Most people will have the usual travel insurance and their E111 (European Health Card) if you have to go to hospital - the new policy is that you will only be treated in an emergency and that you MUST go with identification.

There are so many scams here you wouldn't believe it (any nationalities not only English) And with the programs about holidaymakers going to hospital for treatment and "Benidorm" the English are not on the top of the Spanish favourite list.

I had a bone scan in Valencia the other week and two doctors there mentioned about "the English" coming to Spain for hospital treatment in a not too happy tone of voice (yes I felt uncomfortable) and I know when I go to the doctors the locals are whispering about me. However, Britain pays £3,500 per annum to Spain for people living in Spain llegally for their treatment, whether they have treatment or not. The information was passed on to our neighbour tonight so by tomorrow night, it will have circulated lol

Also the prices are going up 60% on most medications so if you need paracetamol or whatever, you won't get them cheap any more.

They say this is going to happen with affect from September, but we have heard in some places, this has happened now. chemists have not been paid by the Valencian Government for months for the medications that they have made up and some have been on strike....so be warned.

Good to know, other half is off to Spain next week. :)

Everything changes from week to week/month here in Valencia - all I can say is that you MUST take out private medical insurance. If you have private medical insurance you are OK. If you have to pay for medication is cheaper than England anyway as we use generic medications. I stock up on Paracetamol every so often its stronger and about 2€ Its the reliance on the E111 that gets up their nose

Its useless to tell you all the ins and outs of whats going on here but if you take private medical insurance you will be safe - in fact y0u will probably go to the front of the q and you MUST carry the details with you and your passport or some form of identification ALL THE TIME if you are not resident. You never known when you may have to go into hospital.

Ok do the E111 as it was but it is frowned upon as they think you are using it as a way to get free medical care and you may end up with a bill and when I say emergency - it will be emergency treatment only - no one will be responsible for yu to be repatriated. as someone said in the paper the other day, if you have to go to hospital you don't know whether its an emergency or not.

We read of lots of instances in the English papers every week of whats happened to people in the Valencian Province and how they are faced with huge bills after an accident.

The programs that were on the TV about the hospital in Benidorm was a private hospital and not the NHS (as it were)

Its usually a 7 hour wait for me in out patients - they "hide" patients in different rooms so we can't see how many people are waiting lol its quite funny if you look back but I've been in for dehydration (not drinking water in December believe it or not) and the second time not taking food with tramadol (no-one in England ever told me to take food with medication)

let me know if you need any further info - just get the private insurance and you will be OK

Thanks for that, its a somewhat worrying but informative insight. Luckily we always take out extra private medical cover wherever we travel, esp out of the EU.

Until recently, I used Cover More travel insurance, bought through Flight centre. I take annual worldwide insurance that covers me for everywhere in the world as long as I am in no one country for a period of 30 days at a time. I had my car crash (the root of all my spine probnlems) while on holiday on a four day trip to see a friend in Auztralia, while holidaying with family in New Zealand. They were absolutely amazing!! They sorted eveything out and got me an assited 'Royal First Class' flight home with Thai Airways. Due to the speed at which I needed the flight / time of year etc (it was Xmas/NY) my flight from NZ via Bankok cost £16,500 and they didn't bother at all. As I could only fly into London due to availability they paid for a first class BA flight from London to Manchester too. Really cannot fault them one bit! The insurance for that particular year only cost me £112, slighty off topic I suppose but they were just so fab.

As kids we used to injure ourselves a lot on holiday in Europe, usually stictches from cut chins / eye brows as a result of poolside shananigans. In Spain especially my mum used to find it very difficult as even though we would go to a private doctor/small hosp they would treat you very badly, even back then (poss 18-20 yrs ago). One time I remember in particular, my brother cut his chin open quite badly as he slipped running near the pool and fell, smashing his face hard on the edge of the pool and falling in - not very pleasant. They took him away with my mum trying to grab hold and stay with him (he would have been about 8 at the time) two nurses held onto my mum and pushed her into a chair while my broither was taken away screaming. They went into a room, locked it and all we could hear was him screaming inside where they were stitching it without a local anesthetic. Truly horrible. My mum was just distraught trying to get into the room. :(

I've emailed you back with an answer Vickie