Am I registered with the NHS?

I went to the A&E in early December for shoulder pain. That was my first time ever seeing any medical professional while I was here. I went to my GP first and the receptionist told me to go ahead to the A&E as they'll probably want to do x-rays (they didn't, but that's another thread entirely). I asked if I should register with the GP first and she told me no, just go to the hospital. So I did. When I got there they asked for my name, address, and my emergency contact info to put into the computer. That's it. So, am I registered now? Will I get something in the mail?

You'll have to go to your GP's surgery and fill in a small amount of paperwork in order to be registered.

Our GP had a specific time to show up which we had to schedule ahead of time.  For the appointment, we had to bring urine samples and our shot records (it's helpful if you bring them since they'll be able to input everything at once).  At the appointment, they asked us a bunch of health questions and assigned us a NHS number.  It didn't take too long...about an hour and a half but that was for 4 of us. 

Our GP had a specific time to show up which we had to schedule ahead of time.

We had to book an appointment with one of the nurses at the surgery once we had registered to do the height/weight/illnesses/bad habits thing.
It didn't take long.

I walked over to my local GP surgery, filled out a very short form (didn't even have to show my passport- guess they just took my word for it!) and that was it. I was in and out in about 5 minutes, and got my NHS number card in the mail about 2 weeks later....so I'm guessing that if you never recieved an NHS card, you're not registered.

...so I'm guessing that if you never recieved an NHS card, you're not registered.

Not true. We're registered and none of us has NHS cards, not that I expect to have one as I'm a Brit.

Not true. We're registered and none of us has NHS cards, not that I expect to have one as I'm a Brit.

whoops- I stand corrected.

A non-brit here and we don't have cards either.

Not true. We're registered and none of us has NHS cards, not that I expect to have one as I'm a Brit.

If you change GP you will get one, at least that is what has happened to me after recent moves & new GPs ... card comes in the mail.

If you change GP you will get one, at least that is what has happened to me after recent moves & new GPs ... card comes in the mail.

Nope, not so either. We moved from house A to house B last October and, consequently, had to change surgeries. No cards received.

Weird. Since 2001, I have been sent a card re: each new GP surgery. Just registered with a new GP this week as it happens so be interesting to see if I get another card. My son has one too and he was born here.

My surgery told me they dont issue cards anymore.  I just gave them my passport to copy.

Maybe the surgeries down here don't wanna waste trees on cards.

Makes no odds either way anyway, whether you know your NHS number or not, registering is a simple and painless process and doesn't take long at all.

My surgery told me they dont issue cards anymore.  I just gave them my passport to copy.

Neither surgery has asked to see Hubby's passport.

Makes no odds either way anyway, whether you know your NHS number or not, registering is a simple and painless process and doesn't take long at all.

Actually one time when I moved it did matter. The new GP would not accept me as a patient without it, regardless of the fact that I am British.  It took her about 3 months to confirm with the local health authority (or whatever it's called now) that I had an NHS number (because they couldn't find me in the "system") and I was without a GP that whole time.

Actually one time when I moved it did matter. The new GP would not accept me as a patient without it, regardless of the fact that I am British.  It took her about 3 months to confirm with the local health authority (or whatever it's called now) that I had an NHS number (because they couldn't find me in the "system") and I was without a GP that whole time.

That's ridiculous! I hope you complained, I know I would've.

What I have found surprising is that my records weren't retrieved from other health authorities. My last surgery, where I was previously registered 13 years ago, could find no medical record for me from the years between 1993, (when I first got married and moved to the other side of the country) and 2006 when I moved back to the area.

Granted, I had lived abroad for five years in total out of those years, (though not all at the same time or the same place) but, even so, I had attended ante-natal classes and seen midwives there in '95 though it wasn't my permanent place of residence and I had given birth in the next county at the only major hospital in the area while under their care!

If my doctors from 1993 - 2000 had been army docs then I possibly could've understood it but that wasn't the case. 

I am most surprised, what with all the moving around I've done, that I've encountered absolutely no complications with any of this stuff at all.