Before you start

Immigration Health Surcharge paid as part of the visa application
An address within a GP practice's catchment area
Passport and eVisa share code, though a practice cannot refuse you for lacking them
A UK phone number for appointment and prescription systems

Step-by-step

1
Register with a GP practice in week one
Find practices covering your postcode through the NHS website and register with one. The NHS states you do not need proof of immigration status to register and a practice should not demand it, though you will usually be asked for an address. Do it while you are well.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Buy a prescription prepayment certificate if you take regular medication
England charges a flat fee per dispensed item. A prepayment certificate covers unlimited NHS prescriptions for three or twelve months at a fixed price, breaks even at roughly two items a month, and can be paid by instalments. It is the single most useful thing nobody tells newcomers about.
OnlineWho: You
3
Learn 111 before you need it
NHS 111 handles urgent but non-emergency problems, particularly out of hours, and routes you to the right service — sometimes booking you a slot directly. A&E is for emergencies; using it otherwise means a long wait as the lowest priority in the room.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Find a dentist taking NHS patients early
NHS dentistry is under real strain nationally and Birmingham is no exception, with many practices closed to new NHS patients. The Health Surcharge you paid does not change this. Start looking in your first month rather than when you have toothache, and treat private treatment as a realistic fallback.
In personWho: You
5
Check whether you are exempt from prescription charges anyway
Prescriptions are free in England for under-16s, over-60s, pregnant women, and people with certain listed medical conditions, among others. The exemption categories are broader than most people assume and worth reading before buying a prepayment certificate.
OnlineWho: You
6
Know where your nearest A&E and urgent treatment centre are
Birmingham's emergency provision is spread across several sites — the Queen Elizabeth in Edgbaston, Heartlands in Bordesley Green, Good Hope in Sutton Coldfield, and Birmingham Children's Hospital in the centre. The nearest one to your postcode is not always the obvious one. Look it up on the NHS site when you move in, not when you need it.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of address for GP registration
Passport and eVisa share code, if asked
Vaccination and medical records from your home country, ideally translated
A list of your current medications by generic name, not brand name

Things most newcomers don’t know

England charges for prescriptions and the rest of the UK does not.

Scotland abolished prescription charges in 2011, and Wales and Northern Ireland did the same. England still levies a flat fee per item. For anyone on long-term medication this is a genuine annual cost that simply does not exist in Cardiff or Glasgow, and it never appears in UK-wide relocation advice.

Source: NHS — NHS prescription charges

The prepayment certificate is the cheapest piece of admin available to you.

It covers unlimited NHS prescriptions for a flat three- or twelve-month fee, breaks even at roughly two items a month, and can be paid by direct debit instalments. People on regular medication pay per item for years without discovering it exists, because nothing in the process prompts them.

Source: NHS Business Services Authority — prescription prepayment certificates

You have already paid for the NHS, but nothing starts until you register.

The Immigration Health Surcharge is charged per year of leave and paid up front with the visa application. It entitles you to NHS care — but until you register with a GP your only route into the system is A&E, which is the slowest and worst way to use it. Register in week one, while you are well.

Source: GOV.UK — pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application

Birmingham's hospital provision is a genuine advantage, and it is not all in one place.

The Queen Elizabeth in Edgbaston is one of the largest single-site hospitals in Europe and the UK's principal military trauma centre, and Birmingham Children's Hospital is a national specialist centre. But emergency care is spread across the QE, Heartlands and Good Hope, and which one serves you depends on your postcode rather than on which is nearest as the crow flies. Look it up before you need it.

Source: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Common mistakes to avoid

Not registering with a GP until you are already ill.
Paying per item for prescriptions when a prepayment certificate would cost less.
Assuming Scotland's or Wales' free prescriptions apply in England — they do not.
Going to A&E for something NHS 111 would have triaged in ten minutes.
Assuming the Health Surcharge gets you an NHS dentist — access is separately and severely constrained.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.