The Government consultation on charging for NHS care has now been launched and you can find it here. There is also the Home Office consultation document entitled ‘Controlling Immigration – Regulating Migrant Access to Health Services in the UK‘.
The consultation will run until August 28th, and is concerning “migrants’ access and financial contribution to the NHS”. Among other things it proposes ending “free access to primary care for all visitors and tourists” and introducing “more practical and easier ways for the NHS to identify whether someone is not eligible for free healthcare”.
This consultation needs a strong response on public health, economic and humane grounds. What is being proposed could also radically affect the health professionals relationship with their patients.
Alma Mata has been working with Medact, Doctors of the World, Migrants’ Rights Network, the Terrence Higgins Trust, The National AIDS Trust, Still Human Still Here andMedsin on a website to aid responses to the consultation, please see here.
This website is designed to share information that may be useful for preparing a response to this consultation, and provide a space to share draft and final responses and ideas. It includes:
• some general information about consultations, and what this one is likely to be about
• why we are concerned about what is likely to be proposed in this consultation
• background documents, evidence and case studies that are likely to be useful when preparing a response
• information about other consultations – past and present – that relate to this one
• an area for contributing thoughts and information where you can also post questions which will be responded to as soon as we can.
We believe that healthcare should be freely accessible for all who need it on ethical, humanitarian, public health and economic grounds. If you have anything you would like to share with the website, please let us know at secretary@almamata.org.uk.
