If you cannot wait for a GP appointment and need non-emergency advice on medical issues, you can use the NHS 111 service. The 111 service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Contact the service via:
Use the NHS BSL interpreter service
For all medical emergencies dial 999.
Anyone in England can register with a GP surgery to access NHS services. It's free to register. You don't need proof of address or immigration status, ID or an NHS number.
GP surgeries are usually the first contact if you have a health problem. They can treat many conditions and give health advice. They can also refer you to other NHS services.
Most people need to register with a surgery close to where they live.
Need help finding a GP? Just enter your postcode and press 'search' for a list of GPs in your area. Click/tap on the name of each GP in the list to find out:
A GP surgery must accept you unless there are reasonable grounds to refuse you. Any reason to not accept you must not be due to age, gender, social class, appearance, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or medical condition.
They must also write to you stating the reasons why they have refused you as a patient. A GP may refuse you on the grounds of:
If you are having problems registering with a GP, contact NHS England's Customer Contact Centre:
You can make an appointment with a GP by telephone or by visiting the GP’s website. Booking online is often quicker.
You might be asked to give some details about the reason you want to visit the GP. This is to help the healthcare staff and your GP better prepare for your appointment or be able to signpost you to more suitable health practitioner.
Once you have booked your GP appointment, make sure you give yourself enough time to get there. It's important that you go to your appointment, or tell the surgery that you won't be able to come/no longer need the appointment in good time.
If you miss your appointment slot, you might need to book another appointment before being seen. If you miss a number of appointments some GPs may remove you from their patient list, meaning you'll have to find another GP.
This is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74 who do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions:
As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk. If you already have one of these conditions, you should already have regular check ups arranged,
Learning Disabilities Annual Health Checks are for adults and young people aged 14 or over with a learning disability.
During the health check, the GP or practice nurse will:
If your learning disability has a specific cause, the GP or practice nurse will often carry out additional tests to check if there are any other health risks.
Adults and young people aged 14 or over with a learning disability that are on the GP practice learning disability register should be invited by their GP practice to come for an annual health check. However, you can talk to your GP about having your annual health check-up.