See frequently asked questions about NHS.
The UK has several levels of medical care depending on illness severity.
If something is non-urgent and simple, you can go to a pharmacy and buy medicine. Not all available medicines are on shelves — some you need to ask for, though no prescription is needed. For example, if medicine needs refrigeration or requires consultation on use. Just know that pharmacists have more medicines than you see.
Example: a cold. Since no doctor's note is required for a short sick leave, you can just stay home and take paracetamol or ibuprofen yourself.
If something is not very urgent but needs consultation, you can book with a GP (helps with any problem) or Advanced Nurse (common issues). But you'll have to wait for the appointment.
Example: a cold complicated by bacterial infection requiring antibiotics. They don't sell them at pharmacies. This is very good as it prevents thoughtless antibiotic use and resistant strains. Taking antibiotics without prescription and not following the regimen can only harm yourself.
GPs are good because they can refer you for tests or to specialists. But they do so reluctantly (more willingly if you mention having insurance), and waiting for appointments is long. You can't just check your health this way.
If something is relatively urgent but not dangerous, you can call 111 or request a callback on https://111.nhs.uk. This is medical consultation. They'll reassure you, give advice, and tell you what to do next. They may direct you to the nearest clinic. During non-working hours, you'll wait longer for an answer. If you requested a call but missed it, they'll call again later (they might call in the middle of the night if you called in the evening).
Example: severe headache making work impossible.
If something is urgent, needs a doctor, but not dangerous. You can go to the nearest Walk-in centre (or A&E if there's no Walk-in centre nearby). Find the nearest one on the NHS website or call 111. They'll tell you where to go and forward your details to that center to save time. No appointment needed.
Example: deep wound needing stitches.
Urgent and serious. Then go to A&E or take a taxi. The main thing is to get there fast. Ambulances only come for life-threatening cases, so better to rely on yourself. The difference from Walk-in is that these are more advanced centers that can handle more problems, so there are fewer of them. Better to scout out the nearest one in advance.
You can come to A&E with a less serious problem. They won't turn you away because it's not their level. But you'll have to wait since all patients are sorted (triage) by priority at initial examination. If doctors decide the problem is urgent, you'll be taken without queuing and treated. If not, the wait can be from an hour to several hours. Better to bring a book (they usually offer snacks and tea themselves, fortunately, but this depends on the hospital).
Example: suspected heart attack (you can take a taxi).
If something happened with your eyes, better to go straight to an ophthalmology hospital. For example, Moorfields Eye Hospital has an A&E.
Example: acute eye pain.
Everything is very, very bad — immediate help needed to save a life. Call 999 for an ambulance.
No appointment is needed anywhere except GP, and everything is free for residents.
Walk-in and A&E usually don't treat but fix the problem enough for the person to go home and then treat with their GP. But they may prescribe medication or even give it free.
Ambulances here only come when there's a threat to life. In fact, the first thing they ask is whether the person is breathing. And if you call 999, they might not send an ambulance. If they decide things are bad but not life-threatening, at most they'll call you a taxi (but you'll still pay for it).
On the other hand, if there is a threat, they might even send a helicopter if possible and necessary.
The UK doesn't have polyclinics where you can walk in and see a specialist. All problems must go through your GP (general practitioner). This is free (or rather, your company has already paid the government for you).
GPs can write prescriptions and refer to specialists who usually work in clinics. Without a GP referral, seeing a specialist is only paid. A pediatrician is also a specialist.
Make sure to register with a GP (by residence, or online with services like GP at Hand).** Note that registration takes some time.
After registration, you'll be entered in the NHS system and assigned a unique ID (NHS Number). If you transfer to another GP, your data will automatically transfer to them.
A feature of local medicine is minimal intervention. You'll most likely be told: "It'll pass on its own," — and usually it does. Or they'll prescribe paracetamol with ibuprofen. If you really want to see a specialist, tell them how bad you feel, how your illness affects your life. Alternatively, you can go to a private clinic.
Find the nearest medical facility (not just GP) on the NHS website.
The NHS website is a valuable source of medical information. Here you can find information about various illnesses and learn whether you should see a doctor and how to treat yourself. Everything is written in simple, understandable language.
NHS also has a mobile app.
Medicines in the UK are sold only by prescription. The only exceptions are the simplest and safest — paracetamol, ibuprofen, allergy medicines, saline solutions, and vitamins. There's no point going to a pharmacy for these; the same medicines are sold in supermarkets.
If you have a GP prescription, you can get medicines by paying only a fixed amount (£9.35 in 2022).
Some simple medical supplies are found in Russian shops. For example, activated charcoal. If you're used to certain medicines from home, definitely read about their effectiveness — this can save you money. For example, Arbidol has unproven effectiveness, and Zelyonka (brilliant green) absolutely doesn't help with chickenpox.
If you really need a specific medicine, there's a Russian-speaking pharmacist with a license to write prescriptions at 80 Edgware Road, London, W2 2EA. They'll prescribe whatever you need and sell it immediately. (But this is unverified information.)
Major pharmacy chains are Boots and Superdrug. If you visit often (not necessarily for medicines), don't forget to get a loyalty card.
NHS usually sends letters asking you to get vaccinations or have regular checkups. Women are also invited for cervical cancer screening.
The UK vaccination schedule may differ from schedules in other countries. So if you've arrived with a child, register for vaccination at your GP. They'll ask for a list of vaccinations already done. You can just compile a list with dates in English and bring it. The nurse will check a special table to see which ones are needed and which can be skipped.
Not all vaccinations are mandatory and free. If you want vaccination against something NHS considers not very dangerous and hasn't included in the schedule, you can do it at a private clinic or pharmacy (e.g., Boots).
If you go to a private clinic yourself, you'll pay for the visit. When paying through insurance, you first contact them, and they direct you to a specialist with whom the insurer has a contract.
If you prefer the Soviet medical school, you can visit Baltic Medical Centre at Canary Wharf. They have a GP, pediatrician, gynecologist, and the center can do tests on-site. Another clinic with Russian-speaking doctors is PolyClinica No. 1.
Private clinic quality is good, but you can get the same for free through your GP. Private clinics make sense if you urgently need to see a specialist.
By default, health insurance is turned off to pay fewer taxes. Although the company pays for insurance, they include this payment in form P11D and you pay taxes on it. That is, effectively you still pay for insurance, just about half as much. You end up paying about £70-80/month.
Insurance divides into two types:
You can also add a partner and children to insurance, but you'll pay more accordingly.
Here we'll only cover medical insurance; dental is in a separate section about dentistry.
Medical insurance can be useful if you're often ill. Although NHS provides a full range of medical services, getting them can be difficult. You must get a GP referral, then wait in queue (could be a couple of months).
On the other hand, if you're not often ill, you can live perfectly well without medical insurance, using only dental.
If you're ill and have medical insurance:
Read more about booking private doctors in the article "This Is a Diagnosis: How to Get Medical Examination in Britain".
Take care of your teeth! Only pain is treated free; cosmetic operations aren't covered by NHS. They'll put in the most basic filling to save taxpayer money. It's often cheaper to fly home and treat a tooth there than to do it locally. It might be better quality too.
So it makes sense to take the dental insurance offered by Snap, just in case. It almost completely covers dental treatment.
Note that expensive services start being covered only 4 months after you enable insurance. If a tooth hurts, it's already too late to enable insurance. This needs to be done in advance.
With dental insurance, you can go to a dental clinic without notifying the insurer beforehand. You pay for all services yourself, but after the visit, definitely ask for a list of services provided. Then you can send it to the insurer, and they'll reimburse partially or fully.
If you need a Russian-speaking dentist, many recommend 321 Dental and City Smile (actually the dentists are the same at both).
If you need quality complex treatment for less money, consider a trip to, say, the Baltics. Even with flight costs, it might be more economical.
If you're unsure you can explain your problem to the doctor, NHS provides a free Russian interpreter. They can come to the clinic in person or translate by phone. You need to request the interpreter in advance, before the appointment.
An interpreter doesn't always help — it depends a lot on the person. If your English is reasonably good (B2+) and you browse a dictionary, it might actually be harder with an interpreter. Doctors are long used to people whose English isn't native and usually try to speak slowly and clearly.
Some GPs know Russian. The list of foreign languages for each specific GP is shown on their page on the NHS website.
If taking sick leave for 2-3 days, no confirmation is needed. You can take it if you're just very tired, feeling unwell, and understand you won't be able to work.
For longer periods, they may ask for confirmation (sick note) from your GP.
Phones for consultations:
If you call 111, the operator can both give advice and direct you to the nearest hospital. They can also book you a doctor without queuing.
These services work not only in English. If it's hard to explain your problem in English, say you need an interpreter.
With an injury, you don't need to call a doctor — you can go straight to A&E. See the section on the healthcare system.
Immediately wash the wound. You can go to A&E, though they'll probably say you didn't need to come. Or you can call your GP/nurse.
There's practically no rabies in the UK. If you weren't bitten by a bat, there's no risk of getting rabies. So they won't even offer you a rabies vaccine. The nurse will ask if you're vaccinated against tetanus (since the risk of that is higher) and may offer antibiotics.
If the bite is small, there's no severe inflammation, and you're vaccinated against tetanus, it will pass on its own.