International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12. This year the International Council of Nurses have chosen “Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right” as their theme.
We agree with them that “healthcare should be accessible to all”.
But – as part of their Hostile Environment policy this Government have been making it more and more difficult for people to access the NHS services they need.
Join our “I’m a Nurse Not a Border Guard” twitterstorm on Saturday 12th May 12noon-2pm and tell @Jeremy_Hunt why #ThisNurse believes in #PatientsNotPassports! Full details below.
It is now mandatory for NHS trusts to check people’s immigration status before providing secondary care and for them to charge upfront for treatment in many cases. The Immigration Health Surcharge prices people out of visa applications – and is going to be increased even further.
Already these policies are leading to discrimination and racial profiling, to people being too scared to access the care they need, and are turning healthcare workers into border guards. This week the government announced it would suspend data-sharing between NHS Digital and the Home Office in most cases – but we need to keep pushing to ensure no one will have to fear immigration enforcement when seeking medical care
As Nurses we must stand up for our patients and advocate for their right to free, universal, non-judgemental healthcare.
Join us in celebrating International Nurses day by telling Jeremy Hunt it’s time to end prohibitive healthcare charges for migrants, scrap ID checks in hospitals and community care, and time to kick the Hostile Environment out of the NHS.
Tweet a selfie of you and your colleagues (ideally in uniform – but you don’t have to identify yourself) holding a sign saying:
“We treat patients not passports.
I’m a Nurse not a border guard ”
Send it at midday and make sure you @Jeremy_Hunt. Here are some sample tweets to get you started:
1. “We’re nurses not border guards! @Jeremy_Hunt time to kick the hostile environment out the of the NHS! We’re joining @DocsNotCops to say #PatientsNotPassports“
2. “I’m a nurse not a border guard!
#ThisNurse is telling @Jeremy_Hunt that we want to treat #PatientsNotPassports. End the Hostile Environment!”
3. “Health is a human right and we’re nurses not border guards.
For #InternationalNursesDay, I’m telling @Jeremy_Hunt to end NHS charges for migrants – #PatientsNotPassports!”
(not on twitter? Why not take part on Facebook – share our I’m a Nurse Not a Board Guard Facebook event and invite your friends – mention us @Docs Not Cops)
Read an article by a nurse member of Docs Not Cops in IndyVoices: “The NHS has stopped sharing data with the Home Office – now it must halt passport checks on patients“
Follow us at
DocsNotCops@gmail.com
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