry about ds' health and your own diagnosis. Hope you are both doing better.

Glad you've found ways to adjust to being back in the UK and hope that continues to get better, too.

Framilode, I feel your pain, know exactly what you are going through. I love England, but loved the life style in France and Spain. This is a great Country! going through a miserable time at the moment. We might not appreciate it, but a lot of Europeans do, there are very more French living here than British in France. Last month there was a 31% rise in Europeans applying for British citizenship.

MOnica, I am not making this comment to be argumentative, just to say that I have found the hospitals, and doctors surgery here, very professional and helpful. Personally have had no problems. The Health system in France is second to none. But we have a lot of friends in the the system there. One is a Paediatrician, and he has been retired five years now, but is constantly filling in because of shortages. They are having a horrendous time with getting GP’s, because unfortunately their system has changed to ours, as opposed to patients paying up front when they visited the doctor, they don’t need to pay up front anymore, causing a lot of GP’s to retire or move on. They are talking of doing telephone consultations as well now. In France we needed to take out Insurance to add to the normal health cover. They were very strict in hospitals of checking that you could and did have the proper cover and were entitled to the treatment you were going for. I have noticed the difference back in our system, where we treat the person first then just may be we might find out if they are entitled to the treatment. I know this first hand as I got Peritonitis when visiting my daughter, the treatment was excellent with an emergency operation etc, but it took me three phone calls to get through to the administration about where to send the bill, which was over £2000, but they never did. When we spoke to CPAM in France, the lady said “c’est normal” she explained that they rarely got any reverse claims from England. While there system is groaning under the strain, it is super. We do a bang up job here, whilst under more pressure I feel.

Hello Evianers,
Two years ago we returned from France very reluctantly after very many years. Our reasons were because our sons health was deteriorating, and we would need to be his support. We didn’t need to be back immediately, but decided to put our house on the market, because of the length of time houses there take to sell. But unfortunately we ended by selling it in three weeks, which then created a traumatic time for us, as we were not able to adjust to our decision slowly. Added to which, at exactly the same time I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Long story short, we returned after my treatment and moving house. Truthfully, I have taken two years to adjust to being back to England. It feels like I am in mourning. My husband fitted straight in, even though he was the person who was more integrated in France than I was. We have found moving to a totally new area, joining UC3A, Gym etc made the transition easier. We always intended to return to England, and didn’t expect to live in France quite as long as we did. We moved there to travel round Europe, before the days of the cheap flights, but enjoyed the life so time just ran away.

I am finding this post very interesting evianers as I myself am facing a similar dilemma, whether to return to the UK from Australia, although I have only been here about 8 years. I do not want to hijack your thread so am going to post separately in due course. I regularly visit an expats forum and there are numerous retired people from the UK who emigrated a long time ago who now wish to return home.

I think as you get older you long to go back to your roots. I myself am feeling this now and if I had my grandchildren in the UK I wouldn’t hesitate. Yes the UK has its problems, but so does anywhere else. It’s home and I would just do what your heart is telling you to do while you are still healthy and have the energy to take it on. It would be a shame to regret it if you still find further down the line that you want to return but for various reasons aren’t able to.

Because we like to make sure patients are able to provide informed consent, understand their condition and make sure they understand if they’re going to die. It could be considered basic humanity.

I returned to the UK (not entirely from choice but I was younger) and could not wait to go back. So it did not work for me.

I understand your misgivings about language but you may find the health specialist you encounter, and much of the staff in UK hospitals, do not have English as a first language. In fact I'm told by relatives the NHS would collapse without them.

In the end it's a personal choice but if I were in your position, I'd try to retain a home in France just in case your repatriation doesn't work. Best of both worlds.

I wouldnt settle in the UK now if I wasnt already here with a job and kids in school. Its not the country it was when DH and I started our life together here

If you're serious about coming back and renting, try the real NE. It's much cheaper.
But my advice is, if you can't think of the UK as 'home', and your children aren't clamouring for you, don't come back.

Buying is easier and cheaper which is bonkers. But again because of the price of renting, sales properties go fast

Its also a landlords market round here. You have to grab rental properties the second they become available and agents have a wait list of suitable tenants. Can take months to get a place.

Yes UK renters pay more than owners with mortgages. A two bed flat in my (nowhere near london) town can be anything from £850/month - £1500 and sometimes even more!

If you are moving to be near GCs you wont have the freedom of avoiding the higher price areas

All of the above observations are very much appreciated. Yes, we could perhaps rent out our property, except that French tenants have all the rights under the law, {3 years} and owners very few. It would be a risk, and very difficult to get them out if they chose to dig in their heels, but what is the cost of renting in the UK? We passed an estate agent's in Pinner who only conduct rentals and saw a 3-bed semi for £1,900.-- per month. Had a heart attach on the spot!!!!!

Sorry if I'm repeating a previous suggestion, but I wonder, particularly in the light of Framilode 's post, could you rent out your home in France and then rent here for a while to 'test the water'?

Antonia our story is similar to yours, reasoms for leaving
But we can get a same day appt by ringing at 8.30 - they have a programme which searches and gives the next doctor and time where there's a vacancy.
In France our GP had 3 mornings a week when you could go and wait and eventually be seen. But that was a much smaller practise.

We can always be seen on the same day unless you want to see a specific doctor. We can book online every morning or ring and speak to the emergency doctor. We also have an urgent care centre which is open 24 hours.

Good post, ffinnochio. DH and I were just having a bit of a moan about GP appointments not being available round here for a couple of weeks, but I think we probably are stuck in the past and should be thinking of using the pharmacist, etc. Our adult children use 111 a lot for advice about the children, and we have never tried it. Time for us to jump into the 21st century, I think!