About the HPA

Review of Port Health 2006

 Following the creation of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the Department of Health (DH) and the Home Office (HO) agreed that there should be a review of health activity at international travel terminals - commonly known collectively as 'port health'.
A joint DH, HO and HPA Steering Group was established to oversee the work, and a joint HPA and HO Project Group was asked to undertake the review.

The Project Group reviewed the literature, took oral evidence from key organisations and individuals and conducted surveys of a wider group. The final report was presented to the Steering Group and through the members of the Steering Group, to relevant Government Ministers. It is published on the HPA site in full.

In the light of the report, the Home Office, Department of Health and Health Protection Agency have decided to take forward a number of actions to strengthen and improve current arrangements at the ports and airports.

These are that:

a) the Department of Health should:

i. continue, as already planned:

  • to lead work on legislation to implement the International Health Regulations 2005 and
  • with an evaluation of the effectiveness of routine TB checks on immigrants who are high risk for TB;

ii. seek an opportunity to modernise the legislation on medical examinations under the Immigration Act;

iii. work with the Health Protection Agency and Home Office to produce and publish on relevant websites a short, clear, note of the accountabilities for the different health activities carried out at international travel terminals;

b) the Health Protection Agency should:

i. take the overall operational lead to ensure that there are appropriate operational arrangements:

  • for port health, particularly given the risk of a flu pandemic, working closely with partners in the public sector and the travel industry;
  • for medical examinations under the Immigration Act,
  • ensuring that these points and appropriate supporting actions are reflected in its business plan;

ii. work with partners to ensure that there are clear arrangements at each international travel terminal, accessible to the staff concerned, for contacting the different health services that may need to be involved (e.g. NHS emergency services), and where it thinks there is a case for this, to encourage Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts to review and develop services.

c) the Home Office should:

 i. take forward a proposal that the accommodation needed for medical examinations under the Immigration Act should be provided free of charge under immigration legislation;

ii. update the Immigration Directorate Instructions, agreeing the health-related material with DH;

iii. monitor the impact that advice from those who carry out medical examinations has on the entry decisions taken by immigration officers;

iv. set up formal arrangements for the healthcare of immigration detainees at international travel terminals;

v. be prepared to include in future legislation a provision to modernise the legislation on medical examinations under the Immigration Act 1971.

 


Last reviewed: 4 March 2008



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