College Chair backs proposals to ban the detainment of children of illegal immigrants

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners said: “For a child, the harmful physical and mental health impact of being detained cannot be understated and this should never become a routine practice. The experience is likely to be traumatic, particularly for the children detained on their own with no family members present, potentially resulting in trauma-related conditions, as well as an overall deterioration in physical health, possibly lasting for many years.

“As an organisation that aims to ensure that all care received in the UK is of the highest possible standard, the RCGP feels deeply troubled by the possibility that children could be subjected to conditions which are known to be harmful to their physical and mental health.”

Further information

RCGP Press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editor

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.