Ministers reject calls to suspend practice amid fears it is stopping migrants seeking medical benefit[br]Ministers have rejected a call from MPs to immediately suspend the disclosure of confidential NHS patient data to the domestic Office to trace potential immigration offenders despite evidence it is deterring migrants in England from seeking medical benefit.
A joint letter from domestic Office and health ministers to the chair of the Commons health select committee discloses that 1297 requests for non-clinical details of patients,including domestic addresses, were made in the past three months by immigration officials trying to trace individuals with whom they had lost contact.
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Source: guardian.co.uk