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COVID-19 coronavirus: what to do if you need to see a GP or get medication

Peer reviewed by Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE, FRCGP Last updated by Milly Evans Last updated 8 Jan 2021

Whilst we're all staying at home as much as possible during the pandemic, we still need to fulfil our basic needs. Many people still require medications or need to get medical support for something other than COVID-19.

In this article :

Seeing your gp, getting your prescription, what about surgery and routine appointments, what if there's an emergency.

Continue reading below

Do not attend your GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital if you think you might have COVID-19 . You should self-isolate and book a test online. You can use the NHS 111 online tool to find out what to do next.

If you have a GP appointment booked, keep an eye out for communications from your surgery. Surgeries have switched to digital or telephone appointments, and will only carry out face-to-face appointments where necessary after a telephone appointment. This is to minimise the risk to vulnerable patients and clinicians if people carrying the virus go to the practice.

Many practices moved rapidly at the start of the pandemic to set up video-conferencing facilities. This means that an increasing number of appointments with doctors and nurses will be carried out at a distance. Some surgeries are restricting video appointments to those who have already been assessed over the phone.

On the phone

It is likely that the phone line will be busy if you call your GP practice to book an appointment. This is because a large number of people have worries about their health condition and the implications of managing it in a pandemic. A number of clinicians also can't get into surgeries because they are ill. Practices will largely prioritise those with urgent or serious health concerns, meaning that people with routine or minor concerns may have to wait longer for appointments.

Booking online

At the outset of the first lockdown, GPs were advised by the government that nobody should be seen at the practice without a call to check they were free from possible COVID-19 symptoms. As a result, some surgeries have switched off online appointment booking so that they can ensure people with COVID-19 symptoms aren't attending the practice.

Face to face

If you do attend your surgery for an appointment, make sure to follow any instructions given to you by staff at the practice. You should continue to take precautionary measures against coronavirus whilst in the practice, as you would in any public setting.

This includes:

Using hand sanitiser and frequently washing your hands.

Avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands.

Maintaining social distancing (making sure that wherever possible, there are at least two metres between you and another person).

Wearing a face covering.

Patient picks for COVID-19

COVID-19: how to use pharmacies during the coronavirus pandemic

Many pharmacies are currently still open and repeat prescriptions should be available as usual .

If you have a repeat prescription set up already and are self-isolating, see if someone else is able to pick up the prescription for you. If you are isolating, have them drop it off outside your door so that you can avoid face-to-face contact.

Lots of pharmacies or pharmacy services offer a home delivery service. This means that you can get your medication delivered right to your door. Again, ask for the delivery to be left outside if you are isolating. However, do be aware that some pharmacies which previously delivered are now simply too busy to offer this service . That means you may need to make alternative arrangements if you can't collect your prescription, such as asking a neighbour to collect it.

Practices are being encouraged to put as many suitable patients on to electronic repeat dispensing as soon as they can. This will speed up the process for repeat prescriptions to be authorised.

Currently there are no medicine shortages as a result of COVID-19 or coronavirus. Even generic drugs like paracetamol have been stockpiled by distributors to prevent supplier issues.

Many medications were also stockpiled to prepare for Brexit, meaning that the country is prepared to prevent shortages.

Individuals are being urged not to stockpile drugs for themselves. Whilst there are currently no issues getting hold of drugs, if everyone tries to get more medication than they currently need it will put strain on the system. Practices have been advised not to issue repeat prescriptions sooner than they're due, and not to issue more than usual. That means that if you usually get a month's worth of medicines at a time, you won't be able to change to a three-month supply.

People with health conditions which require medication should ensure they have enough to see them through an isolation period (currently 10 days).

In the first lockdown, NHS England suspended all non-urgent surgery, and most routine appointments and screening, for three months. This resulted in a huge backlog of patients waiting for non-COVID-19 treatments.

In the last few months, there has been a concerted effort to prevent further delays by keeping hospital and GP services open. However, as cases of COVID-19 rise to levels high above those seen in the first wave, many hospitals have needed to pause all non-urgent outpatient appointments and operations.

Nonetheless, you should still speak with your doctor if you have medical concerns: routine hospital appointments have not been cancelled in all areas and urgent referrals are still going ahead almost everywhere.

If you have a medical emergency and need an ambulance, you should continue to call 999 or the relevant emergency number in your area.

For urgent non-coronavirus medical queries which don't require an ambulance, use NHS 111's online tool or call 111 if you have no access to the internet. There will be a long wait to speak to someone because of calls about coronavirus but they will still take your call.

NHS workers, clinicians and other medical staff are working around the clock to ensure that everyone gets the care they need. The coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented and unplanned for, meaning that lots of emergency measures are being taken. Be as patient as you can with staff - they are doing their best at a very difficult time.

Article History

The information on this page is written and peer reviewed by qualified clinicians.

8 Jan 2021 | Latest version

Last updated by

Peer reviewed by

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‘Frequent attenders’ comprise 4 in every 10 family doctor consultations in England

They visit their GP 5 times as often as other patients on practice lists Proportion of these patients has risen over past two decades

‘Frequent attenders’ now make up around 4 in every 10 family doctor (GP) consultations in England, and the proportion of such patients has risen over the past two decades, reveals a large long-term study published in the open access journal BMJ Open .

Frequent attenders visit their GP 5 times as often as other patients on a general practice list, helping to explain the perceived rise in GP workload, reveals the analysis of nearly 1.7 billion consultations over 20 years.

GPs in the UK have repeatedly sounded the alarm on the rapid increases in their workload in recent years, prompted by an ageing population, the complexity of care needs, and initiatives to shift care from hospitals into the community.

But there’s been little published research on current workload rates in general practice in the UK, particularly the contribution made by ‘frequent attenders.’

Preliminary data suggest that the top 10% of attenders could be responsible for between 30% and 50% of all GP consultations.

To explore this further, the researchers set out to analyse the type and distribution of consultations within general practices and practice lists, focusing on frequent attenders, over a period of 20 years.

They drew on anonymised information on 1.7 billion consultations with 12.3 million patients, submitted to the Clinical Practice Research Database by 845 GP practices across the UK between April 2000 and March 2019. Only 113 practices contributed data throughout the entire study period.

They looked at consulting patterns among the top 10% of consulting patients with: all staff, including admin staff, in the practice; only with GPs, to include face to face, remote, and phone consultations; as well as face to face consultations with all staff, and only with GPs.

All types of consultations with all staff in a practice more than doubled, rising from an annual average of 11 per person in 2000–01 to 25 in 2018–19; for GPs the equivalent figures were an annual average of 5 in 2000–01 to 8 per person in 2015–18.

Among frequent attenders, all types of consultations with GPs rose from an average of 13 to 21 a year while those with other practice staff rose from an average of 27 a year to 60 between April 2000 and March 2019.

In all, around four out of 10 consultations of any type concerned frequent attenders, and the proportion of consultations attributed to them increased over time, particularly for face to face consultations, rates of which fell among other patients.

The proportion of face to face consultations with GPs among frequent attenders rose from an average of 38% in 2000–01 to 43% in 2018–19, and from an average of 38% to 40% for all practice staff.

Frequent attenders consulted around five times more often than the rest of the practice list, on average.

There was relatively little regional variation in any of the trends studied, the only exceptions being face to face consultations with GPs, which were highest in Scotland and face to face consultations with all staff, which were highest in Northern Ireland.

And frequent attendance rates didn’t seem to be influenced either by area levels of deprivation or the practice. But evidence from Europe indicates that frequent attenders are more likely to be female, older, have more social and psychiatric problems, taking more drugs for mental illness, have more medically unexplained symptoms, and more long term conditions, note the researchers.

This is an observational study, and as such, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. And the researchers acknowledge that they used their own definition of frequent attenders.

But the findings echo those of Dutch studies, they say, and suggest “that a relatively small number of patients are accounting for a large proportion of GP workload including face-to-face consultations.”

They conclude: “Frequent attenders appear to be a major driver for the increase in consultations that have contributed to perceptions of increased workload in general practice.

“GPs should be looking at this group of patients more closely to understand who they are and why they are consulting more frequently.”

Comment and Opinion | Open Debate

The views and opinions expressed on this site are solely those of the original authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of BMJ and should not be used to replace medical advice. Please see our full website terms and conditions .

All BMJ blog posts are posted under a CC-BY-NC licence

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Your rights to a face-to-face GP appointment

Had problems seeing your GP in person? Here's what you can expect.

So what’s going on? Doctors point to an increased workload, delivering both COVID-19 booster and flu jabs on top of their normal GP appointments, a chronic and ongoing shortage of GPs (the Government has promised an additional 6,000 GPs by 2024) and the fact that patients have never had the right to demand a face-to-face appointment just because they want one, it has always been up to the GP’s clinical discretion.

If you're hoping to see your GP face-to-face, here's everything you need to know about booking an appointment.

Why is it difficult to book a face-to-face GP appointment?

At the end of last year, Health Secretary Sajid Javid urged GPs to up the number of patients they were seeing in person rather than remotely (over the phone, online or via video link). Extra funding for GP practices was also announced but made conditional on this happening. Figures showed that GPs were then carrying out almost two-thirds of appointments face-to-face compared with around 80% before the pandemic.

Beccy Baird Senior Fellow in the health policy team at The King’s Fund says: ‘Two things are happening at the same time, which is GPs are working harder than ever before, and yet people still can’t get the appointments that they want and that’s frustrating. But this is not about GPs sitting around not doing any work, they are so busy, patient satisfaction is still high and we know they are doing more appointments in general practice than have ever been recorded before.’

'GPs become GPs to care for patients,' says Professor Martin Marshall, practising GP and Chair of the Royal College of GPs . 'The switch to largely remote consulting was based on the Government’s instructions for infection control purposes and to keep patients safe. General practice has been open throughout the pandemic and patients have been able to have face-to-face consultations where necessary.'

‘GPs strive to deliver the same high-quality care whether a consultation is remote or in person,' adds Professor Marshall. 'Some patients prefer remote consultations as they can be more convenient and fit around other commitments - and some people are more likely to access care when they need it remotely as opposed to going to a surgery, or feel more comfortable discussing certain aspects of their health.’

Effective digital triage, where you submit your symptoms on an online form to your practice, can also help ensure patients receive the most appropriate care. This might be a face-to-face-appointment, but for example it might also be a referral to see a physiotherapist or another health professional, a minor illness consultation with a community pharmacist, or having an electronic prescription delivered either to your home or your local pharmacy.

‘It’s about making sure people get the best care for their needs, rather than necessarily the care they want,’ adds Beccy Baird.

What can you expect from your GP?

The doctors’ regulator the General Medical Council has details on what it means to be a good doctor in its Good Medical Practice guidance covering knowledge, safety, communication and maintaining patient trust.

While the healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which monitors and inspects GP surgeries also has a section on its website which sets out that:

• you should be treated with dignity, kindness and respect;
• you should be involved in decisions about your care and treatment;
• the appointment system should be easy to use;
• you should be able to have an appointment at a time that suits you.

The CQC has also said it will be making unannounced inspections into patient access at GP practices to see if a range of appointment types are being offered such as face-to-face, telephone , and online; if patients are able to make appointments in a way that meets their needs and if systems are in place to monitor the quality of access and make improvements.

What if you can’t get a face-to-face appointment

Good Housekeeping’s Dr Sarah Jarvis says: ‘GPs are every bit as worried as their patients about patient safety and will call you in for a face-to-face consultation if they feel they can't confidently make a diagnosis without seeing you. If your doctor says they don't need to see you but you think they should, ask them to explain why they feel they can safely make a diagnosis and treat you.’

If you are still unhappy, the Patients Association recommends you speak to the practice manager in the first instance to discuss how your preference can be respected. If you need more advice you can call their free helpline on 0800 345 7115.

Can you see how your GP practice is doing?

Patients can complete feedback surveys for their practice and see the results of the GP Patient Survey twice a year. Go to gp-patient.co.uk type in the name of your surgery and you can see how it rates on a number of key measures including how easy patients found it to get through to the practice by phone, if their experience of making an appointment was good and if they were offered a choice of appointments.

You can also visit nhs.uk and use their find-a-gp option to see ratings and reviews, and leave your own. But when reading patients reviews it’s worth remembering these are subjective and on the whole people are much more prone to complain than to praise!

The CQC also publish their inspection findings on GP services, which you can use to check and compare practices in your area. Talk to your practice if you feel your needs aren’t being met. If you want to change practices, draw up a short list and contact each one to find out if they are accepting new patients, and their process for signing up with them.

How can you link your prescriptions to your local chemist?

If you get medicine on repeat prescription, there are now a number of apps and websites which mean you can order your medicine online and collect it from a nominated pharmacy, or have it delivered to your home. Because of Covid-19 it’s now recommended that repeat prescriptions are sent electronically. You can use the NHS App or some pharmacies have their own including: Boots , Echo (by Lloyds Pharmacy), and Pharmacy2U . They all offer a home delivery service, and some may offer a collection service at one of their pharmacies.

If you care for an elderly relative, ask about 'proxy access', which allows you to sign up (with their permission) to act in their stead and submit prescription requests for them. Patient Access also has a clever new feature called Smart Pharmacy which means you can order your prescription online and then track it’s progress at every stage so you can see when it's been approved by your GP, dispensed and is ready to collect.

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NHS Digital publishes new primary care statistics: statistical press release

NHS Digital must be credited as the source of these figures. Regional data is available in this report.

NHS Digital publishes new data

Appointments in General Practice contains data about appointments that took place in general practice in England from August to October 2022. The report includes details about the type of healthcare professionals appointments took place with, the appointment mode, and time between booking an appointment and attending.

The experimental data is designed to provide an insight into the activity and usage of GP appointments and how primary care is impacted by seasonal pressures, such as winter. Supporting information and data quality guidance will be provided alongside the statistics.

Statistics are provided at national and Integrated Care Board level, and for the first time, data broken down by individual GP practices is also included. 1

Read the full report : Appointments in General Practice

Also published today is the NHS Payments to General Practice, England 2021-22 annual report, which details payments to providers of general practice services by the NHS over the past financial year.

It includes a breakdown of payments made through the Global Sum 2 , Balance of Primary Medical Services (PMS) expenditure 3 , Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) 4  and Enhanced Services 5 , including an estimate of how much the NHS paid per registered patient in England 5,6 .

Also included in the report are payments to Primary Care Networks (PCN) 7  and COVID-19 payments 8 .

Payments to 6,808 general practice service providers in England are covered by the publication. The data is reported at individual practice, Clinical Commissioning Group, regional and national level.

Read the full report: NHS Payments to General Practice England, 2021/22

Data on Written Complaints in the NHS is also published today and provides a count of written complaints made by or on behalf of patients about NHS services in England.

This annual publication includes data for complaints about NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (secondary care), as well as complaints about General Practices and dental services (primary care) for 2021-22.

Read the full report: Data on Written Complaints in the NHS, 2021-22

The regular monthly General Practice Workforce data is also out today, which provides a snapshot of the primary care general practice workforce. 

Read the full report : General Practice Workforce, 31 October 2022 .

Notes for editors

This publication was launched in the Government's Our Plan for Patients , which sets out priorities for health and care, delivered across 4 key areas including ambulances, backlogs, care, and doctors and dentists.

Global Sum is the main payment to practices and is based upon each practice’s registered patient list which is adjusted according to the Carr-Hill Formula to take into consideration differences in the age and sex of the patients as well as any in nursing or residential care, additional patient needs due to medical conditions, patient turnover and unavoidable costs based upon rurality and staff market forces for the area.

Primary Medical Services contracts are locally negotiated, but Balance of Primary Medical Services (PMS) expenditure payments are similar to Global Sum and Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) in General Medical Services payments.

Total QOF Payments is comprised of Quality Aspiration Payments and Quality Achievement Payments. Aspiration Payments are a part payment in advance in respect of achievement under the  Quality and Outcomes Framework .

Average payment per patient amounts are not representative of the amount of funding available to spend on direct patient care. Average payments per patient at GP practice, CCG, region or national level should be treated with caution as some patients may be double-counted – for example due to practice closure – while conversely no information relating to patient list size is known for 108 practices.

Average payment per patient amounts should not be compared with those presented in previous editions of this publication due to a change in methodology in 2019, although revised figures at England level for 2016/17 and 2017/18 have been calculated and are presented in the accompanying web page at  https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-payments-to-general-practice/england-2019-20 .

PCN Participation payments, which relate to all practices taking up membership of a PCN, are included in all tables, averages and totals. Total payments and average payments per patient figures have been calculated both including and excluding payments to six categories which relate only to Primary Care Network (PCN) lead organisations - PCN Leadership, PCN Support, PCN Workforce, PCN Care Home Premium, PCN Extended Hours Access and PCN Impact and Investment Fund. Payments to these categories are provided as a total in Table 2 and have not been included in Table 3 but are presented at PCN and CCG level in Table 4.  In this report there are seven separate PCN categories: PCN Participation, PCN Leadership, PCN Support, PCN Workforce, PCN Care Home Premium, PCN Extended Hours Access, PCN Impact and Investment Fund.

The pandemic affected the way General Practice operated in 2021/22 and placed additional responsibilities on GP practices for which they received additional payments. The report also includes three additional categories for COVID-19 related payments, COVID-19 Support and Expansion COVID-19 Immunisation and long covid. COVID-19 support, and expansion payments covered the additional costs incurred by General Practice due to COVID-19, for example, additional staff costs to cover sick leave, additional care home visits and personal protective equipment. COVID-19 immunisation payments covered the additional costs incurred to support the co-ordination and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and the long covid enhanced service provides ongoing assessment, support and management of patients with long term symptoms of COVID-19.

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Millions more GP appointments in March than before pandemic

• General practice

GP teams delivered almost 30 million appointments for patients last month (March 2024), up almost a quarter on the same period before the pandemic, new data shows today.

New NHS data published today shows there were around 29.8 million appointments delivered by GPs and their teams in just one month, compared with 24.2 million in March 2019 – an increase of 5.6 million (23.1%).

And on average, thanks to the primary care recovery plan , the NHS is now offering more than 1.4 million GP appointments every working day.

NHS staff continue to exceed ambitions to provide 50 million more appointments by March 2024 with the figures showing that GPs and their teams have delivered an extra 56.3 million appointments (363.6 million excluding Covid vaccinations) or 63.4 million (370.7 million including Covid vaccinations) over the last year compared to 2018/19.

More than nine in ten (95%) of GP practices in England have now upgraded their phone tech thanks to the ambitious blueprint with the move meaning that phone lines can be expanded and won’t ever be engaged. The remaining practices are agreeing dates within the next month for upgrades to happen with tech suppliers.

Every GP practice must offer face to face appointments as well as telephone and online consultations, with some patients choosing remote appointments where it is clinically appropriate and more convenient for them. Today’s data shows almost two-thirds of appointments took place face-to-face (65.4%) in March.

Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care, NHS England said : “Thanks to GPs and their hardworking teams, millions more appointments are being delivered every month compared to before the pandemic with plans in place to improve access even further.

“Every GP practice is upgrading their telephone systems to make it easier for patients to contact their surgery, while patients can use the NHS app to order repeat prescriptions and view their test results without needing to contact their family doctor.

“We know there is more to do to make it easier for patients to access GP services, which is why, building on the successes so far of the primary care access recovery plan we will continue to modernise general practice, expand pharmacy services, and offer patients more choice in how they access care.”

Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom said : “Today’s figures clearly demonstrate that more people are getting the care they need, when they need it, thanks to the hard work of our GPs and their teams.

“GPs and their staff have already delivered on a number of pledges – including exceeding the target of 50 million additional general practice appointments per year, several months ahead of schedule – and through the measures in the Primary Care Recovery Plan, the NHS and primary care staff are freeing up millions of extra appointments per year and making it easier for patients to access the care they need.

“We remain committed to making our healthcare system faster, simpler and fairer for all patients so that everyone who needs an appointment is able to get one.”

Hundreds of thousands more people a month will have the option to refer themselves for key services such as help with incontinence, podiatry, or hearing tests without needing to see a GP, as part of the NHS primary care access recovery plan.

Around 180,000 more people a month will be able to self-refer for additional services such as incontinence support or community nursing without seeing their GP, so family doctors’ time can be freed up to focus on delivering care to people who need it most.

Across NHS services, around 200,000 people a month already self-refer themselves for treatment for podiatry, audiology, and physiotherapy but local services will now be able to expand the option of self-referral to other key services based on the needs of their population.

All data can be found here: Appointments in General Practice – NHS England Digital

GP mythbuster 71: Prioritising home visits

It is good practice for GP practices to have systems in place to triage and prioritise home visits.

Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the need for a home visit should be continue to be carefully assessed. The British Medical Association (BMA) and Royal College of General Practitioners have published COVID-19 Workload Prioritisation Unified Guidance  which explains response levels. The guidance outlines types of work that should be undertaken in primary care, depending on:

• COVID-19 prevalence
• other workload
• workforce factors

The British Medical Association (BMA) has produced a COVID-19 toolkit for GPs and GP practices .

NHS England issued a patient safety alert to raise awareness of the need to have a system in place to assess:

• whether a home visit is clinically necessary , and
• the urgency of need for medical attention.

The alert states that:

"This can be undertaken, for example, by telephoning the patient or carer in advance to gather information to allow for an informed decision to be made on prioritisation according to clinical need. In some cases, the urgency of need will be so great that it will be inappropriate for the patient to wait for a GP home visit and alternative emergency care arrangements will be necessary."

"Many practices will already have systems in place to manage home visits. Where this is the case, consideration should be given to whether a review is required in light of this alert. The review should also consider whether all clinical and non-clinical staff involved in the process are aware of their responsibilities when managing requests for home visits, and if any outstanding training needs exist.”

GPs should also consider whether alternate ways of assessing the patient are appropriate. For example, video call, telephone calls or the use of virtual wards in care homes.

When delegating home visits, the provider must ensure that the Health Care Professional (HCP) has the necessary:

• competence and
• training to deliver the home visit.

The HCP should also receive appropriate supervision and support from the clinical team. Practices should ensure that the person allocated is competent to carry out home visits.

When we inspect

We will expect to see evidence of how the provider has assured themselves of the capability of non-medical HCPs, to whom they delegate home visits. This should include a process of assurance: both on initial delegation of the role and how the HCP’s capability is maintained on an ongoing basis. It should include audit of:

• their clinical decision-making
• prescribing decisions when relevant and
• a system for escalation to a senior clinician when necessary.

We use these regulations when we review if the practice is safe, effective, responsive, caring and well led. This mythbuster relates to:

• Regulation 9 (Person centred care)
• Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment)

It is part of our key lines of enquiry (KLOEs). One of our key questions is whether services are organised so that they meet people’s needs. In particular, KLOEs:

• S2 Managing Risk
• S3 Safe care and treatment
• E3 Staff skills and knowledge
• E4 How staff, teams and services work together
• R1 Person centred care
• R3 Timely access to care and treatment
• WL8 Learning, improvement and innovation .

We may look at how the practice:

• manages and prioritises home visits
• recognises a deteriorating patient
• works with other professionals
• manages care planning, referrals and investigations.

We may also look at:

• the practice’s processes and systems to monitor patient safety through reporting patient safety incidents
• how they learn from these incidents and significant events.

This patient safety alert shows how important it is for GP practice staff to report all patient safety incidents to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). Lessons can be learned across general practice.

Further information

• GP mythbuster 24: Reporting patient safety incidents to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) for GP practices
• GP mythbuster 66: Advanced nurse practitioners and primary care
• GP mythbuster 100: Online and video consultations and receiving, storing and handling intimate images
• GP mythbuster 102: Pulse oximetry and monitoring vital signs outside the GP practice
• Patient Safety eForm (nrls.nhs.uk)

GP mythbusters

Snippet gp mythbusters rh.

Clearing up some common myths about our inspections of GP and out-of-hours services and sharing agreed guidance to best practice.

See all issues:

• GP mythbusters: listed by key question
• GP mythbusters: full list
• GP mythbusters: recently updated

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• How the NHS charges overseas visitors for NHS healthcare
• Department of Health & Social Care

How charges for NHS healthcare apply to overseas visitors

Updated 31 December 2020

© Crown copyright 2020

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

Within England, free NHS hospital treatment is provided on the basis of someone being ‘ordinarily resident’. Being ordinarily resident is not dependent upon nationality, payment of UK taxes, National Insurance contributions, being registered with a GP , having an NHS number or owning property in the UK.

Those who are not ordinarily resident in the UK, including former UK residents, are overseas visitors and may be charged for NHS services.

Treatment in A&E departments and at GP surgeries remains free for all.

There are exemptions in place to protect the most vulnerable in society and for key services essential to public health. This ensures that urgent or immediately necessary treatment will always be provided, regardless of an individual’s ability or willingness to pay for that treatment.

This guidance sets out how NHS charges for overseas visitors’ healthcare are applied.

The rules are set out in the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 (as amended).

The regulations apply only in England. Accessing healthcare in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could be different from England. For more information, visit the websites for health services in each country:

• Northern Ireland

Visitors to the UK from the EU

Visitors to the UK from an EU country who fall ill or have a medical emergency during a temporary stay in England can use a valid European Health Insurance Card ( EHIC ) issued by their home country to access healthcare.

The EHIC (or a Provisional Replacement Certificate ( PRC )) will cover treatment that becomes medically necessary during a visit to England. It also covers the treatment of pre-existing medical conditions and for routine maternity care, providing the reason for visiting is not specifically to give birth or receive treatment.

An EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance and we always advise that visitors should have both when travelling to the UK. An EHIC will not cover any private medical healthcare, being flown back home, or lost or stolen property.

Planned treatment is not covered by the EHIC . Visitors from the EU will need to arrange an S2 form from the relevant organisation in their home country before travelling to England.

The S2 only covers state-provided treatment. The only charges which will apply are any mandatory patient contributions that patients in England would have to pay, such as prescription costs.

Visitors may have to pay for treatment if:

• an EHIC cannot be provided
• a PRC cannot be obtained from the relevant EU member state
• an S2 form has not been issued

Charges will be calculated at 150% of the national NHS rate.

Providers should continue to follow existing guidance on upfront charging.

Visitors to the UK from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Visitors to the UK from Norway will be able to access medically necessary care in the UK by presenting a valid Norwegian passport.

Visitors from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland who fall ill or have a medical emergency during a temporary stay in England may have to pay for NHS healthcare. Any treatment that has to be paid for will be charged at 150% of the national NHS rate.

People living in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland whose healthcare costs are funded by the UK

People living in an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland on or before 31 December 2020 whose healthcare costs are funded by the UK (such as those with a UK-issued S1 that has been registered in another member state) will be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment in England, should they return temporarily to the UK. UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020 can also apply for an S1 upon reaching state pension age and drawing their state pension.

UK nationals who no longer live in the UK

Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.

UK nationals living and working in EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland on or before 31 December 2020 and their family members may be eligible to use NHS services without charge. They are advised to check with the relevant authority in the member state where they live for further information before travelling to the UK.

UK nationals who moved to the EU on or after 1 January 2021 should not expect to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless they have an EHIC , PRC or S2 to show that their healthcare costs are funded by the EU country where they reside, or another exemption applies.

Any treatment that may have to be paid for will be charged at 150% of the national NHS rate.

The UK government always advises visitors to the UK to take out travel or health insurance that has the necessary healthcare coverage for their needs. This is particularly important for those with pre-existing health conditions. Appropriate insurance means visitors may be able to recoup any treatment costs from their insurer.

EU citizens working in the UK

EU citizens seeking to work in the UK as a frontier worker or a posted worker will be subject to immigration control and may be required to pay the immigration health surcharge .

Family members of a frontier worker will be entitled to treatment that is medically necessary during a temporary visit to England.

Citizens of EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020

Citizens of EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland who were lawfully resident in the UK on or before 31 December 2020 will continue to receive access to NHS-funded healthcare as long as they meet the ordinary residence test. They must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Once granted either pre-settled or settled status, or while an application is pending, they will then not be charged for healthcare, as long as they continue to be ordinarily resident in the UK. The NHS may ask for evidence of pre-settled or settled status.

The deadline for applications is 30 June 2021. If an application is not submitted by 30 June 2021, they could lose any entitlement to free NHS healthcare.

Eligible family members may apply for a family visa or permit to come to the UK to join a citizen of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland who was living in the UK on or before 31 December 2020. They should then apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. In some circumstances, they may be able to apply directly to the EU Settlement Scheme from overseas.

Citizens of EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland working as a frontier worker (someone who lives in an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland but works in the UK) can continue to access NHS healthcare as they do now, using their registered S1. Those who were working as frontier workers on or before 31 December 2020 will need to apply for a frontier worker permit if they wish to continue to enter the UK for work as a frontier worker after 1 July 2021.

Posted workers (someone employed or self-employed in an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland but temporarily sent to work in the UK) can continue to access healthcare in England as they do now, using their EHIC or S1 form.

People living outside the EU

People who live outside the EU, including former UK residents, are not automatically entitled to free NHS care. They should make sure they are covered by personal health or travel insurance so that they can recover from their insurer any treatment costs that they are required to pay. They will be charged at 150% of the NHS national tariff, unless an exemption applies to them or the service they are accessing, or they are covered by a reciprocal healthcare agreement between the UK and their country.

Immigration health surcharge

Nationals of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland are subject to immigration control. Those who are subject to immigration control (except Irish nationals) must pay the immigration health surcharge when applying for a visa to enter and remain in the UK for more than 6 months. They cannot be considered as ordinarily resident in the UK until they have been granted indefinite leave to remain.

People with indefinite leave to remain in the UK and those not subject to immigration control (for example, diplomats posted to the UK) are not liable to pay the immigration health surcharge but may be ordinarily resident here and entitled to free NHS healthcare on that basis.

Payment of the immigration health surcharge entitles the payer to NHS-funded healthcare on the same basis as someone who is ordinarily resident, from the date their visa is granted and for as long as it remains valid. They are entitled to free NHS services, including NHS hospital care, except for services for which a UK ordinary resident must also pay, such as dentistry and prescriptions in England, and assisted conception services.

Payment of the immigration health surcharge is mandatory when making an immigration application, subject to exemptions for certain categories of people and the discretion of the Home Secretary to reduce, waive or refund all or part of an immigration health surcharge payment.

There is no charge for certain types of treatment such as A&E outpatient treatment, treatment for infectious diseases specified in the regulations, treatment of sexually transmitted infections and family planning services.

It is worth noting that we have very clear exemptions in place to protect the most vulnerable and to ensure that treatment is always available to those in the UK who need it urgently regardless of their eligibility status. This has not changed following the UK’s departure from the EU. The exemptions are for those:

• granted refugee status in the UK
• seeking asylum or temporary or humanitarian protection until their application (including appeals) is decided
• receiving support from the Home Office under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• a failed asylum seeker receiving support from the Home Office under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or from a local authority under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 or Part 1 (care and support) of the Care Act 2014
• a child looked after by a local authority
• formally identified, or suspected of being, a victim of modern slavery or human trafficking (this includes your spouse or civil partner and any children under 18 as long as they are lawfully present in the UK)
• receiving compulsory psychiatric treatment or treatment imposed by a court order
• detained in prison or by the immigration authorities in the UK
• NATO personnel (including spouses, civil partners or any children under 18 as long as they are lawfully present in the UK), where the service cannot be provided by armed forces medical services

There are several groups of people who are exempt from charging. UK Crown servants, British Council or Commonwealth War Graves staff and those working in UK government-funded posts overseas are exempt from charging if they were ordinarily resident prior to leaving the UK for that purpose, as are their spouses/civil partners and children under 18. Those who were not ordinarily resident in the UK before taking up such a post will be charged, unless they were recruited in the UK and are in the UK for the purpose of this employment.

There is also no change for armed forces members, war pensioners and armed forces compensation scheme recipients and their families, who are not required to have formerly been an ordinary resident of the UK.

People will be entitled to free care if, on all the facts, they remain ordinarily resident in the UK despite spending time outside the UK.

However, since 2017, overseas visitors working on UK-registered ships are no longer entitled to free NHS care and their employer is liable for their NHS costs.

Victims of violence

An overseas visitor who has been subjected to certain types of violence must not be charged for treatment or services needed to treat any condition caused by that violence, in recognition of the particularly vulnerable position they may be in. The types of violence are:

• female genital mutilation
• domestic violence
• sexual violence

The conditions include physical or mental illness, or an acute or chronic condition. The exemption applies wherever the violence has been experienced, provided that the overseas visitor has not travelled to the UK for the purpose of seeking that treatment.

Returning to the UK to settle

UK citizens who return to the UK on a settled basis will be considered as ordinarily resident and will be eligible for free NHS care immediately.

See more information for people visiting or moving to England on the NHS Choices website.

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Health services

Although your GP doesn’t need to be your first point of contact if you're feeling unwell, everyone should be registered with a GP. If you're not, you should register with a practice as soon as possible, even if you don't currently have any health problems.

What does a GP do?

What services should i look for in a gp surgery, how do i register with a gp surgery, what if i'm too ill to visit my gp, what if i'm not registered with a gp or i'm away from home, what support can i get if i have a long-term condition.

Your General Practitioner (GP) can give you medical advice, treatment and prescribe medication.

Your GP can also refer you to other healthcare professionals to diagnose or treat specific aspects of your condition. For example, they may refer you to a chiropodist, for a hearing test, or to your local falls prevention service. These other health professionals may visit you at home or hold clinics at a local practice, health centre or hospital.

Your GP practice must allocate everyone a named, accountable GP. This GP will oversee your care and take responsibility for evaluating your current physical and psychological needs. Though this doesn’t mean the named GP is the only doctor at your practice who will or can provide care.

If you're joining a new surgery, ask about the availability of services that may be important to you, such as:

• how the appointment system works
• how far in advance you can book a non-urgent appointment
• extended opening hours
• support for carers
• availability of male and female GPs and nurses
• wheelchair access
• staff who speak languages other than English.

Some surgeries offer a 24-hour online service, which you can use to book appointments with a GP of your choice, cancel appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view your summary care record. Speak to the receptionist to find out what online services your GP surgery offers and how to register for online access.

If you have difficulty finding a practice with space for new patients, contact NHS England – it's their responsibility to find a GP practice for you.

Find out more about online services on the NHS website

You can register with a GP surgery over the phone, online or in person.

You don't need proof of ID to register with a GP, but you may find it helpful to have your passport or birth certificate handy while you're filling in your details.

Find out more about registering with a GP on the NHS website

If you can't visit your GP surgery for medical reasons, you can ask your GP to make a home visit. If possible, try to call your GP in the morning if you think you'll need a visit the same day. Your GP surgery should have accessible information explaining how to request a home visit.

If you need to see your GP but can't make it into the surgery, they must offer a home visit instead. They should factor in how urgent your condition is when arranging a home visit.

Your GP might also be able to give you advice through a telephone or video consultation as an alternative.

You should always be able to see a GP if you need urgent attention. If you become ill while you're away from home or you haven't registered with a GP, you should contact the nearest surgery and ask them to see you.

If you'll be living away from your usual address for up to 3 months, you can register as a temporary patient at a local practice. You'll still be able to remain registered as a patient with the GP where you normally live.

If you have a long-term condition, your GP should help you understand and manage your own care. This may include drawing up a care plan to help you manage your condition on a day-to-day basis and recognise symptoms that you should report to your GP.

It may also include creating an 'information prescription'. This is a collection of information that your GP thinks is helpful to you at that time and will help you understand your condition, as well as ways to prevent any further complications. This can be done with the help of the NHS website, which helps you find reliable sources of information about your condition.

Want more information?

NHS services factsheet (828 KB)

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Last updated: Apr 08 2024

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Regardless of age, very few people feel well all the time. Here are some ways you can get help when you're ill.

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Blog Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre

https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/04/15/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-what-you-need-to-know/

• Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping: what you need to know

The Prime Minister has set out plans to build a better and brighter future for our children.

This includes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was announced in the King’s speech on 7 November 2023 and introduced to Parliament on 20 March 2024. The Bill is now due to have its second reading on 16 April 2024.

The Bill includes a new law to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes or other tobacco products, alongside measures to crack down on youth vaping and strengthen enforcement of these new laws.

This is in addition to a broader package of measures to tackle youth vaping – including banning the sale and supply of disposable vapes under environmental legislation and the new excise duty on vaping products announced in the Spring Budget.

Here’s what you need to know.

What are the key measures that have been announced?

We will create the first smoke-free generation so children turning 15 this year or younger will never be legally sold tobacco. The age of sale will be raised by one year each year to prevent future generations from ever taking up smoking, as there is no safe age to smoke.

To reduce the appeal of vapes to children, we also announced that new powers will be introduced to restrict vape flavours and packaging. The powers will also allow government to change how vapes are displayed in shops.

To crack down on underage sales, the government will also bring in quicker and simpler £100 on the spot fines (fixed penalty fines) for shops in England and Wales which sell tobacco and vapes underage. Local authorities will retain 100% of the proceeds to reinvest into enforcement of this Bill and other existing tobacco and vaping controls. This builds on a maximum £2,500 fine that the courts can already impose.

Vaping alternatives - such as nicotine pouches - will also be outlawed for children who are increasingly turning to these highly addictive substitutes.

Will the new laws impact current smokers?

The new laws will not impact current smokers. If you were born before 1 January 2009 shops will be able to continue selling you cigarettes and tobacco.

Will this lead to an illicit market?

No. History shows that targeted tobacco control measures have a positive impact on tackling the problems of illicit tobacco. For example, when the smoking age was increased from 16 to 18 the number of illicit cigarettes consumed fell by 25%.

The government is also providing additional powers and funding for enforcement to ensure the laws are effective.

How will the legislation be enforced?

Under the Bill, enforcement officers’ powers will also be strengthened with new powers in England and Wales to issue ‘on the spot fines’ of £100 to retailers breaching the law. This will help uphold the new laws and clamp down on underage sales of tobacco and vaping products.

These new powers to issue Fixed Penalty notices are in addition to a maximum £2,500 fine that courts can already impose.

The government will also be providing an additional £30 million a year for enforcement agencies to support work on underage and illicit sales of tobacco products and vapes.

Does this encroach on freedom of choice?

This is not about criminalising those who smoke or preventing anyone who currently smokes from doing so. Smoking will never be illegal and if you currently smoke legally, retailers will continue to be able to sell you cigarettes and other tobacco products.

But no parent wants their child to start smoking. This is about protecting future generations from the harms of smoking, saving thousands of lives and billions for the NHS.

Surely this isn't a big issue - people don't smoke anymore?

Smoking is still the number one preventable cause of death, disability and ill health, causing around 80,000 deaths per year across the UK.

Smoking rates in older teens remain high – over 12% of 16- to 17-year-olds smoke in England and over 30% of under 18 pregnant mother smoke. In recent years, the USA and Australia have seen the proportion of teenagers that smoke increase for the first time in decades.

Tobacco is uniquely harmful – there is no safe level of smoking. No other consumer product, when used as intended, kills two thirds of its long-term users and 75% of smokers would never have started if they had the choice again. It causes 1 in 4 cancer deaths.

Non-smokers are exposed to second-hand smoke – many come to harm through no choice of their own, including children, pregnant women and their babies.

The Bill will save thousands of lives. It will avoid up to 470,000 cases of strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other lung diseases by 2100.

What about the tax revenue from tobacco?

Smoking costs the economy and wider society £17 billion a year, which far outweighs the  income per year that the Treasury receives from taxes on tobacco products.

Smoking costs to our NHS and social care system alone £3 billion every year – this is money that we can reinvest into cutting waiting lists and bolstering frontline care. Almost every minute someone is admitted to hospital because of smoking, and up to 75,000 GP appointments could be attributed to smoking each month – over 100 appointments every hour.

Is any type of tobacco product safe?

There is no safe level of tobacco consumption. All tobacco products are harmful. Making this clear in legislation by including all tobacco products will help regulators, businesses and the public comply with the new laws.

Who has been consulted on this issue?

The government consulted on the measures in the Bill for 8 weeks from 12 October to 6 December 2023.

Nearly 28,000 responses were submitted in total and the majority of respondents (63.2%) agreed with implementing the smokefree generation policy. The consultation response can be viewed here: Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping: your views - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The UK is party to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and has an obligation to protect the development of public health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. To meet this obligation, we asked all respondents to disclose whether they have any direct or indirect links to, or receive funding from, the tobacco industry.

In line with the Convention, the views of respondents who disclosed links to the tobacco industry were summarised in the response, but not considered when determining policy.

When will the Smokefree Generation come into force? 

The Smokefree Generation policy will come into force in 2027 when current 15-year-olds turn 18. This will mean there will be a significant implementation period between the Bill being passed and the restrictions coming into force.

Will the Bill be enforced UK wide?

Thanks to constructive engagement from colleagues across the Devolved Administrations, these measures will apply not just in England, but across our entire United Kingdom – saving lives and building a brighter future.

What is the danger of children using vapes?

Children should never vape. The number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years.

The active ingredient in most vapes is nicotine, which when inhaled, is a highly addictive drug. The addictive nature of nicotine means that a user can become dependent on vapes, especially if they use them regularly.

We have a duty to protect children from these potential harms, which is why we will be banning disposable vapes and bringing forward measures in the Bill to restrict vape flavours, displays and packaging. Reusable and refillable vapes will continue to play a valuable role in helping adults to stop smoking.

What about vape displays in shops, packaging and flavours?

Vapes have become highly appealing products for children because of the wide range of flavours, bright colours, use of cartoons and highly visible points of display in shops. Our new legislation will introduce powers to regulate the display of vapes, packaging and flavours.

The purpose of addressing these issues is to prevent the marketing of vaping to children.

Before using these powers, we will be undertaking a further consultation on the specific measures.

What else are you doing to tackle youth vaping?

The measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill are part of a broader package of measures to tackle youth vaping – including banning the sale and supply of disposable vapes under environmental legislation and the new excise duty on vaping products announced in the Spring Budget.

Why are disposable vapes an issue? 

Being cheap and easy to use, disposable vapes are also the vape of choice for children with 69% of current vapers aged 11 to 17 in Great Britain using disposable vapes (up from 7.7% in 2021). The evidence is clear that vapes should not be used by, or targeted at, children– due to the risk and unknown harms involved. That is why the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has said disposable vapes should be banned.

There are serious environmental concerns over disposable vapes. Over 5 million disposable vapes are either littered or thrown away in general waste every week. This has quadrupled in the last year.

That is why we the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government intend to introduce legislation to implement a ban on the sale and supply of disposable vapes. The UK Government will also work with the devolved administrations to explore an import ban.

When will the disposable vape ban come into effect?

England, Scotland and Wales intend to bring in legislation as soon as possible. Any legislation taken forward will allow for an implementation period of at least six months, which takes into consideration concerns that businesses will require time to adapt.

What steps are being taken to address the potential emergence of a black market for disposable vapes?

We will support retailers to implement the new requirements by increasing funding for enforcement – government has announced £30 million extra funding per year for enforcement agencies including HMRC, Trading Standards and Border Force, to tackle the illicit market and underage sales.

Who is going to enforce this ban?

Trading Standards will lead on enforcing the ban within their local area.

It is expected that enforcement authorities would apply civil sanctions in the first instance and a failure to comply may result in authorities prosecuting for a criminal offence subject to a fine only after a failure to comply with a civil sanction.

Are you not worried that a ban on disposable vapes will turn adults towards smoking?

No. Adults who vape responsibly will be able to continue to do so.

We are not banning vapes as a whole, just disposable vapes – given the huge impact they have on the environment. Banning disposables will also prevent young people from accessing them.

Adult vapers will still be able to access refillable and reusable vapes.

We recognise the important part vapes can play in helping people quit smoking.  As part of the government’s Swap to Stop scheme, almost one in five of all adult smokers in England will have access to a reusable vape kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit and improve health outcomes.

Key facts on smoking and vaping

• Smoking is the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability and death. It leads to 80,000 deaths a year in the UK, and is responsible for 1 in 4 cancer deaths, and over 70% of lung cancer cases. Smokers lose an average of ten years of life expectancy.
• Consequently, smoking puts a huge burden on the NHS - almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking-related disease and over 100 GP appointments every hour are due to smoking.
• It also costs the economy and wider society £17 billion a year – this is equivalent to 6.9p in every £1 of income tax received, and equivalent to the annual salaries of over half a million nurses, 390,000 GPs, 400,000 police officers, or 400 million GP appointments.
• Most smokers know the risks of smoking, want to quit but are unable to due to the addictive nature of tobacco. 4 in 5 smokers start before the age of 20 and are then addicted for life.
• Vaping is less harmful than smoking and can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit. But our message is clear, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape – and children should never vape.  Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and 1 in 5 children have tried vaping.
• Disposable vapes are clearly linked to the rise of vaping in children. They are cheap and easy to use, with 69% of current vapers aged 11 to 17 in Great Britain using them. They are also incredibly harmful to the environment. 5 million disposable vapes are either littered or thrown away in general waste every week. This has quadrupled in the last year.

UK Chief Medical Officers Support Smokefree Generation

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View your GP health record

Your GP health record includes information about the care you've had from your GP surgery.

When you view your record online, you may only see information that was added recently. If you need to see older information, you'll have to ask your GP surgery to make it visible.

What's not in your GP record

information kept by other services (such as hospitals, dentists and opticians) that has not been sent to your GP – to get this information, you'll need to contact these services directly

How to see all the information in your GP health record

When you view your GP health record online, you should be able to see any information that was added recently.

If you need to see older information in your record (historic record information), you'll have to ask your GP surgery to make it available online.

You can either:

• email or call your GP surgery and tell them you want to see historical information in your online GP health record
• mention it to a receptionist at the surgery when you go for your next appointment

Let your GP surgery know if you only need access to something specific in your record (such as previous test results). This can be quicker than getting access to your full historic record.

The surgery will consider your request and make sure there are no issues with making the information available to you (for example, if it could put you or someone else at risk of harm). This can take a few weeks.

If there are no issues with making this information available, you'll be able to see it when you view your GP record online.

View your GP health record using your NHS App or account

You can view your GP health record using the NHS App or by logging into your account on the NHS website.

You can create an account if you do not already have one.

To view your GP record online, you must be:

• registered with a GP surgery
• aged 16 or over

When you create an account, you'll need to prove your identity before you can view your GP health record. This helps keep your record secure.

Use other GP online services and apps

You may be able to use other GP online services and apps to view your GP record.

Some services and apps are only available in certain areas. Ask your GP surgery which you can use.

Contact your GP surgery

You can ask for your GP record at your GP surgery. They can give you a printed copy of your record or send you a digital version.

Viewing someone else's GP health record

Find out about accessing someone else's medical records

Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP surgery if:

• you're unable to see your record
• information is missing or has disappeared from your record
• you can only see very recent information in your record and you need to see older information
• there's incorrect information in your record
• you can see information that should not be there (for example, you can see information that's not yours)
• you do not want to be able to see your record
• someone is pressuring you for information in your record

Email or call the surgery, or speak to a receptionist at the surgery when you go for your next appointment.

Page last reviewed: 8 November 2023 Next review due: 8 November 2026