NHS fact sheet for visitor health care

Thanks Diane. Anyone have an idea if it's substantially different in the rest of the UK?

I have availed myself of free emergency medical services in Scotland, and had free meds. Not sure if this is the case in England. I heard that it is not the norm there. I hope I never have to find out.

Yes, from what I read in that publication, it seems to be what should happen in theory, as opposed to what would probably happen in reality. Billing for anything isn't an NHS speciality, so things may fall by the wayside compared to what the linked document might say you should be charged for. Prescriptions are universally free in Scotland, so a pharmacist making an exception and charging a nice North American might not happen.

Maybe I'm way off in my perception of what I think would happen. Feel free to correct me.

Prescriptions in Scotland are free at the point of delivery is issued by the NHS in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, or if issued by the health authorities in the Isle of Man. If issued by the NHS in England the English £9.65 per item applies unless exempt and have the certificate or other relevant proof. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have free prescriptions and the Isle of Man charges a third of the rate in England so there is some reciprocity between the four for charging.

Private prescriptions will be charged as private prescriptions. If you get a prescription from A&E it will be an NHS prescription.

To come back to the earlier questions, yes there are fairly significant differences in how the NHS is managed in Scotland compared to England. I don't have enough knowledge of Wales or Northern Ireland to say. NHS Scotland is in the control of the devolved Scottish Parliament.

With the exception of prescription charges, which are fairly nominal in England too, in practice it may not make much difference to the visitor, no.

I can't find an equivalent document for England that's as clear as the one linked to further up, but there's information on gov.uk and the NHS England sites that you can piece together.

I wouldn't however have NHS policy influence the level of insurance I was taking for my trip too much. It's maybe a factor, but still having the cover you're comfortable with is a good idea.

Twice, unfortunately, I have had to avail myself of the NHS in England. Neither time was for anything serious needing major treatment. I was not charged either time. That included one visit to the ER.

I walked away with a prescription from one of the visits. Since I was over 60 at the time, it was free.

I've tidied this discussion up a bit. Let's please stay on topic going forward!

I’ve tried going to this website several times. I keep getting a message “not allowed”. I’m trying to get health insurance for my wife and I for our 12 day trip to Scotland.

Here is a direct link to the factsheet provided by NHS Scotland for overseas visitors. It is embedded within the original website link given above.

While you may not be charged for emergency care, you still need insurance, including evacuation and medical care, that is where the costs skyrocket.

As a visitor, once the emergency is under control, you may be forced to seek private health care, and if you are not able to fly home in coach, you may need evacuation service. You buy insurance to cover the extreme cases.