Before you start

Immigration Health Surcharge paid as part of the visa application
An address within a GP practice's catchment area
Passport and eVisa share code, though a practice cannot refuse you for lacking them
A UK phone number for appointment and prescription systems

Step-by-step

1
Register with a GP practice in week one
Find practices covering your postcode on the NHS website and register. Oxford's practices are under pressure and some periodically close their lists, so you may need to try more than one. You do not need proof of immigration status to register and a practice should not demand it, though you will usually be asked for an address.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Buy a prescription prepayment certificate if you take regular medication
England charges a flat fee per dispensed item. A prepayment certificate covers unlimited NHS prescriptions for three or twelve months at a fixed price, breaks even at roughly two items a month, and can be paid by instalments. Nothing in the prescribing process prompts you to buy one.
OnlineWho: You
3
Learn 111 before you need it
NHS 111 handles urgent but non-emergency problems, particularly out of hours, and routes you to the right service. The John Radcliffe's emergency department is a regional major trauma centre and is busy accordingly.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Work out which Headington hospital does what
Oxford University Hospitals runs four sites and they are not interchangeable. The John Radcliffe holds the emergency department, maternity and the children's hospital; the Churchill handles cancer, renal and specialist medicine; the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre is musculoskeletal; the Horton is in Banbury, twenty miles north. An appointment letter naming a site you have never heard of is normal here — check which one before you set off.
OnlineWho: You
5
Find a dentist taking NHS patients early
NHS dentistry is under real strain nationally and Oxfordshire is no exception. The Health Surcharge does not cover the gap. Start looking in your first month rather than when you have toothache.
In personWho: You
6
Check whether you are exempt from prescription charges anyway
Prescriptions are free in England for under-16s, over-60s, pregnant women and people with certain listed medical conditions, among others. The exemption list is broader than most people assume and worth reading before buying a certificate.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of address for GP registration
Passport and eVisa share code, if asked
Vaccination and medical records from your home country, ideally translated
A list of current medications by generic name rather than brand name

Things most newcomers don’t know

England charges for prescriptions and the rest of the UK does not.

Scotland abolished prescription charges in 2011 and Wales and Northern Ireland followed. England still levies a flat fee per item. For anyone on long-term medication this is a genuine annual cost that does not exist in Cardiff or Glasgow, and it never appears in UK-wide relocation advice.

Source: NHS — NHS prescription charges

The prepayment certificate is the cheapest piece of admin available to you.

It covers unlimited NHS prescriptions for a flat three- or twelve-month fee, breaks even at roughly two items a month, and can be paid by direct debit instalments. People on regular medication pay per item for years without discovering it, because nothing in the process mentions it.

Source: NHS Business Services Authority — prescription prepayment certificates

Oxford's hospitals are four separate sites and your appointment may not be at the obvious one.

Oxford University Hospitals runs the John Radcliffe, the Churchill and the Nuffield Orthopaedic in Headington and the Horton twenty miles away in Banbury, and specialties are split between them. People turn up at the John Radcliffe for an appointment at the Churchill, or drive to Headington for one in Banbury. Read the site name on the letter, not just the trust name.

Source: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Getting to Headington is the practical problem, not getting seen.

The hospital campus sits up the hill east of the centre, parking is limited and charged, and the road in is one of the most congested in the county. Buses run frequently from the centre and the park and rides, and there are dedicated cycle routes. If you have regular appointments or work there, living on the eastern side of the city is worth real money in time.

Source: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming registration is instant — Oxford practices close their lists and you may need to try several.
Paying per item for prescriptions when a prepayment certificate would cost less.
Turning up at the wrong Oxford University Hospitals site for an appointment.
Driving to Headington for an appointment without checking parking, which is limited and charged.
Assuming the Health Surcharge gets you an NHS dentist — access is separately constrained.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.