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    1. Home
    2. Health and wellbeing
    3. Health services
    4. Hospitals, accidents and emergencies

    Health services for visitors to Northern Ireland

    Visitors to Northern Ireland will not pay for treatment received in an emergency department. All other treatment, including inpatient admissions may be subject to charges. Find information on costs involved, getting medical treatment at hospital emergency departments and how to contact a pharmacist and dentist.

    Paying for treatments and exemptions

    Visitors to Northern Ireland are generally not eligible to receive free non-emergency healthcare.

    Only people who are Ordinarily Resident in Northern Ireland are eligible to receive free publicly funded healthcare.

    The definition of Ordinary Residence is available on the Gov.UK website.

    Being born in Northern Ireland, holding a UK passport or birth certificate, paying taxes, receiving a UK pension, or owning a UK property does not mean you are automatically entitled.

    If you are visiting Northern Ireland or have been living outside Northern Ireland for more than six months, charges may apply.

    Visitors from EEA Countries will be asked to produce an EHIC card or provide a PRC certificate to cover any treatment.

    Visitors from non-EEA countries should provide their health insurance cover and review relevant travel insurance or private medical care information to check their entitlement to medical treatment.

    Any treatment you receive in an emergency department is free. However, you may be charged if you are then admitted to hospital.

    All clinic and outpatient appointments including x-rays, maternity, physiotherapy are also chargeable unless you can show that you meet an exemption, or the treatment you are receiving is exempt from charges.

    If it is medically determined that your treatment can safely wait until you return home, the HSC Trust will not provide non-urgent treatment unless you pay the full estimated cost of the treatment in advance.

    Each HSC Trust has a dedicated Access to Healthcare Team to provide information on eligibility. You can email them at:

    • AccessHealthcare@belfasttrust.hscni.net​​​​​
    • Access.Healthcare@westerntrust.hscni.net
    • access.healthcare@southerntrust.hscni.net
    • Access.Healthcare@northerntrust.hscni.net
    • Access.healthcare@setrust.hscni.net

    Pharmacists

    All community pharmacies/ chemists have a qualified pharmacist working in the pharmacy who is registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

    Pharmacists can give free expert advice on medicines and many common health conditions. For example, they are trained to advise whether your symptoms can be treated without the need to see a GP, or whether you should seek further advice from a GP.

    Pharmacists can also give you information about other local health services.

    You do not need an appointment to speak to a pharmacist.

    You can buy over-the-counter medicines (which don’t need a prescription from your doctor) and can have medicines dispensed that are prescribed by a GP. 

    Community pharmacy opening hours vary, but Monday to Friday they are usually open from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm.

    Some may be open for a longer period. 

    Some pharmacies are closed on Saturdays and most are closed on Sundays.

    Those pharmacies that are most likely to be open during the evening and Sunday afternoons from 1.00 pm to 5.30 pm are located in shopping centres and city centres.

    • Community pharmacists

    Mental health services

    If you, or someone you know, is in distress or despair, call Lifeline, the Northern Ireland crisis response helpline or visit the Lifeline website. 

    You will receive immediate help on the phone.

    If you need further support, Lifeline offers face-to-face counselling appointments.

    • Lifeline
    • Lifeline freephone helpline

    Dental services

    Emergency dental treatment may be accessed from local dental practices, during normal working hours from Monday to Friday.

    A payment may be required for any treatment provided, or you may be advised to go to an emergency department. 

    Any non-emergency treatment may only be available on a private basis.

    Further information is available at:

    • Emergency dental treatment

    Medical emergencies

    All visitors to Northern Ireland are entitled to medical emergency services free of charge.

    Visitors from European Economic Area (EEA) countries will be asked to provide an EHIC/GHIC card.

    If you are admitted to an inpatient ward or referred to a clinic for an outpatient appointment, you may have to pay for this separately.

    A medical emergency is something that is, potentially, immediately life-threatening.

    It does not include routine monitoring or treatment which could wait until you return to your home country.

    Examples of medical emergencies include:

    • a sudden collapse and becoming unresponsive or not breathing
    • suspected stroke or heart attack
    • becoming unconscious, perhaps after heavy blood loss or accident
    • collapse preceded by facial swelling and wheezing or choking episode
    • accident leading to injury
    • all maternity services, including routine antenatal treatment, are treated as being immediately necessary

    If you have a medical emergency and need an ambulance, call 999 immediately.

    You can also go to a hospital emergency department. 

    For more information on emergency departments and other services available, go to:

    • Urgent and emergency care services

    More useful links

    • How to use your health services
    • A to Z illnesses and conditions/symptom search
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    Hospitals, accidents and emergencies

    • Emergency department average waiting times
    • First aid
    • Health services for visitors to Northern Ireland
    • Hospital admissions
    • Hospitals and people with disabilities
    • Urgent and emergency care services

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    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

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