Decision details

Resolved: the committee noted the report and agreed to refer its views to the Trust. The committee also agreed to refer its views to Mayor and Cabinet in the following terms:

The committee was concerned to learn of the arrangements that have recently been in place at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust for identifying and charging patients who are not eligible for free healthcare. The committee was particularly concerned to learn about the automatic sharing of data with the credit reference agency, Experian, to check whether patients were economically active in the UK (as part of the process for assessing “ordinary residence”). While the Trust is required by law to charge patients who are not eligible, the committee is concerned about the impact that the Trust’s implementation of this policy has on Lewisham’s status as a sanctuary borough. The committee therefore asks Mayor and Cabinet to explore good policy and practice in other councils in London and beyond in order to make links and help to create a campaign with those councils.