You’ve moved to the UK to live, the visa sticker is still fresh in your passport and you know the guide book back to front. The travel bug and lure of living abroad has firmly taken hold and the life of a traveller is born. But what if another sort of bug bites, one that requires you to see a doctor in the UK. Are you ready for that?
I’ll admit when I first arrived in London the last thing I was thinking about was finding a Doctor. I was more concerned with finding a job, a place to live and learning how the tube works. It wasn’t until I got sick that I realised I had no idea where to find the nearest doctor.
The health system here is run by the NHS (National Health Service) and works in much the same was as the system does back home in Australia with many services provided for free. Only they cover more of the costs meaning you’ll have extra travel money in your pocket even if you need to see a doctor.
To see a doctor in the UK you first need to register with them so no turning up at the door sick and expecting help like back home as you may not get it. The process is very simple and something I recommend people do as soon as they get settled. You never know when you will need one after all.
So whats the process then?
- Find A doctor near you. The NHS have a great site for that
- Attend the practice and register or look them up online and register that way if possible
- Approximately 2-3 weeks later you’ll get a form in the mail. Keep it and don’t lose it, you’ll need it to attend your doctor
Now as for the costs, well to see a doctor it won’t cost you a penny. No consultation fee just walk in see the doctor and leave (don’t forget to make an appointment). My first time I was like what it’s all free oh and you don’t even need me to sign anything well that’s just perfect. Other services like the Dentist, Optometrist etc will have additional costs but still have some offset from the NHS.
Should you need a prescription the NHS have also put a cap on the price of most medicines as well, just £7.65. Not a bad price to pay to see a doctor and get medicine to fix you up huh?
We all hate going to the doctor but overall it’s a very simple process that can save you a lot of headaches later on down the road if you’re not feeling to well. If you’ve had other experiences with doctors in the UK as an expat leave a message in the comments, it may just help a fellow traveller out.
Registering with a GP makes things a lot easier, failing that you are better off going to a hospital rather than a doctors office, they will always see you, you may need to wait rather than book an appointment. If you go to a Doctors practice they will often only make an appointment for their registered patients if they are busy.
Kelly was unwell while she was in England, we took her to the hospital and the only thing they asked her for was a postcode, her being Canadian did not seem to matter, they just asked if she was living in the UK.
Cheers for the info Lee it’s really helpful. I wasn’t sure on the hospitals but assumed they required you to be registered as well.
OMG to have free health care!!!
Great post, as a UK resident I forget that visitors would need to follow this process. Great post to guide people and clear to follow
I’m still getting used to the Aussie system, but I’m glad there are some things which I can get for free!
Denise it’s not all free but having a medicare card in OZ sure is helpful
Great post, very handy! Bookmarking this one for sure.
Why can’t US healthcare be like this??? This is great, practical information, Chris. Thanks for sharing.
I wish more health care systems around the world would model themselves more like this.
Thanks so much for this! We’re moving to Scotland and I’ll need to sign up with the NHS when I get there. It was nice to read about the experience from a visitor instead of my Scottish husband who thinks it’s all just normal.
I think we Brits have a good thing going with our health service, but a lot would disagree. I get a lot of my travel vaccinations, including malaria tablets, on the NHS. It saves a small fortune. Having said that, I’ve seen three nurses about my next trip and they all disagreed about which ones I needed…
I miss the NHS – as much as everyone complained about them. At least it didn’t cost me at least $100 every time I go to the doctor like in New Zealand. Bring back the days of free doctors visits!
I’m a UK national and have been registered with several doctors here due to moving cities, I’ve never needed to keep the form they sent me in the post – you just phone up (or walk in) and tell them your name to book an appointment, they’ll have you on their books. My foreign boyfriend doesn’t need the form either. I think it’s probably just the odd surgery that works that way but yeah, for most people don’t worry if you lost the form as it’s hardly ever needed.
People always knock the NHS, but I think it’s great
I’m really grateful for the NHS, I wouldn’t want to have to pay every time I need to see a doctor.