It is likely that north east London will become home to many people fleeing Ukraine in the coming weeks and months and there are already established Ukrainian communities in some of our boroughs.
With this in mind it is worth remembering that anyone in England is entitled to register with a GP practice and to see a GP when they need to regardless of immigration status.
You do not have to have a fixed address and you do not have to show ID, or proof of address or immigration status.
People can find out how to register here.
Your local authority website is the best place for information on the wider support available for Ukrainian residents.
You can download an approved Ukrainian language info-graphic on how to access NHS services here:
and a Ukrainian language info-graphic on the Covid-19 vaccine here:
https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Ukranian-COVID19-Vaccine.pdf
NEL CCG has also been a long time supporter of the Doctors of the World’s (DOTW) Safe Surgeries initiative.
This aims to tackle the barriers to healthcare faced by people in vulnerable circumstances, especially migrants. Through its membership network it aims to spread and celebrate good practice in inclusive and welcoming primary healthcare.
The primary barriers they experiences were refusals based on lack of documentation and immigration status. A Safe Surgery can be any GP practice which commits to taking steps to ensure that their services are available to everyone in their community. This means ensuring that lack of ID or proof of address, immigration status or language are not barriers to patient registration.
Member practices receive free resources, training (where available), a regular newsletter with policy updates and good practice tips, links to a national network of practices, and access to expert advice from DOTW for complex entitlement issues. Signing up is easy, and free. Fill out this quick form and DOTW will be in touch.