The NHS, established and funded by the British government, consists of two tiers of health care, namely, community-based primary
health care, and general practitioners (General Practitioner,
health care), who are usually stationed in the community to provide health care. Practitioner (
GP) and nurses, and the second tier is the NHS hospital-based specialist
services, where specialists from various disciplines are responsible for and take over patients referred by GPs, or deal with major accidents and emergencies.
Since China is not a so-called "reciprocal health
agreements" country, there is a restriction that for people from non-UK so-called "reciprocal health
agreements" countries, the NHS is only applicable to students who have been studying in the UK for more than six months and their dependents; those who have resided in the UK for less than six months have to be self-referred to the NHS. Those who have been living in the UK for less than six months are required to pay for their own medical treatment or to take out medical insurance, but in the event of an emergency, emergency treatment will be free of charge.
How do I get a list of family doctors?
If the school has a health center, you can register directly at the school, but if you live far away from the school or the school does not have a health center, you can register at a clinic near your home.
Where can I get a list of clinics and their addresses?
The following places are good places to try: hostel wardens, local Family Practitioner Committee, local
Community Health Council, Citizens Advice
Bureau.
The telephone numbers for these organizations can be found in the telephone book or at your local City Council.
How do I choose a registered clinic?
You can ask your neighbors and friends, but if that doesn't work out, you can register with a clinic near you, as you can request a change of practitioner without any special reason.
If you have chosen a suitable surgery, it is advisable to register as soon as possible. You should bring your passport and enrollment permit to prove your identity, and the receptionist at the clinic will ask you to fill out the relevant forms. Then the nurse will arrange for you to do a health check, based on the concept of prevention and treatment, sometimes the nurse will recommend vaccination, etc. If you agree, you will fill out another form, then you can hold this form to the scheduled hospital injections; in the completion of these formalities, will be received within two weeks of the NHS medical card (NHS
medical card), the card will have your medical number, The card will contain your medical number, the name and address of your local Family Health Services Authority (
FHSA), and important information on the back of the card, such as the obligation of your FHSA to help you in the event that you can't find a doctor to register with.
It is important to note that with the post-war independence of the colonies leading to a reduction in income, coupled with the decline of the UK's own national strength, the standard of care provided by the free public healthcare system has fallen dramatically, coupled with the fact that big-name doctors have been
leaving the country to concentrate on accepting privately-funded patients, leaving the UK's public healthcare system, especially primary care, with a severe shortage of medical staff, which is the primary reason why the NHS pays doctors, nurses and other professionals to provide the care they need. lies in the low salaries paid to doctors and nurses by the NHS.
In order to make up for the shortage of medical personnel, the UK has imported a large number of medical practitioners from former colonies such as India, Pakistan, and African countries such as Nigeria and Zimbabwe, who graduated from medical schools set up by the British, to come to the UK to practise. This group of doctors are of varying standards, in general, the standard is much worse than the standard of genuine British doctors, and even far less than the standard of domestic doctors, so the domestic students to the United Kingdom to study, although enjoying free medical services, but need to be psychologically prepared, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The standard of your family doctor may not be as good as that of the general medical specialists in China. This, coupled with the language barrier, makes it not uncommon for a GP to delay an emergency or serious illness. Therefore, I recommend that you listen to the second
opinion, ask your Chinese physician friends who are studying in the UK, or even call back to your home country to ask your physician if you need to.
Emergency situation: In case of major injuries or immediate life-threatening situations, please dial 999 to call an ambulance (Ambulance
Please) and report your name, phone number and address; if the person concerned can still go to the hospital's emergency department (Casualty Department or Accident and Emergency).
Department, referred to as A&E Department), you can go to the emergency services (Casualty
Reception) registration, and the order of emergency treatment is categorized according to the severity of the disease, but due to the high demand for services, many people have to wait for several hours of experience.
According to NHS regulations, emergency departments in British hospitals are not allowed to turn away patients, and they are completely free of charge, even without paying for medication. The NHS has a lot to offer, and it's a good place to start. It is recommended that once you have decided where to live, it is best to know at least one hospital with an emergency room nearby and its transportation routes. If you're in a big city like London or Edinburgh and have more than one hospital to choose from, it's best to go to the emergency department of a university hospital rather than a district hospital (District
General Hospital, or DGH). University hospitals are generally better equipped and have better physicians.
While in the UK, you can have the protection of the NHS, but the habits and methods of medical treatment are still different from those of the Chinese, so if you are in trouble, you may want to consult your friends, classmates, or teachers; however, "prevention is more important than cure", so don't ignore physical and mental health care, a balanced diet, moderate exercise, and appropriate emotional and stress relief are helpful for both physical and mental health. The most important thing to remember is that you can't afford to miss the chance to have a good time.