Docs Not Cops is a group of NHS staff and patients that work to combat racism in the NHS. They believe no one should be afraid to access the healthcare they need, either because they can’t pay or might be punished, and that NHS workers should not be forced to police the people they treat. On Wednesday 23 October, Docs Not Cops and other NHS workers blockaded NHS England and held vigils at six Hospitals to protest charging for migrants in the NHS

Wednesday 23rd October marked two years since the introduction of upfront charging for care in the NHS, part of the ‘hostile environment’ policies that have been widely criticised by healthcare workers since their introduction into the NHS.

Campaign group Docs Not Cops blockaded the offices of NHS England for their role in passing patient data to credit check agencies to check their entitlement to care.

In the evening, healthcare workers and local campaign groups, including Keep Our NHS Public, held vigils at 6 hospitals around the country to stand in solidarity with the people impacted by NHS charging.

Since the introduction of the policy in 2017, a number of people have died after being charged for care or denied treatment, as a result of their immigration status.

On 23rd October 2017, the Government made it a legal duty for NHS Trusts to charge up-front for treatment for people who are unable to prove their entitlement to free NHS care, and increased the chargeable amount to 150% of the cost of the treatment. This was a significant change in the way the NHS administered charging for care, and has increased the need for hospitals to check IDs and immigration status before providing care.

Keep Our NHS Public member Dr Sonia Adesera said,

Today marks 2 years since the expansion of #HostileEnvironment and the introduction of upfront charging for migrants in our NHS. Denying people healthcare due to their inability to pay is inhumane. These polices have resulted in people with cancer dying in pain. Pregnant women unable to get maternity care. People dying from treatable illnesses cos they are too scared to see a doctor. We’ll never know the true number who have suffered & died as a result of these policies. We have been protesting outside NHSEngland as they have been mass sharing patient data with credit check firm Experian. These policies are not only inhumane, But as the Windrush scandal showed, Inherently racist, With people of colour or those with a ‘foreign’ names being denied healthcare.

Here are some pictures from Wednesday's events: