What if I get ill in London?

Travelling over to a new city and country brings with it a mixture of feelings. You are excited about going on holiday and the opportunity to discover an area you cannot wait to explore. The last thing you’ll be expecting, or hoping to happen, is to fall ill. But with almost 9 million people living and working in the London area, just like any other busy city, cold viruses and other illnesses can easily be picked up.

Thankfully, visiting London doesn’t mean you will have to be inoculated but as a basic precaution, it is advisable to ensure that any routine vaccines you are due to have updated such as injections for varicella (chickenpox), measles-mumps-rubella, polio and flu, are taken before travelling to the city. Also bring along a valid European Health Insurance Card which will allow you receive treatment at a reduced cost and in most cases for free. Without this card you may be charged for any medical treatment you receive.

Being out of the comfort zone of your home country can leave you unsure of where to go, or what to do in the event of falling ill. To help you out as a London visitor, below we have listed who you can contact should you fall ill.

Emergency contact

Should you need urgent and immediate medical assistance, the main emergency services telephone number in the UK is 999. Police, fire and ambulance services can be called from this number at any time of the day. However, it must be stressed that for medical help, this number should only be contacted if you require an ambulance or paramedic assistance. There is an alternative number that can be contacted for less urgent requests, which is discussed further below.

Other medical help

These are the more common methods of seeking medical help when visiting London. In most cases they fall under the remit of the National Health Service which is usually free, although there have been some recent changes to access costs. The NHS will let you know before any treatment begins if there will be any charges due. You can read about the changes in more detail here. These will come into effect on 23 October 2017. At the moment we are unsure whether the UK’s planned exit from the European Union will affect overseas visitor’s access to these services.

Doctor Surgeries

Also known as GP’s in the UK, during opening hours you can visit any surgery. Typically there will be booked appointments available and walk-in surgeries. The easiest way to find your local surgery is to visit the NHS Choices website. If you require a prescription for your medication, these will be chargeable as per any other UK resident.

Hospital Emergency Rooms

These can be found in any nearby hospital. Visit NHS Choices, type in the word hospital and your postcode, or area of London, to find the nearest one to you. Emergency medical treatment in A&E’s are free for everyone. Any further appointments, prescriptions or admissions may be chargeable to any London traveller.

Emergency Walk-in Medical Centres

A London visitor can find these at airports and some of the larger train stations. They are not part of the NHS and are privately run clinics, which means there will be treatment fees applicable. However, the advantage is that bookings are not required and you can walk in without an appointment. You can also find NHS run medical centres in London and these are generally located on hospital grounds. Any prescriptions, admissions or follow up visits will either require payment, or presentation of your insurance documents.

Telephone 111

This is the alternative to dialling 999 and allows access to immediate medical advice for non-life threatening conditions. You will be able to speak with a trained adviser working in tandem with qualified healthcare professionals. After assessing your symptoms, you will be connected to relevant medical help, or given a number to contact. These can advise on things such as out-of-hours doctors and locations of late night pharmacies amongst other things.

Other help

As a London traveller, you may have access to a private doctor if you are staying at a hotel, hostel or B&B. Pharmacies can also provide over the counter medication, which is medicine that does not require prescriptions, for ailments such as headaches, colds and coughs. Visit NHS Choices to find your local pharmacy.
It is highly unlikely that you will become sick during your holiday however if you do you will find the very best of care and attention in London.