If you're a UK resident carrying a European Health Card and you need to go to a French hospital during your stay then you must go to a public hospital to be able to make a claim from the NHS on your return - the NHS won't repay costs for treatment or a stay in a private hospital. In our case there was a choice between the Polyclinique Claude Bernard or the Centre Hospitalier d'Albi and, of course in the circumstances, no time to consider the choice in any detail. Fortunately (in all ways) we went for the latter - the diagnostic intelligence, the care and the environment were all top class - and we were able to claim repayment of all costs when we got back (it took ages at this end, lots of paperwork of course, and we had to pay first. The ambulance people took the longest to send a bill).
Sent by Liz Leyland
