National Health Service (NHS)
The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded
healthcare system which provides free healthcare to anyone residing
in the UK.
Register with a doctor
When you live in the UK you can register with a general
practitioner (GP) for free. You can find your local GP via the NHS
Website
Should an emergency arise and you are not yet registered with a
GP you can use the accident and emergency (A&E) services at any
hospital or use an NHS walk-in centre. You don't need an
appointment. This service is free of charge as it is covered under
the medical reciprocal agreement between the UK and 'relevant'
Governments.
Visit to your GP are free of charge however you do have to pay
for any prescriptions provided (with the exception of contraceptive
medication). Prescription medication in the UK is set at a standard
£7.20 per script.
For those that require regular prescriptions, you can get a
prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) for 3 or 12 months. A
three month PPC will cost you £28.25 and a 12 month PPC £104.00.
For more information, visit Prescription Prepayment Certificates
Dental care
You can choose to visit either a NHS dentist or a private
dentist.
Check with your local dentist to see if they are able to accept
you on to their NHS patient list. However, it may not always be
necessary to register in order to receive regular treatment. You
can contact any details practice which provides NHS dentistry to
ask for an appointment.
You can find your local NHS dentist on the NHS Website
You will only pay one charge for each course of treatment, even
if you need to visit your dentist more than once to finish it. More
information about the charges can be found on the NHS Website.
Private medical insurance
Private medical insurance in the UK can be expensive depending
on what level of cover you choose. It is your choice whether you
would like to take out private medical insurance.
You can compare health insurance companies on the Money
Supermarket website