Primary care
Anyone can register with an NHS GP and see a doctor or nurse free of charge, regardless of nationality or immigration status.
There is no requirement to show proof of address or identity to register with us. But it is helpful to do so, and we will generally ask patients to provide documents if they can.
Likewise, there is no requirement to prove your immigration status. This applies to everyone, including asylum seekers, refugees, people who are homeless or visiting from overseas.
We provide high-quality NHS services to everyone regardless of race, religion, nationality, age, ability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
West Street Surgery is proud to be a safe surgery. We are now part of the safe surgeries network a Doctors of the World Initiative.
A ‘safe surgery’ is a GP practice which commits to taking steps to tackle the barriers faced by many migrants in accessing healthcare. At a minimum, this means declaring our practice a ‘safe surgery’ for everyone and ensuring that lack of ID or proof of address, immigration status or language are not barriers to patient registration.
Safe surgeries recognise the barriers to healthcare access that exist, particularly for migrants in vulnerable circumstances, and believe that small changes in practice can make a difference. West Street Surgery is willing to lead by example and work to ensure that nobody in our community is excluded.
Navigating NHS services
A new video which can be found on our YouTube channel explains the different NHS services, from general practice to A&E and when and how to use them, has recently been published by Bevan CIC in collaboration with partners. It also includes advice on self-care, pharmacies, dental and optical care. It is aimed at people who have newly arrived in the UK, including refugees and asylum seekers, and is subtitled in a number of languages.
Free NHS services
Primary care, meaning seeing a doctor, nurse or another clinician in a GP surgery, is free to everyone regardless of nationality or immigration status.
While a refugee or asylum seeker is in the process of having their case heard, all NHS services are available to them at no cost. This includes prescriptions for medication and secondary care treatment in a hospital, for example.
For people who are not normally residents in the UK, then some costs will apply when accessing hospital and other secondary care.
This video explains the entitlements to NHS primary care services as well as other entitlements: www.youtube.com – Entitlements to NHS services for migrants in England.
You can find a complete guide to migrant health, including secondary (hospital) care and NHS dentistry.
Registering with a GP
You can follow the below link to find out how to register with us as a new patient. The page also covers emergency treatment and registering as a temporary resident.
Additional support
We want communication with all patients to be as easy as possible for everyone.
Our GP practices and all other NHS providers are responsible for making arrangements to improve communication with patients. We are required to provide interpreters for people who do not speak English as a first language and to provide translated materials where possible.