- Patient information
- Information about health rights
- The NHS and You
- Making a complaint
- Confidentiality
- Consent
- Your health records
- Health care for overseas visitors
- About the factsheets
- Health care for people coming to Scotland to work
- Health care for people coming to Scotland to study
- Health care for asylum seekers and refugees
- Health care for former UK residents now working abroad
- Health care for UK passport holders living abroad
- Health care for UK pensioners visiting Scotland
- Health care in Scotland for overseas holidaymakers
- Information for young people
- Information for carers
- Information about health services
- Other languages and formats
- Local NHS contact details
Health care for people coming to Scotland to work
Is all health care free for people registered as NHS patients?
When I am registered as an NHS patient, is all health care free?
- No. When you are registered as an NHS patient, a lot of your health care will be free. But you will still need to pay for some things – for example, some medicines and dental treatment.
- The leaflet ‘A quick guide to help with health costs’ tells you if you can get free treatment or help with health costs. It is available from citizens advice bureaux and Jobcentre Plus offices. You can also phone the NHS helpline on 0800 22 44 88 and ask for a copy, or look on the internet.
Can my family get health care from the NHS?
- If you are registered as an NHS patient, your husband, wife or civil partner, and any of your children who live in Scotland with you, can get health care from the NHS too. The children must be aged under 16, or under 19 and in full-time education.
- Staff at the GP surgery will ask you to fill in a form for your husband, wife or civil partner, and any children. You may need to show your marriage or civil partnership certificate, and birth certificates for your children.
- If you are from the EEA or Switzerland, other members of your family who are not from the EEA can get health care from the NHS if they have been allowed to join you in Scotland. They will need to show a document proving that the UK Government has allowed them to do this – for example, an EEA family permit. For more information about EEA family permits, go to the UK Government website for visa services or contact the nearest UK Visa Application Centre.
- Members of your family who are not from the EEA or Switzerland may also have a right to get health care from the NHS in Scotland – for example, if they have been allowed to come here to work or to study.
- Like you, members of your family who are from the EEA or Switzerland can get health care from the NHS. They must have an EHIC card and they should register with a GP.
What happens if I am not registered as an NHS patient?
- If you are not registered as an NHS patient, you can still get some health care from the NHS.
You can get medical insurance to help you with the costs of your care. To find out more about medical insurance, phone the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on 020 7600 3333 or go to the ABI website and follow the links to the Information For Consumers section.
- Services that are free for everyone include:
- emergency care in a hospital (in the accident and emergency department or in the casualty department)
- emergency care at a GP surgery
- emergency transport in an ambulance
sexual health services - treatment for some infectious diseases and sexually transmitted infections.
- If you need any other health care, and you are not registered as an NHS patient, you will need to pay for it. Staff at the GP surgery or hospital will be able to give you more information on this.
Page last edited: 21 April 2010