Health Matters

Healthcare in Britain is provided by the National Health Service (NHS). For Britons it's mainly free.

The NHS provides healthcare through:

  • doctors called general practitioners (GPs) in surgeries, clinics and health centres
  • hospitals
  • Accident and Emergency departments located in some hospitals.

Will I have to pay?

This depends on a number of things, such as how long you've been here and how long you're staying. Some treatment is free for everyone:

  • emergency treatment, in a hospital Accident and Emergency department
  • testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
  • testing and counselling for HIV
  • HIV treatment, unless you are in Britain illegally
  • testing and treatment for serious diseases that can be passed on to other people, such as TB, typhoid, food poisoning, dysentery, malaria and measles.

Doctors and GPs

GPs are doctors who treat common illnesses. If you're unwell and the pharmacist can't help, go to a GP's surgery first.

Can I see a GP free?

You can see a GP free if you are:

  • from the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
  • considered by the surgery to be 'ordinarily resident' in the UK; that is, you are planning to stay here for at least two or three years
  • a refugee or seeking asylum
  • a student studying in the UK for more than six months. (If you are studying here for less than six months, you either need a European Health Insurance Card if you are an EEA citizen, or private health insurance.)

Each GP's surgery decides who can get free treatment. By law they cannot refuse to treat you because of your sexual orientation.

Finding a GP
If you need help to find a GP, you could contact your local gay men's health organisation.

Hospitals

Specialist services are usually provided through hospitals. Unless it's an emergency, you'll need to see a GP first who will arrange for you to be seen at a hospital.

If you have an emergency, you can go straight to a hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.

Can I get hospital treatment free?

You can get hospital treatment free if you are:

  • from the EEA or Switzerland
  • a student studying in the UK for more than six months. (If you are studying here for less than six months, you either need a European Health Insurance Card if you are an EEA citizen, or private health insurance.)
  • considered 'ordinarily resident' in the UK and have already been here for a year or more
  • a refugee or seeking asylum
  • employed by a company registered in the UK
  • from a country with a 'reciprocal agreement' with the UK
  • treated in an Accident and Emergency department in an emergency.

Each hospital decides who will have to pay and who will not.

Finding services and information

You can find details of health services and information from these websites.

GPs and Gay Men
gpsandgaymen.chapsonline.org.uk

NHS Choices
www.nhs.uk

Department of Health
www.dh.gov.uk/overseasvisitors

NHS Direct will be able to advise you if you will have to pay or not, or you can contact your local gay or sexual health organisation.

If you can't get free treatment and can't pay contact
Medecins du Monde.
Telephone: 020 7515 7534
www.medecinsdumonde.org.uk