United Kingdom

In emergencies, call 112 or 999 for help.


Accessing care in the United Kingdom

With a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you are entitled to medically necessary treatment during a temporary stay in the United Kingdom. Medically necessary treatment refers to treatment that cannot wait until you return home. You may need such treatment, for example, in the event of a sudden illness or an accident.

You can also receive treatment for pregnancy, childbirth, or chronic conditions. If you have a medical condition that requires regular treatment during your stay abroad, contact a healthcare provider in advance to make the necessary arrangements for your care.

The European Health Insurance Card does not guarantee free treatment; you will pay the same cost for healthcare as local residents. We recommend carrying additional copies of your card with you. If you do not have a European Health Insurance Card, or if it is not accepted, you will have to pay for the treatment yourself. You can then apply for reimbursement from Kela.

By presenting your European Health Insurance Card, you can obtain treatment at NHS treatment facilities. Please note that different rules may apply depending on the part of the country you are visiting.

More information, such as regional contact details for NHS-contracted doctors, dentists, and hospitals, is available on the NHS website.

Information about using health services in non-emergency cases is available by calling the United Kingdom´s National Health Service (NHS) service number 111, as well as through the NHS 111 online service.

It may be difficult to get an appointment with a NSH-contracted general practitioner. We recommend having comprehensive travel insurance when travelling to the United Kingdom.

Please note that the European Health Insurance Card does not entitle you to treatment on the Isle of Man or the so called Channel Islands, which include the Bailiwick of Guernsey (comprising Alderney, Herm, and Sark) and the Bailiwick of Jersey. These islands are British Crown Dependencies and do not fall within the scope of EU or EEA regulations. The following overseas territories also do not belong to the European Union: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.

Sudden illness in the United Kingdom

Doctor

If you need to see a doctor, make an appointment with a general practitioner (GP) who has an agreement with the NHS. When you show your European Health Insurance Card and ID at the appointment, treatment is free of charge. To see a specialist, you usually need a GP´s referral. If your treatment lasts for over 14 days, you need to register as a patient either temporarily (for less than three months) or permanently. You can find more information about booking an appointment and registering as a patient on the NHS website.

In the case of relatively minor injuries, you can also visit a walk-in centre in larger towns. These will treat you without an appointment, free of charge.

You can also call NHS 111 at any time for help with health-related issues and illnesses. You will be directed to the closest surgery that is open, where you will receive the requisite care for your illnesses or injury.

Dentist

If you need dental care, go to a dentist contracted by the NHS. You must register as a patient before seeing an NHS dentist. When booking an appointment, you should mention that you want treatment as an NHS patient. Show your European Health Insurance Card and ID at the appointment. You will pay a standard non-refundable charge for all NHS dental treatment that is clinically necessary.

Medication

In addition to doctors, nurses are allowed to prescribe medication for minor illnesses. When you go to a pharmacy to collect your prescription medicines, present your European Health Insurance Card and ID. You have to pay a non-refundable charge for prescriptions at the pharmacy. It is possible to get an exemption from the cost of medicine. You can ask your doctor about this when they are writing the prescription. The right to exemption is also checked at the pharmacy.

Prescriptions issued by a doctor or nurse are valid for six months. Controlled drug prescriptions are valid for 28 days. These typically include painkillers that carry a risk of misuse.

A list of controlled drugs is available on the official GOV.UK website.

Hospital treatment

In general, apart from emergency care, you can access hospital treatment if referred by a doctor, a dentist, or an optician. In emergencies, you can go directly to the hospital´s Accident & Emergency department. Not all hospitals have one. When you go to a hospital, show your European Health Insurance Card and ID to obtain clinically necessary treatment and medicines free of charge. You can usually choose the hospital, as long as the unit has a contract with the NHS.

In emergencies, ambulance transport to the hospital is free. If your illness requires you to use special transport when returning to Finland, you will be liable for the travel costs in their entirety. It is recommended that you take out travel insurance that covers these costs.

Read more: Falling ill abroad

Patient data

Remember to make sure that your patient data is transferred between countries. You can provide those responsible for your follow-up care or your health centre with the patient records concerning the treatment you received abroad. If the patient records need to be translated, you will be responsible for arranging that yourself.

Quality and safety of treatment in the United Kingdom

In the event of a treatment injury, the legislation and patient insurance of the country providing the treatment will always apply. If you are dissatisfied with the treatment you received, you should first try to resolve the issue directly with the treatment provider.

Healthcare system in the United Kingdom

The regional governments (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) make decisions related to health policy in the United Kingdom. Despite the diversity in how the systems are organised, some aspects of the regulatory framework continue to operate on a United Kingdom-wide basis in line with European standards.

The National Health Service (NHS) is responsible for organising public healthcare. Each of the four nations has its own separate NHS that provides health services. Although the volume of services provided in the private sector remains small relative to service provision by NHS providers, it is growing.

Useful websites

If you plan to travel to the United Kingdom for treatment without prior authorisation after 1 January 2021, please note that the UK is not legally obliged to provide you with care. Check with the treatment provider whether you will be accepted for treatment and how much it will cost. Kela will not reimburse any costs incurred from treatment if you have travelled to the UK specifically to access healthcare services. However, you can still seek treatment in the UK if you have prior authorisation from Kela. More information about seeking treatment with prior authorisation is available on our page Seeking treatment abroad with prior authorisation.

You can search for private physicians, dentists, hospitals, and other healthcare providers in the United Kingdom on the Private Healthcare UK website.

You can also find information about private physicians on the Specialist Info search service. Relatively few GPs operate in the private sector.