Registering with a GP in Barnet

Healthwatch Barnet was alerted to difficulties in accessing/registering with GP services in Barnet, especially for people without a permanent address. Healthwatch Barnet decided to research the registration process in Barnet by contacting the 57 registered GPs in the borough, through a mystery shopper exercise.

The research was carried out over the course of four days, in February 2018. Calls were made to 54 GP surgeries.

Of the 54 GP surgeries Healthwatch Barnet spoke to, 51 (94%) were registering new patients. Those that were not, said their list was currently closed but gave no further explanation. One surgery said to call again in April, as they had recently merged with another surgery. GPs were asked if it was possible to register without the requested documentation. 51 (94%) of the surgeries said the caller must have the correct documents. The majority of GPs (40, 74%) did not offer a solution to the caller when they said they did not have an address.

NHS England operating procedures state that everyone should be able to register with a GP practice. This research shows this may be challenging for people without a permanent address, or access to ID, trying to register with a GP in Barnet. Often proof of address was required to prove that the patient lived within the practice catchment area. Healthwatch Barnet was pleased to receive Barnet CCG’s rapid response and recognition of the issue, following these findings. It was encouraging to see that they have already contacted Barnet GPs to remind them of their obligation to register patients who request to, whether they have proof of address or not. This is particularly important for vulnerable groups, including those who are homeless.