Generally, the quality of doctors and hospitals in the UK is moderate to high. Many doctors speak foreign languages so if you are looking for a doctor who does speak a specific language, call your local GPs and ask before deciding where to register. One thing worth mentioning is that the NHS doctors & hospitals are always on a budget! That said, the doctors are restricted in the number of specific prescriptions they are allowed to distribute in certain cases. A body called NICE (http://www.nice.org.uk/) sets the rules to what is covered by the NHS and what is not. Doctors are knowledgeable and if they believe you should get a second opinion about a health issue, they will refer you to a specialist, also covered by the National Health Service.
London hospitals also provide good care but because of the size of the metropole you might have to wait between a few hours to a whole day if you’ve been injured and go to an emergency room (‘A&E’). Of course, if you’ve suffered a major medical set-back you will be seen promptly! Hospitals like the Royal Free in Hampstead and The Whittington in North London are small towns in themselves. For emergency services dial 999. All hospitals with A&E will accept you, even if you are without a NHS number.
NHS doctors generally do not make house-calls. Offices are stand-alone and not connected to hospitals. There is a very useful service called NHS Direct, who you can call whenever you need advice and information. Your call is confidential and will be answered by an health professional (usually a nurse), call on 0845 4647 or visit: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
Information on UK hospitals can be found on http://www.hospitalwebsites.co.uk./. Harley Street in the city of Westminster is known for its numerous private clinics, allegedly there are 1,500 private health workers in or around Harley Street: http://www.harleystreetguide.co.uk/. Private institutions will provide you with procedures that the NHS does not cover, when the NHS waiting list seems too long to you or if the problem is cosmetic and not covered by NHS.
