Services for Armed Forces and veterans

New to NHS Highland?

Register with:

• a GP practice
• and a dentist.

You can register with any GP or dental surgery in the area where you are as long as they have space for new patients.

You do not need to have ID, a CHI number (Scottish equivalent of an NHS number) or proof of address but it can be helpful to have documents such as your passport, driving license or birth certificate with you.

If you are a service family and you do not have an address for your married quarter yet, you can ask your unit welfare office for a letter to show that you are moving to the area.

Serving personnel and mobilised reservists

Serving members of the Regular Forces or mobilised Reservists can access treatment through the Defence Medical Services (DMS).

If you are in a situation where you cannot use DMS services to receive your healthcare, such as being too far away from a military medical centre to see a DMS GP, you can register temporarily with NHS GP services to get the healthcare support that you need.

During this time, your DMS GP will continue to be your main registered GP and it is important that you return to using DMS services as soon as you can. 

You can also use NHS services for out-of-hours care.  This includes

• going to A&E in a medical emergency
• calling 111 if you need medical help now but it is not an emergency
• going to an urgent care service such as a walk-in centre or minor injuries unit

Out-of-hours services and NHS GP surgeries, where you have registered temporarily, will pass on records of any treatment you have received to your DMS medical centre.  However, it is important that you tell your DMS medical centre if an NHS GP has given you health advice that could affect your military service.

Service families, non-mobilised reservists and their families, veterans and their families

When based in the UK, most service families, non-mobilised reservists, veterans and their families access and receive healthcare through the NHS.

When you register with a NHS GP surgery, you can ask to be registered as an Armed Forces family member, a veteran or the family of a veteran.  The NHS GP surgery will do this by adding a specific code to your records.

This code means that NHS staff accessing your medical records are more likely to be aware of your situation, can support you better and use the Armed Forces Covenant effectively.

If you are finding it difficult to register with a GP, please contact us:

email nhsh.armedforceschampion@nhs.scot

Service children

Parents must usually register their child at a NHS GP surgery where at least one parent or carer is registered.  This is different for service children as you are allowed to register your child at a NHS GP surgery, even if both parents are registered with DMS.

Accessing healthcare when moving

If you are moving due to a re-assignment, it is important to inform any NHS services you or your family use that you are moving and where you are going if you know.  This may include:

• your GP surgery
• your dental surgery
• your health visitor
• your school nurse
• any other local health services that you use, such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

This will allow the NHS to transfer your medical records quickly so that you can continue to receive care and support as soon as possible after moving. 

If you are already under the care of specialist services, it will also make it more likely that NHS staff are able to ensure that your treatment continues with as little interruption as possible.   They may provide you with a referral letter for your new specialist or they may contact them directly.

Please consider taking copies of important medical notes or refilling prescriptions before you move so that you have everything you need whilst you register and wait for your medical records to catch up with you.

If you have just moved and need medication urgently

If you have been registered with a surgery in Scotland before and have a CHI number or you have moved within Scotland, Community Pharmacies can provide an emergency supply for your medication if it is routinely prescribed.

If you have previously been registered only in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, are not yet registered with a Scottish GP, do not have a CHI number and require medication urgently:

In hours (0800-1800)

You should approach a GP surgery to register as a temporary patient.  The surgery will arrange for you to be seen and provide a prescription to take to the pharmacy of your choice. The surgery may require details of your previous surgery so that they can request a patient summary of all the medications you have been prescribed.

Out of hours (1800-0800)

You should call 111.  The NHS24 team have prescribers and can send prescriptions for certain medications direct to a pharmacy of your choice.  If NHS24 can't provide a prescription without seeing you, they will send you to the out-of-hours service for either a phone consultation or face to face appointment.  The out-of-hours service will be able to provide a prescription or a short supply of medication.

Waiting lists

If you are moving due to an assignment in the UK, it is normal for your current place on any NHS waiting lists to be transferred to your new area.  However, this does not guarantee that you will have the same waiting time as waiting lists may be longer or shorter in the area that you are moving to.

If you move and are not transferred across to the new waiting list, please contact the Armed Forces Champion:

email nhsh.armedforceschampion@nhs.scot

Include the following details:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• CHI number
• Contact details for GP surgery
• Details of issue