Hereford Medical Group registers hotel asylum seekers as patients

All the residents at the Three Counties Hotel, initially said to be up to 120, will be registered with Hereford Medical Group.

The medical group, which runs Station Medical Centre and South Wye Medical Centre at Belmont Road's Asda, said the asylum seekers will be offered an initial health assessment.

RELATED NEWS:

• Hereford MP 'actively fighting' move to house asylum seekers at Three Counties Hotel
• 24-hour security at asylum seekers' Hereford hotel – with ugly clashes elsewhere
• Reader's letter: Hereford can be too insular so asylum seekers arriving is good

That is the same as any new patient, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Once that had been carried out, the spokesperson said all future appointments will be made in exactly the same way as for other patients.

This means that for routine care, residents will need to complete an online form for triage by a GP and for more urgent matters they will need to contact the practice to speak to one of the reception team.

The group will receive a small amount of additional funding in order to recruit locum cover to provide some additional appointment capacity.

But the Hereford Times has approached Herefordshire Council to ask if any extra funding would be made available for any extra staff such as receptions or interpreters but was not given an answer.

What is an asylum seeker?

An asylum seeker is someone who has arrived in a country and asked for asylum to change their country of usual residence due to fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, social group, or political opinion.

In this sense, asylum seekers are generally counted as a subset of migrants. Until they receive a decision as to whether or not they are a refugee, they are known as an asylum seeker.

In the UK, this means they do not have the same rights as a refugee or a British citizen would. For example, people seeking asylum are not allowed to work.

The Hereford Times understands that the asylum seekers have now been moved to the hotel, with 24-hour security at the site.

OTHER NEWS:

• Armed police called to threats of 'significant harm' to baby in Hereford
• Mile-long tailbacks at three-way traffic lights near Hereford
• Black soot appears in Hereford flat - even in the fridge

The security presence is in place for the safety and security of those staying and working there and for the property.

All arrivals receive an induction and information about UK culture, values and law. This includes information on British values, such as respecting and obeying the law, respecting the rights of others and treating others with fairness.

Specific risks have not been identified and police will be working with council and other colleagues to promote community cohesion and prevent crime in the local area.