Fit and healthy so I never prioritised registering with a local doctor. Then I got a chest infection and had no idea where to go. How does getting into the system actually work, and how far ahead should I have done it?
Register before you're sick, not during. Getting into a practice can take time, and you really don't want to discover the wait when you already feel awful.
You usually need your address and health number first — the same domino as everything else. Once those landed, registering the doctor was quick.
Ask specifically for an English-speaking practice if you need one — they exist in most cities and it makes a stressful appointment so much easier.
As a student the university health service covered me at first — worth checking what your specific status entitles you to before assuming you're on your own.
"Register before you're sick." Filed under things-that-are-obvious-only-in-hindsight. Doing it this week. Thanks.