Health Matters
Britain's public provider of health care is known as the National Health Services (NHS). Services provided by the NHS include hospitals, family doctors, specialists, dentists, chemists, opticians and the ambulance service.
Not all services provided by the NHS are free of charge. Unless exempt, patients pay (subsidised) fixed costs for prescriptions, sight tests, NHS glasses and dental treatment. Hospital treatment, the ambulance service and medical consultations remain free.
Entitlement to treatment from NHS
The principal groups that the NHS provides free or subsidized medical treatment to are:
- Those with the right of abode in Britain and who are currently resident in Britain (this excludes British citizens who are resident abroad)
- Anyone who has been resident in the UK for the previous year
- EU nationals
- Students (on courses longer than 6 months)
- Anyone with a British work permit
Nationals of countries with reciprocal health agreements with Britain are also entitled to treatment from the NHS, although exemption from charges is usually limited to emergency treatment. Countries with reciprocal agreements include: EEA nations, Anguilla, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Channel Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, St Helena, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Caicos Islands.
How to Register with a Doctor
To be able to register with a doctor, first you must have a POSTCODE, as doctors, just like schools have catchments'. So, depending on where you live, don't be surprised if you have to ring around a number of surgeries before you can get to register as each surgery has a limited capacity for new patients.
Once you have arranged an appointment you will have a general health check with a registered nurse and then your registration may take up to two weeks to be activated, so we highly recommend that you do this as soon as possible.
Search for a Doctor
www.nhs.uk/England/Doctors/Default.aspx
Dealing with Minor Ailments - Pharmacies
To obtain medicines and free advice for minor ailments in Britain, you should go to a pharmacy (or chemist). This is also where you must go to collect any medicine prescribed by your doctor.
There are three categories of medicines in the UK. Those that have to be prescribed by a doctor, those that have to be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist, and those that are freely available (and as such can be bought in supermarkets and newsagents etc.).
NHS prescriptions for medicines are charged at a fixed rate (£6.30 at time of writing). However, if you are under 16, a pensioner (men over 65, women over 60), or a student under 19 then you are entitled to free prescriptions. You can also receive free prescriptions if you are pregnant (or have had a baby in the past year), have a permanent disability or certain medical conditions (such as diabetes), or if you are on a low income receiving state benefits.
The timetables of chemists are posted on their doors and in local newspapers. In emergency, if you need medicine when all pharmacies are shut, then you can contact your GP or local police station.
Further Information
www.nhs.uk/England/Pharmacies/Default.aspx
How to registering with a dentist
As with doctors, the best way to find a dentist is to ask your friends, colleagues and neighbours who they recommend.
Unlike doctors, however, the quality of NHS dentistry can be lower than that of private dentistry, although some dentists have NHS and private practices. This is because regulations introduced by the government have imposed cost and time restrictions on NHS dentists, meaning that they may well use inferior equipment and not have sufficient time to treat you as well.
Further Information
www.nhs.uk/England/Dentists/NearestSearch.aspx
How to locate your nearest hospital:
www.nhs.uk/England/Hospitals/Default.cmsx
