Healthcare

The National Health Service

All UK students are eligible for treatment under the NHS. International students will have already paid for this access as part of their visa arrangements.

The NHS provides a vast array of health services. Below, you can find details of their key services, which you can have access to for free.

To avoid problems in the future, all students should register with their local General Practitioner as soon as they move into their student home. You can ask your GP back home if they can keep you registered there while you’re at university so you can access their service during the holidays.

GP Registration

What is a GP?

GPs treat all common medical conditions and refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatment. They focus on the health of the whole person combining physical, psychological, and social aspects of care.

The University have a medical centre providing medical care to university students.

Should I register at the University Wellbeing Centre?

Any student studying at the University and living in Plymouth postcodes PL1 – PL6 is welcome to register.

You should register at the surgery closest to your student home. You can search for your nearest GPs here. If you have a choice of a few GPs, we recommend you consider their feedback ratings. The GPs website should have registration instructions – you can see general GP registration guidance here.

Accidents & Emergencies

If you need immediate medical attention, you can:

1. Ask someone to take you to the nearest hospital’s Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department
2. Call 999 and ask for an ambulance to take you to the nearest hospital.

You will not be charged for using A&E services.

Mental Health Services

Details of how to access the NHS mental Health Services can be found by accessing the following:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/social-care-and-your-rights/how-to-access-mental-health-services/

Further details about Livewell and resources available can be found by accessing the following:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/

If searching for an NHS dentist, you will be aware of the national shortages and difficulty you will experience in finding one. Details of how to access / locate an NHS dentist can be found by accessing the following:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/

If you are looking for an NHS Optician and wanting to check if you are entitled to a free test, please access the following:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/opticians/