Accessing health and social care services: Asylum seekers and refugees

Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire wanted to understand different groups’ access to and experience of healthcare.  They held two focus groups with refugees and asylum seekers, one with Sudanese men and the other with Afghan women and women from the Middle East.  They spoke to 13 people in total.

The Sudanese men hadn’t been accessing many services as they weren’t aware they were entitled to any help. Although all were registered with a GP, they found it difficult to get an appointment due to speaking English as a second language.

The women felt that services had become worse.  They contrasted the difference between the NHS and services in other European countries.

All participants commented that language is the biggest barrier to communicating with services.  It was more difficult to get a translator since the pandemic.