General information

Get registered

A plea from Portsmouth General Practitioners

if you change your term-time address please contact and let your GP practice know your new address. If the practice loses contact with you, you could find that you are no longer registered with a GP.

See our list of local GPs, including on Campus
See our list of local dental surgeries

Registering with a doctor

It is important that you register with a doctor as soon as you get here (before you become ill). To register with a practice:

Visit the surgery and give them your personal details and the name of your current doctor
It is advisable to choose a surgery which is located close to your home
If you have an on going condition like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy it is even more important to register with a local GP. Get yourself known, and visit them for a health check (which is FREE to new patients) so that they know how you are when you are well and what medication, if any, you are taking
Don't leave your repeat prescriptions to the last minute; professionals like the Practice Nurse can offer you advice and help

Also look out for opportunities to register at the University during Freshers Week. There are two practices that have a long association with the University?s two main campuses, the University Surgery next to the Nuffield Centre on the Guildhall Campus and the Langstone Medical Centre on the Langstone Residential Campus, which operates as a branch surgery of the Salisbury Road Practice, Southsea.

Registering with a dentist

To register with a dentist you can approach any surgery to ask for NHS treatment but the decision on whether or not to accept you as a new patient under the NHS rests with the dentist. Most dental surgeries are unable to offer you an appointment for the same day (unless in extreme emergencies and only then if you are registered with the surgery). It is therefore important to register as soon as possible - do not leave it until you have raging toothache.

Under the NHS, there are now charges for check-ups (around £8:00 for new patients). The dentist will advise you of costs for other NHS treatment. Free treatment is available under the NHS if the patient's income is low. Many students are classed as being on low income and so are entitled to free prescriptions and free dental treatment.

Exemption from prescription, dental and optical service charges: Check if you are eligible

Students may qualify for exemption from these charges on grounds of low income. A claim can be made by completing a 'Prescription Exemption Certificate' which will mean that no payment is required (this also provides free NHS prescriptions). A Department of Health leaflet "Help with health costs HC1" explains how to go about this and is available from:

Information & Advice Centre, Students' Union
Reception at Nuffield Centre
Student Finance Centre
Doctors Surgeries
DWP Office
Post Office