Failures in continuity of care
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Short stays in detention, regular transfers within the immigration detention estate including from prisons, and the use of agency nurses and doctors all act to inhibit continuity of care for those detained. People who, prior to being detained were living in the UK, face disruption to existing healthcare arrangements, prescriptions, and any ongoing or scheduled treatment. Medical Justice’s report ‘detained and discarded' (2022) has highlighted just how detrimental this can be for people’s health.
“I was getting prepped for major surgery when I was detained for 6 months. The healthcare at the Immigration Removal Centre was appalling. They failed to manage my condition and in the end had no choice but to release me. Although my health had deteriorated rapidly and the surgery was more urgent than ever, I was discharged without so much as a referral or medication.”
Leaving detention, whether by removal or into the community, is disruptive to medical care, and can result in people being put at great risk. Frequently people leave without medical notes, prescribed medication or information on how to access medical help. This lack of information can happen even in situations when people are released as a consequence of their poor health. As Medical Justice’s “Detained and Discarded” report highlights:
“Shockingly, the Home Office revealed that only three people recorded as ‘Adult at risk’ had onward care plans arranged upon their release across three IRCs between January 2019 and June 2021.”
In England there are complex provisions which can limit provision for medical care for people who have had an asylum claim refused[1]. On release, the ‘hostile environment’ continues to punish people and deny them access to essential healthcare[2].
[1] See
[2] https://www.migrantsorganise.org/our-campaigns/patients-not-passports/
