Hi there I am from South Africa and am planning to move to the UK shortly. My husband will be going over on the HSMP visa in August and I will follow once he has found a job and a place to live. However we have a question regarding how far he would be covered by the NHS during the period that he is not working. I am aware that once he is working and contributing that he will have full cover but am worried about the in-between period.

I believe he will be covered immediately for any emergencies under the NHS even while he is not working. However, what happens if he needs to go to a doctor or see a specialist? Would he have to pay for those services? Also what would happen if he is admitted to hospital for an emergency and then has to go to a ward after emergency treatment? I have been searching this topic for a while but cannot come up with any definitive answer. I read somewhere that emergency treatment is covered but that it is up to the individual hospital to decide upon the persons resident status and whether they should pay for being in the ward and services during that time...

We are asking these questions because my husband has a medical condition which makes it necessary for him to seek out a neurologist upon arrival and although we don't foresee that he will need hospital treatment, you never know what can happen and it is best to be sure about the situation before he goes. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can give me some input about the NHS policy towards immigrants who are unemployed.