This site is intended for UK healthcare professionals
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
News

GP practice websites breaching NHS Standard Operating Principles

Many GP practice websites are breaching NHS Standard Operating Principles and possibly the Equalities Act 2010 by requesting proof of address for patient registration, according to a study published in the British Journal of General Practice.

NHS Standard Operating Principles in England state that inability to provide identification or proof of address is not reasonable grounds to refuse registration. Despite this core value of accessibility, previous research has estimated that 17 per cent of Londoners are not registered with a GP and the most common obstacle to registration is providing proof of address. 

This cross-sectional study of GP practices in 10 London boroughs (n=100) set out to calculate how many London GP practice websites ask for documentation or proof of address, without a policy for where this cannot be provided.

A proforma was piloted and then implemented, recording whether practices ‘demanded’, ‘requested’, or ‘mentioned’ photo ID or proof of address and whether there was a plan for patients without documentation. Text relating to documentation from all 100 practices for registration was subjected to thematic analysis.

The researchers found that out of 100 practices, 75 per cent asked for documentation. The majority of these were ‘demanded’. Only 12 per cent of practice websites included a plan for people who could not provide such documentations.

Five themes emerged from analysis of website content:

  1. Reassuring people without documentation;
  2. Diverse requirements between practices;
  3. Conflating administration and treatment;
  4. Withholding treatment;
  5. Immigration and ethnicity.

The authors advise that all practices should create a clear policy for patients who do not have photo ID or proof of address, and should update their websites accordingly.


References


YOU MAY ALSO LIKE