Lost in the system: the voices of refugees and asylum seekers on health and healthcare
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Healthwatch Hertfordshire undertook research on the experience of refugees and asylum seekers accessing health care services as there had been no local research on this topic before. They spoke to 32 asylum seekers and refugees and 15 stakeholders.
Refugees and asylum seekers had very poor emotional wellbeing and struggled to access the right support. Accommodation providers should work more closely with the voluntary sector to provide wellbeing activities and resources for their residents, and healthcare professionals should have training on the issues refugees and asylum seekers face.
Residents in contingency accommodation were not getting nutritionally sufficient food. They are struggling to live a healthy lifestyle and should be supported with this as they have very limited resources to do so independently. The food needs to provide a balanced diet and accommodation providers should be flexible about different medical and cultural needs.
Parents were worried about their children’s health and development. They often did not know where to go for help with their children’s health needs. They received very good support from health visitors and provisions should be put in place to enable health visitors to visit each hotel regularly to support the children and families living there.
Refugees and asylum seekers had very poor physical health and struggled to navigate the NHS system. They tended to have positive experiences when they attended GP services, but would benefit from being offered an initial health and wellbeing check upon registration with the GP surgery, and be supported to understand the healthcare system.
Many refugees and asylum seekers struggled with communication and accessing care. Most relied on informal means for interpretation which poses unnecessary risks and is not equitable. Everybody who needs them should have professional translation and interpretation services available to them at every stage of their interaction with the healthcare system.
Refugees and asylum seekers generally had positive experiences of urgent and emergency care but needed support in navigating the system. The referral system was unfamiliar and some respondents faced unexpected differences to what they were used to outside of the UK.
Accessing dental care was difficult for some refugees and asylum seekers. More emphasis needs to be put on supporting this cohort with finding a dentist and booking a check-up.