The Home Office have recently started contacting asylum seekers and asking them to sign a consent form that would give the Home Office access to their personal medical records. The form and accompanying letter asks for the individual asylum seeker to sign and give consent for their doctor to disclose details of the individual’s (and their dependants’) medical history to the Home Office. Any information obtained may then be used to inform decisions taken on an individual’s case, including how to progress removal from the UK if an application for asylum is unsuccessful. The accompanying letter to the form does not make clear that giving consent is optional and we are concerned that asylum-seekers will feel obliged to share this information. Asylum Matters and DOTW have produced a document advising what asylum-seekers should do if they receive the letter – Please see Medical Consent Forms Info Sheet
