While working in the UK this summer, you might need to get medical help for one reason or another. Fortunately the UK and Poland have an agreement and you are covered under the National Health Service (NHS). This does not include everything, but will be useful in emergencies.

Finding help:

Is there a doctor's surgery near here?

Where is the nearest casualty department?

Could you tell me where the local healthcare centre is?

Excuse me, is there a chemist's nearby?

You can get tablets and other types of medicine from a chemist's or a pharmacy. The people who work there can often give you medical advice with small things like headaches, colds, coughs and so on. This can save you a long wait at a doctor's surgery.

Appointments:

When you go to a GP (General Practitioner, a general type of doctor), you have to make an appointment first. Phone the surgery to arrange one:

Hello. I'd like to make an appointment to see a doctor.

Is it possible to see one today?

Can I wait here in case someone cancels?

That last request is useful if you are desperate to see a doctor but it is not a life-or-death emergency (if it is a matter of life or death, go to a hospital or phone 999 and ask for an ambulance). You might have to sit in the waiting room all day and still not be able to see a doctor, but it is common for patients to miss appointments. If you have to cancel, please be considerate and phone the surgery to let the staff know.

At the doctor's:

I've been having trouble with my back recently.

I take these tablets regularly in Poland and I need a repeat prescription.

I feel dizzy a lot of the time. It started when I bumped my head at work.

Will I have to take time off work?

Can you give me a sick note for a couple of days?

A sick note is a doctor's letter that tells your employer that you are not well enough to come to work. Most employers need one if you miss work because of ill health.

Things that disagree with you:

I'm allergic to penicillin.

I can't eat strawberries because I have an allergy to them.

Is it safe to take these tablets if I'm pregnant?

I've taken that medication before but I had a bad reaction to it.

Don't forget to tell a doctor everything about your own medical history. Doctors can get your medical notes from your doctor here in Poland, but remember this only happens in very serious situations. In other words, don't wait to be asked for information. Tell him or her anything your usual doctor already knows.

At the hospital casualty department:

I hurt my arm at work. I can't pick anything up with it.

It hurts when I bend over.

I dropped something heavy on my foot and now I can hardly stand. Have I broken something?

Casualty departments are, not surprisingly, busier on Friday and Saturday nights. It is important to remember that patients are not always seen by the doctors and nurses in the order they arrived. Emergency cases (for example, heart attacks and overdoses) always take priority. This means that you may have to wait a long time if you are only there with a broken finger.

Who does what and where?

Did you notice that doctors work in surgeries? Surgeons, on the other hand, work in theatres (operating theatres). Nurses usually don't work in nurseries. They work on a ward (part of a hospital). A nursery is a room where a baby sleeps or a greenhouse where young plants are grown from seeds or cuttings.

There are also health centres in some parts of cities which are small clinics for the local residents. The sort of things they do include giving medical advice, vaccinations and some minor operations like bandaging small injuries.

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