Healthcare for Families Moving to the UK

First Steps: What to Do on Arrival

The most important healthcare task for any family arriving in the UK is registering everyone — adults and children — with a GP surgery. This should happen as soon as you have a UK address, and ideally within the first week. Your GP becomes the family's gateway to all NHS care: referrals to specialists, prescriptions, health checks, vaccinations, and mental health support all flow from that initial registration.

Use the NHS website's service finder at nhs.uk to search for GP practices accepting new patients in your postcode. Register the whole family at the same surgery wherever possible — it simplifies coordination of care, especially for families with young children who need to be seen alongside a parent. Each family member, including children, will be issued their own NHS Number after registration.

Registering Children with a GP

Registering children follows exactly the same process as registering adults. You complete a registration form at the GP surgery on behalf of each child — there is no requirement to produce immigration documents, IHS payment records, or proof of entitlement. NHS guidance is clear that children should not be turned away from GP registration on grounds of documentation.

Bring any medical records you have from your home country, particularly vaccination records. Your GP surgery will want to know which vaccines your child has already received so they can identify gaps in the UK schedule and arrange catch-up doses where needed. If you do not have records, the GP can arrange blood tests to check immunity levels for some diseases, or simply re-administer missed vaccines as a precaution.

Children who are registered with a GP are also entitled to be seen by a health visitor if they are under five. Health visitors are specialist community nurses who provide developmental checks, advice on feeding, sleep, and behaviour, and signpost families to local services. If your child is under five and you have not been contacted by a health visitor within a few weeks of GP registration, ask your surgery to make a referral.

Maternity Care on the NHS

If you are pregnant when you arrive in the UK, contact your GP surgery as soon as possible. They will refer you to a local maternity unit or midwifery team, who will take over your care from there. If you are already more than eight weeks pregnant, explain this when you call — midwifery teams prioritise later presentations to ensure you receive full antenatal care.

All maternity care on the NHS is free for eligible residents — which includes most expats who have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge. This covers every antenatal appointment, all ultrasound scans (the dating scan around 12 weeks and the anomaly scan around 20 weeks), midwife and obstetrician consultations, labour and delivery, and postnatal care for both mother and baby.

Birth Options in the UK

The NHS offers a range of birth settings depending on your clinical situation and preferences. Midwife-led units (also called birth centres) are designed for low-risk pregnancies and offer a more home-like environment. Obstetric units within hospitals are available for higher-risk pregnancies or those who develop complications during labour. Home birth is also an option for low-risk pregnancies — ask your midwife if this is something you are interested in. Your maternity team will discuss the options with you and help you create a birth plan.

Newborn and Baby Care

After birth, the NHS provides a structured programme of checks and support for both baby and mother. A midwife will visit you at home within the first few days, and again at around 10 to 14 days. Your GP surgery will offer a six-to-eight week check for your baby — assessing growth, development, feeding, and identifying any concerns early — and a separate postnatal check for the mother at the same appointment.

Your baby will be registered with your GP surgery and will receive an NHS Number. They will be offered the Newborn Blood Spot screening test (the heel prick test, which screens for nine rare but serious conditions), a newborn hearing screen, and a newborn physical examination — all before you leave the maternity unit if you deliver in hospital.

A health visitor will be in contact within the first few weeks at home. They carry out scheduled developmental reviews at one year and two years, and are a key point of contact for parenting questions, feeding concerns, and developmental worries throughout the early years.

Childhood Vaccinations

The UK has one of the most comprehensive childhood vaccination schedules in the world, and all vaccines on the schedule are free for eligible residents. From 2026, the schedule includes the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine for children — a recent addition that was not previously routinely offered in the UK.

Children arriving in the UK from abroad should have their vaccination history reviewed by a GP. The UK schedule differs from those in some other countries — your child may be up to date by their home country's standards but missing vaccines that are routinely given here. Catch-up doses are available through your GP surgery for children who have missed any part of the schedule.

Children's Prescriptions, Dental and Optical Care

Children under 16 receive free prescriptions across the whole of the UK, including in England where adults pay £9.90 per item. Young people aged 16 to 18 in full-time education also receive free prescriptions in England. This means that for most expat families, medication for children will involve no out-of-pocket cost during the childhood years.

NHS dental treatment is free for all children and young people under 18. This includes routine check-ups, fillings, extractions, and clinically necessary orthodontic treatment. Finding an NHS dentist that is accepting new child patients can be challenging in some areas — it is worth searching and registering as soon as you arrive, rather than waiting until your child needs treatment. If you cannot find a practice, NHS 111 can direct you to an urgent dental service for acute problems.

NHS eye tests are free for children under 16, and optical vouchers are available to help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses where prescribed. Children with certain conditions affecting their eyesight may be referred to specialist orthoptist or ophthalmology services through their GP, which are also free.

School Health Services

Children in UK state schools benefit from a school health programme that includes vision and hearing checks at school entry, annual height and weight monitoring, and access to school nurses who can support children with ongoing health needs or emotional wellbeing concerns. These services run through the NHS and are accessed automatically once a child is enrolled in a state school — no action from parents is needed.

Children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) may be entitled to additional NHS support, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, co-ordinated through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child has identified additional needs, speak to your GP and the school's SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) when you arrive.

Children's Mental Health

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provide NHS mental health support for children and young people up to 18. Referrals are made through your GP. Waiting times for CAMHS are among the longest in the NHS — for non-crisis mental health support, some families choose private child psychologists or therapists to access faster help. In a mental health crisis, NHS 111 or, in extreme cases, 999 should be the first call.

IHS for Families: What It Means

Each family member — including children — must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of their visa application unless they qualify for an exemption. Children under 18 pay the reduced rate of £776 per year (rather than the adult rate of £1,035), calculated for the full duration of their visa. This can represent a significant upfront cost for families on multi-year visas, but it grants each family member full access to NHS care during their visa period.

Health and Care Worker visa holders and their dependants — including children — are fully exempt from the IHS, which is a substantial benefit for families in this visa category. If you hold a Health and Care Worker visa, your dependant children access the NHS at no IHS cost throughout your period of leave.

For full details on NHS eligibility for expat families and how IHS works per family member, read our guide on NHS eligibility in the UK. You can also browse vetted family healthcare providers through our Healthcare Expat Directory.

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. NHS services, vaccination schedules, and eligibility rules change periodically. Always verify current information with your GP surgery, midwifery team, or at nhs.uk.