Registering with a GP question

Are you assigned to one specific GP or do you have a choice of GP's you can go to?  We will be in the west end of Glasgow.

Hi Susan, I’m in the West End G3 post code. My GP requires that you live in that postcode. I’m not sure if they all do, but there are several different GPS in every postcode. First you go in and get registered. You just fill out forms, and they take your height, weight, vitals. You just see kind of a nurses aid.

You’ll need your NI number for this. It should be on the back of your BRP. I use my husbands as I’m not working.

If you want to see the MD or NP that first day, be sure and schedule it separately. I have only seen one MD there, but my husband has seen several. I think you can request a specific MD if you want. Neither of us has ever had a problem getting in for a quick appointment. Hope this helps


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You don't need a NIN to get registered with a GP nor should you be using one that isn't yours.

But yes, you need to use a GP that is assigned  within your post code. And they need to be accepting new patients. You can visit the NHS Scotland website to get a list of the GP'S in your area. Then call and ask if they are accepting new patients.

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Hmm I’ll have to check for an NIN. Maybe my GP know something I don’t!


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Also,  only certain kind of visa holders get a NIN assigned to them automatically. Everyone on a spousal visa needs to apply for one if they plan on working. And it won't be printed on the BRP.

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Are you assigned to one specific GP or do you have a choice of GP's you can go to?  We will be in the west end of Glasgow.

Type in your postcode and away you go!

http://www.nhs.uk/service-search

Or this, which tells you how to find and register with a GP in Scotland-

Registering with a GP Practice

https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/doctors/registering-with-a-gp-practice

We use the one on Hyndland Road - they were no problem to get set up with. The first place we tried, in Dowanhill, gave us some static and would not agree to take us on as patients as we are EU. We did not have National Insurance numbers at that point and they were not required. A GP is not required to take you on, but they have to tell you why they won't if they do not.

There will be at least a few GPs in your post code. I'd recommend phoning the one you are interested in and asking how to sign on as a new client. For ours, they had us come pick up paperwork and then bring it back to an appointment at another date. When we returned for that appointment we needed to bring a council tax bill (to show where we lived) and our passports.  At that appointment we saw the nurse, who did the height/weight basic intake check.

All-in-all, a painless process. 

And here's the form to fill out before you go to register for your GP:

https://www.nhs.uk/Servicedirectories/Documents/GMS1.pdf

So Im trying to see if I understand how this works....but have a couple of questions also.

I will be coming in on a Spousal Visa and although my wife is a British Citizen she was not born in the UK. She has never lived in country for longer than a few months so thankfully has never needed to use the NHS.

1-So will the process for getting both our NHS numbers be the same? Find a GP that is accepting new patients?

2- It was mentioned that we needed to provide a council tax bill. We are going to be living in my in laws flat so this bill will be in their name. What other forms of proof of address will the GP accept?

Thanks in advance,

NWKH

1 - if neither of you have an NHS Number yet, you will both be automatically issued one when you register at a GP. So you just find a local GP and register and they will sort out the rest.

To note, I’m British born and raised and I didn’t even know what an NHS number was until I joined this forum and saw people talking about getting one, let alone that I already had one (I was 24)! I had never needed to know or use it. Other than providing it if you change GPs and have to register somewhere else, you probably won’t need to know it - it’s more used internally within the NHS system to keep track of your medical records

2 - you’ll probably have to check with the GP surgery to find out what they will accept. They need to confirm that you are resident in the UK and that you live within their patient catchment area.


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Our experience is as follows.

My wife and I are British but had no NHS number and on arrival in 2016 went to the GP surgery recommended by our friends. We needed our passports but I don’t recall having to provide a utility bill. We were renting a place so that wouldn’t have been a problem. Our NHS number arrived 2 or 3 weeks later but by then I’d already seen a GP as I needed a prescription renewing.

Our son, also British, had lived his life in the USA so also needed both an NHS and a National Insurance Number. He arrived last September and stayed with us. He also had no problem registering at the GP requiring only his passport. He definitely didn’t need a utility bill to prove address unlike opening a bank and getting a NI number, but we provided a utility bill and letter to say that he was staying with us and that was sufficient for both the bank and JobcentrePlus.

We live in the NE and I’m sure the requirements vary across the country so you will need to ask what is needed.

We live in the NE and I’m sure the requirements vary across the country so you will need to ask what is needed.

Yeah, it probably does vary - I've registered at 3 GP surgeries in my city in the last 7 years and each one required a council tax or utility bill to prove my address.

A fourth surgery turned me away as soon as I told them my postcode, because I didn't live in their catchment area... so I would definitely have had to prove my address in order to register there.

Thanks so much everyone. Sound pretty straight froward.

Cheers.