# Consequences of living in Spain and getting medication from uk



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I know of an English man who has been living in Spain for several years who gets his medication collected in the UK by friends, I suppose in bulk, and brought over when they go to stay with him. I'm curious firstly to know how he can do this and also what the consequences would be if caught. He also gets friends to withdraw cash for him in the thousands....
He must be registered to a certain degree because he has bought a Spanish reg car...


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I know of an English man who has been living in Spain for several years who gets his medication collected in the UK by friends, I suppose in bulk, and brought over when they go to stay with him. I'm curious firstly to know how he can do this and also what the consequences would be if caught. He also gets friends to withdraw cash for him in the thousands....
> He must be registered to a certain degree because he has bought a Spanish reg car...


How does he know he stills needs the medication or that the dose it correct and when I left the UK GPS had a rolling annual review of patients and prescriptions. Isabel might know if the is universal. 

That’s a waste of money for the NHS it’s fraudulent


----------



## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

\I don't think the medicine part is a worry at all. You can even buy it online if you want.

European Medicines Agency -

Probably can buy much more too from non registered sites.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Megsmum said:


> How does he know he stills needs the medication or that the dose it correct and when I left the UK GPS had a rolling annual review of patients and prescriptions. Isabel might know if the is universal.
> 
> That’s a waste of money for the NHS it’s fraudulent


Well, this is it, how does the prescription keep getting filled? I don't know this man personally, so can't ask him, but am wondering about the whole process


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Megsmum said:


> How does he know he stills needs the medication or that the dose it correct and when I left the UK GPS had a rolling annual review of patients and prescriptions. Isabel might know if the is universal.
> 
> That’s a waste of money for the NHS it’s fraudulent


We both have repeat prescriptions, collect two monthly. It would be easy to have someone else collect them. It does give a date of the next review and from memory I think it is less than a year. Don't know if it is universal but it seems so The people who do these things are very silly to tell other people, I wouldn't if doing something not legit. People talk.


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Well, this is it, how does the prescription keep getting filled? I don't know this man personally, so can't ask him, but am wondering about the whole process


Automatically once passed by GP they go by computer to the pharmacy of choice. Mine is Boots and they give me a card when the next collection date is.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Isobella said:


> Automatically once passed by GP they go by computer to the pharmacy of choice. Mine is Boots and they give me a card when the next collection date is.


But WHY?

Just register here and your new Doctor will sort you out.

Drugs are withdrawn or improved all the time. Also your condition may have changed.

Far better to be on the correct medicine than self medicate (which is what it boils down to)!


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> But WHY?
> 
> Just register here and your new Doctor will sort you out.
> 
> ...


This is my concern. Isabel obviously lives in the UK. I had repeat prescriptions when I left and my GP gave me six months worth of drugs because she knew we were moving here and was concerned about how long it might take to get registered.

The person PW is referring to is, imho, both stupid and dishonest in equal measures. Had I remained on the drugs given to me when I came here four years ago, I’d be dead, having developed a heart condition as a side effect. It’s also an example of the inefficiencies in the NHS and how lapse many healthcare professionals are in the prescription writing. 

My card here is filled with my medication which I can only get month by month. When and if I go to the UK and not able to fill my prescriptions my GP gives me an additional prescription to cover me.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I know of an English man who has been living in Spain for several years who gets his medication collected in the UK by friends, I suppose in bulk, and brought over when they go to stay with him. I'm curious firstly to know how he can do this and also what the consequences would be if caught. He also gets friends to withdraw cash for him in the thousands....
> He must be registered to a certain degree because he has bought a Spanish reg car...


He could buy a Spanish reg car without being registered as resident, nor on the padrón. He'd just need his escritura & a NIE.

I know people who have been doing similar things. 

To me it seems dangerous in several ways. As Megsmum said, how does he know he still needs it? 

If he's not a pensioner, he's not entitled to primary care in the UK. Even if he is, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to carry medications in bulk. The GP must be very lax to keep issuing prescriptions - if that's what is happening. 

I dare say he has some misguided reason for doing this. Most people I know who are under the radar in this way are avoiding having to do a tax return in Spain. Almost daily I hear, or see on FB, 'But I'm not resident' from people who have lived here for years 

Only this weekend, someone who has lived here for at least 4 years was asking 'What are the benefits of registering as resident?' on a local FB group. 

I AM seeing more people replying 'It's the law!' now, than I used to.


----------



## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Well, this is it, how does the prescription keep getting filled? I don't know this man personally, so can't ask him, but am wondering about the whole process


There are web sites offering online consultations with a doctor who can give you a prescription which is then dispensed by the web site (ie, the medicine is sent to you by post - for a large fee, of course!). The NHS warns against using these sites: https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/pharmacists/Pages/internet-drugs.aspx


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> Almost daily I hear, or see on FB, 'But I'm not resident' from people who have lived here for years
> 
> Only this weekend, someone who has lived here for at least 4 years was asking 'What are the benefits of registering as resident?' on a local FB group.
> 
> I AM seeing more people replying 'It's the law!' now, than I used to.


Probably because we are getting pissed off with being legal and jumping through the hoops, paying the correct taxes etc and suddenly due to the B word everyone who lived here illegally are suddenly all trying to become legal. I hope they’re denied harsh but true , sorry


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I don't know, but I suspect his reasons are ones that many British residents in Spain have - fear of the unknown plus a large dose of so what? Fear = not knowing the system and not knowing the language. So what = I'm unlikely to get caught and I can always plead innocence, that I didn't know it was illegal (I know that argument doesn't hold water, but many foreigners think that it will) Put that together with an idea that the Spanish are in the back waters of honesty and legal competence and you have the Under the Radars.
Anyway, back to the original question... The medical consequences are clear, but are there legal consequences? For him, the people picking up the meds, the doctor?
And the question of the money??


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I don't know, but I suspect his reasons are ones that many British residents in Spain have - fear of the unknown plus a large dose of so what? Fear = not knowing the system and not knowing the language. So what = I'm unlikely to get caught and I can always plead innocence, that I didn't know it was illegal (I know that argument doesn't hold water, but many foreigners think that it will) Put that together with an idea that the Spanish are in the back waters of honesty and legal competence and you have the Under the Radars.
> Anyway, back to the original question... The medical consequences are clear, but are there legal consequences? For him, the people picking up the meds, the doctor?
> And the question of the money??


Since he lives in Spain, he shouldn't be getting regular prescriptions from a GP in the UK. He would have to be fraudulently claiming to be a UK resident. 

So that's fraud.


Even if they are being bout OTC, looking at one Spanish Consulate website, only medicines belonging to the traveller may be brought into the country. And it's illegal to send them by post

So if caught, the person carrying them would be in trouble, though I have no idea how much.

There's no limit to how much cash can be carried, but if over 10,000€ you have to make a declaration to customs. 

There are fines for non-declaration & the money could be confiscated. (I've been watching Aduanas España  )


----------



## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

A friend of mine also does all those things for his meds. When it's time for his appointment with his UK doctor he flies back to the UK and stays with a pal of his and uses his address. He has his medical check up, gets new prescription, gives prescription to his mate and comes back to Spain. Each month he gets his meds through the post. When I've asked him why he just says his own doctor knows his medical history well and he trusts his own doctor. He also says he gets a holiday in the UK at same time. He has been living here for 14 years has an NIE but nothing else to make him legal. After brexit everyone might have to prove more about entitlement to medication both here and the UK.


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

tebo53 said:


> l. After brexit everyone might have to prove more about entitlement to medication both here and the UK.


Hopefully yes, really gets my goat all this I’m British so........I really don’t wish harm on people but I hope one and all get their just desserts.


----------



## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Well for every action there's a consequence and when it comes to health sometimes no treatment/ tablets is better

Take my nephew for example. He suffers from a rare mental condition that means whilst he's out here in Spain without his medication he thinks and acts like he is a chicken 

We were going to get him his medication locally but frankly we needed the eggs!!!!!!


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> Since he lives in Spain, he shouldn't be getting regular prescriptions from a GP in the UK. He would have to be fraudulently claiming to be a UK resident.
> 
> So that's fraud.
> 
> ...





tebo53 said:


> A friend of mine also does all those things for his meds. When it's time for his appointment with his UK doctor he flies back to the UK and stays with a pal of his and uses his address. He has his medical check up, gets new prescription, gives prescription to his mate and comes back to Spain. Each month he gets his meds through the post. When I've asked him why he just says his own doctor knows his medical history well and he trusts his own doctor. He also says he gets a holiday in the UK at same time. He has been living here for 14 years has an NIE but nothing else to make him legal. After brexit everyone might have to prove more about entitlement to medication both here and the UK.


Yes,it all seems very wishy washy to me. There's nothing really forceful or convincing to win these people over, like a well known list of people who have been checked up on, found out, fined, refused meds in the UK or worse. He's been doing it for years, is off the radar and will probably continue to do so happily milking both systems to his satisfaction living in Spain without becoming a part of it until he's ready to "go home"


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes,it all seems very wishy washy to me. There's nothing really forceful or convincing to win these people over, like a well known list of people who have been checked up on, found out, fined, refused meds in the UK or worse. He's been doing it for years, is off the radar and will probably continue to do so happily milking both systems to his satisfaction living in Spain without becoming a part of it until he's ready to "go home"


As tebo suggests, after Brexit he might find that he has difficulties getting back into Spain if he pops back to the UK for a visit. 

It will then be time to put up or shut up, as it were.

Unless of course he or his friends get caught in the meantime, & I suspect that will be more likely after Brexit, too.


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Rabbitcat said:


> Well for every action there's a consequence and when it comes to health sometimes no treatment/ tablets is better
> 
> Take my nephew for example. He suffers from a rare mental condition that means whilst he's out here in Spain without his medication he thinks and acts like he is a chicken
> 
> We were going to get him his medication locally but frankly we needed the eggs!!!!!!


Thanks for brightening the day. Nice one


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

xabiachica said:


> As tebo suggests, after Brexit he might find that he has difficulties getting back into Spain if he pops back to the UK for a visit.
> 
> It will then be time to put up or shut up, as it were.
> 
> Unless of course he or his friends get caught in the meantime, & I suspect that will be more likely after Brexit, too.


No way they will find out if he is British, he could be travelling to a holiday home in Spain. 
Unless because he has told so many people someone reports it.

I remember one man being arrested who lived in Nerja on arrival at Gatwick. He had gone for the full Monty. Benefits, HB. etc. someone had called the hotline. There are also many who have council houses and returned to their own countries after sub letting and still claiming HB. Been a problem in London for years.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Isobella said:


> No way they will find out if he is British, he could be travelling to a holiday home in Spain.
> Unless because he has told so many people someone reports it.
> 
> I remember one man being arrested who lived in Nerja on arrival at Gatwick. He had gone for the full Monty. Benefits, HB. etc. someone had called the hotline. There are also many who have council houses and returned to their own countries after sub letting and still claiming HB. Been a problem in London for years.


After Brexit he may well need a Schengen visa, with a 90 days in 180 restriction, so it will be harder to come & go, especially for the guy tebo knows. 

All it would take is for his friends to be searched & found with bulk medications in their luggage. Clearly they carry much more than would be required for a holiday.

They've been lucky so far, but if caught, would they be likely to take the rap themselves & be accused maybe of smuggling & selling them, or tell customs about their friend?


----------



## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

There is also a woman we know who is living "under the radar" who rents her house out in the UK at far more than she pays rental here and also collects disability benefits. She works part time in a local bar too!!!. She claims to have had breast cancer so won't use any other than her own doctor in the UK who "knows her history" She goes to the UK at regular periods and uses her UK address.

She lives a very cushy lifestyle here in Spain.

No taxes paid by her and been living here about 3 years and not even on the Padron.

Steve


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

tebo53 said:


> There is also a woman we know who is living "under the radar" who rents her house out in the UK at far more than she pays rental here and also collects disability benefits. She works part time in a local bar too!!!. She claims to have had breast cancer so won't use any other than her own doctor in the UK who "knows her history" She goes to the UK at regular periods and uses her UK address.
> 
> She lives a very cushy lifestyle here in Spain.
> 
> ...


I'm not a vindictive person but I think she will be in all sorts of trouble come Brexit.


----------



## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

tebo53 said:


> There is also a woman we know who is living "under the radar" who rents her house out in the UK at far more than she pays rental here and also collects disability benefits. She works part time in a local bar too!!!. She claims to have had breast cancer so won't use any other than her own doctor in the UK who "knows her history" She goes to the UK at regular periods and uses her UK address.
> 
> She lives a very cushy lifestyle here in Spain.
> 
> ...


Shop her! Honest taxpayers like us are subsidising these fraudsters.


----------



## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

The Skipper said:


> Shop her! Honest taxpayers like us are subsidising these fraudsters.


I know what you are saying Skip but nobody knows her last name. I know exactly where she lives but I wouldn't know who to report it to. She is often living it up in our local expats bar as she lives local. 

Trouble with me Skip is I'd get that guilty feeling if she gets find etc.

Infuriating situation. 

Steve


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I'm sure practically all of us know somebody who is living in similar circumstances. If we know of it then if we don't report it, really we ourselves are guilty of collusion - but I still haven't been able to bring myself to do that. I do hope that Brexit makes it more difficult for people to get away with cheating the systems in both Spain and the UK in this way.


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> I'm not a vindictive person but O think she will be in all sorts of trouble come Brexit.


LOL I am, hope she gets caught


----------



## Allie-P (Feb 11, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> I'm sure practically all of us know somebody who is living in similar circumstances. If we know of it then if we don't report it, really we ourselves are guilty of collusion - but I still haven't been able to bring myself to do that. I do hope that Brexit makes it more difficult for people to get away with cheating the systems in both Spain and the UK in this way.


An English ‘friend’ of my daughter lived here for two years. She brought her mother and young daughter with her..... She also brought all her benefits !! She rented out her UK council flat, being in receipt of full HB and worked full- time in Spain, in a bar. She was loaded. 

She returned to UK, last year and secured herself a bigger & better Council house. She remains an unemployed, one parent family. The authorities never knew that she had departed the shores. 

They are everywhere. I know of a British Indian couple who own their own home in India, whilst living in a council house in the UK. Every year they spend the winter in India, courtesy of their UK benefits !! They were reported- but nothing was done. The racist card, I guess !!.....There are, probably, many more like them.

We know of British pensioners who, although, living here have not registered as residents. They, therefore, still receive the WFA of £200.

Perhaps, Brexit might put a stop to these antics....Who knows ??


----------



## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

These people are nothing more than thieves. They are taking money straight out of my pocket and those of everyone else who registers, pays their taxes and does everything else "by the book".

I have no compunction whatsoever in reporting them to the appropriate authorities, I have done so before and will in the future for any others that I become aware of.

If you don't report them then you may as well give them your purse or wallet and tell them to help themselves.


----------

