Healthcare & Gyms
One of the things I admire most about England is their healthcare system. The UK government provides free health care to every member of its society – and, most importantly to you, if you are living in the UK on any kind of visa for longer than 6 months. This is known as the NHS.
The National Health Service
The UK has a free National Health Service (NHS) and if you are studying full-time and have permission to be in the UK as a student or are a professional living in the UK for longer than 6 months, you are entitled to use it. Your sticker in your passport will probably say 'no recourse to public funds'. Using the NHS is not using 'public funds'.
For those that want to learn more about the NHS, I highly recommend watching ‘SICKO’ by Michael Moore.
Some Useful Abbreviations:
NHS – National Health Service. The name for the system in the UK of free health care for all.
GP – General Practitioner. The name for doctors who work in the local community.
GP Surgery / GP practice – The place where GP's work.
A+E – Accident and Emergency department in hospital (the Emergency Room).
Registering with a Doctor in London
Registering with a doctor (a GP) simply means going to your local GP surgery and putting your name on the list of patients. You do not pay anything to register. You will need to show your passport and evidence of your address. Some doctors surgeries are already full so you may have to try different places.
Registering with a doctor is very important. Do not wait until you are sick because you may then have to wait to get an appointment.
Once you have registered with your GP, you may receive free National Health Service (NHS) medical treatment from the beginning of your stay, including free medical check-ups and hospital treatment like all UK citizens. Prescriptions cost about £6 per item.
If your GP thinks that you need to see another specialist doctor in a hospital, he can refer you. This is also free.
One of the things I admire most about England is their healthcare system. The UK government provides free health care to every member of its society – and, most importantly to you, if you are living in the UK on any kind of visa for longer than 6 months. This is known as the NHS.
The National Health Service
The UK has a free National Health Service (NHS) and if you are studying full-time and have permission to be in the UK as a student or are a professional living in the UK for longer than 6 months, you are entitled to use it. Your sticker in your passport will probably say 'no recourse to public funds'. Using the NHS is not using 'public funds'.
For those that want to learn more about the NHS, I highly recommend watching ‘SICKO’ by Michael Moore.
Some Useful Abbreviations:
NHS – National Health Service. The name for the system in the UK of free health care for all.
GP – General Practitioner. The name for doctors who work in the local community.
GP Surgery / GP practice – The place where GP's work.
A+E – Accident and Emergency department in hospital (the Emergency Room).
Registering with a Doctor in London
Registering with a doctor (a GP) simply means going to your local GP surgery and putting your name on the list of patients. You do not pay anything to register. You will need to show your passport and evidence of your address. Some doctors surgeries are already full so you may have to try different places.
Registering with a doctor is very important. Do not wait until you are sick because you may then have to wait to get an appointment.
Once you have registered with your GP, you may receive free National Health Service (NHS) medical treatment from the beginning of your stay, including free medical check-ups and hospital treatment like all UK citizens. Prescriptions cost about £6 per item.
If your GP thinks that you need to see another specialist doctor in a hospital, he can refer you. This is also free.
The US Emergency number is ‘911’ In the UK it is 999.
Gyms
For those who like to work out, there are four major chains in the UK.
Virgin Active www.virginactive.co.uk
Cannons Fitness www.cannons.co.uk
Fitness First www.fitnessfirst.co.uk
LA Fitness www.lafitness.co.uk
My personal favorite is Fitness First. They have great discounts for students. Virgin Active probably has the best gyms of all, but you do pay a premium for it.
For those who like to work out, there are four major chains in the UK.
Virgin Active www.virginactive.co.uk
Cannons Fitness www.cannons.co.uk
Fitness First www.fitnessfirst.co.uk
LA Fitness www.lafitness.co.uk
My personal favorite is Fitness First. They have great discounts for students. Virgin Active probably has the best gyms of all, but you do pay a premium for it.
