What to do in a Medical Emergency Abroad

Firstly, if you are in an emergency then you will need to call the local equivalent of 999, which for the USA is 911 and in the EU is 112 for a local ambulance service.

If you purchased your policy prior to the 20th December 2021, please refer to your policy wording document for the process you need to follow when contacting our emergency Assistance team.

If you purchased your policy after the 20th December 2021, the below applies to your policy:

You can also contact our appointed Assistance team in an emergency by calling 0333 005 1065 and quoting your policy reference number.

When you call our Assistance team, they will be solely responsible for all decisions on the most suitable and reasonable solution to any medical problem.

When you call our assistance service, you will speak to a member of our team who will help guide you through what you need to do and advise how they can support you.

You will need to have some basic information for them to hand:

  • Your telephone number (and email)
  • The name and age of the patient and as much information about the medical situation as possible.
  • The name of the hospital, the ward, the treating doctor and the telephone numbers if you have them.
  • Tell them that you have a Holidaysafe policy, policy number, the date you bought it and your booked travel dates.
  • The patient’s UK GP details, name, address and phone number (in case more information on current medical conditions and treatment is needed).

Here’s how our team can help:

  • Multi-lingual team on call 24/7, 365 days a year to help when you need it most
  • Liaise directly with hospitals on your behalf about your treatment and bills
  • Arrange your repatriation back to the UK
  • Make travel arrangements for other members of your party or your immediate relative
  • Arrange ambulance transfer if needed, once you’re back in the UK

Please note, in some cases it may be easier to pay for minor medical expenses yourself. If you don’t know whether specific medical costs will be covered, please contact our appointed Assistance team on: 0333 005 1065.

Remember to keep all receipts and medical reports – you’ll need them if you want to submit a claim for any medical expenses.

Outpatient Treatment

If you are in Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Egypt, Bulgaria or Turkey and need out-patient medical treatment, please provide a copy of your policy documentation to the treatment facility, and any expenses will be paid by Global Excel in line with your policy terms and conditions.

As your treatment will be paid by Global Excel, you will be asked to fill in a simple form to confirm what treatment you have had. Your treating doctor will send the form to Global Excel together with the balance of the medical bill after deduction of the excess you may have paid to the medical practitioner.

If you need to return home early (curtail your trip)

Please call the assistance number 0333 005 1065 if you need to return early for any reason covered within your policy wording.

*Please note, Holidaysafe’s online prices automatically include a 15% discount against our Customer Service Centre prices.