Boat dweller Camille Tsang has been denied access to her former GP for more than a year, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

A North London NHS director has apologised after a woman was denied access to a GP for over a year.

Last week the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported that Barnet health worker Camille Tsang had been left “angry and deeply frustrated” after being denied access by her GP surgery.

Camile, who lives on a houseboat, was deregistered from Colindale Medical Centre in September 2024 due to having no fixed address.

A director at NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) has now issued an apology and said the GP surgery would be working “as a matter of urgency” to resolve the issue.

Integrated care boards, launched in 2022, are bodies which co-ordinate local NHS services and decide how money is spent in their area. NCL ICB works across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington boroughs.

The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) had raised concerns about the NCL ICB’s lack of action to resolve the issue of Camile – with attempts dating back to October 2024.

After the ICB and health ombudsman failed to help, Camille said she approached her local MP, David Pinto-Duschinsky, who got in touch with the NHS board.

Despite this, Camille was still unable to access a GP after NCL ICB told her they could not close the case – citing delays at Colindale Medical Centre.

Camille, who works in public health, said she had been left “angry and deeply frustrated” over the process.

“I have a connection to Colindale because I have worked here for over ten years,” Camille said, adding: “If I try to get a GP anywhere else, I would be refused because I don’t have a connection to the area.”

Since the story was published last Monday (9th), Sarah McIlwaine, director of primary care at NCL ICB, has issued an apology and said Camile would soon be re-registered as a patient.

She said: “We understand how important it is to be able to access health and care services.

“We sincerely apologise for the significant delay Ms Tsang has experienced in resolving this and understand how worrying and frustrating this must have been.”

McIlwaine added: “Colindale Medical Centre is contacting Ms Tsang as a matter of urgency to begin the registration process and we will continue to monitor this case closely.”

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