Registering with a GP
If you are eligible to do so, you should register with a GP as soon as possible after your arrival in Oxford (or wherever you will be living). If you have any doubt as to your eligibility to register with a GP, you should try and register.
Details of GPs in the Oxford area can be obtained from the Thames Valley Primary Care Agency (tel: 0118-918-3333).
You will need to visit the GP's surgery to register and you should make them aware that you wish to register as a NHS patient. You will need to complete some forms and you will almost certainly be asked about the duration of your stay. You should take with you as much documentary evidence as possible to confirm that you will be in the UK for more than six months.
If your first choice of GP does not agree to register you, contact the Thames Valley Primary Care Agency (tel: 0118-918-3333) for an alternative.
Please note that registering with a GP does not give you automatic entitlement to access free NHS hospital treatment. The hospital providing treatment is responsible for establishing if an overseas visitor is entitled to treatment without charge. It is for individual hospitals to determine whether, in accordance with the Regulations, a patient is liable to be charged for treatment or not. To establish your entitlement, you may need to provide evidence that supports your claim to have a settled and identifiable purpose for being in the UK. An example of such evidence would be a letter from your university/college stating you are registered on a course, the start date of the course and the length of time you are expected to be in the UK. However, if the course of study is very short it is unlikely that you will be considered as being in the UK for a settled purpose, so will have to pay for treatment.