Life in the UK
Registering with a GP
It is important to register with a General Practitioner (GP) Practice as soon as possible when you arrive in the UK. GP Practices are the primary way you will access healthcare in the UK and your first point of contact for health advice and treatment.
You can use the Find a GP service to find your closest practices and then contact the practice you would like to join to enquire about their processes for registering.
Opening a Bank Account
Setting up a bank account in the UK can sometimes be a stressful process for IMGs due to the proof of address requirement being difficult to meet when you are new to the country.
Some IMGs register with an online bank account initially until they have permanent address to allow them to register with a 'high street' bank (with physical branches you can visit).
We would recommend requesting a letter of employment, including your address, from the HR team to submit to your bank of choice to help with the proof of address requirement.
Accommodation
The Trust offers hospital accommodation for staff within walking distance of the main hospital site. The flats are single occupancy only so would not be suitable for families. For Further information please contact the Hospital Accommodation team directly.
There are rental properties across the city to suit different budgets. You can research what is currently available to rent on multiple websites including Rightmove, Zoopla and Gumtree to name a few. If you put the hospitals postcode (PL6 8DH) into one of these websites and the distance you are prepared to travel to get to work, you can search for suitable properties. You can then contact the property owner or letting agency to ask for further details and express your interest in the property. It is worth considering whether you require a furnished or unfurnished place. Furnished properties are more expensive and there are often less available to rent.
The Road to UK website have put together a couple of articles around accommodation in the UK; including how to rent a property and what to consider when finding somewhere to live in the UK.
Transport
If you have a non-UK driving licence then you are able to drive legally in the UK with this for 12 months. After this point, depending on where your licence is from, you will either need to register for an UK provisional driving licence and pass a UK driving test or exchange your licence. You can check if you are eligible to exchange your licence here.
Car parking at the hospital is limited and (at the time of publishing) the Trust is not accepting applications for new parking permits. Therefore, you might want to consider using public transport for your journeys to work - please see below.
Plymouth has two primary bus company's providing public transport around Plymouth and local areas; Plymouth City Bus and Stagecoach. You can typically pay for your journeys either via exact change or contactless payment when you board the bus or online in advance. Stagecoach also provides Park and Ride bus services from The George and Milehouse carparks, enabling you to park your car for free and catch a bus direct to the front of the hospital. Please use the above links to check the most suitable routes and services for your journey as well as which ticket options are available.