Accessing non-urgent medical care: visitor to London

[rickyrickygrimes]

Hi

I’m visiting London with a school trip next week. If one of the students gets sick - not A&E urgent but sick enough to see a doctor - how do we go about that? Are there walk-in services? From what I read on here it seems very difficult to get to see a GP.

thanks!

A hospital based Urgent Treatment Centre is probably best. Google Maps can direct you to your nearest.

https://hje.org.uk/clinics/urgent-care-clinic/ but it’s private

111 should also be able to help.

I've received OOO appointments through them (it's taken some time and I live in London so the appointment has been local)

Can overseas visitors access private urgent care centres? Hmm will have to check this out.

Teachers and group leaders would follow the risk assessment for the trip and the other extensive planning.

Why are you asking?

@Citrusandginger maybe in the UK they would…

If a student did get sick on a school trip then it would be very bizarre to visit a GP anyway? They would not be registered at the practice. So waiting times there should have no relevance.

It sounds like the trip is coming from overseas. Presuming all the students and teachers have full travel insurance? Then there should be no reason they would be turned away from an NHS hospital.

Ah ok. I didn’t realise you were abroad so I’m afraid your post looked quite troll like. My apologies.

You can access A&E but there may be charges depending on what arrangements your home country has with the UK and the insurance policy you have.

You can familiarise your self with services close to where you are staying through the NHS 111 website. Some Pharmacies also treat minor illness at low cost.

Oops, apologies: my OP doesn’t make clear that we are coming from the EU!

As non-uk citizens you'll need to access care through A&E / urgent care, you can't access GPs (well people can if they do a temporary registration but in your circumstances that's not suitable). So as people have said, use 111 or local face to face A&E / walk in / urgent care centres.

Utilising insurance or just using a EHIP?

Of course
Private will take anyone who pays!!
Check the group travel insurance
Put the helpline in your phone
Call them for advice in the event

Pharmacy for minor issues

Surely it's the same way anyone would access overseas medical attention.

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/visiting-or-moving-to-england/how-to-access-nhs-services-in-england-if-you-are-visiting-from-abroad/

When I have needed to access a GP service while abroad I have called my Travel Insurance and they have guided me to a suitable local clinic.

If you are visiting from overseas and one of your students gets sick then you should contact your insurance company for advice and how to seek medical treatment.

If you are coming from the EU then you contact your insurance provider if someone is taken ill, and they’ll arrange a doctor

If it’s urgent urgent then you dial 999 or go straight to A&E

The school should have told you all this, ask for the contacts list for your insurance company - if you don’t follow their system you may not get the money back

No group travel insurance.
I don’t know if the students have travel insurance. If they do, I don’t have access to any of the details. I haven’t taken out travel insurance specifically for this trip, but I do have cover as one of the benefits of my bank card.

Parents have been ‘strongly advised’ to make sure they have their CEAM / EHIC cards.

in my defence I’ve been drafted in to accompany this trip at the last minute: we leave on Tuesday, I only found out this morning 🤦‍♀️

Surely the organisation has done a risk assessment with processes to follow. Students should have an equivalent of Ghic to access immediate nhs care. A gp would take them as a temporary patient but probably triage whether that is the most appropriate route or likewise a pharmacist could advise and treat many minor ailments like an ear infection or v and d.

This. It's really poor planning if this is only being considered now.

Not a snowballs would I bring a trip overseas without travel insurance. What if someone needed medical treatment or repatriation?

My sons’ school doesn’t move on a trip without insurance cover, Europe or not. The boys still have to take their GHIC cards (not EHIC since brexit) but I am not sure what this entitles them to.

Separately, there are private GP chains eg London Doctors’ Clinic but how would these be paid for if the student isn’t insured?

Some major hospitals have walk-in GP services for anyone co-located with their A&E departments, so going to one of those might be your best bet. Then pay via reciprocal EHIC (or whatever its called these days) or by group travel insurance

Frankly, free health care in the UK has fallen to pieces OP. We have Ukranian refugees here who fly back to Ukraine so they can access proper free medical treatment.

If you are coming from the EU you will simply have no idea how bad healthcare has become here, but frankly whoever did the health and safety preparation for your trip (who I appreciate is not you) should have told either obtained group travel insurance or told the students to buy their own. There is still time to do that. Then you’ll all be able to access private care.

Coming to the UK without private travel insurance is currently very foolish. Yes you can go to A&E. Last time I took my child to A&E (allergic reaction) we were kept waiting in queues of drunk adults for 5 hrs and were then given incorrect treatment. Waving the EHIC cards around will not fix this.

I hope your trip goes well. 🙈

Of course you need travel insurance as part of your package. Why on earth haven't you purchased it and added it as an additional cost to your group??