7 Oct, 2023 @ 16:40
1 min read

British expat ‘is slapped with €20,000 NHS bill after undergoing emergency surgery’ during visit back home

A BRITISH expat has been slapped with a £20,000 (€23,000) hospital bill after her bowel exploded during a trip to the UK. 

Helen Winslade, 55, who lives in Almeria, was visiting home in early July when she had to undergo life saving surgery, losing a part of her small intestine.

The procedure went well, but amazingly, within weeks the retired Brit was faced with a whopping bill from the NHS, despite her British citizenship. 

The Welsh native was diagnosed with a rare form of bowel cancer known as GIST tumors. 

Helen Winslade, 55, who lives in Almeria, was visiting home in early July when she had to undergo life saving surgery, losing a part of her small intestine. (Source: Facebook)

According to her brother, Karl Winslade, Helen was not expecting to stay in the UK for an extended period and their ‘small pension’ could not fund Helen’s accommodation, food and travel costs. 

Karl launched a fundraising campaign to get Helen back to Spain, where he said ‘her prognosis would be better’ due to shorter waiting times. She finally returned in late September after a months-long ordeal. 

Her husband, Carlos, had been left holding the fort in Seron, while she was stuck in the UK short of funds.

The impact of Covid 19 ‘wiped out’ their business, leaving the couple to live ‘on a very small pension’, according to the appeal. 

The case is a warning to any expats considering visiting home without medical insurance or failing to travel with the correct forms in case of an unexpected health scare.

Under current laws, if you are not a UK resident, you must produce relevant documentation to receive free NHS treatment – including an EHIC (a standard Spanish health card) or GHIC card, or a so-called S1 or S2 form. 

Alternatively, you can request a Provisional Replacement Certificate, which will cover healthcare in the UK for the length of your trip. 

Since a Go Fund Me page was launched at the start of August, only €210 of the couple’s €5,000 target has been raised. 

Karl says he is ‘eternally grateful’ for any contribution. 

To donate, visit the Go Fund Me page here.

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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