Many practices may be refusing registration to vulnerable patients, such as the homeless, by demanding unnecessary documentation, it was claimed today.

Researchers found that 75% of practices, in a survey conducted in London, demanded documents from people such as the homeless, travellers and migrants. According to a report in the British Journal of General Practice, practices that refuse to register patients without documents are breaching NHS Standard Operating principles.

In the survey, researchers found that 12% of practices set out procedures on their websites for registering and treating patients without documents. The study involved a survey of 100 practices. Researchers found that practice websites frequently stated that documents would be needed for registration – and, allegedly, misinterpreted rules on immigration status.

Researcher Nathan Hodson, currently of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, said: “General Practice in the NHS is the envy of the world and it’s free for anybody living in the UK. Inaccurate on-line information excludes people who move house often, don’t have passports, or were born abroad. But all these people are entitled to register with a GP, in fact the NHS Constitution says they have the responsibility to register with a GP.

“Every GP website should have accurate information and accommodating registration policies so that nobody misses out on the huge health benefits of general practice.”