Moving to London: Private vs. Public Healthcare
If you’re researching here for your London move, let me just say in advance that I’m not going to provide the answers here to whether to go public or private. Rather, I will first kindly direct you to previous posts about NHS such as: Living in London...Living in London – Health Care In the U.K.
When you are living in London, you will find some of the best hospitals and health care centres in the world. The National Health Service which provides free, quality medical care, is an excellent public health system. As soon as you have found a new London apartment, you need to register with NHS and locate the local NHS GP in your area by scheduling an appointment.
You will need to have your National Insurance number with you. Some doctors want to know you are registered to work in the country and that you will be there for an extended period of time – something an NI number will prove. Others won’t even care. Better to have it and be safe, than be turned away from the doctors when all you want is some antibiotics.