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Health Issues

For service families, finding medical and dental facilities can often prove very difficult. Those families who find themselves on training units, at units where there is spare medical capacity or overseas then families may register at the Station Medical Centre. There is however no provision for dental care for families, with the exception of an overseas posting or in the UK for an acute dental emergency where there is no access to NHS facilities.

This haphazard situation leaves most families having to find new medical and dental provision every time they move. Add to this the scarcity of NHS dentists and the different rules applied by different primary care trusts with regard to hospital waiting list and it can become a real problem.

When you move to a new unit it is worth asking, in the first instance, whether or not your family can register at the station medical centre. If the answer is no the NHS website http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk is a good place to start for both medical and dental provision. It carries a wide spectrum of general information and also has a useful search facility for finding health services, GP surgeries, NHS dentists, pharmacies and opticians in the local area by postcode.

Access to medical and dental facilities for RAF families in a hot topic of contention and be assured that the RAF Families Federation will both issues at the highest level. If you have problems accessing dental or medical provision, please let us know so that we can build a case based on evidence.

Contacting the NHS

England: Tel: 0845 4647 NHS Direct
Scotland: Tel: 0845 4 24 24 24 (NHS 24) show.scot.nhs

Wales: Tel: 0845 46 47 N NHS Direct Wales

Northern Ireland Tel: 028 9032 4431 (Ask for Dental Branch): centralservicesagency.n-i.nhs

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