March 26, 2009

A British man in Sheffield has been told he could not register his family with his local General Practitioner because all the surgery’s staff were being used to “devote extra time to non-English speaking patients.”

According to local newspaper reports, Christopher Dowsett wanted to enrol his partner and their one-year-old daughter at Firth Park Surgery in Sheffield.

Mr Dowsett was already registered as a patient at the surgery and when his girlfriend and child moved from Edlington, Doncaster, to live with him he went to get them registered too.

His partner had been suffering from a rash which she needed treatment for, and his daughter was due to have her MMR vaccinations — but the couple were told they could not be registered on the new patient list as the practice was closed.

A letter explaining the situation listed a series of reasons — including an increase in non-English speaking patients who “require additional time and resources to ensure they receive the high level of service to which all of our patients have the right.”

Mr Dowsett said he was disgusted with the way he had been treated by the practice. He said: “I want my family to be registered at the same place as me but to just be told ‘no’ is disgraceful.

“The decision has led to a delay in my daughter getting her jabs, and my girlfriend getting treatment.

“They used to be registered in Doncaster but they can’t be making the trip there every time they need to see a doctor.

“I just think it’s disgusting that they have turned away a one-year-old baby. It’s been stressful enough with the move over here; we didn’t need this adding to it.”