Healthcare access for children and families on the move and migrants.
Lisa MurphyJonathan BroadBryony HopkinshawSarah BoutrosNeal RussellAlison FirthRachael McKeownAlison SteelePublished in: BMJ paediatrics open (2020)
Our results describe a range of harms arising from the current NHS charging regulations contributing to delays in or denials of healthcare, due to patients' fear of charging or immigration enforcement, including potential deportation, and confusion around entitlements. This harm affects individual patients, the migrant community and the NHS - often in multiple simultaneous ways. Many patients eligible for NHS care, such as trafficking victims, are not being identified as such. We found the current charging regulations to be unworkable, and that harm could not be eliminated simply through improved awareness or implementation.