Listening to migrant communities

In 2021, Dudley CVS was awarded funding from the Black Country West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group to deliver a 12 month pilot to expand social prescribing support for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. The programme had an intended outcome of building capacity in the voluntary and community sector and to increase uptake of targeted prevention support and services, including health checks and creative and physical activity. As part of this programme, Healthwatch Dudley was commissioned to listen to migrant communities to better understand some of the health and care barriers they face. They were invited to the Welcome Group, a Halesowen faith -based charity, who host weekly sessions for refugees and people who are seeking asylum. Supported by volunteers, the Welcome Group share food, clothes, household goods, friendship and guidance, as they bring people who might otherwise feel isolated together to connect in a safe, social environment.

 During regular visits, the Healthwatch Dudley team provided signposting to people who were struggling to get the support or information they needed about health and care services. They connected with over 200 people.

People experienced difficulties in accessing health care as they needed to learn to speak English.  They experienced medication errors because they didn’t understand English well enough.

People talked about their experiences fleeing their country of origin and seeking asylum in the UK.  People were worried about the housing they were living in, not being able to afford school trips and the importance of the community support.

They experienced problems accessing NHS dentistry, but welcomed the support and friendship they received at the Welcome Group.  Healthwatch Dudley supported two community events and arranged for health checks, including blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes checks.