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Patient register data system- flag 4

This administrative data source captures international migration through allocating a flag 4 when a patient registers with a GP and their previous address was outside the UK.

The Local Government Association report ‘Estimating the scale and impact of migration at the local level’ identifies the limitations of this report as:

  • the time lag between entering the UK and registering with a GP, with some population groups, ie young men being less likely to register;
  • the flag is lost if a migrant moves to another GP within the UK; and
  • no date is held for registration.