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Social welfare as an EU student in Glasgow

Hey, I'm coming here since I'm completely clueless about the social welfare system in the UK and especially at unis. I am French, I have a European health card and all but I don't know how everything works in Scotland, does the uni provide something, do we need to something in particular, apply for who knows what? (so as to be completrly6/partially refunded after a doctor appointment or buying medication at a pharmacy?)?
"social welfare" in the UK normally refers to benefits (aide sociale).

The kind-of equivalent of the sécu in terms of healthcare is the NHS. For healthcare, you don't have to get reimbursed because it is "free at the point of access" (you don't pay at all).

You do have to pay for dental care. If you go to an NHS dentist - and sign up as an NHS patient, some also take private patients - it is already subsidised. For example, a check up is £21.60 on the NHS, but for a private patient it could cost £50 or more.

Prescriptions are also free in Scotland. If you lived in England, you would have to pay £8 per item (so again, subsidised already rather than a refund)
Reply 2
Omg that k you so much, this helps à lot! As mentioned before, I am completely new to the subject and very grateful to anyone who helps ahaha.
So I suppose that I'll have to register to the NHS at some point? How much does it cost per month? Will the Uni itself give me any papers or indications at all? Is the European health card of any use? Thank you!
It's free. You don't pay a certain amount per month.

It's paid for by people's income tax and national insurance (which is also a tax based on income). If you earn more than about £11000 per year, you will start paying national insurance, but it will come out of your salary automatically.

(That's another thing which I think is different between UK and France: in the UK, your taxes are taken automatically before you receive your salary)
Original post by Popiqueen
Omg that k you so much, this helps à lot! As mentioned before, I am completely new to the subject and very grateful to anyone who helps ahaha.
So I suppose that I'll have to register to the NHS at some point? How much does it cost per month? Will the Uni itself give me any papers or indications at all? Is the European health card of any use? Thank you!


During fresher's week the uni will get you to register for the uni GP during your registration process, which is mandatory to attend so you don't have to worry about it.

NHS access is free and simple, no questions asked which aren't medically related other than place of birth which is just to create a record for you or find your record, no costs, no billing other than picking up a prescription (not that expensive, less than £10), no need to use your health card.

If you already budgeted some for medical costs, then I would say try and have £150 per year ready. That will cover two private GP appointments alongside some additional money for prescriptions, etc. The NHS is pretty good, but sometimes it's difficult to get an appointment quickly for a GP, whereas you can often get private appointments with just a day or two notice. This budget is by no means necessary though.
Original post by Popiqueen
Omg that k you so much, this helps à lot! As mentioned before, I am completely new to the subject and very grateful to anyone who helps ahaha.
So I suppose that I'll have to register to the NHS at some point? How much does it cost per month? Will the Uni itself give me any papers or indications at all? Is the European health card of any use? Thank you!


You register with a GP. Most unis will help you with this, but you can register with any GP local to you, and it's not difficult to do. This is all absolutely free. Any time you have a minor or non-urgent health problem, you can make an appointment with your GP- they will refer you on if necessary. You can also access contraception via your GP.

GPs are usually open for normal business hours (some will extend this). If you need medical assistance outside of this time, you'll be able to access an out of hours service. You may have to travel further for this. If you've just got a minor issue, a pharmacist may be able to help.

It's also a good idea to find your local minor injuries clinic. These are great if you need stitches, get a sprain or have some other minor injury.

If you have a serious emergency, you'll want your local A&E. If it's life threatening, the person is unconscious or you can't move the person safely, you can call an ambulance via 999. If the person can move and you can get them to A&E e.g. in a car (I'm thinking things like broken arm, broken nose, brief unconsciousness but now conscious etc.) it's usually better to do this, so ambulances can get to the life threatening situations. You can also call 111 for advice in less serious situations.

All of this is free at the point of use, and there are no charges (except for prescription medicine outside of Scotland). Some things, e.g. vaccinations for foreign travel, won't be covered. You can still usually arrange this via your GP, but you will have to pay a fee which you'd be advised of when you book the appointment.

Dentistry is separate, so you will also need to register with a dentist. You will have to pay fees for dental check ups and for most procedures (some things, e.g. essential wisdom tooth removal, is available "on the NHS" i.e. for free).

This is a horrible thing to think about, but you may wish to see if you can take out insurance which will cover the repatriation of your body if you die or (slightly less unpleasant) your flight home if you are seriously injured. You might be able to get some form of travel insurance to cover you (annual travel insurance might be a good idea anyway, as it will cover your possessions when you're traveling back and forth).

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