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Health
Matters
Students
registered for courses in the UK of 6 months or more
are entitled to primary medical care provided by the
National Health Service (NHS) and emergency or immediately
required treatment. It is therefore unlikely that
you would wish to have medical insurance but you should
be aware that there are charges under the NHS for
medicines, spectacles and eye care, and dental treatment
(see below).
If
you are on a course of less than 6 months duration,
you are entitled to primary medical care (NHS) only
if you are from a European Economic Area Member State
(EEA) or from a country with a reciprocal health agreement.
All students and accompanying family members should
complete the form E128 that is obtainable from your
own national authorities. If you have not completed
the form E128, you will only be eligible for treatment
for illness that becomes apparent whilst in the UK.
All
international students on courses of less than 6 months
with no reciprocal agreement will need to obtain health
insurance. Any overseas visitor is entitled to 'emergency'
or 'immediately' required treatment. Your family's
entitlements are the same as yours unless they have
been accorded Visitor status. In this case they will
be entitled to NHS care only if they are nationals
of countries with reciprocal arrangements with the
UK. Please ask your school International office if
your country has a reciprocal health agreement with
the UK.
You
are advised to register with a family doctor (GP)
in the area in which you live. Details of how to do
this, and about other services, are available in the
Health Service waiting areas. When searching for a
doctor you will need to ask whether the surgeries
are taking on any new patients, you may find that
some surgeries will not take any new patients as they
are over subscribed.
If
you are taking brand name medication and may require
further supplies while in the UK, find out the generic
name before you leave home. A doctor's letter would
also be useful. The charge for each individual prescription
drug in the UK is currently approximately£8
many medications are cheaper to buy over-the-counter
(OTC) but antibiotics and strong pain killers are
not available without a prescription. Dental treatment
is only partially covered by the NHS but unless you
require dental surgery annual costs should not exceed
£250. Opticians charge for eye tests (from £15)
and spectacles (from £60).
General Insurance
It is strongly advisable for
students to ensure adequate insurance to cover accident,
theft and travel before coming to the UK. Many companies
specialize in low cost insurance for students. You
should also consider insurance for the loss or theft
of personal property or in case you have an illness
that disrupts your course of study. Though we do not
recommend any specific insurance companies, there
is a student package provided by Endsleigh Insurance
which covers the reimbursement of course fees if your
studies are interrupted due to ill health. For further
details ring +44 (0) 207 436 4451
Opticians
If you feel your eyes need testing, or your
doctor suggests it, you may go to an optician for
an eye test. The cost of a test will vary depending
on the optician. Lenses and frames for spectacles
are charged separately and can cost as little as £50
or over £250 depending on your choice. There
are some opticians that offer a free eye test. |
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Registering
with a Doctor
Doctors in the UK are often referred to as GPs, which
stands for General Practitioners. If you are eligible
for free NHS treatment, you are also entitled to register
with a doctor. Everyone entitled to register should
do so as soon as possible after arrival: Please don't
wait until you are ill. Lists of doctors who belong
to the NHS are available from the local Family Health
Service Authority (FHSA); the local Community Health
Council (CHC); the Citizens Advice Bureau; main post
offices and public libraries (addresses in the telephone
directory) and the NHS website, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Once you have found a doctor near where you live,
visit the surgery and ask to be included on the list
of NHS patients. If they are able to accept you, fill
in an application form and return it immediately to
the doctor or the receptionist. In due course you
will be sent your medical or NHS card, which will
have your NHS number on it. Keep this safe as you
will need to be able to produce it or the number when
using other parts of the NHS. If you have difficulty
finding a doctor who can accept you (this happens
to permanent residents too, in some areas), the local
Family Practitioner Committee is obliged to help you
find one.
Your
doctor will also prescribe any medicines you need.
Take the prescription to the nearest chemist or pharmacy.
After normal shop hours, ask the doctor's receptionist
for the nearest late-opening chemist. Unlike many
countries, some medications are not available without
a doctor's prescription. Each item prescribed is charged
at the prescription cost rate, which at the time of
writing is £8.
Women's Health
Contraception and sexual health advice are
available free to women staying over six months or
who come from the EU or a country with a reciprocal
health agreement with Britain. You can either go to
your own doctor or to your local NHS Family Planning
Clinic. All contraceptives including condoms are free
through the Family Planning Clinic.
Health Emergencies
For NHS treatments always visit a doctor
first, unless it is an emergency. In case of an emergency
either dial 999 or go straight to Casualty or Accident
and Emergency department of the nearest hospital.
It is worth noting that not all hospitals have casualty
departments, so try to check before you go there.
If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident
you will probably find there are lengthy hospital
queues. If possible ask someone to keep you company.
It can help to have someone with you as hospitals
can be depressing places. Even if you are here for
less than six months you will not be charged for immediate
treatment at hospital casualty departments or for
the treatment of certain communicable diseases which
confine you to hospital. However if you have to be
admitted to hospital after an accident or in an emergency,
you will be charged.
Dentists
There is no need to register with a dentist.
The best way to find a dentist is to ask your friends
or neighbours. If you can't find one that way, go
along to the Family Health Services Authority (see
Yellow Pages for details), your public library, the
Community Health Council or the Citizens Advice Bureau
and ask to see the list of local dentists. When you
ring for an appointment ask if treatment under the
NHS is possible, quoting your NHS number. The cost
of dental work varies and can be quite expensive. |
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