Healthcare

The National Health Service (NHS) is the public healthcare system in Britain. It offers a variety of services. Some of these are free, while you have to pay for others. In general, if your course of study is for six months or more, you will automatically qualify for NHS services on the same basis as home students. Make sure you register yourself with a local NHS practice as soon as you arrive in Oxford. For more information, we suggest reading the information sheet on health produced by UKCISA for international students.

Doctors

The local doctor is called a GP, which is short for General Practitioner, and the GP's office is called a ‘surgery’. Typically, in order to see the GP, or for the GP to refer you to a specialist doctor on the NHS, you have to be first registered as an NHS patient with the GP. Each college has a nominated college doctor or GP with whom they encourage students to register. Most colleges offer new students the opportunity to register with their college doctor during Freshers' Week. It is up to you whether to register with the college doctor or with another one in Oxford.

During term time, most college doctors hold surgeries in college, where you can sign up for an appointment. It is important to bear in mind that you are registered with a practice, rather than an individual doctor. This means that if you'd rather not see a doctor in college, you can make an appointment with another doctor or your college GP at their surgery in Oxford. Find out the address of your practice in case you want to do this. At any practice, you can almost always choose to consult a male or a female doctor.

If you need vaccinations for travel abroad, it is best to go to the nurse at your GP's surgery because they will have your medical records (in case you have an allergy) and the most up-to-date information.

Nurses

You might be elegible for discounted or free medical prescriptions. Do not wait until you are ill to learn about it.Most colleges also have a college nurse who runs a general health care surgery in the college during specified hours. If you are too ill to leave your bed while you are living in college, inform your college nurse, who will usually come and check on you.

Dentists

Many colleges have a nominated dentist. You will probably not be introduced to them in Freshers' Week, but you can ask your welfare officer for their name and address. It is not absolutely necessary for you to register with a dentist in Oxford, especially if you plan to have routine dental check-ups done at home during vacations. That being said, registration does have advantages, including rapid access to care in the event of an emergency and guaranteed replacement of any failed dentistry.

You should be aware, however, that the number of dental practices in Oxford that accept new NHS patients is limited, and those that do tend to be very busy. For details of local dentists offering NHS treatment consult the British Dental Association website. While NHS dental care is subsidised, you should still expect to pay for the services.

NHS Direct

NHS Direct is a confidential helpline that is available 24 hours a day to offer advice and information about health issues. Simply dial 0845 4647. You will be asked for some details and a contact number. Then after a short wait (usually around 20 minutes), a nurse will call you back with some advice about your condition. All calls are charged at the local rate (which varies for mobile phones). NHS Direct can also advise you where the nearest specialist surgeries or pharmacies are.

Sexual health

The Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic is based in the Churchill Hospital in Headington. This clinic specialises in all aspects of sexual health from advice on contraception to sexual health tests. They can also provide details of family planning centres if you have an unplanned pregnancy. The telephone number of the clinic is 01865 231231.

Generic medicines

Pharmacies sell a wide range of medicines over the counter. For some types of medicine (such as anti-inflammatory pills and analgesics/painkillers) there may be several brand names available. Also, bear in mind that sometimes you can get a generic, non-branded alternative for them, which may be significantly cheaper. The best thing to do is to take the medicine to the till, and ask the pharmacist if they have a cheaper or generic alternative to it.

Prescription medicines

Students can sometimes claim free prescriptions and dental treatment or have part of these costs covered by the NHS if they fall under certain categories. For more information, we suggest asking your GP when he or she prescribes the medicine or the pharmacist when you go to buy it. You may also want to refer to the information sheet on health produced by UKCISA for international students. If you find that you are eligible to claim free prescriptions or to have part of the costs met by the NHS, then you will need to apply for this using the necessary form, which should be available at your GP's surgery, from your college nurse or pharmacy. Also, don't forget to get a receipt.