Illegal immigrant are among those receiving priority NHS treatment in as little as 15 minutes despite long queues for Brits under a policy that critics say “sums up broken Britain”. The Telegraph has more.
It’s Thursday evening, just before 10pm, and the A&E at University College Hospital in central London is heaving.
All the seats are taken, leaving dozens of patients standing or perched on a ledge next to the window, visible to passers-by. There’s already a queue of around 70 patients, and it’s only likely to get longer as the night goes on.
It’s not an unusual sight in Britain. Official NHS figures reveal at least one in four people had to wait more than four hours to be seen in A&E in November. More than 45,000 patients were delayed longer than 12 hours.
Yet here at UCLH, there is one way you can get seen earlier. Indeed, for certain members of society, you can get assessed in just 15 minutes.
That privilege goes to undocumented migrants, as well as the homeless and drug addicts, according to its website. Under a scheme called 987 Inclusion Health, patients within those categories needing an “urgent” assessment can ask for an appointment at A&E and be bumped up the queue on arrival. After initial tests, they are taken directly to a consultant for a “more thorough evaluation”.
The initiative is aimed at patients who “struggle to attend A&E due to the long delays waiting to be seen”. And it is just one of several schemes set up across the U.K. focusing specifically on helping migrants arriving here to get better access to healthcare. Yet, at a time when the NHS is on its knees, dealing with underfunding and chronic staff shortages, critics have questioned whether it is fair that those without a right to live here have what appears to be a ‘priority’ service in healthcare.
“This sums up broken Britain,” one said. Another accused the NHS of prioritising diversity over healthcare.
In south London, for example, special “walk-in services” at community day centres are on offer for refused asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. Here, they can receive a full health assessment, treatment of minor illnesses, and referrals to specialist services. In contrast, 15% of locals had to wait at least a week before seeing a doctor in November.
In Stoke-on-Trent, an NHS team is on hand to “help failed asylum seekers, many of whom are homeless and destitute with no recourse to public funds”, access a GP and dentist. A survey in 2022 found 73% of people in the city struggled to see an NHS dentist.
“It is outrageous that those here illegally are prioritised over British taxpayers, and it reinforces, once again, the concern that the NHS has become an international service, not a national health service,” says Steve Barclay, the former Health Secretary. “There should not be preferential treatment for those here illegally at our expense, and I think the public will be outraged to discover that’s the case. NHS England should give clear answers as to why.”
Somebody needs to tell “Steve Barclay, the former Health Secretary” that this isn’t a new policy. It was happening under the Tories and they had 14 years in charge to put it right. Why didn’t he ban the practice when he was Health Secretary, rather than just complaining that it’s “outrageous” now he’s in opposition?
Worth reading in full.
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