I am moving from the US to the UK next year and I'm concerned about dealing with the NHS. It has failed me in the past and I dread having to deal with inadequate care. Basically, there are two major issues:

1. I take a prescription medication that is a controlled substance (similar to valium) and I have heard from an NHS nurse that NHS doctors seriously frown upon regular use of such drugs and will dig their heels in and refuse to prescribe them. I have been taking this for 5 years for a valid and well-documented reason and my doctors here agree that I should continue with it. Has anyone encountered a similar situation? Would getting documentation from my US doctors help?

2. I have allergies and get allergy shots every month. This is considered a specialist area of practice in the UK and I worry about having a large gap in my treatment due to waiting lists etc. Apparently non-acute conditions are treated as last priorities. Again, has anyone dealt with something like this?

Would purchasing private insurance/seeing private doctors make any difference? Any advice would be helpful.

Thank you.