Health issues of asylum seekers and refugees in Gateshead and Newcastle 2016
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Healthwatch Gateshead and Healthwatch Newcastle worked with the Regional Refugee Forum to understand refugees' and asylum seekers' experience of healthcare. They held an event which 23 people attended.
The stigma surrounding mental health was a common theme, and this prevents people from seeking help when needed.
People experienced barriers when accessing interpreting services
Asylum seeker policy and cultural differences were barriers to staying healthy
People would like more information about healthy food consumption as the messages weren’t clear and caused confusion as they were often only relevant to common UK diets.
People were unaware of what services were available, what they were eligible for and which services were provided free at the point of delivery, such as eye 7 tests and hearing tests. Information about the services available during pregnancy was also highlighted.