Living in London

LISPA will issue you with a LISPA student ID card (you will need to bring a passport photo) which will entitle you to discounts on many activities around London (theatre, cinema, exhibitions, etc). These are known as “concession” discounts.

Library facilities

You will be entitled to use the City of London and local libraries and borrow from them after following a registration procedure. To do so, you will need to have a local address and a letter verifying that you study at LISPA – also with your local address on it. Once you have a local address, LISPA will provide you with a letter.

Council Tax exemption

As a full-time student you are entitled to exemption from Council Tax. This is a tax that all residents in the UK must pay. You will usually be asked to pay this tax if you are a permanent tenant in a private property (room, flat, house, bedsit). If you are asked to do so, contact the LISPA office and we will issue you a “Council Tax exemption letter” that you will need to send to your local Council Tax office.

30% discount on transport

As a LISPA student you are entitled to a 30% discount on most public transport (except when purchasing single tickets). You will have to fill in a form at the LISPA office and include a passport photo in it. LISPA will certify it and you should then send it to the transport head office – the current application fee is £5. It will take a few weeks to receive your student transport card. It is valid for the duration of your course; you should present it when purchasing weekly and monthly travelcards to receive your student discount.

YOUR HEALTH IN THE UK

Introduction to the National Health Service and applicability

Registering with a doctor
Do I need Medical Insurance?
General Health Tips
Emergency numbers and useful links

INTRODUCTION TO THE NATIONAL HEALTHSERVICE (NHS) AND APPLICABILITY

The NHS (National Health Service) is the UK's state health service which provides treatment for UK residents through a wide range of health care services. Some services are free, and some you will have to pay for.

AM I ENTITLED TO NHS TREATMENT?

The following NHS treatment is free for anyone:

some emergency treatment (but not follow-up treatment)
family planning services
treatment of certain communicable diseases
compulsory psychiatric treatment

To qualify for any other NHS treatment, you must meet certain conditions:

If your course of study is for six months or more, you qualify for NHS treatment, from the beginning of your stay, on the same basis as anyone who is ordinarily resident in the UK. Since your LISPA course is longer than six months, you qualify. Your spouse or any children with you in the UK will also be entitled to NHS treatment.

You are entitled to free treatment in NHS hospitals and you may register as a patient with a General Practitioner (GP) – see below.

To receive free hospital treatment, your family members must be in the UK as your dependants and not, for example, as visitors. ‘Family’ in this situation means your husband or wife, and your children aged up to 16, or up to 19 if they are in full-time education.

When you attend hospital or register with a GP, you should take evidence that you are in the UK as a student, for example, your passport, evidence of your address and confirmation of your student status from LISPA (your verification letter).

Students on courses of less than six months, in most cases, are only entitled to limited NHS treatment – however, your LISPA course is longer than 6 months.

WHAT DOES THE NHS PROVIDE FREE OF CHARGE?

The following services will be free of charge:

consulting a GP and most other GP services (e.g. visiting a clinic)
treatment in a hospital (both emergency and non emergency treatment)

You may need to pay for:

medicines prescribed by your GP
some GP services (eg vaccinations for travel, getting a sickness certificate)
dental treatment
optical treatment

For details of NHS charges, see NHS leaflet HC12. It is available from the website of NHS Direct (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk).

ACCESS TO MEDICAL TREATMENT

The NHS provides medical treatment through three main routes:

General Practitioner's (GP's) Surgery or Health Centre

UK residents register with a Health Centre or GP's Surgery, which is usually the first point of contact for medical treatment. GPs are doctors who are trained and experienced in diagnosing a wide range of health problems. Most illnesses and other problems can be treated by the GP, but if you need to see a specialist, the GP will refer you to an appropriate hospital department (see below). As well as consultations with a GP, most health centres and GP's surgeries provide a range of community health services (for example; vaccinations, women's health clinics, services for parents of young children).

Hospitals

If your GP refers you to hospital for treatment, you will usually be given an appointment to see a specialist doctor. Depending on the medical problem, you may be treated as an in-patient (where you are admitted to a ward and stay there overnight or longer) or as an outpatient (where you visit the hospital for an appointment). If you think you need to see a specialist, you should approach your GP first and ask her or him to refer you.

Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments

Some (but not all) hospitals have Accident and Emergency departments. These departments are open 24 hours a day and deal with patients needing emergency treatment. You should use A&E Departments only for emergency treatment for serious illness or injury. The NHS also runs Minor Injuries Units and Walk In Centres. You can contact NHS Direct by telephone (0845 4647) if you are not sure whether you should go to hospital. NHS Direct is open 24 hours a day every day and can offer an interpreting service.

HOW DO I REGISTER WITH A GENERAL PRACTITIONER?

When you arrive in London you should register with a doctor as soon as possible. Do not wait until you are ill. You must register with a doctor close to where you live. A list of local doctors will be available from the NHS website (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) – you simply enter your post code and the site will give you a list of GP’s. To register, you will need to visit the doctor’s receptionist during consulting hours, taking your verification letter from LISPA as proof that you are a student. You should ask to be added to the list of NHS patients.

Most doctors’ surgeries have female as well as male doctors, and if you prefer you can ask to be put on a woman doctor’s list. If you only want to be seen by a woman doctor, you may need to say so whenever you make an appointment. To avoid paying the full (private) cost of treatment make sure the doctor knows you want treatment from the NHS. If the doctor accepts you as a patient you will be sent a medical card through the post with your NHS number. Being registered with a GP (doctor), and therefore in possession of a NHS number, does not give you automatic entitlement to access hospital treatment. The hospital providing treatment is also responsible for establishing whether international students are entitled to hospital treatment without charge.

Under the NHS, consultations with doctors are free. Ask whether or not you have to make an appointment to see the doctor, and remember to be on time for any appointment you make. Normally a doctor will only agree to visit you at home in emergencies, when whoever is sick is confined to bed and cannot get to the surgery.

If a doctor recommends a medicine, they may write a prescription for you. The prescription authorises a pharmacist to give you a particular medicine. You will be asked to pay something towards the cost of prescriptions. The standard prescription charge is £6.50. Prescriptions and other medicines can be bought from the pharmacy counter at chemists. Some medicines are only available by prescription. In other cases, the medicine prescribed by the doctor may be available without a prescription from the chemist for less than the standard prescription charge, so always check first with the pharmacist.

Dental treatment

You should try to have your teeth checked by a dentist at least once a year. You can find lists of dentists who give NHS treatment at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk . You need to be registered with a doctor in order to qualify for NHS dental treatment. Otherwise you will have to pay the full cost. Check first whether the dentist accepts NHS patients, as some dentists will only accept private patients. Once accepted, you will need to give the dentist the NHS number on your medical card.

There is a charge for all dental treatment. A standard check and cleaning is usually around £25–£30. The dentist will ask you to sign an estimation of the treatment’s cost before the treatment.

Optical treatment

Eye care is provided by opticians who usually operate from high street shops. You will normally have to pay a minimum charge for an eye test on the NHS. If the test shows you need glasses or contact lenses, the optician will give you a prescription. The cost of frames and lenses varies considerably.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Many towns in Britain have clinics providing homeopathy, herbal medicine, osteopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy etc. These kinds of treatment are not usually available on the NHS, though your GP may be able to put you in touch with local facilities.

The LISPA office also has a list of osteopaths that are familiar with the work of the school and in some cases even provide student discounts.

DO I NEED MEDICAL INSURANCE?

While most students need little or no medical attention while in another country, it is important to be prepared to deal with possible medical emergencies. Having sufficient health insurance is imperative when studying or traveling overseas. Basic travelers’ health insurance, provided by theInternational Student Identification Card (ISIC) or another provider, is mandatory for all Naropa students who study abroad.

GENERAL HEALTH TIPS

PREPARING FOR BRITISH WEATHER

British weather is unpredictable, but generally the coldest daytime temperatures are in the period from November to February and are between 2°C (35°F) and 9°C (48°F). The climate can seem harsh, and often wet or windy weather will make it seem much colder. A good way of keeping warm is by layering your clothes – wearing T-shirts or long-sleeved shirts under a woollen jumper, with a warm jacket or coat over the top, depending on how cold it is. You may also want to buy thermal underwear.

A waterproof coat or macintosh, an umbrella and strong shoes are very important in the rain. Some of these things may be cheaper to buy in Britain, but you need to arrive with enough warm clothes for your first few days. Try to ensure that the rooms you live in are warm enough, and that you have plenty of bedding at night. Not all buildings have double glazing the windows or central heating, and dampness can make you feel colder. On the other hand, be careful not to keep your room too hot, as gas and electricity can be expensive - and it will feel even colder when you do go out. If your clothes do get wet, make sure you dry them out before you wear them again.

Cost of Living
Accommodations
Working in the UK
Student Benefits

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