Asylum seekers: experience of health and care in Eastbourne

Healthwatch East Sussex followed up findings of their annual listening tour in Eastbourne where they visited a weekly drop in session for refugees and asylum seekers by undertaking a number of advice and information sessions at the drop in café.  They spoke to 18 people.

Many of the asylum seekers Healthwatch spoke to with healthcare concerns did not know what service they needed to use to meet their needs. Crucially, the importance of GPs as gateways to other healthcare services, and the need for an HC2 certificate to access all healthcare services, was not understood. 

Asylum seekers are expected to navigate a complex and unfamiliar healthcare system, but it is not always obvious to asylum seekers where they should go for specific health issues. Feedback from the asylum seekers suggests that there does not appear to be any source of information or support at their accommodation to help them know what services are available, which they can access and where to find them.

Once an asylum seeker knew which service they ought to access for their healthcare need, getting an appointment or advice still was not straight forward, due to language barriers and lack of resources (phone, broadband, travel and medicine)..  

Some seekers struggled to highlight personal health-needs linked to their accommodation with the hotel staff, such as the requirement for a specific diet or a ground floor room due to medical needs.