How to get referred

You will need to be referred by your current NHS doctor. This may be your local pediatrician or occasionally, your GP may be able to refer you using the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). Your current NHS doctor will need to write a referral letter, giving brief details of your child's condition and send it to the relevant doctor here at GOSH.

Our doctors here will read the referral letter and decide whether they think treatment at GOSH is appropriate. If so, we will write to send you a date for an outpatient appointment in the first instance.

If you are currently living outside of the UK and do not know if you are entitled to NHS treatment, please see our section on overseas patients below.

The NHS provides free hospital treatment to people who live in the UK permanently. You must live here on a permanent, settled and legal basis to receive free treatment. If you are not ordinarily resident in the UK, you may have to pay for your hospital treatment.

If you are from a country outside the European Economic Area, we recommend you taking a comprehensive travel insurance before travelling to the UK.

Your eligibility to free hospital care will be assessed by the hospital overseas visitors team in accordance to the NHS charging regulations 2015, which places a statutory obligation on all Trusts to identify, charge and recover costs relating to treatment provided to a non-ordinarily resident.

For more information, please contact the overseas visitors team via Overseasvisitors@gosh.nhs.uk 

Austria - Belgium - Bulgaria - Cyprus (Southern) - Croatia - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Latvia - Liechtenstein - Lithuania - Luxemburg - Malta - Netherlands - Norway – Poland - Portugal – Republic of Ireland - Romania - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland.

If you are from one of these countries, you will be required to have a valid EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) when travelling to the UK. If you are seeking planned treatment that is not usually available in your home country, you will be required to first contact your local social insurance to apply for an E112/S2 form. This form will allow you to access NHS care free of charge for the planned course of treatment.

For more information about the E112/S2 please access the Europa.eu website 
Or the overseas visitors team via Overseasvisitors@gosh.nhs.uk 

If you are a clinician and wish to refer a patient to GOSH for treatment from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man then please contact the OVM team, as there are various criteria’s you are required to follow before making a referral to GOSH.

For more information, please contact Overseasvisitors@gosh.nhs.uk 

If you are a clinician and wish to refer a patient to GOSH for treatment from Anguilla, British Virgin Island, Montserrat, St Helena and Turks and Caicos Islands then please contact your local Overseas Liaison officer or the UK Department of Works and Pensions as there are various criteria’s you are required to follow before making a referral to GOSH.

For more information, please contact the DWP via OHT.Overseasvisitorsteam@DWP.gsi.gov.uk

Your doctor should send a copy of a recent medical report in English to the International and Private Care (I&PC) department. Our doctors will read the report and we will then contact you. This may include an admission or appointment date, the name of the consultant and details of how you can pay for any appointments and treatment.

Find out more information about the International and Private Care division.