Health and staying safe
Healthcare in the UK
The National Health Service (NHS) is the UK's state health service which provides treatment for UK residents. Some services are free, and some you will have to pay for.
The following are free for everyone:
- some emergency treatment (but not follow-up treatment)
- family planning services
- treatment of certain communicable diseases
- compulsory psychiatric treatment
International Students who are studying for six months or more in the UK are eligible for NHS services.
Students staying in the UK for shorter periods of time can also access NHS services but this may be on a fee-paying basis.
For information on NHS Services, and useful tips for keeping healthy while you are in the UK, see Keeping healthy from UKCISA.
Medical care
GP Surgery and/ or Health Centre
GP stands for General Practitioner, which means a doctor who has knowledge of a wide range of medical conditions. A GP is the first person you will see for medical treatment in the UK, as they can treat most illnesses. If you need to see a specialist the GP can refer you to see someone in a hospital department.
Registering with a Doctor
For information on how and where to register with a doctor, and other information about health services at the University of Brighton, see our webpages about Health.
Opening hours
Most GP surgeries are open Monday to Friday only, during the daytime and early evening.
If you fall ill whilst at university
- Make an appointment to see your GP
- If you need to consult a doctor outside normal working hours please ring South East Health on +44 (0)3000 242424.
- For the treatment of minor injuries and illnesses, you can be seen by a doctor or nurse at a Walk-in health centres without an appointment. (You do not need to be registered to go to one of these health centres.) In Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings, there are Walk-in centres at or close to the main train station.
- NHS Direct offers confidential health advice and information, 24 hours a day, seven days a week: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or call 0845 4647.
In an emergency
Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments are to deal with people who need emergency treatment. These departments are open twenty-four hours a day.
If you are well enough to travel to an A&E department, you can make your own way there. There are A&E departments at:
- Brighton at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road
+44 (0)1273 696955 (ext 4264) - Eastbourne at District General Hospital, Kings Drive
+44 (0)1323 417400 - Hastings at Conquest Hospital, The Ridge, St Leonards-on-Sea
+44 (0)1424 755255
If you are not well enough to travel to an A& E Department, you can call an ambulance to come and collect you. To do this you will need to call the Emergency Services on 999 and when they ask you what service you require, tell them "ambulance". This call will be free even from a mobile phone.
Support for students with health conditions with the Disability and dyslexia team
In the UK the term Disability refers to a number of physical and mental health issues, including:
- visual or hearing impairments, such as partial or full blindness or deafness
- long term health conditions, such as diabetes, epilepsy, ME, cancer, HIV and AIDS
- physical impairments, such as difficulty walking, writing
- mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety.
Included in this are also Specific Learning Difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia.
The university works with all disabled students, including international students, to ensure they are not disadvantaged by their disability or specific learning difficulty.
If you consider yourself to have a disability, or you have one of the conditions listed about, it is important to contact the Disability and dyslexia team as early as possible to discuss your support requirements. This is so we can help and support you so that the effects of your disability or health condition do not put you at an unfair disadvantage in your academic work.
Staying safe
For some of you this may be the first time you have lived away from home.
The British Council produce a Creating confidence guide (pdf) that has details of safety and security issues you may need to be aware of, offers sensible advice, and a lists useful helplines and webistes if you do need help.
Sussex Police provide the this personal safety advice.
