The NHS and GPs, explained
Most new students find that seeing a doctor in the UK works nothing like it does in Taiwan.
At home you book a specialist directly, walk into a clinic, or turn up at a hospital outpatient department. Here, almost all non-urgent care starts with a GP (general practitioner), and it is the GP who decides whether you need referring to a specialist or a hospital.
Who is this for?
For anyone moving here who has paid the IHS but is unsure what NHS services that covers, does not know what a GP is, cannot tell whether to go to a GP, a pharmacy, A&E or a private clinic, wants to understand how UK and Taiwanese healthcare differ, wants to know which free or cheap NHS services students miss, or needs to understand dentists, opticians, prescriptions and HC2 support.
Start here: what the IHS, the NHS and a GP actually are
| Name | In plain terms | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| IHS | Immigration health surcharge | Paid with your visa application, and gives you the NHS for the length of the visa |
| NHS | The National Health Service | The UK's public health system, roughly Taiwan's national insurance |
| GP | Family or community doctor | Your first stop for anything non-urgent: assessment, prescriptions and referrals |
What is the IHS?
IHS stands for immigration health surcharge, a fee you have to pay when you apply for a UK visa.
If your visa runs longer than six months you normally pay it, and once you have, NHS care is free to you for the life of the visa. Some things still cost money — prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and so on.
What is free on the NHS?
Once you have paid the IHS, most NHS care costs you nothing: GP appointments, NHS hospital care, A&E, inpatient treatment, some surgery, abortion, specialist care after an NHS referral, and some mental health services.
These may still cost you: prescription charges in England, NHS dental treatment, eye tests, private care, and certain specialist or non-NHS treatments.