DEFEND PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

IF YOU WISH TO CONTACT THE CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON OR YOUR LOCAL GROUP, PLEASE FIND CONTACT DETAILS HERE

Defend Primary Healthcare is a campaign by the Global Health Advocacy Project. To find more about the group, please click here.

History of the Campaign

Click here for a history of the Defend Primary Healthcare campaign which summarises the legal situation - it's not that bad!

New Report - Four Years Later

Defend Primary Health Care have just released a new report, Four Years Later, which offers the first summary of the content of submissions to a 2004 government consultation on proposals to charge overseas visitors for NHS primary medical services. We are deeply concerned about the impact of such proposals on vulnerable migrant groups, including refused asylum seekers. The report details significant, yet previously unpublished, concerns submitted by frontline healthcare workers and other respondents.

'It is deeply concerning that proposals to limit access to NHS primary care are being considered. This report summarises the current position and asks whether it can be changed. Those in power should ask themselves if they feel comfortable after reading it or whether they should think again. The rest of us should read it and consider if we can help the Government alter their attitudes.'

Dr Laurence Buckman Chair, General Practitioners' Committee British Medical Association

We hope that you find the report interesting and that you will support our attempts to persuade the Government to reconsider their policies in this area. Do not hesitate to contact us for further information. A copy of the full report can be downloaded from our website - www.wherestheconsultation.org. Four Years Later

URGENT - Write to your MP today!

Medsin has been working on access to NHS services for vulnerable migrants for more than eighteen months now.

The recent Court of Appeal ruling has resulted in new guidance from the Department of Health on failed asylum seekers /ordinary / lawful residence. The guidance makes some welcome concessions, however, we believe the principle of charging people who are unable to pay for treatment is inhumane, poor public health policy and in the end unworkable.

We are asking supporters to write to their MPs urging them to support any amendment which would allow refused asylum seekers free access to secondary healthcare without charge until they leave the UK. If you are a health professional (or in training) is important that your letter, where possible, makes clear the ethical and practical problems from a professional perspective. Please note this guidance relates to secondary and not primary care.

It is important that for maximum impact your letter should be personal and express your own thoughts and concerns and go to your constituency MP. You can find out who they are by visiting www.theyworkforyou.com.

Time is tight as the amendment is likely to tabled for debate on June the 8th. Please try to post your letters tomorrow or early next week, if at all possible.

If you visit the Medact website, you will find supporting documents to help you formulate your letter - http://www.medact.org/article_refugee.php?articleID=877.

We'd be grateful if you could forward this message on to others. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

UPDATE 30th March 2009

Following today's judgement on an appeal by the Department of Health regarding entitlement to free NHS secondary care, refused asylum seekers will no longer be able to freely access all hospital care which means that treatment may be denied in some cases. The Defend Primary Healthcare Campaign is disappointed with this judgement, given the likely harm to individuals and to public health that will result as a consequence of denying a section of our community access to hospital care. Legal guidance regarding refused asylum-seekers' entitlement to NHS services has been removed from our website. Please refer to the Medact press release (available at Medact.org) for more information.

Update - 5 March 09

We have submitted evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights who are currently scrutinising the Health Bill. You can download our submission from the box at the top of the page.

Update - January 09

DPH has won its FOI appeal to the Department of Health. We now have access to 274 responses to the 2004 Consultation on primary care entitlement and are soon to release a report summarising the submissions.

Update - 13 November

You can now download our new guidance on the laws and regulations governing access to NHS primary services for refused asylum seekers and undocumented migrants from the box on the right hand side of the page.

Update - 31 October

We have submitted written evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights call for evidence for legislative scrutiny of the Citizenship, Immigration and Borders Bill. You can download the submission from the box at the top of the page.

Update - 17 September

We have just submitted written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee Enquiry ‘Managing Migration: the Points-Based System’, whose scope has been widened to examine the new 'Simplification Bill', which will contain a section on access to services. You can download our submission from the box at the top of the page.

Update - 1 August

NEW MEDSIN REPORT OUT NOW!

Press Coverage - 'GPs demand right to treat refugees', Observer, 3 August

Press Coverage - 'Uncaring, unethical – and a risk to us all', Independent, 4 August

Press Coverage - 'Free for All?', British Medical Journal, 1 August

The 2004 Department of Health consultation on charging in primary care was buried by the Government. On 1 August we released a report describing a sample of submissions to the consultation and our ongoing efforts to access the remaining submissions using the Freedom of Information Act. You can access the report, its executive summary and a press release by clicking here.

14 July - Letter on Maternity Care published in the Guardian

On 14 July, we wrote to the Guardian to explain why limiting access to NHS services would have an adverse impact on maternal mortality.

About the Campaign

Access Denied

Access Denied Conference, London, 23 February Refused asylum seekers, undocumented migrant workers, victims of trafficking and recipients of Section IV Support are among the most vulnerable people in the UK. Currently GPs are able to register these people as patients. An ongoing government review may remove this entitlement.

Join Medsin’s campaign against these proposals because…

  • Denial of care will lead to avoidable deaths and suffering
  • There is no evidence of significant levels of health tourism; this group are young, mostly healthy, and are little burden on services
  • Doctors are not immigration officers, our first duty is to our patients
  • Such a system would be difficult and expensive to administer
  • Primary care is cheap and prevents expensive A&E attendences
  • Unvaccinated children and missed diagnoses of infectious disease will lead to greater transmission of measles, TB and other diseases, which will harm us all

To learn more about the campaign, please read Medact's briefing (a pdf file).

For a history of what we've been up to and an up to date description of the current legal situation, read the Defend Primary Healthcare campaign history.

April's Judicial Review - THIS JUDGEMENT HAS NOW BEEN APPEALED AND REVERSED. REFUSED ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE NOW NOT ABLE TO FREELY ACCESS MOST NHS SECONDARY CARE SERVICES.

Please note that since April 2008, the situation for refused asylum seekers has changed as a result of a case in the high court. At present, most refused asylum seekers should be elligible for NHS care. However, the Government have appealed this decision and this appeal will be heard in November 2008. For more detail please see this letter from the Deparment of Health.

If you encounter anybody in posestion of an IS96 who has been refused care, please suggest they show a copy of this letter to those refusing care. We are also collating case studies of people with IS96 forms who have been refused care - please get in touch if you would like more information about this.

Some of the resources on this website were written prior to this judgement. We will update them soon. If you are using them, you may like to ammend them to take into account the new ruling. Please note that undocumented migrants and victims of trafficking are not affected by the ruling.

How to get involved

1) Click here to see if there is a local group in your city.

2) Consider joining the national campaign mailing list (if you are busy you can chose to receive a daily digest).

3) Join the Facebook group and invite all your friends.

4) Email us at access@medsin.org about setting up a branch at your university or getting involved at a national level.

Take Action

Contribute to the campaign, even if you just have a couple of minutes!

2 minutes:

2 hours:

  • WRITE or TALK to your MP about the proposed changes of restrictions to access – See Medsin’s Campaigns Toolkit It is now especially important that you write/talk to your MP regarding Amendment 130 to the Health Bill - see TAKE ACTION at the top of this page
  • Talk to healthcare providers at your clinical placement to inform them of implications of a policy of denial relevant to their specialty.
  • Write an article for a student or local paper to help raise awareness. We can give you tips on what to include, sources to use etc, or download the 'stock article'

2 weeks:

  • Organise a talk at your Medsin branch – we can help with speakers, PowerPoint presentations and resources. Contact access@medsin.org

Longer term:

  • Set up a DPH branch at your university.
  • Talk to us about helping out at a national level
  • Find out more about these issues and more in our reading guide and get involved with relevant local groups and organisations – Crossing Borders can help you with this.
  • Encourage doctors, relevant NGOs, organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers etc. to start speaking out and actively campaigning. Help inform the debate with relevant information and evidence.
  • Encourage these organisations to respond to future government consultations on the issue.

We are working with Crossing Borders to help raise awareness of the issue of access to healthcare, and implications of this such as destitution. Please get involved in both if this interests you.

DPH Page Links

Campaign history and brief

Reading Guide

Contacts and Local Groups

Our report: Proposals to Exclude Overseas Visitors from Eligibility to Free NHS Primary Health Care Services (GHAP August 2008) www.Wherestheconsultation.org

The 2004 Consultation - 38 submissions we obtained

Freedom of Information - Our correspondance with the Department of Health regarding the 2004 consultation

Last updated on Monday 29 June 2009 at 15:06.