EXCLUSIVE

Sussex GP shares her experience visiting asylum hotel.

A general practitioner who works with asylum seekers living in hotels has spoken out against falsehoods about their living situations.

The nurse, who prefers to remain nameless to ensure the safety of her patients, holds a weekly clinic for asylum seekers and refugees at the hotel in East Sussex.

She gives 20-minute sessions and has firsthand experience with asylum seekers in the county.

After visiting the hotel, which primarily shelters women and children, she explained the living circumstances and expressed her desire to help dispel myths that asylum seekers are living in luxury.

Protests have been conducted at hotels thought to be sheltering migrants (Image: Eddie Mitchell). She said, “The hotel is not great at all; it smells and is dirty. “Many of my patients complain that their rooms are dirty and that the staff does not respect their privacy.

They stated that complaining would just make their life harder. “I’ve been in several times, and I believe what they’ve done is partition off the rooms, so they’re not genuine walls.

The rooms are extremely small, and the ceilings are low. I have folks who are really tall who complain about bumping their heads.”

She also mentioned concerns about the quality of food offered and how this affects patients’ health and well-being. “The government has a contract with catering businesses to bring in pre-packaged meals, such as microwave dinners. “The cuisine is unhealthy, and many people describe it as disgusting and unpalatable.

Furthermore, the portion sizes are inadequate. “I have had breast-feeding women tell me they are hungry.

Diabetic patients who are not receiving the proper nutrition, as well as those with excessive cholesterol who claim the food is too fatty. “Some claim they gag when they eat it. Children aren’t eating. It isn’t satisfactory.”

The remarks come as tensions escalate across the country over the housing of asylum seekers in the UK.

In recent months, protests have taken place at the Copthorne Hotel near Crawley and the Park Hotel in Chichester, both of which are thought to be housing asylum seekers.

St George’s flags have also been seen as part of the national “Operation Raise the Colours” campaign.

Some think it’s motivated by anti-immigrant sentiment, while others say it’s a patriotic gesture.Roundabouts have also been vandalised (Photo: Sussex News and Pictures). The Sussex GP addressed the widespread dissemination of disinformation and speculation about the situation of asylum seekers in hotels.

She said, “They are not getting any luxury. There’s a lot of disinformation out there. “They don’t receive iPads. I’m not sure where this came from.

There’s a lot of stupidity out there. “It really needs to stop, people need to be informed.” She continued, “The bulk of my patients are worried and sad. Many people are battling with PTSD.

“They are bored, and they want to do something, they want to work.” She described how many people have to wait years for their claims to be heard, while receiving a weekly allowance of less than £10. “It is aggravating that people are so uninformed.

“I’ve developed relationships with patients over the previous few years, and they aren’t looking for free money. They are arriving here under extremely terrible circumstances. “They have no choice but to leave their homes, and they genuinely want to do something with their lives.

They have skills to contribute, and they want to.”I don’t believe that anybody I’ve seen came with the intention of thinking it’s a free ride, it’s not the case at all.” She continued, “I realise the government’s difficult situation and limited resources.

But I believe we are overlooking the human aspect of this. “These people have been dehumanised by the government and those protesting don’t have a clue” .

Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com