How to call your UK GP from abroad
Your GP surgery has an ordinary UK number you can call from abroad. Here's how to dial it, what to ask, and what to do if you need treatment where you are.
If it's an emergency, call the local emergency number where you are: 112 across the EU and in many other countries, 911 in the US and Canada. DanaTel can't make emergency calls.
Finding the number
Most GP surgeries have an ordinary UK landline number, starting 01 or 02. It's on the surgery's website, in the NHS App and on the surgery's page on nhs.uk.
How to dial it
- Start with + (or 00 in most countries, 011 from the US and Canada).
- Then 44, the UK's country code.
- Then the number without its first 0. So 0161 496 0000 becomes +44 161 496 0000.
What your GP can help with while you're away
- Test results and questions about an ongoing condition.
- Ordering a repeat prescription to collect when you're back.
- Booking an appointment for when you return.
- A summary of your medical history or a list of your medicines to show a doctor abroad. Ask the surgery what it can send.
Your GP can't treat you while you're abroad, and NHS prescriptions can't be collected from pharmacies outside the UK. If you need treatment, see a doctor where you are. See also getting NHS help from abroad.
Tips
- Check the UK time first. Surgeries are usually open on weekday working hours, and the phone lines are often busiest first thing in the morning.
- Have your date of birth and UK address to hand: the surgery will check who you are before discussing anything.
- The NHS App can order repeat prescriptions and, at many surgeries, send messages, wherever you are.
What it costs
With DanaTel, calls to the UK cost £0.05/min + £0.10 per connected call, billed in 6-second steps, from the browser on your phone or computer. Unanswered calls are free.
This page isn't medical advice. DanaTel isn't connected with the NHS or any GP surgery.
