To access healthcare as we have it back at home, you will need to register with a General Practitioner, or GP. In England this works by area, i.e. your GP will be the one who lives closest to you (according to your post code), so it is easy to find them, you can go to the National Health Service site and search using your post code. You will get a list of GPs in the area, containing their number of patients and the marks they have been assigned based on different categories. Ask in your neighbourhood for more advice.
You choose your GP, and then download a questionnaire, asking for basic information about you, then your medical history. After returning this questionnaire, you will receive a confirmation of your registration by the GP you’ve picked. Please be aware that your file may be refused if you request a GP that is too far away from you, or if they already have too many customers and can not accept any more.
You will then have to go to your GP for the first time, with proof of address and ID, for a full check-up. You will then be fully registered. It should be kept in mind that healthcare in England is not the same as in France. Rare will be the times you have medication prescribed, sent to a specialist and you will absolutely have to make an appointment with a wait of sometimes 2 to 3 weeks… You don’t pop along with just a cold then! In case of emergencies that do not require going to hospital, you can still try to call your GP as soon as possible and try to get an emergency appointment. A visit to the GP has no cost, however some will be satisfied with simple questions without checks, so it is better to return to your French doctor from time to time.
For those who have trouble with English medicine, know that there are several French medical centres in London, offering almost all specialties, for example La Maison Médicale, with a bilingual team, practising in this field of activity.
And there you have it, you’re ready to seek treatment in London, and if you have any questions or additional information do not hesitate to leave us a little comment!