Before you start

Immigration Health Surcharge paid with your visa application
An address within a GP practice's catchment area
Passport and eVisa share code, though a practice should not require them to register
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 on the NHS website and register with one. Practices should not demand proof of immigration status, though most ask for proof of address. Luton has one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in the country and several practices operate at capacity, so do not assume the nearest one is taking patients.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Know that the trust runs two hospitals, and which one you may be sent to
The Luton and Dunstable on Lewsey Road is the emergency department and the main acute site for the town. Since 1 April 2020 it has been part of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with Bedford Hospital, so a specialist referral can legitimately place your appointment twenty miles away in Bedford. Ask which site an appointment is at when it is booked, not when you are already in the car.
OnlineWho: You
3
Buy a prescription prepayment certificate if you take anything regularly
England charges per item dispensed. A prepayment certificate covers unlimited NHS prescriptions for three or twelve months at a fixed price, can be paid by Direct Debit instalments, and breaks even at about two items a month. Nobody at the pharmacy counter will offer it.
OnlineWho: You
4
Learn the 111 route before you need it
NHS 111 handles urgent problems that are not emergencies, especially out of hours, and directs you to a pharmacy, an urgent treatment centre or A&E. Turning up at the Luton and Dunstable emergency department with something 111 would have resolved means a long wait as the lowest priority.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Find a dentist taking NHS patients early
NHS dental access is under real strain nationally and Bedfordshire is no exception. Start looking in your first month rather than when something hurts, and understand that private treatment is the realistic fallback and is not covered by the surcharge you paid.
In personWho: You
6
Check whether you are exempt from prescription charges anyway
England exempts under-16s, over-60s, pregnant women and people with certain listed conditions, among others. The categories are broader than most people assume and worth reading before buying a certificate.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of a Luton address, for GP registration
Passport and eVisa share code
Vaccination and medical records from your home country, ideally translated
A list of your current medications by generic rather than brand name

Things most newcomers don’t know

One trust, two hospitals, twenty miles apart — and the appointment letter decides which.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020 by merging the Luton and Dunstable with Bedford Hospital. Services have been consolidated across the two sites since, so a Luton resident can be given a specialist appointment in Bedford and vice versa. There is no fast public transport between them. Always confirm the site when the appointment is made.

Source: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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

Scotland abolished the charge in 2011, Wales in 2007 and Northern Ireland in 2010. England still levies a per-item fee. If you take regular medication that is a real annual cost that does not exist in the other three nations, and it never appears in UK-wide relocation advice.

Source: NHS England

The prepayment certificate is the most useful thing nobody tells 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 instalments. People on long-term medication pay per item for years without discovering it exists.

Source: GOV.UK — get a prescription prepayment certificate

You have paid for the NHS already, but you still have to register.

The surcharge is charged per year of leave and paid up front with the visa. It entitles you to care — and then nothing happens. Until you register with a GP your only route into the system is A&E, which is the worst possible entry point for anything routine.

Source: GOV.UK — pay for UK healthcare

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting until you are ill to register with a GP.
Assuming every hospital appointment will be in Luton rather than Bedford.
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.
Assuming the nearest GP practice is taking new patients.

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