To want to report GP practice

[JoyfulJoyful]

I recently moved to a new Borough in london and immediately registered at a GP surgery without doing my research. I have a 6 month old whom I have tried to get an appt for several times but they never have a slot so I call this other practice in the area and ask if they are taking patients and the lady over the phone saidyes. I ask what documentation to bring and go the following day.

I get there and was told to need to bring Council tax bill or rent book which I wasn't told over the phone so I go back home rush to get it and go back. I get there and the receptionist says 'are you British' I say no, she says oh you need your passport and I ask why because requirement on their desk say you bring in driving licence or passport. I rush back home to get it. Receptionist scrutinises my passport and my visa which expires next August then says I can't register you because you are the spouse of an EEA nationale and your visa is based on you residing with him and to take you on, we have to register him as well.

I am fuming at this stage and ask to speak to Practice Manager, told she's not in and to leave my name. I refuse then the receptionist snatches the form from my hand and takes a photocopy, against my will.

I have cried a few times today as I have been in this wonderful country for 15 years but never have I felt like a second class citizen like this receptionist made me feel today.

I am a bit apprehensive about going to see Practice Manager as she would probably take sides with receptionist to save face but on the other hand feel like I shouldn't let this slide.

AIBU feeling this way?

Sorry for the long post.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Meant to see Practice Manager today but so nervous at the thought of being treated badly.

I refuse then the receptionist snatches the form from my hand and takes a photocopy, against my will. That is very, very worrying. Possibly illegal. See if you get any joy with the PM but take it higher if you need to.

I'm a Brit abroad and would be really sad if a healthcare bod here had ever treated me like that.

Thank you MrsTerry, I will.

Be strong and see the practice manager. You'll feel a lot better once you've done it.

Unless they insist on seeing passports of everyone they are breaking the law there too. Asking "are you British" and then treating you differently as a result of your answer is discriminatory.

Thank you so much ladies. I feel better already. I have gone over the conversation with the Practice Manager so many times in my head.

They should really insist on seeing everyone's passport, along with proof of address so they seem in the wrong to me.

It is no excuse but NHS is really pinched and unable to treat people who don't fit the criteria. We I work there are a lot of people we have to turn away, but we always treat them kindly.

The PM should listen to what you say, and if rules have been broken by receptionist then they should act on it. The P should not automatically take the receptionists side. Good luck

Everybody is supposed to show photo ID (passport) and proof of address when registering now, whatever nationality (Inc. British)
We've just had to do it, even though the practice knows my DH as they refer patients to him at the hospital.
Having said that you can and should complain about her attitude and the way she did things. She should explain from the start (first contact) what you need to register. She should then treat all patients or potential patients politely and with courtesy. Explaining if there is a problem why & what can/can't be done with reasons.
Taking data (photocopy) without consent could be construed as an offence under the data protection act.
Try to explain calmly and rationally that her behaviour was unacceptable and what you would like to see as an outcome of your meeting (I'd think at least a reprimand and some retraining for the person involved)

First of all read this document,

www.hmr.nhs.uk/attachments/article/82/gp-patient-registration-fraud.pdf

As you can see they are asking for photo ID to counteract fraud, take it along to your GP and ask them what part of the word PREFERABLE don't they understand and why are they confusing that with a LEGAL REQUIREMENT

So its not to ascertain a persons right to have NHS treatment that they are asking for this.

My Sister and I both registered at the new GP at the same time her in London, me on the Isle of Wight.

On the IOW I was not asked for any photo ID my Sister was told that unless she has a passport she cant register ? we are both British Citizens neither of us have a passport or DL

I went with her to her GP and spoke to the Practise Manager, when she refused to register my sister without Photo ID I asked if it was a legal requirement and was told it was, I produced the document and asked her what I have already asked above. I also told her that my own GP on the island had not requested Photo ID therefore it cannot be a legal requirement for all GP practices to demand it

In the end they did register her when we said we would take it further including complaining to the local Health Authority as we believed my Sister was being discriminated against due to her Nationality

Not the same case as your OP but it might help you when speaking to the surgery.

Wonkeylegs read the PDF you don't have to show Photo ID and as I have said refusing to register a UK citizen without a passport when that UK citizen is not required to have a passport unless they want to leave the country.

Even if a passport was said to be required by to satisfy the Immigration and Asylum Act all a UK citizen needs to do is to show the same documentation that an Employer needs as an excuse to employ a person

sorry meant to say refusing to register a UK citizen without a passport when they don't have to have one could be seen as Discrimination.

Are you in muswell hill?

Wow! What a wealth of information. I am grateful for this. I will keep you posted of the outcome.

No, Monty, I'm on the East side.

If they have set it in their requirements to register (which is common as a poster above rightly points out to counteract fraud) they can refuse to register you.
A GP practice does not have to register you as long as it sets out valid reasons by letter. Failure to provide adequate identification to prevent fraud could be considered a valid reason.
I do not believe that the OPs issue is about providing ID, it's how the process was dealt with by that member of staff. It was rude, unhelpful and overly complicated, she was also made to feel discriminated against which is also wrong and should be addressed.
It sounds like bad practice combined with a lack of professional manners combined to be spectacularly wrong.

I go to a bit of a stuck-up GP practise but the Practise Manager listens to everything I have to say, and acts on it. As you can see, I have not fought shy of 'explaining' some of my experiences to her lol - took me about 10 years but I got there in the end and I'm making up for lost time!

If you have no joy with the PM, go above. Keep going until you get heard. this is a good rule of thumb regardless what you are facing in life but ime GP practises can be terribly up themselves for some reason I find hard to fathom. Power, probably. GP receptionists are also notoriously vile.

sorry you had such a horrible and upsetting time OP. I've had many of those at the hands of GPs/GP receptionists/practises and you have my heartfelt sympathy.

Sorry wonkey but you are totally wrong no surgery is allowed to set requirements that discriminates against people due to their Nationality and refusing to accept a UK citizen without a passport who has other documentation to prove their Nationality is discrimination no ifs or buts and as you point out discrimination is wrong and should be addressed.

A surgery cannot refuse to register a person for not showing ?adequate? ID if that person provides the ID that the counter Fraud agency very clearly sets out in the document that I have provided a link to after all they are the ones who make the rules and no surgery can be penalised for following them

Of course most people registering with a GP will not know their rights in fact the Practice Manager was totally floored when I showed her the print out of the Counter fraud documentation.

The OP may not have an issue without providing ID, but its very clear that not only was the member of staff rude and copied the ID without consent, but they should not have insisted that photo ID was shown at all.

Ok, sounded Luke my old gp surgery. Worst place ever!
Make a complaint in writing.

Thanks ladies. Made an appointment to see the Practice Manager next week Thursday. Thank you so much for the link Mrsdavid, I will print it off and take it with me.
Like I said, I am expecting the PM to take sides with the receptionist because there were 6 of them at the reception but not one of them said anything.

I did in fact provide ID in the form of my passport as she'd asked me to bring it.
I feel so much better sharing it here and appreciate all your pearls of wisdom.

My Practice Manager doesn't take the side of the staff, even the GPs. She's even apologised on numerous occasions. So you may strike lucky.

"Sorry wonkey but you are totally wrong no surgery is allowed to set requirements that discriminates against people due to their Nationality and refusing to accept a UK citizen without a passport who has other documentation to prove their Nationality is discrimination no ifs or buts and as you point out discrimination is wrong and should be addressed."

Nope, this isn't quite correct, as wonkylegs has already said. A surgery can refuse to register a person if they have reasonable non-discrimnatory grounds (for example, patient lives outside of practice area, they are not accepting new patients on to their list).

To the OP - yes, I would definitely complain about your treatment by the receptionist. It sounds both uncalled for and rude.

Regusa that was not what wonkey actually said if you read her post and my reply again.

She said that if they have set it out in their requirements (IE ID) they can refuse to register a patient I have made the point that actually they are not allowed to set requirements that could be deemed to be discriminatory and refusing to register a UK citizen who does not have a passport could be deemed to be discriminatory.

She also said that a GP practice must set out in writing why they have refused to register a patient (yes I agree this is true) however she said that failing to give ?adequate? ID to prevent fraud could be seen as a valid reason, this is not true if the ID shown is contained in the list provided by the counter fraud agency as the items on the list is what the agency themselves have said is ?adequate?

The fact that there are other reasons for the surgery refusing to register a patient is neither here nor there as that is not what we are discussing on this thread

I think what the GP's receptionist was doing (badly, rudely, and inappropriately) was trying to prove or disprove the applicant's ordinary residence status. They may have something in their application criteria about not registering patients who are not ordinarily resident. There is nothing illegal or discriminatory about that. Residence has NOTHING to do with nationality BTW, so a passport would not prove or disprove ordinary residence.

Refusing to register any patient just because they didn't hold a passport would clearly not be 'reasonable' (there are other ID documents that could be provided). However, a surgery would be within their rights to not register someone on the grounds that they were not ordinarily resident. Spouses of EEA migrants who are themselves registered with an NHS provider are usually automatically deemed to meet the habitual residence test. Perhaps this is what the receptionist meant when she (badly, rudely) mentioned about having to register the husband at the same time (although I don't see why he has to be registered at the same practice TBH).

This doesn't really make a hill of beans to the OP though. Totally within her rights to complain about rude treatment.

-habitual residence test ordinary residence criteria