How NHS services work: guide for migrants
If you have recently migrated to the UK .. MyHSN welcomes you. And we welcome you to this country. 
Please contact us if you want any advice on how to use the NHS.
After all, we are all migrants. All humans are migrants. In fact 1 in 7 people living in the UK were born outside the country. This guide will help you understand how NHS services work, and how to access them.
The NHS is big and complicated. And it’s not always obvious where to go for help, and how. We hope this page will help you find the care you need.
Interpreter
You can contact the 24-hour service NHS free phone line by dialling 111 to get free health information and advice. You can ask for an interpreter in your language by saying “interpreter please.”
Top Tip. If you see a GP or hospital doctor they can use language line to get any interpreter for you.
Three NHS numbers to know and ring
If you need the NHS for medical care, there are only three numbers to know:
- NHS 111 – is a telephone and website service (here). It is for when you need advice, especially regarding which NHS service to use. It can also arrange appointments for you
- Your General Practitioner (GP; local family doctor) surgery telephone number
- 999 – is for life-threatening emergencies only.
NHS111
When you call 111, you will be given advice and directed straightaway to the local service that can help you best – e.g. an out-of-hours doctor, walk-in centre or Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) or Minor Injuries Unit (these are similar), community nurse, emergency dentist or late opening pharmacist.
NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Calls from landlines and mobile phones are free.
General Practitioner (GP) Surgery
Your local family doctor is called a General Practitioner (GP). They are the cornerstone of the NHS. A GP can offer medical advice, provide a diagnosis and prescribe medicines.
They should be your first point of contact for many physical and mental health illnesses.
The GP practice is also responsible for coordinating and managing your long term healthcare. They can refer you to a senior hospital doctor – called a consultant (or their deputy, a registrar) if you need a more specialised hospital service.
At the surgery, there are also practice nurses and other health professionals. The receptionist will advise you who is best to see. You will not necessarily see a doctor. For example, practice nurses deal with vaccinations, do longterm follow-up clinics and check wounds.
In the UK, you cannot refer yourself directly to a hospital specialist.
Register with a GP surgery and NHS Number
In the UK, it is very important to register with a local GP, and get an NHS Number.
This is quite easy. Go into one that is near you, say who you are, and where you live – and you can then be registered. In the UK, people stay with one local group of GP doctors in their general practice. It is not possible to register with several and ‘shop around’.
Everyone has a right to register with a GP. And you do not need proof of address, immigration status, ID or an NHS number, to do so. Or you may be able to register online via their website.
If you are having difficulty registering with a GP, you can also download a GP Access Card and show this to the GP receptionist. Or phone NHS England (0300 311 22 33 ) or Doctors of the World (0808 1647 686) for help.
These health services are free to everyone.
Hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments
These are for emergencies or life threatening situations. There will be one at a hospital near you. But not all hospitals have an A&E – so check online first.
Call 999 if you or someone is seriously ill or injured, and your or their life, is at risk. The telephone operator will advise you what to do or where to go next. An ambulance may be sent to provide treatment or transport the patient to hospital. Or, if you are well enough, you can get to A&E yourself. You can access this services directly, without an appointment.
Hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments are open 24 hours every day of the year.
Unless you are extremely unwell, it it often not the best place to go, even for urgent problems.
Most problems do not need 999 or A&E
Walk-in or Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) or Minor Illness/Injury Units (MIUs)
These are similar, and there are other names for them. They are for when you need rapid medical help or minor injuries (e.g. cuts, sprains and small fractures).
They are very useful at weekends, bank holiday and out-of-hours. And they are especially useful for migrants, especially if you do not have a GP yet. They may be in your local hospital or city centre. This is how you find the nearest one.
You can directly go to one without an appointment. They are usually open 8am-8pm, 7 days a week.
You may be seen quicker here than A&E, and they can pass you on to A&E if needed.
Pharmacy
A pharmacy may be a better place to go initially for many problems. Go to a pharmacy if you need advice or basic medicines.
In the UK, over 1.5 million people go to a pharmacy every day and nearly 600 million a year. They are very good place to go to for all aspects of advice on the NHS, and how it works.
Pharmacists can give you medical advice, and medicines for a range of minor illnesses – such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains. The pharmacist will let you know if you need to visit a doctor or direct you to other healthcare professionals to make sure you get the help you need.
A pharmacy is like a face-to-face NHS111. After all, we don’t all like to ring a number and talk to someone that is not local, or go online.
You can also buy medicines for minor illnesses or first-aid supplies in a pharmacy or supermarket. To find the nearest pharmacy, go to: www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy. There will be one near you.
Dentists and opticians
Go to a dentist or optician (optometrist) if you need tooth or eye care.
If your tooth is very painful you should call 111 for Urgent Dental Care Services.
Pregnancy
If you are pregnant, you need to register with a midwife. To do this, ring your GP surgery and they will direct you.
Community Clinics
Some health services are accessed in the community, and not in hospitals. These include family planning and sexual health clinics.
Family Planning Clinic – these provide free, confidential advice and information about contraception and sexual health.
Sexual Health Clinic – these do not just provide a service for sexually transmitted disease. They also provide family planning services (contraception).
And they also provide treatment for physical or mental conditions caused by torture, female genital mutilation, domestic violence or sexual violence.
Counselling
Many migrants and refugees have been through huge stress, and may need counselling.
IAPT (Improved Access to Psychological Therapy) is a free NHS service that provides talk therapy (counselling). This is an effective alternative treatment to medication for a number of mental health conditions – especially anxiety and depression.
In England, you can self-refer for talk therapy (you may need to be referred by your GP in other areas such as Wales). Your local mental health hospital website will usually have the contact details for your local talk therapy service.
You can also search for your local IAPT service by doing an internet search for your location, e.g. ‘Oxford’ and ‘IAPT’.
Emergency mental health
If you are self harming or have suicidal thoughts – or if you have seriously harmed yourself or are about to do so – call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. It is also good to talk to someone at the Samaritans by calling 116 123.
Who can get free prescriptions, dental and eye care?
Prescription medicines, dental and eye care are normally not free in England. But many groups can get them free.
These include children, pregnant women, the unemployed, people with some chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes) – and all over 60 years. Many of you, if you do not have a job, will be eligible too.
Asylum seekers who are financially supported by the Home Office will be given an HC2 certificate to get full help with these health costs. Anyone can apply for this support. People whose application for asylum has been rejected can still access NHS services.
Prescriptions are free in the three nations of the UK: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Weekend, Bank Holiday and out-of-hours care
This is less good than ‘normal hours’ (9am-5pm Monday-Friday) in the UK.
GPs are not properly open. There are few senior doctors in the hospitals.
Top Tip. Walk-in or Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) or Minor Illness/Injury Units (MIUs) are usually open 8am-8pm, 7 days a week – with no appointment required. They are a good place to go, especially for migrants. Google them with the name of where you live to find your nearest one.
Summary
We have described How NHS services work, with a guide for migrants. MyHSN welcomes you to our country. Please use the NHS. We hope this information has been useful.
Other resource
UK government advice on NHS for migrants here.
