Britons praise local French officials in health emergency case

A British couple have praised the rapid response of their prefecture after they needed their daughters to stay beyond the usual 90/180-day Schengen limit due to a life-threatening illness.

Retired headteacher Terry Mortimer, 89, from Charente, contacted The Connexion earlier this year after his wife Christine, also 89, fell seriously ill, with her life in the balance due to a severe leg infection.

She had been treated but then was rushed back to hospital, where amputation was eventually needed.

The couple, who have Brexit Withdrawal Agreement residency cards, were looking for a way for their daughters to be able to stay to support their parents for longer than their permitted 90 days in the Schengen area.

The Connexion pointed them towards the possibility of obtaining an autorisation provisoire de séjour – a permission to stay in France that prefectures have discretion to issue in emergencies for up to six months.

After Mr Mortimer contacted Angoulême prefecture explaining the situation and the name of the hospital, staff could not have been more helpful, he said.

“I took your advice and emailed and within 48 hours they replied saying they would grant six-month authorisations which would have no effect on their 90-days Schengen area entitlement. They just have to show them at the border each time.”

They were offered a meeting within days, at which the authorisations were provided free of charge and staff only asked to see the daughters’ passports.

“At the time I was going back and forth to see my wife in hospital in Angoulême, six hours a day, making sure she was alright,” he said.

“She was under morphine and in a world of her own. I was also making sure she had food and drink, that she kept going. But I hadn’t realised how much the situation was affecting me mentally.

“My daughters were here to support me through that, and then once my wife came home, they were able to give practical help.”

However, he also praised the local services which put in place hospitalisation à domicile for care at home.

“The system kicked in very quickly and a bed was installed for her, with a hoist. Everything was here beforehand,” he said.