Options for Polish citizen with severe physical + mental health problems in the UK

Hi, cześć etc!

Me and my partner are in a pretty difficult situation at the moment. She's had developing health issues over the last few years and has not really been able to get the help she's needed from the NHS.

I won't go into detail about anything as my only query really is who should we contact for assistance given that she is a Polish citizen and it looks increasingly like she might have to be either returned to Poland (Brexit has made everything very unclear to me in this regard) or somehow receive Polish state-funded treatment in the UK if she's not eligible (or becomes low-priority) as an unemployed foreign citizen.

Really not sure which is most likely, but just want to speak to somebody (Polish embassy etc.?) who may be able to help and advise. I also am in contact with her parents who live rurally in Poland but are not at all reliable as a) I think they may have had an impact on the poor side of her mental health b) They have their own health problems c) I don't think they'd make good carers. That said, I do stay in contact with them by email, and they do care (emotionally) and worry a lot so I need to keep them in the loop.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Dziękuję!

your GP. Nobody law abiding from Europe is going to get deported or be refused treatment, don't be silly.
If she 'cant get the help she needs' from the NHS, go private. NHS are not great on MH issues, but a whole lot better than nothing. Or indeed in Poland.

Hi rozumiemnic,

Thanks for your reply. It's not so much about black-and-white 'treated vs deported', more ensuring she gets the best quality care available - equal to other UK citizens. I'm assuming it would be illegal to give preferential treatment to any citizen regardless of nationality, but the results of unconscious (or conscious, even) biases are very difficult to measure. Going private is obviously an option, though we've spent so much pursuing this route that it's become quite demoralising.

Anyway, thanks - your advice is really appreciated.

You make her sound like a parcel! However, I think you're fussing quite needlessly about Brexit. The British authorities will not deport Polish citizens or any other EU citizens. That simply won't happen.

Take Brexit out of the picture and just focus on your partner's health. You're a bit vague about it. You mention her mental health. Do you mean she's depressed and desperate because of her physical state or that her mental health has caused her physical symptoms because the two are rather different. I'ts my impression that she has one of those conditions like fybromyalgia which conventional medicine can do little to alleviate?


The Polish Embassy/Consulate will have zero interest and give you no help whatsoever.

Asf for her parents, even if they were in their full health themselves, there is virtually no support for unemployed people with undiagnosed and possibly mental health issues in rural Poland and little enough in the big cities. Poland is not the answer to your problems.

Your best option is to continue seeking help in the UK. The UK is one of the best places to be in terms of access to quality medical care at little or no cost not to mention support groups etc. Is there no support group for people with a similar condition to your partner's?