PATIENTS NOT PASSPORTS: Migrants Access to Healthcare During the Coronavirus Crisis | June 2020 FINDINGS We received 70 responses from representatives of 53 different organisations, spanning London and the South East, West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, North East, North West and Wales. Each of these respondents supports numerous migrants at one time. So, while the sample of case workers is relatively small, each respondent is able to speak from their experience of supporting dozens of individuals each year. It is clear from these responses that migrants are facing a multitude of barriers to accessing healthcare during the pandemic. Policies enacted as part of the Hostile Environment in the NHS – from charging to data sharing - are deterring people from seeking and accessing care, and the government exemptions for diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus are inadequate. For those that do come forward despite the fear created by the Hostile Environment, migrants face a range of additional barriers to accessing care. These barriers – from language and translation issues to digital exclusion – have been exacerbated by the health system’s response to the pandemic. The result is that migrants are less willing and able to seek care. Over 70% of survey respondents report that the coronavirus crisis has negatively impacted on migrants’ willingness to access healthcare. Each of these barriers, starting with the direct impact of the Hostile Environment, are outlined in turn below. FIGURE 1: HOW HAS CORONAVIRUS IMPACTED ON PEOPLE’S WILLINGNESS TO ACCESS HEALTHCARE (%) (including but not limited to GP services, hospital care, calling 111, walk-in services) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Less willing to access care Neither more nor less willing to access care More willing to access care Don’t know 7