Included In this Section

• Medical and Dental

• Spouse / Dependant Employment

• Support Groups

• Driving and Motor Vehicles

• Security

Medical and Dental

Quality of Healthcare:

The NHS is generally a system that is not as good as Medicare (the reasons for this are interesting); wait times to see a GP are far longer, GP quality is really varied, A&E wait times can be incredibly long, ambulance response times are far longer, referral-to-treatment time is far longer…

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General Practitioners and the NHS:

Unlike in Australia, where you can source your preferred public health care professional, in the UK you are restricted to seeing your local GP and you must register with their clinic prior to receiving an NHS number in order to receive healthcare in the NHS (including emergency).

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Pharmacies: 

The largest  pharmaceutical supermarket is called ‘Boots’ followed by a store called ‘Superdrug’. These are akin to Chemist Warehouse type shops in Australia. Of course, there are many independent Pharmacies still available, but the UK also has a range of Pharmacies attached to major supermarket chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

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Medicines:

Medicines in the UK are of good quality, and unlike Australia ALL drugs are covered under the Prescription Charge.

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Prescriptions:

Prescriptions in the UK that come from a GP are covered by the NHS (akin to the Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme we have in Australia) but some important details:

1. Prescriptions are capped at £9.35 per item (a few groups are exempt)

2. You can purchase a monthly or yearly Prescription Prepayment Certificate for £30.25 or £108.10 respectively.

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Dental:

Unlike the GPs, most Dentists don’t work under the NHS. Those that do can find long lead times for appointments, and Private Dentists can be, depending on your region, very expensive. Emergency dentistry is available at some Dentists but you may have to do some searching.

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Terminology:

Medicare = National Health System (NHS)

Emergency = (A&E) Accident and Emergency

Spouse / Dependant Employment

If you have entered the country on a Spouse Visa then you are able to apply for work. A Spouse Visa is granted if the person is legally married to the posted member or has had two years of co-habitation recognised prior to coming to the UK.

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If your spouse is posted to the High Commission in London, you are able to apply for Locally Engaged (LE) positions at Australia House. DFAT run these positions, even if Defence is the Employer. Check for those jobs here.

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What is a National Insurance Number?:

• The National Insurance number is used in the UK in the administration of the National Insurance or social security system, and is also used for some purposes in the UK tax system

• It is akin to our Tax File Number or the US’ Social Security Number

• Go here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

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What is a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Check? 

• Akin to a Criminal Records Check / Working With Children Check in Australia, A Disclosure and Barring Service check is required by some employers and schools if you volunteer to accompany children on excursions. You will need:

• A National Insurance Number

• Your Passport

• Your Driver’s Licence

If it is required, the employer will organise this for you and send you a link to complete your details.

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UK Employment Quirks:

• UK Employment may require a recognition of qualifications

• The UK has some interesting employment quirks (eg employment at an Independent School in the UK does not require a teaching qualification!)