SEVERAL ENFIELD RESIDENTS could be without registration at their local GP’s (General Practice), a new report by Health and Social Care watchdog- Healthwatch has shown.
Research carried out by Healthwatch Haringey found concerns in the Tottenham area, where residents had been unable to register with a GP. A project was also being worked on to determine whether there is the same problem in Enfield.
Healthwatch Enfield Chief Executive Lorna Reith said “We were shocked to find so many people who were not registered with a GP, including families with children. This is really worrying as GPs are the cornerstone of our health service.”
The project which focused on the Edmonton area found that 17 per cent of residents contacted were not registered with a GP. Only a small number was sampled, but Healthwatch Enfield believe this indicates a much larger problem.
She added: “Children may be missing out on crucial immunisations and people may end up in hospital seriously ill as conditions are not picked up and treated at an early stage. We believe more can be done to provide people with information on how to register, and surgeries with information on registering people without proof of address.”
Difficulties in registering, not being able to provide proof of address and people not understanding need for registration were the main reasons for non-registrations.
NHS England guidance is clear that surgeries can provide alternative ways for individuals without proof of address to register, for example by issuing temporary registrations. Healthwatch Enfield believe that local surgeries could make patients aware easily and recommends that work is done in Enfield for all GPs to know alternative ways of registering individuals who do not have proof of address.