Health & NHS questions
17 direct answers, each with the short version first and a link to the full guide. For the whole topic, see Health & NHS.
Can a GP practice refuse to register me?
Only for two reasons — its list is closed, or you live outside a defined catchment area. A practice cannot refuse you because you are homeless, have no ID or no proof of address, or have an uncertain immigration status. If you are refused unlawfully, your Integrated Care Board must allocate you a practice.
What can I do if I have waited more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment?
Invoke regulation 45. Where the 18-week maximum is unlikely to be met, your Integrated Care Board must offer you at least one alternative provider — including a private hospital at NHS expense. Escalate through PALS, then a formal complaint, then the Ombudsman, and ask your GP for a clinical priority review.
How do I complain about NHS treatment?
Start with PALS at the trust, which often resolves things within days. If that fails, complain formally in writing within 12 months of the incident: the NHS must acknowledge within three working days and reply in full within 25 working days. Still unhappy? Refer it to the Ombudsman.
Who gets free NHS prescriptions?
Everyone in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — the charge only survives in England. There you are exempt automatically at under 16, at 16–18 in full-time education, at 60 or over, as an NHS inpatient, or on a qualifying benefit; pregnancy and listed medical conditions need an exemption certificate.
Can a dentist refuse to take me on as an NHS patient?
Yes — if the practice has no NHS capacity. Unlike with a GP there is no right to register with a named NHS dentist; treatment is arranged course by course. But a dentist cannot refuse on discriminatory grounds, must tell you upfront whether NHS treatment is available, and urgent care is always reachable through NHS 111.
How do I get a copy of my medical records?
Make a Subject Access Request. Under the UK GDPR the NHS must give you a copy of your records within one calendar month, free of charge. Ask whichever organisation holds them — your GP practice, the hospital trust, the ambulance service — and check the NHS App first for instant access.
How much is an NHS prescription?
£9.90 per item in England, charged for each medicine on the prescription rather than once per form. A three-month prepayment certificate costs £32.05 and a twelve-month one £114.50, capping the cost however many items you need. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How much does NHS dental treatment cost?
Three fixed bands in England: £27.90 for an examination and X-rays, £76.60 for fillings, extractions or root canal work, and £332.10 for crowns, dentures and bridges. One charge covers everything in a single course of treatment, however many items or appointments it takes.
What are my rights as an NHS patient?
The NHS Constitution gives you legally enforceable rights: free care, dignity and freedom from discrimination, information given in a way you can understand, confidentiality, access to your own records, the right to accept or refuse any treatment, and a choice of GP practice and hospital.
How do I get NHS therapy for anxiety or depression?
Refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies — no GP appointment is needed. It offers CBT, counselling and guided self-help to adults in England with anxiety disorders or depression. More complex needs go to a Community Mental Health Team through your GP.
Can I mix private and NHS treatment?
Yes. NHS and private care must be treated as separate episodes, so you cannot be charged for NHS care you were entitled to simply because you are paying privately alongside it. Going private for a scan or consultation never removes your NHS entitlement.
What can I do with the NHS App?
Order repeat prescriptions and nominate a pharmacy, book or cancel GP appointments, view your GP record including test results and immunisations, manage hospital referrals, and register an organ donation decision. Everything it does is also available by phone or in person.
How do I challenge an NHS Continuing Healthcare refusal?
Three stages, and they must be taken in order: ask the Integrated Care Board for a local resolution review within three months of the decision letter, then request an Independent Review Panel through NHS England, and only then complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
What happens when the Ombudsman investigates an NHS complaint?
The PHSO obtains your full medical records, usually commissions independent clinical advice, and then tests whether the service fell materially below a reasonable standard and caused you injustice. Expect 9 to 18 months from referral. Around 30% of investigated NHS complaints are upheld.
Can my GP remove me from their patient list?
Only on a reasonable ground, stated in writing, with 8 days’ notice — except after violence, when removal is immediate. Being removed for complaining, for having a chronic condition, or for expensive treatment needs is not lawful and can be challenged.
When is an inquest held after a death?
Where the coroner suspects a violent or unnatural death, where the cause is unknown, or where someone died in state detention. Deaths in prison, police custody, immigration detention or mental health detention trigger an inquest automatically, usually with a jury.
How long should I wait for cancer treatment on the NHS?
Three targets apply: a specialist appointment within two weeks of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer, first treatment within 31 days of the decision to treat, and no more than 62 days from urgent referral to first definitive treatment.