Undocumented Migrants in Glasgow Wrongly Being Denied Access to GP Services
Less than a fifth of Glasgow GP practices questioned indicated that they would register a new patient without ID or proof of address - despite there being no legal requirement to refuse registration under such circumstances.
Image: @3Dparadise
by Sam Doak
Research carried out by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has shed new light on the difficulties faced by those unable to provide identification or proof of address when attempting to register with GPs in the United Kingdom.
GP surgeries have played an important role in the vaccine rollout in recent months and, under government guidelines, are supposed to register patients without requiring identifying documentation. The Bureau’s findings raise questions about how readily accessible vaccines are for undocumented migrants and other groups less likely to be able to do this.
The Bureau contacted 210 GP surgeries across Scotland, England and Wales to ask whether they’d register a dummy patient, without ID or proof of address. They found that 61.9 percent would refuse to register a patient without identifying documentation or proof of a fixed address and that 14.29 percent were unsure whether they could register a patient under such circumstances. Fewer than a quarter of all surgeries that were contacted indicated that they would agree to register an undocumented individual.
The situation relating to this issue in Glasgow appears to be slightly worse than that in the rest of the United Kingdom. Less than a fifth of contacted Glaswegian surgeries were found to be willing to register new patients without identification or proof of address.
“It’s gotten worse in the last few years. It is definitely a problem that migrants face… There’s no logic to it.”
Greater Govanhill spoke to The Well Multi-Cultural Resource Centre about whether the issues identified by The Bureau have affected people in the local area. The Well provides free advice on a number of topics to members of ethnic minority communities in the Southside of Glasgow.
Helen, who works at The Well, confirmed that a significant number of people in Govanhill have found it difficult to register with GPs because of requirements around documentation:
“It’s gotten worse in the last few years. It is definitely a problem that migrants face, it has been an ongoing issue on and off.”
“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it or any specific groups that are being targeted. There’s no logic to it. Sometimes the way we’ve resolved it is by going to another practice. Sometimes the issue is that people don’t have access to their medical histories, but that still shouldn’t be a barrier to being able to register with a GP.”
The consequences of being unable to register with a GP surgery are significant even in the best of times. GPs provide the vast majority of all patient consultations provided by the NHS and act as an important means through which patients can obtain referrals to specialist services. During the pandemic, however, the seriousness of this issue has been accentuated due to the increased difficulties in obtaining Covid-19 vaccines stemming from lack of registration.
While there is no definitive count of undocumented migrants residing in the United Kingdom, the Pew Research Centre estimated this number to be between 800,000 and 1,200,000 in 2017. That such a significant portion of the United Kingdom’s population face difficulties when attempting to register with GP practices raises questions around the reach of the vaccine rollout and whether thousands of undocumented individuals are being given the same opportunities to protect themselves from Covid-19.
There is no legal requirement for GPs to collect identification and proof of address prior to registering patients
There is no legal requirement for GPs to collect identification and proof of address prior to registering patients in Scotland or England. Indeed, a policy guide published by the Scottish government on the topic states unequivocally that “inability by a patient to provide identification or proof of address is not considered reasonable grounds to refuse or delay registering a patient.”
In spite of this, a number of GP surgeries openly state on their websites that they will not register new patients without such documentation. One Govanhill surgery, for example, advises that they “request proof of address and one form of photographic ID for each patient registering”. Another local practice advises prospective patients that they must “present original documents as proof of identity and residency” in order to register.
In response to The Bureau’s findings, a spokesperson from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde stated:
“We note the study’s findings, but in NHS Scotland there is no need for people to be registered with a GP in order to be vaccinated. We will remind our practices of this.”
“Throughout our COVID-19 vaccination programme, we have reached out to people who face barriers in order to encourage everyone to take up the vaccine. This has included people who may be homeless, face language barriers, or anyone who may be hesitant to engage with health services.”
“We have a programme of community engagement and targeted communications to help support this, and we have worked closely with organisations which support undocumented migrants.”
For those who are not registered with a GP, there are still routes through which to obtain a vaccine. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are operating drop-in vaccination clinics across the city. When queried by Greater Govanhill, NHS staff stated that no identifying documentation is required to attend these clinics. Alternatively, appointments and inquiries can be made by contacting the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013.
The data in this story was collected by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism in collaboration with a number of volunteers, journalists and publications including Greater Govanhill. To read more, visit thebureauinvestigates.com.