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Vulnerable migrants deterred from seeking timely healthcare

A new report by medical charity Doctors of the World (DOTW) UK reveals worrying GP registration policies which discriminate against some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Everyone living in the UK is entitled to see a GP free of charge. This is the most effective and efficient means of preventing ill-health and promoting well being. Despite this, people in need of healthcare are wrongly turned away from GP practices in England every day.

DOTW UK’s Registration Refused reporting (2016-2018) monitors the wrongful GP registration refusals of their patients, most of whom are migrants in vulnerable circumstances who are living in poverty. Registration Refused 2018 shows that almost one fifth of attempts by Doctors of the World’s volunteers to register patients with a GP were wrongly refused, for reasons that contravene NHS England guidance.

Read Registration Refusal full report 2018 here